The Best of 2010 in Music
LCD Soundsystem tops WEEKEND's list of the best albums of the year.
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LCD Soundsystem tops WEEKEND's list of the best albums of the year.
____simple_html_dom__voku__html_wrapper____>Renovations brought new accolades to Kilroy’s on Kirkwood this fall. For the first time ever, it was able to snatch the title of Best Bar away from Kilroy’s Sports and Nick’s English Hut. The bar was also able to nab the title of Best Place to Meet Singles, by which General Manager Dave Prall was pleasantly surprised.“It’s nice because that’s the kind of environment that we try to promote here,” Prall said. “A bar like Nick’s is a really good place to go to meet people you know, but we think this is just as good a place to meet people you don’t know.”The summer renovations contributed to the increased activity. A more expansive layout, cleaner bathrooms and better TVs are a few things that have been a huge part of the success of Kilroy’s on Kirkwood this fall. “Sometimes we have alumni come back, and they say they wish we hadn’t changed it,” Prall said. “But, I mean, they’re still here.”It’s also changed the status quo of the customers who choose to frequent the bar.“I think we used to be known mostly as Frat Roy’s, but this fall has helped to broaden that crowd a little bit,” Prall said. “But now I think we’ve gone from being a niche bar or something to a place where everyone feels welcome. It’s a really good environment.”Prall points to said environment as one, if not the strongest, part of what Kilroy’s brings to the table. He also recognizes the appeal of its early week deals to the college pocketbook.“My friends and I go almost every Tuesday, at least for a cheap meal if nothing else,” junior Tom Adams said.“I think the service there is the best. You don’t have to wait on the bartenders, and it’s easy to get their attention,” customer Nick Camp said. Though it’s the first time the bar has won the award, Prall is careful to point out that it’s a crowded bar scene and that customers have many options.“There are a lot of options down here. The most important votes are the money that people spend here,” Prall said. “So we know how well we’re doing.”
____simple_html_dom__voku__html_wrapper____>Best of Bloomington has had 10 years of greatness to report about our beloved college town. It’s also had a decade’s worth of garbage, and that certainly hasn’t changed.Worst Late-Night Munchies: Reheated Vegan Mashed Potatoes from Collins Living-Learning Center — What’s even in vegan mashed potatoes? Potatoes? Ingredients aside, be wary of said potatoes, since the reheated version tastes as if it just came out of a concrete mixer.Worst Coffee Shop: Starbucks — Somehow this corporate behemoth continues to win the Best Coffee Shop category, much to the dismay of anyone who has ever had their coffee. Sure it’s in the Indiana Memorial Union, but there’s other coffee out there people!Worst Annual Event: “Fire Insert-Football-Coach’s-Name-Here” campaigns — Another year, another losing record for IU football. Too bad Bill Lynch couldn’t hang his hat on that Insight Bowl appearance to keep his job for another season. Common practice would suggest hiring a coach of a high enough caliber to avoid this annual conversation, but here I’m proposing we just hire totally unqualified candidates each year and make the firing/hiring a true annual event. After all, the fun is in the chase, is it not?Worst Campus Philanthropy: Those Dudes Who Beg for Beer Money on the Corner — A worthy cause, no doubt. But those guys are drunk enough. If you really want to help, don’t call the cops on people because of noise.Worst Place to Meet Singles: Night Moves — As happening a locale as Night Moves might be, it’s not exactly the eHarmony of the Bloomington singles scene. The frequenters are not your average collegiate socialites; then again, if desperation and debauchery are your thing, then it might be worth a try.Worst Place for Haircut: That Friend of a Friend Who Cuts Hair Sometimes — Been there. Done that. Not worth the try — unless you don’t mind going all James Carville on everybody for awhile. Or, for the ladies, going all “G.I. Jane.”Worst Place to Take Visiting Parents: Rock Quarries — Not that I would ever advocate going to the rock quarries in general (DANGEROUS, OH NO!), but probably not the best place to take your parents either. The quarries are exciting when you’re a limber twenty-something evading potential doom, but my mom can barely skip rock anymore, let alone climb around on them.Worst Student Athlete: Guy Who Wears His High School Football Jersey to Intramural Games — A faux pas so unfortunate that it makes it hard to decide whether to be disgusted or embarrassed on his behalf. Fortunately, that decision is made much easier when he puts on excessive amounts of athletic gear and proceeds to take the game way too personally once you get on the field. Worst Local Drink: Warm Shots of Dark Eyes — The not-so-perfect way to start off an evening, the taste of rubbing alcohol makes you wish you had put it in the freezer hours ago and not worried so much about whether or not people were going to like that much Ke$ha on the playlist. Guaranteed to either ruin your judgment or your evening as a whole by 11 p.m.
____simple_html_dom__voku__html_wrapper____>Last December, Senoj Salon opened its doors to all seeking a haircut in Bloomington. This December, it was voted Best Place for a Haircut in the Best of Bloomington poll.“I appreciate the loyalty from my customers,” owner and designer Elizabeth Robinson said. “I’ve cut hair in Bloomington for 14 years and that they continued to come to me gave me the confidence to do this.”It’s always been a dream of Robinson’s to open up her own salon, and Senoj represents that dream come to fruition. Located at the intersection of Lincoln and West Third Street, the salon was minimally staffed at first, with just Robinson and her aesthetician.Now there are several stylists, all of whom are required to test their abilities by cutting hair in front of Robinson, including Robinson’s own hair, before they are hired. The idea is to create a team-oriented atmosphere at a chic and modern salon.“If they can cut and handle my hair, then they should be able to handle anyone’s,” Robinson said.That’s why an initial appointment includes a consultation as well as a cut. The idea is to eliminate the guess work involved with cutting hair by opening communication, looking at pictures and making sure that measurements are consistent.“We want to make sure that your half-inch is the same as ours,” she said.Senoj offers “pretty much everything” Robinson said, including manicures and pedicures, colorations and body waxing. They also give clients a hair washing and scalp massage with every cut, complete with totally reclining chairs.The chairs are one of several gadgets at the salon, which has several different waiting areas, one with massage chairs for clients and another with a TV for those who are waiting on someone else to finish. The salon also has rotating full-length mirrors and hair dryers that hang from the ceiling for easy use.“We want to include all of the good parts about getting your hair cut,” said designer Patty Lewis, who has only been at Senoj for a few months but has been cutting hair for 25 years.“And I honestly think the hair dryers are better from the ceiling. The higher angle allows for a much more modern styling.”Senoj expects to add a masseuse to its lineup very soon, just another element that Robinson said she hopes will minimize the fear of new customers.“Since I’ve been cutting hair, I’ve heard from a lot that people are just afraid to come in to a new place,” Robinson said. “We want to make it a positive experience so people won’t be afraid to give us a chance.”
