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Tuesday, November 11, 2014 - 7
The Michigan Daily - michigandailycom Tuesday, November 11, 2014- 7
Thurman Merman drops the bloody pickle and tries his hand at cooking.
FOX
Here's lookin' at you, kid.
Oft-delayed Azealia
Banks LP delights
'MasterChef Junior'
is reality TV's best
Cohesive 'Broke With
Expensive Taste'
impresses
By DANIELLE
RAYKHINSHTEYN
DailyArts Writer
Broke With Expensive Taste is
an album that begs to be listened
to in its entirety, even with its
unusual length
- 16 songs A
measuring in
at 60 minutes Broke
and 19 seconds. With
Most of the
songs sound Expensive
quite similar, Taste
but not in a .a
trite, boring Azeala
way; each track Banks
transitions Prospect Park
smoothly into
the next, giving the illusion that
the album might just be one
incredibly long and satisfying
harmony.
The album opens with "'Idle
Delilah,' a haunting track whose
main riff pops up again in later
songs, such as "Soda" and "Miss
Amor," continuing the illusion of
a single, hour-long composition.
"Idle Delilah" itself begins with a
beat from a drum and synthesizer,
slowly building to adding in a
kick drum. While the rhythm is
pretty steady and simple, it has
an anticipatory feel to it. When
Banks's voice comes in a couple
beats later, with its airy timbre,
it's as if the top has been taken off
of the boiling pot of water.
Banks's debut showcases her
knack for innovation, and in this
way, "Idle Delilah" sets the tone
for the rest of the album. The
song has no clear structure, and in
what could possibly be considered
the bridge, the mating calls of a
primate are dubbed over the new,
bell-like beat. And, somehow, it
works.
The second track, "Gimme A
Chance," switches into Spanish
in the second half of the song;
"Desperado" features a radio DJ
introducing the tune in a meta
sort of way; "Heavy Metal and
Reflective" opens with a sound
that could either be construed
as sweeping or the bustle of a
FedEx mailroom; "Ice Princess"
fittingly showcases the sound of a
(presumably) cold wind blowing;
and multiple tracks contain
trumpets blasting. She creates
music outofeverydaylife.
Banks pushes the boundaries
of traditional music conventions,
and, for the most part, she
succeeds, creating such
wonderful beats and melodies
that the unconventional aspects
of the songs work in their favor.
She pairs synthesized beats
with drums, with xylophones,
with trumpets, with the sultry
timbre of her voice in expertly
mastered paradox.
Where she fallsflat isontrack
14, "Nude Beach A Go-Go."
While the song fits with the
rest of the album by continuing
some overtly sexual themes, the
music, melody and lyrics about
drinking Coca-Cola cause it to
feel more like a country song
than the electro-hip-hop of the
rest of the album. It's unclear
whether this song was meant to
be even more innovative than
the rest of the album and just
fell horribly flat, or whether it's
meant as a joke or even a slight
at the rest of the music industry.
Whatever Banks intended,
the song interrupts the flow of
an otherwise seamless track
order. (I actually mistook it
for a corny jingle on a Spotify
commercial when it came on.)
Insome ways, it's also one of the
most traditional songs on the
album, sporting a traditional
verse-chorus form and only
clocking in at 2 minutes and
20 seconds, whereas most
other tracks are 4-5 minutes.
It doesn't fit, and, frankly, it's
obnoxious to listen to, while the
rest of the tunes are so soothing
that they almost put the listener
in a trance.
What should be juxtaposed
with this trance-like state
of listening are the lyrics to
"212," in which Banks intones,
"she wanna lick my plum in
the evening," followed by,
"and fit that tongue deep in. I
guess that cunt getting eaten."
Yet, there is something in
the way Banks performs, an
assuredness, that makes what
is probably considered one of
the worst words in the English
language perfectly normal
to utter. Considering a good
portion of the lyrics in the other
tracks on the album isn't easy
to comprehend (a quality that,
normally frowned upon, adds
to the trance-like quality of her
songs), it seems Banks is once
again pushing the boundaries
here, making a statement. And,
once again, she succeeds.
On Broke With Expensive
Taste, Banks creates such an
environment that the album
could be listened to as a lullaby-
or bumped at a club. She
soothes, but she provokes. She
follows tradition, but she toes
the line. She goes hard on tracks
like "Yung , Rapunxel," but
she lightens up on tracks like
"Wallace." She almost creates
a new genre: not quite hip-
hop, not quite dance, not quite
electronic, not quite rap, but
completely Azealia Banks.
