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(06/28/07 3:51pm)
Based on my observations of the current board’s shortcomings, I endorse Tyler Helmond.\nYes, law student Helmond is the youngest candidate and one of the least experienced. When it comes to “getting things done,” I suspect he would be of dubious effectiveness. But as a voter, why choose an “effective” representative who doesn’t represent you? And with two-thirds of the board appointed by the governor, it’s not like Helmond (or any elected trustee) could suddenly change the University’s course.\nWhat Helmond does offer is a hotline between the trustees and the experience of current students – a means to reconnect them with this vital constituency. Despite the efforts of outgoing student-trustee Casey Cox, the current board has consistently marginalized students in its decisions. It is telling, for example, that incumbent Sue Talbot believes the Board of Aeons, a secret organization of honor students hand-picked to advise the IUB administration, or the distant, pan-system All University Student Association can effectively represent students.\nThe editorial board’s questioning of Helmond also revealed that he has a wealth of ideas for improving the university. Few of these would likely come to fruition, but with IU’s reputation declining and its tuition rising, some new thinking couldn’t hurt.
(06/21/07 4:00am)
The fact that The White Stripes' Icky Thump was released just one week after The Queens of the Stone Age's Era Vulgaris serves to highlight both Icky's strengths and weaknesses -- and, to some extent, those of The Stripes themselves. Both The White Stripes and QOTSA are at the pinnacle of Noughties rock. Both are artistic and commercial successes. Both have produced two undeniably classic albums. Both have done consistently excellent work across their careers. And, in creating their newest releases, both faced the question of how to follow up an album that broadened their sounds but alienated some fans (those albums being Get Behind Me Satan and Lullabies To Paralyze, respectively). Last week, I wrote that, good as it is, QOTSA's Vulgaris plays things a little too safe, retreating somewhat to the pre-Lullabies days. \nNot so, Icky. Rather than try to reverse things, Jack White seems content to go speeding off the cliff. Strange, bitter and punctuated by bone-crunching peals of distortion, Icky is even less mainstream-friendly than GBMS -- its "broadening" isn't so much a natural outgrowth of The Stripes' influences (like the latter) as wild experiments in what sounds the band can possibly get away with incorporating. And yet, Jack White's enormous songwriting talent almost manages to pull it all together. Almost.\nMake no mistake, most of the tracks should still please fans. Blues/country/garage-rock-styled highlights include title track "Icky Thump," "You Don't Know What Love Is (You Just Do As You're Told)," "Little Cream Soda" and "Effect & Cause." \nBut things get pretty weird on the electric guitar-enhanced tango "Conquest," the Renaissance-era Celtic folk track "Prickly Thorn, But Sweetly Worn," and the partly spoken musical theater number "Rag & Bone." Still, these work pretty well (the last being particularly charming). However, the surreal, avant-garde, bagpipe-featuring "St. Andrew (This Battle Is In The Air)" does not. It's easily the worst track in The Stripes' entire discography (and I even like bagpipes).\nIn sum, Icky is a bold (if not wholly successful) attempt to keep pushing the Stripes' boundaries. And, who knows, maybe their next album will reap the benefits.
(06/21/07 4:00am)
The latest project from former Jane's Addiction/Porno For Pyros frontman Perry Ferrell, Satellite Party is proof that if you have sky-high ambitions and a huge talent pool (Extreme's Nuno Bettencourt on guitar; guest appearances by, among others, the Red Hot Chili Peppers' Flea, New Order's Peter Cook, Thievery Corporation and, uh, Fergie), you can accomplish something that only kind of works.\nIn sound, Satellite Party recalls Britain's "Madchester" bands of the late '80s/early '90s and their descendents (The Stone Roses, The Happy Mondays, The Verve, Kula Shaker), with a bit more funk and "mainstream alternative" guitar chug (think Linkin Park et al.). For the most part, it's quite listenable, but Ferrell undermines track after track with lyrics that range from eye-rollingly goofy to eye-rollingly pretentious to eye-rollingly sappy (listen to it in public, and they'll think you're having a seizure). \nThings don't get bad until the fourth track, "Kinky," which resurrects one of hair metal's tiredest cliches: "Oh my God / I like kinky sex!" This is followed by a thoroughly shallow stab at social relevance, "The Solutionists," and the comically awful chorus for "Awesome" ("awesome" repeated nine times each, with 34 total "awesomes" throughout). Other low points include "Mr. Sunshine," a celebration of post-coital satisfaction with a significant "ew" factor; "Milky Ave," which claims heaven is like Malibu (double "ew"); and "Ultra Payloaded Satellite Party," whose chorus is "Ee ah, da da da dee / Ultra payloaded, satellite party."\nBut like Ultra Payloaded, I've saved the worst for last. "Woman In The Window" features a lost Jim Morrison vocal track. And upon hearing Morrison's baritone belt out "I am the woman in the window," all I could think of was Austin Powers shouting, "It's a man, baby!"\nIn sum: solid instrumentals and plenty of (unintentional) humor -- but save your dinero.
