Selected Writings, Volume 2, Fictions, November 2009, 7.5/10.

Written by Friederich Dürrenmatt, published by University of Chicago Press.

D.’s stories are remarkably diverse in tone register and style. Some take place today, others in a hypothetical orwellian future, others in Greek times. They involve Minotaurs and sales representants, profets and gangsters. Some are incredibly comic, others morbid, yet all feel like anguishing nightmares, because the dominant theme in each of them is the conflict of the individual with a monstruous world. In most stories, the individual is defeated and can only bear his situation thanks to self-deceit. For example, in “The City”, one of my favorite stories, the main character attempts to rebel against the orwellian “administration,” an amorphous entity that controls the city, but is subdued into accepting a job as a guardian, a seemingly powerful role. Except that the guard is confined to living incognito in the same pitch dark  dungeon as the prisoner and cannot be distinguished from the prisoners other than from his knowledge of being the guard, because he has a weapon. He cannot use it however, because he is incognito. Guard and prisoner are alike: are all the prisoners guards and viceversa? The thought dawns on him but is soon deflected, because it is only the illusion of having power over others that makes his situation bearable. But the doubt lingers on.

When it comes to the worldwide cell phone market, the Nokia brand is probably the biggest name out there.  The company continues to corner the “featurephone” market with their product variety ranging from everyday cell phones each with their own style and specific functions (N-Gage, UMA, Social Networking, Calender/Planning) , specialized handsets for music (Xpress Music), and the yet to be released N86 with 8MP Carl Zeiss camera.  In addition, Nokia has also begun to make waves in the smartphone market with their critically acclaimed E71 while further establishing itself with their wide array of styles of Bluetooth accessories.  This Holiday season, rather than offering one or two phones they hope to cater to everyone’s need, Nokia’s roster includes a variety of products ranging in price and features to meet anyone’s budget and specific functional demands.

Be sure to check out Nokia’s Canadian Holiday Gift Buying guide for all their featured products.  http://www.nokiaholidaygifts.ca/

Rogers Wireless, cel mai mare transportator de telefonie mobila din Canada, a anuntat Nokia 7510 – cel de-al doilea nou telefon Nokia care va veni in aceasta luna (dupa 5800 XpressMusic).

Cunoscut ca Nokia 7510 Supernova in Europa, este un telefon clamshell, care a fost lansat de asemenea de catre T-Mobile in SUA.

Principalele specificatii Nokia 7510:

• Ecran intern QVGA cu 16 milioane de culori

• Bluetooth

• Music player

• Radio FM cu RDS

• OSS browser

• Camera foto de 2MP cu LED flash

• Card 512MB inclus

Pentru moment Nokia 7510 nu este inca pe site-ul Rogers, dar telefonul poate fi achizitionat pentru preţul de 49.99 dolari cu un contract pe 3 ani.

[Note: This review was written for WERS.org and edited by Andrew Bruss. Here's the unedited copy.]

Passion Pit frontman Michael Angelakos did what I never could: he put his Emerson College education on the backburner to commit to his band full-time, resulting in not only multiple offers from record labels, but almost-unanimous critical acclaim for his Chunk of Change EP, originally intended as a Valentine’s day serenade for his girlfriend. No word on whether or not she was instantly smitten upon hearing it.

The thoughtful gift launched Angelakos and his newly-assembled backing band at full throttle into the upper reaches of the blogosphere, where they drifted onto stages alongside acts like Yelle, Girl Talk and Death Cab For Cutie. The band’s debut full-length Manners touched down May 18th – now we’ll see if it survived reentry.

Soaring even higher is Angelakos’ excited castrato, cutting through even the shrillest of synths. It’s almost comical that a few songs employ female backup singers and boys’ choirs…but in all seriousness, it’s a perfect fit for the thick layers of electronics, undercut with a rock-solid live rhythm section.

And for such an electronic-heavy band, Passion Pit give off a different image…you don’t picture a bunch of guys standing around and twiddling knobs or dancing around their laptops. There are some truly inspired musicians behind this futuristic hit parade. Passion Pit take a shamelessly ’80s aesthetic and update it with hints of Italo disco and modern indie rock attitude. It’s no wonder then that Angelakos & co. have carved out a nice spot for themselves as one of the premier acts to follow in 2009.

Highlights: “Moth’s Wings,” “The Reeling” and the recycled Chunk of Change track, “Sleepyhead.”

