Curb Keeps Comedy Coming
Curb Your Enthusiasm
9/10
by Joe LiButti
Anyone who is an avid follower of HBO’s superb summer offerings (Flight of the Conchords, Entourage) probably lamented their all too brief seasons. Luckily, without so much as a week’s gap, the top-notch original content keeps rolling with the return of arguably the best show on television—Curb Your Enthusiasm. For those of you unfortunate enough to never have seen this gem, it follows the trials and tribulations of Seinfeld co-creator Larry David, playing a semi-fictionalized version of himself, as he awkwardly attempts to navigate an unending tide of social niceties he can’t quite grasp. Hilarious misunderstandings and terribly unfortunate coincidences follow Larry in anything he does, with each episode typically building its events to an uproarious finale that ties everything together.
Each season follows an overarching plot throughout its 12 episodes, and this year it looks as though the plot will center on the Davids’ adoption of a family that lost their home to a hurricane. Larry himself is, of course, against such a charitable act, but it’s only a matter of time before he upsets his philanthropist wife Cheryl (Cheryl Hines) and must consent to taking them in. Much of the episode follows his misguided efforts to avoid having to explain why he didn’t attend a party, and his solution is to show up the following night and claim to have gotten the date wrong. Larry takes great pride in what he considers an ingenious social maneuver, but of course it backfires, making them late to the airport and setting him off on the wrong foot with their guests before they’ve even met.
Those familiar with the series are probably aware of Larry’s constant struggle to interact with people without offending them. Frequently and often most amusingly, his awkward interactions occur with members of the African-American community. He hopelessly flounders in his attempts to be affable, and often finds himself on the wrong side of a line that he did not know existed. Despite the awkward situations that follow, he is completely incapable of abandoning the shtick.
Upon the Davids’ first meeting their adopted family, the Blacks, Larry cannot restrain himself from laughing about their name, joking that, “It’s like if my name was Jew. Like Larry Jew. Because I’m Jewish,” amusing no one but himself. Such unfortunate remarks are sure to abound this season, and this year’s storyline should provide fertile ground for some fantastic episodes. Curb Your Enthusiasm is a sitcom at the absolute apex of the form, a sort of Seinfeld without boundaries that will have everyone rolling with laughter.
What happens now?
Porcupine Tree - Nil Recurring EP
8/10
by Cristiano Agostino
How many times have you waited apprehensively for your favorite band’s release of those obscure, hard-to-find B-sides, only to realize you’ve wasted your hard-earned cash on some lackluster, unlistenable garage demo? Well, that isn’t the case with Porcupine Tree’s Nil Recurring. Their pure musical majesty bursts through in this obscure EP.
Running for just about thirty minutes, the EP contains four lengthy tracks which were originally recorded for Porcupine Tree’s Fear of a Blank Planet but didn’t make the final cut. While some snippets of these songs were performed on the band’s last world tour, they constitute entirely new material, confirming in full the new stylistic direction of the band. Permanently discarding the Pink Floyd psychedelia of their earlier work, their sound has become much darker, heavier, and guitar-driven—at times bordering on metal. Despite this change, the album still maintains the variety and intricacy fans have come to expect from the British quartet.
Opening the EP is the title track, an instrumental featuring famed King Crimson guitarist Robert Fripp. Needless to say, the result can’t help but sound vaguely like Crimson, thanks to Fripp’s repetitive mantras, dissonant chords and brooding guitar soundscapes.
“Normal” follows the band’s tendency of contrasting melodic sections with crushing metal riffs, curiously including lyrics and music off “Anesthetize” and “Sentimental,” two tracks that were already included in Fear of a Blank Planet. The third song, “Cheating the Polygraph,” had already been played extensively on the band’s 2006 tour and was subsequently scrapped. Understandable, as it is probably the weakest cut of the set, showcasing the less exciting facet of Porcupine Tree’s new sound—an insistence upon big, dissonant riffs which tends to tire a bit in the long run.
