1 The Michigan Daily- michigandaily.com Wednesday, October 30, 2013 - 5A Raising that roof. Arcade Fire makes dark masterpiece I know everything aboot ymos Country music lives on Tortured needlessly stretches the first half's best two songs (the title Reflektor' subverts track and "Here 'Comes the Night Time") beyond six min- expectations utes each, adding to the album's mood at the expense of immedi- By ADAM THIESEN ate impact. For the Daily Reflektor often sounds like a glimpse into frontman Win But- Reflektor is a 75-minute sprawl- ler's psyche, and the peek into ing mess of genius, the sound of his private world reveals Butler young, creative people gathering as a man extremely uncomfort- in some dark, able with himself. The lyrics are abandoned loca- A- a constant onslaught of modern. tion and drink- alienation, with every song fea- ing and dancing Ref lektor turing lines like, "I can't tell if and not giving a . I'm a normal person," and ref- shit about what Arcade Fre erences to being "trapped in a anyone else Merge prison." Butler's voice sounds thinks. This agonized when he sings these time around, words, like he's a confused fac- having scratched "Win Album of simile of himself struggling to the Year at the Grammys," off its be real again. The blunt dread of bucketlist, Arcade Fireseems con- these lyrics can quickly become fused about what it represents and tiring, and they continue a what it wants to do next, and all depressing trend for a band that this results in a tortured master- nearly 10 years ago opened its piece. Though often an inconsis- debut album with "Tunnels," tent experiment, Reflektor shines one of the greatest love songs as a one-of-a-kind work from an ever written. inimitable band. None of these songs would be With influences culled from comfortable on the radio. Many diverse styles ranging from of the album's tracks are dance- producer James Murphy's indie able, but not in a nightclub, EDM dance work to traditional Hai- way. The ghostly, minimalist tian music, Arcade Fire sounds style recalls 1980s new wave, and very different from what fans the bassline to "We Exist" even are used to. Gone are the soft- brings to mind "Billie Jean." The rock singles of 2010's The Sub- disappointment, though, comes orbs or the heart-on-sleeve when Arcade Fire doesn't have anthems of its early work. Now, the pop sensibilities and melo- the band cloaks its rawest emo- dies to elevate the songs beyond tions behind studio tricks and moodiness. When not sounding adventures into atmospheric like 1980s hits, the band tries out synth music. The group even, punk rock with songs like "Nor- mal Person," earning decent but unspectacular results, and heartfelt, slowed-down songs, which are more successful. Reflektor feels like a very con- scious step in an anti-commer- cial direction. The band jokingly plays with fans' expectations by starting songs one way, only to completely change the tempo and style 20 seconds later. As a journey, the album travels a little choppily from arty, experi- mental music to driving garage rock to slow, reflective songs to, finally, a glorious three- song conclusion that makes the whole trip worth it. "Porno,". "Afterlife" and "Supersymme- try" showcase Arcade Fire at its strongest, pushing boundaries while still playing to its anthe- mic strengths, and each track will certainly please fans con- fused by the rest of the record. At its double-album length, Reflektor can often seem like it needs a good amount of cutting, but really, the record wouldn't work if it was just cut down to its best bits. Reflektor satisfies because of the greatness that continually pokes through the album's smokescreen. This lat- est effort will definitely never be Arcade Fire's most popular work, but it feels destined to be a cult classic, an album treasured by hardcore fans who identify with its uniqueness. Arcade Fire's experiments don't always succeed, but the band is still hugely influential, and Reflek- tor's unconfined ambition has the potential to be legendary. By GREGORGY HICKS DailyArts Writer In a musical decade character- istically overrun by abstract elec- tronic, pure pop, R&B and rap, it's shockingthat country music stakes such an enormous claim. Coun- try and folk artists snatched up half of the spots for Billboard's 10 best-selling albums of 2012 in the United States, with Jason Aldean's Night Train holding the 11th spot. Zac Brown Band, Eric Chgrch and Lady Antebellum were other con- tenders, with over half a million in album sales by the year's end. These Nashville superstars neu- tralize their successes, however, from an absence on the top=tier singles chart. Don't get me wrong, there's a high level of attendance for country artists at the Top- 40 party, but the VIP section is consistently claimed by tailored- for-Top-10 pop artists and one- hit-wonders. That's a