12 - The Michigan Daily - Monday, May 21, 2001 R.E.M. Continued from Page10 form a kind of chamber piece, a song cycle informed and uniformed by three old buddies who know, intimately, how to make music together. This unsurprising reliability, how- ever, is also the chief problem with Reveal. The persistent mid-tempos and first-person ballads give the album a leaden quality. Glancing at the lyric sheet of "All the Way to Reno," ("You know what you are/You're gonna be a star") the listener anticipates a hip-shimmy- ing, guitar-swiveling funtime of a song like "Begin the Begin" or "What's the Frequency, Kenneth?" but is instead offered a meandering mule-march through the low desert, replete with sluggish spaghetti western guitar licks. Moving along with R.E.M.'s career, matching their stylistic bobs and weaves, has been a rewarding journey for any rock listener. Reveal holds the line; it manages moments of real beauty, intelligence, and innovation. Axi ARTS 2 AiL reps A and local sceim The Thrill Is Gone,Athletic Mic The album serves as a showcase losing its focus on self-exprest League; Lab Technicians Productions for the rhyme skills of all AML and instead replacing it with a le members, but no one outshines any- bravado and faking. AML and In By W. Jacari Melton one else. Their flows mesh well cible's point is well articulated Daily Arts Writer together no matter what combination accurate. of emcees appear on a track, a note- "Lyrictricity" is an exercisi Given the high quantity of rap worthy accomplishment for a crew creative lyricism. Undergrour' acts and the seemingly low quality that rolls six deep. One Man Army drops a verse among them, I'm more than track that explores what appreciative when something pens when electricity comb worthy of purchasing surfaces, with lyrics and the results This time, I didn't have to look explosive. Other highlig too far with Ann Arbor's Athletic include "Beat Down" and Mic League and their independ- "My Time" and "Non St ent release The Thrill Is Gone. remixes. The album offers lyrical creativi- I'm always led to believe ty and track production that's hip-hop is not dormant w equal to or greater than what's independent albums like been found on a number of major Thrill Is Gone drop. label releases. stands out because theii AML consists of six emcees - tion to writing quality that honed their skills in New Jer- ._ .clever lyrics is evident in es sey before returning home to Ann K. l.j bar they spit. Coupled with I Arbor. Since their homecoming, duction that's impress: they've been regular draws at the regardless of their indepeni Blind Pig, the League Under- status, the AML has creats ground and other local venues gem worthy of recognil and hip-hop events. Thrill marks The "Hip Hop Quotables" remix beyond the Ann Arbor and Del AML's largest-scaled release to date features Ann Arborite-turned-Brook- area. and features 17 tracks, five of which lyn resident Invincible. The track are remixes of other cuts on the disc. criticizes "mainstream" hip-hop for Grade: A- Wainwright Poses at Magic Bag Listening to the new album, it's hard not to hearken back to the days when a fresh R.E.M. album meant something a little more than origi- nality and nothing less than enchantment. Grade: B- EXCITER Continued from Page 10 stand out individually or as an entire album. "Enjoy the Silence," "Personal Jesus or "Policy of Tmth" from 1990's Violator come to mitid. There just simply isn't anything on Exciter which measures up to Depeche Mode's history of musical originality and excellence. Following the debut track, there are three tracks filled with dreamy (read: Dull) hooks, bad, cliched lyrics, and what sound like whale and race car noises. More uninspired music and words follow. There are only two tracks which seem worth a second lis- ten: "The Dead of Night" and "Freelove." You can't be sure, though, if they are actually good, or only seem so in comparison to the rest of the album. The main problem with this record is that it leaves absolutely no taste in your mouth. In the past, Depeche Mode was capable of writing groundbreakingly poignant and personal songs that we could all enjoy. Now, it feels like those same feelings have been repackaged in an attempt to dupe fans into buying an average album. The music, while not outwardly reminiscent of anything in Depeche Mode's back catalog, seems I Depeche Mode excited for Exciter. like it's trying to hop on a kind of mel- low Radiohead vibe. This is not really Depeche Mode's territory, and it shows on Exciter. If I worked at Rolling Stone, I'd probably receive some kickback to describe Exciter as 'a sublime explo- ration of new musical ground,' 'a divine meditation on the futility of love and the meaning of death,' or 'the stun- ning result of musical restraint and lyri- cal understatement.' But I'm not getting any money or free stuff, so I'll just tell the truth. Exciter is 'utterly, completely, and in every way forget- table'- and a big disappointment. Grade: C- By Japlya Burns For the Daily When I told my brother I was going to see Rufus Wain- wright, he didn't know who the singer/songwriter was. Diluting his essence for keen, clever writing and heartfelt piano ballads into a comparison, I noted "He's like a female Sarah McLachlan." "I'm sorry," my brother said dryly. Rufus Really, though, there's nothing at Wainwright all to be sorry about. Rufus' first self-titled album was indeed a prima- The Magic Bag rily somber affair, but his new album May 15, 2001 Poses reveals his sense of humor. The show opened with "Cigar- rettes and Chocolate Milk," the first r-(f single from Poses. Rufus amused the audience with his dangerous desire for extremes: "Cigarettes and choco- late milk/these are just a couple of my cravings." "Greek Song" followed, a lush love letter to the sun and beauty of Greece he has since left behind. Fans were won over by the new songs, and their lyrics, with Rufus singing longingly "All the sights of Paris/Pale inside your iris" on "Tower of Learning." Backed by a full band he transformed melancholy into a fun affair, alternately between a rock star and sundry folk artist, walking about in a red football shirt embla- 1 1 Casual dining at its best! REWARD YOURSELF! Corner of 1st and Huron St. Downtown AA (734) 623-7400 "Exceptional!" wwwdamatos.com Ann Arbor Observer ****Detroit Free Press Piano Bar Thurs- Sat 9out of 10 Ann Arbor News zoned with the name "Prettyman" and switching f guitar to piano with his sister, Martha, providing sw ing backing vocals. The intimate crowd at The Magic Bag was mixed, faithful, if geeky-boy fans, hip teenage girls and urban hipsters comfortable alongside each other, sin along to such standout tracks as "Foolish Love." Rufus quipped in between tracks, as four Hieneken ties stood scattered across the top of his piano, e one by one. V Poses is released June 5. Dou't Panaic if ou think aure pregnant... ca I us-we I sten, we care. PROBLEM PREGNANCY HELP 975-4357 Any time, any day, 24 hours. Fully confidential. serving students since '1970.