The Michigan Daily - michigandaily.com
Friday, September 25, 2009 - 5A
Not so scary Monsters
By MIKE KUNTZ
Daily Arts Writer
History has shown that super-
groups almost always look good on
paper. Too often
that's where they
look best - the
wildly inconsis- MonSters
tent results range
from breathtak- of Folk
ing (Crosby, Stills, Monsters
Nash & Young) to of Folk
head-scratchingly
awful (too many Shangi-La
to name). Today's
version, the markedly less preten-
tious Monsters of Folk - whose
tongues were placed firmly in cheek
when making that moniker - lie
somewhere in between: Fantastic in
theory yet still leaving something to
be desired on tape.
Monsters of Folk unites four pil-
lars of modern popular folk on this
self-titled debut album, namely
singer-songwriters Conor Oberst
(Bright Eyes) and M. Ward (also
of She & Him fame), My Morning
Jacket frontman Jim James (or Yim
Yames, as he has been credited of
late) and Saddle Creek Records' pro-
ducer/multi-instrumentalist Mike
Mogis (also of Bright Eyes). Their
idea to cut an album originated in
2004 when Ward, Oberst and James
toured together, collaborating on
I their respective catalogues in a night
billed as "An Evening with Bright
Eyes, Jim James and M. Ward."
Even with such prolific and indi-
vidualized songwriters as Oberst,
James and Ward, the album is
remarkably cohesive. Like the folk
supergroups of yore, each artist has
a handful of songs that are clearly
his or her own, and employs the
other members to help orchestrate
the tracks. This collaborative ele-
ment allows for a thicker dose of
vocal and instrumental layeringand
some ac
the fou
togethe
ning fas
Jame
(Sincere
prayer
thought
undern
tos andl
and stri
"Bab
fun, ex
sters co
Oberst1
two-ste
harmon
they so
It's a ni
erwise L
Ober
Dylan p
particu
dded stylistic variety. Still, songs themselves may not be that
r find plenty of ways to blend great, he does his best (with help
r, and often do so in stun- from Mogis's deft keyboards and
hion. mechanical guitars) to dress them
es-led opener "Dear God up all pretty.
ely M.O.F)" is a soulful "The Sandman, the Brakeman and
with each singer taking a Me" is another fine moment, and is
tful stab at divine dilemmas perhaps M. Ward'sbest writing since
eath James's soaring falset- 2006'sPost-War. Here heemployshis
Mogis's R&B-flavored drum dusty Americana style to full effect
ng samples. for an acoustic ballad that sounds like
y Boomer" is a little more a lullaby sung from a Depression-era
emplifying the ideal Mon- boxcar.With lonesome atmospherics
llaboration with Ward and courtesyofMogis,thesongpacksone
trading vocal lines over a of the few consistently compelling
p shuffle and James's high melodies on the album. It posesses a
ies. With all guns blazing, backcountry familiarity that only M.
und, well, pretty darn good. Ward can conjure.
ce break on an album of oth- "His Master's Voice" rounds
lackluster songwriting. out the album. It's another biblical
st enlists his typical faux- hymn led by James, with harmonies
rose throughout the album, played by Ward and Oberst aiding
larly in "Man Named Truth" the chorus. The song slowly builds
and recedes with dramatic effect
before ending on a goofy iteration
of the final lyric that recalls garbled
eat on paper, Cuisinart-like vocal effects.
While Monsters of Folk wrestles
)K on tape. with themes often more serious than
their delivery, it serves as more of a
lyrical frame touting the American
folk tradition - Baptist hymns, left-
mazcal,"using the same lyri- ist rags, plantation blues and breezy
hulas and shaky delivery that storytelling - than an attempt at
'pically come to character- achieving conceptual grandeur.
