The Michigan Daily — michigandaily.com
Arts
Tuesday, January 15, 2019 — 5
Although Sarah Hayes and
Peter Brewis do not exist in
the space of musical theater,
their debut self-titled album,
You Tell Me, could certainly
pass as an attempt at Broadway.
The album’s theatrical effect
brews from not only mawkish
sentimentality, but also from a
blatant attempt at a fresh blend of
Hayes’s indie-folk and Brewis’s
rock-pop, which unfortunately
creates a trite sound.
One half of the You Tell
Me duo is composed of Sarah
Hayes, a Scottish flautist,
keyboard player and singer.
Hayes serves as one-fifth
of the wholesome folk band
Admiral Fallow in addition
to having released her own
debut album titled Woven,
which establishes her skillful
aptitude for flute and keyboard.
Peter Brewis, the other half of
You Tell Me, has seen success
in his British rock band Field
Music, while also using his
strong
compositional
talent
in the industry for more than
fifteen years, particularly when
it comes to electro-pop. Hayes
sought Brewis out at a concert,
and the You Tell Me pair was
born.
You Tell Me attempts to blend
the duo’s talents — Hayes’s
ballad-like
folk
voice
and
Brewis’s hints of pop; however,
the effect is more suited for a
musical, as listeners can feel the
gears of the duo glaringly turning
to create an awe-inspired effect.
Over-sentimentality is created
not only with Hayes’s long-held
notes, but also with the blatant
corniness of the lyrics, which is
most notably seen in “Invisible
Ink”: “Held in a lie just so secrets
are shown / They inspect, you
oblige, every silence feeds the
lie.” The melodrama continues
in “Get Out of The Room”:
“You’re
scared
of
settling
down / You already said you
were moving away from me,
now you’re asking if you can
stay.” The emotions are there,
unfortunately, they come across
as plain-spoken.
More important than the
overtly corny lyrics, the main
contributor
to
the
musical
theater vibe is the album’s
tendency to catch the listener
with one sound, only to abruptly
showcase a different noise. The
best example of a track breaking
back on itself in this way is the
outro “Kabuki,” which begins
with electronic pop, only to dip
out of synths halfway through
and completely burrow into
theatrical strings. The blend
trend in the music industry
holds infinite rewards – the mix
of varying talents oftens leading
to a fresh, original sound.
However, it feels as if You Tell
Me serves as an exposition for
each artist’s individual talents.
Simply put, the album exists as
a mix of oil and water, instead
of inhabiting the space between
Hayes and Brewis. Melodies
break
quickly,
leaving
the
listener struggling to ground
themselves, floating around
between the two musicians’
styles.
Although
the
album
cripples
itself
with
an
intense emphasis on the
duo blending their sounds,
their use of instruments
clearly exhibits experience
in the music industry. Catchy
keyboard rhythms push the
listener through each song,
and strings delicately warrant
attention. Most notably, You Tell
Me holds moments of soothing
complement — “Get Out Of The
Room” features an even use of
voice from Brewis and Hayes,
and they capture a brief moment
of rich sound. Unfortunately, as
seen by a multitude of artists,
(more than just You Tell Me),
the space between contrasting
entities
proves
quite
hard
to grasp, with high risk and
powerful rewards.
‘You Tell Me’ attempts
synthesis, fails overall
SAM CANTIE
For The Daily
MEMPHIS INDUSTRIES
MUSIC REVIEW
When I was a little girl, I ran
into my mother’s room crying
because I had a nightmare where
she was eaten by a goblin. I
jumped into her arms and asked
her to never leave me. She told
me that one day, hopefully a day
far away from then, she would
have to leave this earth, but she
would never leave me. She said
that we always carry the people
we love within us, wherever we
go. Moving away to college,
I found that sentiment to be
more true than ever before.
If I think hard enough, I can
distinctly smell the rosy scent
of my mother’s perfume. If I
close my eyes for long enough,
I can hear the laughter my
brother and I shared over an
episode of Spongebob. We carry
the experiences we have with
our loved ones for our entire
lives. I have always believed
this is true for everyone. One
chilly winter’s evening, as the
long awaited snow of January
was falling softly outside the
window of Literati Bookstore,
this belief was further solidified
in my mind.
Sid
Smith,
a
professor
of Women’s Studies at the
University, received devastating
news a few years ago: Her
husband was diagnosed with
dementia. A lot changed after
this diagnosis, specifically his
ability to tell stories like he
used to, which is why Smith
conducted
the
reading
of
her husband’s book “Canio’s
Secret,” a book laced with
memories Greg was no longer
able to recall. Currently, Greg’s
dimentia prevents him from
reading his story himself.
Walking into Literati, I was a
bit skeptical. I didn’t know much
about this book besides the brief
description I had read online. I
knew it was set in Chicago in the
’50s and that it was a “coming-
of-age
story
chronicling
a
boy’s poignant struggle to find
consolation in his mother’s
Catholicism
and to break
free of his
father’s
anger.”
I
was curious
as to why
the wife of
the author
was reading
his novel, as
opposed to
the author
himself.
But
then
Sid
Smith
began
to
speak of her
husband
and
his
battle
with
dementia,
my
questions were answered.
“The
memories
in
this
book
have
evaporated
like
snowflakes in his mind,” Smith
wrote in her editor’s note. She
went on to add, “I don’t have
the theatrical background that
Greg had, so I probably
won’t be able to do his
story as much justice
as he could in reading
it.” Smith spoke of the
love she had for her
husband, holding back
tears as she read the
note. Her delicate and
thoughtful
reading
of
his
writing
was
moving.
As
a
listener,
I
could almost hear her
husband speaking the
words he wrote. “It’s
hard for me to read
it, in a way, because
I can hear his voice
saying it,” Smith said.
