The Michigan Daily — michigandaily.com
Arts
Monday, April 8, 2019 — 5A

When you walked out your 
door 
this 
morning, 
it 
was 
probably the first thing you 
smelled: spring. It’s a sweet 
ripeness in the air that contrasts 
with 
the 
smokier, 
earthier 
scent of colder days weeks 
prior. It triggers an immediate 
emotional response that, at 
least in spring’s earliest days, is 
impossible to ignore.
It makes us more energetic, 
happier, 
louder. 
The 
Diag 
is 
bright, 
crowded 
and 
unnavigable. Palmer and Elbel 
are ridden with runners and 
frisbee-ers. The library feels 
just that much brighter. Spring’s 
early days have always been 
injected with this kind of energy 
and each time they roll around, 
I feel great nostalgia for the 
places I’ve been and the person I 
was the past times they’ve made 
their visit.
This 
year, 
nostalgia 
has 
manifested itself in a great 
appreciation for the music of 
my childhood: Beck, Gorillaz, 
Moby and Oasis, to name a 
few. These are artists my mom 
would play on our household 
stereo 
(essentially 
a 
round 

boombox with CD and cassette 
capabilities) back in 2005.
Beck’s “Que’ Onda Guero” 
from his 2005 album Guero is a 
bouncy Mexican-infused funk 
anthem. I only found it again 
while going song by song through 
the album, which I recognized 
from seeing its hard-copy form 
as a child. Gorillaz has a couple 
well-known hits from this time: 
“Clint Eastwood” off their 2001 
Gorillaz and “Feel Good Inc.” off 
their 2005 Demon Days.
What’s 
really 
excited 
me 
lately though have been lesser-
known bops like “Rock the 
House” 
and 
“Dirty 
Harry.” 
Moby’s “Extreme Ways” will 
always be a post-9/11 era period 
piece for me, especially given 
that my mom works in news 
research. Oasis’s (What’s the 
Story) Morning Glory? is another 
cover I instantly recognized 
when Spotify suggested “Some 
Might Say.” Oasis’s sound — 
though influenced by a lineage 
of English rock from the Beatles 
to the Clash and beyond — is 
incredibly recognizable, even 
if all you know as a University 
student is the “Wonderwall” 
frat remix.
I’m still able to associate 
vivid memories with some of 
these sounds from the deepest 

chasms of my memory. They 
make me remember the one time 
my whole neighborhood’s power 
went out, and my parents and I 
burned candles and listened to 
our CD collection as we played 
Go Fish (this was, in retrospect, 
the first time I understood the 
ambience of candle lighting). 
They 
make 
me 
remember 
making paper maché volcanoes 
with the Beck lyric “make their 
dreams out of paper maché” 
standing out in my head. They 
make me remember dancing 
with my best friend Nikita on 
a gym bench shouting, “I’m 
happy, I’m feeling glad, I got 
sunshine, in a bag!”
Now, looking back, it is a 
bit funny that I had a vague 
understanding of some of these 
explicit themes at such a young 
age. It doesn’t matter if you were 
listening to Bruce Springsteen 
or Biggie, though. The tunes 
of your childhood still have a 
transportive quality that no 
other 
music 
you’ll 
discover 
in the future ever will. If you 
haven’t recently, go back to 
those first sounds that defined 
your idea of what music was. 
Walking on a sunny spring day, 
you’ll hardly feel like you’ve 
gone anywhere since the first 
time you heard them play.

