Beach House Comes Inland-3/28/2010

On a chilly Sunday night in Boston, surfer rock met electro on stage at the Paradise Rock Club in the form of Beach House, the phenomenal band who is currently on tour in support of their new album, “Teen Dream.”  Kicking things off with the haunting “Walk in the Park”, singer/keyboardist Victoria Legrand waxed poetic about a past love.  Accompanied by guitarist Alex Scally, the longhaired Legrand crooned how “in a matter of time, you will slip from my mind” as five sparkly, diamond shaped objects twirled around on stage.  Long, shiny streamers that looked like jellyfish drifting through the water were draped from all the corners of the stage.  Some people looked around in confusion, possibly wondering where the energy was, but the whole point of a Beach House show is escapism.  The band provides a calm but ebullient retreat from everyday worries.  While singing dreamy crowd pleasers like “Zebra” and “Norway” Legrand smiled knowingly; their two biggest hits off of Dream, the songs brought on an audience sing along.  Legrand’s amazingly mysterious chanting completely drowned their voices out.  As she sang “anyway you run, you run before us / black and white horse, arching among us” you couldn’t help but wonder where this angelic voice was coming from, spinning tales of romantic woe and distress.  Equal parts smoky, otherworldly, entrancing, and velvety smooth, her vocals proved the perfect cure for the rainy-day blues of the outside world.  Her only problem was her stage presence: after having seen concerts with Lady Gaga, Allison Mosshart (of The Kills and The Dead Weather), and Patti Smith, I couldn’t help but wonder if there was something lacking in Beach House’s show.  Albeit, their music is highly different than the three aforementioned artists: think The Beach Boys meets MGMT meets Fleet Foxes on a beach wearing hoodies.  However much she was able to connect with her songs, with her head bobbing and feet stomping, Legrand never seemed altogether there.  Perhaps the mysticism of her music had swept her away too, but nonetheless, Beach House’s nearly perfect show was the right way to start off a week.

 

The Heights - Erotic Thriller ‘Chloe’ Mired In Predictability

 Please check out my new article here: The Heights - Erotic Thriller ‘Chloe’ Mired In Predictability

New Music Roundup

White Noise (Mike McCourt) is a mashup artist from Long Island, NY.  His latest mix-tape Spoiler Alert! features songs that give away major plot twists from blockbuster flicks.  In this one, from Harry Potter and the Half Blood Prince, he brilliantly blends together the following songs:

·      Miley Cyrus - Party In The USA

·      Beyonce - Single Ladies (Put A Ring On It)

·      Notorious B.I.G. - Juicy

·      Sum 41 - Fat Lip

·      Kanye West - I Wonder

·      Red Hot Chili Peppers - Dani California

·      Drake ft. Kanye West - Forever

·      Coldplay - The Scientist

The whole album is a brilliant inside joke from the inner workings of a musical genius—it’s clear that White Noise knows his movies and music inside out.  He also has a blog, where he recently posted “Stuntin Like Mufasa” a ridiculously hilarious but surprisingly good mash of “Just Can’t Wait to Be King” from The Lion King and songs by T.I. and Jay-Z.  Who would’ve guessed that it would turn out so brilliant, but with a smattering of “Poker Face” by Lady Gaga, the song proves itself a perfect throwback.

Find “Stuntin Like Mufasa” here: http://whitenoisemashups.tumblr.com/post/477535535/im-a-lion-king-lion-king-vs-t-i-vs-jay-z

“My Chick Bad (Remix)”—Ludacris feat. Diamond, Trina, and Eve

One of the best rappers alive, Ludacris takes the back seat on this remix of his massive hit featuring the up and coming Nicki Minaj.  The concept of Luda’s latest album, entitled Battle of the Sexes, is just that; each track features either a male or female vocalist in addition to Ludacris.  On this remix, the women take center stage.  “Fresh” rapper Diamond from Atlanta kicks off the song in fine form, but the real stars of the track are the Miami-born Trina and Philadelphia’s Eve.  Trina and Minaj, the original guest on the song, are known to not get along in rap circles, so this is Luda’s sly wink at their feud.  She spits insults like “I’m the baddest chick and they don’t call me that for nothin” which is a jab at Minaj’s rising star; “Light grey eyes, hourglass frame, still got the crown for best ass in the game.”  Does Nicki intimidate Trina?  The answer after this song is a resounding no.  Eve finally returns to the game after taking an extended hiatus, making time to appear on the family friendly hit show Glee.  She demonstrates her phenomenal abilities while she raps “Still reppin Philly, still the Eve of destruction…”  The song shines with camaraderie, something unseen in the hip-hop community except for Lil Wayne’s Young Money crew.

