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The Indiana Daily Student

Community Arts

The Indiana Daily Student

Austin-based Spoon brings experimental rock to Bloomington

By Adam Aasen · Thursday, March 27,2003 12 a.m.

Jim Eno seemed like a normal guy around the office. His co-workers at Advanced Micro Devices, a computing company in Austin, Texas, brushed off his band Spoon, which he drummed for, as a hobbie. Despite the fact that Spoon's recent release Kill the Moonlight, was put on the best albums of 2002 lists for magazines such as Spin, Rolling Stone, Blender and GQ, his fellow employees saw Eno as a talented guy who just took off work to follow a dream, one they were unsure if he would achieve.

The Indiana Daily Student

Solid country-rock on soundtrack

By Seth Forster · Thursday, March 27,2003 12 a.m.

The music that exploded into rock in the '60s continued to move further away from its roots through the years. In a similar way, the small towns and dusty roads where this music was born are slowly becoming nothing more than an echo in the music of today. The Slaughter Rule Soundtrack captures the raw sounds of small mid-Western towns and music of the lonely roads that signal freedom as much as separation from the rest of the world. It's a little less bluegrass than O Brother Where Art Thou?, but every bit as authentic. The album features some solid traditional country-folk and some of its most convincing followers.

The Indiana Daily Student

Malkmus finds solo career liberating

By -Val Tsoutsouris · Thursday, March 27,2003 12 a.m.

Stephen Malkmus has always dealt in irony, so maybe we should have seen this coming. His solo albums sound much more like full-band efforts than the records he made with Pavement or at least all Pavement records post Crooked Rain, Crooked Rain. I was inclined to say that after his 2001 self-titled solo debut, and I am even more sure of it after listening to his latest, Pig Lib.

The Indiana Daily Student

Good acting for a subpar film

By -Paul Straw · Thursday, March 27,2003 12 a.m.

The Hunted" is a overly simple movie from Oscar-winning director William Friedkin. In fact, it's too simple, almost as if scenes have been cut from the movie. Aaron (Benicio Del Toro) is a special operative in the marines who excels at one thing: killing people. Using only a knife, he hunts down and kills his victims; most of them unaware that he is even nearby. The only man nearly as skilled in the art of hand-to-hand combat is L.T. (Tommy Lee Jones), a non-military man who trained Aaron and others in hunting and survival techniques. When Aaron has had enough of working for the government, he goes into the woods and starts killing people, so the military recruits L.T. to find Aaron.

The Indiana Daily Student

Robots! Arenas! Oh My!

By David Antognoli · Thursday, March 27,2003 12 a.m.

At first glance, "Robot Arena: Design and Destroy" looked like the type of sloppy game that gets pimped out in the checkout aisle of Wal-Mart, deceiving innocent children into thinking they could get a fun game for a discount price. Little did I know I would be spending over ten hours in the next two days contently designing and destroying robots in arenas.

The Indiana Daily Student

International students get a taste of American culture in Bloomington

By Jamieson Hawkins · Thursday, March 27,2003 12 a.m.

Though international students are generally lured to Bloomington by IU's academic reputation, at one time or another they will all put away their pencils and notebooks and venture downtown to experience the plethora of activities the town has to offer. The search for entertainment is a universal one, and for many European students studying at IU, yet another chance to experience American culture.

The Indiana Daily Student

Diamonds pales to other Harper work

By Ryan Allen · Thursday, March 27,2003 12 a.m.

Diamonds are indeed precious commodities, and as the title of the latest Ben Harper release suggests, there are some gems on this album. But after an initial perusal, most seem surprisingly inconsistent in comparison to previous works. The first adjective that comes to mind is experimental, as Harper delves into several types of music on Diamonds. Reggae, delta blues, southern rock, synth funk and African influences are found throughout the record.

The Indiana Daily Student

Talented cast wasted in stilted King retread

By -Alec Toombs · Thursday, March 27,2003 12 a.m.

Having never read Stephen King's novel "Dreamcatcher" puts me at a slight disadvantage in discerning what exactly unfurled during writer/director Lawrence Kasdan's cinematic adaptation/abortion of the same name. Many cite it as King's worst book to date and, if the film's any indication, they're probably right on the money. "Dreamcatcher" centers on four lifelong friends: Henry (Thomas Jane), Beaver (Jason Lee), Jonesy (Damian Lewis) and Pete (Timothy Olyphant). United as children when rescuing a mentally retarded classmate named Duddits (played in adult form by former New Kids on the Block member Donnie Wahlberg), the four are endowed with poorly defined telepathic powers. As adults, the men gather for a hunting trip in the wintry woods of Maine in which their preternatural abilities are put to the ultimate test when an alien invasion occurring within their midst transforms these hunters into the hunted.

The Indiana Daily Student

Glover takes the cheese in rat-pack remake

By by Isaac Edwards and Isaac Edwards · Thursday, March 27,2003 12 a.m.

He's creepy in that quietly threatening way that makes you wrap your arms tighter around loved ones. He lives in a dilapidated castle of a mansion with his wheezing, sickly mother. It's disturbingly obvious that this individual is either on the crumbling edge of sanity, and if he's not, it's because he jumped long before we got there. And he's out for blood. This could serve as a fairly loose interpretation of Hitchcock's Norman Bates from "Psycho." But the one I describe deserves one more little nail-biting, shiver-inducing detail: he holds power over hordes of rats. This is the basic premise of Glen Morgan's revenge-ridden, rat-loving, freak-fest of a remake, "Willard," based on the 1971 cult-smash of the same name.

