The Michigan Daily — michigandaily.com
Arts
Friday, January 22, 2016 — 5
ALBUM REVIEW
Panic! at the Disco
can’t remain relevant
By CARLY SNIDER
Daily Arts Writer
For long-time Panic! at the
Disco fans, it may be hard to
believe that the group’s first
album
came
out
over
a
decade
ago
and that their
most
recent
release, Death
of a Bachelor,
is the work
of only one
of the origi-
nal
mem-
bers. Despite
Panic!’s
consistently varied sound and
member make-up, one thing has
remained the same — the pres-
ence of Brendon Urie.
As the lead singer, Urie has
always acted as the face of the
group — a face that has reflected
the dynamism of their sound. His
voice is theatrical, strong and, at
times, overbearing. Death of a
Bachelor showcases Urie’s ability
to mimic a retro cabaret croon
and hit Broadway-level notes all
in the same song. Though Urie’s
vocal
chops
are
undeniably
impressive, his skill isn’t enough
to deem his latest attempt at rel-
evance a success.
The album’s high points come
when Urie creates a narrative,
using his jumping, low register
vocals to tell a story of intrigue.
“The Good, the Bad and the
Dirty” constructs one such nar-
rative. Using Panic!’s perma-lay-
ered percussive instrumentation,
the track manages to relay pro-
miscuous and cheeky lyrics with-
out coming off as desperate for
mainstream recognition.
Another
high
point,
“LA
Devotee,” is instantly the most
capturing. The combination of
brass instrumentation and the
fluctuating, high-energy chorus
stating, “Drinking white wine in
the blushing light / Just another
LA Devotee,” makes the track
radio-ready yet classic in its sig-
nature Panic! delivery. The lyrics
also shed light on Urie’s personal
life, showing his devotion to Los
Angeles and all of its oddities.
“LA
Devotee”
traverses
a
rough transition into “Golden
Days,” which showcases Urie
grasping for youth. The track
starts out well enough, with Urie
delivering a powerful yet war-
bling narrative, moving smoothly
into a bass-driven crescendo of
a pre-chorus. Next, Urie’s voice
essentially screams at listeners,
“We’ll stay drunk, we’ll stay tan,
let the love remain” before mov-
ing into the repetitive singing of
“Golden days.” At this point in his
career, Urie’s choice to resort to
lyrics about partying and youth
comes off not as an honest repre-
sentation of his pop-star life, but
as a last-ditch effort at musical
significance. The lack of lyrical
complexity, especially when con-
sidering some of Panic!’s previous
work, is disappointing.
Continuing with this sub-
stance-fueled
trend,
“Don’t
Threaten Me With a Good Time”
is predominantly overwhelm-
ing. Though not entirely devoid
of wit, the few charming lines
are not enough to save the track.
Phrases like “I lost a bet to a guy
in a chiffon skirt / But I can make
these high heels work” play on
the androgyny and sexuality of
early Panic!, but don’t go much
further than that.
Aside from the forced party-
themed tracks, the album does
feature some more enjoyable
mellow tunes. Songs like “Death
of a Bachelor” and “Hallelujah”
are more genuine and feature
insights into Urie’s life — refer-
encing his recent marriage and
Mormon upbringing. The clos-
ing track, “Impossible Year,” is
by far the most sincere. It’s the
first track that will make you
feel something other than the
false adrenaline rush that comes
with talk of alcohol-induced
fun. The honest and somber
tone is accompanied by swell-
ing, orchestral instrumentation
and, upon listening to this final
track, most of the album seems
trite and unnecessary.
Death of a Bachelor is a testa-
ment to the fact that Panic! at
the Disco works best when Urie
embraces his strengths as an
artist of vocal prowess and lyri-
cal candor. Unfortunately, the
album ultimately falls victim to
Urie’s inability to cope with his
changing status. w
C
Death of a
Bachelor
Panic! at
the Disco
DCD2
Spike Lee’s latest
makes up for lack of
story with lyricism
By JOE WAGNER
For the Daily
America’s third largest city,
where homicides have surpassed
the death toll of the American
Special Forces
in Iraq. Where
the majority of
these murders
are
of
black
males and by
black
males.
Where
400
school age kids
were shot in
the year 2015.
Where 55 peo-
ple were shot and wounded on
July 4, 2015 and ten more were
murdered. This is Chi-Raq, Dril-
linois, the subject of Spike Lee’s
most recent film.
Screenwriters
Kevin
Will-
mott (“Bunker Hill”) and Spike
Lee (“Do the Right Thing”)
have
crafted
a
retelling
of
Aristophanes’
Greek
comedy
“Lysistrata”
written
almost
entirely in verse. In the ancient
play, Lysistrata convinces all of
the women of Greece to remain
chaste until the men negoti-
ate peace to end the Pelopon-
nesian War. In the modernized
“Chi-Raq,” Lysistrata (Teyonah
Parris, “Dear White People”)
persuades the black women of
South Side Chicago, and more-
over the world, to withhold
sexual relations from their men
until the gun violence ends, until
there is peace.
The dialogue is exceptional.
It is simultaneously powerful,
beautiful and hilarious while
dealing with a controversial
issue. The humor does not detract
from the gravity of the film but
uses comedy to alleviate tension.
At first, for one who is unaccus-
tomed to hearing verse, the dia-
logue is somewhat hard to follow;
however, within minutes, the ear
adapts to the rhythmic exchanges
between characters. In fact, the
rhythm of the verse creates a sen-
sation of movement and continu-
ity through the movie. The verse
dialogue does, however, at times
feels more like a gimmick than an
aid for storytelling. The dialogue
is comprised of a mixture of col-
loquial dialect and elevated lan-
guage more often associated with
the theater from which the basis
of the story originates. This mix-
ture attempts to make “Chi-Raq”
a didactic epic grounded by the
real world.