“Kick Ass”—Mika

Frequently called the reincarnation of Freddie Mercury, Mika is actually quite unique.  He balances his upbeat, poppy hits with ballads that plumb the depths of his voice.  In this song, from the upcoming movie Kick Ass, Mika examines that same range with brilliant results.  The chorus echoes “We are young, we are strong, we’re not looking for where we belong.  We’re not cool, we are free, and we’re running with blood on our knees” prove the perfect accompaniment to the film that revolves around everyday people who want to be superheroes.  His voice is lush and beautiful; he hits his falsetto notes (the ones that bring on chills) with such ease.  When I saw him in concert last October, he proved that he wasn’t the product of a record label’s autotune: he can belt like the best of them.

New Article!

Check out my review of The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo here! Thanks for your support!

A Music Video Roundup

Last week, Lady Gaga and Beyonce's Telephone music video premiered with a bang.  Other quality videos got shuffled off to the side in favor of the megastar Gaga's newest work of art, but I thought it would only be fair to discuss some OTHER music videos instead.

Rude Boy by Rihanna

Rihanna is in fine form here, dancing around to the beat and having an all around good time.  Yes, it's true she basically lifted her entire video from M.I.A. (see "Boyz" video below).  However, Rihanna looks great, sounds great, and has produced a killer video.  One can only hope that because of the similarities people will watch M.I.A.'s video and discover that she does indeed have songs other than "Paper Planes."

Boyz by M.I.A.

Giving Up the Gun by Vampire Weekend

The best song off their new album, Giving Up the Gun features wacky cameos by Jake Gyllenhal, Joe Jonas, Lil Jon', and RZA from the Wu-Tang Clan.  Decked out in their hipster, preppy digs like always, Vampire Weekend have created a video featuring hints of Daft Punk (check out the two astronauts), a dash of self doubt, and eventual triumph.  The masters of self promotion, the band manages to slip in a ten second segment from their next single "Holiday."

This Too Shall Pass by OK Go

OK Go knows how to make a music video, which is clearly obvious in their simple but elaborately choreographed "Here It Goes Again."  Here, the band has outdone itself, creating a Rube Goldberg machine spanning an entire two story warehouse.  It is truly mind-boggling and requires a second view.  Oh, and the song is pretty catchy too.

New Article

New article is up! We'll Remember You For All The Wrong Reasons

Ladies Night on American Idol

If there’s anything I’ve learned from American Idol over the past nine years, it’s that Randy Jackson has a very limited vocabulary and that America doesn’t appreciate singer-songwriters as much as manufactured pop artists.  Last week’s batch of new AI episodes proves this point perfectly.  Even though we lost some stars, I’d still hedge my bets on this being the “girls’ season.”

Two weeks ago, we saw a breakout moment from bouncy haired blonde Katelyn Epperly.  Transforming Coldplay’s song “The Scientist” into a beautiful and melodic piece of art, Epperly brought the audience and the judges to their feet.  Sure, Ellen DeGeneres said it put her to sleep, but I discount everything that woman says: she needs to drop the “I’m speaking for America” act and fast because it’s quickly getting old and contrived.  They hired her because she has years of showbiz experience under her belt; she knows how to command an audience as demonstrated by her daily talk show, so she had better start giving good, constructive advice or I’ll start muting her part.  Her aside, the panel adored her lush, exciting take on an already good song.  This week, she put her spin on “I Feel the Earth Move” by Carole King, giving it a smoother and more laid back feel.  It wasn’t her best performance to date, but it was FAR superior to fellow contestant Paige Miles rendition of “Smile.”  Chock full of pitch problems, the song plodded along at a snail’s pace.  The judges uniformly agreed that it was both an awful song choice and performance, yet she made the Top Twelve, leaving a dumbstruck looking Epperly in Miles’ undeserving dust.

