6A — Monday, April 8, 2019
Arts
The Michigan Daily — michigandaily.com
Priests explores being bad
on ‘Seduction of Kansas’
ALBUM REVIEW
SISTER POLYGON RECORDS
After
releasing
their
excellent album Nothing Feels
Natural, it was hard to imagine
where Priests would take their
sound. The band masterfully
demonstrated
their
post-punk chops, but
that genre seems to
have its limitations. It
is difficult to navigate
the
post-punk
genre
and experiment within
it without crossing back
into punk or straying
into
alternative.
However,
with
The
Seduction
of
Kansas,
Priests
have
totally
eschewed post-punk in
favor of a new genre,
one much less defined,
one that allows the
band to full stretch its
wings.
Priests
tackles
more sounds on The
Seduction
of
Kansas
than most bands will
over the course of their
whole
careers.
This
description
makes
it
sound like the Priests is
trying to do too much,
but most of these new
sounds are barely noticeable.
They
bubble
beneath
the
surface as the band does its
thing. When these sounds do
break through, though, they
hit hard. Album opener, “Jesus’
Son,” is a far cry from anything
on Nothing Feels Natural. It
sets the tone for the rest of the
album, as any opener should.
Simply put, “Jesus’ Son” sounds
big,
clearly
drawing
from
stadium rock. The guitar soars,
the drums are driving and the
vocals are sharp, but it’s the
bass that sets this song apart.
The bassline makes the song
infectious and danceable, so
much so that it’s hard to resist
the urge to get up and move.
The lyrics are gnarly and a little
gross, and that is just how the
band wants it.
In
a
track-by-track
breakdown of the entire album
released by Stereogum, the
band states, “Being bad is
fun. Think of a villain like
Cruella de Vil. The villains in
the movies always have the
best clothes, they always seem
the coolest.” The Seduction of
Kansas certainly does have
this air about it. The band is
doing exactly what they want,
and they’re not afraid to piss
anyone off in the process. On
the song “Youtube Sartre,”
the band takes aim at anyone
opposed to their beliefs and
lifestyles,
particularly
the
perpetually-disapproving
baby boomers. What’s more,
the song at first sounds like a
typical rock song, but beneath
the buzzsaw guitar is a dainty,
bizarre vibraphone plodding
along largely unnoticed and
underappreciated.
Unfortunately,
after
“Youtube Sartre,” the album
begins to feel overly long. The
songs
themselves
are good, but they
just
aren’t
great.
“I’m
Clean”
and
“Ice
Cream”
are
both quiet, brooding
songs
marked
by
a bass guitar lead.
The songs disrupt
the tone set by the
record’s first three
songs.
The
album
picks
up
a
little
once it hits “Good
Time Charlie,” one
of its singles, and
“68
Screens,”
a
delightfully
weird
track highlighted by
shining synthesizer
strokes and Priests’s
own take on hardcore
gang vocals. Outside
of these two late
gems
though,
the
album fails to blow
any minds. It’s by
no means bad or
unenjoyable, but it
feels like something is missing.
On The Seduction of Kansas,
Priests finds themselves in
uncharted
territory,
taking
their post-punk roots places
they have never been before.
They explore stadium rock,
shoegaze,
dance
and
many
more genres; for the most part,
it works well and there are
no abysmal tracks. However,
some songs fail to impress,
causing the album to drag at
times. Despite this, Priests still
manages to create a fresh and
enjoyable album that warrants
several return visits.
If you’ve been listening to
the radio for the last 15 years,
there is a good chance that
you’re familiar with Amos
Lee’s hit song “Sweet Pea.”
“Sweet Pea” is a feat in pop
songwriting: It’s happy, but
carries with it a tinge of blues
that colors the tune soulfully,
making
the
track
more profound and
caring
than
most
sweet
love
songs
can be. Before last
week, that’s really
all I was aware of
in his discography,
but boy, I was in
for a surprise. The
2006 single is just
a glimpse into what
Lee
can
really
do, as he’s made a
name
for
himself
in
songwriting
and soul in the last
13 years of music.
His newest record,
My New Moon, is
the culmination of
those years in one
shining
record,
a
work that weaves
classic
romance,
grit
and
soul together in one varied
pattern. This comes through
in his live performances, too
— on Tuesday, Lee’s signature
soulful charm made its way
to the Michigan Theater for a
memorable performance in our
own Ann Arbor.
Right
off
the
bat,
the
audience could bet on the
night being a good one —
Lee’s
opening
act
Ethan
Gruska began the show with
a collection of songs off of his
first
record
Slowmotionary.
It makes sense that Gruska
was chosen to travel with Lee
across North America for this
tour, as they both have a similar
aura of wistful storytelling
about them. Gruska’s set was
heavy on guitar and piano and
primed the audience for what
would be a two-hour journey
through Amos Lee’s memory
and
heart.
After
a
brief
intermission, the packed house
rose to their feet for Lee’s first
song, a performance of My New
Moon standout “All You Got Is
A Song.” The bass blared, and
Lee’s warm vocals filled the
theater easily and beautifully,
setting himself and his band up
for the night ahead.