(06/14/07 12:47am)
One of the tough realities about the news media is that while journalistic ideals dictate that you try to inform the public about important things – things they need to know about – what pays the bills is reporting things they want to know about. Although the latter might be interesting, it’s generally unimportant. Still, without the money from advertising and/or subscriptions brought in from popular subjects, it’s tough to cover those truly significant things. And given a media outlet’s limited resources – reporters, money, page space, air time, real time, etc. – you’ll eventually have to make a trade-off between a substantial story people should read and a fluff piece people will read.\nWhile the lighter piece might be fun to peruse and lucrative to publish, someone has to stand up and do his civic duty of giving you a helping of newsy nutrition to balance against all the junk food. Thus, I’ve unearthed a story that slipped between the cracks, something you probably missed, but which nevertheless is of critical relevance to you, your family, your country and the entire world: \nDid you know that this week – on Sunday, June 10, 2007, to be precise – HBO aired the series finale of “The Sopranos”? \nYes, while most of the news media was distracting you with its exhaustive coverage of shallow, sexier fare, such as the congressional battle over the Bush Administration’s immigration reform bill or the allegations that the Iranian government is secretly arming the Taliban, many of you missed learning that millions of viewers tuned in to a premium cable channel Sunday night to witness the conclusion of an eight-year, six-season story about a New Jersey mob boss and his dysfunctional family.\nNot only did you neglect this critical turning point in our shared history – indeed, possibly the culmination of 3,000 years of Western Civilization – you’re also missing out on the debates about some of the great questions of our time: Were you satisfied with the ending? What will the cast do now? Will there be a movie?\nSome of the more cynical among you might be asking, “So what? What does this have to do with me?” But you have to understand: 98 percent of American households have television sets. Nielsen Media Research estimates that in 2005-2006, the average individual viewer watched four hours and 35 minutes of TV per day. Meanwhile, Google Answers estimates that there are 8.6 million installed water coolers in the United States, a penetration rate of 29 per 1,000 people. The Sopranos finale had about 12 million viewers – an unknown, but probably considerable number of whom have access to water coolers and might just want to talk. You can see where I’m heading – the implications are mind-boggling. You must hurry up and educate yourself about this vital topic before you find yourself without a voice, shut off from the pulse of global culture.\nOh, and by the way, just in case you missed this, too: Paris Hilton went back to jail.
(05/24/07 1:42pm)
Less than a month until summer officially begins – the weather’s warm, people are going on picnics, life seems to be slowing down. It’s getting to be that time of year when we in the news media helpfully inform you about the random things that you never realized ARE GOING TO KILL YOU!\nGranted, we tell you about a lot of things that ARE GOING TO KILL YOU – bird flu, terrorism, fast food, etc. – but with that tramp mother nature luring people outside, away from their televisions and computers, seducing them with things like swimming pools (which are non-newsprint-compatible, by the way), we have to crank things up a notch. Thus, I consulted a couple of the most sensible and trusted sources on the Internet – Fark.com and The Drudge Report – and rounded up some stories that should, hopefully, help you avoid some unspeakable perils that you’ve probably never even thought about.\n“Is your hot tub a stew for deadly bacteria?” (CBS 2, May 18).\nAccording to Los Angeles local network affiliate CBS2, a woman caught a rare case of Legionnaires’ disease from an unclean hot tub. Let this be a lesson to you all: do not let legionnaires in your hot tub! And for those who followed the notorious Indiana Daily Student/Phi Psi hot tub controversy of Fall 2006, know this: since their hot tub turned out to be fictional, any rashes on their swimsuit areas must come from other sources.\n“Isabodywear underwear fends off cellphone radiation,” (Engadget, May 20).\nWell, okay, this is less a threat to one’s life than to guys’ wee lil’ swimmers – but, hey, it’s still something to worry about. A Swiss clothing firm not only claims that its silver-threaded underwear keeps the rads off your nads, but “suggests that phone calls originated within the confines of your new underwear simply won’t connect.” Because who among us hasn’t worried that their testes were eating up their cell phone minutes? If you’re seriously considering buying this product, cell phone-induced sterility probably isn’t what’s preventing you from breeding.\n“Plague monkey dies in US zoo,” (Reuters, May 22).\nA monkey at the Denver Zoo died from eating a squirrel infected with bubonic plague. Now, the idea that squirrels can be infected with the Black Death is unnerving, but not that surprising – they are rodents, after all, and the plague travels via the fleas that feed on rodents. But who knew that monkeys eat squirrels? Dear God, do you realize how many squirrels we have around here? How long until they attract an invasion of squirrel-eating primates? (And, no, I don’t mean Kentuckians.)\nWith all these threats out there, what can you do to prolong your time on this spinning mud-ball? A May 21 China Daily article linked to Fark profiles centenarian Zhang Shuqing, who credits his long life to “smoking every day and drinking liquor after every meal.” So there you go. Smoking and drinking? Okay. Hot-tubbing with cell phone-wielding, squirrel-eating monkeys? Better think again.
(05/17/07 4:00am)
Black Rebel Motorcycle Club can't seem to get a break. After a much-buzzed-about debut, they released a less-warmly received follow-up and were dropped from their label, Virgin Records. For their third album, Howl, the band (minus drummer Nick Jago, for the most part) radically changed their sound, trading in their distortion-heavy rock for hard-edged, bluesy Americana. Critics praised it, but fans expressed disappointment. So, for fourth album, Baby 81, BRMC (now with Jago again) have brought the distortion back. The result falls somewhere between their debut and Howl -- taking a stab at combining the former's Jesus and Mary Chain-like cool with the latter's simplicity and repetition, while throwing in some sweeping U2-style guitar for good measure. But, like the Spinal Tap joke goes, by mixing fire and ice, BRMC get lukewarm water -- Baby 81 slips from cool into dispassionate, and the listener could reasonably ask, "if the band sounds like they don't care, why should I?" \nTo their credit, when things do click, BRMC strikes paydirt. The album's finest track, "Berlin" merges a dangerous, throbbing bass, squealing lead guitar, sleazily sexy vocals and a great chorus ("Suicide's easy / What happened to the revolution?") -- it's the sort of rock that 50's squares would call "the devil's music." Other takes on this formula are pretty fun, if not quite as good -- particularly "Weapon Of Choice," "666 Conducer" and "Lien On Your Dreams." But many others just turn into forgettable filler -- "Window," "Cold Wind" and "Killing The Light," for example. And then there's the album's single worst moment: "American X," a trite swipe at right-wing puritans that concludes with more than four minutes of go-nowhere instrumental noodling. \nPerhaps, given enough experimentation, BRMC will finally produce an unquestionably classic album -- but this one sure isn't it.
