The Michigan Daily - Monday, May 12, 2003 - 11
-ARTS
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THE NEw PORNOGRAPHERS,
THE ELECTRIC VERSION;
MATADOR RECORDS
Since 2000, the New Pornographers
have been indie rock's answer to the
Traveling Willburys and have put out a
massively popular, underground pop
record in Mass Romantic. Well,
they're back and in style with this
year's Electric Version, a pop-rock
bombshell bred out
of the sounds of the
"marketing music"
movement yet firm-
ly based in the shoes
of the independent
musician.
As all good soph-
omore efforts
should, this album
fills the gaps where
TNP had earlier
dropped the ball.
Neko Case, country
chanteuse in residency, takes on a
more secondary role on the new tracks
than she did on Mass Romantic. At
last they sound like a band instead of
just a random pairing of talented indi-
viduals. This isn't surprising consider-
ing that over the past two years TNP
have been touring, writing and meld-
ing together.
The album's supercharged sound
takes full force as Carl Newman's
impeccable songwriting skills are
overwhelmingly displayed. "Out From
Blown Speakers" and "The End of
Medicine" show his uncanny hook
development, while the title track
shows his ability to fit as many chords
as humanly possible into one chorus.
However, the biggest improvement
from Mass Romantic to Electric Ver-
sion is the evolution of Dan Bejar as a
songwriter. With some of the most
addictive riffs since Cheap Trick, he
takes a stronghold over the record and
provides some of
the strongest
tracks. "Chump
Change" opens
with a guitar seg-
ment that demands
the credit it
deserves, while
album stand-out
"Testament to
Youth in Verse"
provides a neces-
sary oasis from the
sometimes monot-
onous songwriting style of Newman.
All in all, Electric Version demon-
strates the essential factors that should
go into recording a sophomore
release: fixing the problems with the
first album. And with crowning
moments from both Carl Newman and
Dan Bejar, as well as another batch of
those insatiable hooks, the New
Pornographers have found their niche
in the pop-music scene - no matter
what radio or MTV hasto say about it.
- Alex Wolskv
By Todd Weiser
Daily Arts Editor
MUScREVI EW
A new, imported from the U.K. ver-
sion of Madonna appears on American
Life. Madge seems to enjoy taking the
across-the-Atlantic view of her home
country, suddenly developing an opin-
ionated, although slightly contradictory,
view on our obsessions with fame,
wealth and even pop music. However,
the phase of
Madonna's life e"
captured on her Madonna
new album is not
just the "Take American Life
that Holly- Warner Bros. Recordsl
wood!" ranting
of the single
("American Life") and first couple
tracks but rather her newfound lust for
life triggered by the love of her life,
husband Guy Ritchie.
Assisted by producer Mirwais, who
first worked with her on her 2000
release Music, Madonna turns the tech-
no-infused dance-pop album into a love
letter. Once again writing all of her
tracks, Madonna's heartfelt lyrics create
a cohesive feeling and persona behind
the very personal music. Her voice has
also never sounded better, save for the
high-pitched, girlish sounding vocals of
"Mother and Father," the album's worst
track. However, despite the rare find of Fails." The acoustic guitar once again
an introspective, honest pop creation, makes its early appearance on "Noth-
the lyrics commonly sound ordinary ing", but its play is finally varied, and
and the acoustic guitars- the string accompani-
phased-into-a-techno- ment hints at an emo-
backbeat structure tional explosion to
becomes predictable. come. A subtle drum-
With the exclamation beat underlies the
"Fuck it!" Madonna seemingly awkward
dips into the rap world but immediately rivet-
on "American Life," ing cry: "I'm not reli-
feeling free to mold a gious / ButI feel such
genre commonly all love / Makes me want
about bling-bling into a to pray / Pray you'll
tirade against all that always be here." When
materialism has to offer. the London Community Gospel Choir
American Life starts to hit its stride chimes in, you have to wonder
on "Love Profusion," when the love whether Mirwais has done too much.
letter opens on this fourth track. "Pro- Madonna and Mirwais have crafted
fusion" reveals itself to just be anoth- a thoroughly respectable and
er silly love song as Madonna admirable album on which Madge
professes, "And the world can look so spills her heart out for millions to
sad / Only you make me feel good," hear. Sadly, cliched lyrics and obvious
but the happiness Madonna seems to electronic music choices often drown
have found with finding someone is out the raw emotion. Whether Madon-
finally felt. The feeling builds through na cares what we think is another mat-
"Nobody Knows Me" and hits its ter, as her words are written with only
peak with the beautiful "Nothing one person in mind.
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