Overall: 7.5/10

Nowadays, “scene” is a dirty word. Its adjective form conjures images of angsty, androgynous teenagers, clad in dark, skin-tight clothes – straightener-fried hair on boys and girls alike!

…But it was not always so. A “scene” is exactly what Thursday ushered in with their landmark release, Full Collapse (and even Waiting before it). To have had a pivotal role in nurturing and popularizing this trend seems unlikely for just some basement-dwelling New Jersey band, but that’s what made them so special – and the majors noticed. For many, me in particular, A City By The Light Divided was a polarizing record. How could a band I so admired and respected go on to make such a dud?

Kill The House Lights and their split with Envy aroused lukewarm excitement in me, as some sort of return to form, but I realize now that the circumstances behind the greatness of their early works are too far gone. That said, Common Existence ain’t half bad.

I do love hearing Thursday toy with new styles and sounds, because that’s what they’ve always represented to me – a fresh and original sound, often imitated but never outdone. Here, we see Thursday compounding their previous efforts (literally, having rehashed “As He Climbed the Dark Mountain” from the Envy split) and cranking up the energy. What results is a melodic blitzkrieg. Seriously – it’s chaotic, even for Thursday. It’s a little overwhelming at first, what with all the unadulterated screamo influence, thanks in part to Geoff Rickly’s involvement with Daryl Palumbo in United Nations. The production influence from Dave Fridmann has evolved to complement this, whereas their previous efforts with him sounded either too clean or too messy.

And don’t get me wrong, I like the lightning pace. Screamo-influenced post-hardcore should be unrelenting in its onslaught, both sonically and emotionally…but something is missing. Thursday used to be the trendsetter for loud-soft dynamics and highly-finessed pacing. The grooving, vaguely-experimental “Time’s Arrow” is the first moment of repose the listener gets after five tracks of pummeling rock ‘n’ roll, and even then it’s a pretty heavy tune. Given the label drama and lackluster products of their recent past, I can understand and even appreciate Thursday’s need to throw out such a visceral offering.

Odd as it sounds, my main justification for being pleased with Common Existence is looking at the tracklist as I listened and saying to myself, “Okay, they have about 7 more opportunities to fuck up, at which point I’ll just go back to old Police records.” That moment never came until the very last track anyway, so I’m all set.

Overall: 7.5/10

A nyolcvanas évek legjobb akciófilmjének folytatásában Bruce leosztja a gonosz terroristákat a washingtoni reptéren… Die Hard 2. kritika.

Die Hard 2. (1990)

“Motherfuckin’ motherfucker!”

Ki a rendező: A finn születésű Renny Harlin, akinek első nagy hollywoodi produkciója meglehetősen felemásra sikeredett (Rémálom az Elm utcában 4.). De aztán két évvel később jelen posztunk tárgyával meglehetősen nagyot durrantott, és az álomgyár egyik legsikeresebb akciófilm rendezőjévé lépett elő a kilencvenes években olyan filmekkel mint a Cliffhanger, az Utánunk a tűzözön (ha jól emlékszem itt jött össze Geena Davis-szel) vagy a Háborgó mélység.

Ki játszik benne: A germán származású Bruce Willis, akinek máig John McClane a leg(el)ismertebb szerepe, pedig temérdek akció- és egyéb műfajú filmben szerepelt (Az utolsó cserkész, Hatodik érzék, Az ötödik elem, Armageddon, Ponyvaregény, Grindhouse, Sin City – csak hogy az ismertebbeket említsük). Willis mellett ismét felbukkan a csaját alakító Bonnie Bedelia, illetve az egyik főgonosz szerepében Franco Nero.

Mi a sztori: Karácsony este – Dulles International Airport, Washington. John McClane a feleségét várja a reptéren, miközben feltűnik neki két gyanús alak, akikről hamarosan kiderül, hogy valóban rosszban sántikálnak. De ez még csak a kezdet: egy marcona elitkatonákból álló terroristacsoport ugyanis nem sokkal később átveszi az irányítást a reptér biztonsági rendszere felett, és megbénítja a teljes légi forgalmat. McClane-nek igyekeznie kell, mivel a leszálló járatok egyikén ott ül a felesége, a fenn köröző gépekben pedig vészesen fogy a kerozin.

