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Chvrches Every Open Eye
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Album Review: Every open eye – Chvrches

by Ian Rodgers on

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CHVRCHES’ new album Every Open Eye shows them trying to find balance on a tightrope between pop and alternative. At their best, they create pop anthems that are sincere to their core and have a unique sound. At their worst, their tracks drag on and fail to hit any kind of sweet spot acoustically. The album begins strongly with “Neverending Circles,” launching the listener into the album with a crunchy synth noise reminiscent of some of the best on The Mother We Share (2012). “Make Them Gold” is inspirational and defiant, with lead singer Lauren Mayberry proclaiming, “We are made of our longest days,” and shows that the adversity she faced personally has only made her stronger.

The album only begins going downhill when it slows down on the back half. “High Enough to Carry You Over” is not only a boring ballad, but one that inexplicably removes the band’s greatest strength—Mayberry’s voice. The male members of this band simply don’t have the talent to carry on without her voice leading the way. The lyrics are trite and the music is generic, the whole track just feels like filler material. “Empty Threat” gets the album back on track, but there’s a feeling that it has already lost its momentum and started to drag, with the songs lingering 10 to 20 seconds too long.

At 42 minutes, the album is relatively short, but drags on unnecessarily. “Down Side of Me” is an interesting song, but tries to incorporate too much and dedicates a lot of time to stripped-down verses with a beat that sounds ripped from GarageBand. Overall, the main problem with the album is that it doesn’t seem to hit the massive highs of The Bones of What You Believe. That album had some absolutely fabulous breakdowns, usually with the help of sampled vocals to give things an organic feeling, something this album lacks for the most part. It feels like CHVRCHES has attempted to make their music more friendly to a pop audience, but in the process, they have lost track of their strengths.

There are enough good singles on this album that seem to indicate success, and will play well live, but it lacks an overall sense of immediacy. In a year which has seen several releases from comparable synth-pop bands, (Braids and Purity Ring come to mind), CHVRCHES don’t put forward something that competes. Overall, this is an album which will please fans, but isn’t likely to make the band stand out in the independent scene.

Baio The Names
a, Arts & Entertainment

Album Review: The Names – Baio

by Jennifer Chan on

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Chris Baio, known for playing bass for Vampire Weekend, has taken a step out on his own, producing a studio album that has been five years in the making. Released under his DJ name, Baio, this is his first full-length album following his two EP’s Sunburn (2012) and Mira (2013). He recently moved from Vampire Weekend’s native New York to London and this experience has had a clear influence on his sound and themes of the album. “I came to in a city still indifferent to me / The big sky can humble, it’s too high to see” is an embodiment of these emotions from his track “Endless Rhythm.” The album opener, “Brainwash yyrr Face,” combines beat riffs and synth layers, which create an extremely relaxed experience while building anticipation for the rest of the album. “The Names” and “Needs” are both faintly reminiscent of Vampire Weekend; however, by the time it comes round to “All the Idiots,” the mood shifts from bright melodies to an infiltrating techscape with hard-hitting, undulating drum tracks. This makes the later track, “Endless Rhythm,” a fresh break from the rest of the album, with its main melody being played on a piano compared to the heavy synth of other tracks. The album ends with the instrumental “Scarlett,” which has an undertone of melancholy covered by a steady harpsichord melody that gives the song a sense of hope. It’s the sort of song that will probably be heard in the next indie teen self-discovery movie.

The one misstep is that the two songs—“Sister of Pearl” and “Endless Rhythm,” which were released over the summer—raised the expectations for the album. Compared to these two singles, the rest of the album lacks a sense of vibrancy;however, the album altogether is cohesive and its beat versatility makes it one to dance, run, or study to. The compilation creates a glacial landscape that would have been the album of the summer had it been released two months earlier.

The Names exhibits Baio’s musical capabilities and personality. His talent is also displayed considering that Baio produced the album himself with help from only a few friends. Baio just delivers to the expectations that stem from his Vampire Weekend connection and he branches off from that by distinguishing himself as his own artist, with his own unique sound.

