6 - Tuesday, September 17, 2013
The Michigan Daily - michigandaily.com
6 - Tuesday, September17, 2013 The Michigan Daily - michigandailycom
Roots, Costello
team up on 'Ghost'
Don't let the machine tell
you what movies to watch
Unlikely pairing
crafts swelling
'Wise Up Ghost'
By HANNAH WEINER
For the Daily
If they both weren't so hip, the
collaboration between a 59-year-
old singer-songwriter and a hip-
hop band might
seem absurdly B
hilarious.
Luckily, Wise Wise Up
Up Ghost, the Ghost
collaborative
album by Elvis The Roots and
Costello and Elvis Costello
The Roots, fea-
tures two of the Blue Note
coolest musi-
cians from separate corners of the
music industry.
The music is smooth, funky,
mostly what you'd predict from
the combination of their sounds.
Suave guitars, Costello's charac-
teristic vocals, sexy saxophones
and driving beats are all reminis-
cent of a Curtis Mayfield-era soul
album. The novelty of the col-
laboration doesn't wear off for the
entire 56 minutes, so they had to
be doing something right.
Career-wise for Costello, the
album proves to be imaginative
and progressive; pairing up with
a black hip-hop band from Phila-
delphia directs his appeal toward
a younger audience. But Costello
isn't entirely new to the world of
black music genres: His music
has always been laced with reg-
gae and Motown. So for an artist
that has been around since the
1970s, this matchup revives his
discography after 2010's medio-
cre National Ransom. Regardless
of whether this choice was purely
business orjust plain fun, Costello
and The Roots made a wise deci-
sion. Besides - what else do you
do when you've been making
music as long as these guys have?
"Bet you never expected this."
The only thing missing that
would make Wise Up Ghost stel-
lar: Black Thought's rap. What the
album could be (an experimental
concept album like Undun) far
exceeds what it actually became.
For fans of these two artists,
the fantasy of Black Thought's
rhymes atop Costello's weird
lyricism sparked excitement. But
after perusing the songs, listeners
may feel cheapened, cheated -
The Roots's presence seems less
vocal than originally perceived.
Costello undeniably outshines the
band; in an interview, he claimed
outright that it's not his "hip-hop
album." Which, on some level,
pardons the album from its utter
lack of transparent hip hop.
However, at some points,
Costello enters a hip-hop-esque
form of singing; he exaggerates
the rhymes on lines like, "Just
because I don't speak the lan-
guage doesn't mean I'm blind to
the threat / But I thought there
was more to forgiveness than
we conveniently forget." Sure,
it's not rapping (that might be
a lot to ask of Costello), but it's
charged with a hip-hop atti-
tude, and songs like "Stick Out
Your Tongue" and "Refuse To
Be Saved" do feature stabbing
words and lyric-heavy rhythms.
Even the album art makes a nod
toward the poeticism of Wise Up
Ghost - mimicking the poetry
editions of old City Lights book
jackets, like Allen Ginsberg's
"Howl."
What's present on the album:
an uninhibited and animated
Elvis Costello. Layered atop
cinematic swelling strings and
sharp syncopated drumbeats,
Costello croons poetically about
politics, among other topics. The
songs are gritty, moody and full
of humidity - a thick, instru-
mental, vintage soul album
infused with subtle hip hop.
Though, the album as a whole is
unremarkable and a far cry from
the artists' genius works, such as
The Roots's Undun or Costello's
My Aim Is True. But for those
interested in hearing Costello
pontificate over Questlove's
beats, Wise Up Ghost presents a
quality product.
Print out your ballots,
throw on your fancy
clothes and start send-
ing really presumptuous texts
to your friends about how much
the Oscars_
suck because,
guys, it's that
time of year
again!
No. J
We're still
a few months
away, but by AKSHAY
March, the SETH
Huffington
Post (when
a website is simultaneously
synthesizing data from Rotten
Tomatoes, Metacritic, Intrade,
Betfair and Hollywood Stock
Exchange, the sound of that
white flag billowing in the
wind starts to feel monoto-
nous) will have published
much better articles about the
awards season and you'll have
no reason to watch me make
a "bloviating pundit" out of
myself. So, as the Joker would
put it, "I'm not a monster. I'm
just ahead of the curve."
But Akshay! Halt! You
haven't seen the slew of movies
that are going to be released
between now and Christ-
mas, the sanctified patch of
time studios quarter away
specifically to showcase the
stuff they deem artsy. In the
three months remaining until
the official date by which a
film has to be screened in Los
Angeles to be eligible for an
Oscar run, traditional heavy-
weights such as "12 Years A
Slave," "Gravity," "The Wolf
of Wall Street" and "Mandela"
will each have their shot at
prancing around in front of
critics. In that time, we'll col-
lectively nod, exclaim phrases
like "excellent direction!" and
hoist up a predetermined col-
lection of movies we're sup-
posed to think deserve golden
statuettes.
