3B - Thursday, December 4, 2014 The Michigan Daily michigandailycam 3B - Thursday, December 4, 2014 The Michigan Daily - michigandailycom POP MUSIC "Our social stereotypes about From Page B working-class people - who are the class of people associated with country music - are that we think Reflect for a moment. they're not sophisticated enough A few years ago you were to have any guises," said Nadine satisfied with jamming out to Hubbs, professor of music and "On the Floor" by Jennifer Lopez. women's studies. "Authenticity The major hit contained lyrics has always been part of the ranging from "La la la la la, la la la country artist's shtick. Part of it l Ia la la la la, tonight we gon' be is our beliefs about country, and it on the floor" to the occasionally we really exaggerate the extent to personified "It's getting ill it's which it's completely literal - the getting sick on the floor." 'what you see is what you get."' A few years ago you were also Hubbs isn't your run-of- satisfied with jamming out to the-mill country music expert. "Till the World Ends" by Britney Located kitty-corner from North Spears. This major hit's lyrics Quad in her Lane Hall Department ranged from "Oh oh whoa oh oh of Women's Studies office, Hubbs's oh oh, Oh oh whoa oh oh oh oh" to walls are decorated from head to the occasional shout-out "DJ what toe with LGBTQ- and feminist- you, what you waiting for?" oriented posters - territories These hits are extremely where most country music goers dated in their form. Why is that? would never dare set foot. Hubbs Because in 2014, empty words takes on a genre from its most and phrases accompanying dance challenging perspectives, and in music doesn't work. Now, it's all her most recent book "Rednecks, about the anthem - something Queers, and Country Music," she that's danceable but also has some proves to be the ideal consultant personal fire behind its lyricism. for deconstructing country's You're gonna hear me "roar," so demographic. just "shake it off" We've got one "There's a country music fewer "problem" without ya, so scholar called Jimmie N. Rogers, just"break free."Whyyou gottabe who named these phenomena so "rude?" Is it because I still get the 'Sincerity Contract,' and he "jealous?" acknowledges that it's a special When you're losing your voice thing in country music that fans singing alongto today's hits, you're expect," Hubbs said. "They expect actually taking the meaning of the the songs that a country artist song into more consideration than sings to connect up with their you've derived from songs from a actual biographies. They expect a few years ago. core response between the artist's The funny thing is, it's not just biography, the themes, the topics, the songs that we're seeking more the lyrics and the image of the real-talk from.We'reseekingmore musician." "realness" from artists altogether. Lest we forget that Taylor What drove Taylor Swift to the Swift earned her initial keep top in this particular year? The as a country teen who had an fact that her music is not only this uncanny ability to connect so-called anthem music, but is also with the masses through music authentic. There's never a doubt that had a uniquely general yet in our minds that the only thing specific narration. better than music that sounds Then - out of the blue - brutally honest is music that Hubbs threw another genre actually is brutallyhonest. into the mix. And it's not just present in these "Let's look at hip hop, modernpophits. It's presentinthe another type of music where nature of today's other thriving an incredibly high degree of genres. authenticity is demanded," she said. "Why do we expect of our Country and Hip Hop- hip-hop artists that they have Brothersfromanothermother to have realness? If your life deviates from this incredible "And when we land I'll call her brutality, violence, misery upand tell her'Kiss my ass,'cause and hyper-masculinity that hey n 'mdrunk on aplahV:" audiencees pay 'for sod expe& No, this is not one of our the rapper to bring, you can be consulted University professors. in real hot water. We've seen This is Dierks Bentley with his that. Kanye had to do some fast second number-one country hit explaining when he was new on of the year, "Drunk on a Plane." the block. He was preppyhe was In the track, Bentley narrates college-educated, his mom had the story of being stood up at the a Ph.D. and he had to explain all altar and making the most of his that. And other people who have non-refundable honeymoon plane seen to be 'frontin' have had P.R. ticket to Cancun. disasters on their hands." Country has never been a This year in hip hop, we stranger to the real-talk appeal. witnessed these PR disasters. The "kiss my ass" empowerment Iggy Azalea took one punch after anthem has gone on since the another from the rap community dawn of the genre itself and (including artists such as Snoop this year there's a resurgence of Dogg and Eminem) for her people who are more willing than apparently phony stage persona. ever to consume both pop and A high-profile white, blonde, country, since both genres share female, Australian rapper is a a multitude of similarities in2014. recipe for hip-hop revolt. And And despite three (or in this while there are examples of white case four) chords and the "truth" rappers, female rappers and non- now becoming a widespread American rappers, to qualify phenomenon, country still for every position is an extreme maintains the highest degree of deviation from the characteristics authenticity over pop. that the community deems to be authentically hip hop. "(Country and hip hop) music are linked to underprivileged social groups in America," Hubbs said. "We expect them to bring us a kind of realness for our consumption that shows us the shadier side of life in a way that we can handle and ina way that is interesting to us." Perhaps the "fancy" side of life wasn't what the hip-hop community was looking for this year. Unpolished music as polished authenticity "There's a backwash of people who are thirsty for how the music would sound if the artists weren't recording in the studio. You get a CD that's been re-mastered and they have four bonus tracks ... where they didn't have this chord worked out or this vocal worked out and people are fascinated by that and they'll buy that. People want to hear artists working on