Tovább is van>>

Will Kowall (a.k.a. Virtue) and Danny Joseph (a.k.a. Exquisite Corpse) are not your typical rap visionaries. In today’s hip-hop landscape, where the Lil Waynes and Soulja Boys tower over countless, equally inane imitators, Partyboobytrap are trying to make some noise and bring the established order down from the bottom up.

Where other artists emphasize the money, the power and the fame, Partyboobytrap runs with a collective of Boston artists known as Fameless Fam, a motley crew of hip-hop and electro kids who spread the gospel of fun and original music for free. It seems as though modesty is the new black. To this end, Partyboobytrap’s debut digital full-length is an impressive way to kick things off.

The record begins with a upright bass groove that would make A Tribe Called Quest proud. Virtue bursts in and immediately defines his own personality, with a distinctive voice and understated lyrical prowess to be explored throughout the rest of the album. My initial comparison to Aesop Rock still seems justified, but he sets himself apart more often than not. The guest verse from Invisible Inc. mouthpiece George Watsky gets me every time, just because…well, shit, the kid’s good.

 Instrumental flourishes and the occasional verse from co-collaborator Exquisite Corpse provide a raw, organic feel to some already-outstanding samples. The underlying intention is to make fun, upbeat hip-hop and party jams, but they’re not afraid to experiment and have a little fun with it. “#184″ is probably my favorite cut from a production standpoint, as it features a punchy live drum track against a sample from one of my favorite songs – Bright Eyes’ “Lover I Don’t Have To Love.” “Aquafina Silhowet” is comparatively simple, but also impressive for marrying a UK grime tempo with an old-school feel (or at least trying to). But nobody’s perfect. “Boylston Anthem” is less than anthemic; it plays like a hyperextended inside joke set over a generic contemporary hip-pop beat. Virtue lyrically captures the feel of downtown Boston, but the guest verse from one “Papa Bakes” sends the imagery way off course. The acoustic remix of “I Don’t Know” is noticeably the misfit on the album, but if nothing else, I’m interested in hearing the original.

Partyboobytrap’s strongest point is their message. Behind all the wordplay, the duo have something to say, and that’s commendable in and of itself. “Wassail” laments the commercialized state of hip-hop: uninspired MCs who dumb their music down for bigger audiences at the expense of artistic integrity. On the humorous side of things, “You and Me; the Bitch” echoes Common’s 1994 single, “I Used To Love H.E.R.” Updated for 2008, it’s what any young, white Emerson College sophomores would sing about: a “sad song about weed” under the clever disguise of a relationship, without even dropping the name Mary Jane! I suppose the refrain, “You leave me breathless,” should have given it away.

Virtue puts it best: “Every human can relate to movement: it don’t matter where you’re from, we all clap to music.”

Overall: 7.5/10

Download the album for free here; visit the official site to make a donation.

Formerly known as A Silver Mount Zion, this band has come a long way. Starting out as a trio of Montreal post-rockers, they ballooned up in member count (as well as name length) and became “the little Godspeed You! Black Emperor that could.” You could argue otherwise, due to their addition of vocals and slightly more minimalist approach, but Efrim Menuck composes with that same sense of apocalyptic bombast and frightening urgency that makes both bands great.

But the days of both GY!BE and A Silver Mount Zion are now in the past, and we’re left with Thee Silver Mount Zion Memorial Orchestra & Tra-La-La Band. Their latest offering sees them taking on less of the ambient/experimental/post-rock role in exchange for that of the indie rock band they’ve threatened to be for some time now. If you ignore the first part of the album, a short, squealing, droning affair that’s split into 12 individual, seconds-long tracks, opener “1,000,000 Died To Make This Sound” lulls you into complacency in typical ASMZ fashion, but explodes into a rather straightforward rock and roll dirge, aimlessly plodding through chants of the song’s title. It’s not till about 12 minutes in that the grandeur drops out and Menuck finds his voice, taking hold of the song with his impassioned cries about who-knows-what (“your band…you’re bland…your band is bland”).

The titular track is even more funereal, despite its disjointed meters (5/4, 9/8…love it). It’s a little more orchestral in composition, but still uncharacteristically guitar-and-vocal driven. In the first movement especially, they’ve certainly upped the fuzz to create an almost Earth-like tone, lending a new sort of atmosphere to their already-ethereal sound. Once the song kicks in, Menuck’s status as “lead singer of Silver Mount-whatever-whatever” is reaffirmed, and it actually blends pretty well, compared to his jarring presence periodically throughout He Has Left Us Alone… and Born Into Trouble…. It does see them return to their masterful use of dynamics, resulting in one of the greatest payoffs an SMZ track has ever offered.

