nerd [heart] geek

Talk of Circadian Rhythm

2009-05-06T09:18:00.004-05:00

After a year long hiatus, I've decided to jump back into writing the rest of my Daysleepers comic book project. The year was spent working on my X-Men fan fiction stories, which were a fun experiment and writing exercise. Also, I think that writing for The Comic Addiction and interviewing people within the comic book industry may have afforded me a few connections that I might be able to exploit.

I posted on the CA forum that I was looking for an artist, but I haven't had any bites. Interestingly enough, Robert, the original artist, contacted me yesterday with an image of a freshly finished page seven. He says he's still interested and that he's been really busy with other projects. I would total write the guy off if it wasn't for the fact that his work is so good.

I guess the best thing I can do is just finish the script for the rest of the issues (I'm planning the opening arc to be five issues), and see where he's at when I'm done. In the meantime, I think I'm going to set up a blog for Daysleepers where I'll post the pencils and the corresponding script pages. This way the work is "published" and might make potential publishers more comfortable about looking at it.

I've got the roots of another series buzzing around my head, too (calling it Dirty Bomb at the moment just to have something to call it). It's a different world than Daysleepers and my attempt at coming up with some sort of superpower based series. It involves such fun topics as terrorism, religious freedoms, collective living, airline disaster, dirty bombs, and possibly time travel mechanics.

Ways to Make it Through the Wall

2009-04-23T08:19:00.010-05:00

When the first few episodes of Fringe aired, I found the premise interesting and the hours fairly entertaining. As the season has progressed, I've grown to really like most of the characters and the shows mythology became more established and deeply compelling. Fringe gets justifiably compared to The X-Files, but Fringe is starting cut out its own identity while benefiting from the lessons learned from the nine seasons of the older show. (Note: There will be possible spoilers for the first seventeen episodes of Fringe.)

Where The X-Files mythology was made up and strung together on the fly, the creators of Fringe appear to have a solid grasp on their own long term story arc. At their core, both myths are fairly similar. The X-Files dealt with an impending alien invasion, whereas Fringe focuses on an impending war with forces from a parallel universe. Both shows had/have Monster of the Week episodes, but Fringe has managed to throw in splashes of mythology in these seemingly standalone hours ("Inner Child" is perfect example of this). "Bad Dream" seemed like a MotW, until the halfway mark and threw us some of the most compelling and frightening additions to the myth arc.

While having only two principal characters allowed for deep exploration and great acting on The X-Files, it didn't leave much room to wiggle outside the lives of Mulder and Scully, and some occasional Skinner. Fringe has its own Skinner in Broyles, but we've been given three leads and a few nice subordinates in Astrid and Charlie. This opens up the possibility of widening the character focus as what happened to Charlie Frances in "Unleashed". He's been around since the first episode as Olivia's guy Friday, but got to know the character a lot more once his life was put in jeopardy.

I'm like the three leads on Fringe, for the most part. While Anna Torv's Oliva is the show's primary hero, she's been the hardest character to enjoy. For most of the season, it didn't feel like I actually knew who this person was, outside of her job and affair with Agent Scott. Giving her a live-in sister and niece has helped humanize her while mythology hours like "Ability" and the awesome "Bad Dream" has given Torv a lot of fantastic material to work with. I'm slowly coming around on my opinion of Agent Dunham.

Walter Bishop is probably the most compelling character on the show. John Noble is in danger of being typecast as the go to lunatic (see Denethor the crazy steward of Gondor in Lord of the Rings). Still, Walter has been a wonderful balance of outlandish comedic asides and a man slowly uncovering the horrors his research has unleashed on the world. As he begins to unearth events that he has apparently blocked (or had blocked) from his memories, the more the greater myth expands.

The one character I've been surprised to find really interesting is Peter Bishop, played by Joshua Jackson (who is my vote to play Will Riker, if there's ever a call to reboot Star Trek: The Next Generation). As Walter's son, I'm sure we'll slowly learn about the experimentation that Peter was subjected to as a child. He may not have been in Jacksonville with Olivia and Nick, but something about him has drawn the attention of the Observer. Also, Jackson's character supplies some great humor and is a stand-in for the audience when it comes to questioning the absurdity of the cases faced by Dunham's team. He's the Scully to Olivia's Mulder.

I'm pretty sure that Fringe is set to be renewed for a second season. If the quality continues to improve and the mythology maintains it cohesion and depth, I'm definitely looking forward for another twenty or so episodes. I think that fans of The X-Files should check out Fringe especially if they would like to see how a similar concept can be improved upon.

Kill Your Television Update

2009-04-03T09:19:00.010-05:00

The ending of Battlestar Galactica has left me without a weekly excuse to blog about something. I don't plan on reviewing shows episode to episode as I did with the final season of BSG, but I'm going to try to post my thoughts about some of the shows I'm currently watching. Be forewarned about spoilers ahead.

Lost - Season five continues to build on the momentum established by the last season and the new shorter seasons, plus the established end date, seem to suit the show well. This makes the writers fill each hour with little filler, which bogged down some of the first three seasons.

This week's show was a Kate episode that was actually really good. The character was given quite a bit of badly needed development. Hopefully this will continue to happen and we'll get a Kate that is creating her own destiny and not dependent on someone else the entire time.

Sawyer has really developed into a great multi-faceted character. I used to hate the guy and his nicknaming and smart remarks, but the writers have gone a solid job of transforming him into a leader over four and a half years of the show. I certainly hope he sticks with Juliet and doesn't go padding off after Kate, again. This week's show gave me hope.

Terminator: The Sarah Connor Chronicles - Despite how slow the show tends to be, particularly during the first three episodes after the winter hiatus, I'm still really digging it. The resolution of the whole Jesse/Riley arc was handled really well and we finally got to see John behave as if is going to grow up to be the savior of mankind that we've led to believe he's going to be.

I was sad to see the death of favored recurring character last week. I was hoping that his reintroducton would lead to a more frequent appearances, maybe even joining up with the Connor's team, but it doesn't look like that will happen now.

The Weaver/Ellison/John Henry plot took some interesting turns this past week. While Weaver's true agenda continues to be unknown, we now have another rival agency to contend with. I wonder if this will force Weaver and the Connors to have to work together in the near future.

Daybreak (Part II)

2009-03-23T07:54:00.026-05:00

Battlestar Galactica - Episode 4.20

The series finale is clearly cut into two distinct halves, both spotlighting the dichotomy that is Battlestar Galactica. The first hour was an edge of the seat, action and special effects extravaganza, while the second was serene and character focused. In the end, this was sort of ending I would expect from Ronald D. Moore and by the completion of the two hour and eleven minute finale, I was emotionally and physically spent.

Before the mission, there are a few moments that set up how the rest of the fleet will operate if Galactica and her crew don't make it back. The notion that Lt. Hoshi and Romo Lampkin were installed as the Admiral of the Fleet and President of the Colonies was hilarious yet made perfect sense. Adama, a battlestar commander aboard a ship that was about to be decommissioned, and Roslin, a low level cabinet member, were thrust into those roles at the beginning of the series, so it makes sense that their replacements would to.

Given that this was the final episode and that the danger and stakes were so high during the Galactica's attack on the Cylon colony, the feeling that anyone could die was potent. Once the old girl jumped only yards away from the front door and Gary Hutzel and his effects team got to work, it was hard to get excited. The work on the space battle scenes have always been topnotch, but this took it to a whole new level. Setting the conflict in a debris field on the edge of a collapsing star gave a different look than the usual star-speckled blackness, and evoked a feeling of our heroes storming the gates of hell. Every time the ship took a hit, I could almost feel it and the explosions and crew being thrown around on the inside helped sell the concussive nature of the battle. Throw in the Raptor strike teams jumping out a pylon, tearing a hole out of it, Vipers dogfighting thousands of Raiders, and red-stripped rebel Centurions punching it up with old school '70s models, and you've got battle that almost rivals the liberation of New Caprica in season two.