Looking back, listening 
fondly in the springtime

BEN VASSAR
Daily Arts Writer

A couple months ago, I 
wrote a column about the 
French rap sensation PNL. 
While I didn’t anticipate 
writing 
another, 
recent 
events have made me want to 
revisit the duo, their music 
and why they are a national 
sensation 
in 
their 
home 
country in a way few artists 
have ever been.
To recap the essentials 
of the story, PNL consists 
of two brothers: Tarik and 
Nabil Andrieu (Ademo and 
NOS respectively) hailing 
from 
Corbeil-Essonnes, 
a 
suburb of Paris. On April 5, 
they released their third 
studio album, Deux Frères 
(Two Brothers), after a 
period of three years. 
The level of anticipation 
was seeminly at unseen 
heights, 
with 
prolific 
French music journalist 
Mehdi 
Maïzi 
jokingly 
remarking 
on 
Twitter 
that 
these 
levels 
of 
national unity were only 
last 
seen 
during 
the 
World Cup (in which the 
French were victorious). 
The announcement came 
just a week ago with the 
release of a new single 
“Au DD.”
“Au 
DD,” 
also 
the 
first track of the new 
album, 
is 
classic 
PNL. 
Braggadocious, 
aggressive, 
with a memorable chorus, 
it reached more than ten 
million views in two days 
and became the first French 
single to reach the Spotify 
Global Top 30. The single 
was 
accompanied 
by 
a 
truly stunning music video, 
especially notable for a group 
that was already known for 
its 
ambitious, 
cinematic 
videos. The brothers became 
the first group to film a video 
on top of the Eiffel Tower, 
also transforming it into a 
trap house in the process. 
The video features several 
stunning drone shots and 
the brothers strut around 
with a sense of victory. The 
Eiffel Tower, the most iconic 
of French symbols, showed 

up often in previous videos 
such as the one for their 
2016 single “DA,” not just 
as a symbol of their beloved 
Paris (often referred to as 
“Paname” as well), but also 
perhaps a Paris that was 
far 
and 
inaccessible 
for 
two Muslim boys from the 
troubled suburbs. But now, 
just as they have conquered 
the French youth spirit, they 
have conquered La Tour 
Eiffel. Drake perhaps did it 
first in Toronto’s CN Tower, 
but unlike Drake, PNL is 
one of those rare artists 
(think Springsteen or Jay Z) 
that can imbue their music 
with a convincing sense of 
grandeur.

Deux Frères as a whole 
is, just as “Au DD,” a victory 
lap, but it also offers a more 
vulnerable and confessional 
PNL. 
“A 
l’ammoniaque” 
(“With 
ammonia”), 
one 
of 
the 
most 
understated 
tracks PNL has ever made, 
deals with a bitter love and 
general 
regret 
for 
their 
past 
life. 
Ademo 
sings, 
“Inch’Allah, 
Inch’Allah, 
Inch’Allah/ Que Dieu nous 
pardonne pardonne pour nos 
crasses / Pour notre manque 
de comprehension / Evenrs 
l’Homme et sa putain d’race” 
(“Insh’Allah 
Insh’Allah 
Insh’allah / May God forgive 
us for our dirty tricks and 
our lack of understanding of 
man and his fucking race”). 
On the standout conclusion 
“La Misère est si belle” 

(“Misery 
is 
beautiful”), 
the brothers reflect on the 
difficulty of their lives. The 
pair grew up without their 
mother and a criminal father 
who they were close to but 
was often absent as well. 
Ademo in particular reflects 
about his nagging loneliness 
and difficulty with even 
sleeping 
peacefully, 

referring to himself with his 
real name as well.
Deux Frères is also the most 
diverse albums the duo has 
made up to this point. Songs 
like “Au DD” are familiar 
to any PNL fan, but songs 
like the aforementioned “A 
L’ammoniaque” and “Hasta 
la 
vista” 
are 
a 
distinct 
departure of the likes of 
2016’s 
“Bené.” 
The 
latter has a particular 
Maghrébien 
(North 
African) influence, with 
some 
labelling 
it 
as 
“Raïggeton,” refrencing 
“Raï,” a type of Algerian 
popular music and the 
immensely 
popular 
Reggaeton 
of 
Daddy 
Yankee, 
Nicky 
Jam 
and 
others. 
“91’s” 
is 
the funkiest and most 
danceable PNL track to 
date. 
The 
production 
value and diversity is 
world 
class 
on 
Deux 
Frères, which is notable 
since that is one aspect 
of 
their 
American 
counterparts that many 
foreign 
hip-hop 
albums 
rarely reach.
PNL, in a manner similar 
to their compatriots Daft 
Punk, have reached a level of 
popularity in their country 
without any kind of external 
marketing, 
interviews 
or 
engagement. As they say, 
all you need to know about 
them is in their music. Even 
now, they remain completely 
independent, 
with 
every 
aspect of their work, from 
the writing to the artistic 
design, being completed by 
people they have known and 
trusted for a while. They 
live their refrain of “Que 
La Famille,” and I hope that 
audiences around the world 
will 
eventually 
come 
to 
know and love them as much 
as I do. 