FOX show's second
season is Gordon
Ramsay's finest
By ALEX INTNER
Daily Arts Writer
Gordon Ramsay is known for
being loud with his celebrity
character based on his brash
personality
and angry A~
interactions.
But, this MasterChef
hard image Junior
has changed
slightly with Season Two
the premiere Premiere
of a spinoff Tuesdays at 8 p.m.
of one of FOX
his hits,
"MasterChef Junior." By
surrounding Ramsay with a
group of incredibly talented
child cooks, he was able to
show a side of himself that
doesn't usually appear in his
other programs. In the process,
he made this new series much
better than his others. With a
strong second season return,
"MasterChef Junior" can
proudly claim its place as not
only the crown jewel of the
Gordon Ramsay reality empire
but also the best reality show
on network television.
In "MasterChef Junior,"
children from ages eight to 13
compete with one another in
a cooking competition. The
contestants are tiny; some
are even too small to lift the
equipment. Despite that,they're
preparing pork tenderloin
and an assortment of chicken
dishes that look like they
could be served in a high-class
restaurant. At this point, it's a
little too early in the season for
any of the participants to really
pop the way that Sarah and
eventual winner Alexander did
last year because there are just
too many. This is a problem that
every iteration of "MasterChef"
has, but one that resolves itself
as the season moves along.
What really separates
"MasterChef Junior" from the
other shows in the Ramsay
network is that it's built from a
genuinely sweet place. There's
none of the vindictiveness
and backstabbing that make
competitions like "Hell's
Kitchen" difficult to watch.
When someone doesn't do
well, the contenders express
support instead of just giving
the camera coy smiles.
The best moment in the
episode came when the other
competitors comforted one
player who broke down after
presenting the judges a dish
with raw chicken. It's rare that
something with that amount
of authentic kindness actually
makes it to the final cut, and
it's something that should be
savored.
From a judging perspective,
Ramsay and professional chefs
and restaurateurs, Graham
Elliot and Joe Bastianich, are
never overly harsh. Because
they're assessing kids, they
find a way to give pointed
criticism without coming
across like they're attacking
the children themselves, as
they often do on "MasterChef"
senior. Bastianich especially
tones down his abrasiveness
from what he brings to the
adult version, to the point
where he's a better judge for it.
The show also has slick
editing. It doesn't have the
same drawn-out nature of
"MasterChef," and it allows
the episode to feel freer. In
addition, they incorporate
some fantastic reaction shots
and testimonials from the
children. A big part of watching
the program is those clips;
some of the kids' comments
make for great television.
"MasterChef Junior"
has elements of what every
competition series should
have - great editing, skilled
contestants and intelligent, but
not overly cruel, judging. What
sets it above the others is a
lack of theatric maliciousness,
which keeps the focus where
it should be - on the talented
kid chefs - rather than on the
sabotage or hatred. Even with a
busy schedule, the show is well
worth the time. It's easy on
the brain and, because of that,
it's one of the most enjoyable
hours on network television.
'Gone Girl' suffers fromh
lack of gaming expertise
SWaiting for the next
musical bomb to drop
By CHRISTIAN KENNEDY
DailyArts Writer
What keeps me on my toes?
Well, a pop quiz in Earth 103, my
girlfriend and as of late, the music
industry.
Gone are the days of waking
up and checking my e-mails and
texts. Now, iTunes, Soundcloud
and musicians' Facebook pages
are the first thing on my mind.
Is someone going to drop a sin-
gle? Is someone going to drop a
video? Is someone going to drop
an album?
The trend's best example is the
musical bomb that dropped Dec.
13, 2013 in the wee hours of the
morning: Beyoncd's self-titled
masterpiece. And as much of a
blessing that album was, it has
forever changed the game and
raised my blood pressure.
Listeners no longer have full
musical knowledge by waiting
until 12 a.m. Tuesdays. Or even
12 a.m. any day of the week.
What if an artist decides 3 a.m. is
a good time? Or maybe 2 p.m.? IT
DOESN'T MATTER BECAUSE
THE MUSIC INDUSTRY IS IN
ANARCHY. Listeners have no
clue when the next bomb is com-
ing or who is going to drop it.