“What Happens Now?” the last track, is curiously off the beaten path. It builds upon an unlikely, but refreshing Middle-Eastern rhythm, adding singer Steven Wilson’s signature distorted vocals and understated, but poignant lyrics about a suicide bombing from the victim’s point of view—a departure from the other tracks’ uniting theme that rebukes teenagers for their lack of values.
While some rough edges betray the second-hand nature of this collection, fans can once more tip our hats to one of the greatest bands in the progressive rock genre. Porcupine Tree skillfully manages to give its sound a decisive turn without losing coherence or identity. While we wait for their new stylistic surprise, only one thing is left to wonder: “What Happens Now?”
Against the Odds
Against Me! - September 7, Town Ballroom
9/10
by Patrick Dowd
It was a mixed reaction from the crowd as Florida’s four-piece punk rock group, Against Me, played the Town Ballroom on September 7. This is the first time Against Me has played Buffalo since the release of their newest album, New Wave—their first release on a major label.
After a boring opening set by David Dondero, Brooklyn’s two-piece indie-electronica group, Matt and Kim, proved to be worthy of sharing the stage with Against Me. The group, simply made up of a keyboardist (Matt) and a drummer (Kim), played a catchy style of indie-electronica that jolted people into movement. Matt and Kim seemed to enjoy performing and Matt often took time to try and dance while playing keyboards, which proved to be difficult and entertaining at the same time. His high-pitched voice and heavy keyboards, along with Kim’s catchy beats backing him up, kept their set happy and light. The highlight of the set was their hit song “Yeah Yea,” which really got the audience riled up and enthusiastic.
After a great performance by Matt and Kim, the wait began. Against Me kept people in suspense for quite a while before taking the stage, even after the equipment setup was complete. When they finally appeared, they quickly grabbed their instruments and jumped into their first song, “New Wave,” off of the record of the same name. Against Me continued to rock throughout the show, playing many of their hits, some from way back in their early days. They played tracks from every album, including “Sink Florida Sink,” “Don’t Lose Touch,” “Baby I’m an Anarchist,” “Thrash Unreal,” and a surprising rendition of “What We Worked For.” Some disgruntled fans spat at the stage, claiming that Against Me was “selling out” as they played their new, lighter songs. Even with the negative response from some fans (read: fanatics), these guys trucked on through.
This concert proved that Against Me are still one of the best live punk bands around. Getting the crowd into the show and grooving to the music is a trait of a hard-working ensemble. I would pay to see them again and again, as they seem to really know how to work a crowd and play a dynamite live show. With a low-key repertoire and no in-between song banter, just like the best punk bands of any age, Against Me use their music to say exactly what they need to say.
A New Take on the Old Sound
Iron and Wine - The Shepherd’s Dog
6.5/10
by Andrew Casler
Iron and Wine’s highly anticipated new album, The Shepherd’s Dog, has already begun to make a big splash in the indie-rock scene. Iron and Wine’s Sam Beam has finally departed from his earlier style of whispered acoustic-folk, and has moved on to create the moving, big band sound that dominates The Shepherd’s Dog.
As quoted in The London Independent, Sam Beam had this to say on the lyrical basis of The Shepherd’s Dog: “I try to use a poetic language more than talk about my feelings.” The lyrics of The Shepherd’s Dog do indeed seem to have been chosen primarily because they flow nicely with the tune of Beam’s guitar, and are often devoid of greater meaning. The songs “Carousel” and “Flightless Bird, American Mouth” are attempts to tackle issues that Beam wishes to address. “Now the perfect girls / By the pool they would protest / With crosses round their necks / But our sons were over seas / Reading all about the hive and the honey bees,” from the song “Carousel” is a line that demonstrates his lyrical style. Written without any particular significance, these sparse and wildly broad metaphors refuse to indicate any real arguments or ideology. As a listener focused on the greater meanings that coincide with well-developed music and songwriting, I find these undeveloped themes to be the fatal flaw of Iron and Wine’s previous and current work.
