The Michigan Daily - michigandaily.com
Tuesday, January 31, 2012 - 5
The Michigan Daily - michigandailycom Tuesday, January 31, 2012 - 5
History shows SOPA
won't ix music business
A wild hipster is spotted.
Polished 'Mirrors
Gotye reinvents
pop on most
recent effort
By EDITH FREYER
Daily Arts Writer
Chances are that by now,
you've seen the music video for
Gotye's "Somebody That I Used
to Know." With
upwards of 54
million views
on YouTube, Gotye
the video fea-
tures the Aus- Making Mirrors
sie singer and
the New Zea- Eleven
land native
Kimbra morphing into human
paintings who spar with a strik-
ing sense of self-control and.
detachment. Watch for yourself
- it's not hard to see why. it's so
popular.
As it turns out, Gotye's newly
released third studio album,
Making Mirrors, completely
lives up to the hype created by
the online sensation. Absorbed
at once, the 12-song collection
is a gorgebuslyt unsettling mas-
terpiece, yet each of the songs-
is strong enough to stand alone.
With Making Mirrors, Gotye
(pronounced "gaut-yay") is rap-
idly distinguishing himself as
messenger for a new hind of pop
music, one less exclusively "club-
ish."
Also known as Wally De Back-
er, the 31-year-old produced all
of the album's songs himself -
no small feat, considering the
expanse of subgenres the album
covers. His awesome expertise as
a mixer brings each of the tracks
from solid to phenomenal.
Making Mirrors opens with
the title track, a minute-long
venture filled with mellow brass
and digital-sounding vocals. It's
markedly subdued - simplicity
is key here, and that pattern con-
tinues until the final song. It's an
enigmatic start to the album.
"Easy Way Out" is enjoy-
ably reminiscent of The Beatles'
"Day Tripper," and it transitions
effortlessly into the aforemen-
tioned "Somebody That I Used
to Know," an explosive song that,
amid teetering xylophone plunks
and soaring harmonies, cen-
ters around the story of a pain-
ful break-up - a seemingly trite
topic, which Gotye presents as
something ultimately unusual,
and it works.
Next-up is 'EyesWide Open,'
a high-powered groove that reaf-
firms Gotye's vocal strength. It
churns with an energy that feels
soaked in desperation and ten-
sion. "I Feel Better" steers the
album in a much lighter direc-
tion - Motown influenced with
a percussive twist, it's the point
in Making Mirrors when the
breadth of Gotye's versatility
starts to become obvious.
Aside from "Somebody That
I Used to Know," the album's
greatest highlight is "State of
the Art," a song filled with a pro-
found sense of humor. It includes
Gotye processed through a voice
changer, and a resounding, reg-
gae bassline. It's straightforward
but riveting.
Making Mirrors ends on a
sentimental note with "Bronte,"
a soothing ballad with soulful
undertones. Contrasting well
against Gotye's easy falsetto, it's
a beautiful finish.
This album has some major
staying power, and not just
because it touches on so many
moods. This stuff could be good
to study to, to dance to, to wind
down to - you get the picture.
Not to mention, Gotye has
figured out how to make atten-
tion-grabbing, dynamic pop
music without all the bells and
whistles. It's sincere but substan-
tial, and he's the only person out
there right now doing it this well.
If pop music really is headed in
Gotye's direction, the future is
bright.
A couple times a month, I
find myself returning to
a book that never man-
ages to leave my bedside. Bill
Brewster and Frank Boughton's
"Last Nighta
DJ Saved My
Life" is one of
many paper-
backs I've
been reading
continually+
over the last,
four years.
It's an engag- JOE
ing and broad <'DIMUZIO
introduction
to the history
of DJs and dance music that's
cleanly written and compre-
hensive. I haven't "finished" it
because I find myself constantly
re-reading specific sections and
whole chapters of it - picking
out storied tracks to listen to and
DJs to research. Itake it on bus
rides and trips to the bathroom
and I leave it jostling around my
backpack for whole semesters.
Asa fan of disco music, it's a
handy general reference for the
genre's genesis and demise. I've
supplemented that history with
more specific books, such as
Peter Shapiro's immensely read-
able "Turn the Beat Around"
(which I finished in a day), Alice
Echol's "Hot Stuff" and the
biblical "Disco Files" by Vince
Aletti. ButI constantly return to
one particular segment of "Last
Night" that is more relevant
today than ever. The particular
segment details the history of
the 12-inch single.
"To date the 12-inch is the only
format of recorded music intro-
duced asa result of consumer
demand rather than record com-
pany marketing guile," Brewster
and Boughton write, concluding
their account of the format's con-
ception. It's a progressive innova-
tion that, as-they note, "happened
quite by accident."