Disclosure Caracal
a, Arts & Entertainment

Album Review : Caracal – Disclosure

by Maxime Scraire on

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Three years ago, house-pop duo Disclosure took the reins of the U.K. house revival movement by dropping the one-two punch of singles “Latch” and “White Noise.” Their major-label debut, Settle, ended up being nothing less than a feature-studded masterpiece that redefined dance music. By mixing both past and present Disclosure launched a trend that hit its stride last year overseas, and is currently still gaining momentum on U.S. charts.

“You hear house music on the radio all the time now and that’s great, I’m glad the record helped to bring that forward,” older sibling Guy Lawrence told Buzzfeed this summer during the promo tour for their new LP, Caracal. “But now that’s done, let’s try something else.”

Such declaration may come as a shock to fans, but truth is, Disclosure is no more a house duo than Kanye West is purely a hip-hop artist. Each uses their respective genre as a means to achieve what they’re really interested in: Pop music. And on Caracal, the group’s pop ambitions are less diluted than ever.

Their latest album works as a succession of perfectly crafted dance-pop gems with a touch of soul and R&B. The songs are much more conventionally built this time around to assure accessibility and mainstream success, but the multilayered and slightly left-field production makes sure to generously reward multiple listens. Even with the aforementioned changes, Disclosure’s imprint remains omnipresent throughout, thanks to their characteristic drum pad configurations, ’90s-reminiscing reverbed synths, and bouncy bass lines.

Highlights include “Magnets,” featuring Lorde, with its hypnotic, barely-holding-onto-anything verses that explode in the catchiest chorus the singer has ever written. “Good Intentions,” a dancey reimagination of what made Miguel’s Wildheart a modern R&B classic, and “Hourglass,” a diva-making turn for neo-soul band Lion Babe with a bridge that’ll make clubs jump for the year to come; however, Caracal is so packed with hits that it’s barely impossible to tell which tracks will receive the ‘single’ treatment, if it doesn’t end up simply being all of them.

Ultimately though, what Caracal lacks is the same sense of general excitement its predecessor was dripping with. Nothing here is as revelatory as “Latch” was when it was first released, and the record as a whole isn’t trying to launch any kind of new movement. The result is the sound of two visionary pop-masterminds slowing their pace to evaluate their options, challenging themselves to try new directions in order to come back so far ahead of the mass, catching up with them won’t even be an option.

Flux Pavilion Tesla
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Album Review: Tesla – Flux Pavilion

by Tameer Ahmed on

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Joshua Steele, known on stage as Flux Pavilion, is one of the pioneers of modern bass music. His tracks have paved the way for artists to thrive in the realm of electronic music today. Even Kanye West and Jay-Z sampled Steele’s iconic track “I Can’t Stop” in their song “Who Gon Stop Me.” With his debut album, Tesla, released on his own label, Circus Records, the British EDM artist said he wanted to “concentrate on what Flux is” in an interview with YourEDM;however, there is no hint as to what that effort yielded.

In the buildup to the release, fans were either pining for songs with typical Flux Pavilion flavour or for a whole new sound. In an attempt to appease both crowds, Tesla landed somewhere in the between with safe, generic sounds. Certain tracks on the album take steps forwards, but they are few and far between in a mess of mediocrity. Despite the quality of the collaborations, the vocal talent was not able to save the album from being a forgettable clash of sounds, for the most part. Nevertheless, Tesla is not a poor album; it is simply underwhelming considering the reputation that the artist has gained the past few years in the EDM community.

By far, the vocals are the highlight of the album, with singers such as Matthew Koma, Tom Cane, and BullySongs being especially remarkable. The tracks, despite being full of energy, end up being nothing more than sounds we have previously heard. “International Anthem” is simply a rehash of any previous track written by Steele. A blatant, albeit excellent imitation of new electronic music stars ODESZA is seen in “Emotional.” The standout track of the album comes at the very end in the form of the heartfelt ballad “Ironheart.” Unfortunately, by the time the 12th track comes up, it is hard to care about an album that remained underwhelming until then.