Although I hadn’t met her
husband before, I felt as though
I could hear his voice saying it,
too. Her deep understanding
and love for her husband made
it easy for listeners to envision
him reading his words right
alongside her.
The
story
itself
was
intriguing.
There
were
numerous themes at play: Greg’s
relationship with catholicism,
his familial conflicts and a
young boy finding his way in
’50s Chicago. The sections of
the book Smith had selected for
the reading allowed listeners to
gage a full scope of the content
of the book without giving away
too much. The passages she
read were detailed and left me
wanting to read more.
I wish the crowd size of the
event was larger and that there
were more youth and students
in the audience. Me and my
three friends seemed to be the
youngest in the audience of 20
people by about 15 years. The
event as a whole was very well
put together, but I wish more
people had experienced the rich
words of Greg’s novel.
Smith’s love for her husband
radiated to the entire room.
Her
husband,
pre-dementia,
was still living and breathing
inside
of
her.
He
seemed
to be joining the guests at
Literati in an evening out as
well. During the question and
answer portion of the event,
Smith read an anecdote about
how her husband was a real
charmer. How he could talk up
anyone in any room because he
was truly interested in people.
During this reading, it felt as
if Greg was waltzing around
the bookstore, charming us all
by telling the intriguing story
of his life. It’s quite beautiful
how love has the power to
create entire beings. It’s quite
beautiful how Smith had the
strength and perseverance to
share both her husband and her
love for him with all of us for a
few hours on a snowy January
evening. What a gift it was.
Illuminating ‘Canio’s
Secret’ with Sid Smith
ALIX CURNOW
Daily Arts Writer
FLICKR
EVENT REVIEW
“You Tell Me”
You Tell Me
Memphis Industries
“It’s hard for
me to read it, in
a way, because
I can hear his
voice saying it,”
Smith said.
Stephen
Falk’s
criminally
underrated “You’re the Worst”
enters its final season promising
a happy ending to the story
of its two narcissistic, vulgar,
blowhard protagonists. However,
anyone who has been following
the
show
since
its inception will
be holding their
breath. After all, if
there is anything
we
know
about
these
characters
at all at this point,
it is that they are
prepared to eject
at any moment.
The
season
premiere does not
assuage nor deepen
these
concerns
but
rather
creatively
sums
up
everything
about
the
show
to this point. We
flash back to the
’90s,
where
a
video store owner
and
amateur
filmmaker
Jake
(Morgan
Krantz,
“Neurotica”)
meets
fellow
cinephile, Gemma
(Caitlin
McGee,
“I’m
Dying
Up
Here”),
browsing
the “Staff Picks”
section
of
his
store.
They
immediately
hit
it off, exchanging
snappy
banter
and
revealing
a
shared desire to
see an extremely
rare
French
film called “The
Intransigence
of
Love.”
Roughly ten minutes into this
picturesque meet-cute, it turns
out this budding love story is
an entirely fabricated one, with
our protagonists Jimmy (Chris
Geere,
“Ill
Behaviour”)
and
Gretchen (Aya Cash, “Fosse/
Verdon”) attempting to create
a compelling fiction about how
they actually met while guzzling
down
the
complimentary
alcohol. Falk’s writing lovingly
skewers ’90s movies, as well as
general romcom tropes, but it
also seems to admire them. He
understands the universal desire
to continue making these types
of
films
and
to
articulate
the
intense
emotions
stemming
from a special
romance, but as
he has always
shown,
he
believes
that
such romances
are much more
multifaceted
than
they
are
usually
portrayed
and
also
deserving
of
a
more
true-to-life
treatment.
Although
the
couple
themselves
would
surely
despise
anything
remotely
resembling
the
tropes
of
the
rom-com
genre,
their
real moments of
sheer sweetness
(e.g.
Jimmy’s
support during
the worst spell
of
Gretchen’s
depression)
that have led
them up to this
point in their
relationship
are
just
as
important.
Sure, Gretchen
and Jimmy are terrible people;
they both have run out on each
other and have broken each
other’s hearts in cynical fashion.
Perhaps more so than any show
on TV, the show never backs down
from showing the ugly, messy
side of modern relationships.
However, Gretchen and Jimmy
have also made real sacrifices
for and have come to understand
each other more than anyone in
their lives.
The second half of the season
opener returns viewers to the
rose-tinted
flashback
world
of “Jake” and “Gemma,” with
Jimmy and Gretchen actually
playing their invented personas.
After a brief reunion at a New
Year’s Party, Jake and Gemma
are separated for a while before
a dramatic scene at the “Le
France” film festival, in which
Gemma,
now
an
acclaimed
director, is winning an award.
Out of nowhere, Jake arrives
at her press conference to ask
a question about where she got
her first film camera, and before
long, the two fall in love all over
again. Enter a brief interlude
including a confrontation with
a portly French film professor,
which yanks viewers out of the
reverie, back to the real world.
The story gets hastily wrapped
up as Jimmy and Gretchen decide
to barge out of their meeting.
Their
final
conversation
reveals the crux of the episode.
While
they
have
been
too
embarrassed by their actual love
story to ever tell it to any of their
current companions, it is the
only one that actually feels real.
“You’re the Worst” has always
celebrated the gloriously ugly
journey the couple has taken,
and in this final season, it will be
exciting to see whether they can
finally commit to it.
‘You’re the Worst’ shines in
the fifth season premiere
SAYAN GHOSH
Assistant Arts Editor
MEMPHIS INDUSTRIES
TV REVIEW
“You’re
the
Worst”
FX
Season 5 Premiere
Wednesday nights
However, anyone
who has been
following the
show since its
inception will
be holding their
breath. After
all, if there is
anything we
know about these
characters at all
at this point, it
is that they are
prepared to eject
at any moment.