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(11/15/16 11:31pm)
Twelve spaceships hover ominously over the Earth in Denis Villeneuve’s latest film “Arrival,” but this time the aliens aren’t here to blow up the White House. They’re here to blow your mind.
(10/30/16 7:13pm)
Professors, journalists and doctors gathered Saturday evening to discuss the present and future of the human race.
(10/26/16 11:36pm)
If there was one theme running through American Football’s 1999 debut, it wasn’t lost love, but nostalgia.
(10/06/16 12:05am)
Grade: B+
(09/23/16 6:08pm)
As passers-by walked near the intersection of 10th Street and Fee Lane on Friday, they were greeted by the image of a dismembered fetus displayed by Created Equal, an Ohio-based pro-life organization.
(09/12/16 12:35am)
You could hear the pounding drums and pulsing chants from blocks away. Get closer, and you could smell the smoke.
(09/08/16 1:28am)
Does life imitate art or vice versa? Biology professor Roger Hangarter and Grunwald Gallery curator Betsy Stirratt attempted to answer that question Wednesday night with a presentation on Indiana’s wilderness as part of IU’s ongoing Themester.
(09/02/16 2:24am)
A small coalition of college students and Bloomington residents discussed strategies Thursday evening at Soma Coffeehouse to campaign on campus and beyond for Libertarian presidential candidate Gary Johnson and his running mate Bill Weld.
(05/22/14 1:55am)
____simple_html_dom__voku__html_wrapper____>I’ve been busting out the summertime jams.Daft Punk, Animal Collective circa Merriweather Post Pavilion, that first Kanye West record and some early Beach Boys. I’m listening to the fun stuff that won’t destroy the indie credibility I’ve accrued in my head.Swans aren’t fun, though. They’ve never been fun.Frontman, Michael Gira, spent four months of his adolescence in an adult Jerusalem prison, and “To Be Kind,” the 13th album by experimental rock outfit Swans, sounds like I’d imagine time in a Jerusalem prison would sound. It’s dark, brooding stuff.First, a quick history lesson.Swans formed in 1982 as part of New York’s No Wave scene.The band played arguably the heaviest post-punk out there, and legend has it that the sheer volume of its early shows was loud enough to make audiences physically ill.Swans eventually called it quits in 1997, but not before releasing the 2 1/2 hour post-rock touchstone, “Soundtracks for the Blind.”It reunited in 2010 and has since released a steady stream of records ranging from great to excellent that Gira describes as “body-destroying and soul-uplifting.”So what’s this one sound like? Well, let’s go down the old Swans checklist.Spooky drones? Yep.Hypnotizing guitars and really freaking loud drums? You bet.Disturbing vocals? Oh, yeah.“Just a Little Boy” sports Gira’s most unsettling performance yet.But for the business-as-usual Swans sound, there are still some amazing departures, such as the Eastern-tinged knuckle dragger of a bass line that opens “Screen Shot,” or the math-y drums and twisted brass section that propel the single “Oxygen” through its scorching eight minutes.Then there’s “Bring the Sun.”Good God, is this something else.The 34-minute epic earns every second of its length, opening with pummeling guitars and drums and winding through deserts of feedback, e-bow, chimes and chants.It’s trance-inducing.Listened to in the dark and with the proper mindset, the experience is nothing short of revelatory.It’s really difficult to describe “To Be Kind” in any more detail.The melodies on the record come and go as they please, leaving more of a vague feeling than they do an actual memory.I’ve listened to it four times. That’s almost eight hours, and I still can’t say I totally get the record yet.“To Be Kind” is a challenging, unsettling and uncompromising album.The first listen might try your patience. The second might too.But give it enough time, and “To Be Kind” reveals a side of Swans that previously has been pretty rare. The first disc closer, “Some Things We Do,” sums it up nicely. After a laundry list of humanity’s various failures, Michael Gira begins to chant “we love,” and once all the atonal strings and creeping guitar plucks drop out, there’s a real, humane tenderness to Gira’s monotone vocals, proving Swans isn’t all sound and fury.