Boomer's demise went down as expected. It was fairly obvious over the last couple of episodes that she have a change of heart, betray Cavil, and bring Hera to the Colonials. When she delivered Hera into the arms of her parents, there was nothing left than to have Athena shoot her. Given that in a single episode a few weeks ago Boomer beat her up, tricked her husband into sex, and kidnapped her daughter, she was probably justified in her revenge.

I couldn't help but think that the resolution to the opera house vision was a little anti-climatic. This was a lot of build up to just have the outcome be Caprica Six and Baltar picking up Hera and taking her to CIC to be safe. The moment that the vision of the Final Five came into play was nicely handled, but overall it the outcome fell a bit flat.

What did work was the revelation of Head Six and Head Baltar as guiding forces for Caprica and Gaius. This helped the two wayward lovers reconnect and defined what was going on in their heads, especially Baltar's, all this time. However,the stilted delivery at the end of the episodes by these angels seemed to undercut the impact of the revelation. Still, Gaius Baltar stepped up to the plate and helped end the war by approaching Cavil in an attempt in end the cycle of violence.

The offer of resurrection by Tigh that finally sold Cavil on peace seemed too simple at first. Luckily, Moore found a way to use it to inject one more eruption of chaos. Tyrol finds out Tory's execution of Cally at the most inopportune time and keeping with his quick reactionary self, Galen kills her before the Final Five can complete the transfer of resurrection knowledge to the Cylon colony. I loved that once all hell broke loose (again), Cavil just decides to shoot himself right there. He was finally at his wits end with having to deal with all of this and decided to go out on his own terms.

A resolution that really worked was the payoff for Starbuck's destiny and the revelation of her true nature. I was disappointed when Ron Moore said on the podcast that the missing seventh model, Daniel, was not Kara's father as I and apparently half the watchers of the show felt they were led to believe. Still, her Christ like return and departure was very compelling. Kara Thrace did die when she plunged into that worm hole in season three. However, some greater force decided that she be returned in some fashion to complete her destiny. Her good-bye to Lee was sad and sweet, too.

The last hour dealt with our heroes finally finding a home. Ironically enough that home is Earth. Not the Earth from earlier in the season, but our Earth. Looking back, I don't recall ever seeing any continents from orbit of the first Earth, so this trick really worked for me. The twos, sixes, and eights decide to stay to help humanity settle in, who in turn decide to destroy their ships and technology and start from scratch. Also, we find out that Hera is to become our, the humans on Earth today, evolutionary mother (though the logistics of her spreading her genes is a bit staggering).

This was also the hour that the creators and actors went that extra mile to emotionally wreck their longtime viewers. The first was Kara's good-bye to Sam before he flew the fleet into the sun. Despite her treating him badly over the years, she did really love the man. His love was equally strong and enough to break through his Hybrid nature for him to shed a tear and say that he would see her on the other side.

Another great moment was the flashback of Saul and Ellen at a bar on Caprica. He's about to retire and she thinks she's about to get what she has always wanted: Saul. She has had to share him with his career and Bill Adama for far too long. This goes along way in explaining her behavior. She slept around on him so much because he was never there and part of her wanted to hurt him for that. At the end, Ellen finally gets her Saul all to herself as they march off through Africa to live out the rest of their years together.

The expected death of Laura Roslin was sweet, sad, and sincere. The romance between her and Bill was allowed to slowly develop over the four seasons and was well-earned. While I grew tired of seeing Adama break down so much in the past fifteen episodes, this one was really justified and I couldn't help but feel heartbroken when he put his wedding band on her hand (as telegraphed Laura's vision earlier in the season).

These moments were great and emotional, but the one that strangely got to me the most was Baltar's admission and acceptance of his farm roots and the fact that he had come full circle. James Callis played this moment extremely well and despite all the mistakes and self decisions the character had made over the years, I couldn't help but feel for him here. The character of Baltar seemed to have been directionless for most of the fourth season, but he got plenty of payoff in this finale. Oh, and he survived even though he helped start this mess in the first place.

As I mentioned above, the final scene between Head Caprica and Head Baltar falls sort of flat. Not that the idea was bad, but the execution wasn't up to James Callis or Tricia Helfer's best work. Still, I loved the use of the Jimi Hendrix version of "All Along the Watchtower" over a montage of robotic creations manufactured by the humans of Earth today. This does more to pose the question of whether or not we are doomed to repeat the mistakes of past than the conversation between the two angels.

Looking back at the series as a whole, I think that I got more personal satisfaction watching Battlestar Galactica than any other series on television. Ron Moore did an amazing job using a fantastic setting to make us reflect on real world ideas and situations. He gave us characters that were never without flaws, and rarely were any of them truly evil. It was the gray of human nature that made the show so exciting and engaging. The acting was, more often than not, excellent, particularly Mary McDonald, Edward James Olmos, and Michael Hogan. Tricia Helfer should be commended for being so versatile and so good. This was her first true acting gig. The production and special effects were motion picture worthy and I am still astonished that they were able to do so much with a television budget.

When it comes down to it, Battlestar Galactica was just a really, really good show, sci-fi or otherwise. It very, very rarely felt like a waste of an hour (I'm looking at you "Black Market"). It made me think and it thrilled me. It went out on its own terms and I'm very satisfied as a viewer who took a chance on the mini-series.

9 out of 10

Starting Over: Superman

2009-03-20T07:57:00.025-05:00

As a child, I loved the first two Superman movies. The first one did an excellent job of re-introducing the character for a 1978 mainstream audience, had a great cast, and established the core mythology of the character. The second one explored the idea of Clark giving up his powers to be with the woman he loved, only to sacrifice that desire to combat a huge threat in the form of Zod (Terrance Stamp rocks!), Ursa, and Non. It was a great balance of character exploration and hi-octane action. For the longest time, I felt that these two films established the model that most successful superhero movies tended to follow: set up in the first flick, take the ball and run on the sequel. The first two X-Men films did this, as did Spider-Man and the Chris Nolan Batman movies. The Iron Man film franchise seems poised to do the same.

Superman Returns wasn't a bad film. Unfortunately, several decisions were made in the casting, writing, and performance that cast a green glow upon it and did not allow for it to be a really great movie. The first was the initial concept. Instead of rebooting the franchise, the new film was a sequel of sorts to the first two Christopher Reeve/Margot Kidder/Gene Hackman films, but wisely ignoring third and fourth movies. As a result, Superman Returns played more like a love letter to first two films rather than a movie that entertained on the merits of its own red booted feet. Also, the casting was weak. Brandon Routh was primarily brought in due to his looks capturing the ghost of Christopher Reeve. Kate Bosworth just didn't have the physical presence of Margot Kidder or her charm. Kevin Spacey, who is usually a fantastic actor, channeled his inner Gene Hackman and didn't really put his own spin on Lex Luthor. To tell you the truth, the most interesting character in the movie was Lois' new man played by Cyclops himself, James Marsden.

I purpose a hard reboot. Let's start the Superman movie franchise over from scratch. Let's take the best of the Superman comics and the movies and boil it down to a great movie for the 21st century. The first one should follow the model established by the 1978 film: introduce the character and have him face his first big crisis. Also, introduce the important players of Clark Kent's world as well as his arch-nemesis. Superman Returns did have some fantastic special effects and the costume looked really cool. Bryan Singer can direct the hell out of a movie, so I'm not adverse to giving him a second go.

So, who do I see playing the three most important roles in this reboot?