____simple_html_dom__voku__html_wrapper____>Kanye West builds his own buzz, builds his own expectations — there’s no one who does it better. Not only are his artistic ambitions dangerously high (he wants to be remembered as the greatest artist of this generation), but he demands that he meet them by setting himself up for failure. It was just one year ago that Mr. West was public enemy number one. People were glad to see him go on his Hawaiian hiatus after his mistreatment of Taylor Swift.Forward and progressive in ways that previous works weren’t, “My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy” still retains the lush and personal elements of “College Dropout” and “Late Registration” and masters the pop expertise displayed on “Graduation.” It combines all of the learning done inside and outside the studio into an LP that should be too deeply personal or too gaudily ambitious to be this adept and this pointed.It’s almost too much. “All the Lights” comes off as much an experience as a song, with 11 collaborators and a monstrosity of a horn section that balloons into pure modern grandeur by its apex. Its wind-down allows for a breath, but then it launches into “Monster,” another, ahem, monster of a track that is weird and features Nicki Minaj’s self-proclaimed “breakthrough” verse. It’s a habit of West to bring out the best in his peers: Every guest spot is right on, with a couple of uninspiring efforts from Jay-Z (“Monster”) and Cyhi the Prince (“So Appalled”) being the only exceptions.“Devil in a New Dress” turns the album over with a chameleon switch in the middle of the track, transforming from Yeezy’s light-hearted snark over a soulful piano to a slower version of the same sample, only this time with an overdriven guitar nursing the brasher female fantasies of Rick Ross. From that point, the back half of “Fantasy” reels it in — not in style, but in terms of content.West sets out to contrast the ugliness of ego against the beauty of musical artistry — all with the refinement of a studio wunderkind become genius. The ego paradox rears its head on the masterful “Runaway,” which has the audacity to ask for praise while disregarding empathy in the face of scrutiny, all over the top of a gracefully strong keyboard background. Pusha T, quickly becoming Kanye’s ideally visceral sidekick, tears his verse to shreds.“Blame Game” maintains the “dark” side of the fantasy, where Yeezy goes all “808s” with a chopped and screwed rant on the song’s bridge, the schizophrenic notions of a conflicted lover in the middle of a breakup. The rest of the track is insulated by an elegant Aphex Twin sample, a merciful violin part and some poignant vocals from John Legend, before Chris Rock, of all people, provides some comic relief in a skit on the back end. The finale, “Lost in the World,” crosses over to indie territory, featuring Justin Vernon of Bon Iver for a sonically tribal sound that churns the song forward. West’s identity crisis eventually gives way to Gil Scott-Heron’s 1970 spoken-word piece “Comment #1” to close it out.Kanye goes big because it’s the only way he knows how. Extravagance, ego and enthusiasm are cornerstones of his lifestyle, reflected in his music and his behavior. “My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy” encapsulates all of that and blazes new trails in rap music, if you’re into those kinds of proclamations. And if you’re not, don’t worry. Yeezy won’t shut up anytime soon.
____simple_html_dom__voku__html_wrapper____>WEEKEND’s list of our favorite professors at the School of Witchcraft and Wizardry:1. Professor Flitwick (Charms)I dare you to name a class that sounds more fun than Charms. And when you’re not using the spells for entertainment, they even have their practical purpsoses as well — levitation, summoning, bubble heads, “expelliarmus,” THE PARTRONUS? Yeah, I’d say this class is pretty awesome. 2. Professor Trelawney (Divination)On the unintentional comedy scale, Trelawney is pretty close to a 10. Making up fake prophecies and readings would be a blast, not to mention an easy grade.3. Professor Snape (Potions/defense against the dark arts)As long as you weren’t in Gryffindor or friends with Harry Potter, Snape’s class would be hilarious. His dry sense of humor and penchant for total student embarrassment would make for quite an entertaining period. The potion-making, not so much.4. Professor Lupin (Defense against the dark arts)He’s a nice guy, one of those who would give you a break if you were a piece of parchment or two short on your essay. As a member of the Order of the Phoenix, you know he has practical experience, and as a bonus, you would get every full moon off.5. Professor Dumbledore (Transfiguration)Let’s see, he was the greatest wizard of his generation, he owns a pet phoenix and his beard takes second to no one else’s. If those aren’t three qualities of the ideal wizarding prof, then I don’t know what are. Not to mention, he’s quite forgiving and full of that great grandfatherly wisdom.
