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May 25, 2017 - Image 6

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6

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

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