Often acting in conjunction
with dialogue, the choreogra-
phy of the movie furthers what
the characters are saying and
is visually thought provoking.
The opening scene is an incred-
ible dance number to “My City”
by Nick Cannon (“The Killing
Room”) who plays the character
called Chi-raq. Throughout the
movie, coordinated movements
where groups on screen perform
a distinct action, like when the
women, while discussing deaths
as a result of gang violence, hold
up their hands and say “bang,
bang,” are powerful.
Additionally, the music, con-
sisting of almost all Chicago
related songs and many origi-
nal songs created specifically
for the film, helps tell the story.
The soundtrack ranges from rap
tracks by Nick Cannon to tunes
from Bruce Hornsby.
Although not as a result of
dialogue, the story itself falls
short. The film begins to lag
about two-thirds of the way
through while various groups
figure out how to break the
women’s strike. As the story
continues, it becomes increas-
ingly far-fetched and overly
preachy. Although the style of
the film is over-the-top, the
suspension of disbelief is not
maintained. The ending is com-
pletely contrived and forced.
However, the film does achieve
the goal it set out to do: to dis-
cuss gun and gang violence on
the South Side. Despite dealing
with a heavy subject, “Chi-Raq”
is able to inform, be humorous
and entertain.
B
Chi-Raq
Michigan
Theater
Roadside
Attractions
FILM REVIEW
‘Chi-Raq’ fights
guns with music
TV REVIEW
‘Colony’ doesn’t live
up to strong premise
By DANIELLE YACOBSON
Daily Arts Writer
Josh
Holloway’s
shaggy
hair was understandable, even
endearing, in “Lost.” He was
stranded
on
a
deserted
island,
after
all, and often
appeared
shirtless,
therefore
rendering
the unkempt
state of his
hair obsolete.
Unfortu-
nately, thanks to the under-
whelming plot and the lack of
emotional connection with the
characters, USA’s new science
fiction series “Colony” falls as
flat as Holloway’s hair.
Set in a post-alien occupa-
tion version of modern day L.A.,
“Colony” centers around Wil-
liam Sullivan (Holloway) and
his family, who are trying to
survive within the rigid rules
imposed by their conquerors.
Few details are revealed in the
pilot about the alien invasion,
but a deafening tone of fear
and oppression rings clear. The
L.A. landscape is plagued with
partially destroyed skyscrapers
as men in black uniforms (peo-
ple who have chosen to work
for the occupiers) exert their
unchecked power on the rest of
the civilians. The boundaries
of the new regime are tested,
and an overwhelming sadness
undercuts all.
Depressing and wildly con-
fusing, the alien invasion that
“Colony” depicts sorely lacks
excitement. For starters, there
are no alien appearances in
the pilot, only future-esque
drones buzzing through the air
and human slaves carrying out
orders. The aliens’ anonym-
ity could perhaps be a tactic to
hook the viewers to continue
watching further into the sea-
son, but instead, it takes away
the most anticipated element of
a sci-fi series. A show that prom-
ises an extraterrestrial invasion
inevitably tickles the imagina-
tion, piquing the audience’s
interest to see how the creators
envisioned another life form.
But the aliens remain faceless
and nameless, and a human vil-
lain (Peter Jacobson, “House”)
seeking to capitalize on the suf-
fering of others is introduced
instead. The plot could just as
well be driven by an all-human
regime, erasing the need for
creativity and inventiveness all
together.
Perhaps the show hoped
removing the “fantasy” would
highlight an aspect of human-
ity when it is put to an extreme.
“Colony” attempts to make the
argument that humans will
turn on each other in the pres-
ence of fear, so long as they feel
they do not have another choice.
The palpable hostility and ten-
sion within the fictitious soci-
ety, however, is not effective
enough to drive this point home
and only alienates the charac-
ters from developing depth and
sympathy on screen.
Holloway’s character is per-
haps most disappointing of all,
as he embodies the epitome of
heroism without even a tinge of
complicated backstory to color
his persona. Putting his family
above all, he is willing to put
his own life on the line to do
the “right thing” without even
a single moment of human self-
ishness. Juxtaposed with his
well-developed and complex
character in “Lost,” he appears
on “Colony” as one-dimensional
and boring. Even his relation-
ship with his wife Kate (Sarah
Wayne Callies, “The Walking
Dead”) lacks a genuine connec-
tion, and a truly unsettling sex
scene makes it even more off-
putting. Even though the con-
ditions of the occupation are so
monotonously depressing, the
characters’ personalities fail to
show through, blending into the
rest of the surroundings.
Slow-moving and hard to fol-
low, the USA series premiere
doesn’t live up to expectations.
“Colony” pales in compari-
son to the wild success of the
network’s “Mr. Robot,” which
explores
colorful
characters
and intricate plot lines sorely
missing from the sci-fi series.
Lacking imagination and spark,
“Colony” leaves gaping holes of
unanswered questions that are
so overwhelming, viewers are
more likely to give up and lose
interest altogether.
C-
Colony
Series Premiere
Thursdays
at 10 p.m.
USA
DO YOU ENJOY ROMANTIC TENSION
BETWEEN NERDY WRITERS?
THEN COME GOSSIP WITH US!
E-mail ajtheis@umich.edu and
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on applying to Daily Arts.
‘Chi-Raq’
attempts to be a
didactic epic in
the real world.
Panic! works
best when it
embraces its
strengths.
Urie has always
been the focus.