____simple_html_dom__voku__html_wrapper____>The novels were obviously the beginning of the Harry Potter phenomenon, but thanks to the simultaneous releases of the films, sometimes it’s easy for their textual partners to get lost in the shuffle. Here’s our best attempt to rank the novels. (Be easy.)1. “Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire”Conceding that it’s nearly impossible to rank the books, “Goblet of Fire” has everything that would put a book at the top of said list: understated romance, high stakes and incredible action sequences. Thanks to the Quidditch World Cup and Triwizard Tournament, we were able to peer even further into the wizarding world. Darker shifts in tone and themes made it a turning point in the series, from children’s entertainment to literary epic. As people’s Death Eater pasts caught up to them, it was becoming increasingly difficult to tell who to trust. Oh yeah, and the Dark Lord returns; NO BIG DEAL.2. “Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows”It’s not an enviable task, polishing off something as widely successful and beloved as the Harry Potter series. Fan-boy accommodations often clash with artistic vision and make for a difficult reconciliation, but “Deathly Hollows” triumphs in both realms.J.K. Rowling takes risks and walks that fine line for the entire novel, complete with joyous highs (the Boy Who Lives!) and painful lows (Fred doesn’t), concluding the series in a way so utterly satisfying that it was hard to be mad it was over. That is, until you read that awful epilogue — can you say “fan fiction”?3. “Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban”Normalcy is not a quality often associated with Harry Potter — let alone in a positive connotation. However, the chance for Harry to have some semblance of a life with his father’s long lost best friend Sirius Black propels the series to uncharted, hopeful sentimental territory. At least until Harry is forced to use time travel (thank you, Hermione, for being such a bookworm) to counter the betrayal of Peter Pettigrew and save Sirius’ life.4. “Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets”Time has served “Chamber of Secrets” awfully well — rereading it with the context of what a horcrux is, Ginny Weasley’s schoolgirl infatuation with Tom Riddle’s journal seems even more twisted. Speaking of Riddle, this novel marked his debut to the series as Rowling began to construct Voldemort as much more than a character who couldn’t be named.5. “Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone”It’s difficult to have the book that started it all so far down on this list: It’s not a knock on its quality as much as recognition of all the introduction and character foundation Rowling had to establish in this debut. But the luster of Rowling’s fantasy world was brand new, and it was brilliant, along with enough surprise and (literally) magic to make it stand up as so much more than a catalyst.6. “Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince”Cue the slow motion, the “Noooooooo” music and Dumbledore falling from the tower. If “Order of the Phoenix” didn’t finish the tonal shift that “Goblet of Fire” began, then “Half-Blood Prince” was an emphatic answer as to the direction of the series. Aside from the poignance of Dumbledore’s death and the importance of Harry’s coming of age story, there wasn’t enough to make up for Ron and Hermione constantly bickering like a married couple and that stupid lucky potion device. 7. “Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix”Not that implicit political commentary isn’t allowed, but the politicization of “Order of the Phoenix” took a little bit of the fun away, no? The Aurors and the Ministry of Magic’s intervention at Hogwarts had people throwing around all kinds of theories, but the highlights were elsewhere. Delores Umbridge was a phenomenal new villain who helped Harry start to rid himself of his teenage angst (not to mention another awesome battle sequence to end it — RIP Sirius Black).
____simple_html_dom__voku__html_wrapper____>Indiana-bred rapper Freddie Gibbs, who now resides in Los Angeles,returned to perform in Bloomington Thursday. The IDS spoke to Gibbs about being a Midwest rapper, about Jay Cutler and about his comparison to Tupac.IDS Do you classify yourself as a Midwest rapper?GIBBS Yeah, I definitely would consider myself a Midwest rapper. That’s where I was born and raised, and that’s the story that I’m bringing to the forefront.IDS Has anything changed with your interactions in Gary since you’ve gotten famous?GIBBS Just a lot of people coming out of the woodwork that I didn’t really interact with before. But other than that, nah, ain’t nothing changed. I still kick it with the same people that I kicked it with before. I associate myself with family members. Ain’t nothing really different. I don’t think I’m famous yet.IDS Who are some people in the game you would like to work with?GIBBS I wanna work with Dr. Dre. It’s a lot of dudes, man. There’s so many producers I like, I can’t really name. I even want to do some with Kanye, probably, one day. Hopefully that will work. For the most part, I wanna work with whoever want to work with me and whoever respects my work. I don’t wanna just work with someone because I like his music. I wanna work with him because he respects me, too.IDS When do we get to hear your collaboration with Chuck English, Chip Tha Ripper and Bun B?GIBBS We’ve got a couple records done that are probably gonna leak out, but we definitely have to get in the studio and do more work. We’ve all just been on our own agendas as of right now, but when we all get together its goin’ down.IDS Have you thought about coming back and using your influence to help Gary?GIBBS Of course. There are definitely things I want to do in my neighborhood to change it. In the meantime, I gotta put myself in a good position first before I can help. I’m at home all the time. It’s not like I’m distant or disconnected from where I’m from. It’s just that Gary needs a lot of work. It’s going to take more than a rapper to change it. I can definitely do my part by speaking out and getting in the public eye and doing things in the community. But it’s going to take more than me. It’s going to take other people to step up to the plate, as well.IDS People as far-reaching as Bill Simmons have called you something of a savior for gangsta rap, and Tupac comparisons have been plentiful. How does that sit with you? GIBBS That’s big shoes to fill. As long as I’m getting those comparisons, I’m doin’ something right. I don’t go into the booth trying to sound like Tupac. I don’t think people think that I sound like him. I just think they compare the energy and the content of the music. I’m fine with that. I’m definitely a product of what he did in music. I’m fine with that. There will never be another Tupac, though.IDS You said you were hesitant to get back into the scene after Interscope went bad, and you were hustling again. At what point did you really decide to put those days behind you?GIBBS It took a lot. The things that were going on in everyday life outside of rap were messed up at the time. I just had good friends around me that stuck with me and pushed me to get back in the booth.IDS You think Jay Cutler is the future quarterback for the Bears?GIBBS Man, I hope so. We need a future somebody for the Bears. We ain’t got a clue right now. We need receivers, linemen ... We hurtin’ right now. But it will be alright. I think Jay Cutler is a good quarterback.IDS Are you excited to come back to Indiana?GIBBS Yeah, I used to come to Bloomington all the time to terrorize the campus.