DAILY WORLD MUSIC COLUMN

PNL, part deux

SAYAN GHOSH
Daily World Music Columnist

Deux Frère is also the 
most diverse albums 
the duo has made up to 
this point.

COMMUNITY CULTURE NOTEBOOK

VIRGIN RECORDS

MARVEL STUDIOS
The Marvel Cinematic 
Universe ranked, part two

In the run-up to “Avengers: 
Endgame,” I’m running down 
every movie and TV show the 
MCU has ever put out and 
ranking them based on how 
well they tell their stories with 
the means available to them. 
This is part two of a four part 
series.

33. “Marvel’s Cloak and 
Dagger”: Season one (2018)
Like so many MCU TV 
shows, “Cloak and Dagger” 
coasts for as long as it can on 
its leads before conjuring up 
anything resembling narrative 

momentum. 
Well-built 
characters are, of course, the 
most important thing, but so 
often Marvel applies the same 
logic to TV shows as they do 
to movies — if the characters 
suit up by the end of their first 
outing, it’s fine. The problem 
is a season of TV is a long 
time to go without the reason 
people tuned in, so you end up 
with a show called “Cloak and 
Dagger” with a glaring lack of 
Cloak and Dagger.
32. “Thor” (2011)
There may be no MCU 
film as uneven in quality as 
“Thor.” On the one hand, 
it’s a character-driven story 
in which the Thor’s arc is 
intrinsically tied to how the 

plot progresses. On the other, 
that story is about as generic 
a hero’s journey as Marvel has 
yet put out. The Asgardians 
are 
further 
examples 
of 
Marvel’s 
perfect 
casting. 
The human characters are 
bland, 
forgettable 
and 
a 
waste of superb actors. It’s 
deeply funny in some scenes. 
Elsewhere, it falls flat on its 
face.
31. 
“Marvel’s 
Agents 
of 
S.H.I.E.L.D.”: 
Season 
one 
(2013-2014)
Of all the miracles the MCU 
has pulled off, the first season 
of “Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.” is 
one of the most impressive. 
The first 16 episodes are a 
mess 
of 
cliché 
characters 

matched 
with 
boring 
storylines, a show trying to 
justify its own existence in 
a universe defined by its big 
screen outings. Then, in the 
final 
moments 
of 
episode 
17 everything changes, and 
“S.H.I.E.L.D.,” as if by magic, 
becomes tightly-written and 
paced, constantly pushing its 
characters to new, exciting 
places.
30. 
“Marvel’s 
The 
Defenders”: Season one (2017)
Over two years, Marvel’s 
Netflix 
shows 
laid 
the 
groundwork for their small-
screen 
answer 
to 
“The 
Avengers,” and when it finally 
dropped, it was met with a 
resounding, “Sure.” There’s a 
certain joy in watching these 
characters come together, but 
the Hand had been boring 
through the individual shows 
and 
is 
no 
different 
here. 
I’ll grant that the twist at 
the 
three-quarter 
mark 
is 
shocking, but even that only 
serves to make everything 
more boring. The fact that 
another Disney property, “The 
Last Jedi,” pulled off a similar 
twist much more successfully 
that same year doesn’t help.
29. “Marvel’s Agent Carter”: 
Season one (2015)
It’s tempting to say “Give 
Hayley Atwell her own movie,” 
and leave it at that, but that 
would be a disservice to a 
pretty decent season of TV. 
In contrast to the lackluster 
second season, the first season 
of “Agent Carter” gives its star 
much more to do by taking 
place directly after the events 
of “The First Avenger” and 
showing her working through 
her grief while also having to 
deal with a postwar spy story. 
That story is still handicapped 
by its need to constantly tie 
itself to the wider MCU, but it 
was a promising solo debut for 
the character.