(03/27/14 4:00am)
____simple_html_dom__voku__html_wrapper____>Emo is a funny genre. There isn’t a decided-upon canon of classic records. Most bands who fit the genre’s conventions insist they don’t. And depending on who you ask, the scene either started out as recently as Fall Out Boys’ 2005 album “From Under the Cork Tree” or as far back as Rites of Spring’s 1991 LP “End on End.”Taking Back Sunday doesn’t see itself as part of the current emo revival. No surprises there. The band’s sound, even in its early days, never had much in common with modern twinkle daddies like Algernon Cadwallader, Snowing or Dads — Sunday’s is a brand of emo that fits squarely in with poppy, radio-friendly vibes of early 2000s emo, not the raspy and noodle-y stuff of the ‘90s Midwest scene. Taking Back Sunday also never really went away.The band released a new album every couple years or so, the last of which was a tepid self-titled affair that sounded like the boys had lost whatever fire had made their first few records such cathartic fun.“Happiness Is” fairs better. “Stood a Chance” is an absolute blast of a song and one hell of a single with some hilarious lyrics. “A body like a welcome mat” might be my favorite put-down since Gareth Campesinos! likened himself to an avocado. It’s the sound of a band that, despite its age, still knows how to have fun.Another highlight, closer “Nothing at All,” is an acoustic ballad that falls just short of classic acoustic pop-punk closers a la “Soco Amaretto Lime” but still manages to tug at the heart strings.It ain’t all pogoing fun and mascara-slathered melodrama, though. “Flicker, Fade” sounds like a Manchester Orchestra B-side with a weaksauce chorus that’ll make you wish you hadn’t deleted “Liar (It Takes One to Know One)” off your iPod. “Beat Up Car” features a dragging verse, repetitive chorus and remarkably plain lyrics.But for the most part, these missteps are few and far between. If you were ever that kid in middle school who memorized that whole back and forth lyrical fight Lazarra and Brand New’s Jessie Lacey had going — the one that starts “So is that what you call a getaway?” — you could do worse than this album.Sure, it isn’t the masterpiece that the current emo revival needs — though I’d argue The Brave Little Abacus made that record twice, and no one cared either time — but a band like Taking Back Sunday that’s already made some great records and classic songs doesn’t really have anything left to prove.Ultimately, “Happiness Is” makes a decent argument for mainstream emo, standing as decent a place as any for us to remember what it was like when school sucked, the Warped Tour was supreme and music didn’t have to tie in with one’s credibility.
(03/13/14 4:00am)
____simple_html_dom__voku__html_wrapper____>I’ve been revisiting my middle school music collection recently and it’s terrifying. That’s not to say there weren’t some redeemable moments on my iPod circa 2008. Motion City Soundtrack still makes me wanna pogo like it’s the 2006 Vans Warped Tour, and beers all around for the boys in Coheed and Cambria for “The Second Stage Turbine Blade,” arguably the finest emo-progressive album of the 2000s — probably the only emo-progressive album of the 2000s.So where exactly do indie rockers We Are Scientists fit into this playlist? Right next to the Cribs and the Automatic Automatic. Or at least it did. See, for a while in the mid-late 2000s, We Are Scientists played a catchy brand of dance-y indie rock that at times bordered on super watered down post-punk. It was cool.But now the eighth-grade me is long gone and We Are Scientists have just dropped its fifth album, “TV En Francais.” Though it’s not as awful as I feared it might be, it’s not gripping either.The problem lies in their new sound. We Are Scientists have traded in their dance-punk roots for some of that blues-y indie rock that’s so popular with the kids right now, and it doesn’t do them any favors, especially on the second track, “Dumb Luck”. Rule of thumb: when you steal that badass riff from Wolfmother’s “Joker and the Thief” and still bore me, then you’re doing something seriously wrong.The second half of the record fares a little better. “Courage” is nice in an “Everybody Hurts” knockoff kind of way, and “Slow Down” could’ve gotten me to cough up $1.29 six years ago. “Don’t Blow It” at least has a funny and unintentionally ironic name. Spoiler: they totally blow it with another yawner. For a band that copped its name from a Cap’n Jazz song, We Are Scientists don’t show a whole lot of energy or emotion on this record. The songs are all mid-tempo snoozers, and not in an awesome, Carissa’s Wierd kind of way. Most of these tracks could pass as El Camino outtakes.“TV En Francais” is unobtrusive stuff that fits in with whatever you want it to. Listen to it while studying. Listen to it while driving around. Listen to it while eating a sandwich. But don’t sit down with a pair of headphones and 35 minutes of free time and expect the second coming of anything great.Like a lot of indie/post-punk outfits from the 2000s, We Are Scientists are trying out a more “mature” sound, and though that’s to be admired, growth hasn’t exactly been kind to post-punk. It didn’t work for Interpol, it didn’t work for Arctic Monkeys, and it doesn’t work here.