Our roundup of war games, sorted by conflict
____simple_html_dom__voku__html_wrapper____>“Sidewalks,” the third studio album from buddies Matt & Kim (Matt Johnson and Kim Schifino) — the high-strung, big-sounding power-pop duo straight from the Sesame Streets of Brooklyn — isn’t much of a surprise, with a lot of same earnestness as its predecessors.Familiarly, “Sidewalks” is driven by the vehement punk drums of Schifino, but here the pair ambitiously set out to expand their sound with producer Ben Allen. Thanks to warm electronic fuzz, grander harmonies and more diversified instrumentation, they’ve accomplished that. That’s when things don’t go so well.The middle part of the album operates at an anthemic, jaunting pace that hinders Johnson’s vocals; the similarly monotonous elements combine to make his voice a bland drawl.“Red Paint” has more flash than any other track, with a chorus aided by a screeching, audacious electro sound that stands out against the warm intonation of most of the other effects on the LP.Ironically, the piano, which was the epicenter of the duo’s modest hits like “Daylight” and “My Good Ol’ Fashioned Nightmare,” finds itself in indie purgatory here — the victim of indecision between crossover appeal and their punk-pop roots.Lyrics fall in line with the duo’s usual candid self-deprecation and outlandishness but meanders to cringe-inducing sentimentality on “Northeast” and “Where You’re Coming From.”“Sidewalks” fulfills elements in which the duo had been lacking, but its steadfastness holds Matt & Kim back from the crossover success they were hoping for.
____simple_html_dom__voku__html_wrapper____>It’s 9 a.m. and zombies have already invaded Bloomington. That killed your morning, literally. So grab a baseball bat and follow me, we’re finding somewhere to live.First, you might think that your dorm or house is the best place to stay. You’d be wrong. Unless you live in a dorm room with at least two exits and cases of nonperishable foods or a house with minimal windows and all the weapons you need, don’t stay where you are. You next might think, “Oh, Wal-Mart is a great place to go! It has food and weapons and everything.” No. Wal-Mart, Kmart and countless grocery stores are open spaces with nowhere to hide. They might have the necessities, but 50 zombies running through the front entrance aren’t going to take too long to find you crouching behind the video rack.Go to the Union. “You’re crazy!” you might say. “The Union’s so big with so many entrances. You’d never be able to protect yourself.”But you, my friend, aren’t up to the challenge. The Union is rather large and cumbersome, but with a small group of about eight people, it’s possible to manage. First, the Union has a surveillance room. Get to it. With one or two people constantly watching the screens, there’s no way zombies can get through without you knowing. I’m not saying don’t block up any and all entrances you can find. Do that, but if the zombies do get by, you’ll know. Second, it has an eighth floor that you can only get to by taking the elevator up to the seventh, then walking up a flight of stairs. My guess is unless zombies start growing brains back, they won’t know how to use the elevator. The eighth floor also leads to the roof, the ideal spot to attract help.Third: provisions. The Union has everything from food in eight different restaurants to beds in the hotel. It has clothes in the bookstore and computers (if the Internet is still working) in the lab. If the Union seems too daunting, go to the mall.That may sound cliché, but with Target and Dick’s attached to College Mall, going there is a great option. Regular malls have fast food courts with perishable foods, but Target, with its new fresh produce section, has food that will keep you living longer. And Dick’s will provide you with guns, fishing poles, baseball bats and other weapons that you can stock up on. But like the Union, get to the surveillance room and limit yourself to one section. Block off as many entrances as you can, take your provisions to one store with a few exits and places to hide and stay there.If you’d rather be saved and realize army trucks aren’t going to come rolling down Kirkwood Avenue, head to the intersection of SR-37 and the Bypass.There’s a Hampton Inn on Walnut Street near the intersection where you can stay. It doesn’t offer food, so stock up before you go.Weapons you needLawyers. Guns. Money.Warren Zevon, who would have been a phenomenal zombie fighter in his own right, had the right idea in case of emergencies. It’s hard to go wrong with that unholy triumvirate at your side.But in the case of a zombie apocalypse, guns are your best bet because the lawyers (along with their money) will be the first ones chasing you down trying to eat your flesh.You can fulfill some of your apocalyptic firearm needs at Dick’s and local pawn shops, but here in Bloomington, our second amendment friends are in short supply, so other options must be considered.Thus, I encourage you to look to Bloomington Hardware and the like as weapon oases during any zombie attack. There you can find any boards, nails, nail guns, hammers and, well, you get the idea. Dick’s supply of baseball bats would also prove fruitful.When dealing with these kind of short range combat weapons however, one must be careful. Zombies are good at capitalizing on any reach advantage, and all they need is a small bite. They’re also ruthless fighters, since they’re bloodthirsty killers and all that.But if you’re not fortunate enough to be close to the College Mall area, you’re going to have to get even more creative.All of the buildings on campus have utility cabinets for the custodians. Use them. A mop might not be much, but the sharpened pole you can fashion it into will do some damage. Aerosol cans are good for temporary blindness or makeshift flamethrowers. Any variety of shovel or gardening tool would also be serviceable in a pinch.The most important thing to remember when battling zombies is to stay on your toes. You can never be too aware, and you can never be too well-armed. So remember, next time you’re picking out your new desk lamp, make sure to consider its potential utility during a zombie apocalypse.If you go here, you’ll liveEigenmann Hall — The residence center has a C-store with nonperishable foods as well as a kitchen. It also has Outdoor Adventures where you can find weapons — bows and arrows and such. Apartments on Kirkwood — A lot of the apartments above restaurants on Kirkwood have hidden staircases. If you could find an apartment with two exits and a way to get to the roof, you’d be solid.Fire station — Fire stations have all the necessities plus big fire trucks that you can trick out into massive zombie-killing machines. Block off all the sides of the truck and use the roof or eyeholes to shoot zombies as you go. And feel free to grab some guns from the police station.If you go here, you’ll die Kilroy’s — You’ve seen “Shaun of the Dead;” therefore, you know bars aren’t a good place to hideout. There are no weapons, there’s no substantial food and there’s the bro in the corner who’s talking about how he laid some zombie chick the night before. Do not go there.Ballantine/Wells Library — Both buildings are huge and have numerous places to hide, but they don’t have enough food, weapons or other essentials. Wells would be a better fit, with the cafeteria in the basement and the food kiosk on the first floor, but unless you want to kill zombies with a pile of books, I’d head somewhere else.A basement — You might think locking yourself down in a basement with a bunch of provisions is a good idea, but you’re putting yourself in an inescapable corner. Basements only have one exit, and zombies can sometimes be smarter than you think, especially if they’re the diseased-ridden ones and not the slow, dead ones.