Superman/Clark Kent: Michael Trucco
If you're a fan of Battlestar Galactica then you know that Michael Trucco not only looks good and is physically fit, but he's really, really grown as an actor over the past two seasons. The problem with Routh was that he was just... there and I didn't get a real sense of who Clark Kent was (also the script turned him into a creepy super voyeur). Trucco is more than good enough for an exploration of a man raised by Kansas farmer who has moved to the big city to further his career, as well as a superpowered alien Jesus figure. I think he is more than capable of finding the human underneath the alien (he'd done it before). He can also act and look younger than he actually is.

Also, look at the man. He's tall, athletic, and he would only need to do a little working out just to bulk up a little, but that's it. How would he look in the glasses though? Clark Kent is a disguise and it's all about the body language and the delivery. I hate buffoon Clark. Clark can have as a distinct personality and presence as Superman without looking like an incompetent fool. I say make him behaviourally different than when he's in the cape, but still attractive and skilled enough to draw Lois Lane's attention in a way that she's intrigued by both men.

Trivia note: Michael Trucco was in a car accident in December of 2007 in which he fractured four of his vertebrea. He's made a full recovery from an injury that doctors say was almost identical to that sustained by Christopher Reeve.

Lois Lane: Rashida Jones
First off, she looks and sounds sort of like a young Margot Kidder, only in my opinion, Rashida is prettier. I know what you're saying, "But, Paul, you didn't like that they cast Routh for similar reasons!" Homage is fine as long as you can build on it. I think she's a far better actress than Kate Bosworth and she's got some decent comedic timing which is a nice element for the quick-witted and savvy Lois Lane.

The daughter of music pioneer Quincy Jones can do that. Look at her character of Karen Filippelli on The Office (US). She wasn't just book smart, but she could hold her own with the pranksters and smart-asses around her. Her Lois would be similar but with more of a proactive edge to get the story and sharpness that would allow her to hold her own in a room with either a superpowered Kryptonian or a the world's smartest man.

Lex Luthor: Bruce Willis
I think that Lex Luthor should as be charismatic as he is intelligent. He knows how to manipulate the world around him and that includes people. I think Willis could easily pull this off. I also like Lex to be older than Superman. Here's a man that has worked hard to establish himself as Metropolis' main businessman and innovator, then along comes this guy who can lift a 747 over his head and everyone forgets about the first guy. Superman becomes one part target of envy and one part riddle needed to be cracked and another part obstacle of Luthor's ambitions.

Another thing is that Willis has a physical presence that can be conveyed without the maniacal rantings utilized by Hackman and Spacey. I want a calm, cool Luthor where the wheels are always turning behind the eyes. Luthor is not a wimp mentally and I don't think he needs to be a wimp physically either.

Are Trucco and Jones too old to play Clark and Lois in a Superman film that restarts everything? That's a fair criticism. But let's look at some real world practicalities. If Lois Lane is supposed to be a hard hitting and respected journalist at one of the biggest newspapers in the country, she's not going to be a recent college graduate. She's going to have fought her way up the corporate ladder and made a name for herself in the trenches. I don't have problem with her being around thirty when we first meet her.

The same thing with Clark Kent. He's a farm kid that went off to school and got a journalism degree. Wouldn't it make sense that he worked a few years at a paper in Kansas first? He loves his family dearly and despite the ability to fly home in the blink of an eye, he could be a bit resistant about straying too far from the nest, especially as his parents get older. It's not until he hears Jonathan Kent's dying words that urge him to be something more and to use his gifts for a greater purpose, does Clark decide to move to the big city and eventually go public.

The last half of the film would be a battle of wills between Superman and Luthor. We would get to see how these two are perfect counter parts to each other. Superman is physically powerful, but not a dummy. Luthor has the mental advantage, but isn't a wimp. One thing I don't want to see is Lex Luthor in the real estate business. That "ultimate goal" always seemed a bit silly in the Hackman/Spacey version of the character. Also, no spinning the Earth backwards to undo events. Even as a kid I knew there was something totally false about the maneuver as far as the "science" of time travel is concerned.

I don't think Superman needs to go darker either. Superman is not Batman. Superman defends us from evil in full view. Also, his fight with Luthor is as much a public relations battle as a mental or physical one. A newspaper plays a major role in the story of Superman and the PR aspect could be crafted into the narrative.

Ultimately, I'd like a Superman film that is just darn entertaining. As Iron Man proved you can still have a fun and exciting superhero film that has serious character exploration, a strong plot, and solid acting. There's no reason why the Man of Steel can't have one in the next few years.

Daybreak (Part I)

2009-03-16T08:14:00.006-05:00

Battlestar Galactica - Episode 4.19

Here we are, the beginning of the end. As I suspected, and I'm sure others did as well, the last three hours will be delivered to us by the writer and director of the mini-series and the first episode of the series: creator Ronald D. Moore and Michael Rymer. These two have had the biggest impact on the show as a whole (my number three pick would be Gary Hutzel for those amazing big screen visual effects on a television budget). Moore ran the writers room for the entire project and was an executive producer. Rymer's docu-style direction has been the standard for everyone else that pointed a camera on the series. This is a perfect set up to bookend the series.

Another interesting move is another series of flashbacks. These take place at least a few years before the Cylon attack and are great reminder of how ordinary these characters were before fate trust them into the roles that they now inhabit. We get to see Adama on the verge of being put out to pasture by the military brass. We see Roslin dealing the tragic death of her sisters and father. We witness the first meeting of Starbuck and Apollo. Anders gives an interesting locker room interview that is an neat clue to his true nature. Finally, we get to see Baltar's frustration and shame when dealing with his elderly father, as well as the development of his relationship with Caprica Six.

Back in the present, Adama finally comes to the conclusion that Hera needs to be rescued. Whether this is because he believes, as the Final Five do, that she is the last best hope for the future of Cylon and potentially human civilization or that he just wants Galactica to go out in a blaze of glory is a little unclear. Maybe it's both. He asks for volunteers and it looks like the bulk of the cast is shipping out with him.

It's hard to really dig into this episode any further. This is the big set up for the final two hours. Still it's really, really well done, which is what I would expect from the team up of Moore and Rymer.

9 out of 10

Islanded in a Stream of Stars

2009-03-09T09:28:00.012-05:00

Battlestar Galactica - Episode 4.18

It's really a shame that BSG doesn't have another half a season to explore the merging of the Colonials and the rebel Cylons into one society. I think some of the best beats for this episode were about new unholy union of these two peoples. At the beginning a Six and one of the a human crewman get into a argument about the repair work going on in their section of Galactica. An eight breaks it up and they go back to their duties. Later, when a hole tears open that same section and starts sucking people out into the vacuum, that same Six sacrifices herself and saves the life of the man she was fighting with earlier. Sure, we've seen this kind of material films about sea-faring, but it here it has the implications of a civilization on the build.

We also learn that part of the agreement that allowed the Cylons a seat on the new "Council of Captains" is that Adama would be able to transfer his flag over to the baseship and continue to have complete control of the military from there. This is a huge concession on the part of the rebels and, more than anything thus far, displays their desire to be vital and co-operative part of the fleet.

Of course this doesn't go over too well with the other ship captains. They've already started claiming pieces of the Galactica since it's obvious that the ol' girl is on her last leg. When Lee tells them that nothing is coming off the Galactic while she's still operational, one of the captains asked what does Gaius Baltar think of this. Jamie Bamber's reaction and delivery of "Gaius Baltar?!" is simple perfect. It's a mixture of shock and confusion and a little bit of pissed off.

Speaking of the Baltar, the character seems a bit rudderless as of late. What is his purpose? I think it would have been more interesting if he used his cult to make him more of a player in the political spectrum given all the changes that have been occurring politically in the fleet. Instead, we get him "outing" dead Kara as an angel and more philosophical ramblings.