More was definitely expected from the debut album of a bass music icon such as Flux Pavilion, but sadly, there wasn’t much more than a flavor-of-the-week offering. Tesla, inspired by the physicist of the same name, fails to live up to his name by being nothing more than formulaic and unimaginative.

Travis Scott Rodeo
a, Arts & Entertainment

Album Review: Rodeo – Travis Scott

by Will Burgess on

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Texas-born rapper Travis Scott has been cultivating hype for his debut LP for more than a year now. His earlier mixtape, Days Before Rodeo (2014), showcased a 12-track warm-up with a title that promised that this was only the beginning, which only makes the hit-or-miss main event Rodeo somewhat of a disappointment.

Days was arguably one of the best mixtapes released last year, an ambitious and original enterprise that justified Scott’s seat in XXL magazine’s list of the best up-and-coming rappers of the year, a mantle further justified by a production deal with Kanye West’s GOOD Music label. Rodeo is ambitious in a few ways; the album incorporates an impressive array of producers and featured artists, including Future, Kanye West, and even Justin Bieber. Still, it lacks the upward vision and momentum of its predecessor.

The intro track, “Pornography,” sets the scene for an album that centres on the ups and downs of a lifestyle of excess that protagonists Scott is never in fully in control of. Unfortunately, this celebrated sloppiness extends to the actual production of the album itself, which contains filler tracks and corny lines alongside occasional moments of brilliance. The buzzy hook, “I be flying high” on “Flying High,”makes the track irritatingly unlistenable despite feature artist Toro y Moi’s refreshingly melodic verses. “Piss On Your Grave,” featuring Kanye West, is jarringly aggressive in the midst of the melancholy and introspection of the other tracks.

It’s telling that of the best two tracks from the debut—previously-released bangers “3500” and “Antidote”—one was never meant to be included. A symptom of the scattered assembly of tracks that fail to give Rodeo any real cohesion, resulting in a dismal display for a debut album.

Future and Drake
a, Arts & Entertainment

Album Review: What a time to be alive – Drake & Future

by Alfie Crooks on

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Drake and Future are two established hip-hop artists who have had massively successful years. Both released critically acclaimed albums earlier this year, with Drake cementing his position in the upper echelon of rap with his platinum album If You’re Reading This it’s Too Late. Both artists also provide a similar mixture of sentimentality and grit, which is what makes the release of their first collaboration, What A Time To Be Alive so exciting.

Before the album was released, there were rumors that the 11-song project was produced in only six days, and after listening to the finished product it’s not hard to believe. While there are very interesting and exciting pieces to this mixtape, none of it is particularly cohesive. The tracks often feel awkward and unseemly, as if they were created separately and forced together with Gorilla Glue. Furthermore, from an artistic standpoint, the project lacks any sort of conceptual arc as the common themes of codeine and strippers become somewhat tiresome and unoriginal towards the seventh or eighth track. Listening to the album in its entirety becomes a tedious task as a lack of artistic development and cohesion between Future and Drake often hampers the listening experience.

Despite this, there are moments on this album where things get fun. At their collective best, Drake and Future can make really captivating music. The album reaches it peak when catchy hooks meet with gritty beats to top off Drake’s sentimentally melodic riffs, which perfectly complement Future’s syrup-thick voice. “Scholarships,” “Change Locations,” and the highlight of the album, “Diamond’s Dancing” all follow this formula. While their lyrics don’t go any deeper than grandiose boasts and opioid infused strip club visits, nothing is lost either.

From a lyrical standpoint, the album isn’t very impressive with “30 for 30 Freestyle” functioning as the only song that does justice to Drake’s lyrical ability. But this album isn’t supposed to be a cerebral, well-thought-out artistic piece. If that was the mixtape’s intention, it wouldn’t have been produced in six days. Instead, it works as a project that emphasizes fun over all else.

What A Time To Be Alive frankly pales in artistic comparison to either artist’s solo work. With such an intentionally rushed production, the piece becomes fun and fleeting rather than deep and meaningful. The album doesn’t make you think, but it will make you want to dance.

