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Tuesday, September 8, 2009 - 5A

The Michigan Daily - michigandaily.com Tuesday, September 8, 2009 -

Best acid trip ever.
John, Paul, George, Ringo and You

The combination of The Beatles and "Rock Band"
is a match made in harmony heaven
By David Watnick I Managing Arts Editor

There may be no such thing as a "can't
i miss" in the world of video games (or
anywhere else, for that
matter), but "The Beat-
les: Rock Band" is about
as close as they come. The Beatles:
Attaching the catalog, Rock Band
likenesses, aesthetic and
auraofthegreatestartists PS3/Xbox
in the history of popular 360/ Wi
music to one of the most MTV Games
accessible and engaging
formats in the gaming
world was an utter no-brainer.
The logic is condescendingly obvious: If
The Beatles' music is the most compelling

rock ever created, just imagine perform-
ing it yourself (without even having to be
competent on a real instrument). Better
yet, imagine being a Beatle without having
to leave the living room or put on a black
suit (although dressing in-character seems
like the logical next step by the time you've
reached the Shea Stadium chapter). The
pairing of The Beatles with "Rock Band"
is, of course, stellar. It's almost as perfect
a match as John Lennon and Paul McCart-
ney were.
Time might as well cease for the opening
sequence, in which an animated montage
depicting The Beatles up to their old antics
explodes forward to the opening chord of

"A Hard Day's Night." The attention-com-
manding lead-in epitomizes the attitude
of inevitable excellence that pervades the
entire game.
It's an all-around confident affair, reek-
ing of a creative team that knew it had an
obvious smash on its hands. Yet there are
no signs of complacency or lack of ambi-
tion: Every aspect of both the gameplay
and the menu screens is meticulously orna-
mented, from the "Getting Better" guitar
strum that plays every time a button is
pressed in the menu to the vintage out-of-
breath Paul McCartney introductions that
precede many songs. And the cut scenes
that run between chapters do a perfect job
of turning The Beatles' artistic and career
growth into the fantasy it always seemed to
be in real life.
Though the significant depth of the
game's artistic dimension goes furthest in
setting the atmosphere of total Beatleness,
harmony vocals
- the game's
only major
gameplay addi-
HOOL tion - are most
responsible for
giving players a
lifelike Beatles
musical expe-
rience. With
a capacity for
three micro-
phones, there
are no vocal

THE BIGGEST & NEWEST BACK TO SC.
PG0 TIN SI
Chics o

phrases in "The Beatles: Rock Band" that
can't be replicated with near-complete
authenticity.
Of course, the harmonies can be quite
difficult to hit, even after using the too-
brief harmony trainer tutorial (The Beat-
les' songwriting and recording legacy often
makes people forget they were exceptional
vocalists). Those extremely familiar with
The Beatles output sioui.l ves -y he
able to find the harmony in most places, but
in some cases (like the close harmonies on
"I Saw Her Standing There" or the three-
part group wall of "If I Needed Someone")
only talented singers have a good chance of
nailing harmony parts. A solo mode allows
one to three singers to attempt onlya song's

main melody, but it makes songs seem frus-
tratingly abridged.
In theory, "The Beatles: Rock Band" can
support six players (three singers, guitar,
bass, drums), but any serious outfit will
want to invest in a few mic stands (or fash-
ion their own) in order tobecome a fabfour-
piece. Simultaneously singing and playing
an instrument is a tricky skill to master, but
anyone well-versed in Beatles lyrics should
have no trouble serving double duty after a
few evenings in the Cavern Club.
Unfortunately, the concentration
required to play the songs makes noticing
the gorgeous background animations near-
ly impossible. The scenes from the Cavern
See ROCK BAND, Page 8A

>'


Ofphilistines and
film connoisseurs

There's a scene in Noah
Baumbach's brilliant
"The
Squid and the '
Whale" where
the proudly_
cultured but
socially ineptt
father (Jeff
Daniels) calls-
his rebellious ANDREVV
son a "philis- LAPIN
tine." He spits out
the word - which refers to a per-
son with hostility or indifference
toward culture - and intends it to
be an insult. But to the kid, who
rejects the haughty, pretentious
world of intellectuals his father
inhabits, it's a compliment. He
wants to be a philistine.
We all have friends, family and
acquaintances who are philis-
tines. Maybe they've just never
been exposed to classic films,
music and books. Or maybe they
simply have no desire to be. And
you know what? There's nothing
wrong with that.
Or maybe you're a proud philis-
tine, reading this column for shits
and giggles. Here's an easy way to
tell: If you've never heard of the
film I referenced in the first para-
graph and couldn't care less about
it, you might fit the description.
And that's OK too.
I know a lot about movies, but
I also know enough about human
nature to realize that the tine-
plex doesn't appeal to everyone.
Some of my friends can't remem-
ber the last time they were in a
movie theater, which creates an
unavoidable disconnect between
them and me: I'm part of a movie-
going culture they have no desire
to join. It's not a rejection of
movie-goingculture, mind you -
just alack of interest. To a certain

extent,
truth i
import
a movi
We:
one wh
interes
walkin
noses.
MyI
fulfillir
ing see
Just be
person
mean i1
a fact I
film in
Critics
enjoyir
of the I
film w
avid co
couldg
That's

I can understand it. The have a civilized, non-pretentious
s, there are usually more conversation.
ant things to do than sit in By no means am I saying we
e theater. should put an end to critical
can't go scoffing at every- debate about the arts. I'm saying
io doesn't share our we need to be conscious about
ts. Otherwise, we'd all be whether we're debating a film's
g around with upturned merits or the merits of a per-
son who refuses to see the film.
point is you can lead a rich, Because if you'd rather shove hot
ng life without ever hav- pokers in your eyes than watch an
n "Citizen Kane" or its ilk. Ingmar Bergman picture, that's
cause it's a life I wouldn't your prerogative. And if you've
ally recommend doesn't attended the opening nights of
t's fundamentally wrong - every "Saw" film, that's your pre-
think many people in the rogative too.
dustry tend to lose track of. Ican suggest other movies that
called audiences stupid for would help broaden your knowl-
ng "Transformers: Revenge edge of the medium, but it's not
Fallen" justbecause the like you have a disease that needs
asn't somethingthey, as to be cured. However, if I was a
nnoisseurs of the artform, film physician, I would prescribe
grasp as entertaining. "Fanny and Alexander" for Berg-
the wrong attitude to have. man haters and "The Silence of
Lambs" for the "Saw" lovers, to
give them a chance to watch what
I consider to be a masterwork of
If you hate the "bloody thriller that messes
with your head" genre.
ovies, I don't wBut philistine or not, you're
hate you. welcome to continue reading
t y u this column. Agree with me - or
don't. I can't promise to avoid all
the insider talk, and I don't think
k, everyone is a philistine I should, because my intended
d something in life. I, for audience speaks my movie lan-
Se, have absolutely no idea guage. What Iwill promise,
going on under the hood though, is to keep my nostrils at
car, even though there are parallel - no sneering atthose
s of magazines and TV who haven't seen movies like
is aimed at car enthusiasts. "The Squid and the Whale." By
low Daily Arts staffers the way, if you saw the movie and
re the type of people who hated it, that doesn't make you a
se ourselves in entertain- philistine.
ulture mostly for fun, and It makes you a critic. Welcome
quick to judge those who to my world.

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don't. But when we debate art
culture with the disinterested, we
don't change anyone's opinion,
and we've lost the opportunity to

Lapin needs his engine greased.
Don't make him do it himself.
E-mail him at alapin@umich.edu.

I