Starbuck's reaction to Baltar's betrayal of her confidence was another nice moment. Instead of hauling off and decking the man in front of everyone, she simply slaps him. This is shows us that his wounding of her runs really deep. She went to him for help and he makes his findings public. She is simultaneously scared, angry, and saddened. At the same time, this offers Kara a sort of closure. The old Kara is dead and she must live as the new Kara.

Part of Kara's closure has to come from her having to accept what Sam has become, both his reveal as a Cylon and his current Hybrid-like state. Looking back, the writers were giving us clues to Sam's current condition since he was shot. His head was shaved for his brain surgery, so now he's bald like the Hybrids. He was babbling with too much information like the Hybrids, when he was trying to explain the origin of the Final Five before his operation, too. With the ship dying, it'll interesting to see what becomes of Sam. I have a feeling he'll be very important in the endgame against Cavil's forces.

The biggest blunder of the hour was yet another Adama breakdown in the bathroom. This is either the second or third this season. We shouldn't forget about prior meltdowns. Remember the model ship? What makes this even more silly is that Olmos directed this episode, so it comes off as overly indulgent.

So now we only have two episodes (three hours) left of the best science fiction show to ever grace the television screen. It looks like the ol' girl will go out with a bang, given the clues laid by the end of this episode and the previews for the next. I just hope that after the big fight with Cavil and rescue of Hera that we get at least twenty minutes of epilogue. Like Kara Thrace, I will be in need of some closure.

7 out of 10

With or Without You

2009-03-03T08:53:00.005-05:00

I noticed something about my viewing habit during last night's episode of Heroes. During the commercials I would run into the other room and check on CDs that I was ripping down to put on my iPod (I'm still in the process of throwing all my music on my lovely new 80 GB model). The funny thing is that the show would come back from commercial and I wouldn't be in a hurry to get back to the living room to watch it. If this was Battlestar Galactica or Lost, I would probably still be in my seat, most likely due to the mind-frak that occurred before the break and my inability to move as a result.

Heroes used to be a really entertaining and unique show. Now it's become just silly. Granted the concept is outlandish, but so are BSG and Lost. It comes down to the writing and to some extent the acting. Bad acting can kill a show, no matter how well it is written (I'm looking at you Babylon 5). Still, the words on the page have to deliver, both in plot and dialogue.

Take Farscape for example; this was visually one of the most outrageously goofy looking shows on television. Half the cast was in heavy alien makeup or were puppets, but if the show didn't have me on the floor laughing, in a good way, it had me sobbing due to the emotional turmoil the characters had to endure week to week. Of course the beauty of the show was that the main character was a guy from Earth thrown in the middle of it all who acted as our lens to this incredible universe.

In other words, what makes shows like BSG, Lost, and Farscape work is that there's a heavy emphasis on realistic reactions to outlandish situations. The characters on Heroes react, but usually the reactions are knee-jerk and for plot movement only. At least the show has narrowed the focus for the last half of the season. One of the biggest faults of the first half of season three was that the show was spread to thinly over way too many plots, many of which were just there to give some cast members something to do.

On the other end of the spectrum, Terminator: The Sarah Connor Chronicles may be suffering from too much character focus as of late. Granted, Sarah is the title character and she was in danger of becoming overshadowed by the rest of the cast. Unfortunately, the writers have spent four consecutive episodes diving deep into her fragile state of mind. While most of it is compelling, this show also has the word Terminator in the title, and people, including myself, want to see big robot shoot 'em ups, motorcycle chases in dried up canals, and explosions in factories that are empty of personnel yet still operating. Still, it's a ton more interesting and entertaining than Heroes has been as for the past two seasons.

I'm going to stick with Heroes for the rest of the season though. I rarely dump a show in mid-stream (the last season of the Dead Zone was such crap, I couldn't stand it anymore and jumped ship). Also, Bryan Fuller (DS9, Voyager, Wonderfalls, Dead Like Me, Pushing Daisies) has been tapped to come on board for the last quarter of the season and hopefully fix it. He wrote the show's best episode, the excellent "Company Man" from the first season, so there's some hope.

Now if they can get some better actors. I'd keep the guys that play Noah, Nathan, and Ando, but I say they should kick the rest to the curb.

Someone to Watch Over Me

2009-03-02T14:37:00.006-05:00

Battlestar Galactica - Episode 4.17

This week's episode could be seen as the anti-thesis of last week's show. While "Deadlock" dealt with the fallout of Ellen Tigh's return and the what was revealed about the origin of the Cylons, "Someone to Watch Over Me" was an hour that acted as a major set up for the final push of episodes towards the series finale.

Since Tyrol and Boomer's relationship was introduced during the original mini-series, having them reunited is an interesting way to bookend the series. Both characters have undergone various transformations over four seasons. Sadly, the chief gets played with horrifying consequences.

Boomer may still have feelings for Galen, but she hates Athena and the life she has been able to live on Galactica. After Boomer's assassination attempt on Adama and murder by Cally, Athena was able to come in and take over her roll as a valued Raptor pilot and an officer. Also, Athena was able to find love and have a child. This episode we see Boomer maliciously try to take it all from her.

First Boomer beats Athena and ties her up, yet she doesn't kill her. It's as if she wants Athena to live with what being taken from.her. Even more sinister is Boomer's duping of Helo and having sex with him will a gagged and bloody Athena is powerless to do anything but watch. The hits keep on coming when Boomer's true objective, the kidnapping of Hera for Cavil, is finally revealed.

Hera's importance has always been that she is the first offspring of Cylon/Human procreation. This may not be the case, if what is hinted about Starbuck is true.

Kara spends most of the episode talking about her musician father, who abandoned her and her mother when she was a little girl, with a piano player in Joe's Bar. It becomes fairly obvious that Slick is some sort of ghost or memory loop or something otherworldly that only Kara can see. The big payoff is Kara's playing of notes given to her by Hera that end up being a song she would play with her father: "All Along the Watchtower". Conveniently, a few of the Final Five are in the bar when she starts banging it out and they react immediately.

This all but confirms that Starbuck is half Cylon and her father is the missing Seven whose model line was destoyed by Cavil. Could Kara Thrace being the harbinger of death really mean the death of the humans and Cylons living separately? Could this mean by being the first child of a Cylon and human, she is an indicator of what is to come and that the only hope for everybody is the melding of the two races into one society?

While this episode went a long way at cluing us in on Kara's true nature, the question of how Starbuck got to Earth and the nature of her apparent death and resurrection remain unanswered. To tell you the truth, I wonder if those questions will ever be answered. The speculation is fascinating, though.

9 out of 10

Deadlock

2009-02-23T09:24:00.015-05:00

Battlestar Galactica - Episode 4.16

This week's episode deals with the repercussions of what was learned about the origin of the Cylons and the return of Ellen Tigh to the fleet. More than anything, this hour was a perfect example of how Ellen is still the selfish wife of the colonel we know and love, despite having her past memories restored. The comforting thing about this is that if and when the other four have their memories unlocked, that they won't be completely different people.

My favorite character moment of "Deadlock" occured when the Cylons take a vote whether or not to leave the fleet and strike out on their own. Ellen storms out after Saul, who voted stay, before casting her own. Tory wants to leave, but the really interesting part happens when Tyrol makes his choice. He votes to leave, too, but he says that Sam, still in a coma, would vote to stay. This says a lot about Galen Tyrol, who, despite his various flaws, is an honest and sincere person.

The tragedy involving the loss of Caprica Six and Saul's baby almost works but overall it doesn't have the emotional impact it should. The problem with this is that we never got to see these two grow close as a couple. As a result, Saul's declarations of love to Caprica while the baby's future is up in the air doesn't really ring completely true. On the flipside, Saul's grief in Adama's quarters is played perfectly by Michael Hogan and Edward James Olmos allows Bill to share it with his best friend. It seems as if these two have grown even closer after Saul was revealed to be one of the Final Five.