Man of the City Reno McCarthy
a, Arts & Entertainment

Album Review: Man of the City – Reno McCarthy

by Alex Scheer on

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When you retrospectively listen to the unpolished early material of a band that has since progressed and evolved, it’s clear that there is an unrealized potential in the sound and a foreshadowing of what’s to come. Some bands never get any better, or fall apart before they have the chance. Man of the City, the sophomore EP from U.K.-born, Montreal-based musician Reno McCarthy, manages to showcase a heightened level of expertise unseen in his earlier work. But while McCarthy has an earnestness about him and is clearly skilled as a multi-instrumentalist and vocalist, his EP ultimately suffers from its creator’s lack of experience.

The sound is deeply rooted in the ‘70s. Synths, upbeat guitar, and bass lines reveal strong disco and dance-rock influences. So strong, in fact, that McCarthy fails to establish a sound of his own. The music isn’t bad, necessarily; on the contrary, McCarthy has a knack for creating a groove and writing solid harmonies. It is, however, riddled with sonic and lyrical clichés.

The title track establishes the Man of the City’s mood: It’s cheesy, but danceable. Grandiose vocals, backbeat rhythms, and groovy bass lines evoke a ‘strutti’ down the sidewalk’ sort of feeling, but it somehow lacks a certain ‘cool factor,’ as if McCarthy is trying too hard. The pulsating groove between verses in “Just About to Get Happy,” however, is a striking example of the few moments of brilliance and creativity throughout. These moments shine a light on the potential of this young musician, as well as the obvious skill of his accompanying musicians. The instrumental parts throughout manage to remain catchy and poppy while being relatively complex. A jazzy trombone solo in the middle of “They’re at It Again” provides a welcome break from the dance-y repetition, but soon it’s back to the disco grind. Closing track, “So,” finally breaks from the mould thanks to a strong melody and more diverse qualities: a sound reminiscent of U2, and a groove reminiscent of Pink Floyd’s “The Wall.”

The production could be worse, but it also could be a lot better. The dynamic range and balance between each instrument and the vocals are respectable, but the recorded sound of the instruments lacks harmonic depth, almost as if they’re computer-generated, which takes some of the music’s soul away. Lyrically, Man of the City is less than cohesive. As with other aspects of the EP, cliché abounds (“Hey sister say sister! (It’s the revolution)”) and lines are often awkward just for the sake of rhyming. It seems, though, that the words are more intended to go with the flow of the music and evoke mood than to make any statement on their own.

Man of the City isn’t the strongest EP to be released this year,, but it’s reflective of a young musician finding his way. It’s unoriginal and cheesy, but there’s an eagerness and an underlying talent here that hint at good things to come for Reno McCarthy.

a, Art, Arts & Entertainment

Vittorio brings posters to life

by Miray Eroglu on

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Montreal Through The Eyes of Vittorio celebrates Vittorio Fiorucci (1932-2008), an Italian poster artist who established himself in Canada in the early ‘50s and whose work is now internationally renowned due to its iconic artwork and designs. The exhibit opens with a statement from Vittorio dated shortly before his his death

“There are those who say that a poster is not art,” the statement reads.”Personally, I’ve always felt it is the art form closest to people.”

These words set the tone for the entire exhibit—a beautiful collection of some of Vittorio’s most iconic works; posters that not only send a message to the viewer, but are captivating for the eye to behold.

The exhibit includes posters, prints, illustrations, and photos where viewers can rediscover momentous events of Montreal’s past. The exhibit is divided into sections that revolve around some of Vittorio’s many passions: Friendship, women, film, cars, contemporary dance, theater, music, and a wide variety of the graphic arts. Vittorio was seemingly a man who followed his heart, and his through his posters, viewers can get an idea of the complexities and dichotomies present in his work. There is a multicultural element in all of his work, which draws on his background. Throughout his life, Vittorio had a deep affection for Montreal, a city that gave him many opportunities to express his personal vision as an artist.