I do have to give props to America for “embracing the weird” that is contestant Siobhan Magnus.  Her interview bits are deliciously awkward and strange.  A glass blower from Sandwich, MA, Magnus has one of the most unique and surprising voices on the show.  Last week, she (some thought unwisely) took on Aretha Franklin’s “Think.”  The first half of the song was full of bum notes, but she comes along after the first chorus ends.  Then, out of nowhere, her mouth opens and out comes a note sent straight from heaven.  The audience screamed, the judges screamed, hell I screamed.  “That sort of sound should NOT be coming from a tiny little white girl” I found myself thinking aloud.  This week, she proved she’s no one-trick pony with her stirring “House of the Rising Sun.”  She brilliantly reinterpreted the song in honor of her father.  “He taught me how to sing”, she declared in a monotonous voice as she blew the song about a house full of prostitutes out of the water.  She is definitely one to watch.  Save the glassblower, America.

Crystal Bowersox, I love you, but you are quickly becoming overhyped.  Your brilliant song choices, what you so ingeniously do with them, and your general “Screw this show, I’ll do what I please” attitude have me tickled silly.  The only problem is those meddling judges who need to learn to NOT shower contestants with the likes of “you’re the one to beat” before we even hit the Top Twelve.  Cool it, Simon.

Crippled early on by an unfortunate mullet and a terrible stage fright, Alex Lambert had slowly begun to grow into his shoes on the Idol stage (or as DeGeneres put it, he was a banana that was slowly ripening).   Kara put it excellently (sorry, shivered a little. Didn’t feel right typing that sentence) when she told him that he was growing from week to week.  With last week’s “Everybody Knows”, Lambert proved that he deserved to be in the competition.  To keep guys like Aaron Kelly (looking like a member of N-Sync, sounding like that guy from your high school cabaret show) or Tim Urban (take away Justin Timberlake’s charm and talent) in the competition instead of the always exciting and super unique Lambert was a travesty.  Shame, shame America.

New Article

Hi everyone! Please take a look at my new article from today's issue of The Heights. Thanks for your support!

A Collision Of Sound Hits Plastic Beach

New Music Roundup

Alice in Blunderland

For those people who just want to know what I thought of the movie, look no further: Tim Burton, you have tarnished a classic. Disney, you should be ashamed of yourselves.

Perhaps that’s being a little unfair, but unfortunately I’m biased. The original, hand drawn, Disney version of Alice in Wonderland is one of my favorite movies of all time. In high school, I wrote a paper on its’ direct correlation to the American anti-communist attitudes at the time. I’ve seen it many times, read the books, and I’ve visited the statue in Central Park. Bottom line: Alice is the best. I thought that being a huge Tim Burton fan (his current exhibit on display at Moma is brilliant) and a GIANT Disney fan that the combination would be brilliant. As trailers and images slowly leaked out over the past couple of months, I could not contain my excitement. Earlier this week I got advanced passes to see it and I was thrilled. The day finally came and…I left feeling empty. Here’s why:

Tim Burton is a master of pulling the darkly comic moments out of any situation. Lewis Carroll’s books were darkly comical, rife with sarcasm and wit. The animated film expertly blends shadowy characters and backdrops with just the right amount of sass. Burton’s Alice just…doesn’t. Yes, the whole film is murky, but where’s the comic gold? It’s surely not found in Johnny Depp’s one-note Mad Hatter. His character looks fantastic, but he lacks an edge. The only truly interesting moments Depp has are those he shares with the brilliant Helena Bonham Carter. Burton likes to focus on his wife/muse in his movies, and this film is no exception. The Red Queen has a hefty part to play, but Carter plays it with both a fiery disposition and a childlike sense of amazement—it’s the best performance in the movie and one of her best to date. For the sake of time (and so this doesn’t go on and on) I’ll tweet in my opinions on the other performances:

Mia Wasikowska as Alice: Boring, uninspired, and flat. Poor job by a phenomenal actress

Anne Hathaway as the White Queen: On screen for maybe seven minutes. Laughable accent, good acting. Something off about her appearance.

Crispin Glover as the Knave of Hearts: Quite good, on par with Carter. Excellent foil to Depp.

Matt Lucas as Tweedledum and Tweedledee: Hysterical, one of the best parts of the movie.