(05/10/07 4:00am)
Even in Dinosaur Jr.'s late-'80s heyday, the band had one of underground rock's most dysfunctional internal relationships. Thus, the fact that all three founders -- J. Mascis, Lou Barlow and Murph -- managed to set aside their differences and reunite for a 2006 tour was extraordinary. And that they've followed this by producing a new album is truly remarkable. But what's downright miraculous is that this album, Beyond, is very good indeed.\nAs a young indie rock fan in the dawn of the 21st century, you might be wondering why you should care. So what if Beyond stands alongside Dinosaur Jr.'s best? Their masterpiece, You're Living All Over Me, is older than many folks reading this paper! But here's the thing: while Beyond is a bit of a throwback to 1989 or so, it's also a perfectly timed throwback. It lands squarely in the midst of a trend I've noted in past reviews: the "Guitar Hero" phenomenon -- the return of hard rock to the indie scene. And if you've liked the mock-Zeppelin of Wolfmother, the bar-epics of The Hold Steady, Queens of the Stone Age's discography or that last Kings of Leon album -- dear God, wait'll you hear this.\nTake, for example, Beyond's third song, "Pick Me Up." A bass guitar/lead guitar chug and Mascis' drawl give way to a repeated plea to "Hold On!" as the lead howls like a coyote -- then things downshift into a smoldering slow march (think Sonic Youth) before exploding into a towering three-minute guitar solo. If it doesn't make you want to engage in a bit of air guitar, then you have no soul.\n"Pick Me Up" is Beyond's most ambitious moment, but the album's first seven tracks feature one distortion-fueled, fist-pumping melody after another, tempered by Mascis' plaintive, age-worn, surprisingly romantic vocals. This is followed by "We're Not Alone" and "I Got Lost," for which the band dials things down, delivering a catchy bit of jangle-pop and a mournful acoustic sing-along, respectively. Next track, "Lightning Bulb," spits venom but drags a bit. However, things conclude on one final blast: "What If I Knew."\nIt's hardly a departure from their past albums -- but with no one else trying to cop Dinosaur Jr.'s sound, Beyond feels like a revelation (not to mention a terrific introduction to a classic band). Who'd have guessed that a dinosaur would adapt so well to the present?
(05/10/07 4:00am)
The first "Spider-Man" soundtrack was fairly eclectic, but is best remembered for the execrable "Hero" by Nickleback's Chad Kroger. "Spider-Man 2's" soundtrack was a big, steaming lump of pop-punk and emo straight from the bowels of MTV. So, it was a considerable surprise when word got out that "Spider-Man 3's" soundtrack would be indie-rock dominated. And not just by crossovers like Snow Patrol, The Killers and Wolfmother -- but also such unquestionably indie acts as Yeah Yeah Yeahs, The Walkmen and The Flaming Lips. So, are we talking about the next "Garden State"?\nWell, no, unfortunately. For a dude who swings from skyscrapers and pummels supervillains, Spidey gets a pretty dull soundtrack, albeit one that's better than the last two.\n"Signal Fire" begins things badly, with Snow Patrol sounding like Coldplay but not as butch. The Killers' "Move Away" offers far more gusto but is undermined by Brandon Flowers' lyrics about people pulling their skin off. Finally, Yeah Yeah Yeahs produce the album's first decent rock song, the stompy, punky "Sealings" (from the "Driver: Parallel Lines" videogame soundtrack), while Wolfmother's "Pleased To Meet You" is a somewhat bland blues rocker. In "Red River," The Walkmen provide a lively example of their barroom-Dylan sound, and, for "Stay Free," Black Mountain does an OK Shins impression. Then, The Flaming Lips offer up "The Supreme Being Teaches Spider-Man How To Be In Love," an exceedingly strange track even for them, with lyrics about Spider-Man fighting Muhammad Ali. And, Simon Dawes' "Scared of Myself" sounds like Elvis Costello doing rock opera.\nSuddenly, Chubby Checker's "The Twist" appears -- apropos of nothing! \nAnd we're back to indie rock again, with Rogue Wave's pretty strummer "Sightlines," and Coconut Records' lo-fi twee-core, "Summer Day." Next, Jet shock the listener by copying The Beatles instead of AC/DC, and Sounds Under Radio apes Snow Patrol. The Wasted Youth Orchestra evokes Elliot Smith doing chamber pop, and The Oohlas close things out with a nice Spector wall-of-sound revival, "Small Parts"\nDespite the soundtrack's highlights, its unremitting glumness gets quite monotonous. Next time, let Venom pick the music.
