Do you miss protest songs? Tom Morello sure did, so he went off an recorded an album called The Fabled City that’s chock full of them. His political pastiches have received decent responses, but there have been some glowing reviews as well. And Morello just happened to release his album the same week that classic folk singer Pete Seeger released At 89 today, as if to flash a musical middle finger at the 89-year-old pioneer of protest music and stickler to acoustic guitar. Or maybe it’s just a coincedence. But is it a coincidence that on the same day that Rage Against the Machine’s guitarist releases an album, the Polysics release an album called We Ate the Machine? Good job Polysics, now there’s nothing to rage against.

For that hip-hop craving of yours, you can delight in Fun DMC, the latest from hip-hop group People Under the Stairs that received a positive review from the Daily Cal. That’s good news for anyone who was anxiously waiting for T-Pain’s Thr33 Ringz, whose release date has been pushed to November 11. T.I.’s Paper Trail has also gotten kinda good reviews. We seem to be seeing a lot of those this week.

Finally, we have the pair of September 29 releases: Mercury Rev’s Snowflake Midnight and Travis’ Ode to J. Smith. The former has been received in a better-than-average manner, and the latter has been reviewed in the same way. Not too exciting, but we had a good week last week, and with Oasis coming up next week, we’re sure to have … an interesting one, at the least.

Warning: episode spoilers ahead. Read at your own risk.

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Now, I know this is my first semester blogging this beat, so I didn’t expect to be spot on every time. But I am fully awed at how off my predictions were for this weekend. Just … whoa.

I had really high hopes for “Choke,” the satirical comedy based on the book by Chuck Palahniuk. It seemed really funny and fun to watch. It debuted at 14th, making only $1.3 million this weekend. Granted, it saw a fairly limited release (only 463 theaters), which may explain these figures. It awes me, however, that the sophomore translation of Palahniuk’s work to film, especially considering the seismic success of “Fight Club,” would get such a half-handed treatment. Still, $1.3 million? Really, America? Did you even see “Fight Club”?

Equally astounding, our first-place winner, “Eagle Eye,” made $29.2 million in its opening weekend, which is just so much money. I’m pretty sure that’s the biggest opening take I’ve had the privilege of reporting, which is just super awesome. For comparison’s sake, “Eagle Eye” opened in 3510 theaters. You would think this could help explain the fatty discrepancy, but considering that, per theater, “Eagle Eye” made over three times what “Choke” did nullifies that theory right quick.

“Nights in Rodanthe,” the fourth film based on a book by Nicholas Sparks came in second this week, with $13.4 million. Not even close. In third, after another respectable gap, is “Lakeview Terrace,” the Samuel L. Jackson vehicle in its second week of release. It took in $7 million even, which is a ways behind “Nights” and just so far behind “Eagle Eye” that I can’t stand it.

I hope this doesn’t mess up our relationship, Internet Audience. I know what this looks like. I can change. I promise. I’ll never hurt you like this again. You’re all I’ve got.

Kanye West is definitely a rapper, but West’s new single “Love Lockdown” is most definitely not a rap song. It is instead a song by a rapper that flaunts few rap aesthetics, a situation that places it in a fascinating no man’s land. Apparently, West thought that was interesting enough. “Love Lockdown” relies on heavily layered audio make-up that takes a rudimentary exercise and transforms it into a plastic model. Throughout its 4 minutes and 31 seconds, the song serves as a studio playground for West, and for better or for worse, the result is a defiant mish-mash of audio technologies that some see as vapid and soulless.

The most prominent of these technologies is the oft-used Auto Tune, which computerizes West’s voice to match vocals you might hear in electronica pieces. The Auto Tune makes the vocal melody interesting, even though the melody itself hardly varies throughout the song. This seems almost like a cop out at times. The Auto Tune sufficiently masks the vocals by providing an interesting timbre for Kanye’s voice. Without the vocal effects, it’s hard to imagine the song being interesting.

