The Michigan Daily - michigandaily.com Monday, February 6, 2011- 5A The Michigan Daily - michigandailycom Monday, February 6, 2011 - 5A 'Blue' a mixed Affair "Omigod ... You're supposed to hang a sock." Horror in the, halls By JOE DIMUZIO Daily Arts Writer Let's face it. Half the fans of Hercules and Love Affair's self- titled, critically adored, unapolo- getically gay debut never danced to itt With the Herculesand attention of hip-enough Love Affair tastemak- Blue Songs ers and DFA's stamp, Hercules Moshi Moshi and Love Affair was easy to like - cool to be loved - by all the kids crossing their arms at DEMF. But for those who danced, HALA's debut proved to be more than just a good album. Producer and writer Andy Butler's retro- but-not jams managed to occupy two of disco's best qualities: a damn good groove and that dark realization that all the great times in the world would never save you from the future. In the con- text of gay dance music, it felt like some cosmic epitaph with Antony Hegarty as torch-bearing mater- familias, leadingthe march to the next party - dancing and crying at the same time. Hercules and Love Affair's sophomore Blue Songs decides to pick up that torch, which was apparently dropped in Chicago right around 1985-87. While the debut hinted at it, Blue Songs makes early house its modus ope- randi, with the sort of forward- thinking reverence and sonics that would make Frankie Knuck- les blush. Disco may have "died" at the ends ofhetero baseball fans, but its living, breathing ghost is forever jacking in the Windy City Meester and Kelly - and this oversight really comes back to bite her. creep audiences out By 2011, it looks like the sin- gle, white females of 1992 have in 'The Roommate' settled down, gotten married and are preparing to send their By BEN VERDI ridiculously attractive prog- Daily Arts Writer eny off to expensive universities. Enter: "The Roommate," starring "The Roommate" seems like Minka Kelly (TV's "Friday Night a modern take on the 1992 film Lights") and Leighton Meester "Single WhiteFemale,"inwhich a (TV's "Gossip Girl") as her new- single, white est, most obsessivefriend. female puts The most significant differ- out an ad in ence between this film and its the news- The Roommate predecessor is expressed in the paper for a' rating each received. "Single new room- At Quality16 White Female" was rated R, and mate - her and Rave was clearly marketed as a horror only request flick for single, white females in being that ScreetiGems their late twenties, with money. the person Because "The Roommate" is only to become her new roommate be rated PG-13, it promises not to be another single, white female. She as scary or violent, but it does a doesn't think to specify that she good job of being creepy enough doesn't want anyone crazy - or to be satisfying. harboring homicidal tendencies That is, while viewers are not explicitly shown much murder or craziness until about an hour in, this story does agood job ofbuild- ing on its own weirdness until we're genuinely uncomfortable., The point of this film is not to sit through it covering your eyes, waiting to crush the fingers of the person next to you when the next "gotcha" moment happens. The point is to leave the theater more disturbed than frightened. While Kelly doesn't do too impressive a job as an inno- cent fashion student, the story's effectiveness hinges less on her performance than on Meester's, who, surprisingly, plays a pretty convincing hot freshman psy- cho. Kelly generally plays her part serviceably, but Meester skillfully descends from quirki- ness into, overprotectiveness and, finally, a genuinely sinister psychotic mess. Meester's initial innocence See ROOMMATE, Page 6A Duh duh duh duh (snap, snap). and Butler's there - with a new time out are fan-turned-member crew and TR-909's in hand - to Shaun Wright and Berliner Aerea etch it in stone. . Negrot, both of whom do just fine, And if disco had the grace of but never transcend. naivete, house had the cold resig- Kim Ann Foxman's deadpan- nation that your days in the club nery is back and Butler croons on a few too. DFA's TimGoldsworthy and bassist Tyler Pope are out as Putting disco in well, replaced by the economical, subtle efforts of Patrick Pulsinger. the house. Even with these chillier house drapes, Butler's lineup change wouldn't be a problem if Butler's insistence on vocals wasn't so were numbered. So Blue Songs concrete. carries dread with its moments So Blue Songs doesn't have the of ebullience - "Blind" 2.0 this is warmth or accessibility for the not. straight, non-house crowd that But the group feels like Her- the debut did, which is fine. But cules and Love Affair L5, with it doesn't have the range, power the towering Antony and Nomi or ingenuity, either. To be fair, Ruiz gone. Playing diva duty this See BLUE SONGS, Page 6A Think you're smart? Solve a real business problem. Lead thi I icigan :ailt's Circulation Department. To Apply: send your resume to tmdbusiness@gmail.com by Tuesday, February 15. Qualifications: Logical Personable Independent Motivated Responsibilities: Develop a logistically sound method for improving newspaper distribution. Work closely with 'M' Facilities Directors, local businesses, newspaper printer and Daily staff. Monitor circulation returns. Locate new drop spots. Develop alternative revenue sources related to newspaper circulation. Benefits: Resume booster. Your chance to solve a challenging, real-world business problem. Management experience. An opportunity to assemble and manage a full staff. Income. A monthly stipend.