I'm not too sure what to make of Baltar's flock at the moment. Adama giving them guns so that they can protect themselves against the Sons of Ares may indicate the development of self-government on a local level. With the Quorum dissolved and a new system coming into place where the captains govern their own ships and represent their people under the president, the you could almost see Galactica as its own providence. It's a big ship with a lot of people, so it would make sense that different communities would develop with in her. Baltar's "town" represents a devil Adama and Roslin know and have dealt with and whom have demonstrated a level of charity and a call for unity.

The last thing worth mentioning is growing evidence that the fleet, at least on the Galactica level, is becoming a mixture of human and Cylon. This episode is full of these indicators. Saul sums it up the best when he justifies sticking with the fleet by saying that humans alone and Cylons alone has only ended badly and maybe it's time to change that. While shots of Adama constantly overseeing the repairs to Galactica by the mixed workforce got tedious, they were there to reinforce the changing state of the ship. The final scene where Roslin and Adama witness a Six at the memorial wall and the various pictures of fallen Cylons drives the point home that the humans aren't the only ones adapting. The former enemy has also begun to assimilate to the new culture of the fleet.

7 out of 10

No Exit

2009-02-16T08:31:00.007-05:00

Battlestar Galactica - Episode 4.15

"No Exit" provides more background information about the origins of the Cylons and the Final Five than any episode to date. The exceptional thing is that this done without weighing down the hour in boring exposition. The creators should be applauded for not only making this episode extremely entertaining and one of the best of the season (if not the series).

This all unfolds in two different manners. First we witness Ellen Tigh's resurrection on a Cylon Baseship controlled by Cavil. This is the true Ellen, a mixture of the hard drinking, promiscuous wife of the Galactica's XO and an apparently highly intelligent woman that was partially responsible for the resurrection technology used to save the Final Five during the destruction of Earth. Kate Vernon walks the line perfectly. This is same woman we saw during the first three seasons of the series, but there's a new since of wisdom added to her texture.

We learn a lot about how the Final Five created the skin job Cylons, starting with Cavil, whom Ellen calls by his given name, John. Dean Stockwell plays Cavil as a bitter, thankless son, that wants more than the life he was given. He feels limited by the way Ellen and the others created him. Adding a creepy subtext is the fact that he knew who she really was when she was sleeping with him on New Caprica in order to get Saul released.

Also revealed is the fact that there was another model that we've never seen: the seven named Daniel. This was a smart way of explaining why we've only seen seven human models other than the Final Five, but the Sharons were the eights. The tragic story of Daniel further illustrates John's anger and jealousy when we find out that he boxed the original and spoiled the genetic code for the rest of the line.

The second manner in which the Cylon history is unveiled is through the ramblings of Sam Anders, who was shot in the head last episode. The brain injury has given him partial access to his blocked memories. Complicating things is that he has a limited time to get out all he can remember to Saul, Galen, and Tory before having to submit to life saving surgery, as well as a great deal of aphasia muddying up his delivery. The brilliance of this is that it allows the writers to only unload a limited amount of story and adds a sense of urgency that Sam may not be able to get everything out that he wants.

While this going on, Starbuck is continually by Sam's bed. Her reasoning is twofold: she still loves Sam and wants him to live, but she is also hoping to find out more information about herself and her own resurrection. Unfortunately, those two things don't necessarily go hand in hand.

Also, perculating in the background is Adama and Tyrol butting heads as to how to save Galactica. She's falling apart. Her damage is almost like a cancer and in a way reflects what's happening to the admiral's other love, Laura Roslin. Tyrol has a Cylon solution, but Adama is resistant. He doesn't seem to have a problem staffing the ship with a few Cylons in key positions, but he's only willing to go so far. It isn't until he witnesses the extent of the damage in his own quarters does it all literally hit home with Bill and he decides to let Galen do what he has to to save the ship.

"No Exit" was a extremely fine hour of BSG. With the amount of information delivered, it could have been pretty boring, but the writers were able to present it in an extremely entertaining fashion. There is a real feeling that the show is wrapping up soon and the mysteries are all coming into the light.

9 out of 10

Blood on the Scales

2009-02-10T12:23:00.007-05:00

Battlestar Galactica - Episode 4.14

While "Blood on the Scales" has its share of action, it's the character moments that really sell this episode. Also, with the deaths of a few important recurring characters, the feeling that this show is nearing an endpoint and that no one is safe continue to prevail.

The last time we saw Captain Kelly, he was thrown in the brig for assassinating members of Baltar's legal defense team. This time around, he has to battle conflicting emotions of liberating Galactica from the possibility of Cylon control and his emotional ties to the people he is fighting. It comes to a head when he has Tyrol dead to rights, but lets him go. Yes, Galen is a Cylon, but he's also a guy Kelly worked closely with for years. When he is confronted by Apollo, Athena, and Tigh, Kelly completely commits to switching back over to Adama's side.

Tom Zarak comes across a little too heavy-handed, however. When he realizes that the Quorum might not back him up, he has them all executed. This may have been necessary if Gaeta decided to end the coup after he saw the bodies, but he doesn't. If anything, Zarak's actions help solidify who the good guys and bad guys are for the audience. I prefer my BSG to be a little less black and white.

The best moment in the show comes when Gaeta is sitting in a room with Baltar, having a drink and a smoke while reflecting on things past after Adama has taken back the ship. Gaeta talks about his youthful ambitions and his intellectual background while Baltar sits there on the verge of tears the entire time. It isn't until the next scene that we become fully aware of the true gravity of the situation: this is Felix's last meal.

Considering the death toll and the damage caused by the coup, it's not unreasonable that Adama and Roslin would have Zarak and Gaeta executed. At the same time, this adds symmetry to Zarak's execution of the Quorum and Gaeta's ordering Adama's death by firing squad. Felix's character journey has been interesting to watch over four seasons and it demonstrates how inherently good people can be changed by extreme circumstances.

Other things I liked:
- After watching Tyrol crawl around the guts of the ship for an hour, we get a great payoff. He was making his way to the FTL drive the entire time to take it off-line, and just in time. Nice visuals for the machinery involved, too.

- Romo Lampkin's conflicted expression when he finally decides to help Starbuck with a severely wounded Sam, after stabbing the guard with a pen. This is the second time this has happened. Someone needs to stash all writing tools in the armory.

- Roslin's anger and conviction when she is told that Adama is dead (which was a lie). I think the Cylons were a bit scared of her, too.

8 out of 10

You Reel Me Out Then You Cut the String

2009-02-09T09:12:00.006-05:00

I don't really put much stock into the Grammys. Occasionally an act that with some legitimate critical acclaim will get a nod as far as nominations go, but the winners are usually unit movers or older classic acts. I happened to catch to tail end of this year's show last night. I knew that Radiohead had been nominated for Album of the Year, so I wanted to see if by some freak chance they would get it.

Nope. They got "Steely Danned", again. Robert Plant and Allison Krauss won for their T. Bone Burnett produced record. At least it wasn't Coldplay.

This was the third time Radiohead had been nominated for this category and lost. 1998 they were nominated for Ok Computer and lost to Bob Dylan. I'm not too heartbroken about that since Time Out of Mind was really well-received. The really offensive snub came in the form of Steely Dan beating out Kid A in 2001. I remember watching the tepid applause as they got up to except the award (though I may have been projecting).

Thankfully we live in the age of You Tube and I don't have sit through the seven hour show to see a good performance. Thom Yorke and Johnny Greenwood performed "15 Step" with the USC marching band (love the part where the kids get to yell). Ironically, they were introduced by Gwyneth Paltrow, who is married to the lead guy in Coldplay, a band that wishes it were as artistic as Radiohead and as "important" as U2.