For the next two hours,
Lee made the nearly-sold-out
Michigan Theater into his
living room, as comfortable on
stage as he would be talking
to an old friend. The musician
was clearly close with all
of his bandmates, and even
shared the spotlight with a
few of them, creating features
on songs like “Spirit” and
“Arms of a Woman.” Through
this and Lee’s funny banter,
the show took on a life of its
own, behaving more like a jam
session between friends than
a polished performance. This
isn’t to say that Lee is less
than a consummate performer,
though — it was his ease and
style on stage that made its
homey vibe possible in the first
place. He glided in and out of
vocal riffs as if they were as
easy
as
breathing,
floating
between
high-tempo jams and
emotional
ballads
without a hitch. My
first
impression
of
Lee was that of a man
who had been playing
music his whole life,
and wanted everyone
else to feel how much
he loved it, too.
More
than
anything,
Lee’s
performance
was
a
place for him to share
how life’s tragedies
(the
death
of
his
grandparents, the end
of a relationship) and
joys (new love, finding
your groove in this
world) can make great
art. His anecdotes and
jokes between songs carried
as much weight as the songs
themselves, often letting the
audience in on the stories
behind them. Through Lee’s
showmanship, the audience
was able to understand how
music can color life and allow
one to get through it at the
same time — in Amos Lee’s
darkest times, it was music that
gave him joy, and when he was
joyful, it was music that helped
him to spread his happiness to
others, creating a patchwork of
emotion and beauty all present
in his incomparable voice.
At Michigan Theater, Lee
finds himself comfortable
SHOW REVIEW
CLARA SCOTT
Senior Arts Editor
RED LIGHT MANAGEMENT
Lee made the nearly-sold-out
Michigan Theater into his
living room, as comfortable
on stage as he would be
talking to an old friend.
JIM WILSON
Daily Arts Writer
The Seduction of
Kansas
Priests
Sister Polygon Records
HBO
TV REVIEW
‘Veep’ remains relevant,
funny and (kind of) sad
From the time it premiered
20 years ago on NBC, certain
people have always wanted to
believe Washington operated
like “The West Wing.” They
wanted
to
imagine
slick,
educated,
smooth-talking
technocrats
briskly
walking
through corridors and “reaching
across the aisle” to solve the
problems
of
the
American
people. Civility and respect are
the name of the game in this
fiction. However, if the events of
the 21st century haven’t already
cracked this façade, the last few
years most certainly have. It’s
clear as day that our political
reality
resembles
Armando
Iannucci’s biting satire (more
accurately,
documentary),
“Veep” — it’s made up of a bunch
of narcissistic, power-hungry
blowhards who couldn’t give
two shits about you or me.
“Veep,” entering its final
season, is Iannucci’s second
crack
at
political
comedy,
after the British sitcom “The
Thick of It.” “Veep” preserves
the vulgarity and cynicism of
its spiritual predecessor, but
Iannucci’s great achievement
is making it feel distinctly
American. Selina Meyer (Julia
Louis-Dreyfus, “Seinfeld”), the
smoothed out yet in some ways
more despicable version of “The
Thick of It”’s Malcolm Tucker, is
back with a vengeance, running
for president after some soul
searching.
The premiere is a reassuring
reminder of how brilliant and
awful these familiar characters
are. The unmatched, hapless
former liaison to Meyer’s office
turned
congressman
Jonah
Ryan (Timothy Simons, “Ralph
Breaks the Internet”) is now
running for president himself.
Blood-boilingly
punchable
as ever, he finds himself in
somewhat of a scandal when
the press finds out his wife
is
actually
his
step-sister,
although he is adamant that it’s
not that big of a deal in the first
place.
Dreyfus’s
performance
as
Meyer continues to be the biggest
highlight in a show with many.
She is still incapable of any self-
reflection, remorse or emotion
other than blatant selfishness.
She struggles to answer the
main question posed to her in
the premiere: Why does she
want to be president? As usual,
she tries to come up with some
of her signature faux-inspiration
bullshit, but in reality, her only
reason is because she is adamant
that it is her damn turn. In
one of the show’s more tragic
character arcs, Selina’s daughter
Catherine (Sarah Sutherland,
“Chronic”)
suffers
from
postpartum
depression
with
little sympathy from her mother,
who unsurprisingly refers to her
baby as “it” and tries to use him
as a prop as often as possible for
her own gain. It’s hard to argue
against the fact that at this
point, she should probably just
know better.
It’s pretty much settled that
Selina’s never going to regain
what semblance of humanity
she once had, and it remains
the same for most of the other
surrounding characters. Amy
(Anna Chlumsky, “Halt and
Catch Fire”), Meyer’s chief of
staff, is pregnant and Dan (Reid
Scott, “Venom”) is revealed as
the father. Dan, the epitome
of smooth-talking, ruthlessly
ambitious
young
Beltway
careerist, is as callous as we
expect, offering to “go Dutch on
the abortion” even when Amy
expresses a desire to keep the
child.
“Veep”’s elite characters
love calling the American
people
“disgusting”
as
often as they can, making
it hilarious and sadly ironic
when juxtaposed with their
own rampant bigotry. It’s
hard to not wonder where
these
people’s
lives
went
wrong. Were they always
mild (or severe) sociopaths,
or did Washington suck out
all remaining vestiges of their
souls? Maybe it’s better if we
know just how self-serving the
people we represent us probably
are. Maybe we can try to change
things knowing this. Or maybe
we can just follow the lead of
Selina Meyer’s chief of staff Ben
(Kevin Dunn, “True Detective”)
and drink away from our nine-
cup thermos filled with bourbon
and Smartwater.
SAYAN GHOSH
Daily New Media Editor
Veep
Season 7 Premiere
HBO
Sundays @ 10:30 p.m.