By featuring several guest instrumentalists, Iron and Wine has evolved into a band with a wonderfully layered and robust sound. Throughout The Shepherd’s Dog, Beam wields this full sound masterfully. Of the more instrumentally heavy tracks, “White Tooth Man,” and “Lovesong of the Buzzard,” are the most noteworthy. Containing incredibly smooth rhythms and a relaxing quality, these songs set a high standard for the other tracks to live up to. The soft quality of his lyrical descriptions blend seamlessly with his still uncompromised, but altered, style of singing. The song “Resurrection Fern” is driven primarily by Beam’s voice and guitar. As in his earlier work, Beam’s lyrics primarily serve to describe the beauties of the American countryside and young romance.
Despite the skilfully structured sound of The Shepherd’s Dog, some songs seem to run together over the course of the album.This is more an album of very good background music than the “must have” release of the fall. In spite of the CD’s flaws, however, it is certainly some of the best work to come from Iron and Wine yet.
THE GIVING TREE, PART II
Bill Clinton - Giving: How Each of Us Can Change the World
10/10
by Jordan Zyglis
Since his term as president ended, Bill Clinton has traveled the world using his community action and awareness campaign, Clinton Global Initiative, to raise more than ten billion dollars to fund research on national and global issues such as HIV/AIDS, poverty, economic sustainability, childhood obesity, natural disasters, and countless others. His new book, Giving: How Each of Us Can Change the World, is the capstone of Clinton’s post-presidential life, which has seen him become more effective than he was in office. Regardless of how you might feel about Bill Clinton, this book is a must read to say the least.
Aside from a few plugs and an explanation of his wife’s caring nature towards the world and her fellow (wo)men, Clinton leaves politics completely out of the book. It is a relief, and frankly surprising, that a book of this caliber from an author of his caliber is devoid of an ulterior motive, especially with his wife running for president. Also absent are partisan attacks on an administration that has fallen abhorrently short in its duty to help our fellow man. This is Clinton’s way of trying to rise above and unite rather than divide. I’m sure even the staunchest conservative would agree that he succeeds in providing a useful tool for living a life of service.
In a very real sense, this is what his book is about—for all of us to find our own way to serve each other. Even through smallest actions, we still can have a larger effect, whether it be “down the street or across the ocean,” Clinton tells us. He walks us though several profiles of programs, organizations, and individuals that have done much to restore hope in the world and our collective conscience. Whether it’s donating money, time, material goods, skills, or ideas, Clinton shows us an array of outlets for our aid. From government programs to nongovernmental organizations, from Bill Gates to a six-year-old girl, he demonstrates how any person can positively shape the world. He name drops many worthwhile causes in which everyday citizens can get involved and even gives the reader specific websites to visit. Included in the back of the book is a massive ten-page list of reputable organizations to which individuals can offer their services.
His writing style exudes a tremendous amount of his charismatic nature. The ease of this read made it seem like a well-structured persuasive Op-Ed piece in which Clinton does not talk down to his reader. At the end of the chapter on giving one’s time to service activities, Clinton reminds us in a conversational tone, “Remember, if everyone did it, we would change the world.”
Giving shows us that the world is not as chaotic and uncontrollable as we might otherwise think, and reminds everyone that in all of us there lies the power to create change, if we choose to use it. It seems clear that by now we know the way, and need only the will.
The Classics Never Go Out of Style
New Found Glory - From the Screen to Your Stereo Part II
6/10
by Roger Chao
New Found Glory’s newest release builds on an already successful formula. In 2000, they released a seven-song album titled From the Screen to Your Stereo, a collection of covers of songs made famous by popular movies. Hits like Celine Dion’s “My Heart Will Go On” and Aerosmith’s “I Don’t Want to Miss a Thing” were injected with a pop-punk tonic, entertaining listeners everywhere. After much begging and pleading from fans, NFG will release From the Screen to Your Stereo Part II on September 18, this time with 11 tracks. Unfortunately, this second act fails to live up to the hype built up after seven years of waiting.
