The Michigan Daily — michigandaily.com
Arts
Tuesday, January 24, 2017 — 5

Masterfully measured 
sounds of ‘La La Land’

Film’s score blends influences from historical genres into a 
stirring, and effective, emotional cinematic soundscape

Part of the mastery of Damien 

Chazelle’s “La La Land” is its 
timing. When Sebastian takes Mia 
— played by Ryan 
Gosling and Emma 
Stone, respectively 
— to a jazz club 
after she declares 
her hatred for the 
genre, 
there’s 
a 

fascinating 
scene 

where 
Sebastian 

narrates 
the 

excitement of the 
art while the piece, “Herman’s 
Habit,” 
perfectly 
directs 
his 

expressions near the tail end. A 
trumpet blares as he moves his 
fists together, while the tempo 
speeds up as he raises his arms. It’s 
seamless and riveting to watch, as 
the music and the film play off one 
another. Each are granted equal 
respect.

A friend of mine described “La 

La Land” as a film by someone who 
purely, absolutely loves film. It’s 
tone is starry-eyed and stunned, 
even at its most devastating.

The same should be said of the 

soundtrack and the score. While 
Chazelle has garnered the majority 
of the limelight, Justin Hurwitz, 
who composed the music for 
Chazelle’s two previous projects, 
deserves 
similar 
recognition 

here. He has produced one of 
the most inventive, yet nostalgic 
soundtracks of the last decade.

In a recent Reddit Q&A, 

Hurwitz 
answered 
questions 

about the genealogy of his work — 
the inspirations he holds closest. 
He praised John Williams (“Star 
Wars,” “Jaws”), Michel Legrand 
(“The Umbrellas of Cherbourg”) 
and Nino Rota (“The Godfather”), 
some of the most legendary names 
in film score composition. These 
are artists who know that a scene 
might blow by, but a score, and a 
good one at that, will stick with you 
forever. Anyone who’s heard the 
piercing violins of “Pyscho,” the 
atmospheric, trumpeting gloom 
of “Chinatown” or the joyful 

tune of “Singin’ in the Rain” will 
immediately recognize the score, 
even if some finer plot details get 
lost on the way.

But 
Hurwitz 
also 
traces 

his 
development 
to 
classical 

compositions of the 19th and 20th 
centuries, something that sets 

the “La La Land” 
soundtrack apart. 
Like the narrative 
of the film, he 
weaves in music 
from some earlier 
traditions, 
most 

notably the solo 
piano 
nocturne. 

The 
soundtrack 

recalls 
iconic 

pieces in the form, like John Field’s 
“Nocturne No. 2 in C Minor,” and 
even more directly the titan of 
the nocturne, Frédéric Chopin. 
The nearly formless ache of his 
“Nocturne Op. 27 No. 2” and his 
gloriously sad “Nocturne Op. 9 
No. 2” both feel at the front of 
mind, and we can thank those 
traditions 
for 
inspiring 
the 

centerpiece of this soundtrack, 
“Mia and Sebastian’s Theme.” It 
drives both the film and the score, 
and it transcends the typical film-
soundtrack relationship. Think of 
the way “As Time Goes By” drives 
“Casablanca,” or how Chopin’s 
“Nocturne in C-Sharp Minor” 
dominates “The Pianist.” Five 
years past, the opening chords 
of “Theme” pull Mia right back 
to a past life, clear as a dream. 
In twenty, whether we’re living 
in 
a 
barren 
post-apocalyptic 

wasteland or within uncanny 
white picket fences, I’ll hear those 
chords and be drawn right back to 
the theatre I first heard them in. 
There’s an astounding memory in 
melody, one that grips the mind in 
inexplicable ways.

It’s an interesting choice for 

Hurwitz to use this theme to signal 
romance. Particularly in the 21st 
century, love songs have become 
synonymous with upbeat, joyful 
expressions. It’s an exuberant 
hook, or a sweet croon. This 
theme, and the inspiration it draws 
from, is far from that — its F-Sharp 
minor key isn’t necessarily a 
happy one. That slower, sadder 

representation of love hints at 
something that earlier love songs 
have long done, associating love 
with pain, sadness and loss. Look 
at one of the most popular love 
songs ever: Elvis Presley’s “Can’t 
Help Falling in Love.” Love in 
this instance is a longing, an 
ache, rather than a spritely dance. 
With this association, Hurwitz 
has grounded the “La La Land” 
soundtrack in the past. This is not 
your average musical.