This quibble aside, the song does have enough creative gimmicks to make it memorable. The piano riff that starts 39 seconds into the piece may be imitative of the four-note synthesized bass line, but this extra dimension nonetheless creates a fascinating interplay between the two backbones of the song. The Taiko drumming also is fairly interesting and strikingly creative, but it doesn’t work as well. It feels more forced than than the other elements in the song; indeed, the drumming was a last-minute addition, and as a result, it comes on suddenly and seems awkward, even if it does provide West with the opportunity to create a multi-layered rhythmic section near the song’s end.

All that said, “Love Lockdown” is a good song, even if it is not a masterpiece. But it also feels unnatural and a little fake. It works for this cut, but if West carries fills his 808s & Heartbreak with these sort of hybrid songs relying only on gimmicks rather than his core strengths, we will find ourselves facing an LP that we can bear but hardly believe.

When I was but a lad, plump and naive, I had a very draconian view of films adapted from books. The way I saw it, the job of the “movie team” was to translate, no—transmit the book, whole, onto the screen. An unimaginably simple task, I thought to myself. How was it that so many people always managed to get it wrong? What I wanted was a scene for scene, word for word replica of the book I had so long cherished. That seemed so reasonable. In fact, it seemed like less work than they were already doing.

I recall having an animated discussion with my friend Sam about “Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban” when it came out. We had just seen it and were discussing it over something tasty and full of trans-fat (as you could, in those days) when he told me he had really liked what they had done with it. I immediately swept the nachos off the table and kicked it over (in my mind). Actually, my response was more like “What do you mean?”

“I really like how they had the balls to go and make it their own, and not feel bound to the book.” I was confused. This boy I had called my friend, sitting in front of me and spouting these heresies? Something was amiss (although his later fandom of Alfonso Cuaron helped explain this).

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Monday, September 29
7 p.m. “Anthony Bourdain: No Reservations” on The Travel Channel (rerun). Sheep organs—nom nom nom.
8 p.m. “Chuck” on NBC. Chuck gives up his super secret spy life. Yeah, right.
9 p.m. “Heroes” on NBC. Mohinder does something profoundly stupid. That’s not in the description; I’m just making an educated guess.
10 p.m. “17 Kids and Counting” on TLC. New series! I live for this shit.
10:30 p.m. “Family Guy” on The CW (rerun). I’d watch anything with Luke Perry, even if it is just his voice.

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“I swear, she said she was 18!”

The California Shakespeare Theater announced its 2009 season this week, so that even though the first show isn’t until the end of next May, we can all buy our tickets and sit excitedly on the edge of our seats now. Right now! As if students had that much foresight.

First up is Bill Shakespeare’s “Romeo and Juliet,” running May 27th to June 21st, also known by its alternate title, “The One Where You Know What Happens But Cry Anyway.” It will be directed by the head honcho, Artistic Director Jonathan Moscone, who according to the Cal Shakes Blog has been thinking about auditioning some “young actors to play the title roles.” Of course, we know Romeo and Juliet are just a couple of angsting teenagers, but we’re all used to seeing them done by actors who are “old” from a 16th Century perspective.

Maybe Moscone should just throw up a 13-year-old nubile Juliet and a 20-something bearded Romeo, and make them act out the above Ford Maddox Brown painting. Let the lawsuits flow. There’s no such thing as bad publicity, right? Or does that saying not extend to statutory acting?

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Cold War Kids experienced a meteoric rise to fame in 2006 due to substantial blog buzz, some of it too quick to praise and some of it unfairly malicious (ahem… Pitchfork…). With so many expectations heaped onto the Kids, it’s not hard to imagine the band becoming worn out creatively. However, they managed to live up to the hype with their exceptional debut Robbers and Cowards, an album filled with freewheeling, roots-y tunes. Lead singer Nathan Willet’s accomplished rustic voice accentuated his fascinating songwriting, marked by vivid characters and dynamic narratives.