(04/26/07 4:00am)
A mere 15 months after the debut of Whatever People Say I Am, That's What I'm Not, Arctic Monkeys are already back with their sophomore follow-up, Favourite Worst Nightmare. Seeing such a short turn-around time, Monkeys fans could, very understandably, be nervous. A common excuse for disappointing second albums is that they were rushed into production (with greedy record labels taking the blame -- although I'd be surprised if this was the case with Nightmare). And British bands have a reputation for flaming out after their successful breakthroughs. \nIt's basically a respectable, if not overwhelming, follow-up that will neither alienate fans nor convert the band's detractors. In both its strengths and weaknesses, it follows fairly standard second-album patterns. The compositions are more sophisticated and have broadened out a little from the sound of the first album (a bit of Sham 69-style shout-along vocals in "Teddy Picker," ska-like bass/percussion in "This House Is A Circus," a sweet surf-guitar ballad in "Only Ones Who Know," etc.) -- and all that touring has honed the band's musicianship. \nAt the same time, it's not quite as exciting as Whatever -- partly because it's not as raw; but, more importantly, because success has distanced front man Alex Turner from the gritty Sheffield, England, environs that inspired Whatever's lyrics. Turner is a very gifted songwriter, and his writing for Nightmare is no slouch -- his phrases are sharp, his characters are vivid (particularly the sly, arrogant hipster Brian in "Brianstorm" and the bored housewife in "Flourescent Adolescent"). But whereas Whatever carried you off to his world of drinking cheap lager, getting shot down by girls with fake tans, observing human squalor and running from the cops (for fun), Nightmare lacks that sense of setting. The character studies exist in limbo, and many of the tracks are dedicated to that most conventional lyrical subject: relationship troubles. \nFinally, Nightmare is more intensely danceable than Whatever -- a full seven out of 12 tracks being high-octane disco blasters, starting with the fierce first track, "Brianstorm." If you preferred the funkier side of Whatever (say, "Fake Tales of San Francisco"), this may come as a disappointment. But if your favorite was Whatever's pogo-riffic, "I Bet You Look Good On The Dancefloor," Nightmare could be your dream come true.
(04/26/07 4:00am)
It has been six years since Jimmy Tamborello, a.k.a. Dntel, released his debut album, Life Is Full Of Possibilities, but he has been far from idle. In the interim, he has become much more famous as the electronic-instrumentals half of The Postal Service -- his (originally, one-off) side project with Death Cab For Cutie's Ben Gibbard -- whose 2003 album, Give Up, achieved surprise mainstream crossover success. So, given all this, you'd think that Tamborello's sophomore release, Dumb Luck, would differ considerably from 2001's Life -- especially since Give Up was a major departure in style. \nBut you'd be wrong and, unfortunately, it's not to Dumb Luck's benefit. \nFor Give Up, Tamborello held his glitches, blips, fills and various retro-synth sounds to a precise song structure -- and, combined with Gibbard's warm vocals and sad-sack lyrics, the result was pop gold. Tamborello's Life, on the other hand, was a droney, fussy, partly ambient, willfully experimental-sounding album -- which, I suspect, has been disappointing Postal Service fans for years. (Listening to Life, it's easy to tell why Tamborello decided to work with Gibbard -- their collaboration on the album, "This Is The Dream Of Evan And Chan," is by far the standout track.) Dumb Luck is more accessible than Life, but far closer to it than to Give Up -- and the result, a meandering succession of pretty elements being interrupted by unwarranted glitches or sound effects, is rather boring and slightly irritating. The strongest songs are Tamborello's collaborations with Rilo Kiley-singer/soloist Jenny Lewis ("Roll On"), Seattle-based newbies Arthur and Yu ("The Distance"), and Bright Eyes' Conor Oberst ("Breakfast In Bed"); as well as the title-track, "Dumb Luck," for which Tamborello himself sings. While these songs are uniformly downcast and sedate, they also best match Tamborello's electronica to the singers' lovely vocals -- at least until Tamborello, invariably, throws in some random sound that makes you want to slap his hands off the mixing board. On the other hand, "I'd Like To Know" with Lali Puna is much too busy; "Rock My Boat" with Mia Doi Todd pairs her smooth voice uncomfortably with a sharp, smacking beat; "Natural Resources" with Fog and "Dreams" with Mystic Chords of Memory drag on interminably; and "To A Fault" with Grizzly Bear is a sprawling mess.\nTry this if you like experimental electronica -- otherwise, wait for the next Postal Service release.
(04/25/07 4:00am)
A month ago, I wrote about how a decision by the Library of Congress’ Copyright Royalty Board was threatening to wipe out Internet radio. In the five weeks since, things have only gotten worse. After losing an April 17 appeal to the board, starting May 15, Web broadcasters will immediately have to pay 0.08 cents in royalties for every song they played in 2006, then 0.11 cents for every song in 2007, followed by annual hikes up to 0.19 cents per song by 2010 – this will raise their operating costs by thousands and thousands of dollars, immediately bankrupting many stations. Furthermore, broadcasters will have to pay an extra $500 for every channel they have, and even non-profit stations such as National Public Radio will face higher costs. \nI suspect many readers do not understand the stakes in this situation – you might think this doesn’t affect you. So, here’s what I want you to do: \nGo turn on a regular FM radio. Dial the tuner around and see if you can find anything you like. How’d you fare? Excepting WIUX and the various NPR stations – I certainly hope you like country, top 40 or oldies, because that’s what you’re getting (oh, and lots of ads). \nNow, get online – go to RadioTower.com. Check out the 1,400 free stations. Still not enough selection? Go to Live365.com. I’m not quite sure how many free stations they host, but a search for “indie rock” yields 234 alone, and the site claims that a monthly fee gets you access to more than 10,000. Also, note how you can start your own online station. Or try out the free channels on AccuRadio.com; or Pandora.com, which checks bands you like against its database and introduces you to new bands based on your preferences. Or simply open your copy of iTunes, click on “radio” and find something there that strikes your fancy. \nThere’s a point to all this. In an April 15 London Observer column, the writer remarked upon the high quality and variety of American Internet radio compared to that available from Britain, noting, correctly, that it’s because so much of our terrestrial radio sucks. It’s this quality and variety that’s going to be flushed away if the CRB’s decision goes unchallenged. \nSee, at the moment we consumers are losing out to two groups that do not understand how technology is changing American culture, and probably never will: the federal government and major media companies. As the latter group scrambles to squeeze every last ounce of short-term profit out of its product (regardless of its longer-term interests), the former enforces outdated copyright rules and has its belly scratched by lobbyists. If we’re going to put a stop to this, the public has to show the government that our culture belongs to us and not simply to “big media.”\nRight now, the best bet to change things is an appeal to your congressional representatives. Go to http://savenetradio.org to let them know how you feel.