Thi
helped
comph
If aj
up in,
know
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fans gr
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produc
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s type of innovation has ing for rain in a drought? At the
I make music the most moment, it feels a tad bit like a
ex entertainment medium. drought, but every night it's pos-
movie randomly showed sible that tomorrow morning I'll
theaters none of us would wake up and I could have that
what it's about, so why same overwhelming feeling of joy
e it? Advertisers would that filled me when BEYONCE
semselves at the idea of a was released.
ow airing with no promo- It is clear that only music's
Artists have a brand that biggest players are capable of
row to trust, so they can let such innovation (so, it is only fit-
work create hype instead ting Queen B blazed this trail).
ating hype for it. Movies Even more prominent artists
levision need the immedi- right now, such as Iggy Azalea
isfaction and safety net of or Ariana Grande, could not pull
ising to make the world off a surprise album. A surprise
le before they drop their single? Possibly. To pull off a
ct- but musicgets dropped surprise album, an artist needs
e explosion follows. a loyal band of followers. Bey has
the Beyhive; Rihanna, the Navy;
Taylor Swift, the Swifties; Jus-
Who's next? tin Bieber (God bless America)
has his Beliebers; and a hand-
ianna? Kanye ful of other artists have a strong
enough resume.
hen will it be? So, slowly the wick of the next
musical bomb is winding down.
Will Rihanna's album be the final
spark? Maybe Kanye. Ooooh or
s, the need for anti-anxiety maybe the Beyonce-Jay Z collab-
ation for extremist, music- orative album. BOOM. Something
like myself. So, it raises the is going to happen. What is it?
on: is this the fun anticipa- Who is it? When will it be? No one
f a package in the mail, or knows: the most beautiful curse of
eadful anticipation of wait- the music industry.
1
By JACOB RICH
DailyArts Writer
I saw "Gone Girl" with my
girlfriend and a colleague from
The Michigan Daily, both big
fans of the book. Post-showing,
the two of them agreed that it
was incredibly absorbing and
engaging, which I enthusias-
tically echoed. To me, "Gone
Girl" was remarkably well-
crafted ... with the exception of
one scene.
There is one terrible, awful,
scene-ruining, tension-break-
ing, cringe-inducing moment
in "Gone Girl," one that (quite
understandably, mind you) nei-
ther of my Rave theater com-
rades noticed.
They fuck up the video game
scene.
In one scene, Ben Affleck's
character is shown playing a
PlayStation 3 when his wife
(Rosamund Pike) walks in
the room to speak to him. The
camera at one point swings to
show the television screen, on
which footage of what appears
to be Battlefield 3's (2010)
single-player campaign mode
is shown. At this point, every
hardcore gamer in the audience
likely rolled their eyes.
What was the problem? To
put it simply, it's too obvious
Affleck's character is not actu-
ally playing a video game. The
image on the-television screen
is clearly not gameplay; it's
pre-rendered footage added
in post-production. That's not
inherently problematic. The
problem is that with minimal
attenti
positiVs
could
footag
tunate
clear
that ti
biggest
of a H
graphi
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bogglin
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it seem
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will no
ably c
percen
to see
on and care, I'm entirely Everybody else likely under-
e David Fincher's team stood immediately that Nick
have made the gameplay was playing a video game and
e look realistic. Unfor- didn't think much else about it.
ly, it will be abundantly But to those of us who
to experienced gamers noticed, this was a huge immer-
he footage is fake. The sion-breaking moment. "Gone
t indicator is the lack Girl" is a story that hinges on its
UD (the static onscreen believability, and to be sudden-
cs indicating health, ly yanked out of the film's won-
nition, the map, etc). derfully constructed world and
could Fincher's team, reminded that you are merely
e known for their mind- watching a film is a major prob-
ngly organized and thor- lem.
intentional filmmaking, This phenomenon of poorly-
this up? It sure seems like thought-out video game scenes
'ent, "hey, we need game isn't limited to "Gone Girl." It's
e for this scene - go see a widespread problem in film,
game developers will give and there really hasn't been
ney to place their game much of a conversation about it.
Call me paranoid, but Almost universally, video
ns likely that this highly game scenes involve far too
ed, HUD-less, cleaned much button clacking for the
tage was made to put the kind of game that's being played.
n as best a light as pos- They also typically portray the
not to make the footage characters swinging around
ense within the scene. their controllers like lunatics,
in an egregious caricature of the
way people get frustrated with
rnmakers need games in real life. Usually, these
scenes are played for humor, or
do their video a throwaway vertical slice of
average life, nothing more. Even
ne homework. "Her," one of the savviest mov-
ies about futuristic technology
ever, prominently featured pro-
jections of video games that any
may say that this is nit- hardcore gamer would dismiss
gto an unfair degree. And as a highly unlikely and unreal-
ow what? It probably is. istic view of gaming's future.
rdcore gaming audience So, filmmakers - as one of the
er words, the people who obnoxious one percent of people
tice this mistake) prob- who will be put off by the lazy
omprises less than one portrayal of video games in film,
t of the people who went I implore you:
"Gone Girl" in theaters. Do your homework.
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