Unfortunately, it seems that weariness has finally grabbed hold of the CWKs.  Only sparse glimmers of their debut’s elusive charm reappear on their latest offering, Loyalty to Loyalty. Meandering and often downright sloppy construction, many of the tunes seem like unrealized sketches. Willet’s lyrics are unsure of what direction to take. Whereas on Robbers and Cowards every song had an interesting character or storyline, here the lyrical content is far from engaging. Willet’s impressive vocal range is still in good form here, but he sounds apathetic to the words that are coming out in his gospel-tinged wails.

There are a few notable exceptions though: “Every Man I Fall For” does have an engaging female character as a narrator, even though the musical backdrop runs on autopilot; and the wonderful “Dreams Old Men Dream” has heartfelt lyrics and a bittersweet musical arrangement and the album’s best. Most of the album lacks the kind of energy that is found aplenty in CWK’s live shows.  But, one song, the jittery rocker “Something is Not Right With Me”, succeeds in getting the blood pumping and the nerves ticking. Aside from these few worthwhile moments, the majority of Loyalty to Loyalty floats by with an unfortunate lack of effort from a very promising band.

There’s quite a few interesting films hitting theaters today. “Humboldt County,” “Eagle Eye,” “Nights in Rodanthe…” Whatever you want, you’ll find something for you. The real gem of the weekend, however, has got to be “Choke.”

Based on the book by the ever-popular Charles Palahniuk (the man who wrote “Fight Club”), “Choke” centers on Victor Mancini, a sex addict, with an ailing mother, who cons people by feigning choking in restaurants, and then teasing his rescuers into supporting the life they’ve saved.

Or better yet, watch the Red Band trailer here. I’m incredibly excited to see this movie. It’s gotten mixed reviews from critics, but the premise is too delicious to pass up

As far as the others, “Eagle Eye” caters to the thriller crowd. An unnamed, omnipotent organization draws two unsuspecting people into a tangle of gunfights and conspiracy. Starring Shia LeBeouf and Michelle Monaghan.

“Humboldt County” fulfills the accessibly cerebral niche, centering on a young medical student (Jeremy Strong) who, after a one-nighter with a hippie (played by Fairuza Balk) ends up back with her family in the California region of Humboldt County, where pot reigns and he finds himself strangely at home amongst the unusual residents.

Starring Richard Gere and Diane Lane, “Nights in Rodanthe” is a romance, based on the book by Nicholas Sparks. Telling the story of two unhappy people stranded together during a storm, “Nights” is the fourth Sparks novel to be adapted to screen. Much like “Choke,” “Nights” banks on the strength of Sparks’ name to sell the film.

I know there’s a game this weekend, but get down to Shattuck if you can! This weekend should be fun.

Chiodos fans know Cinematic Sunrise is quite a stylistic detour for Craig Owens, the front man of both bands. Cinematic Sunrise has, in fact, turned out to be quite a remarkable side-project. Venturing into the realm of pop-rock, the band’s debut EP, A Coloring Storybook and Long Playing Record, will both commune happiness and turn on the water works in listeners. Owens’ vocals are complemented by inventive piano countermelodies in each song, often harmonizing at the chorus. This textured modality was carried over from Chiodos, but that is about the only thing the two bands have in common.

There is a persisting theme of a broken heart, yet this is presented with both somber and blithe song qualities. These two opposed postures are frequently presented simultaneously as gloomy lyrics are carried by felicitous instrumentals. This is an interesting device considering Owens is still battling his diagnosed bipolar disorder. Lyrics of “Umbrellas and Elephants” express the idea of escapism. Life is full of hardships and rainy days, the trick is to create a haven for yourself, such as art or music. “The Wordless” was the first song released by the band online a few years back and is captivating enough that you will be wanting to sing along before three bars have gone by.

When listening to the album, you may feel the powerful emotions without even paying attention to the lyrics. This is just how seamlessly Craig Owens instills his feelings into his work. This review can’t go without mentioning how closely his free form vocals identify with the style of Anthony Green (Circa Survive). In fact, the two performed a duet together at SXSW last year and I wouldn’t be surprised to see more collaboration in the future .

A Coloring Storybook and Long Playing Record was originally released in May, but there is a re-release planned for this October. The re-release will contain two bonus tracks, one of which is currently posted to the band’s MySpace.