(02/13/14 5:00am)
____simple_html_dom__voku__html_wrapper____>Connecticut-based band Have a Nice Life has a lot riding on their latest release. It’s been nearly six years since their debut, the ambitious double concept album “Deathconsciousness.” That’s not to say the duo hasn’t been keeping busy. In addition to releasing a live DVD, a four-song EP and a collection of demos and B-sides, frontman Dan Barrett continues to run his Enemies List label while putting out a steady stream of solo releases. These most notably include 2011’s excellent solo LP “Giles Corey” and a series of electropop singles in 2013 under the Black Wing moniker.Those concerned that Barrett’s recent folk and pop stylings would make this record any less of a dismal, eardrum-shattering powerhouse need not fear. Have a Nice Life’s latest record, “The Unnatural World,” is a cavernous post-punk, shoegaze hybrid. Think Faith-era Cure, plus Alcest, minus the black hair and nail polish, and you wouldn’t be too far off the mark. The lead single “Defenestration Song” packs all the anger and bitterness into its six-minute run time you would expect from a song whose title tells you to hurl things out of a window.“Music Will Untune the Sky” begins as a mind-numbing drone that blossoms into a beautiful, almost triumphant, cascade of feedback and reverb. A lurching, Joy Division-esque bass riff propels “Dan and Tim, Reunited by Fate” through a sparse intro before waves of lo-fi synth and warped tremolo guitar chords drown the track in a suffocating murk that stands starkly against the song’s ridiculous — even embarrassing — title.“The Unnatural World” is a more mature record than its predecessor. Gone is the amateur production, absurd concepts and oddball pop sensibilities that hindered the second disc of “Deathconsciousness.” That said, maturity isn’t the most important factor when it comes to punk rock.By refusing to tap into the juvenile melodrama they wallowed in back in 2008, Have a Nice Life has crafted an album that lacks the bizarre but undeniably brilliant effect. A recurring theme in the band’s debut disc was that of the early North American plains — massive, strange and powerful. These eight songs still create a sonic landscape that begs to be explored.But this time, the plow’s already broken the fields, and the horizons have been brought miles closer.
(01/30/14 5:00am)
____simple_html_dom__voku__html_wrapper____>New York indie-pop act A Great Big World’s debut LP “Is Anybody Out There?” is kind of like eating a box of Peeps. One is delightful. Two is tasty enough. Even half a dozen of the little guys is still alright.But by lucky No. 7, you’ll hit a sugar-coated wall. Should you persevere and finish all dozen, chances are you’ll puke.The seventh Peep on this album is called “Everyone Is Gay.” Now, I have no issue with the song’s message, which you can probably guess from the title, nor did I have an issue with it when Macklemore said it, nor did I have an issue with it when fun. said it. But toss in some reedy vocals, derivative piano chords and kissy sound effects and you’ve got something that not only sounds misguided, but also shamelessly manufactured.In a YouTube performance of album closer “Cheer Up!,” Ian Axel dedicates the track to “all the grown-ups out there that have some serious cheering up to do.” It’s kind of shocking to hear that after 40 minutes of plinky pianos, lyrics with all the emotional depth of a “My Little Pony” cartoon and ridiculous Broadway vocal stylings. The final track is meant for an audience other than suburban preteens who fancy themselves too precocious and unique for Hot Topic.Forgive me if I seem a little too eager to rip this album apart. To be honest, I really wanted to like it. Nerdy indie-electronica got me through middle school. Does anyone remember hellogoodbye? Math the Band? I was really hoping this release would rekindle some of that same fun. Unfortunately, what this album presents isn’t so much fun. You know, over-the-top harmonies, a sense of humor that’s absent on half the tracks and unbearably effete and twee on others, lots of cutesy piano and lyrics that sound tailor-made with commercials in mind. Now that Weezer’s been artistically bankrupt for the better part of two decades, They Might Be Giants finally stopped bludgeoning us with their accordions, and Ben Folds hasn’t done anything of merit since “Brick” (a.k.a that abortion song). There’s no denying that pop music needs a couple of disenchanted white kids with stupid glasses and tight shirts to give shy kids everywhere a sense of belonging. The frustrating thing is A Great Big World could be that band, if only they’d crank everything down a couple of notches. Subtlety is important in music. By giving the listener a choice of whether to engage with the emotions of song, the artists make the effect of their work all the greater when it finally hits. “Is Anybody Out There?” could have made a passable EP, but as 40 five-minute chunk of music, it’s cloying.
