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Friday, April 10
The Indiana Daily Student

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The Indiana Daily Student

Powerman 5000 wants you to 'Transform'

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Powerman 5000 called its new album transform. because Johnny's First Politically Charged Metal Album would be too condescending. The music is so slick and so well-made, with relentlessly catchy riffs and choruses that it's hard to hate but untrustworthy at the same time.


The Indiana Daily Student

Tweelicious with a bit of punch

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With a heading of neo-psychedelia on All Music Guide and honey dripping from their organ and auxiliary percussion-fused sound, Paul Butler and Aaron Fletcher of A Band of Bees are here with a depth of pleasantries. With substance disguised by jazz-fusion influenced sounds, Sunshine Hit Me is an LP of sonically-removed intimacy. The band's first full-length, with tracks from its 2001 EP Punchbag, will take you to a flowered field with little animal dens littering the undergrowth.


The Indiana Daily Student

Making something out of not much

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It's no surprise that early Cul de Sac shows were performed subsequently with experimental films. Sounding nothing like the early '90s rock moment they came out of, the nearly always vocal-less group feels like an experiment in itself.


The Indiana Daily Student

Less Than Jake, less than important

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If you're looking for a self-help guide to surviving the transition from teenager to adult, you've come to the right place. That topic is Less Than Jake's field of expertise and it has spent the last four albums deconstructing every possible emotion involved with growing up.

The Indiana Daily Student

Lingering for years without much to say

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Daniel Lanois' solo efforts may be overshadowed by his production work with Bob Dylan, Peter Gabriel, U2, Emmylou Harris and other famous rockstars, but his sound can hold its own. Shine is the Canadian's fourth solo trial on a fourth label in 14 years. His sound is watery, wavy and skyshown, his lyrics simple -- capturing his feelings without trying to dress them up. While it's easy to grasp the concreteness of his metaphors and descriptions, if I hear one more artist sing about his "angel" woman, deserts and waterfalls in a love song I might just vomit with boredom.


The Indiana Daily Student

The Thorns make rosy debut

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If the Eagles are looking for an opening act on its Soak Your Wallet tour of America this summer, The Thorns would be perfect.


The Indiana Daily Student

Growing up looking for 'The Real Girls'

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Trust is very important for those living in a small town and trying to have relationships. After all, there are fewer people. You never know when or where you might run into an ex. That can cause discomfort, especially when hearts get broken.


The Indiana Daily Student

'In-Laws' should seek immediate annulment

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The In-Laws" is Michael Douglas' second attempt this year at a movie about dads coming to terms with fatherhood following the deplorable "It Runs in the Family." While "Family" was exceedingly slow and overly serious, "The In-Laws" approaches the topic in a much sillier and unbelievable form.


The Indiana Daily Student

Jim Carrey wants to be somebody

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Continuing a complete overhaul of his goofball persona, "Bruce Almighty" finds Jim Carrey getting comfortable in his restrained starring roles in family comedies. Like in his previous film, "The Majestic," Carrey not only seems desperate to become lovable, but to become a pillar of moral integrity much like his "Bruce Almighty" co-star Morgan Freeman, or more obviously, Jimmy Stewart. Those actor's roles aren't forced, and Carrey's attempts not only feel disgustingly fraught, but wholly condescending.


The Indiana Daily Student

Screw 'NBA Jam'

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When EA released "NBA Street" for PlayStation 2 and GameCube a couple years ago, it ushered in a second renaissance of arcade-esque hoops action in lieu of "Arch Rivals" and "NBA Jam." While those games were justifiably loved, "Street" upped the ante with flashier graphics, better music, funnier voices and all-around cooler gameplay. Now, along comes "NBA Street Vol. 2," and much like with its predecessor, a new era of b-ball balletics has been born.


The Indiana Daily Student

Minus features, 'Adaptation' is a good DVD

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"Adaptation" is a brilliant film. It exhibits a very aware sense of the metaphorical line between fiction and reality, how a single narrative can enhance its poignancy by manipulating this notion and deconstructing its own anatomy. It's a shame that the DVD isn't aware of the same fact.


The Indiana Daily Student

Midstates down the hyperspace

They come in peace and they come bearing gifts. They come with names such as Mechadan, Sasha, Dahlman and Angel. They come with an otherworldly rock that will leave your ears floating just down of novasonic hyper space. In the unexplored regions just beyond Jupiter's rings, before you reach the moons of Neptune lies the crystal kingdom of Calumet City, from which our intergalactic heroes hail.



The Indiana Daily Student

A chick flick for guys and gals

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What the original "Austin Powers" movie was to '60s spy movies, "Down with Love" is to '60s romantic comedies. Both movies are humorous parodies of the genre while at the same time honoring the era with reverence.


The Indiana Daily Student

Philosophy, religion, ethics — 'The Matrix'

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Doctoral student Josh Alexander saw "The Matrix" in 1999 purely for entertainment. He left the theater not only feeling amused but contemplating the sci-fi film. Like millions of other viewers, he realized the movie's deeper than its innovative special effects. Since its release, college professors, students and other fans have pondered, ripped apart and scrutinized the movie's dense messages relating to philosophy, religion and ethics. Books, scholarly articles and college courses have pondered the philosophical thoughts: Is Neo a Christ-like character? Do you take the red pill or the blue pill? What's real and what's virtual?


The Indiana Daily Student

Dork hip-hop from the West coast

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El-P's label Definitive Jux is fastly becoming the place to find the best current hip-hop acts. Cannibal Ox, Aesop Rock, Mr. Lif, El-P himself and now Murs have released tremendous albums for the label in the past three years. Murs, who has been on the scene since 1993, makes his solo debut and quickly projects himself as dually learned and as an outsider. In his captivating tale of street terror in L.A., "The Night Before," he begins by saying, "I'm-a lend my speech to all within my reach to tell what really goes on, from the cells to the streets."


The Indiana Daily Student

Alkaline Trio is 'Good' at 'Mourning'

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Alkaline Trio's horror-based notions are based in their two favorite colors: black and a very bloody crimson. I could say they eat other punk bands for lunch, but I don't want to give them any ideas.


The Indiana Daily Student

Predictable Third Eye Blind album hits shelves

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How on earth do you follow up two platinum albums? Wait four years between records? Four years is a lifetime in today's music fan attention span. Third Eye Blind decided to make us wait anyway. Was it even worth the wait? Probably so. Out of the Vein picks up right where the previous records left off.


The Indiana Daily Student

Midstates down the hyperspace

They come in peace and they come bearing gifts. They come with names such as Mechadan, Sasha, Dahlman and Angel. They come with an otherworldly rock that will leave your ears floating just down of novasonic hyper space. In the unexplored regions just beyond Jupiter's rings, before you reach the moons of Neptune lies the crystal kingdom of Calumet City, from which our intergalactic heroes hail.