8 - Tuesday, April 10, 2012.
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J The Michigan Daily - michigandaily.com
8 - Tuesday, April 10, 2012 A rts The Michigan Daily -
FiM COLUMN
Celebrating Sequels
PERFORMANCE PREVIEW
Cox to bring Sound
" are we? We
« W are no one. Our
mission is to moni-
tor extraterrestrial activity on
Earth," says Tommy Lee Jones
as Agent K
in the trailer
for the latest
installment
in the "Men
in Black"
franchise.
Over the
years, I've
gone back JACOB
and forth AXELRAD
on sequels.
There are
certain sequels that far surpass
the originals - "Back to the
Future Part II," "Indiana Jones
and the Last Crusade," "Star
Wars: Episode V - The Empire
Strikes Back." But these are
generally the exceptions rather
than the norms. For the most
part, we don't like it when studios
rehash the same tried formulas
just to make some easy cash on
a franchise they know will sell.
We like "Iron Man." They give
us a sequel. We like "Captain
America" and "Thor" and "The
Incredible Hulk." Theygive us
the upcoming "The Avengers."
Could it be entertaining? Possibly.
Is it also possible it will be a cata-
strophic mess along the lines of
"Spider-Man 3"? Without a doubt.
So, I was understandably more
than a little hesitant when I first
heard they were making yet
another "Men in Black" movie.
And then I looked over the bigger
films scheduled to hit theaters
in the summer of 2012: There's
the new James Bond movie; Zack
Snyder's Superman reboot, aptly
titled "Man of Steel"; and, of
course, the return of everyone's
favorite web crawler, "The Amaz-
ing Spider-Man."
In some ways, it's the sum-
mers of myteenage years all over
again. Six years ago I watched
"Superman Returns" and five
years ago my friends and I saw
"Spider
aforem
good, w
tion: W
true for
that be
films?
I sub
they w
as sing
Even
ing Pet
radioac
the abi
like I d
this ver
the sto;
Andrev
Netwo;
up the:
turn as
of Arth
Salesm
red and
speech
Garfiel
rial is a
ing Spi:
while s
comple
Liv
or
Ther
Parker
Loman
charact
ing of a
they're
a new 1
they're
deal wi
Yes, on
while t
natural
rivetin;
man" is
-Man 3." Neither of the the classic subject matter. If
entioned movies were any they're onlyin it to make a buck,
which compels the ques- that will show through. But if
'ill the same problems hold they're doing it because they
r these summer sequels see something in the storyline
long to the same chain of and, more importantly, treat the
movie as if it's the first time the
)mit that they will not, that story has ever been told, then we
ill instead hold their own will respond accordingly: glued
Ular specimens of cinema. to our seats as we were when
though I plan on watch- Heath Ledger cackled and heck-
er Parker get bitten by a led Christian Bale in one of the
tive spider and develop more rivetingscenes of the past
lity to scale walls just 10 years, sequel or not. It doesn't
id 11years ago, I believe matter if it's the telling or retell-
rsion will be bigger than ing of a story, what matters is the
ry from which it stems. process writers have used for
w Garfield ("The Social centuries, whether that person be
rk") - currently lighting director Marc Webb, Stan Lee or
Broadway stage with his Shakespeare himself.
Biff Loman in the revival Superhero movies might just.
ur Miller's "Death of a be the closest thing we have to
an" - will be donning the Shakespeare nowadays: stories
I blue. And based on his that are so well-known in the cul-
at the 2011 Comic-Con, tural landscape that the job for
d's approach to the mate- filmmakers is not one of creating
combination of recogniz- novelty. It's a job of tapping into
der-Man as an iconic role the universal sentiment within
imultaneously making it characters we know and love,
tely his own. from Hamlet to Peter Parker.