____simple_html_dom__voku__html_wrapper____>Before the band’s show at the IU Auditorium on Saturday, Passion Pit bassist Jeff Apruzzese talked with WEEKEND about the upcoming show. The new dog owner (congratulations, Jeff) also gave a potential peek into the next album and talked about reading about himself and Taco Bell on music blogs.WEEKEND: Passion Pit — where does the name come from?JEFF APRUZZESE: It’s a slang term for in the ’50s when kids would go to the drive in, and when they were necking or making out, that was the term for it. It was called “passion pit.”WKND: You guys just did a series of shows opening for Muse. Could you talk about what that was like? They’re such awesome performers. Did that change the way you guys approached your shows at all?APRUZZESE: That tour was pretty insane. It was the most kind of organized chaos I’ve ever seen in my live. Everything was so scheduled and meticulous. It was like nothing we’d ever been a part of before. There were like 11 semi-trucks and six buses or so.Their live show is incredible. From the get-go with us, we’ve been more accustomed to a headlining spot. This is only the second time we’ve supported someone. Even when we first got started we were headlining shows at maybe 200-300 person venues. None of us had ever played in arenas either, so opening for a band of that magnitude and then playing on their stage, it was pretty intimidating at first. We were playing in front of their massive structures that they have. I know we were anxious about it, but I think we grew really. Once our confidence ensued, we felt more comfortable playing those spaces. It pushed us to play bigger spaces and play to the “back of the room.”WKND: You guys were one of the bands that Taco Bell gave $500 in Taco Bell bucks. Have you had that yet?APRUZZESE: No we haven’t. I don’t know how that happened. We always check the blogs, like Pitchfork and My Old Kentucky Blog, and it’s really bizarre when you see yourself on there with something you don’t know about. Like “Oh, why are we getting $500 from Taco Bell?”I guess our manager was approached about it, and he thought it was a good idea. But I’m ready. I’m ready to have an ultimate eating competition at Taco Bell.WKND: What kind of music do you listen to on a day-to-day basis? Do you all listen to similar kinds of music?APRUZZESE: Yes and no. There are a lot of similarities. Mike has me on a big Tom Petty kick lately. I’m late on this, but I’ve been listening to Edward Sharpe a lot lately. He’s amazing. I was just really excited to pick up the new Deerhunter record because I was a huge fan of Microcastle. WKND: Are those the same bands that you draw inspiration from?APRUZZESE: With every record there’s going to be a different underlying theme or motivation. Like “Manners” was very dancey. In the studio there was a lot of dance music or techno or house music being played and that played a huge role on the record. Going into the next record it could be a complete departure from that. Like not necessarily doing away with all the dancey elements that made Passion Pit what it is, but we’re going to really strive to grow and mature and do something different and not just recreate the old record but maybe try to do something a little more organic and real. We’ll still contain a lot of synthesize and sequence stuff but drawing a lot more upon actual instrumentation of guitars and drums and horns and strings.WKND: How did the Levi’s jeans “Tonight, Tonight” cover go down?APRUZZESE: Well, all of us own way too many pairs of Levi’s as it is, so we said we’d do it. It was very open-ended in terms of what song we could do. The only problem was getting the artist to approve the cover. And as history has shown, Billy Corgan is not the most open guy to having other artists cover his songs and publicly release them. But he was really awesome, and he actually really enjoyed the cover and was really adamant about voicing his opinion about how much he enjoyed it.WKND: What are your future release plans?APRUZZESE: For us, the touring entity of the band has been ruling our lives for the last two years now. And we all are in serious relationships with girlfriends, so when we come off tour, we’re not really wanting to get back and work again.Since last January we’ve only had about six weeks off, so we’ve really been going at it. When we’re off tour we just kind of need to go home and hang out with our girls.But we put an end date to the touring chaos on Dec. 31, so we’re going to take a few months off and start the new year fresh. I think we have secured some studio time over the summer, so we’ll see what happens.It’s different than with “Manners,” which was so rushed because it was our debut, and we were still on the road. We actually learned those songs on the road too, so we had some really shitty shows for awhile.”We’re not putting any marks down on when to get the album out though, because we have to record it first and also figure out how to play it live. We really want to hit the ground running so that when we go out on the touring circuit we can be really polished and know what we’re doing.