The Oath

2009-02-02T09:55:00.011-05:00

Battlestar Galactica - Episode 4.13

If the last two episodes were about the emotional impact of finding an Earth in ruin and the planting of seeds for things to come, "The Oath" is the action packed fallout. It may be easy to feel a little out of sorts due to the dramatic tone switch, since the previous hours were so character heavy. Still, I think this episode had a lot to offer and gave us a sense that things will never be the same. Then again, doesn't almost every other episode of BSG do that?

Here's some lessons learned from watching "The Oath":

1. Always keep an eye on the guy who's in charge of ship-wide operations like co-ordinating damage control and communications. Gaeta was in the perfect position to keep the deception up while at CIC. Given the fact that he's been at that job for years and has always been loyal, no one suspected anything suspicious was going on until it was too late.

2. Always keep an eye on the guy who's in charge of keeping the ship running. Tyrol's knowledge of the ship was a game changer for the Adama/Roslin camp. It was was good to see that he is still loyal to the old man even after the revelation that the chief is a Cylon.

3. Hell hath no furry like a Vice President scorned. Unlike Gaeta, Zarak knows that once you commit to an act of rebellion or terrorism, you go all the way. Unfortunately, the lesson was also learned by a deck chief on the business end of a wrench.

4. Do not frak with Starbuck. The woman will kill you dead. It was sooooooo good to get the Kara Thrace we all know and love back. She was shooting people in the head and throwing her tongue down Lee's throat... just like old times.

5. Do not underestimate two old guys that have been working together for decades. Watching Adama and Tigh, take out their captors was classic. They got to go out in a blaze of glory at the end of the hour, Wildbunch style, too. Hopefully, the guys make it through cliffhanger shoot 'em up.

6. Once everyone finds out that you're related to the folks that committed genocide, moving out of the neighborhood for a while might be a viable option. It was sad to see Sam get duped by Seelix, given that they had a brief relationship. Also, things aren't looking too hot for Caprica Six, Hera, Athena, and Helo. To make matters worse, one of the Pegasus "Yee-Haw" Boys wants to get back at Helo for Thorne's death, by taking it out on Sharon. This will probably end with Helo throwing another person's head against and exposed bolt.

7. People can come together when they realized that they're just as screwed up as the next person. It was great to see Roslin and Baltar come to an understanding and look for ways to end the mutiny. Baltar's cult has been nicely set up as a fourth faction (if you count Adama/Roslin's group, Zarak/Gaeta group, and the Cylons as the others). Baltar's plea to Gaeta was handled really well, too. It was a solid mixture of fear and a genuine concern for the ending of violence.

The previews lead me to believe that things are going to go from bad to really bad. Roslin is back in a take charge role and she's going to be on the one ship that can give the Galactica a challenge, the rebel Cylon baseship. We've already seen images of Adama standing in an airlock from the previews before the second half of season four began, but I don't think they'll do in the old guy just yet. If anyone is taking an unprotected joyride into the final frontier, it'll be Felix or Zarak. Bodies are going to hit the floor (or the vacuum); it's just a question of whose.

7 out of 10

A Disquiet Follows My Soul

2009-01-26T09:40:00.014-05:00

Battlestar Galactica - Episode 4.12

After an emotionally wrenching episode last Friday, this week's offering is more subtle in tone while moving pieces in to place for some volatile payoff down the road. It is also worth noting that this is show creator and head writer Ronald D. Moore's first turn at directing. He does a decent job and doesn't fall into the trap of trying to be too avant garde like many first time directors.

It's good to have Edward James Olmos playing a cooler Adama this time around. He chewed up so much scenery over the last two or three episodes, that I feared that there wouldn't be any set left to act on. While it was heavy handed, the man still was amazing to watch in those performances. Still, Olmos is one of those actors that can convey so much more without saying a word than when he speaks and "A Disquiet Follows My Soul" plays to those strengths.

The repetition of the admiral's daily routine helps to reinforce that the man is trying to pull himself together after all the bombshells that were dropped on the fleet as of late, as well as a demonstration of a man trying to lead by example. Earth sucked, but life must go on, even if it means keeping the deck clear of discarded pieces of paper. He's not prepared to give up just yet.

Laura Roslin is different matter, though. She's caring the burden of guilt over leading humanity to what appears to be a dead end. Also, she's coming to grips that all the medication she's taking won't cure her cancer, so she would rather spend what little time she has left doing things that make her happy, like exercising or being with Bill. Her scene with Bill in the corridors of the Galactica, after he catches her running, was very real. He doesn't want her to overexert herself, yet he let's her win this argument, because he loves her so much and wants her to have some semblance of happiness before the end.

The funny thing is, Laura thinks that Bill needs a break from everything, too. This is probably a combination of her concern that now he is piling full responsibility for the fleet on his own shoulders now that she has checked out and her desire to spend time with the man she loves. This relationship continues to feel mature and real and is one of the best romances I've ever seen depicted on television.

The revelation about Tyrol's son made sense. The writers needed resolve a potential conflict in the series' mythology due to the reveal that the chief is a Cylon. Hera has been hailed as some sort of figure of divinity due to being half human and half Cylon, but little Nicky has hardly been mentioned. Moore and company went with an Occam's Razor solution and Tyrol isn't really the kid's father. It will be interesting if Galen continues to act as Nicky's dad now that Hot Dog has been revealed as his real father. Maybe they'll pull double duty, which their scene in sickbay seems to indicate.

Tyrol has some great moments during the briefing with Adama, Lee, Tigh, Gaeta, and Helo. He keeps having identity issues when referring to the Cylons. He stumbles over "them" and "we". The biggest impact of this scene is that the rebel Cylons want to join the fleet with full membership plus a seat at Quorum. In return, they will refit FTL drives of all the colonial ships with Cylon technology. This will triple their jump range, allowing the fleet to find a new home much faster.

The scene between Starbuck and Gaeta was extremely intense. He's got a lot reasons to hold a grudge against her. Keeping with her character and the fact that she's still reeling from having to dispose of her own corpse, she doesn't take any of his crap. Between the "Face of the Enemy" webisodes and these last two hours, Felix is without a doubt being set up to facilitate a civil war within the fleet. His partnering up with Tom Zarak seals his fate. This is not going to end well for the one-legged officer.

Once again, Battlestar Galactic gives us another hour of sophisticated television that we can mull over for a week until the next episode. With only eight more shows to go, there continues to be a feeling that anything can happen and anyone is expendable. With Earth now out of the equation, there's no telling how this series will wrap up.

8 out of 10

Sometimes a Great Notion

2009-01-19T10:21:00.008-05:00

Battlestar Galactica - Episode 4.11

If I have one complaint about the first episode of the second half of the fourth season of Battlestar Galactica (that's a mouthful), is that the "Previously..." section let us know up front that something was going down with Dee. Not that I saw her suicide coming, but up to that point I was wondering if she was going to be revealed as the Fifth or if she was going to die. Still, the event was both sad and shocking.

Dee's death and despair gives us a tangible example of how the entire fleet is affected by the fact that Earth, the so called Promise Land, is a wasteland. The tracking shot of Bill Adama walking through Galactica's corridors further displays the hopelessness. People have their heads hung silence or they're crying. At one point, the admiral walks past a fist fight on his way to get Saul Tigh to shoot him. Bill can't do it himself, but his drunken plan falls apart when his XO sees right through it.

Kara's life gets flipped on its head after finding the wreckage of her Viper as well as what appears to be her own burnt up body. This causes her to further question her identity and her purpose. The situation is such a mindbender that even Leoben, who is always confident about fate and destiny, is afraid about the uncertainty of the situation. Both actors play this scene perfectly and the fear and doubt is etched all over their faces.