28. 
“Marvel’s 
Agents 
of 
S.H.I.E.L.D.”: 
Season 
two 
(2014-2015)
The biggest challenge the 
second 
season 
of 
“Agents 
of S.H.I.E.L.D.” faced was 
translating the magic of the 
last five episodes of its first 
season into a full 22 episode 
run. To an extent, it works, 
thanks mostly to an expanded 
ensemble and some interesting 
narrative developments, but 
there’s also a good deal of 
growing 
pains 
on 
display 
in the pacing. Given where 
“S.H.I.E.L.D.” 
would 
go, 
though, that’s easily forgiven.
27. “Marvel’s Daredevil”: 
Season two (2016)
The 
tight 
focus 
of 
the 
first season of “Daredevil” 
is replaced by a bisected 
structure 
where 
anything 
and everything dealing with 
Jon Bernthal’s Punisher is 
great, forcing Matt Murdock 
to reckon with his actions 
in a way very much in line 
with the series’ core themes. 
Then there’s the other half, 
centered on Elektra and the 
Hand, which exists solely to 
build up to “The Defenders.”
26. “Doctor Strange” (2016)
“Doctor 
Strange” 
is 
essentially a more visually 
impressive version of “Iron 
Man,” but it’s saved not just 
by those vaunted effects but 
by the insane talent of its 
cast. Benedict Cumberbatch 
absolutely 
owns 
the 
title 
role from start to finish, 
embodying 
Strange’s 
razor 
sharp 
wit 
perfectly. 
Even 
better, though controversial, 
is Tilda Swinton as the Ancient 
One, whose final scene ranks 
as one of the best and most 
beautiful in the MCU.
25. “Ant-Man and the Wasp” 
(2018)
If “Ant-Man and the Wasp” 
has a story to tell, it’s lost 
on me in the barrage of car 

chases, heel turns and one-
liners. But in a way, that 
makes it the perfect movie 
to show why Marvel movies 
work even when they stumble. 
From beginning to end, this 
is a movie that finds its life in 
its characters, and Marvel’s 
willingness to focus on them 
even in the aftermath of 
something like “Infinity War” 
is a breath of fresh air.
24. “Ant-Man” (2015)
More famous for the drama 
during its production, “Ant-
Man” is nevertheless the most 
immediately 
accessible 
the 
MCU has been since “Iron 
Man.” Again, it’s all centered 
on the character of Scott Lang 
and builds his character and 
his relatable struggle before it 
puts him in his supersuit and 
sends him off on his pseudo-
science-fueled 
heist. 
What 
follows is a stylish blast, 
but it’s all built upon the 
foundation of the characters.
23. 
“Marvel’s 
Agents 
of 
S.H.I.E.L.D.”: 
Season 
five 
(2017–2018)
“Agents 
of 
S.H.I.E.L.D.” 
oversteps 
a 
bit 
with 
an 
admirably 
ambitious 
fifth 
season that sent its characters 
decades 
into 
the 
future. 
A 
handful 
of 
charming 
new 
characters 
and 
Fitz’s 
continued 
struggles 
with 
his own duality are definite 
highlights, 
yet 
after 
their 
return from the future, the 
show seems to be unsure 
of how to proceed with its 
central story, throwing Hydra 
into the mix yet again before 
finally settling on Graviton as 
the season’s Big Bad.

Next week, Marvel turns 
in 
one 
of 
the 
best, 
most 
miraculous seasons of genre TV 
broadcast networks have had 
in years. Meanwhile, a couple 
misunderstood cinematic gems 
get their due.

JEREMIAH VANDERHELM
Daily Arts Writer

FILM NOTEBOOK