____simple_html_dom__voku__html_wrapper____>Boozing, schmoozing, smoking and sexing are all integral parts of TV’s “Mad Men,” titled after the nickname its ad men characters received in the 1950s and 1960s.But for a show heavily laden with all these offending elements, the show gives viewers a voyeuristic, although fictional, look into the nature of the advertising business. In a recent interview with Portfolio magazine’s Greg Smith, chief creative officer at the Via Group in Portland, Maine, he estimated that about 30 percent of the interns in the company’s program were in some way inspired by the show. He added though, that many were in some way disappointed when they didn’t find Don Draper and company sipping whiskey all day in the office.To some within the industry, that’s a disappointment. Along those lines, Ted Nelson, CEO of the advertising firm Mechanica LLC, contended the show causes damage to the industry.“It trivializes the real and important work that agencies do,” he said.Much of the industry sentiment appears to be divided along this line: dissatisfaction with the show’s “celebration” or even acknowledgment of the industry’s sexist past and excitement that the show has revived interest in an industry that has needed some image rehabilitation for some time.Though the show attracts about 2 million viewers in its Sunday night time slot, it accumulates about 7 million total with its reruns during the course of the week, according to TV by the Numbers. Paired with its critical acclaim, it has become ubiquitous, spawning spoofs on “SNL,” “30 Rock” and even “Sesame Street.”“Mad Men” has even taken control during commercial breaks. The show is obviously a magnet for advertisers with its infinite possibilities for product placement and advertisements that are aware of the show surrounding it. That is, companies such as Clorox ran ads during the breaks that alluded to the show surrounding them.This season, along with a tonal shift in the series, the show has inspired companies such as Dove and Vaseline to produce ads that are direct adaptations of the show itself. They depict two creative members of an ambiguous advertising agency banging their heads against the wall for ideas. Eventually, they’re inspired by some variation of a “hot girl” holding the product. Then the spot ends, hopefully with comedic effect.It’s some of the first advertising of its kind; however, critics debate the merit of the ads. A recent column in Newsweek claimed that Don Draper would hate the ads for their shallow approach and lack of awareness about the viewers. With a strong cast of feminist characters on the show, why would those viewers also enjoy ads so mindless and shallow?Good or bad, the ads are a relatively new approach that might not have been possible without the content of the show.
____simple_html_dom__voku__html_wrapper____>“The U,” director Billy Corben, 2009 — After the Dolphin’s 1972 perfection and before Dan Marino (and even into his tenure), the University of Miami, aka “The U,” was defining what football meant to South Florida. Billy Corben’s documentary of the same name is a fascinating depiction of how the social and racial unrest of early Miami of the 1980s manifested itself in the Miami football program. The players coaches Howard Schnellenberger and Jimmy Johnson recruited were as brash and unpredictable as the rapidly developing city itself. The interviews and footage are brilliant snapshots of how gangster and thug culture were really received before hip-hop took them to the mainstream. — Adam Lukach“Man on Wire,” director James Marsh, 2008 — “Man on Wire” follows Philippe Petit, a 24-year-old wire walker from France, as he sets out to fulfill an extremely lofty dream. Petit wanted to perform a high-wire walk between the World Trade Center’s Twin Towers, which were the tallest buildings in the world in 1974 when the events of the film took place. As the fascinating events unfold, interviews with Petit’s friends add richness to the narrative and offer insight into Petit’s motivations. “Man on Wire” won the 2009 Academy Award for Best Documentary, a collection of other prestigious awards and the hearts of audiences everywhere. — Corin Chellberg “Super Size Me,” director Morgan Spurlock, 2004 — “Super Size Me” follows filmmaker Morgan Spurlock as he sets out to eat nothing but food from McDonald’s for 30 days. His goal is to illustrate by exaggeration the health risks of the country’s increasing consumption of unhealthy fast food. He goes through an ever-worsening range of symptoms as the film progresses, starting with weight gain and eventually including depression, sexual dysfunction and heart palpitations. By the time Spurlock completed his experiment, he had gained almost 25 pounds. This entertaining but stomach-turning film will make you think twice before ordering a Big Mac the next time you are at McDonald’s, and that’s probably a good thing. — CC“Sherman’s March,” director Ross McElwee, 1986 — “Sherman’s March” begins with a shot of a massive empty apartment as McElwee narrates how he always dreamed of making a movie tracing Northern general William Sherman’s march through the South during The Civil War and seeing if its effects are still relevant today. However, it quickly turns into a tale of McElwee’s love for the women in his life and his failures in connecting with them. At times heartbreaking and hilarious, “Sherman’s March” is the film Woody Allen would make if he made a documentary. — Mikel Kjell“Jesus Camp,” directors Heidi Ewing and Rachel Grady, 2006 — In the last decade, dozens of skeptical filmmakers have directed their vitriol at organized religion, blaming its influence for everything from the terrorist attacks of Sept. 11 to the corruption of young children. While Bill Maher’s much more successful “Religulous” uses humor to aim at the former, Heidi Ewing and Rachel Grady’s “Jesus Camp,” the far superior documentary, seeks to shine light on the latter. Scenes like the one of home-schooled children of Evangelical Christians pledging their allegiance to the flag of the Christian nation after being taught by their mother that evolution is an unproven theory are truly disturbing. The film should serve as a call to arms to stop extremists from teaching their kids whatever they want. — Brad Sanders“For All Mankind,” director Al Reinert 1989 — Filmmaker Al Reinert documented the history of the Apollo space missions using footage shot by the astronauts themselves. The film features a classic score from Brian Eno, the perfect accompaniment to Reinert’s celestial visuals. No fictional movie to date has