Guys have their foolish moments, what with fantasy sports and beer hats and all, but the caricatures needn’t lack empathy. Take this song “Beer Holder.” Nobody addled enough to admire his expanding belly’s utility as a coaster would think to write a song about it. That’s where Reverend Horton Heat comes in: white trash wit […]
review
Posted inArts + Music
Zombieland brainless fun
It’s to Zombieland’s benefit that it pays no mind to the most obvious questions it poses. 1) Didn’t Shaun of the Dead already perfect the zombie comedy? 2) Is Jesse Eisenberg’s career relegated to playing neurotic 20-something virgins in movies with the suffix “-land”? Zombieland uses its redundancy as attitude—even the poster tagline wants you […]
Posted inArts + Music
Two Hours Traffic
To the quartet’s credit, they don’t drive directly at the power-pop that made their previous records stand out. The hooks and upbeat tempo can be found (the opening and title tracks and “Lost Boys”), but overall, the band’s clearly concerned with songwriting’s other internal mechanisms: the almost-off-balance pitch of the keys and syncopated rhythm of […]
Posted inArts + Music
Julian Plenti
While Interpol’s music is predictable and somewhat formulaic in its reliance on a specific 1980s aesthetic, this debut from lead singer Paul Banks is anything but. Complex, richly textured and varied, the songs range from intimate instrumental interludes to layered, spacey indie-rockers. There are few, if any, weak moments here, and Plenti solo is a […]
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Jenocide
The pounding distorted bass and fuzzy synth shrieks opening Jenocide’s Machines To Make Us Wet recall the sweaty genius of her first EP. But three tracks in Nine Inch Nails-like staccato drum beats introduce Jen Clarke’s haunting, subdued vocals, setting it apart from your standard electronic dance album. From there, Clarke navigates vocal history with […]
Posted inArts + Music
Statues
Consistently infectious, Statues team up with P Trash and House Party Records, releasing yet another single that would make you hate yourself if you missed it. It’s damn near impossible for Statues to write a bad song. The real standout on this latest single is the first song on the b-side, “To the Top.” That’s […]
Posted inArts + Music
Mille, “Crysteena”
Justice? Pfft. Crookers? Pfft. Give me some Mille! This song’s like a dance club playing videogame music. And it makes you wish that club existed. So bad. The cascading, fantastical synth riffs and super-duper-compressed drums leave you stranded on the peak of a snowy, digital mountain. Or dancing alone in your socks, in my case.
Posted inArts + Music
Smokin’ Contra Band
CBC Studio H has played host to many local artists’ album-making. Smokin’ Contra Band checked in as one of the latest to work with producer Glenn Meisner and Patrick Martin, who records and mixes. The Meisner/Martin sound favours a polished, balanced mix. On Slim Pickins, the ragged edges of a fun, feisty folk/traditional band disappear. […]
Posted inArts + Music
Darwin Deez
Self-described as “happy music for sad people, white music for black people,” Darwin gives a surprisingly accurate rundown—his music sounds like he’s trying to convince listeners to be happy, and it works. The events in his lyrics sound tempting, but don’t “ding-dong-ditch a Televangelist” until you finish dancing.
Posted inFood + Drink
Down and Durty
Honestly, when I think of Irish pubs, I generally think of establishments that have based their business plans on two things: a handful of stereotypes and a Celtic font. But—-barring an appearance by Colm Meaney or a musical tour of the restaurant by Anna McGoldrick—-it is pretty much impossible to cram any more authenticity into […]
Posted inArts + Music
Tell your friends about The Informant!
Steven Soderbergh has spent the ’00s committed to making lightweight genre experiments. It can at least be said that The Informant! is one of the better ones. Though never bridging the dramatic disconnect that hurt The Good German, this film realizes its story isn’t that interesting. What keeps The Informant! on its toes is its […]
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Jennifer’s Body goes for gutsy
Oscar winner Diablo Cody goes for the gutsy with a ’80s-style horror romp. Megan Fox, right in her tiny wheelhouse, is the titular Jennifer, who’s sacrificed to Satan by emo band Low Shoulder (fronted by Adam “Seth Cohen” Brody!) so the band can hit it big. She becomes a half-demon instead, feeding on boys to […]