Another shocker is the reveal that the people on Earth, the thirteenth colony, are all genetically Cylon. What does this all mean? Did the Earth Cylons create the humans that went to the stars and became the Twelve Colonies? Is there an endless cycle of creators being destroyed by the created over and over again? This has all happened before...

Coinciding with this, the four revealed members of the Final Five begin to have flashbacks of their lives on Earth, before the nuclear annihilation. This all comes to a head when Saul has his own flashback and sees his wife Ellen who tells him not to worry and that everything is in place.

Is Ellen Tigh the final cylon? I think that there is a possibility that she is a version of the Six model. There are some behavioral similarities and Saul has developed a connection with Caprica Six. Also, he had flashbacks of Ellen during one of his interrogations of Six.

This is a really bleak kick off to the final run of episodes, but still Battlestar Galactica maintains its usual level of excellence.

8 out of 10

Baby, You'll Need Those Fingers For Crossing

2009-01-08T11:34:00.009-05:00

I think I've figured out the formula for my strange, irrational love of Los Campesinos!

The New Pornographers

+

Broken Social Scene

+

Pulp

+

Morrissey

+

Mates of State

+

Welsh Corgi Puppies

=

Los Campesinos!

Best Songs of 2008 - #10 - #1

2009-01-01T21:44:00.007-05:00

10. "The Kelly Affair" by Be Your Own Pet - The fact that this song is inspired by the film Beyond the Valley of the Dolls is pretty goofy, but BYOP still deliver a fun little rock number. If I was a teenage boy, I would probably build a shrine to singer Jemina Pearl. I love her snotty, sexy growl.

9. "Love Dog" by TV on the Radio - I think the TVOTR is the most important band in America today. They are the U.S. answer to Radiohead. "Love Dog" builds and builds over the course of five and half minutes. Serene and beautiful. Tunde Adebempe's voice is gorgeous and that Rhodes piano and the horns simply kills me.

8. "The Perfect Boy" by The Cure - This is the best song Robert Smith has written in a long, long time. His vocals are great and he delivers a nice little story. I love Simon Gallup's bass slides on the second chorus.

7. "Ready for the Floor" by Hot Chip - In theory, Hot Chip shouldn't work. They make some of the grooviest dance music today and the band is fronted by a little dude in glasses and a big, burly, bearded guy. Like "Playboy" a few years ago, "Ready for the Floor" is further proof that these guys know what the hell they're doing.

6. "Mouthwash" by Kate Nash - What a voice! Kate Nash gets lumped in with the recent British Girl Wave (see Adele, Duffy, Lilly Allen, etc.), but she's a pretty decent songwriter. Kudos to the drummer for taking the ending to the next level. He pounds the crap out of the skins on this number.

5. "My Only Offer" by Mates of State - I had the fortune of seeing Mates of State in concert this past year. They can do so much with just keyboards, drums, and two voices. For some reason I had a habit of singing this song while cooking during the fall. Must be the cute, married couple vibe of the band.

4. "Electric Feel" by MGMT - There's something I just like about MGMT. On the surface, their songs sound pretty irreverence, but there's an undercurrent of sincerity. I had a hard time deciding which of the three MGMT songs ("Kids", "Time to Pretend", "Electric Feel") that rocked my world to put on this list, but "Electric Feel" won out.

MGMT - New Music - More Music Videos

3. "Little Bit" by Lykke Li - Simple, sparse, and stripped down. Excellent use steel drums and mandolin. Of course I can't leave out that sweet, pouty, cute voice. The lyrics are kind of goofy at times, but the intent is pure.

Lykke Li - New Music - More Music Videos

2. "I'm Not Gonna Teach Your Boyfriend How To Dance With You" by Black Kids - There's been a bit of a Black Kids backlash after their full length album failed to deliver on the promise of their four track EP "Wizard of Ahhhs", but there's no denying this song. Pure pop gold. The sheer repetition of the verse and chorus will cause this song to worm its way into your brain. I prefer the EP version over the LP mix.

1. "My Year in Lists" by Los Campesinos! - (How ironic!) Young angst has never sounded so amazing! I raved about this song earlier in the year and it has yet to lose its luster. Where were you when I needed you Los Campesinos! You would have been the soundtrack of my college days! Amazing boy/girl vocals and a second verse that makes me want to laugh and cry simultaneously. Brilliant.

Best Songs of 2008 - #15 - #11

2008-12-29T10:51:00.008-05:00

15. "The Step and the Walk" by The Duke Spirit - It may sound strange, but I would have been very disappointed if the lead singer of The Duke Spirit wasn't rockin' some long hair. Her voice just oozes with Grace Slick cool, Stevie Nicks power, and a dash of Nico. This kind of voice has a visual archetype and thankfully Liela Moss fits it. The tinny production also adds to the song's old rock feel.

14. "Cath..." by Death Cab for Cutie - After the downer that was Plans, DCFC delivered a much better record with Narrow Stairs. Not that Ben Gibbard hasn't stopped writing angsty, moody lyrics, but at least the tempo is a little quicker for some of the tracks. "Cath..." is one of the best on the record. Smart lyrics, a good character study, and some solid guitar work.

13. "Supernatural Superserious" by R.E.M. - I hated that I had written off one of my favorite bands of all time. Reveal and Around the Sun were so... dull. It felt like the band had stopped trying. Thank God for Accelerate. R.E.M. returned with a thirty-five minute rock album and it was grand. The lead off single was one of the best of the bunch and I love, love, love those Mike Mills harmonies.

12. "L.E.S. Artistes" by Santogold - While most people were ready to lump Santogold with M.I.A. after the third world throwdown that was "Creator", it was "L.E.S. Artistes" and "Lights Out" that made people really stand up and pay attention. This song has one of the best opening hooks of the year.

11. "Kim & Jessie" by M83 - I fell in love with this tune at first listen. It sounds like every John Hughes movie soundtrack rolled into one song. Lush and gorgeous.

Best Songs of 2008 - #20 - #16

2008-12-23T11:17:00.011-05:00

20. "GfC" by Albert Hammond Jr. - What little I've heard of this Strokes guitarist's solo work, I've liked. He actually has a more emotive voice than the sleepy sound of the lead singer of his regular band. There are some really good guitar lines and it all builds to a rockin' solo.

19. "Balloons" by Foals - This song sounds like the mashing of math rock with '80s aesthetics: group shouts, saxophone, Power Station drumming, etc. The result is a really catchy song.

18. "2080" by Yeasayer - Very moody and lingering. The singer's voice sort of reminds me of Maynard James Keenan (Tool, A Perfect Circle). Really great harmonies overall. The spiralling guitar line adds to the dreamlike feel of the song.

17. "Ghost Under Rocks" by Ra Ra Riot - This song has a great driving beat and the cello and violin are wonderfully utilized. Great vocal performance, too. The chorus sticks in my head after a listen.

16. "Tessellate" by Tokyo Police Club - Another song where the snare is beaten to death. Great piano hook. And, hey, how often do you get to hear the work 'tessellate' used in a song?

R.I.P. Majel

2008-12-19T09:28:00.004-05:00

Say 'hi' to the Doc, Scotty, and Gene for me when you get to the final frontier.

Majel Barrett Roddenberry died of leukemia yesterday at the age of 76. Besides being the wife of Star Trek creator Gene Roddenberry, Majel played Nurse Chapel on the original series, Lwaxana Troi on Star Trek: The Next Generation, and supplied the voice for all the Federation ships and computers on TNG, DS9, and Voyager. She was supposed to supply the computer voice for new Star Trek film.