“Black Waters Blowed/Engine Broke Blues” follows, compositionally foraying into free jazz influence with rubato swells of percussion and organic background noise before settling on a jaunty Sigur Rós groove at the 5:00 mark. It’s really quite nice – especially the interplay between Menuck’s voice and the ubiquitous string section – but let’s be honest here: this probably could have been split into two tracks. I mean…come on. I’m as much of an advocate of the extended composition as anyone, but something about four Silver-Mount-marathons in a row is particularly taxing and probably requires either the right mood or a noteworthy attention span. And yet, something keeps me anxiously listening, especially in the case of the closer, “Blindblindblind.” Without vocals, it might be reminiscent of Lift Your Skinny Fists-era GY!BE. Though 13 Blues for Thirteen Moons is not their strongest release, I have to give credit to Thee Silver Mount Zion Memorial Orchestra & Tra-La-La Band for taking risks and adapting into their own animal.

Overall: 7.5/10

The Crucible, November 2008, 7.5/10.

Written by Arthur Miller.  Published by Penguin Books.

This play is a bit of a modern classic, probably partly because of who it is written by and the topic that it covers.  That said, it is an enjoyable read.  Although a little difficult to get into in the first act, the second, third and fourth acts are action packed.  Also helpful is the fact that there is a little bit of narrative throughout that explains some of what is happening to people who would otherwise be unfamiliar with the setting.  A simple story on the surface, there are many obvious themes running throughout that give a reader much to consider, as well as a lot of more subtle ideas that add a lot to the play.

Cold World is an anomaly in the hardcore scene. They certainly have a unique aesthetic and an innovative take on genre crossover, blending golden-age hip-hop with aggressive hardcore. When they’re not exercising their urban influences, they’re easily one of the most straight-up, to-the-point traditional hardcore bands around, so it’s truly hard to tag them as a gimmick band. Instead, they take something pointedly original and run with it, strong-arming anyone who stands in their way.

For their first release on Deathwish (after having previously worked with Lockin’ Out and 1917), Cold World comes out of the gate swinging with a well-ordered, cohesive record that runs the gamut without going off the deep end (depending, of course, on where you think the “deep end” begins for this style). “Roaches And Rats” is probably the exemplar of their genre-crossbreed, though there are frequent nods to classic hip-hop joints throughout the album (the band is named after a seminal GZA track, lyrical allusions to Common’s “Book Of Life”).

The integration of RZA-style beats and other rap clichés is, however, a hit-or-miss affair, and not every instance is a hit. A guest spot from British dub artist Warrior Queen feels forced and leaves you wondering why they didn’t shoot for someone more relevant to spit some hot fire over a brutal breakdown or something like that. The other places this record falls short is the production value…specifically, the mix. It’s just not as mean as it should be, which is peculiar coming from producer Billy Graziadei (of Biohazard). Their previous releases, as evidenced on the No Omega compilation, may not have sounded as polished, but the feel was there, and that is about 50-60% absent from this record.

Overall: 7.5/10

It goes without saying that I was first introduced to Jenny Lewis through Rilo Kiley. Though I consider myself a fan of the latter, J. Lew’s solo albums have seemed to resonate with me a little more. Blasphemy, I know, but I’m an album guy and Rabbit Fur Coat and Acid Tongue have seemed to hold up better in that format. There’s a certain something about them that the RK albums don’t have. I want to say it’s a sense of “soul,” though perhaps that’s somewhat disparaging to Rilo Kiley. But let’s go with it for now.

The production on this album may be a little too clean to really accentuate that “soul,” that classic-country-blues influence, but the performances have enough character to be able to look past that, so it’s not a matter of being overly polished (who ever complained about being able to hear everything too well?). The vocals, in particular, are refreshingly rough around the edges. I think it’s part of the Jenny Lewis allure…call it “sincerity,” but it fits her sound and her personality. 

Also, the guest spots on Acid Tongue certainly keep things interesting – Elvis Costello, Johnathan Rice and Zooey Deschanel for starters – but honestly, I sort of miss the Watson Twins backing the show up. Despite all this, Jenny could certainly carry the record on her own, which speaks not only to her endearing singing, but also to the songwriting and arrangements – pretty simple, but undeniably effective.