Vittorio’s brightly coloured prints are synonymous with the social changes of the latter half of the 20th century and his prints capture the essence of graphic design. One of the most striking aspects seen though his prints is his amazing eye for colour and the elements of design. His graphics are bold and playful, demonstrating his talent in many different art fields. Vittorio was also a skilled photographer and illustrator in addition to his success in advertising. At the 1998 International Advertising Awards in Chicago, Vittorio was awarded the Moebrius Award, as well as a lifetime achievement award from the Canadian Association of Photographers and Illustrators and the Institute of Design Montréal.

Through Vittorio’s posters, viewers can see traces of Montreal’s evolution as a city, with the growing cultural significance and expanding influence of cinema in the 1960’s. In fact, Vittorio created many of the posters for independent Quebecois films in his role as the artistic director of the 1965 Montreal Film Festival (MIFF), which was established in 1960 in opposition to censorship in film. Vittorio embraced cinema, dance, and theater, and viewers can feel a similar energy in his designs.

Vittorio’s sense of humour is reflected through his posters, which often have a comedic element running through them. He stated in 1968, “I’m a poster designer, not a painter, and deep down I’m a comedian. What’s really great is if a poster of mine can get a guy to think as well as make him laugh.” This statement embodies the sentiments behind Vittorio’s designs and his artistic vision. Many of his posters carry multiple messages, drawn together at the core by his exuberant passion and zest for life.

Vittorio’s artwork is a testimony to liberation and his open-minded lifestyle. The vibrant colours interact in a playful and meaningful way for the viewer, and this exhibit is a lovely way to honor his lifetime of achievement. Vittorio believed in the power of embracing his inner child, and he invites viewers to do the same.

Montreal Through The Eyes of Vittorio will be on display from September 25, 2015 – April 10, 2016 at the McCord Museum (640 Rue Sherbrooke Ouest). Admission fees for students are $7.50 on Wednesdays, and $14 on all other days.

George Zimbel Marilyn Monroe
a, Art, Arts & Entertainment

Zimbel finds excitement in every moment

by Ariella Garmaise on

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Earlier in September, The Montreal Museum of Fine Arts debuted a retrospective of photographer George S Zimbel, an artist famous for his high-profile portraits of icons such as Marilyn Monroe, John F. Kennedy, Helen Keller, and Billy Graham. Zimbel has displayed his work everywhere—from New York’s Museum of Modern Art to Institut Valencia d’Art Moderne—but Montreal is a particular source of pride for him. Zimbel is a Canadian anomaly who left the United States to pursue his career rather than migrating south in hopes of achieving ultimate success. The exhibit is both a tribute to the international idol and a celebration of a local hero.

Zimbel found fame in celebrity, but his acclaim in humanity. Some of his portraits are iconic—his shot of Monroe’s flying skirt in The Seven Year Itch (1955) still adorns the walls of many teenagers. His profiles are so enticing because of his ability to see beyond the façade of celebrity; Monroe’s revealed thigh isn’t what makes the photo scandalous, but her uninhibited giggle. With every icon he photographs, he is able to capture this sense of humanity; he catches a smirk in President Truman, exasperation in Helen Keller, and gleaming pride in Billy Graham.

All of Zimbel’s photos use the same Leica camera, and most are black and white. Bright and spectacular, he captures the joy of the ’50s with a vibrancy that explains why grayscale is a trend that has persisted in the digital age.

He is intent on proving that the mundane is an illusion: There is meaning in every moment. Fittingly, the exhibit features Zimbel’s book Momento which he describes as, “a word I made up; it is neither ‘memento’ nor ‘moment’ (as in the decisive one). Sometimes it happens instantly, and sometimes you have to wait for it. It comes in its own sweet time.”

If his celebrity portraiture and foreign landscapes are his grandest, his small town shots are sweetest. One series, “The Pitcher,” follows a boy’s attempt at throwing a baseball, moving from frustration to anguish to glee with the movement and ease of a film. Zimbel gives personality to anonymity, so his portraits are even more exciting than the celebrity profiles that catapulted his career.

