0 8A - Thursday, January 28, 2010 The Michigan Daily - michigandaily.com 0 Basement gets deep "Lookin good. A hedbbig 'Dem Haunting melodies wash ashore on Beach House's new album By JOSHUA BAYER Daily Arts Writer It's official: Beach House is here to stay. When a band flat out nails its aesthetic only two albums into the game, it's only natural to worry that all the band's consecutive albums will be increas- ingly lukewarm per- Beach mutations of the same sweet formula. With House 2008's Devotion, Beach Teen Dream House seemed to have Sub Pop its sound figured out u to a tee. The Baltimore duo had struck a spectrally aching bal- ance among noir-y, reverb-drenched gui- tars and retro-kitsch organs and drum machines, all wrapped up in the ominous blanket of Victoria Legrand's snake- charming alto. And the end result was an inimitably haunting mutation of bedroom pop that seemed almost too perfect to tamper with. While Teen Dream largely retains the tone of syrupy dreaminess that made Devotion such an emotionally engaging listen, it proves Beach House is not con- tent to rest on its laurels. Where Devotion was brittle and sparse, slinking along with an icy seductiveness, Teen Dream is sweeping and warm, with powerhouse melodies towering like wedding cakes. From the lushly cherubic vocal layering. on "Take Care" to the white-noise cli- max of splashing cymbals, gurgly moans and quivering synths on the aptly titled "10 Mile Stereo," Teen Dream's wall-of- sound grandiosity pulls out the big guns without compromising the band's hyp- notic appeal. A huge component of the album's larger-than-life feel is its almost alarm- ing pop sensibility. While Devotion was anything but short on melody, its thrills hinged mostly on down-tempo eeriness rather than bona fide hooks. And though nothing from Teen Dream will ever make as much as a peep on FM radio, the record finds the band stepping out of the shadows and channeling its introspec- tive wistfulness into friendlier, heavier- hitting compositions. The instant the chorus of opener "Zebra" starts up, with Legrand's vel- vety lilt snuggling against a carousel of lit-up guitar and synthesizer, the album smothers the listener in its thawing embrace. "Norway" is especially impres- sive, taking this newfound pop charisma and hovering it over a melting wasteland of heroin-addled guitars and wavery synths, attesting to the fact that the band's recent clarity hasn't whitewashed its aura of mystery. Perhaps the biggest surprise on Teen Dream is that you can actually bob your head along to a couple of the songs. "Sil- ver Soul," with its fuzzy-monster guitar throb and crunchy snare-tambourine hits, sounds like something Zeus would bop along to in his bathrobe. And "Walk In The Park" coasts along on an insistent shaker and pulsating drum machine, illus- trating how the words "shoegaze" and "dancy" aren't mutually exclusive. Still, to say Teen Dream's electrified vibe is a wholesale improvement on the "old" Beach House would be stretching it. While the band has certainly opened its sound up in terms of warmth, layer- ing and sheer massiveness, the individ- ual songs occasionally feel a little bit too grounded, incessantly building without ever truly evolving, or overstretching the same idea without much wiggle-room. "Zebra" gradually piles on the shakers, backing vocals and crash cymbals in traditional slow-burn fashion, but rides squarely on a verse-chorus-verse-chorus cycle. And "Walk In The Park" follows this same rigid structure without much variation at all, save for its shimmery outro. But, ultimately, the album's moderate lack of movement doesn't really clash with its chi. Teen Dream's mesmerizing ocean of noise is meant to be surfed on dreamily anyway, and the single-mind- edness of each song almost adds to the record's overall trance. So snuggle up in your bed, light some incense and blast this album at full volume - you won't be disappointed. By EMMA JESZKE Daily Arts Writer Basement Arts is kicking off its winter season with a nontraditional style of the- atrical production. Rather than producing a single play with one set of characters and ,Art'and'A one plot, the first free student performance to iglt Ade' grace Studio One thisT semester consists of two Tonightthrough separate one-acts, cho- Saturday at 7 sen independently by p.m.,tomorrow two student directors. at11 p.m. The evening of one- Walgreen acts will include "Art" Drama Center by Yasmina Reza, directed by School of Music, Theatre & Dance sophomore Porscha Kazmierc- zak and "A Slight Ache" by Harold Pinter, directed by School of MT&D freshman Doron Bloomfield. The two shows were lumped together for purely logistical purposes by the Base- ment Board. But "Art" and "A Slight Ache" overcome their drastically different plot- lines: "Art" tells the story of three feud- ing middle-aged best friends and "A Slight Ache" glimpses into a peculiar