The most significant downfall of this album is that it just doesn’t have the same memorable songs that Rabbit Fur Coat had. There are some high points though: “See Fernando” takes the cake, for sure. And the title track is stark and honest and reminds you why you fell in love with Jenny Lewis in the first place.

Overall: 7.5/10

As much as it pains me to say this, there will never be a “return to form” for the Mars Volta, referring to their first releases, the Tremulant EP and De-Loused In The Comatorium. There can’t be – between all the lineup shifts (from Flea to Jon Theodore to the late Jeremy Ward) and the general mental states of Cedric and Omar, the Volta partnership is chugging ever forward, never looking back. Though this forces them to adapt and evolve slightly with each album cycle, it also leads to a lack of consistency throughout their discography, and nothing reinforces that quite like Bedlam.

With the addition of virtuoso drummer Thomas Pridgen, it’s likely that less people are tuning in just to hear Omar’s haphazard guitar playing or Cedric’s nonsensical lyrics. The guy is a fucking monster and probably just as responsible for the Bedlam sound as the core duo. The songs are more concise and aggressive than they have been since the group’s inception or, dare I say, the At The Drive-In days. However, this new approach can work for or against the band: “Wax Simulacra” absolutely pummeled me when I first heard it, but “Goliath” sounds tremendously busy (as compared to the live, pre-Pridgen version). “Aberinkula” kicks things off ferociously, but the fire of “Ourobouros” is often extinguished not only by Omar’s goofy post-production, but by song structure and form – something to which you wouldn’t think The Mars Volta would fall victim. Bedlam is certainly a turnaround from Amputechture and the dud that was Scabdates, but something’s still not quite clicking the way it did from 2002-2005.

Overall: 7.5/10

Everyman

Everyman, October 2008, 7.5/10.

Written by Philip Roth. Published by Vintage.

This novel – or perhaps novella – was enjoyable but not great. Not as depressing as the subject matter may lead the reader to believe, it was still an interesting look into losing control and fear – themes that I have noticed before in Roth.  The writing here is quite unlike the writing in the other Roth books that I have read, with shorter and easier to digest sentences and paragraphs.  Despite this the writing is still quite powerful – certainly powerful enough to get the point across.  I wonder how much of Roth was reflected in the characters – this is certainly a book written by a more experienced / older writer.

Oscar & Lucinda

Oscar and Lucinda, October 2008, 7.5/10.

Written by Peter Carey.  Published by Harper & Row.

Although I took a while to get into this book, I found it to be a good read in the end. Successfully intertwining stories that begin so separately and end so connected is difficult, and although common in films it is more rare in books, and especially at the slower pace employed here. The street scenes were done very nicely, and the characters also very deep, which was made possible by giving so much of their history that proved more important than it initially seemed. I would guess that many many authors were influenced by this style, if not this specific book, and the only genuine negative were the extraordinary number of typos – over 50 – in my copy (US first edition hardcover).

Nem egy egyszerű filmélmény, az biztos. Nagyon régóta vártam már ezt a produkciót (kábé azóta, amióta meghallottam, hogy David Fincher és Spike Jonze közösen producerálja), és most végre sikerült megnéznem nagyvásznon. A végeredmény korántsem tökéletes, viszont olyannyira lenyűgöző képi világgal rendelkezik, hogy egy életre nem fogom elfelejteni.

Inkább művészfilm ez mint hollywoodi tucatkommersz, bár annyira nem értelmezhetetlen darab, mint amilyennek az előzetes alapján tűnt. Alapvetően egy drámáról van szó, melyben David Lynch filmjeihez hasonlóan erőteljesen elmosódik a határ a képzelet és az álomvilág között (sőt ha már itt tartunk, akkor érdemes megemlíteni, hogy a túlságosan erős képzelőerővel megáldott gyermek témája már a Del Toro féle Faun labirintusában is megjelent).

Tovább is van>>

Szokatlan egy választás ez a film mind Jonathan Demme, mind pedig Anne Hathaway részéről. Egyrészt Demme-től nem kifejezetten erre számítana az ember (főleg a Bárányok hallgatnak és a Philadelphia után), másrészt Hathaway is látványosan szembefordult a róla kialakult képpel, és korábbi szerepeivel gyökeresen ellentétes figurát vállalt be.