Alan Rickman as the Caterpillar: Literally the same character as his Professor Snape, but that’s not to say he wasn’t excellent as per usual.

Imelda Staunton as the Tall Flowers: A blink-and-you-miss-it performance by the frighteningly good actress who played Professor Umbridge in Harry Potter.

Christopher Lee as the Jabberwocky: Poorly animated, amazingly voiced by the nearly 90 year old Brit. Commanding and engaging vocal work.

Scenery (CGI and all): Victorian England looks more beautiful than Underland does. Burton has made it as dark, dreary, and uninviting as possible.

All in all, this was an extremely disappointing movie, salvaged only by a few select performances. When the title character herself seems to be phoning in her performance, you know you’re in for a movie rougher than a fall down the rabbit hole.

Little Boots at Highline Ballroom—March 3, 2010

On Tuesday March 3, New York had the honor of being the first stop of British recording artist Little Boots’ US tour.  Some critics like to describe her as Lady Gaga meets Lily Allen.  One journalist referred to her as “Baby Gaga.”  From the first song of the show, Boots blew the roof off the intimate Highline Ballroom, simultaneously shedding the Baby Gaga misconception and solidifying her place in the recording industry.

            Stepping on stage wearing a hood and looking ethereal, Boots (real name Victoria Hesketh) kicked off the show in style with the slow ballad “Ghost”.  As soon as the haunting song ended, Boots literally jumped right into her biggest UK hit “New in Town”, with synthesizers pumping and feet stomping.  I thought this was a genius move—it set the tone for the entire show, in which Boots would jump back and forth seamlessly and effortlessly between calm and fast paced tunes.  Each song showcased her beautiful and airy voice.  For such a heavily produced album, I went into the concert with low expectations, but Boots’ vocal prowess proved to be flawless.

Her amazing enthusiasm brought the concert to new levels of fun—here is an artist who truly loves what she’s doing and it shows.  At times she even seemed to be having more fun than the audience, giggling and banging her star shaped tambourine on her leg.  While fiddling with her instruments, she apologized for spending so much time playing around commenting that “I’m like a little girl up here, thanks for letting me have my fun!”  Her confidence shone through like one of the lasers that hovered over the audience, but the great thing about her is that she knows she isn’t perfect.  She premiered a new song based on the Twilight novels, which she acknowledged was “pretty douchey!”

            Boots showed her true artistry when she whipped out such instruments as her laser harp, key-tar, and her Tenori-On.  Ever the whimsical innovator, Boots has spent the past few months hard at work creating a musical instrument that she calls a “laser harp.”  Words can’t describe the thing; the picture above does it justice.  Her key-tar (a combination keyboard and guitar) growled with glee when Boots’ fingers danced across the keys.  The singer seemed to be genuinely having a blast when she fiddled with her Tenori-On; it looked like a large pad with a grid pattern on it.  Each row on the grid seemed to correspond to a noise (some musical notes, some human sounds).  Each column corresponded to a second in time; a line of light traveled across the grid every eight seconds or so that played the notes she had pressed.  She used it several times throughout the show, whirling her hands around like a tornado, using the device to sample such musicians as Peaches (riffing on her hit “Fuck the Pain Away”) and, surprisingly, Kelly Clarkson (who knew “I Do Not Hook Up” fit in so perfectly her hit “Remedy”?).

            I have to also commend her excellent backing band.  Someone humorously pointed out her “all star cast” of a band, including what looked like John Lennon on synthesizer and a Karen O doppelganger on the keyboard.  Both performers provided excellent supporting vocals and kept up with their restless star.

            After this tour, Little Boots will never be mistaken for other artists again.  She has singlehandedly solidified her place in the music business.  She has proven that she is a unique, engaging, and exciting artist whose creativity and talent are unsurpassed by her American counterparts.

Oscar Watch 2010-Leading Actor

Jeff Bridges in “Crazy Heart”

With a moving take on a fading country star named Bad Blake, this race is Bridges’ to lose. Known for his work as The Dude in The Big Lebowski, Bridges is a fine actor, but his performance here is not quite as good as Clooney’s. His chemistry with the usually wooden Maggie Gyllenhal is impeccable and his singing voice is bounds ahead of what I was expecting. While his acting may be a bit stiff at times, the Oscars love a comeback story, so it’s Bridges for the win this year.