(04/19/07 4:00am)
Regarding Bright Eyes' latest album, Cassadaga, I believe many fans are going to face a conundrum. On the one hand, the music -- a mix of countrified dust-ups, sing-along stomps, slow-dance torch songs and more -- is an encouraging return to form. A change of pace from the (mostly) monochrome folk of 2005's I'm Wide Awake It's Morning and the bland electronica of its fraternal twin Digital Ash In A Digital Urn. Not only is Cassadaga more interesting to listen to, its melodies stick in your mind long after you've put down the headphones. \nHowever, those lyrics -- sheesh! While not every song is afflicted, Conor Oberst frequently vacillates between cringe-inducing self-pity and muddled, awkward political statements.\nRegarding the former, songs like "Soul Singer In A Session Band" have lyrics like "See the soul singer in the session band/ Shredded to ribbons beneath a microphone stand" and "If The Brakeman Turns My Way" goes "Raven thoughts blacken your mind until you're breathing in reverse/ All your friends and sedatives mean well but make it worse." Try very hard to make yourself commiserate with poor Conor. Must be awful being a handsome, successful indie rock star … \nMeanwhile, the political songs are so clunky you can play a game of giving them far-out interpretations that progressive, MoveOn.org-supporter Oberst presumably never intended. For example, in the chorus of "Four Winds," is he siding with the Iranian theocracy in cheering the downfall of the liberal, socially permissive West ("But when great Satan's gone, the whore of Babylon/ She just can't sustain the pressure where it's placed/ She caves")? In "I Must Belong Somewhere" -- a song whose purpose seems to be to rhyme random evocative phrases ("Leave the lilac print on the linen sheet/ Leave the birds you killed at your father's feet") -- is he endorsing segregation by singing "Leave the poor black child in his crumbling school today"? Doubtful -- but these lines pop out without context, like non-sequiturs. It's as if he wants to be "political" without an actual message.\nStill, on love and relationships, Oberst knows how to bring it. "Classic Cars," about being a rich woman's musician boy-toy, makes for one of the album's most amusing moments; while croon-ballad, "Make A Plan To Love Me" will melt many a hip heart. And, musically, only psychedelic wannabe "Coat Check Dream Song" is a let-down.\nIn all, not a bad listen -- just don't think too hard about the lyrics.
(04/18/07 4:00am)
A friend once complained to me that at this time of year the Indiana Daily Student turns into nothing more than an advertising brochure for Little 500. And with all the coverage we give the race, the parties, the related events and everything leading up to it all, I can see his point. By devoting a lot of attention to Little 5, we’re just trying to give you readers what we think you want. But we also have a duty, after all, to try to inform you about important, serious things that are happening in the world – things you might not care about, but should. \nSo, today I’m declaring this column a “Little 5-free zone.” Instead, we’re going to take an in-depth look at how the rush for campaign money is affecting the 2008 presidential race.\nAt an estimated cost of $1.2 billion, the nonprofit Center for Responsive Politics declared the 2004 race for the presidency the most expensive in history (Financial Times, Oct. 21, 2004). According to the Associated Press (Nov. 1, 2004), campaign advertising rose to $600 million (bicycles), which was triple the amount spent on TV and radio (bicycles) in the 2000 race. And next year’s race is expected to be even costlier, with fierce competition between leading Democratic front-runners Illinois Sen. (Beta Theta) Obama and New York Sen. Hillary (Cutters) already resulting in record-breaking fund(racing) numbers. \nThe Chicago Tribune reported Monday that Obama raised $24.8 million, “more money from donors for his (cornhole) than any other candidate during the first three months of the year,” while Clinton raised $19.1 million (PBRs) in the same period. But thanks to $10 million (Buds) left over from her 2006 Senate campaign, Clinton has the larger campaign war (cooler). Other (racers) have raised smaller, but not inconsiderable sums, with Indiana Sen. (Dodds) Edwards reporting a (Coors) $13 million for his primary (cornhole), Massachusetts Gov. (Major Taylor) with $11.9(Millers), Former New (Sparks) Mayor Rudolph (Cinzano) at $10.8 million, New Mexico (Teter) Bill Richardson at $6.2 million and Arizona Sen. John Mc(Army Women) claimed $5.2 (Mad Dog 20/20s) in the bank.\nIn the face of all this money, one must ask: is this having a distorting and (inebriating) effect on our electoral (grilling)? Are we allowing big money (disc jockey) to take over our political (kegs) and control our (booties)? \nBut what’s to be done? The Finance Reform Act of 2002, better known as McCain-Fein (Goldschlager), sought to get rid of the influence of “soft money” – money contributed to political parties from corporations, (alumni), (frats) and (sororities) – but it led to the rise of even less-accountable 527 organizations such as The Swift (Bike) Veterans For (skipping class on Monday) and (Slip ‘n Slide).org.\nInstead, it’s down to us, as individuals, to take an active hand in the workings of our American (debauchery). The decisions these candidates make could have (thirst-quenching) consequences, affecting the future of our (hotties) and our (hotties’ hotties) for (beers) to come.