Hogy milyen a végeredmény? Nos a Rachel Getting Married egy csendes és egyszerű indie darab lett, mely a korábban már ismertetett Goodbye Solo-hoz hasonlóan nem rendelkezik nagyratörő ambíciókkal, mindössze csak egy életszerű szituációt szeretne elmesélni, jelen esetben egy esküvő egyetlen napját.

A testileg-lelkileg leamortizált Kym (Anne Hathaway) hosszú idő után végre hazatér a rehabról látszólag tökéletes mintacsaládjához, hogy együtt ünnepeljék meg nővére, Rachel (Rosemarie DeWitt) esküvőjét. A szabad szájú Kym érkezése azonban rendesen felkavarja a Buchman család megszokott hétköznapjait, és a múlt feltépett sebei miatt a kezdeti békés harmónia hamarosan felborul.

Tovább is van>>

Történt egyszer ugyebár, hogy Guillermo Arriaga barátunk kinyilatkoztatta, hogy Alejandro González Iñárritu rendezővel ellentétben nagyobb részt neki köszönhetőek az Amores Perros és a 21 gramm kritikai sikerei. A The New York Times szerint egyenesen úgy fogalmazott, hogy előbbi film történetének 99 százalékáért, míg utóbbi film sztorijának 95 százalékáért kizárólag ő felelt (mondjuk arra kiváncsi lennék, hogy ezt mi alapján számította ki), a rendező kolléga indokolatlanul aratta le helyette a babérokat, és nem ismerte el kellően az ő írói munkájának fontosságát. Mondani sem kell, hogy erre a vehemens nyilatkozatra Señor Iñárritu a mexikói vérmérsékletnek megfelelően jól bepöccent, durván összebalhézott Arriagával, és se szó, se beszéd, egyenensen megtiltotta neki, hogy megjelenjen a Babel cannes-i világpremierjén 2006-ban. Szkriptkészítő kisiparosunk azonban azért se hagyta magát, és eldöntötte, hogy bebizonyítja, tud ő saját erőből is boldogulni. A szavakat tett követte, és idén augusztus végén előállt élete első rendezésével, melyhez természetesen a szkriptet is ő szállította.

Tovább is van>>

Disgrace

Disgrace, September 2008, 7.5/10.

Written by J. M. Coetzee.  Published by Viking.

This was a great story, and I loved that behind such a simple story on the surface were difficult questions that demanded one’s thought. Although sometimes a little bit blunt, I thought that in general there were some more subtle elements, but I would have preferred the characters to be a bit deeper – little background was given about their motivations, etc. which I found a bit frustrating, although no doubt it was intentional to match the simple story. Highlighting grey areas can be difficult to do in a balanced way, but the strong writing made this less of a problem. A bit more of Sth Africa’s story could have been woven in, and would have been appreciated by less knowledgeable readers.

My indifference toward pop music made me want to dislike this album so badly. I tried and tried only to realize that I was listening to it over and over. Let’s face facts, some of this shit is pretty clever.
Highlighted mashups:
Blackstreet’s “No Diggity” + Kanye West’s “Flashing Lights” + Radiohead’s “15 Step”
Metallica’s “One” + Lil Mama’s “Lip Gloss”
DJ Kool’s “Let Me Clear My Throat” + Dexys Midnight Runners’ “Come On Eileen”
This album definitely has its moments. I don’t know if it’s a great music album necessarily, but it does reappropriate some very well-known samples to make something new, which is interesting. Plus it’s fun to drive around and go, “Hey! I know that song.”

Overall: 7.5/10

Category: Music
Genre: Indie
Label: Major Domo
Running Time: 37+ min.

The Airborne Toxic Event is an indie act that I’d taken particular notice of, misplaced, and recently rediscovered. Thanks to the odd machinations of the music industry and its associated circles, I initially heard the band back in March during one of my brief periods of listening to radio. The song “Sometime Around Midnight” had received some unexpected airplay via FM94.9, and piqued my curiosity.

Flash forward five months later and The full-length self-titled album is finally available in compact disc.

The album has an eclectic range, though it manages to remain largely cohesive. The first thing I was struck by is that this album sounds good loud, ideally played in the 60+ decibel range bathing several acres in rolling sound waves. The sound is largely guitar/string driven, with a healthy rhythm/percussion all backed up with what sounds like occasional help from a synthesizer. The feel is a great mix of the familiar and novelty, with deceptively sinple melodies and riffs woven together and behind one another for an intricate sound.