Tom Moulton (whose edits are
almost universally divine), look-
ing to press an instrumental mix
of Mon
For Lo
run ou
respon
over a
upon fi
it, I al
The
becom
versive
music.,
of deri
latched
some o
dynam
It ga
an unp
and co
ing the
popula
their ci
the nig
ing the
record
must-h
after.
nent of Truth's "So Much ary DJ David Mancuso said of
ve," found his engineer had the brief alliance, "The music
t of 7-inch metal blanks. In that came out when we had the
se, he spread the groove record pool in existence was the
12-inch vinyl and recalled, best. Most of the classics are right
rst listen, "When I heard there."
sost died." Once disco became a $4 billion
12-inch record went on to industry at the end of the'70s, big
e one of disco's many sub- business coughed up more supply
contributions to popular than demand. The Record Pool
After a preliminary phase crumbled, the market saturated,
sion and disbelief, labels and disco died its inevitable
d on and the format birthed death.
if the greatest and most Now, the Recording Industry
ic disco of all time. Association of America (RIAA),
ive the most popular DJs together with the MPAA, is
recedented flexibility bringing its inevitably regressive
ntrol over the music, giv- legislative and lobbyist hammer
m more space to re-edit down on the Internet with SOPA
r songs and artists. It kept and PIPA, because it subverts
rowds dancingthrough their economic model. SOPA and
;ht and, inevitably, driv- PIPA - based on phony stats,
m straight to the nearest demonizing characterizations
store - hungry for that of content sharing and a tena-
ave record the morning cious inability to adapt to a vastly
different market - are notthe
answer to the movie and music
industry's declining profits.
Embracing the Internet's
DiSco died speed, interactivity and ease of
access will drive consumers to
o teach us a spend money. It's an ideal plat-
form for consumer-manufacturer
lesson. interaction. Online piracy is a
hydra. Givingcustomers what
they want with flexibility, haste
and reciprocity is simply good
all the profit for the business. The RIAA would do
h was being made by a well to study Bill Brewster and
of small labels in Man- Frank Boughton's book, disco and
with the DJs serving as the decline of 1975's Record Pool.
ial promoters. The record It's worth more than just a "good
Didn't know how to adapt read."
nterplay, enforcing unrea- I'm planning on flying to New
e limitations and regula- York City'for spring break, and
or DJs lookingto receive finally - frighteningly - finish-
omote the music. ing "Last Night A DJ Saved My
esponse, Manhattan's best Life." I'm confident I'll keep
nvened with the record coming back to it, year after year.
nd formed the Record .I'm also hopeful that this cycle
1975, givingthe DJs easy of the music industry's igno-
to labels' new material for rance and indolence will last,
ription fee. It set up an like the best 12-inches - just
tive exchange of records long enough.
tc
But<
12-inc
series c
hattan
unoffic
execs d
to the i
sonabli
tions fc
and pri
In r
DJs coi
execs a
Pool in
accessi
a subsc
innova
for the
establi
betwee
labels.
DJs' critical feedback -
shing a direct interaction
en the audience and the
In "Last Night," legend-
Dimuzio is seeking new bathroom
reading material. To suggest,
e-mail shonenjo@umich.edu.
'Le Havre' paints rosy
picture of humanity
Devilish'Dustforce' delights
By SEAN CZARNECKI
DailyArts Writer
"Le Havre" is not a story about
a man's triumph over adversity
- this is the chapter after he has
already failed.
Yet through
it all, he still
strives to be Le Havre
as good a man
as he has ever At the
been. Michigan
Marcel
Marx (Andr6 Future
Wilms, "Amer-
icano") leads a quaint, albeit fru-
gal, life as an elderly shoeshiner
in the port city of Le Havre.
Whatever little bits and pieces
of money he manages to earn
are stored in a sorry-looking tin
box by his wife Arletty, (Kati
Outinen, "The House of Branch-
ing Love") who is later diagnosed
with cancer. Marcel has nothing
to give, yet when he comes across
an illegal refugee named Idrissa
(played by newcomer Blondin
Miguel) in Le Havre's harbor, he
extends a helping hand.
If only the world was as good
as the one portrayed in "Le
Havre." Wherever director Aki
Kaurismiki chooses to take the
film's audience, whatever accor-
dion-filled corner his characters
inhabit, it's often a warm and
charming place. Such unrealism
and naive optimism is generally
unwelcome in a pragmatic world.
Here, however, it's only a pleas-
ant reminder of the virtue in all.
men.