The entire exhibit was charmingly personal. Zimbel addressed the crowd in broken French, dedicated his work to his wife Elaine (who stood proudly at his side for most of the night), and spent the remainder of the evening greeting family and friends who came to support him. An American by birth, Zimbel boasts his grandchildren’s Quebecois education and persists on sticking to a language that is clearly foreign to him. However, while Zimbel prides himself on being “an honest photographer,” it is still unclear why he picked Montreal for this retrospective, let alone his home. The exhibit covered East Coast pleasantries in Massachusetts, wild city life in New York and New Orleans, and even exotic adventures in Venice. Canadian landscapes, however, were noticeably absent.

The gallery exhibits three years of his work, from 1953 to 1955, and in doing so is more celebratory than reflective. The thesis of Zimbel’s work is that it’s the ordinary that is most exciting, and yet by ignoring his Canadian home he ignores his own artistic motivations. Given his philosophy of celebrating the ordinary, it would have been nice to see what’s ordinary to him.

George F. Zimbel: A Humanist Photographer will be at the Montreal Museum of Fine Arts (1380 Rue Sherbrooke Ouest) until January 3, 2016. Tickets are $12 for ages 13 to 30.

a, Arts & Entertainment, Film and TV

Pop Dialectic: Modern Family

by Anna St. Clair and Ariella Garmaise on

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Modern Family just finished its long run of consecutive victories at the Emmy Awards earlier this year. Two writers take a look at the show and its legacy.

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Modern Family was always stuck in the past

Arielle Garmaise

When Modern Family premiered in 2009, it joined network television at a time when ‘normalized gay family was not yet part of the American lexicon, diversity rarely extended past blonde and brunette,’ and the nuclear family was confined to traditional binaries of age, gender, and ethnicity. Creators Steven Levitan and Christopher Lloyd offered a refreshing pitch; a mainstream television show that could explore complexities real families face; however, Modern Family never expanded beyond these stereotypes, and instead has spent the past six years gliding on what is merely a clever premise. As new television shows like Transparent and Black-ish take legitimate stances on inequality, Modern Family has lost its shock value, and consequently its Emmy streak. Their loss at the 67th Emmy’s was not an anomaly, but rather a reevaluation of an award they never rightfully deserved.

The show created a modernized format of its earlier predecessors in an attempt to refresh the increasingly outdated medium. The multi-camera setup was replaced with shaky handed documentary-style shots, two distinct storylines substituted with an overlapping three, and the fourth wall was broken as characters gabbed with an off-screen interviewer. Rather than transcend the passé sitcom of yesteryear, however, the format entered new, unfashionable territory: The mockumentary. Though successfully quirky on shows like The Office and Parks and Recreation, the Modern Family mockumentary feels like a gimmicky way to glean ‘deep’ insights from its characters. Whereas television icons Michael Scott and Leslie Knope were beloved for their witty confessionals, Modern Family’s Pritchett family is prone to undeserving sentimentalities and cheap tongue-in-cheek jokes:“If you love something set it free—unless it’s a tiger!” Phil Dunphy (Ty Burrell) giggles in one episode.

For a show that is largely character driven, the writers depend on old-fashioned stereotypes and clichéd relationships. The Pritchett family tree starts with Jay (Ed O’Neil), a 60-sommething wealthy businessman who lives with his young, beautiful, Colombian wife Gloria (Sofia Vergara) and her son Manny (Rico Rodriguez). Jay’s relationship with Gloria is limited to the same three jokes about his age, her beauty, and a banal cultural divide that exists between them. Her heritage is a prop, her accent is an easy punchline, and stories of drug-ridden Colombia are merely cutesy anecdotes. Never do they descend into any real issues, such as the intricacies of immigration, the hardships of adapting to a new culture, or the alienation of living in a neighbourhood devoid of other visibl minorities. Vergara is nothing more than the token actress of colour.

Jay’s relationship with his gay son Mitchell (Jesse Tyler-Ferguson) is equally limited. The two have wrestled with the same ‘traditional dad won’t accept gay son’ trope for the show’s entire run. Most of these tense interactions end with an optimistic revelation by Mitchell, where he beams that his father is finally understanding him, and a sweet gesture by Jay, where he publicly supports his son. This routine drags on during all seven seasons. Mitchell’s husband Cam (Eric Stonestreet) plays a stereotypically gay man—he wears paisley shirts, loves musical theatre, and shrieks enthusiastically. The only dimension to his character is that he plays football. On the other side of the family tree lie Jay’s daughter Claire (Julie Bowen) and her husband Phil. Phil may be the show’s only redeeming quality—his knack for physical comedy and quirky dad jokes are both genuinely endearing; however, Claire and her children are all unbearably familiar: type-A mom, stereotypical teenager, socially awkward nerd, and troublemaking youngest child each pushed past their capacities.