If you’re playing the “sounds-like” game, the work is reminiscent of a number of artists. Primarily, if you could imagine Rob Thomas fronting Franz Ferdinand, that will give you a very basic idea of the sound. In both vocal tone, lyrical structure and instrumental feel there are shades of Robert Smith, Billy Idol, Peter Murphy, Billy Joe Armstrong, and Christopher Hall, though never all together and always surfacing in new hooks and vocals.

The subject matter takes a look at relationships, hope, and existential feelings, though often less focused on the larger meanings and more so on the quality of particular moments and points of view, finding depth in the grit of the human condition.

Much like Moby’s “Play”, there isn’t a bad song on the album; three tracks form the core of the work, “Does This Mean You’re Moving On?”, “This is Nowhere”, and “Sometime Around Midnight”. These three could stand alone but work well as a counterpoint to the other seven songs which progress across the spectrums of sound, pacing, and subjects.

All told, the album is a great surprise, and reveals deeper layers with repeat listenings.

Rating: 7.5/10

Mazochista csaj szadista csávóval találkozik… Secretary kritika.

Secretary (2002)

“Assume the position.”

Ki a rendező: Az amerikai függetlenfilmes rendező, forgatókönyvíró és producer, Steven Shainberg, akiről – őszintén megvallom – soha a büdös életben nem hallottam még korábban.

Ki játszik benne: Maggie Gyllenhaal, akit idáig főleg Jake Gyllenhaal tesójaként pozicionáltam, pedig láthattuk őt a SherryBaby, a World Trade Center, a Paris je t’aime illetve a Felforgatókönyv című filmekben is. Ja és nem mellesleg Bruce Wayne csaját alakítja majd a nyár közepén érkező legújabb Batman moziban.

A másik főszereplő James Spader. Őrá főleg a Szex, hazugság, video féle Soderbergh dolgozatból emlékezhetünk, de játszott a Csillagkapuban illetve Cronenberg Karamboljában is. Néhány éve azonban átlovagolt a sorozatok világába, és azóta Kirk kapitánnyal parádézik a Boston Legal-ban.

Mi a sztori: Lee Holloway, a húszas éveiben járó csajszi hazatér szülővárosába, Floridába, miután eltöltött pár kellemes hónapot a helyi elmegyógyintézetben önkínzásra való beteges hajlama miatt. Visszatérte után hamarosan megtanul gépelni, majd munkába áll egy jólmenő ügyvédi irodában, ahol bizarr kapcsolatba kezd nála idősebb főnökével. A nem éppen hétköznapi módon induló szado-mazo románc szerelembe fordul át, és Lee végül úgy érzi, megtalálta önmagát…

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Available in several colors, the 7210, 7310, 7510 and 7610 from Nokia are really good-looking, and they also own the basic functions (mp3, camera photo and video …) This new serie is really interesting, follow this link to know more.

Nokia 7210

Nokia 7310

Nokia 7510

Nokia 7610

A lány, akinek egy évébe telt, míg átért az út másik oldalára – avagy mekkora a távolság egy összetört szív és egy új szerelem között… My Blueberry Nights kritika.

My Blueberry Nights (2007)

“How do you say goodbye to someone you can’t imagine living without?”

Ki a rendező: Wong Kar-Wai, aki jó úton jár afelé, hogy egyik kedvenc rendezőmmé avanzsáljon. A shanghai születésű direktor soha a büdös életben nem járt semmiféle filmművészeti egyetemre, viszont rendezett rengeteg játékfilmet és jópár videoklipet illetve reklámfilmet (ez  utóbbi kettő részben megmagyarázza erősen vizuális látásmódját). Stilizált, már-már expresszionista kifejezésmódja mellett rendezői védjegyei közé tartozik, hogy filmjei gyakran épülnek improvizációra, ebből kifolyólag soha nem dolgozik fix forgatókönyvvel. Ez aztán karrierje során többször is különböző problémák forrása lett (pl. 2002-ben a Szerelemre hangolva forgatásakor át kellett helyezni a forgatási helyszínt Pekingből Makaóba, mivel a kínai cenzorok látni akarták a kész forgatókönyvet – ilyen azonban nem létezett). A fesztiváldíjak hadát nyerő Kar-Wai olyan elismert filmek rendezője mint a Vadítóan szép napok, a Csungking expressz, az Édes2kettes, a Szerelemre hangolva (kötelező!), a 2046 vagy az Eros.

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