His genius, though, is when he 

can weave these tradition-heavy 
pieces in with his more modern 
inspirations, and nowhere is that 
better represented than in the 
film’s effective penultimate track, 
“Epilogue.” It’s the emotional core 
of “La La Land,” and it stands as 
a towering work of modern film 
composition, never mind that 
it accompanies one of the most 
powerful third acts of the last 
decade. Gliding from the smooth 
nocturne of “Mia & Sebastian’s 
Theme” into the latter-section 
of “Planetarium,” bouncing into 
the trumpets of “Another Day Of 
Sun,” whirling to a heavenly choir 
and finally landed at a transition 
from “City of Stars” back to the 
beginning chords of “Theme,” it 
is modern in the most modern 
sense. There’s a spiral of decades 
and centuries, of traditional jazz, 
classical piano, musical show-
tunes and John William’s inspired 
scoring, and it fits together 
wonderfully.

A common complaint about the 

film is that its main voices, Stone 
and Gosling, are not the most 
awe-inspiring singers. On tracks 
like “City of Stars” Gosling can 
be slightly uninteresting, though 
Stone fares better, particularly 
on the arresting “Audition” and 
in the musical back-and-forth of 
“A Lovely Night.” But while the 
actors are the film’s foreground, 
they’re more like contributing 
voices in a choir on the soundtrack. 
The musical composition here is 
impressive to the point that the 
singing feels minor, both in key 
and function. It’s immediately 
approachable 
and 
instantly 

escapist. “La La Land” is fantasy, 
yes, but a necessary one. 

SUMMIT ENTERTAINMENT

Ryan Goslin and Emma Stone play the film’s leading protagonists.

MATT GALLATIN

Daily Music Editor

Foxygen fails its ambitions

Foxygen is a two-piece band 

who 
has 
been 
consistently 

putting out a weird blend of indie 
and classic rock for their last three 
albums. They’re famous for 
relaxed songs, singing about 
LA and their biggest hit “San 
Francisco.” 
But 

on their newest 
project, the duo 
have left the more 
summery 
sound 

for 
something 

more 
serious, 

both lyrically and musically.

There is no denying Hang is 

ambitious, and a complete change 
of pace from their past. Foxygen 
have existed for 10 years, 
starting when Jonathan Rado 
and Sam France were just 15 
years old. In that time the pair 
have been turning out new 
music consistently, whether as 
LPs on a label or through several 
self-released 
singles. 
Although 

their 
discography 
has 
been 

relatively mixed, Hang appears to 
be an album in which the duo 
have tried to create a more 
unique sound, which seems to 
be a mix between Broadway 
and psychedelic rock, leaving 
nearly all indie-rock influences 
behind. The addition of a 
40-piece orchestra, along with 
several guest appearances by 
instrumentalists, means there 
is a wider sound than on any 
previous release from the band.

This isn’t to say Hang is 

without any form of artistic 
borrowing. The album jumps 
between 
each 
influence 

without missing a step, and the 
confidence of the songwriting 
is assured, as if Foxygen know 
they’re writing to impress. 
There’s rare confidence present 
for an artist entering such new 
territory. But this also leads to lack 
of nuance on the album, with some 

songs seeming to 
trail off at the end 
through a lack of 
focus.

“On 

Lankershim” opens 
like an Elton John 

classic, before segwaying into 
something altogether more weird 
and wonderful. Choral vocals 
throughout and layered strings 
in the background create an epic 
sound, surprising at every musical 
shift. On the other hand, “Follow 
the Leader” starts sultry, with a 

funky beat that speaks straight to 
your soul. Crooning female vocals 
echo the lead singer as he skips 
through his lines with a “I know a 
secret you don’t” tone. Although 

the lyrics aren’t altogether that 
inspiring, the music still manages 
to be.

Aside from the classic rock 

borrowing, 
there 
seems 
to 

be a flip side where Rado 
and France seem to borrow 
excessively 
from 
pop 
and 

Broadway influences. There is 
no denying the decidedly ABBA-
esque chorus of “Avalon” that then 
prances off into a joyful piano 
interlude.

These influences fall flat 

on several songs. “America” 
is a five minute track that flips 
between genres, and it just doesn’t 
work. The song doesn’t make 
sense — lyrically it’s trying to 
be 
some 
forward 
thinking 

revolutionary, but musically 
it’s stuck between swing and 
some mix of musical style 
pomp. This kind of confused 
style is ultimately what lets the 
album down. Instead of being 
interesting and new, it just ends 
up messy, and the songs quickly 
become forgettable due to such 
convolution.

Listening 
to 
Hang 
is 

still an experience of the 
extraordinary, with interesting 
divulges into the odd on nearly 
every song. But the sheer 
amount of influences makes 
the album a weird retro mash 
up of the new and old that only 
works brilliantly on a few odd 
occasions. The rest of the album 
just 
feels 
rehashed. 
Although 

worth a listen, Hang relies 
too heavily on its influences, 
and fails to capture something 
greater.