afternoon of an elderly couple in a dead marriage. The two shows have a number of running parallels thematically and stylistically, creating a surprisingly cohesive are of the- atrical experience for their audience. "Both shows have three people in them, and both require minimal design elements," Bloomfield said. "It seems superficial, but it's actually not. The idea of three people in a context of basically an empty space and seeing how they interact, I think that raises a lot of questions with the audience." The connecting thematic elements stem from the two one-acts' mutual concentra- tion on human relationships. A pair of student- directed plays about troubled people. "I think (both plays) speak to people's inabilities to communicate and connect," said Bloomfield. "In 'A Slight Ache' (the characters) have this match seller that they are focusing on because they can't focus on each other, and in 'Art' they are looking at this painting and are trying to find meaning in it rather than trying to find meaning in the relationships they have." The characters in each show are at dif- ferent points in their lives and therefore demonstrate different takes on human relationships. "A Slight Ache" has a heavi- er tone and explores roles in relationships as they relate to death and dying. "Art," on the other hand, attacks the idea of rela- tionships in a more immediate way, con- fronting what the meaning of friendship is, what binds people together and why people hold onto friendships as they dete- riorate. Kazmierczak feels that because the two one-acts explore similar thematic subject manner in different ways, they will work well in preparing audiences for the emo- tional arc of the production. "Laughter is the best way to open up people for sadness," Kazmierczak said. "So I think that it'll be a good experience if my show ends up going first. If ('Art') appeals to people's sense of humor, then they will be ripe and ready to start crying for ('A Slight Ache')." "Art" isn't purely comical with its weighty themes, but the witty dialogue and eclectic characters arguing with one another are sure to get audiences laugh- ing. According to Kazmierczak, one of the reasons "Art" is funny is that it mirrors our own experiences with friends. "The second I read it, I recognized every tactic that I ever used in an argumentwith my friend when trying to get what I want," Kazmierczak said. "I thought it was really incredible that someone could capture that in these characters." This production will also feature some fresh names and faces for Basement Arts, as many students involved with this pro- duction are newbies. LSA senior Emily Heider is participating in her first Basement Arts show as Flora in "A Slight Ache." "I definitely think that having both the leads (in 'A Slight Ache') as (non-perfor- mance majors) will give a fresh perspec- tive," Heider said. "Because people who typicallygo to BasementArts showswould have never seen me before, maybe it will give them a different outlook on the char- acter or even just a different approach to acting." Branching out from the nuclear cast and traditional production style, "Art" and "A Slight Ache" have much to give to potential audiences. "There is never not a reason to see the- ater," Kazmierczak said. "It's never a waste of time, it's never harmful, it will always add something-to your life." p U The Alumni Association of the University of Michigan presents the sixth annual Wednesday, February 3, 2010 "Budget! Are You Kidding?": How to Pay Your Bills and Still Like Your Life Wednesday, February 10, 2010 Investing for Young Investors: Putting Your Best Foot Forward Wednesday, February 17, 2010 Networking Knowhow Wednesday, February 24, 2010 "Your Fork is Not a Shovel": Business Savvy for the Young Professional Each session begins at 6 p.m. at the Alumni Center (200 Fletcher Street). For details and to register, visit www.umalumni.com/students. All events are FREE except the February 24 session, which has a $10 fee. Visit us online to learn about our other student programs-Welcome Wednesdays, 30 Minute Mentors, Ready to Launch, Michigan Apprentice and more. ALUMNIASSOCIATION UNIVERSITY OF MICHIGAN aT UI"A ANN ARBOR ARTHRITIS WALK SATURDAY, APRIL 24, 2010 9:00 AM START TIME The walk begins and ends at Huron High School. Enjoy a scenic one or three mile walk through beautiful Gallup Park. Coffee & Healthy Snacks before the walk " Music and free massages, face painting, moonwalk, raffle and a mini health fair after the walk " Kick-off Event on Saturday, January 30th in Ann Arbor. Contact Laurie at 800-968-3030 ext. 230 or e-mail: Irupp@arthritis.org for details Build your team today! Visit letsmovetogther.org or call 800-968-3030. ARTHRTIS SFOUNDATION take'Control. WeCanHelp Arthritis Walk National Sponsors by National Sponsor National Spo nsor N ational5 N MedaSponsor Ff~1E .3 I.F g.'LE xr Er Athi tlsla