represented anything as visually stunning as the documentary footage used here. — Brian Marks“F for Fake,” director Orson Welles, 1974 — Orson Welles’ final film was this free-form documentary that was part a study of reality and fiction, a pure experiment in filmmaking, a biography of an international art forger, an autobiography of Welles’ career, factual to the smallest detail, and part lying through his own teeth. It’s a bizarre work of art by the greatest of all directors, and real or fake, it’s absolutely mesmerizing. — Brian Welk“An Inconvenient Truth,” director Davis Guggenheim, 2006 — “An Inconvenient Truth” is the famous documentary of former Vice President Al Gore’s efforts to teach people around the world about global warming by giving detail-rich and visually stunning presentations. A large portion of the film is that very presentation, presented on a massive scale. That format combined with Gore’s reputation as a bland speaker may sound more like a nap-inducing lecture than a documentary film, but the presentation is dramatic, compelling and backed by a mountain of widely accepted data. The film paints a chilling picture of a slowly warming planet and serves as a clarion call to action, and it was the first to do so for the masses. — CC“Night and Fog,” director Alain Resnais, 1955 — Alain Resnais’ documentary about the Holocaust is one of the shortest made on the subject and also one of the most important. Resnais avoids minutiae and instead focuses on why something so unimaginable could happen. The answer: There is no explanation. — BM“Woodstock,” director Michael Wadleigh, 1970 — “Woodstock,” directed by Michael Wadleigh, helped to define an entire generation.Wadleigh (with the help of editors, including a young Martin Scorsese) used innovative visual techniques to catalogue all of the music and mayhem of the famous festival. See it if only for Jimi Hendrix’s closing performance. — BMThe “Up” Series, director Michael Apted — The “Up” series became the most ambitious collection of films ever made, fact or fiction, after starting in 1964 with 14 students and the mantra, “Give me a child until the age of 7, and I will give you the man.” Michael Apted faithfully followed how 14 kids from different parts of Britain grew and developed in seven-year intervals, and his project has not stopped. In 2005, Apted’s subjects turned 49 in the series’s seventh installment, and “56 Up” has been announced for a 2012 release. — BW“The Man With the Movie Camera,” director Dziga Vertov, 1929 — Regardless of whether you can call it a documentary, “The Man With the Movie Camera” is one of the greatest films ever made. Released in 1929 with an average shot-length as rapid as today’s action extravaganzas, the film was the first wholly cinematic experience of the time. It has no plot, no characters and no intertitles, and it proved that audiences could watch the shooting, editing and screening of a film about the day in the life of the people of Moscow. It’s one of the most remarkable cinematic experiments of all time. — BW“The Cove,” director Louie Psihoyos, 2009 — The Oscar-winning documentary of last year is one of the most heartbreaking, empathetic documentaries I’ve ever seen. It condemns the practice of dolphin slaughter in Japan on an emotional, environmental, ecological, political, cultural and medical level. It does all of this as though the viewer were watching a crime caper. Try not to cry at the horrific footage of dolphins being stabbed to death in a secret cove off the coast of Taiji, Japan. — BW
____simple_html_dom__voku__html_wrapper____>Every week is a grind, and every Friday is a reward — the relief of the weekend is enough. But in the last few weeks, Kanye West has been making Fridays all about him with his G.O.O.D. Fridays campaign, one he claims will bring the public free Friday tracks until Christmas.While this isn’t unprecedented, it’s almost unbelievable. An artist as huge as Kanye, who has an album set to drop Nov. 22, doesn’t need a campaign like this to build buzz. Rapper Crooked I did this a couple years ago with his “Hip-Hop Weekly” releases, but it was only to build a following. Mr. West’s motivation is purely to provide his fans with music.And these aren’t throwaway pieces of garbage either. Names like Jay-Z, Swizz Beatz, Mos Def, Nicki Minaj, Kid Cudi and Raekwon have all appeared on different tracks, making substantial contributions. In fact, on “Monster,” the second Friday release, Minaj salvages what could otherwise be called a rather schizo track. What I’m saying is I don’t know if there is another artist in the world who could draw names like this and then give that music away. Lil Wayne once told Rolling Stone that he would charge his sister $75,000 for a verse — so I can’t imagine Jay-Z making that kind of sacrifice for many besides Kanye.Just one year ago, he might have been the most hated musician on the planet following his VMA, ahem, mishap and subsequent talk show rounds. But then he cancelled his tour — one with Lady Gaga, no less — and essentially went into hiding, spending much of that time at his studio in Hawaii to reflect and to be in the studio with his music.He first re-emerged with “Power” (which, frankly, still stands up as one of this year’s best) and now, between his Friday releases, VMA performance and recent SNL domination, has made this fall all about Yeezy, an utter turnaround from last year’s public opinion.That’s a powerful statement for someone who is becoming an increasingly powerful artist. Yeezy is setting the bar extremely high for everyone else; these tracks are better than what the next person could actually put on an album, and maybe most importantly, they’re free. Radiohead set the world on fire when the band released “In Rainbows” online, and Kanye’s campaign has the potential to challenge rap music the same way because it’s an industry that has been doing the free music thing for a long time thanks to mixtapes, remixes and different collaborations.But we’ve never seen anything quite this good from an artist quite this famous on such a regular basis. Even setting commercial implications aside, two of the tracks include Justin Vernon of Bon Iver, the kind of indie collaborator that hip-hop needs to help it remain accessible and relevant during this transitional stage.“So Appalled,” one of the most recent drops, actually upset Jay-Z a little because it was supposed to be part of the pair’s collaborative album set to drop in November as well. But fortunately, it’s not about Jay. It’s about bringing great music directly to the fans, and Kanye’s doing a G.O.O.D. job.
