8 - Tuesday, April 10, 2012. :2 h r r 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