If the Bard were alive today,
would he have made summer
blockbusters in the vein of "The
re in shadow, AmazingSpider-Man"?It'spos-
sible. He did write his own batch
overshadow? of sequels (e.g. "Henry IV Part
I," "Henry IV Part II"). After all,
there have been countless films
made of Shakespeare's plays.
n again, what makes Peter Some stand out. Others do not.
so different from Biff Certain actors and filmmakers
in Miller's drama? Both can rise above the material, mak-
ters are young men com- ingthemselves bigger than the
ge in a household where label of "Shakespeare." There are
called upon to rise to moments in Laurence Olivier's
evel of maturity before "Hamlet" when he transcends
ready. And both men must the stigma of crazed Prince of
th the loss of their fathers. Denmark; he becomes a troubled
e story is a stage drama, young man, dealing with the
he other features super- death of his father. And this is
1 villains. But if Garfield's something wholly human, a sen-
g performance in "Sales- timent we encounter in our own
s any indication, his Parker lives.
New Beat Happening
procures improv wiz
in Atlas Sound
By KATIE STEEN
Daily Arts Writer
"My Sharona" fans may be in
for a treat. Atlas Sound - known
more recently for his unusual
stage antics
including but
not limited AtlaS Sound
to playing an wihfthrsn
hour-long cover
of the afore- Tonight at
mentioned 8 p.m.
tune - will
be arriving Michigan League,
in Ann ArborBar"
tonight to play From $10
at the Michigan
League Ballroom.
Of course, Bradford Cox - the
musical mastermind behind Atlas
Sound and frontman of Deer-
hunter - doesn't usually torture
his audience members. While
most of his tracks are about four
minutes long, Atlas Sound likes
to improvise on stage, loop-
ing melodies and choruses that
extend songs into shape-shifting
creations that can only be experi-
enced live. For his show tonight,
Cox will likely stick to tracks off
his 2011 album Parallax along
with some old favorites, and he
will hopefully engage in some
Youtube-worthy mid-show ban-
ter with the crowd. But whether
he's playing a 15-minute version
of "Walkabout" or donning a ski
mask and commanding audi-
ence members to strip (he's done
that), Atlas Sound aims to create a
vibrant show.
The group responsible for this
event is New Beat Happening, a
student organization that books
concerts on campus, which have
featured such acts as Broken
Social Scene and Lupe Fiasco.
NBH is governed largely by the
student body; the votes of stu-
0
Fact: This thing around my neck is called a mouth organ.
dents determine which artists
come to the University, and ticket
prices are kept low for starving
freshmen.
The opening acts for tonight
will consist of current School of
Music, Theatre and Dance junior
Macklin Underdown under the
name of fthrsn (pronounced
"father son") and SUBVADER
(University alum Peter Wiley). A
self-described bedroom-pop art-
ist, fthrsn won the opportunityto
play after receiving a majority of
student votes at the NBH Battle
of the Bands, and he spoke in a
recent interview about his oppor-
tunity to play with Atlas Sound.
"I am definitely excited for this
next show. It's sort of like my final
exam for fthrsn's school year,"
Underdown said. "I'd say Atlas
Sound is the most widely known
act I've played with."
Underdown also offered a pre-
view to what audience members
can expect so the show is a little
less surprisingshould Cox decide
to pull any shenanigans.
"I'm going to have a backing
band support me for this show,
which should be a definite treat.
Peter Felsman is on keys and
percussion, Jeremy Malvin is
on electric guitar and Evan Lay-
bourn is on the kit," Underdown
said. "Also, my friend Nathaniel
Whitcomb is coming into town
to do live visuals for my and
SUBVADER's sets ... I'm really
grateful to have these four peeps
working with me for the show."
Speaking of SUBVADER,
fthrsn added, "I can't say enough
good things about Peter Wiley.
I've gotten to know him a lot over
the last couple years, and his taste
in and approach to music have
been extremely influential on
what I've been doing. He's opened
me up to some different styles of
music that have been shaping a lot
of new fthrsn material."