Omaha troubadour. It's here Besides, the record's more playful
tying it safe brings out the moments (see the skattingon "Losin
Monsters: There is a notable Yo Head") outweigh any pretension
of inspiration from all three that might arise from any one track.
iters, Oberst included. They are the "Monsters of Folk"
James somewhat makes up after all.
mediocre songwriting by Jokes aside, the four self-appoint-
ing to push the limits of his ed folk titans still made a decent
ngly playful persona (whom record. And thoughMonsters ofFolk
1 only assume to be 'Vim isn't the folk godsend some might
that likely first emerged in have expected it to be, it certainly
n MMJ's Evil Urges. James doesn't try to be. The Monsters ses-
estionably the most daring sions are nothing short (or tall) of
n the record, acting as both four very talented friends hashing
mboyant backup man and out a collection of songs for fun -
sive balladeer. Though the and it shows.
Gr
(
TV REVIEW
COURTESY OF HBO
"Did I forget to submit my personals ad?"
A lovely 'Deat h'
HBO proves it novels, he posts an ad on craigslist, sounds familiar, that's because
selling himself as an unlicensed "Bored to Death" is somewhat
still owns TV with private investigator and waitsfor a autobiographical. The creator is
call. Before he knows it, he's in the real-life Jonathan Ames (a New
another stellar series middle of a case, living his dead- York Press columnist and author
beat life by day and moonlighting of several novels including "The
By CAROLYN KLARECKI asa detective by night. Alcoholic"), who once decided
Daily TV/New Media Editor Schwartzman has always been to rent an office and put an ad on
a master of subtle comedy and the craigslist offering his services as
Who doesn't love film noir? style of "Bored to Death" uses his a detective. After he realized the
There's something inherently talents perfectly. His first case legal repercussions of his pipe-
classy about a is simple enough - a girl visitng dream actions, he decided to live
private inves- New York can't locate the sister through his writing and created
tigator sipping she came to meet - but he makes it "Bored to Death," naming the
a drink and B to complicated and melodramatic to main character after himself.
smoking a cigar serve his detective desires. Ames The back story also empha-
in a dark club Det1 proclaims, as though he thinks his sizes the show's tendency to pull
only to be later Sundays at idea is an astonishing revelation, influences from different genres:
approached by a 9:30 p.m. that they ought to find the miss- "Bored to Death" plays with clas-
beautiful (prob- ing girl's boyfriend in order to find sic film noir and modern humor,
ably foreign) HBO her. Elementary, isn't it? tragedy and comedy, but stays
woman in need Ames is, in all actuality, a very focused mostly on fiction and
of his help. Of course, it's hard depressing man who tells everyone reality. The show integrates these
nowadays to create a new movie who will listen that his girlfriend artistic pulses in away so that they
or show in the classic film noir dumped him. He looks at even the never contradict one another. The
style without it being labeled as simplest cases with solemnity. But results are constructive, and they
"formulaic" or "standard." And because Schwartzman plays himin create a beautiful story.
often times these criticisms are such a wonderfully straight-faced It's clear that "Bored to Death"
accurate. Too many shows have manner, the show is not only awk- is smart, funny and intricately
been expected to succeed by sim- ward but surprisingly humorous, detailed in a way that not a whole
ply copying the stylistic elements Generally,TVshowsoundtracks lot of TV shows can manage these
of the genre's best without add- are nothing notable. They're usu- days. Even still, the show's intel-
ing their own personal touches. ally comprised of either generic lect may be its downfall. People
HBO's "Bored to Death" is a rare and nondescript mood music or traditionally don't turn on the
exception that balances the ideas Top-40 hits, but the soundtrack television to watch artistic indie
of film noir with the touch of mod- for "Bored to Death" is a master- shows. It might be difficult for
ern humor. The result is a fantas- piece: The songs switch between "Bored to Death" to gain notoriety
tic show. cool, whimsical jazzy numbers when bad reality TV and cheesy
Jonathan Ames (Jason and soothing indie songs by art- sitcoms are increasingly popular.