MEGAN WILLIAMS

Daily Arts Writer

McAvoy anchors intense ‘Split’

After 
fifteen 
years, 
M. 

Night Shyamalan (“The Sixth 
Sense”) has returned to top 
form. His newest 
film, “Split,” is 
an 
exercise 
in 

the 
construction 

of 
atmosphere 

with which the 
director, who has 
spent 
much 
of 

the last decade-
and-a-half 
in 

the 
cinematic 

doghouse, 
once 

made his name. It 
is both a reminder 
of what Shyamalan can do at 
the height of his abilities and a 
promise of a bold new chapter 
in his career where he has 
overcome his own ego to return 
to interesting storytelling.

James 
McAvoy 
(“X-Men: 

Apocalypse”) leads the small 
cast, 
which 
includes 
Anya 

Taylor-Joy (“The Witch”) and 
Haley Lu Richardson (“The 
Edge of Seventeen”), and to 
call 
McAvoy’s 
performance 

commanding 
is 
a 
massive 

understatement. As Kevin, a 
man with Dissociative Identity 
Disorder, McAvoy gives an 
incredibly varied performance. 
There 
is 
an 
ensemble 
of 

separately 
interesting 

characters inside one body, 
and McAvoy makes them all 
memorable. It’s also worth 
noting that, for those worried 
about how “Split” may affect 
public 
perception 
of 
those 

living with D.I.D., Shyamalan 
makes it clear by the film’s 

end that Kevin has something 
wholly different. Discerning 
viewers should have no problem 
separating the fiction onscreen 
from the reality of the disorder.

As 
director, 
Shyamalan 

shows an impressive command 
of the camera, choosing to let 

his shots linger, 
sometimes longer 
than 
may 
feel 

necessary, 
in 

order to build the 
claustrophobic 
atmosphere 
of 

Kevin’s 
lair. 

Even during the 
later 
scenes 
of 

the movie when 
it ventures from 
thriller to full-
on 
horror, 
he 

chooses to let the camera roll 
rather than succumbing to the 
rapid cutting the dominates 
much of the horror landscape, 
resulting in a much more 
terrifying 
and 
rewarding 

climax. 
In 
particular, 
his 

Hitchcockian use of shots, 
which put the viewer in the 
point-of-view of his characters, 
provides numerous scares on 
its own.

The most interesting scenes 

“Split” has to offer, however, are 
the meetings between Kevin 
and his psychiatrist (Betty 
Buckley, “The Happening”). 
Not 
only 
do 
these 
scenes 

provide a look into Kevin’s 
psyche and streamline some 
necessary exposition, they also 
build something approaching 
a mythology. Shyamalan gives 
his audience glimpses into his 
lead’s past and present, which 
sets the stage for the reveals 
towards the end of the movie.

If “Split” has one flaw, it’s 

that some of the characters, 
particularly the young women 
Kevin kidnaps, don’t get the 
development that would allow 
us to further empathize with 
them. Taylor-Joy’s Casey does 
all right for herself, though one 
of her big character moments 
feels a tad forced. Though 

the focus of the film is not on 
the characters portrayed by 
Jessica Sula (“Skins”) and the 
aforementioned 
Richardson, 

the proceedings would have 
gained further added weight 
had the two felt more fully 
formed.

Shyamalan takes the unique 

premise of “Split” to its full 
potential, using the thriller 
tale to tell a compelling story 
of abuse and its affects. It’s 
proficiency in storytelling that 
has been sorely lacking from 
his recent efforts and recalls 
his 2000 superhero thriller 
“Unbreakable” in many ways. 
As the credits roll and the 
obligatory last twist unravels 
spectacularly, 
there 
is 
a 

distinct feeling that his career 
has at last been reinvigorated.

MUSIC REVIEW

La La Land (Original 

Motion Picture 
Soundtrack)

Various Artists

Interscopre

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MASS MEETINGS — 7 P.M. ON 1/26 

AND 1/30 @ 420 MAYNARD

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MUSIC REVIEW

Band’s muddled muses overshadow album’s positive facets

Hang

Foxygen

Jajaguwar

UNIVERSAL PICTURES

James McAvoy as Kevin Wendell Crumb in “Split.”

JEREMIAH VANDERHELM

Daily Arts Wrtier

A

“Split”

Universal Pictures

Rave Cinemas, 

Goodrich Quality 16

There is a 

distinct feeling 
that his career 
has at last been 
reinvigorated

Listening to 

Hang is still an 
experience of the 

extraordinary

FILM REVIEW