Modern Family was never the groundbreaking sitcom it claimed to be, because it never gave its characters a real chance to explore any depth or range. Instead, it relies on blasé jokes and predictable premises, confining both its actors and the diverse populations they are meant to represent to two-dimensional props. As new forms of television emerge, whether it be via Netflix, Hulu, or Amazon, viewers are finally able to find ‘diversity' in lived-in characters with multi-layered problems. They can abandon the shallow sitcom, understanding Modern Family was never really  all that modern.

 

The predictable end of a well-deserved era

Anna St. Clair

When Modern Family won an Outstanding Comedy Series Emmy for its first season in 2009, it won for being a fresh, witty, crowd-pleasing comedy. With a focus on family, the show had a charm reminiscent of ‘80s sitcoms. Everyone could enjoy Modern Family, and it managed to be funny without veering into offensive territory. The runners-up for best comedy of 2009 included 30 Rock, Big Bang Theory, and The Office. 30 Rock’s razor-sharp satire and wit, while excellent, were heavily targeted to a liberal, white, and middle-class audience. Additionally, Big Bang Theory simply took the old Friends formula and added a slew of science and geek pop-culture references. Where other shows were trying to look smarter, Modern Family brought the classic TV sitcom into the 21st century with lovable characters and wit that took a fresh look at an unconventional American family.

Filmed as a mockumentary, the show follows Jay Pritchett in his new marriage to the much younger Gloria, as well as the families of his children, Claire and Mitchell. Through wit, observation, and slapstick, the generational and cultural divides of the Pritchett/Dunphy clan make for smart comedy. Jay is the old-fashioned baby-boomer who’s still uncomfortable with his gay son’s sexual orientation. And while writers can rely on Gloria’s Colombian accent and trophy-wife status for jokes, the show also addresses the culture clash of her new life. She supports her son Manny when he wants to show his Colombian heritage to his classmates and often reminds him of their humble beginnings. These antics and family drama are what make the Pritchett/Dunphy clan relatable to the average viewer.

What came to define Modern Family was its characters. With his corny jokes, and slapstick humour, Phil Dunphy became the poster child for suburban white dads everywhere. Yet a common criticism of the show was that characters were simply tired clichés, from the ditzy teenage daughter to the control-freak mom. In reality, the show’s tropes felt tired because of how similar they were to actual families. Yes, Jay is the conservative tough guy who likes to play golf and watch football, but who doesn’t have a grandfather or uncle who’s said something off-colour at a family dinner? Even Cameron, with his love of musical theatre and dramatic personality, still had enough quirks that he didn’t become a caricature.

Modern Family broke ground by focusing on two gay men who had been together for five years and recently adopted a child together, normalizing a taboo subject. The couple worry about being good parents, they bicker with each other, and at the end of the day they love each other.

Yet as the seasons went on, Cam and Mitchell’s relationship started to feel different. Rarely were they physically affectionate with each other—although Mitchell’s problem with PDA was addressed in a later episode. It was still hard not to believe their relationship was cooled down in order to make a straight audience comfortable. But with their wedding in season five, Mitchell and Cameron’s relationship began to feel real again.

Modern Family has always been an excellent comedy series that proved TV could be funny, warm, heartfelt, and smart. Where other shows might turn to a constant stream of sex jokes when they run out of material, Modern Family is a family show that never stopped being funny. Was it the best comedy on TV for five years running? Probably not. In its later seasons, the show increasingly relied on stereotyping its characters for laughs, and the wit and cultural insight of the early seasons disappeared. It was high time for Modern Family to end it’s Emmy sweep, but it has definitely been a good run.

 

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