(04/12/07 4:00am)
While Joseph Gordon-Levitt may still be known to many as that kid from "3rd Rock from the Sun," the 25-year-old actor has skillfully performed a string of interesting, challenging leads ("Manic," "Mysterious Skin" and the over-acclaimed "Brick"). With "The Lookout," Gordon-Levitt continues his recent trend of dark, "edgy" films and excels in what is perhaps his best role yet. He plays Chris Pratt, a young man struggling to gain power and positive momentum in his life after a brain injury destroys his once privileged existence.\nThe story, told by "The Lookout," of Pratt's life post-brain damage is immediately compelling, a little reminiscent of Christopher Nolan's "Memento." From the get-go it is wrenching and stylishly presented. Pratt's impaired memory-sequencing ability, impulse control and motor skills are great obstacles to his daily functioning, let alone his attainment of a satisfying life. "The Lookout" raises the stakes and the suspense when Pratt is bated by the promise of friendship, sex and financial power to help commit a bank robbery. Trying to dissuade him from taking a bad turn is his blind and somewhat eccentric roommate, Lewis, played by Jeff Daniels, whose performance is one of the highlights of the film. \nUnfortunately, Gordon-Levitt and Daniels' roles aside, the characters in this film are weak often to the point of being generic. Matthew Goode ("Match Point") is all right as a sleazy guy looking to take advantage of Pratt's mental instability. But other characters are flat. These include Pratt's powerful and disapproving father, his femme fatale girlfriend Luvlee (Isla Fisher, "Wedding Crashers"), a goofy doughnut-loving cop, several guys who could just as well have been extras borrowed from "The Fast and The Furious" and a criminal mastermind who distinguishes himself by dressing exclusively in outfits that look like they are from the Bad Guys R'Us outlet mall. \nFurther weakening the film is that the whole bank robbery aspect of the movie fails to be well-plotted or entirely believable, and yet it develops into the focal point. Had this part of the film been as strong as that which focuses on Pratt's more mundane struggles, "The Lookout" would surely be a top-notch film. Fortunately, the film is not ruined by its shortcomings. If you are mainly interested in a great crime film, look elsewhere, but if you want to see an engaging drama that spotlights the talents of Gordon-Levitt, go see this movie.
(04/12/07 4:00am)
Person Pitch, the second solo album from Animal Collective member Noah Lennox (a.k.a. Panda Bear), has been getting tremendous amounts of critical love. As I was writing this, its score from review-averaging Web site Metacritic.com stood at a formidable 87 out of 100, tying it with Arcade Fire's Neon Bible and Patty Griffin's Children Running Through for second-highest-rated album of 2007. And thanks to a very early leak, it has received rapturous praise on message boards for months. Clearly, it must be excellent! Only a fool wouldn't like it!\nWell … time to put on my hat with bells, then.\nI'm not the type to arbitrarily backlash against a successful album -- I just call 'em as I see 'em -- but Person Pitch goes beyond being overhyped into the realm of inexplicable hype. That is, after many, many listens, I still don't understand the rationale for its stratospheric acclaim. It's very ambitious, and quite listenable as far as experimental music goes -- but it's also boring, repetitive and, from track to track, somewhat formulaic. It has been widely noted that Lennox achieves vocals/guitar harmonies akin to the Beach Boys' Brian Wilson circa Pet Sounds -- but rather less attention has been paid to the fact that, from song to song, he does nearly the same thing with them: crank up the reverb until he sounds like he's singing in an echo chamber, then loop it so the same sequence repeats over and over and over again. Add to this a steady beat; strange noises (owls hooting, chains rattling, grease sizzling) at the beginnings, endings and mid-song transitions (other reviewers have called these unnecessary things "indulgences," I call them "studio wankery"); and the occasional little flourish (say, the hum of a passing UFO), and you have most of Person Pitch. The only really dramatic break from this pattern is sixth track "Search For Delicious," an irritating sound collage that doesn't really go anywhere and is the album's low point.\nBut, all that said, the Brian Wilson harmonies do their trick, making Person Pitch very warm and inviting (if also tranquilizing) -- and moments of excitement break the torpor, such as in "Bros" when the beat and noises overthrow the Wilson-style harmony and things collapse into a psychedelic freak-out. Of course, that doesn't come about until 5 1/2 minutes into a 12 1/2-minute song … Sigh.
(04/12/07 4:00am)
A Hundred Miles Or More is an odds and sods collection of songs that Alison Krauss has contributed to soundtracks, duets from other artists' albums and five previously unreleased tracks -- thus, the fact it's inconsistent is a given. Indeed, the only real constant is the sheer loveliness of Krauss' voice -- sweet and smooth and unpretentious, it elevates every song (even those that don't deserve it). Well, her voice, and that most of the tunes are incredibly depressing. To steal a Futurama joke: "Is there anything sadder? Only drowning puppies -- and there'd have to be a lot of them." So, what tracks should you buy from your favorite (legal) download service and what should you leave behind?\nThe finest moments are Krauss' famous a cappella version of the traditional hymn "Down To The River to Pray," from the "O Brother Where Art Thou?" soundtrack, and "The Scarlet Tide," from the "Cold Mountain" soundtrack. The former, if you haven't heard it already, builds from the ringing sincerity of Krauss' lone voice into a gospel choir of … well, heavenly beauty. The latter, a subtle, stripped-down anti-war ballad penned by Elvis Costello and T-Bone Burnett, is absolutely heart-wrenching. \nOther highlights include haunting Celt-inflected story ballads "Jacob's Dream" and "Molly Ban (Bawn)" (both reminiscent of Loreena McKennitt), pop-country tune "Simple Love" and torch-song "You're Just a Country Boy." Decent, but not great, are entertainingly over-the-top country weeper "Whiskey Lullaby" (with Brad Paisley), bluegrass standard "Sawing on the Strings" and "Baby Mine" (a cover of the song from Disney's "Dumbo").\nHowever, avoid "Missing You" at all cost. A duet with John Waite, covering Waite's 1984 classic radio staple, it sounds like karaoke despite Krauss' talents, and is the turd in Hundred Miles' crystal punch bowl. Krauss' other duet with Waite, a cover of country-legend Don Williams' "Lay Down Beside Me," is better but still rather pedestrian -- as is fellow slow-dance shuffle "Away Down The River," duet with James Taylor "How's The World Treating You," "I Give You His Heart" (from the "Prince of Egypt" soundtrack) and piano ballad "Get Me Through December." Meanwhile, all Krauss' efforts can't save "You Will Be My Ain True Love," another "Cold Mountain" track, this time written by Sting, which demonstrates why English-teachers-turned-rockers-turned-medieval-revivalists shouldn't try to write Irish folk-songs.\nIn sum: Don't get the whole thing unless you're a Krauss completist. But it does beat drowning puppies.
