b ARTS-
Silver Mt.
Zion defy
style on
'Hrses
By Chris Gaerig
Daily Arts Writer
MUSIC REVIEW
As the side project for Efrim Menuck
- the frontman and musical mastermind
behind Canadian post-rockers Godspeed
You Black Emper-
or! (GYBE!) - A
Silver Mt. Zion A Silver
is likely to see its Mt. Zion
share of experi- Orchestra
mental techniques. and the
Utilizing the epic, Tra-La-La
instrumental style Band
of GYBE!, their Horses In the Sky
work features
unorthodox struc- Canstetatiss
tures to convey a
plethora of emotions and feelings. The
group's name changes radically on each
album, and on their latest release, Horses
In the Sky, A Silver Mt. Zion distinguish
themselves from Menuck's other project
through their use of vocals.
Whereas GYBE! avoids singing
- opting instead for samples of ranting
strangers - A Silver Mt. Zion embraces
vocals and barrels straight ahead. After
having a notable presence on the group's
last release, This Is Our Punk-Rock,
Thee Rusted Satellites Gather + Sing,
the crooning helped to display Menuck's
uncertainty and innocence. On Horses
The Michigan Daily - Tuesday, May 3, 2005 - 11
Kutcher and Peet
bomb in awful'Love'
"Of course I have indie cred. Check out the Chuck Taylors in my promo photo."
In the Sky, the lyrics play an even more
essential role on every track.
"Teddy Roosevelt's Guns" is a bastard-
ization of the Canadian national anthem.
Eerie string arrangements give way to
Menuck and a chorus of singers crying
"Canada, O Canada, I ain't never been
your son." The chanting is overcome by
a mass of feedback, squealing guitars,
cymbal flurries and Menuck's screams.
The last movement in "God Bless
Our Dead Marines" is a choir harmoniz-
ing with and following Menuck's lead:
"When the world is sick / Can someone
be well?/ But I dreamt we were all beau-
tiful and strong." The other voices slowly
fade, and Menuck is left to sing the last
line with only a downtrodden piano to
accompany him. His shaky, uncertain
voice fits the lyrics perfectly and also
contributes to the subdued atmosphere of
the song.
Still, Horses In the Sky is lacking in
the way of instrumentation. The focus on
vocals and lyrics leads the group to disre-
gard much of the instrumental power that
marked their previous work. Where this
album is more emotional, their previous
works sounded more dynamic and bois-
terous.
And while they are the focus of the
album, the lyrics and their presentation
aren't always stellar. Menuck sings with a
very unique voice, but he uses it at unfor-
tunate times and in inopportune ways
throughout the album. The title track
"Horses In the Sky" begins with a soft
guitar line and Menuck's vocals. Here,
his out-of-tune singing is more annoying
than unnerving or eerie; it's not a conduit
for the lullaby-like melody.
A Silver Mt. Zion has always been
interesting because of how different they
are from GYBE! and how frequently
they change styles. On Horses In the Sky,
the group believes they've found their
niche by using more vocals and putting
instrumentals in the background. Unfor-
tunately, their signature and best style is
not having one at all.
By Zach Borden
Daily Arts Writer
Fit~m REVIEW f f
There's nothing wrong with
romantic comedies that don't rein-
vent the wheel, but
audiences expect A Lot Like
a little innovation Love
or spark once in
a while. But films At the Showcase
like "A Lot Like and Quality 16
Love" prove that Touchstone
it's possible to
completely screw up all the elements
of this beloved genre in one movie.
The film follows seven years of
the romantic misadventures of Oli-
ver (Ashton Kutcher) and Emily
(Amanda Peet, "Identity"). The two
originally meet on an airline flight,
where they, er, join the mile-high
club. When they arrive in New York
City, Oliver spots Emily on the street
and the two spend the day together on
a whim. Then, their budding romance
comes to a halt - and they reconnect
again. The cycle repeats over and
over as they face the usual ups and
downs of twentysomething romance,
up until the film's hackneyed, easily
foreseeable climax.
It may all be cookie-cutter mate-
rial, but what makes "A Lot Like Love"
impossible to believe is that the story
doesn't give a single reason for Emily
and Oliver to be together. The two don't
have a single meaningful conversation
during their seven years, not even one to
show them connecting on a basic level.
Even worse are the played-out pop
songs from the late '94s and early
'O0s that are embarrassingly used
to highlight the time period (Eagle
Eye Cherry's "Save Tonight" lives
on!) and the sappy moments that are
meant to manipulate the audience.
"A Lot Like Love" contains quite a
bit of pointless filler, such as a road
trip that Oliver and Emily go on that
does nothing to develop the their
already vaguely defined relation-
ship. There aren't many laughs to
be found, either, unless having poor
Oliver wear an Oklahoma sweatshirt
in New York City and giving him a
bitchy younger sister are supposed to
be groundbreaking comedic gems.
Another problem with the film is
the lack of chemistry between Kutcher
and Peet. This is a crucial element to
any movie romance, and when two
actors can't even pull that off - espe-
cially with an already mediocre script
- there's just no silver lining to be
found. This isn't helped by the fact
that Kutcher's appeal as a leading man
is hard to see, especially considering'
his low-key turn as Oliver. Even more
disappointing is Peet, who is usually a
good actress but doesn't make Emily as
intriguing as she should have been.
Ultimately, the film doesn't offer any
insight into the nature of relationships
or even on how love brings people to
unexpected places at the most unex-
pected times. Even more frustrating is
that during their seven-year adventure,
Oliver and Emily don't change as peo-
ple or develop any real spark as a cou-
ple. Watching "A Lot Like Love" is like
spending an hour and a half in a tedious
and pointless romantic comedy hell.