There will be snubs. There
will be outrage. But ultimately,
most of those snubs will just
be lonely, excluded members of
The Collection. So what about
shtick released earlier in the
year that doesn't fit the arche-
typal mold of typical Oscar
fodder? What about all those
hours of cinema that are going
to be swept under the rug and
ignored as people lose their
shit over Idris Elba's award-
worthy
The
at 2013
we're a
year to
comes1
season
toward
The
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and sin
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It does
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movies
ly scar
I've ju:
my life
to me a
tually,
cinema
with a
connec
with v
"Killer
some d
half to
soup. F
in seat
And he
If no o
how ca
Ano
nie," in
South African accent? the best performance of 2011.
only solution is to look Jean Dujardin can shove it,
3 more holistically, and because the schlubby asshole
t the perfect time of the from "School of Rock" took
do so - the lull that hold of my attention in a way
between summer movie no other actor that year ever
and the labored buildup could. In equal parts, he was
I Oscar night. hilarious and terrifying, deftly
first thing to do is not oscillating between moods of
eartened by a film's squeal-inducing kindness to
gross. Many movies, squeal-inducing creepiness.
t year's "Killer Joe," Think Jonah Hill in "Cyrus,"
ng a notoriously over- just more gay. At the end of the
performance by Juno day, I think the gayness is what
e, fell by the wayside did the film in. The character,
e it could only muster no matter how well acted, was
ly $3 million at the box just too weird, his sexual orien-
on a budget of ten. Crit- tation left too up-in-the-air, to
audience alike were be able to draw a steady audi-
o label the flick a finan- ence, and the Academy took
lure - which it was stern notice.
spent more time dis- Notice the common trend:
g why it made no money Not enough people watched
osed to its actual merits either film.
thereof. The most obvi- Also, can we just pause for a
ason thrown up, under- couple of minutes to reflect on
bly, was the film's NC-17 the fact that Matthew McCo-
and reliance on explicit naughey was in both the dis-
ce. cussed movies, and also in the
most underappreciated film of
2013: "Mud." Just walk around
1e W einstein and think about how far our
boy's come from jokes about
others don't being shirtless all the time.
Before I close, let's get one
'ways know thing straight: I'm not here to
knock the fanatical campaigns
vhat's best. some studio heads (their last
names rhyme with Einstein)
mount in an attempt to parade
their babies in front of Acad-
lence is a turnoff, pure emy voters. Yes, they tip the
mple. It spawns bad scales unfairly towards the
sf-mouth, something type of cinema that has become
ademy hates, and gives a "safe" bet for producers look-
m a sleazy reputation. ing to rack up silverware, but
n't help if the ending they also bolster viewing of
most people emotionally films competing against much
d for a good two to three larger-budgeted fare. It's a
But, the thing is, I want necessary evil to get people to
to leave me emotional- watch something other than
red. It means that what Michael Bay blowing shit up.
st invested two hours of But what we, as moviegoers,
watching is impactful have to do is not rely solely on
as a person. And even- word-of-mouth to understand
that's what all good which films are good. If we
a is meant to do: connect make a conscious decision
n intended audience. If to formulate our own taste,
ction means stabbing actively searching for movies
iolence, so be it. But we haven't heard of, trust me,
Joe" did so by showing the Academy will take stern
lude beat another dude notice. So sit back. You have
death with acan of a few months. The only thing
From there, putting butts I'm asking you to do is watch
s became kind of tough. more movies, which is what the
re lies our real problem: Oscars are all about anyway.
I
I
Call:a#734-418-4115
Email: dailydisplay@gmaii.com
ne's watched the movie,
in we judge it fairly?
ther case in point: "Ber-
which Jack Black gave
Seth is writing in Cate Blanchett
for every award on his Oscar ballot.
To join, email akse@umich.edu
Los Angel
Ed:
ACROSS
1 Terrible grade
4 Don of radio
8 Got smart with
14 Not feel well
15 "Brave New
World" drug
16 Developed a
liking for
17 'American Idiot"
punk band
19 James of
'Gunsmoke"
20 Must
insignificant
21 Hopefully helpful
track info
23 Once, formerly
24 Perormrtwbois
heard batlm!
seen
28 Thames school
30 QB's successes
31 "_ were you..."
32 Meat-and-
ptatoesbowlful
371996Hillary
Clinton best-
seller, and what
might be said
about the startof
17-24-B-sor
59-Across
41 "High Hopes"
lyricist Sammy
42 Oneprinting
defamatory text,
in England
43 Prefiowithgram
44 Bars to scan,
briefly
47 Boyof la Casa
48 Table straps, to
the dog
51 Zero-calorie
protest
55 War hero played
by George C.
Scott
56 Sitcom sergeant
17 Like citmuslauces
59 Bob tabe
62 TV's"&
Greg'
63 Removefrom
power
64th. inbthe
smallestostate
65 Patronize, asa
restaurant
66 Source of some
psythiatry grants:
Abbr.
67 Whitney or
Washington:
Abbr.
les Times Daily Crossword Puzzle
ited by Rich Norris and Joyce Nichols Lewis
DOWN
1 Apollo 11 moon
lander
2 Pink-slip issuer
3 Bugswith bounce
4 Failsto be
5 Stylish, '60s-style
6 Hollywood's
Thurman
7 Greetsomeone
casually
8 Uttered
9 Mao heart
vessels
10 Former Seattle
NBAer
11 Doubtful
12 UFO pilots, in
theory
13 Huirostyles
10 Grammy winner
Gloria
22 Halloween mo.
24 Cast a ballot
25 Dollar bills
26 Old enough
27 Bill atachment
29 Sound of disdain
32 _ tendonitis: arm
muscle ailment
33 Daylong miltary
nmbc
34AddisAbaba
native
35 Martopening
36 The whole thing
1 2 3 4
17 e a
23 c
37
43 44
48 49
82
By Steve Bais
(c)2013 Tribune Content
38 Ristorantecarafe
contents
39 Footnoter's "ditto,"
briefly
40 Deighton of
spy-fi
44 Final syllable
45 Scratcher on a
post
46 Corp. money
manager
49 Father of la casa
50 Hamburger
topper
52 Wedding
memento
53 Hybrid tennis
garment
54 Waspvenom, for
one
56 "The other one,
too"
57 Throw in
58 Cuhomhone:
Abbr.
60 MADD concen
61 Dotrnalword
ending
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