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Thursday, May 25, 2017
The Michigan Daily — michigandaily.com
ARTS

Iceland’s beauty 
and mysticism 

By ERIKA SHEVCHEK

Daily Community Culture Editor

Iceland is a place that allows 

people to travel through a special 
feeling of space and time. While 
thriving in its history, soaking 
in the present and embracing 
each and every new concept that 
comes its way, the large island 
fully meditates on what it means 
to be Icelandic.

It’s 
a 
country 
rumbling 

with beauty and surprise. One 
moment, I’m looking at the 
Harpa, a geometric-eye-puzzle 
filled with sprinkling colors 
against its deep, black setting; 
I’m amazed at this architecture 
that serves as the main con-
cert hall. And the next moment, 
to the right, is the too-large-
to-be-real-but-is-so-real 
Esja 

mountain, standing stalwartly 
along the coastline — an iconic 
image Reykjavik stares at every 
day. Not to mention, this time 
of year it’s 24 hours of daylight, 
which makes this place far more 
intriguing (and for its people, 
well, far more tiring).

Although the capital — home 

to 2/3rds of the country’s popu-
lation — stands proudly next to 
the Atlantic ocean and the rough 
mountain coast, it’s tiny — really 
tiny. Nevertheless, it prides itself 
on being an urban, zesty and 
bouncy city with colorful roof-
tops and stone streets.

But that’s what Iceland is 

about: the dichotomy and the 
osmosis of urban and natural, 
real and mystical, inhabited and 
deserted.

Last Thursday I had the plea-

sure of seeing two Icelandic 
music groups, MilkyWhale and 
Gangly, at a local bar venue, 
Húrra, in downtown Reykjavik. 
Not knowing what to expect, I 
had learned that these two art-
ists are living symbols of Iceland.

MilkyWhale, 
a 
high-ener-

gy pop duo consisting of two 
friends, Mel and Arni, brought 
a new style of performance: the 
concept of performance art. The 
creator of the group, Mel, was 
a choreographer when she met 
Arni in his band. Soon enough, 
the two were creating their 

spunky tunes with Mel’s high 
soprano voice and Arni’s beats 
and occasionally deep bass inter-
ludes.

Needless to say, they got me on 

my feet.

My five other friends and I 

jumped and bumped to the col-
orful melodies that MilkyWhale 
produced. And it wasn’t even 
her voice that got us going. Mel’s 
dancing and poppy energy made 
the crowd light up and was gen-
uinely too grand for the tight 
venue. I told her that she should 
make her way to a larger stage 
(maybe Hill Auditorium?).

“It’s nice to have people to 

dance with!” she told the audi-
ence in her sweet accent.

Aesthetically, she’s an Icelan-

dic princess and Arni is her dj-
ing partner in prime. Together, 
they are taking on the fresh and 
upbeat style that is musical per-
formance art. Their vibe screams 
something like “we want you to 
love your life, get off your ass 
and let loose.” And no matter 
where in the world I go, I know I 
could always use that motto.

The mood of the night changed 

swiftly when the next group, 
Gangly, took the stage. The trio’s 
deep bass but soft vibes gave the 
crowd a sense of sensuality, zen 
and mysticism. In a way, they 
sounded like a more hypnotic, 
relaxing version of The xx.

On another planet far away 

from MilkyWhale, Gangly’s vibe 
screams something like “let’s 
take this to the bedroom.”

With the falsettos of the two 

male and one female group, the 
harmonies created were sensi-
tive and somewhat sexy. They 
project this sense of calmness 
and serenity, a mood that Iceland 
closely resembles.

Iceland and its regal moun-

tains, majestic glaciers and stun-
ning waterfalls all come together 
to create its own unique magic. 
Gangly helps echo that same 
tone by mastering their ethereal 
sound. Icelandic music, includ-
ing the world-renowned music 
groups Of Monsters and Men and 
Kaleo, might just be the freshest 
breath of air the music industry, 
nationally and internationally, 
truly needs.