If you decide to go hear the
dreamy layerings of Atlas Sound
along with fthrsn's latest cre-
ations and the DJ workings of
SUBVADER, have fun but be
mindful of what you request.
- Musician Peter Felsman
works as a copy editor at The
Michigan Daily.
will have some serious pathos,
which is appropriate. Axelrad is filming "Henry
Even if a movie is a sequel, IV: Part 3." To join him, email
what matters is how it broaches axelrad@umich.edu
ALBUM REVIEW
Ward marries opposites*
By GEOFF MARINO
Daily Arts Writer
In a recent interview with
About.com, M. Ward expressed
the need for art that somehow
incorporates
opposites: "I'm
of the opinion
that all good M. Ward
pieces of art
... have some A Wasteland
sort of inter- Companion
esting contrast
between dark Merge
and light." This
philosophy is
well-executed in A Wasteland
Companion, as M. Ward mixes
his characteristic sensitive tones
with more energetic blues. He
departs from his comfort zone
by engaging the two polarities
but still maintains the comfort-
able sound that his voice and
acoustic guitar are known to
produce.
In addition to an active solo
career, M. Ward is part of She
& Him with Zooey Deschanel,
and a super-group - consisting
of Conor Oberst and Mike Mogis
of Bright Eyes, and Jim James
of My Morning Jacket - called
Monsters of Folk. He has also
teamed up with singers Beth
Orton, Cat Power, Neko Case and
Jenny Lewis.
Obviously, collaboration
with other artists is an integral
part of his creative process. His
record suggests a remarkable
level of assertiveness to work
with others.
And yet, M. Ward has always
had a reputation for shyness. At
his live performances, he usual-
ly has a cap or sunglasses pulled
over his eyes, suggesting that
he is a more withdrawn type
of songwriter. Ward embodies
opposites in the same way thatA
Wasteland Companion does.
The bluesy "Sweetheart"
is a fascinating example of
this. Zooey Deschanel makes
a cameo appearance, and her
voice sounds alot like one of the
Ronettes, suggesting that M.
Ward is experimenting with Phil
Spector's revolutionary record-
ing technique first employed in
0
coURTESY OF MERGE
Breaking the fourth wall of sound.
the '60s. Dubbed the "Wall of tic of Ward's previous solo work.
Sound," this method utilized Immediately following "I Get
echo chambers in the studio to Ideas," the album progresses
create a dense, strong effect. to a song that could not seem
It is evident that M. Ward is more different, called "The First
reaching back into an era where Time I Ran Away." Its founda-
blues and rock 'n' roll were all tions are formed by a wash of
the rage. Yet Ward's verses tone acoustic guitar, complete with
down that rage, as the track subtle, calming harmonies that
dances between the soothing differ completely from the more
quality of Ward's voice and the reckless bedrock that formed
more bombastic rock 'n' roll that "Sweetheart" and "I Get ideas."
the instruments emulate. The track uses ambient choral
effects that add depth to Ward's
vocals. Yet, Ward's voice does
enough to the mood of both
Companion kinds of songs to make them
fuses contrast feel similar, making it feel as if
the whole album came from one
of elements continuous thought.
Given Ward's comments about
and style joining opposites in art, ie-seems
adequate to judge him on that
basis. He does well to bring the
influences he has gleaned from
his various collaborations into
"I Get Ideas" is another play- his solo work while retaining
ful rock song that is tamed the mellow intimacy that helps
enough by mellow singing to define him.
produce a blend one could only Considering how repetitive
hear from this record, with and similar popular albums
Ward solidifying a marriage can be today, it seems that our
between bluesy rock and folksy most famous artists should take
vocals. However, the marriages a page from Ward's book and
do not only occur within songs think about how being more
- they also exist between them. adventurous in applying differ-
The blues-influenced tracks ent influences can lead to a more
strike a careful balance with the diverse, and compelling, work of
acoustic ones more characteris- art.
I