George Clooney in “Up in the Air”

Some critics disparage his performance as “Clooney playing Clooney” which I think is insulting and naïve. This is Clooney’s best work to date. He disappears seamlessly into the role of Ryan Bingham, transforming him from the sad sack he’s made out to be in the Walter Kirn’s novel of the same name into a classy, almost ruthless mogul. In the first half of the movie, Clooney showcases his character’s suavity and swagger, but he blows the audience out of the water when Bingham discovers just how meaningless and short his life really is. In any other year, the prize would be his.

Colin Firth in “A Single Man”

A masterful performance in a widely audience-ignored film, alas, this isn’t Firth’s year (for more, see my review of the film below).

Morgan Freeman in “Invictus”

Congratulations must be extended to Freeman for his masterful portrayal of South African President Nelson Mandela. Sadly for the great actor, the Oscars seem to have fallen out of love with director Clint Eastwood—it was considered a big snub when Invictus was left off of the list of 10 Best Picture Nominees. Freeman should consider that (in addition to the influx of Bridges love) his kiss of death this year.

Jeremy Renner in “The Hurt Locker"

I must be the only one who doesn’t see what the big fuss is about this film and this actor. There is no debating that Renner is a good actor, and the film itself is quite good. To me, there was nothing special about Renner; he seemed almost replaceable. I would have much rather seen Ben Foster take his spot for his far more electric performance in The Messenger or even perhaps Peter Sarsgaard for An Education.

Will Win: Jeff Bridges, Crazy Heart

Should Win: George Clooney, Up in the Air

Should Have Been Nominated: Ben Foster, The Messenger

Movie Review-A Single Man

A Single Man marks a triumphant return to the screen for Colin Firth, whose last few movies (I’m looking at you “Mamma Mia” and “St. Trinians”) have been complete fluff.  In Tom Ford’s devastatingly beautiful and now Oscar “Best Picture” nominee, Firth rises above the occasionally slogging script to fuel the movie’s fire.

           

            Firth plays George, a recently widowed homosexual grasping to get on with his life as a university professor.  He brings to the role the fervor of an actor half his age—it is abundantly clear that this is a project that he felt supremely passionate about.  His passion is understood, his lines rolling off his tongue as if it was a whip, allowing Firth to disappear into the role.  Equal credit must be given to Firth’s supporting lady, Julianne Moore.  Her recently divorced Charley is absolutely heartbreaking and Moore, fresh off a poorly received stint on 30 Rock, is in fine form here.  The way in which her face crumples when she is upset is simultaneously the mark of a brilliant actress and a shattering revelation.  Ford’s decision to have Charley love George unrepentantly is a small stroke of genius—their scenes together are marvelous and near breathtaking.

Praise should also be set aside for the lovely Ginnifer Goodwin (so good on “Big Love” but so cloying in “He’s Just Not That Into You”) who plays “sixties housewife” with grace and charm.  Lee Pace of the now cancelled Pushing Daisies makes a brief but welcome appearance as a fellow professor (might this reviewer be overlooking things in seeing a love come and gone between Firth and Pace’s characters?).  Nicholas Hoult, who played the young Marcus opposite Hugh Grant in About a Boy, shows just how much he has grown (following a provocative role on the BBC hit Skins) in his role as a student of George’s who is completely infatuated with his professor.

            While the script at times runs into clichés and clunky monologs, Ford masterfully commands the movie, steering it to a crushing conclusion.  Ford’s fashion expertise (known primarily as a designer, this is his directorial debut) is abound—the costumes are first rate, as if the characters were born to wear their dazzling clothes, and the sets themselves could walk the runway.  The beautiful lighting expertly blends in with the film.  Firth, broken and haggard, veers in and out of an unflattering shade of gray, while Goodwin and her onscreen children are always bathed in a cheery glow.

            In the end, Ford has created a beautiful piece of art, buoyed by Firth and Moore, the masters of their craft.  Though the film has been labeled an “art house flick,” A Single Man deserves its Oscar moment.

New Articles

Hey everyone, make sure to check out my new articles in the Boston College newspaper, The Heights. I'm really proud of them!

TV Close-up

What We're Watching