‘Unbreakable Kimmy’ 
excels in third season 

LETTER FROM REYKJAVÍK

NETFLIX

Ellie Kemper and Tituss Burgess “The Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt” 

By MEGAN MITCHELL

Daily Arts Writer

“The 
Unbreakable 
Kimmy 

Schmidt,” 
a 
Netflix 
Original 

Series, returned to online stream-
ing on May 20th to debut its third 
season after a year of anticipa-
tion. 
Back 
online, 
“Unbreak-

able” continues to 
dazzle fans with a 
spectacular conti-
nuity of its social 
commentary 
and 

innocent 
jokes. 

This season in par-
ticular, it’s not just 
about the titular 
Kimmy (Ellie Kem-
per, “The Office”), 
as we see character 
growth in support-
ing cast members 
as well as humor 
that is more devel-
oped than the preceding seasons.

After three years of program-

ming, one would think that 
“Unbreakable” would begin to 
lose that spark that gives the series 
its special something. However, 
the social commentary that cre-
ators Tina Fey and Robert Carlock 
have woven into “Unbreakable” in 
the past comes to the forefront in 
Season 3, giving “Unbreakable” its 
best season yet. Fey and Carlock 
take on the issues of race, poli-
tics and sexual assault head-on 
this season, not shying away from 
openly taking on cases of sexual 
assault with the same finesse and 
humor as before. Last season saw 
Kimmy take on her PTSD with 

guest-star therapist Tina Fey (“30 
Rock”); however, this season finds 
her becoming more comfortable 
discussing her past in the bunker, 
going as far as to mention rape in 
the third episode of the season.

As far as comedy goes, the 

humor is as sharp as ever. Where 
jokes were once interjected, some-

times 
awkwardly 

and at expense of 
the plot, this season 
shows jokes inter-
woven 
delicately 

with the dialogue, 
and in a way that the 
cast feels more com-
fortable with.

Meanwhile, 

Titus Andromedon 
(Tituss 
Burgess, 

“Catfight”) is gain-
ing more screentime 
this season, promot-
ing him from come-

dic sidekick to star of the show. 
While the previous two seasons 
of “Unbreakable” focused primar-
ily on the advancement of Titus’s 
career — who can forget Peeno 
Noir? — Season three takes his 
personal life head-on, especially 
in regards to his relationship 
with Michael (Mike Carlsen, 
“30 Rock”). In arguably the best 
scene of the season thus far, 
Titus dons a yellow dress and 
accompanying baseball bat to 
“Lemonade” his way through 
the city. It’s difficult to keep a 
straight face as Titus struts the 
streets with signature twirl and 
smile — it’s a scene that’s authen-
tically pulled off, encompassing 

the best of “Unbreakable” in 
under five minutes.

Since Titus’s Beyoncé break-

out, it’s becoming clear that the 
series is becoming less about 
Kimmy and focusing more on the 
supporting cast. However, this is 
more of a good thing for Netflix-
based series than a pitfall. In fact, 
this goes to show how the series 
in ways others of the same nature 
don’t. Just as “The Office” focused 
equally on each member of its 
cast, “Unbreakable” is following a 
similar path.

However, it’s still refreshing 

to see Kimmy in the spotlight as 
she continues to grow. Unlike 
past seasons, Kimmy feels more 
mature, falling out of her hope-
less optimism. She’s understand-
ing that, as much as she wants or 
as hard as she ultimately tries, 
she simply cannot fix everything. 
And though she remains oblivious 
about some aspects of the world, 
she’s becoming wiser and more 
focused on what she wants to 
and what it will take to get there. 
Kimmy has gone from mindlessly 
advising Xanthipee (Dylan Gelu-
la, “Chasing Life”) to taking on a 
parent-like figure that supports 
her and gives straight-shooting 
advice. In a way, Kimmy has final-
ly grown up. She’s finally in con-
trol of her own life and taking on 
the world with a renewed vigor 
that gives purpose and humor to 
the newest season.

Season 3 of the “Unbreakable 

Kimmy Schmidt” is currently 
streaming exclusively on Netflix.

‘The 

Unbreakable 

Kimmy 
Schmidt’

Season 3 
Review

Netflix

TV REVIEW