The biggest fault of FSYS: II is its lack of consistency. These new versions are very hit or miss—either they are done very well, or they are done in an extremely boring fashion. Songs like When in Rome’s “The Promise,” or Go West’s “The King of Wishful Thinking” were originally written with an ‘80s synthesized vibe. Though NFG modifies these songs by adding a modern rock sound, the final product isn’t all that creative. The one feature that made the first FSYS stand out was that NFG added their own unique brand of melodic punk to each song. The covers are very predictable and humdrum, with nothing truly different except a faster drumbeat and electric guitars. Also, their covers of songs such as Tears for Fear’s “Head Over Heels” and Madonna’s “Crazy for You” are just plain lackluster. They contain no memorable parts, no unique additions, nothing that truly makes the cover stand out from the original.
Not all of the renditions are executed poorly, however. The Goo Goo Dolls’ “Iris” and The Cardigans’ “Love Fool” sound brilliant under pop-punk melodies. One of my personal favorites is Bob Dylan’s “It Ain’t Me Babe.” While some may consider it blasphemy to cover anything by Dylan, the end result is great. NFG takes a slow, quiet track and juices it up with ripping guitar lines, upbeat vocals, and a charming banjo part. Even the biggest critics would have to admit to enjoying that particular performance.
Almost all the covers feature a guest vocalist, which makes for some nice twists. Musicians such as Patrick Stump of Fallout Boy, Adam Lazarra of Taking Back Sunday, and Will Pugh of Cartel lend their voices to certain tracks, spicing them up a bit further. Even Lisa Loeb gets a piece of the action, singing the new rendition of her old hit single “Stay.”
While From the Screen to Your Stereo Part II fell short of my expectations, it kept me entertained, if only for a while. Some of the songs are just too damn catchy and you can’t help but sing along. And if you think you’ve forgotten the lyrics to these old songs, try this: go out, get drunk with your friends, and put this album on when everyone’s smashed. Be prepared to be both amazed and embarrassed.
Myspace Fame
Eric Hutchinson - Sounds Like This
10/10
by Jon Zelasko
Until very recently, Eric Hutchinson was just another unknown singer-songwriter. Maverick Records had signed him, but it then folded, leaving Hutchinson to distribute and promote his own live seven-song CD, Before I Sold Out, independently.
He released a new album called Sounds Like This on September 4, 2007. It seemed the only ones who noticed were part of his small, loyal following, amassed through his rigorous touring schedule. By the end of that week, however, his MySpace page had over 3,000 new friend requests and over 30,000 plays of his new tunes. His album, Sounds Like This, climbed into the iTunes top ten. Incredible, considering Hutchinson shared the rank with heavy hitters sporting major label deals, major advertising budgets, and major radio play—Dave Matthews, Timberland, and Amy Winehouse to name a few. Hutchinson had none of these advantages.
The realization of Hutchinson’s dream is simultaneously a new ray of hope for independent music and a pathetic commentary on pop culture. Well-known gossip columnist Perez Hilton received a link to Hutchinson’s page from a high school friend of the artist. After visiting the page, Perez liked Hutchinson’s music so much that he posted a link on his website along with some positive commentary on Hutchinson’s music, and things took off from there.
Hutchinson’s style can be described as a mix between power-pop, folk, and soul. His voice, sweet, passionate, and expressive, was front and center on Sounds Like This. The songs have enough melodic hooks to keep you listening, while handclaps and big band instruments give it a carnival ambiance without the scary carnies and lame clowns—this is a fun-loving-let’s-get-down-while-we-sing-along carnival. On the opening track “Okay is Alright With Me,” Hutchinson struts his stuff, sounding much like a less-polished and fuller version of Gavin DeGraw. On “You Don’t Have to Believe Me,” he rides the big-band pop trend made popular by Amy Winehouse for a track that’s as fun as any out there in contemporary pop music today. During “Rock & Roll” he sounds mildly like Jason Mraz, if Mraz were to suddenly acknowledge the existence of the backbeat.
