// Category Archive for: Reviews

Legion

By Lisa Anderson

If you’ve gone to the movies in the past few months, you’re probably at least peripherally aware of Legion. It’s the movie advertised by the cardboard cutout of the winged, shirtless man with weapons in both hands. If you’ve seen the trailer, you know that its premise is that God gets fed up with humanity and sends angels to exterminate us, but that there’s a baby who can turn everything around if only it survives, and one lone angel who wants to help. Even with all of that, though, I went in not really knowing what to expect.
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White Lies, To Lose My Life. . .

By Jim R. Clark

I saw this band for the first time on the Ohio PBS music variety television program called Strictly Global and I was hooked by the dark and foggy video for a song called “To Lose My Life.” These three young guys from Ealing, West London have a wonderful new and old sound.
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Spoon, Transference

By Adam McIntyre

Definitive proof that there is a Spoon.

I wanted a little something different from Spoon this time, and instead of floundering, the Austin, Texas indie rock idols trimmed away some of their own clichés for some spare, sleek grooves.

I have to admire their confidence; surer footsteps were never danced. I mean that—about the dancing. The listening experience is evocative of being in near-darkness watching someone beautiful dancing, both uninhibited enough to be sexy and yet gracefully measured enough to be demure.

Transference sounds incredible, almost Peter Gabriel-like in the pristine production’s service to the almighty beat, with comforting, vibey moments of mono lo-fi recordings cut in for emphasis. The first two-thirds of the album are nearly infallible as individual packages, with the last bit of the record comprised of songs that would be considered pleasant even by harsher critics.

Give this record a listen any time you want the following: something sparse and yet interesting; something achingly lonely and yet danceably groovy; and something understated, yet beautiful.

Transference was released on January 19. Spoon are currently touring the UK and the US. To find out more, visit Spoon’s Official Website or MySpace page.

Wolfmother, Cosmic Egg

By Adam McIntyre

Egg Sandwich

Cosmic Egg contains more high-energy, unapologetic Guitar Hero heavy rock from Wolfmother. The lyrical content is about the same as before (moon, sky, woman, mythical stuff), but the band are tighter from relentless touring and ultimately the record sounds awesome. You need to take this stuff about as seriously as you need to take KISS. Just enjoy it; it’s arena rock for your backyard party. Some of it might even be great for driving fast.

Ultimately, after a couple listens, I think this has been as digested as it’s going to get. If you’re okay with that, grab yourself some Wolfmother. My favorite track so far is “In The Castle.”

Cosmic Egg was released October 23 of 2009. Wolfmother are currently touring the UK, Europe, and Australia. For more, check out the band’s Official Site or MySpace page.

Sherlock Holmes

By Lisa Anderson

If you read my article in Popshifter about previous incarnations of Sherlock Holmes, you know that I was skeptical about Guy Ritchie’s take on the timeless detective. I got the opportunity to go to an early screening this week, and was pleasantly surprised. In fact, I was blown away by how much I liked it.
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Rowland S. Howard, Pop Crimes

By Ann Clarke

It’s not often that this happens, but. . . occasionally I find myself waiting for about ten years for an album to come out. Most people would give up hope by then, but if you like an artist enough, you always hold out for whatever they do. This would be the case with Rowland S. Howard. He’s one of those musicians I’ve pretty much had a hard-on on for since I first stumbled upon him.
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High School Record DVD

By Noreen Sobczyk

File under “seemed like a really good idea.” This film, which played Sundance in 2005, was essentially promoted as a tale of awkward high school students and their escapades of embarrassment. But it came off more like indie hipsters trying hard to act like awkward geeks in situations the director/writer (Ben Wolfinsohn) thought were terribly clever. As it happens, the film features members of No Age, Mika Miko, and Lavender Diamond. There was also a short cameo by Mike Watt (Minutemen).

It’s a bare bones budget film inspired by a short which is included in the DVD bonus features. Unfortunately one of the most clever moments of the film was extremely similar. Also unfortunate: the film is cast with actors who seemingly never bothered to learn to act. And the viewer is therefore never drawn in enough to forget they are watching a film. Perhaps the director is a fan of the punk rock film Suburbia (cast with local punks), and was emulating the same vibe achieved there by Penelope Spheeris. Or he might have been aiming for the kitschiness of Dave Markey’s Desperate Teenage Lovedolls. Odds are it was a riff on Napoleon Dynamite and Freaks and Geeks. High School Record falls short on all accounts.

This mockumentary opens with a performance by a male/female guitar/drums duo who made me curse the existence of The White Stripes. This band decides to film their art school classmates for a documentary which focuses chiefly on four high school seniors and their clumsy attempts at popularity and sex. The strongest component of the film is the short lived relationship between Sabrina and Caleb. Their dynamic is unique, engaging, and simultaneously painful to watch. Sabrina isn’t interested in Caleb’s attempts to make a space age cooking show for kids, and is embarrassed when he sports tinfoil shorts to school. That moment might have been brilliant if its intended effect weren’t already perfectly achieved by the donning of an infamously ridiculous polyester jumpsuit by Sam on an episode of Freaks and Geeks.

Overall, the film had several eclectic and funny moments. The trouble is that they were stretched out over 89 minutes chock full of unsuccessful gags and slow periods. Had the film been limited to 60 minutes, and the participants been a bit less precious, it may have been more successful.

You may order High School Record directly from the Factory Twenty Five website. You can also check out images and a clip from the film there or watch a trailer on YouTube.

Bebel Gilberto, All In One

By Ann Clarke

I am fully aware of Bebel Gilberto’s namesake, and the fact that she’s been around for awhile. . . but I can honestly say, I’d never heard anything by her. I knew she was a Brazilian musician and her parents were famous musicians (João Gilberto and Miúcha), but that’s about it. So in essence, I can’t compare Bebel’s new album, All In One, to any of her previous works, since I don’t know them. I can say this: I was interested in reviewing this album, because I am willing to listen to foreign vocals without hesitation.
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Squirrel Nut Zippers, Lost At Sea

By J Howell

Live records can be dicey propositions. All too often, in attempting to capture the exhilaration of “being there,” live albums fall flat, sounding muddy, noisy, and altogether bad. There are the rare exceptions, though, and while it’s not quite perfect, Squirrel Nut Zippers’ live return from a nine-year hiatus is one of the better live records in recent memory.
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Air, Love 2

By Emily Carney

Gainsbourg (both Papa Serge and daughter Charlotte), Brel, Françoise Hardy, Jane Birkin, Dalida: these are all various names in French Pop that have made a massive impact even in the Anglo-Saxon world of music. Unfortunately in the United States, most French music is consigned to the “World Music” bin in record stores, guaranteeing that most of the record-buying populace won’t hear of it.

One notable exception is the French duo Air, comprised of Nicholas Godin and Jean-Benôit Dunckel (whose side project called Darkel yielded the lovely 2006 song, “At the End of the Sky”). This band has truly earned its place in the canon of French Pop.
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