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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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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