(04/12/07 4:00am)
In June, the soulful chamber pop group Antony and the Johnsons, winners of the 2005 U.K. Mercury Music Prize for best album of the year by a British or Irish act, will launch their summer tour across Europe. Meanwhile, Austin, Texas, folk-rock band Okkervil River is working on the follow-up to their critically lauded 2005 album, Black Sheep Boy, and preparing to play the May All Tomorrow's Parties festival in Somerset, England, alongside a host of indie rock heavyweights. And Saturday, WIUX's Culture Shock festival will feature, among its roster, Catfish Haven, Richard Swift and David Vandervelde.\nAll of these acts have something in common: They're signed with either Secretly Canadian or Jagjaguwar, two successful indie record labels that happen to share a staff and headquarters on Bloomington's West Second Street. The labels have a collective roster of 52 acts and have released more than 200 albums, singles and EPs since the late 1990s.\nFounded in 1996, Secretly Canadian was the product of discussions between IU students Chris Swanson, Jonathan Cargill and Eric Weddle. \n"We were young and no one showed us how to do it; we used our gut," Chris Swanson said. "We definitely hoped to be doing it in 11 years, but we weren't thinking so long-term. (It was) one record at a time, one band at a time."\nChris Swanson, inspired by his work at WIUS (the pre-FM WIUX) and his love for live shows, hatched the idea with Cargill as they washed dishes in the Collins Living-Learning Center cafeteria. Later, they brought in Weddle, a fellow WIUS employee, and Chris Swanson's brother, Ben. The label's name came from an inside joke between the two brothers. Growing up in North Dakota, Chris Swanson said they held a "strange fascination" with their northern neighbors and would speculate about whether media figures' qualities revealed that they were "secretly Canadian." \nWeddle soon left to form his own label, Family Vineyard, while, at the same time, Secretly Canadian forged a close relationship to Jagjaguwar -- a Charlottesville, Va., label founded by Darius Van Arman, who came up with "Jagjaguwar" using a Dungeons and Dragons name generator. After a couple of Jagjaguwar bands played Bloomington, Chris Swanson hit it off with Van Arman and became the label's co-owner in 1999. As a result, Jagjaguwar moved into Secretly Canadian's headquarters. Frustration with the challenge of getting the labels' records into stores led them to create their own distribution company, the SC Distribution Group, which now supports 15 other labels as well. And in February, a third "sister label," Dead Oceans, joined Secretly Canadian and Jagjaguwar. Founded by the Secretly Canadian and Jagjaguwar owners, along with former Misra Records label manager Phil Waldorf, Dead Oceans has already recruited four bands.\nDespite their overlapping staff, Chris Swanson said the labels recruit different sorts of bands because of the distinct tastes of their respective artist and repertoire -- called "A&R" -- teams; or more simply put, their talent scouts. For Secretly Canadian, Chris and Ben Swanson and Cargill handle A&R; for Jagjaguwar, it's Chris Swanson and Van Arman; while for Dead Oceans, Waldorf does the A&R. \n"We're looking for bands that are inspiring, who will work hard, who will endure," Chris Swanson said. "... There are certain bands on each (label) that wouldn't work on the other."\nSwanson said bands sign with the labels because of their reputation for trustworthiness, their desire to work with bands on a long-term basis and their efforts to be "artist-friendly" and "work harder than the average label." Indeed, acts that are either currently working or once worked with the labels have given them high praise. Jefferson Macklin, manager for David Vandervelde, called Secretly Canadian "the most nailed down and put-together company I've come across in my time in the music business." Nick Christus of the band Minus Story said he has also appreciated Jagjaguwar's support. \n"I always feel that they have the best interest of the success of the band in mind," he said. \nSwanson's philosophy seems to fit with his views about the future of the music industry. As bands can now distribute their albums digitally, he said that "record labels need to figure out how to think outside the box more in meeting bands' needs" and "provide more services to the artists they work with." Nevertheless, while he said he was "loathe to get too comfortable," indie music's success has made it an exciting time to be in the industry.\nBut, why run a label out of Bloomington of all places? Swanson said that by the time they were established, they realized that they could conduct business from anywhere. And they didn't have to contend with a bunch of other local labels. \n"We could create our own reality here in Bloomington," he said.