perfection rather than the perfection itself," said Carlos Rodriguez, associate professor of music education. One of the University's leading authorities on popular music and music education, Rodriguez narrates an unorthodox trend he has seen in today's tweaked- to-perfection pop music. In fact, whether he realizes it or not, he has just described a significant feature of Taylor Swift's new record. It always seems to come back to that. Swift released three bonus tracks of voice memos dictating certain thoughts and processes she was going through while writing tracks with Jack Antonoff, Max Martin and Ryan Tedder. Swift isn't the first to do so, but the voice memos are certainly a representation of authenticity and the dispelled illusion of immaculate perfection. Just look at your Facebook newsfeed and Tumbr blogs. They're all spitting out the same message. No longer are they an exaggerated outlet of your perfect life and how hard you partied the night before; they're a bunch of back-and-forth posts on sources and explanations of how not everybodyis perlct; how'yos should feel comfortable with the way you look, of the way you feel and tell everyone who doesn't reciprocate your feelings to piss off. Your 2014 music is essentially your Facebook newsfeed and Tumbr blog "I heard an interview with Jack White," Rodriguez recalled. "He doesn't think of his songs as 'his songs.' He says he just looks at the world and looks what's around him and does what he does and then lets it go. He says he's just herewhen ithappens,buthedidn't create this. It's just everythingthat goes on around him."' Get drunk on a plane. Shake off the haters. Marry her anyway. If they're not about that bass, move along. That's the biggest trend of 2014. It's this brutally honest music in your mind saying it's gonna be alright. What did you just call me?! 'New Girl's Schmidt delightfully douchey Max Greenfield's character is the type we love to hate By HAILEY MIDDLEBROOK Daily Arts Writer Of all the jerks on TV, there are few that I love to hate more than Schmidt on FOX's "New Girl." Though he's the loft's biggest contributor to the Douchebag Jar - a refaced tip jar that's filled whenever someone says an offensive comment - Schmidthas become an icon with his pitch- perfect one liners and ridiculous tenacity for life. As he says, "I always like to give 110 percent." Played by Max Greenfield ("Veronica Mars"), Schmidt is a formerly overweight, socially- awkward Jewish kid who has blossomed into a smooth- talking ladies' man with a taste for the good life, whether that be a nice jar of mango chutney ("or really any chutney") or an immaculate manscaping groom. Schmidt isn't shy about pointing out any flaws his roommates Jess (Zooey Deschanel, "Elf"), Nick (Jake Johnson, "21 Jump Street"), Winston (Lamorne, Morris, "Sex Ed") and Coach (Damon Wayans, "Happy Endings") might have. In season one, he describes Nick as "delicate. Like a flower. Like a chubby, damaged flower who hates himself." Don't be fooled by his suave demeanor, though, because Schmidt gets the blues like the rest of us simpletons: "You're not ti here,, stinks are pr and I. pretet And dama be goi But Schm guy I life. I primp our d chees raw c was c see m part wisdo a myt and f sprint a long away, Schm cheet exa of avc Sch which his u (Hann have seaso; now v he only one that's hurting of season four. This year, every Jessica Day. The economy member of the cast is single and s, bees are dying, movies ready to mingle - Nick and Jess etty much all sequels now are finally just friends, Cece has have a broken penis. Don't shut down Schmidt's approaches nd to know my pain." and Winston is down on his if Schmidt's manhood is love luck as usual - and they're ged, the world must really turning to the hit-and-run Cupid ing to hell in a handbasket. himself. The season opened in all seriousness, with "Last Wedding," where idt is exactly the kind of Schmidt devises a plan to get actively try to avoid in real his roommates through the end He's the type that would of wedding season by finding with exfoliates before everyone a hookup. In "Dice," ate and judge my grilled Schmidt introduces Jess to Dice, e order while sipping on a "Tinder"-like mobile app he's arrot juice. After the date been using to meet girls, and over, he wouldn't ask to graciously gives her tips for e again, but rather would dating: "The point of dating is with some deep nugget of just to keep on dating and then m about how true love is never stop - like burning fossil th and'affection is sweet fuels or seeing a therapist." leeting, like chocolate or Then, in "Thanksgiving IV," gtime. Then he would give his gang-hookup ploy is back brooding stare and strut again; Schmidt renames the on the prowl again. As holiday "Bangsgiving," where idt says,"I'm like aHebrew everybody in the loft has to :ah." set up each other with a date to bring to dinner, with the intention that dinner will lead S hm dt.1 to dessert (wink, wink). is He's slick, arrogant and t euses more hair products and kctly the kid itchenware than I knew guy I try to existed, but I can't help but J y y like Schmidt - if only because )id in real life he's so damn funny. There's a difference between a serious man-whore and one who blows his persona up to the size of a socially-awkward overweight midt's serial-dating ways, kid. Maybe beneath his smooth usually circle back to talking and aggressive frittata unshakeable crush, Cece making, Schmidt has a heart nah Simone, "Oldboy"), as big as everyone else's on been side plots in past "New Girl," but like Dr. Seuss's ns of "New Girl," but are Grinch, it would kill him to let what place him at the core it show. THE D'ARTBOARD Each week we take shots at the biggest developments in the entertainment world. Here's what hit (and missed) this week. Take a Walk on the Wilde Side HBO orders Mick Jagger-produced rock'n'roll drama starring Bobby Cannavale and Olivia Wilde. He Just Is That Into You Scarlett Johansson secretly weds baby daddy Romain Dauric. Desigs by Gaby Vasquez "Lost" In Space First teaser trailer released for JJ. Abrams's "Star Wars: The Force Awakens." Gilmore Girl Power! Lauren Graham to star as late-night TV host in Ellen-produced NBC comedy pilot. t. /P Marvel's Guardians of the Suicide Squad Begins Will Smith, Jared Leto and Cara Delevingne among cast for DC's -upcoming "Suicide Squad."