"Le IT'vre" never insists on
the horrors of the world, so it
never really contradicts itself. It
begins with a warm glow in the
form of a witty opening scene and
the humor never misses a single
step throughout its 93-minute
"Yes, Lana Del Ray was worse than Ke$ha."
run time. The script is succinct, but it's on the rather light side,
giving voice only when neces- and perhaps audiences should be
sary, making its sharp moments more thankful than disappoint-
even sharper. ed. "Le Havre" wisely avoids
any melodrama. It doesn't ask
for tears or lengthy goodbyes;
it portrays a small moment in a
F digbe y.refugee's life and the people who
i o m n freely give him help because they
in one m an s think it's the right thing to do. For
tragedy those expecting a heart-breaking
study of refugee life - which is
certainly no less worthy of merit
- then this is not the film for you.
The film's wit extends beyond True - to some extent "Le
the script. Many times, Kau- Havre" is just another riff on the
rismiki will have a medium- Anne Frank concept, the story of
range shot of a certain image, refugees being hidden by those
like an accordion player. Then, willing to help the unfortunate.
inexplicably, he bringsthat image It's an optimistic film that insists
right under the viewers' noses, on the triumphant good in all
as if to say, "This is an accordion men. It's awell-worn concept and
player; this is his instrument. unfortunately lacks the novelty
Look, for once, at how skillfully Anne Frank's words had when
he plays." Such images celebrate she wrote, "In spite of every-
those slight qualities people nor- thing I still believe that people
mally pass without care. And are really good at heart." But in a
for a film seeking to champion year like 2011 when nostalgia and
simple people such as fishermen warm, fuzzy movies dominated,
or shoeshiners, these details fit in Kaurismiki's latest effort is well
nicely. appreciated as a vestige of the
There is, of course, drama, past year in cinema.
By SHIN HIEFTJE
DailyArts Writer
While the calendar for major
game releases at the beginning
of the year is rather barren, small
independent
games are still
coming out at a
regular clip to Dustforce
make up for it.
"Dustforce," a PC
downloadable
2-D platformer HitbtuTeam
that came out
this month, is one such game.
"Dustforce" has an odd prem-
ise. Players control a cleaner
tasked with gathering leaves
scattered about a level. This is
accomplished by simply going to
where the leaves are and running
over them. Instead of merely
moving from point A to point B as
in most platformers, "Dustforce"
has the player move all over the
level while trying to clean as
many leaves as quickly as pos-
sible. The leaves in the level are
laid out in such a way that players
with enough skill can clear them
in one, smooth run. It's essen-
tially a game of finding the most
efficient path to run over all the
leaves.
Each level tends to be on the
shorter side, encouraging play-
ers to make repeat attempts to
get the perfect run. At the end of
each level players are graded on
how many leaves they cleaned up
and how quickly they did it with-
out dying or messing up. Earning
a high grade in both categories
yields keys to unlock more dif-
ficult levels. There is also a lead-
erboard for each level to compare
how well (or terribly) you did
against others who have played
the same level.
This premise sounds like it
could get pretty boring if the
platforming was cut and dry, in
the "Mario" vein of only running
and jumping. However, the plat-
forming controls are complex,
incorp
jumps,
dash
pits a
develo:
lengini
variety
level d
ish. C
difficu
isfying
a high
will un
ing for
gamini
C
r
th:
For.
type o
force"
the le
though
after a
nice of
out a
orating double jumps, wall ers to reach all of the content. It
running on the ceiling, takes the players a great deal of
soves to get across spike skill and dedication necessary
nd more. Naturally, the to earn the keys to unlock higher
pers can create some chal- levels, which means that many
g courses for such a wide won't be able to experience all of
of moves, and some of the the game's content.
esign is downright devil- What elevates "Dustforce"
ompleting a particularly into something memorable is its
It section smoothly is sat- charming presentation. While
but every level requires it's easy to tell this game was
degree of dexterity, which developedby a few individuals on
ndoubtedly prove frustrat- a tightbudget, the art style is sur-
those trying to relax while prisingly nice. Characters move
g. with hand-drawn animation that
looks terrific, and the entire color
scheme uses soft, appealing hues.
The soundtrack is also excellent,
leaning up incorporating ambient electronic
music that's much better than
leaves has one would expect from a small
team.
never been With a gameplay hook and
a slick presentation entirely its
is much fun. own, "Dustforce" is a neat little
package for just $10. Its brief,
challenging levels are perfect
for short play sessions and will
a game that hinges on this undoubtedly give feelings of sat-
f gameplay hook, "Dust- isfaction or frustration, depend-
holds up well, in that ing on how dexterous one is with
vels remain challenging, a keyboard. While its difficulty
it does tend to get tedious certainly isn't for everyone, those
while. It would have been looking for a challenge of skill in
f the developers to figure their games will find plenty to
way for less skilled play- enjoy.
The bonus level may or may not have a leaf blower.
A