debate for another time, though - the tussle between the importance of sell- ing a record and the importance of selling a single. The album v. single battle isn't totally unrelated though. Look at any period of music - baroque and classical, '70s and '80s, etc. - and you'll find a popular retaliation to contemporary trends. Unless your eyes have been closed and ears covered for the past decade, you've walked away from the 2011 Gram- most likely noticed an explosion my Awards with five Grammys, of singles sales and a tremendous including Record of the Year and downturn in album sales. Coun- Song of the Year - two awards not try's lucrative market for record exclusive to country music. sales is likely to be a result of this Now, before I'm labeled com- dissent from the conglomerately pletely naive, I will concede to a written and produced music of lack of complete authenticity with singles artists. It's fascinating to popular country. Taylor Swift had witness a sizable market for mod- the best-selling album of 2009. ern artists releasing (generally) Was it full-blown country? Abso- self-written albums that see the lutely not. Was it country enough? record in its entirety, rather than a Absolutely. The instrumentation package of singles. and storytelling lyricism is suf- ficient for this label. Does Eric Church use too many rock instru- ments? Yes. Does Florida Georgia Line use beats that are too thick? evolving Yes.Did JasonAldeanonce feature Ludacris in a song? Yes. It's 2013. George Strait-country is not going to be blazing a trail. Expect cross- Discounting lyrics that come over. nothing short of vapid - Capitol Country thrives as long as it Records Nashville probably pays continues to compromise. Carrie Luke Bryan a hundred bucks to Underwood, Luke Bryan, Taylor use the word "beer" in a song, and Swift and the rest of the pop-coun- two hundred to put it in the title try gang take quite a hit for their - the comfortably straightfor- successes - words like "sellout" ward melodies of acoustic tracks and "not even country" are thrown are equally refreshing for the around quite a bit - but the genre mainstream 2010s. Contrast an needs these pop crossovers. Coun- acclaimed but simple Lady Ante- try's contemporaries fuel the bellum piano ballad against the promotion necessary to continue mind-boggle of Zedd's abstract its .stunning amount of album electronica or Lady Gaga's pro- sales for the genre as a whole - a found symbolism and style. genre that technically should have Also note that Lady Antebellum washedup years ago. Why you should watch TV By MADDIE THOMAS For the Daily Since the dawn of time, mothers have been warning children that TV will "melt their brains," and lately it seems like more people agree. It's almost becoming trendy to denounce TV in the same way it has recently become trendy to eat "gluten-free." The other day, I overheard a girl in my Econom- ics 101 lecture bragging with an upturned nose: "Oh, I don't watch TV. I don't really have time for that." Though there are currently no official reports of brain-melting as a side effect of television watch- ing, many believe that watching TV can stunt creative growth and expression and, through adver- tisements, groom viewers to become mindless consumer-zom- bies. Of the contributors to debate. org, an online forum for discussing and debating relevant topics, 57 percent believe that television is a "bad influence." A simple Google search reveals the existence of an extensive 15-step guide to quit- ting TV, as if TV is a drug which, through rehabilitation, one must shake their addiction. The recently refreshed stig- ma surrounding television may be due to the "binge-watching" culture that has grown out of streaming services like Netflix and Hulu Plus. Now, TV is more accessible than ever, and a lot of people take advantage of that by spending hours in front of their computer screen, consuming the latest addition to Netflix's "Instant Watch" section. But it's important to keep in mind that, in television distribution going while it's totally possible to watch on lately, the quality of pro- the entirety of "Mad Men" in a gramming has only improved. week (trust me oi this one), it's Big-name filmmakers are also possible (and a lot healthier) exploring the opportunities of to keep up with a TV show at a the small screen (see: David much slower pace. Tuning in to a Fincher's "House of Cards" show once a week allows viewers or Joss Whedon's "Agents of to designate a time to relax and S.H.I.E.L.D."), and well-made de-stress from work or school or niche shows like "Arrested daily life in general. Development" are getting the chance to exist outside of net- work broadcasting. There's Despite what no denying that there are still mindless shows out there - your parents tell like TLC's "Four Weddings" or ' r MTV's infamous "Jersey Shore" you, watching - but in moderation even some reality TV can serve a benefi- TV isn't so bad. cial purpose, if the mindlessness is exactly what a viewer wants after a long day of work. A Net- flix or Hulu Plus account is a The beauty of TV is that it lets wonderful thing to have in your you access all the joy and enter- life, as long as it's used for good tainment of a movie or a play, and not evil. but over a much longer stretch Having a little something of time. It keeps you guessing, extra to look forward to every it gives you something to won- week adds a healthy consistency der about or think about week to your life. It's fun to get caught to week, and if it's quality tele- up in cliffhanger plotlines and vision, it will provide its own connect with characters. TV opportunities to be analyzed in shows come in so many vari- the same way any other more eties that there's pretty much "sophisticated" medium could. something for everyone. Even When done right, a television the busiest person in the world show can be enjoyed by anyone couldn't argue against a 30-min- on any level. "Breaking Bad" is ute time commitment once a a perfect example of this; some week. Whether it's something people will tune in to admire mentally stimulating like a criti- Vince Gilligan's deft; almost cally acclaimed drama or an easy Shakespearian writing style, watch like a goofy sitcom, having while others will tune in just atelevision show inyour life forc- because they think murderous es you to take some time to kick drug dealers are cool. back, relax and wonder what's With all the advancements going to happen this week. Msilcal moments with Lou By HANNAH WEINER Daily Arts Writer As aseventh grader, I scavenged through my dad's album collec- tion sod pulled out TheBest of The Velvet Underground: Words and Music ofLou Reed. While it surely terrified my parents that I listened to the songs "I'm Waiting for the Man" and "Heroin" on repeat, thus began my relationship with - Lou Reed. Obsessions with certain musi- cians come and go, but Lou Reed has always remained a constant friend to my music collection. In high school, he sang me through moments of angst and frustration; my soundtrack to and from school Linger on Lou. WARNER BROS usually involved asong from White n ' Light/WhiteHeatorLoaded. I felt I school boyfriend, "There She When I fell in love (for real, was Ginger Brown, Polly May and Goes Again" and "Rock and Roll" this time), "Pale Blue Eyes" rang Joana Love, who "ain'tgot nothing played (loudly) in the car on the in my ears for days. My boy- at all" in "Oh! Sweet Nothin'." ride home. Because, after a dra- friend didn't "make me mad," The truth is: I had a lot more matic teenage break-up, it felt like but I wanted him to "linger on" than nothing, but I wanted Lou mylife was notonlybeingsaved by with his "pale blue eyes." Now, Reed to show me what it meant to rock'n'roll - more specifically, my listening to that song reminds feel like I had nothing at all. life was being saved by The Velvet me of that feeling of falling Lou Reed was my gateway drug Underground. in love once more. And I find into loving music. He never pre- myself listening to "I'll Be Your tended to sing, nor did he pretend Mirror" more and more imme- to ignore the hardships involved .j.~ L diately after hearing about pale in being alive. He wrote poetry _ Going through blue eyes. profoundly simple lyrics that help life with Lou promised me all the me pinpoint exact moments in my things that came true. His voice life based on which song by Lou L lr * has undeniably soundtracked Reed played as the soundtrack. Lou's * my life, for the better. In my I fell in love with Lou Reed lis- teenage wisdom, it felt pro- tening to "Walk on the Wild Side." found to claim that Lou Reed He explained to me, very simply, When I left for college, saved my life. He didn't - not that there's so much in the world "Sweet Jane" played in my mind even close. Lou did, however, that I hadn't yet experienced. It while I pulled up to my dorm start a musical obsession with didn't make sense to me when my for the first time. Reed sang me fitting songs to speak truths parents and teachers tried teach- advice my parents weren't going about my life. ing me that lesson, yet when Reed to tell me: "Everyone who ever I, and the rest of the world, sang about the "wild side," I felt had a heart / They wouldn't will deeply miss Lou Reed's onestep closer to discovering what turn around and break it." He honesty, but he will never stop I was lookingfor. told me it was going to be okay singing realities about life that When just by singing "La la la" over take years to finally figure out. I broke First seen on d over again. And he was - A version of this article up with right: College turned out to be originally appeared on the Daily my high -the filter great. Arts blog, The Filter, on Oct. 27.