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____simple_html_dom__voku__html_wrapper____> It’s been an eventful year for Nathan Williams. Following his critically acclaimed sophomore LP, the Wavves lead singer has experienced a public breakdown at the Barcelona Primavera festival, an (alleged) bar fight gone wrong, a high profile relationship with another indie rocker (Best Coast), and now the release of his third album, “King of the Beach.” The album has been a triumph for Williams; not only has it been lauded with praise, but it has also re-established Williams in the minds of any of his foolish hipster haters. WEEKEND was able to talk to Williams before his Sept. 14 show at Rhino’s to talk about “King of the Beach,” Rick Ross and tape decks.WEEKEND: Can you talk about your song-writing process and how it works? Nathan Williams: Yeah, it basically revolves around a bong and my TV. I try and just play whatever comes natural or whatever. Then whenever I play a melody or something that catches my attention, I just press record and play it. I can come back the next day and figure it out.WKND: About a week into recording “King of the Beach,” Jay Reatard passed away. How did that affect the recording process? Williams: It was pretty sad and bizarre — distracting. It’s weird to go on with what seems like the next big part of your life when a friend of yours, his life has just ended. WKND: What kind of music do you listen to on a day-to-day basis? Williams: Rap music. WKND: Who are some of your favorite artists? Williams: I think the most underrated emcee of all time is Devin the Dude. Right now, I’m listening to the new Curren$y record. It’s very good. I like Wiz Khalifa, the new Kanye West. I like Rick Ross’ new record, which I didn’t think I was going to. It’s really good. Have you heard the “Super High” remix with Wiz Khalifa? It’s amazing. Ross’ verse in it is just burning, hot, scorching fire. WKND: You used to play with Fantastic Magic, then really started doing the majority of your recording on your own. Was that a decision or did it work out that way? Williams: It was a little bit of both — it’s definitely easier to record by yourself just because you don’t have to gather up a bunch of people. Now whenever I want to record, I just go and record. I think that at that point in time it was just kind of what I wanted to do. I felt like I had full songs written in my head, with drums and bass and guitar and the background. I just kind of thought to myself, why hadn’t I done it before? And I think the reason I hadn’t was because I was scared or lazy or something. It kind of happened on accident, but I’d wanted to do it for awhile. WKND: Do you like all the touring or do you prefer being back home? Williams: I prefer to be in the studio all the time. Honestly I don’t even really like being home anymore. I’m so used to being on the road that it feels more like home each time I leave. I don’t know if that’s bad or not. If I could have a studio on the road and tour all the time, then I would be 100 percent the happiest guy in the world. But I do, I like touring. The biggest misconception is that it’s just one long fun party when in actuality it’s some of the hardest work you can do. It’s straining emotionally and physically. It feels more rewarding now with all the new songs, and people know the new songs and sing them. It’s been a lot of fun. WKND: What are some of those more difficult parts of touring for you? Williams: I see my girlfriend (Bethany Cosentino of Best Coast) once every two months. I see my family once every six months. I see my friends close to never. I live out of a bag. It’s hard work to go and tour. I mean it’s definitely worth it, but anything in life that’s worth it, you’re going to have to work at it a little bit. And it’s something that all of us love to do, and something that you love trumps it being hard. But it’s not a big deal. WKND: “To the Dregs” was inspired by a Raymond Pettibone piece. How important is visual art to you and your work? Williams: Oh, it’s very important. I think even now with Wavves, people associate pictures and ideas with music. I think it’s just a big aspect of it. Music is more than just something that comes out of speakers, it should be a whole. It’s gotta be more now. There are so many bands that write good songs — there’s got to be something that you hear, something that you see. I think all of that stuff helps, for me at least. WKND: You’ve released some stuff on tapes and vinyl and talked about them frequently. What makes these mediums so appealing to you? Williams: I think first because I’m a collector. I have always collected records and tapes. I really like collecting CDs too. I think that just any form of music where you can grab it is really just fun to have and own. Fuck It Tapes was the first tape I released with my friend Jeremy. The reason I wanted to do that was because I didn’t have a CD player in my car, I had a tape player. And I wanted to be able to listen to my own music on my way to work. WKND: You’re opening for Phoenix a couple times this fall. How did that pairing come about? Williams: The pairing was just kind of random. We were just starting to map out the tour, and they asked us if we wanted to go with them on a couple of dates. They said they were fans of Wavves and wanted to know if we’d do a show with them. So we got back to them, and we’re big fans of Phoenix as well. And then one show turned into eight or nine. I mean it just kind of happened, like everything else with Wavves.
____simple_html_dom__voku__html_wrapper____>With some long time TV staples such as “Lost,” “24” and the original “Law & Order” leaving the airwaves, (though the “L&O” spinoffs unmercifully continue) some new shows this fall have a chance to step into a pretty big spotlight. Most of the new stuff you’ll see is probably trash, so we’re here to pick through it all, just for you.“Boardwalk Empire” The obvious draw to HBO’s new series is the direction of the pilot episode by none other than Martin Scorsese. This is his first foray into television since he directed an episode of Steven Spielberg’s “Amazing Stories” in the 1980s, and the expectation is that Scorsese will have a good deal of creative input on the rest of the first season. The show stars Steve Buscemi as the boss of a Republican machine in Atlantic City during the prohibition era, well-tread ground for Scorsese and former “Sopranos” writer Terence Winter.“The Walking Dead”We haven’t had to deal with a zombie apocalypse yet, but the media hasn’t been able to stay away from the undead recently. “Walking Dead” is based on a comic book series of the same name and features a group of relative unknowns as the cast of survivors who travel the country searching for refuge, post zombie-apocalypse. Based on AMC’s phenomenal track record of original programming and the truly haunting trailer, some critics expect “Walking Dead” will be this fall’s biggest hit.“The Event” Any show that has been entrusted to the programming masterminds at NBC is hard to look forward to, but the new thriller has an ambitious conspiracy story arc that promises to be an enjoyably epic failure at the very least. Jason Ritter will be expected to carry most of the show as a man who uncovers an enormous conspiracy while (surprise) investigating the death of his spouse. While the details of the plot are obviously under wrap, the belief is that the mystery might be the cause of an alien invasion, with obvious fundamental human implications. The reports out of Comic-Con from Reuters were that the pilot episode was generally well-received.“Hawaii Five-0” CBS is rebooting one of their most famous shows of all time with this crime procedural. That very term might inspire some to gouge out their eyes, but the network hopes that a little bit of nostalgia can be enough for another popular crime drama. Famed characters Steve McGarrett and Danny “Danno” Williams return, played by Alex O’Loughlin and Scott Caan respectively, but each will be rebooted to pay respect to the original characters. What should be most interesting to see is how the show deals with a dramatically different Hawaii today than it was during the show’s 1970s hey-day.