(04/11/07 4:00am)
It’s a crowded world for those of us in the media nowadays. Thanks to cheap, powerful digital technology, the Internet and sites like YouTube and MySpace, any wannabe director or rock star can make their work available for the world to see. And this goes doubly for those of us in print – word processing software is so easy to use, blogs are so cheap to maintain, our work is so easy for people to reproduce. Not that I’m complaining – but it does mean to get noticed, one has to adapt.\nThere are a couple of strategies to finding success in a packed media environment. One is to find a niche. Appeal to a narrow group of devotees and make yourself their go-to source. That’s well and good, but there are so many niches out there already. What if all you can do is cater to the subgroup of a subgroup? The other is the approach more often followed by mass-media outlets such as network TV, Hollywood studios and the “big four” major record labels – appeal to the lowest common denominator. \nThus, as an experiment and a ploy to steal the vast plurality of eyes away from my fellow columnists, today’s column is about four things: beer, basketball, sex and Facebook.\nFor starters, what might Anna Nicole Smith have thought about beer, basketball, sex and Facebook? I know, I know, sad she’s dead, yeah, yeah – but what do you think she might have thought about them? Presumably, she was in favor of sex. But what about the others? Unfortunately, after briefly summarizing her career, the biography on her Web site concludes with “There’s so much more, but bios are boring and I don’t feel like writing any more” before these burning issues are ever addressed. I’m afraid we’ll have to speculate. Having been born in Texas, I’m guessing she was more into football – but that could also mean a positive disposition toward beer. On Facebook I can find nothing, but given her numerous profiles on MySpace, I suspect she might’ve liked it. (Whadda you mean those profiles might not be hers?)\nAnd do you think the folks on “American Idol” like beer, basketball, sex and Facebook? I bet Ryan Seacrest enjoys a beer on occasion, although he might currently be contractually obligated to prefer Coca-Cola. And Paula Abdul was a cheerleader for the Los Angeles Lakers, right? So that’s basketball represented. Sex? I doubt anyone involved with “American Idol” ever has anything to do with sex – just look at how far Clay Aiken got. Facebook? Given all the hits “American Idol” gets in a search of the Indiana network, I bet they’d like it – although the embedded music player, unspeakable garishness and rank commercialism of MySpace might be a better fit.\nAnd what might President Bush think of beer, basketball, sex and Facebook? Oh wait, that’s politics and I’m starting to lose you. Sorry, please come back!
(04/05/07 4:00am)
Had you asked me two years ago who'd produce the better third album, Kings of Leon or The Strokes, I'd have undoubtedly chosen the latter. Julian Casablancas and company had released one of the decade's defining records and (in my opinion, at least) an underrated follow-up. KoL's debut, on the other hand, Youth and Young Manhood, was catchy and promising but a bit undercooked, and owed too much of a debt to the garage-punk of -- yup, you guessed it -- The Strokes. Meanwhile, their Aha Shake Heartbreak was a standard "more-sophisticated-but-less-exciting" sophomore slump (and still borrowed too heavily from The Strokes). \nBut then album No. 3 came and both bands sought to reinvent themselves. And The Strokes' First Impressions of Earth…? All I can say is "ouch." However, KoL's third album, Because of the Times, finds the band developing a new loose but heavy sound -- one that's fresher and, really, a better fit with front man Caleb Followill's semi-intelligible Southern-fried tales of sex, drugs and rock 'n' roll. Indeed, Times pulls KoL out from the ranks of CBGB's grandchildren and places them among the current champions of classic meat-and-potatoes hard rock -- bands like Queens of the Stone Age, Wolfmother and The Hold Steady. \nThings kick off with a fantastic trio of rockers: the alternately tender and fierce "Knocked Up," about running off with one's pregnant girlfriend regardless of all advice -- and good sense -- to the contrary; "Charmer," which steals the opening riff from Michael Jackson's "Beat It," sees Followill punctuating each line with falsetto screams and just builds from there; and the plaintive head-banger "On Call" (complete with ripping guitar solo). Other outstanding tracks include the spitting-angry "Black Thumbnail" and "My Party," "True Love Way" (a power ballad!) and the driving-anthem "Camaro" -- although Times' finest moment is "Fans," a tune that builds into the sort of transcendent stomp that gets stadiums of fans pumping their fists in unison. \nNot that there isn't room for improvement. "McFearless," "Ragoo" and "Arizona" are nice, but overshadowed by similar, better songs ("Charmer," "True Love Way" and "Fans," respectively). And two tracks, "The Runner" and "Trunk," scream "failed-experiment" -- the first in attempting to incorporate a gospel-folk sound, the second by bringing in jazz percussion and lame echo effects. But while Times may not be a perfect album, it's KoL's best yet -- and, hopefully, a sign of better still to come.
(04/05/07 4:00am)
Klaxons is the latest "soon-to-be-bigger-than-Jesus" band from across the pond -- but an experienced hipster knows that Britannia falls for seemingly any young, skinny, scruffy guitar-and-drum outfit that gets more than 10 people gyrating in the greater London area. Call it "Fab Four Syndrome," a perennial desire to find the next … you know who. Or perhaps launching a national marketing push behind a new band every six months helps Britain maintain a favorable (that is, "favourable") trade balance with America. Whatever the case -- despite the country's deservedly high rock cred, you just can't trust the covers of U.K. music mags to steer you right (not that you can trust Rolling Stone, either). So, now that the band's debut album, Myths of the Near Future, has arrived on these shores, we get to find out: Does Klaxons' bite live up to its buzz?\nThe answer is: sort of. Put simply: Myths' weaknesses are substantial, but they're counterbalanced by the album's energy, novelty -- and, most importantly, sense of fun. They are, essentially, a very lively neo-post-punk band (like Franz Ferdinand, Bloc Party, etc.) that incorporates hints of the late-'80s/early-'90s rave scene sound -- and that makes them eminently danceable. And since indie rock fans rarely do more than cross their arms and nod at shows, anything that gets them moving is cause for excitement.\nIn that spirit, let's get Myths' problems out of the way. First, the album has some of the silliest lyrics you'll hear all year. Supposedly they're describing their "fantasy version of the future" (Guardian, Feb. 7) -- something about a post-apocalyptic world, time travel, visions and a journey -- but it's mostly an indecipherable mess (complete with centaurs and cyclopes). Then there's the fact that Myths is kind of monochromatic. Each track is essentially a combination of the same big beats, wailing sirens, keyboard and distorted vocals and so on -- there's not a lot of variation, and things start blurring together around the fifth track, "As Above, So Below."\nBut this latter quality also works to Myths' advantage -- it's like a nonstop dance mix. And track after track, the hooks and beats just keep coming, consistently, relentlessly -- with "Golden Skans," "Totem On The Timeline," Gravity's Rainbow" and especially "Atlantis To Interzone" irresistibly compelling listeners to wave their arms in the air and shake their arses. And, in the end, that's the point, right?