8A - Monday, February 21, 2011
The Michigan Daily - michigandaily.com
8A - Monday, February 21, 2011 The Michigan Daily - michigandailycom
ALBUM REVIEW
'King' goes out on limb
TV REVIEW
Not feeling the love for
CBS's newest show
Radiohead's surprise
release will grow
toward greatness
By ELLIOT ALPERN
DailyArts Writer
In the aura of mystique that has sur-
rounded Radiohead since its debut, Pablo
Honey, frontman Thom York dropped
another abrupt sur-
prise on delighted fans
everywhere in the form
of eight ethereal tracks. Radiohead
Announced just five
days before its intended The King
release (and four days of Limbs
before its actual one),
The King of Limbs is an Self-released
acute turn away from
2007's In Rainbows. The total runtime
is a scant 37 minutes, and the record will
be released as a purported "newspaper
album" on clear vinyl and with accompa-
nying pieces of artwork later this year. In
addition, Radiohead's latest is thoroughly
more abstract than anything the band
has put out to date.
Those new to Radiohead might not
know what to expect from the album,
and could be disappointed with the
result. It's full of Yorke's characteristic
falsetto, but lacks the driving force com-
monly present in past hits like "Creep"
and "Karma Police." In its absence,
King is unearthly yet organic, ranging
from celestial guitars to actual birdsong
(which sets up the dreamy "Give Up
The Ghost"). Principal impressions of
confusion and discouragement are plau-
sible byproductsupon the first listen, but
Radiohead has done again what it does
best - it's changed the game.
"Lotus Flower" is set over a rever-
berating bass line, and is the first single
released from the album. Yorke's philo-
sophical meanderings on life and free-
dom are punctuated only by a surgical
snare beat. The British singer unleashes
"All we want's a friend..."
lines like "... all I want is the moon upon
a stick / Just to see what it is" that will
snag the listener's attention long past the
final note. The following "Codex" is a
haunting piano ballad featuringthe Lon-
don Telefilmonic Orchestra. The track is
brimming with somber reflection and the
notion that innocence is worth preserv-
ing.
Though Kingis serene - and, at times,
truly beautiful -the brevityofthe record
is unnerving. It is strange that a four-
year break between albums could yield
just eight songs. What's more, there is
a great deal of material from live shows
(like "The Present Tense" and "The Daily
Mail") that was apparently cast aside. It
might be rash to suggest that Radiohead
will release a follow-up any time soon,
but consider the last track, "Separator."
The bright and uplifting finale finds
Yorke singing, "If you think this is over
/ Then you're wrong" close to its conclu-
sion. If there's anybody that would be
willing to pull such shenanigans, bet on it
being Radiohead.
This record will certainly have its
critics, as well as listeners that are
unwilling to devote the effort necessary
for full appreciation. Those looking for
an immediately likable album should
search elsewhere. Each listen brings
with it new understanding and discov-
ery - a line of lyrics here, a burst of gui-
tar there - and what each person takes
away from King is unique. Radiohead,
time and time again, accomplishes
something that is immensely difficult
to achieve even just once: freshness.
The record is vastly distinct from In
Rainbows, and until one fully grasps the
enormity of it, each run-through of The
King of Limbs is an individual experi-
ence. The moment it sinks in - whether
it occurs while taking a nature walk
or just finishing an assignment - will
seem like an epiphany of musical pro-
portions. It isn't old-school Thom Yorke
by any means, but with such a great
effort, it's something to be grateful for.
By JACOB AXELRAD
Daily Arts Writer
A good TV show can make us laugh. It
canmakeus cry. Itcanmakeus fall inlove
with the characters and welcome them
into ourlives like old
friends. Then there's .
another kind; the
kind that attempts Mad Love
to woo viewers into
believing it's one of Pilot
the good ones. These Mondays at8:30 p m.
do nothing but clothe MondayspCBS
themselves in the
reputations of others,
winding up as an insult to the audience.
It's sad to see such a show make it onto
network airwaves, but better to recog-
nize this menace early on than be tricked
by its innocent exterior. CBS's "Mad
Love" is such a show. It lowers the bar for
all television everywhere.
"Mad Love" stars Jason Biggs as Ben
Parr, a young New York City lawyer
searching for romance. His character
talks and acts so similar to Biggs's char-
acter from the "American Pie" franchise
it's laughable. The love interest in ques-
tion is Kate Swanson (Sarah Chalke,
"Scrubs"), another thirty-something
who's looking to find "the one." Unfor-
tunately, Chalke left her A-game back
at Sacred Heart hospital. For that mat-
ter, she left her B and C game as well.
Granted, it's not her fault her character
has the depth of a cardboard box and
spouts non-sequiturs masquerading as
one-liners. But it is her fault for walking
through the role and giving us only Dr.
Elliot Reed on a bad day.
The pilot episode opens with a
voiceover from Ben's best friend Larry
(Tyler Labine, "Reaper"). "This fairy
tale will be different because I'm telling
it," he says. It's an interesting premise,
yet it proceeds to depict an ordinary
boy-meets-girl storyline that goes
something like this: Ben and Kate meet
by chance at the top of the Empire State
Building due to a lucky mix-up with a
cell phone and a hat. From the moment
they set eyes on one another, there's a
connection that can't be denied. This
happens about five minutes into the epi-
sode. After this point things start to go
downhill - way downhill.
Ben and Kate both have annoying
best friends who offer obnoxious rela-
tionship advice. These friends can't
stand each other (though there is some
unnecessary sexual tension between
them). Ben screws things up with Kate.
Kate gets upset. Then she forgives him.
This process repeats itself over and over
again. Thus, this fairy tale is not differ-
ent. It's ordinary at best.
Young professionals searching for
love in the big city is a formula that's
worked well in the past - most recently
on CBS's "How I Met Your Mother," a
series creator Matt Tarses ("Scrubs")
clearly admires.
Like "How I Met
Your Mother,"
but nobody cares.
Sowhydoes "Mad Love" fall flat? The
primary reason is because, unlike other
sitcoms of the genre, there's no reason
to root for or even like these characters.
Many of the jokes are crude and bland.
The fairy tale gimmick is pointless and
adds nothing to the episode. Finally, the
episode doesn't hold together on a lin-
ear level. One minute they're in a bar,
the next they're at the apartment of
the boss of Kate's friend Connie (Judy
Greer, "27 Dresses") and then they're
in Ben's office. All this racing around
leaves little room for character devel-
opment. In short, by the episode's end,
exactly who these people are has yet to
be determined.
CBS must have been desperate for a
midseason replacement. It seems like all
they did was take a successful idea (i.e.
young lawyer looking for beautiful girl,
womanizing best friend, etc.) and tell us
the ending from the outset: The boy gets
the girl. This gives usviewers absolutely
zero incentive to continue watching.
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UM cHaiieneOS
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