The Indiana Daily Student

Quality cinematic comedy found on cable

By -Alec Toombs · Thursday, March 27,2003 12 a.m.

What is with the state of cinematic comedy these days? Now, more than ever, we as filmgoers need to take our minds off the war horrors force-fed to us via the idiot box. Yet, nothing even resembling a masterfully made comedy (excep "Old School") is in our midst. Audiences apparently yearn to laugh, and as such the Steve Martin/Queen Latifah "comedy" "Bringing Down the House" has been raking in the dough. Honestly, this saddens me. I've yet to see the film, nor do I have any plans of doing so -- the trailer alone is enough to make me retch.

The Indiana Daily Student

Goth-punk band is absolutely full of intensity

By -Val Tsoutsouris · Thursday, March 27,2003 12 a.m.

AFI is the sound of youth. They could hang around as long as the Stones and still make albums for the 18-22 year-old target demographic. The band is now prepared to enlarge its cult audience with the release of Sing the Sorrow, its major-label debut. Its goth-punk sound has evolved into a goth-post-punk sound with the help of big-name producers Jerry Finn and Butch Vig and its usual major ambition.

The Indiana Daily Student

Austin proves to be a musical mecca

By -Val Tsoutsouris · Thursday, March 27,2003 12 a.m.

If you think contemporary music is headed downhill, then I can probably guess where you weren't between March 12-16. You weren't at the South by Southwest Music Festival, the annual industry get-together held in Austin, Texas.

The Indiana Daily Student

Art Alexakis: the new voice of the left

By Jason Gaddis · Thursday, March 27,2003 12 a.m.

Few alt-rock bands have survived the post-grunge era as well as Everclear. The trio, led by frontman Art Alexakis, hasn't done anything unsuccessful, but throughout its history, the band has suffered from the criticism that and all its music sounds the same. The two-CD set, Songs From an American Movie, vol. 1 and 2 were a shift in style for the Portland group.

The Indiana Daily Student

Natty Nation rocks the roots of reggae

By Jennifer Whalen · Thursday, March 27,2003 12 a.m.

Natty Nation is working hard to put its own spin on Jamaican music. Although the band's home base of Madison, Wisc. may not seem like the obvious place to create island jams, Natty Nation has been gaining popularity throughout the Midwest, receiving favorable reviews from KDHX FM in St. Louis and the Chicago Sun-Times.

The Indiana Daily Student

Califone: burnin' in the basement

By Michael Tapscott and Mike Tapscott · Thursday, March 27,2003 12 a.m.

Califone is a band containing four holdovers from the infamous Chicago country-blues group Red Red Meat. Doing country-blues in the city without being a Luddite not only means including piercing electric guitars, but synthesizers. Surrounding its backwater acoustic instruments with synth burps and errors allows Califone to sound quaintly psychedelic in an egalitarian manner, but whereas 2001's masterful Roomsound sounded so improvised, it bordered on drunk, Quicksand/Cradlesnakes sounds more thought out.

The Indiana Daily Student

Dirty dinner music with Aussie rockers

By Michael Tapscott and Mike Tapscott · Thursday, March 27,2003 12 a.m.

Dirty Three is what one would call post-rock, whatever that means. The group which formed in Melbourne in 1992 features Bad Seeds' violinist Warren Ellis and famous session and touring musicians Mick Turner on guitar and Jim White on drums. In fact, the group's sustained crescendo feels like the instrumental versions of a Nick Cave record. White and Turner are really mantels for Ellis' scratchy, restrained violin, which always takes the place of vocal duties on Dirty Three albums.

The Indiana Daily Student

'8 Mile' opens rap battling world

By -Paul Straw · Thursday, March 27,2003 12 a.m.

Rapper Eminem gets to show his acting and rapping talent as he plays Jimmy "Bunny Rabbit" Smith in "8 Mile," a film loosely based on Eminem's life. Whether or not Eminem is acting or just playing himself, the story of Rabbit's struggle to find his voice is well done. "8 Mile" is the story of a young man battling adversity because of his race, but this time it is a white rapper trying to succeed and earn credibility in metro-Detroit. The best way to earn credibility in the Detroit rap scene is by winning rap battles, and this DVD is full of them. During the filming, the extras were getting restless and director Curtis Hanson says he noticed in some of the filming breaks that people were breaking out into mini-rap battles much like the characters do throughout the film. To relieve stress and keep the extra's attention, the production team held a rap battle competition for the chance to to take on Eminem in a scene for possible use in the movie. While none of the footage was used in the film, the DVD offers a feature with the four winning battles and a montage of others, as well as a glimpse into the Detroit rap scene further than the film can.

The Indiana Daily Student

Waste not your paper towels

By Jessica Halverson and Jesscia Halverson · Thursday, March 27,2003 12 a.m.

The Party of Helicopters is begging you to believe in nothing. A string of empty phrases backed by pretty noise, these male debutantes who fancy themselves punk purists only float their vocals on high-pitched waves that barely keep the moderately-tempoed distortion rock moving. I'm sure the Partiers are trying to move beyond the cuteness of adolescent party songs about mustaches and passing out on floors, but I also fear they all have those shaggy emo haircuts.

The Indiana Daily Student

Radio host organizes rallies

By Alyson Brodsy · Wednesday, March 26,2003 11:31 p.m.

PHILADELPHIA -- Flag-draped "Rallies for America" across the country are drawing thousands of people to demonstrate support for U.S. troops in the Persian Gulf -- a less visible counterpoint to the large crowds who have flocked to anti-war protests.

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