Schwartzman, "The Darjeeling ists such as Kaiser Cartel and HBO, which can worry less about
Limited") has been stuck on his Andrew Bird, and these songs suit viewership figures, is the perfect
second novel for a while. To make the show perfectly. The attention home forthis show, and those who
matters worse, he just got dumped given to this usually overlooked are up for something with a little
by his girlfriend, smokes too much element makes "Bored to Death" more meat than whatever's air-
pot and drinks too much white a treat for the ears as well as the ing on typical the typical network
wine. In a moment of desperation eyes and mind. primetime lineup will love "Bored
inspired by his affection for crime If the name Jonathan Ames to Death."
and "Te
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have ty
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Jim
for the
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Yames')
2008 or
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the flat
the pen
Pure, pleasant growing pains
By DAVID WATNICK
ManagingArts Editor
Like any respectable high-heart-
rate band cooking slight songs for
musical sweet
tooths, The Pains *
of Being Pure at
Heart are meeting le Pains of
their output quota B Pur
as quickly as their
touring schedule at Heart
allows. Even with
one of 2009's best Higher Than
albums already the as
under the belts of Slmerland/
their skinny jeans, Fortuna Pop
The Pains have
kept working at a pace to match
their songs' tempos.
Fans of The Pains' self-titled Feb-
ruary long-player can rejoice in the
arrival of the Higher Than the Stars
EP, but image-conscious audience
members should be warned that the
new release only follows the seven-
month-old trends set by the band's
debut.
Captaining the five-song platter
that shares its name, "Higher Than
the Stars" is a concurrence to the
band's basic sound. Exuberant and
straight-forward but bent toward
the synthesized side of the dial,
it's a bubbly breeze that continues
The Pains' penchant for enigmatic
perversion. In case you were won-
dering, "you're not straight /in the
back of her mother's car." Who
knew?
"Falling Over" also observes
the newfangly electric keyboard
precedent, prancing over synth
eruptions while sticking pain-
fully close to the verse-chorus-
verse formula. Adhering to the old
faithful structure, it's emblematic
of the disc's primary flaw: unre-
peatability. The first four tracks
are effortlessly endearing on the
first go (the fifth is a remix of the
title tune), but continued spins
can't coax anything further from
the band's pleasantly simple melo-
dies and arrangements. The most
vital attribute any release can
posses is the ability to expand and
flourish in a listener's mind over
time. Here, The Pains show their
hand at the draw, and endurance
and growth is sacrificed for fleet-
ing instant gratification.
The serious guitars (is it safe
to assume they're Jazzmasters?
probably) come out on "103" and
* "Twins," and the pair is much bet-
ter for it, even if their songwriting
sophistication level is no greater
than anything else on the EP. The
two songs survive on their strik-
ing sense of adolescent longing and
geeky punk vigor, but they're toss-
offs that don't deserve slots on a full-
length release.
The "Saint Etienne Visits Lord
Spank Mix" of "Higher Than the
Stars" is the meal's final course,
and arriving on the heels of four
immediate hitters, it's a dominat-
ing downer - long, dreary and
repetitive. But over repeated plays,
something miraculous happens:
While the song's comrades become
increasingly insignificant with age,
the "Higher Than the Stars" remix
matures into an intoxicating hyp-
notist that rides minimalism to the
stars. A smoldering slow jam, it's not
only a stellar afterglow, but it's also
the most novel - and best - song of
the bunch.
The EP may suffer from a lack of
replayability, but more disappoint-
ing is how little the band pushed
the boundaries of its comfort zone
throughout the disc. The closer is
the only number that could even be
considered a remote departure for
the band, and it's a remix.
With a start-to-finish knockout
LP already in their portfolio, The
Pains of Being Pure at Heart are
ready to upgrade their sound, and
Higher Than the Stars would have
been the perfect venue for The Pains
to take some chances. Instead the
EP is a fun spin, but it's a missed
Sweet, but not
risky enough.
opportunity. For the moment, it
appears the pains symptomatic of
being pure at heart are the same
as those associated with stunted
growth. Still, youth is youth; it's
better to be young and idealistic
than old and disillusioned.
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