What separates him from the average everyday pop star is his thoughtful, whimsical, and often bittersweet lyrical content. “All Over Now” chronicles a break up with a nostalgia that permeates the lyrics and the vocals. He falters, however, when he slows down the tempo for some of the tracks near the end of the album, including the tedious “It Hasn’t Been Long Enough” and the dreary “You’ve Got to Go.”
Even with those few missteps, Eric Hutchinson has created a solid album that manages to get your foot tapping, your mouth singing, and if you listen closely enough, your emotions flowing. It is a happily pleasant offering from a singer-songwriter who is selling records due to his internet-induced fame. Hopefully he can ride this wave of publicity to stardom—or at least economic stability and a record deal.
REVIEWKLOK
Dethklok - The Dethalbum
10/10
by Daniele Hauptman
In the opening song on Dethklok’s debut album, brutal lead vocalist Nathan Explosion sings about something only the heaviest of death metal bands would come up with: mermaid murder. According to the show, the song was recorded in the ocean’s “heaviest, deepest, most brutal part.” As “Murmaider” opens, Nathan roars, “There are no fingerprints deep underwater / Nothing can tie one to a crime / And if you seek vengeance / All you need are instruments of pain.” He proceeds to growl off a checklist of doom: dagger, hammer, vengeance, chains, acid, laser beams, and a body bag. In response to an email asking whether the song is about mermaids who murder or mermaids who are murdered, Adult Swim wrote that the song “happens to be about homicidal mermaids that have murdered thousands of yellowtail tuna, and later tragically get murdered by a group of bi-polar octopi.” That’s pretty hardcore.
Metalocalypse, a series on Adult Swim, chronicles the experiences of Dethklok, a band so metal its fans have to sign pain waivers to enter their concerts. In the context of the show, Dethklok is the most powerful and influential band to ever inspire violent moshing. When Nathan Explosion enters into a relationship in one episode, “Girlfriendklok,” heartbroken girls all over the world kill themselves.
The album features drummer Gene Hoglan of Strapping Young Lad, Death, Testament, and Dark Angel, who has been quoted as saying, “What a killer metal record! I can’t wait for everyone else to hear it.” Word, Hoglan. The Dethalbum also has lead vocals by George “Corpsegrinder” Fisher of Cannibal Corpse and Brendon Small (voice of Nathan Explosion, Pickles, and Skwisgaar Skwigelf). It is available in regular 16-track format as well as in a deluxe edition, which boasts a second CD with six additional tracks including “Duncan Hills Coffee Jingle,” “Blood Ocean,” a video for “Bloodrocuted,” and the second season’s premiere episode. Finally, we get to hear the full-length versions of all the songs only previously heard in fade out clips during the episodes.
Every selection on the album strives to be more metal than the next, in the true extreme spirit of the show. “Dethharmonic” features violin work by obscure violindustrial musician, Emilie Autumn. In the show, Dethklok collaborates with the London Philharmonic Orchestra, whose members are all brutally cut into pieces by laser beams mid-stroke during the performance’s light show. Hopefully the collaboration on the actual song was less painful for Autumn than it was for the fictional members of the London Philharmonic.
Most of the tracks are composed of classic metal growling, fast electric guitar shredding, and brutal drumming. The words are slightly easier to understand than those of any metal band out there. If you like metal, you’ll either love or hate it. If you don’t know anything about metal and just like to headbang for kicks, you’ll definitely like The Dethalbum. Fans of Metalocalypse, however, will not be able to stop listening.