(01/23/14 5:00am)
____simple_html_dom__voku__html_wrapper____>Experimental rock outfit Thee Silver Mt. Zion Memorial Orchestra is not Godspeed You! Black Emperor and nor was it intended to be.Formed in 1999 by Godspeed guitarist Efrim Menuck in the midst of touring, the project was conceived of as an outlet to write songs Menuck believed would not fit under Godspeed’s grandiose brand of post-rock.Thee Silver Mt. Zion shares many of the same ingredients as its better-known sister act — spoken word samples, ponderous song lengths, orchestral flourishes and the occasional sense of overwhelming dread.With its seventh studio album, “Fuck Off We Get Free We Pour Light on Everything,” the Montreal collective uses these elements to further refine its sound and to create another respectable, if occasionally frustrating, album.On the opening track “Fuck Off Get Free,” pounding drums and warped symphony of guitars and violins set the tone for much of the album’s art punk sound.Menuck’s eccentric vocals bring to mind the likes of Joe Strummer or a particularly drunken Damon Albarn.Unlike past Thee Silver Mt. Zion efforts, most of the songs lack significant changes in dynamics. Songs that start loud end loud — like Take Away These Early Grave Blues — and those that begin softly drift off unobtrusively, such as in the tender closer, “Rains Thru the Roof of thee Grande Ballroom (For Capital Steez).”On most pop albums this would not be a problem.But considering half of Thee Silver Mt. Zion song’s last longer than 10 minutes, these long periods of sustained mood grow tiring.The record also falls short of achieving any significant emotional resonance. It lacks the intimacy Menuck was presumably trying to tap into when he started Thee Silver Mt. Zion.At the same time, the album’s refusal to indulge in the epic half-hour masterpieces that placed Godspeed among the world’s best post-rock bands is frustrating. It’s pointless to use nearly all the elements of a Godspeed record to create something that is not a Godspeed record.“Fuck Off Get Free We Pour Light on Everything” is a good album. It will undoubtedly satisfy Menuck’s fans and probably land them on a few year-end best-of lists.However, despite its newfound punk ferocity, the record feels emotionless.Musicians will no doubt appreciate it, but the average music fan looking for a good case of “the feels” will only be confused.
(11/21/13 5:00am)
____simple_html_dom__voku__html_wrapper____>After leaking their third LP, 2012’s "NO LOVE DEEP WEB," California noise-rap outfit Death Grips seemed as if they were finished. Their label dropped them, they canceled shows without notice, and, to the horror of their fans, they hung out with Robert Pattinson and Beyonce. Then without warning, they released their fourth LP for free."Government Plates" is the least aggressive album in the Death Grips catalogue, a characteristic particularly evident on the back half of the album, where frontman MC Ride’s crazed hobo shouts takes a backseat to the production prowess of Andy “Flatlander” Morin, who chops and screws Ride’s vocals as if they were just another instrument. The switch to a more IDM influenced sound is smart. "NO LOVE DEEP WEB" had already pushed Death Grips’ noise rap to the limits, and while we do get glimpses of what this LP could have sounded like had they pushed even harder (see opening track “You Might Think He Loves You…”), the change in sound is largely welcomed; for the first time ever, Death Grips sound is legitimately unsettling.While less angry, the album is by no means accessible. Gone are the hooks that made their last three albums so much fun. Instead, Death Grips gives us songs that meander without structure and pummel listeners with one or two vocal samples. The lyrics are also the most impenetrable and least quotable yet.While the first ten tracks are some of Death Grips’ most unnerving and uninviting music yet, closer “Whatever I Want (Fuck Who’s Watching)” proves the most alienating. Over a frantic, garish synth loop, Ride’s shouts reverberate and echo. Occasionally Flatlander throws out disorienting, 8-bit blasts of noise. The result is Death Grips’ best closer yet. "Government Plates" is not for fans that want the catchiness of The Money Store or the aggression of "NO LOVE DEEP WEB." I don’t know who it’s intended audience is. All I know is that Death Grips have once again reinvented themselves, and in the process have provided us one of the year’s most inventive, disturbing, and impressive albums yet.
(11/14/13 8:05pm)
“Pre-Human Ideas” falls into the trap that every remix album does.