Best Songs of 2008 - #25 - #21

2008-12-16T11:26:00.006-05:00

25. "Second Chance" by Liam Finn - The son of the legendary Neil Finn offers up a sweet number with a wonderful falsetto (I'm sensing a trend in this countdown). This song breezes along until the tempo ramps up and the keyboards swell. Great intro, too.

24. "Falling Down" by Oasis - I haven't given two spits about Oasis since Be Here Now. Everything since that 1997 album has been a weak attempt at trying to recapture the gold that was Definitely Maybe and What's the Story, Morning Glory. On "Falling Down" Noel takes the lead vocals and he's seems to have integrated some to the driving beats he may have picked while collaborating with the Chemical Brothers.

23. "White Winter Hymnal" by Fleet Foxes - This is like a song out of time. Its style and production almost convinces me that "White Winter Hymnal" is actually a lost recording from forty years ago. Short, sweet, and one of the best vocal performances of the year.

22. "California Girls" by The Magnetic Fields - Shoe-gaze meets '60s girl pop. The Beach Boys may of loved the ladies from the left coast, but our singer sure has a bone to pick... or is that a battle axe? There's lots of great imagery on this track.

21. "Discipline" by Nine Inch Nails - Oasis, the Magnetic Fields, and Nine Inch Nails all in one post? It's like the '90s never ended! To tell you the truth, I probably wouldn't have heard this song if it wasn't for Trent Reznor giving The Slip away for free online. It's a surprisingly solid record and "Discipline" is the standout track. It's got a few of Reznor's signature sounds. Haunted house piano line? Check. White noise machine? Check. Tortured, nasally singing? Check. But it's all wrapped around an infectious disco beat and some great "doot-doot-doots". Also, since the song is called "Discipline", I can't help but like how Reznor starts to sing too early and catches himself. It maybe a bit obvious, but it works. (The Saturday Night Fever mash up video is perfect.)

Best Songs of 2008 - #30 - #26

2008-12-10T12:45:00.008-05:00

Back to our regularly scheduled program:

30. "The Rat" by Dead Confederate - Nothing screams angst like a slow, brooding burner of a song that occasionally explodes with loud guitars. The self-deeming lyrics and spooky organ are just icing on a tortured cake. This song reminds me a little of a band from earlier in the decade called Ours, except without the Jeff Buckley-esque vocals.

29. "Sleepyhead" by Passion Pit - Soul, funk, disco, and electro all smash up together in this groovy little number. Love the falsetto singing on this song. It's the type of tune that if you play it loud enough on your computer at work, you'll get strange looks.

28. "Evil Urges" by My Morning Jacket - Louisville represent! Speaking of falsettos, ol' Jim James is working his overtime on "Evil Urges". It's a sweet, funky number and its always great to see MMJ mess around with different genres. I think the song would have been fine without the prerequisite guitar jam in the middle, though. Still, another strong song from the hometown crowd.

27. "The Opposite of Hallelujah" by Jens Lekman - There's something charming about a song sung in English when it's not the singer's national tongue. This cute little number seems to be about a brother that's failing miserably at dispensing advice to his little sister. Very catchy.

26. "Hang Them All" by Tapes 'n' Tapes - This nervous, jittery song continues to build the tension until an explosive release and a repeated declaration of the title.

Lock Eyes From Across the Room...

2008-12-08T09:23:00.005-05:00

We take a quick break from the year end countdown to present latest creation by The Lonely Island (Andy Samberg, Akiva Schaffer and Jorma Taccone) which debuted on this past weekend's Saturday Night Live. It features guest appearances by Molly Sims, Jamie Lynn Sigler, and Justin Timberlake. Enjoy!

Best Songs of 2008 - #35 - #31

2008-12-03T10:13:00.009-05:00

Here's the latest installment of my annual look back at the songs that wormed their way into my subconscious and dominated my iPod playlists.

35. "Why Do You Let Me Stay Here?" by She & Him - This is the musical collaboration of M. Ward and actress Zooey Deschanel. It's a pleasant little tune and like the way Deschanel says "credit" near the end. The "oooos" and "doot-doots" on the outro almost make me willing to forgive Deschanel for appearing in that god-awful M. Night movie, The Happening, earlier this year.

34. "Valerie Plame" by The Decemberists - This song has Colin Meloy singing about a fictitious love affair with real world outted spy, Valerie Plame Wilson. My favorite part is the reference to a Vespa as a chariot and the Greenzone Marriott. Very clever Mr. Meloy. Musically, this song is very White Album Beatles right down to the "Hey Jude" ending.

33. "Chicago X 12" by Rogue Wave - Admittedly this type of song is usually a little too VH1 for my tastes, but I love some great woodblock work. It reminds me of Remy Zero and some the great songs they had about a decade ago. (Video here)

32. "Keep Your Eyes Ahead" by The Helio Sequence - Good driving beat and I like how the guitars pick up a little edge before the second verse. The spacey breakdown in the middle is pretty cool, too.

31. "Set It Off" by Girl Talk - This is pretty much the kind of song you expect from this mash-up artist. I've got to admit the pairing of "Paranoid Android" with Jay-Z is pretty damn awesome. The Mary J. Blige "Real Love" over top "These Eyes" is almost as brilliant. However, nothing beats the section where Bubba Sparxxx raps over "Come On Eileen".

Best Songs of 2008 - #40 - #36

2008-11-29T18:59:00.013-05:00

2008 is quickly coming to a close and it's time for my annual music countdown. Despite the work, I had a lot of fun with this last year, so I thought I'd give it another go. Keep in mind, this is a very loose countdown. The numbering is pretty vague and doesn't really matter until about the top twenty or fifteen. The bottom half could easily bounce around in order given my mood, but I had to establish some kind of order.

Like last year, the songs selected are the ones that dominated my iPod over the course of 2008. Some songs may have been released in 2007, but got significant play via my outlets for new music: Sirius' Left of Center (now called Sirius XMU), Subterranean on MTV2, and the ever polarizing Pitchfork (and Pitchfork.tv). Enjoy!

40. "Paris" by Friendly Fires - We start off with a catchy little dance number. Excellent cow bell and drum work. Nice send up on the chorus and the chill out ending is a cool way to bring it all home for the last quarter of the song.

39. "Eraser" by No Age - It has a long intro, but the guitar/drums duo really kicks it into gear about halfway through the song. Lo-fi, but fun.

38. "A-Punk" by Vampire Weekend - Boy, didn't this band just blow up really quickly this year. I wasn't completely won over like a lot of folks, but I found their songs entertaining enough. A lot of Paul Simon/Peter Gabriel/world music influence here.

37. "Two Doors Down" by Mystery Jets - Talk about being unashamedly in love with '80s New Wave. Still, Mystery Jets take the aesthetics of Wang Chung, the Outfield, Tears for Fears, and other bands of the era and have written a really fun song.

36. "Right Hand On My Heart" by The Whigs - And the '80s gave way to the '90s. The Whigs have got that grunge era rock sound down. This song reminds me of the band Love Battery and the verse sounds like the melody of "Pepper" by Butthole Surfers.

There's No Other Way

2008-11-26T09:04:00.010-05:00

According to this article, Blur is scheduled to begin rehearsals. Apparently, Graham Coxon will part of said practices. Good. I don't want anymore Blur without Coxon on board. Not that Think Tank was a bad album, but it just didn't have that extra something that his dynamic guitar playing brings to the table. Plus, I think Damon Albarn is at his best when he works/plays/fights with Coxon.

Coxon's solo material hasn't ever grabbed me. He's an okay singer and lyricist on his own, but nowhere near the level of Albarn. That being said, Albarn's Coxon-less material has been a mixed bag. The aforementioned Think Tank was decent, but less than spectacular. Gorillaz is fun stuff, but I've never been overwhelmed enough to buy one of the albums. The Good, the Bad, & the Queen, however, is awesome. For one, Albarn isn't hiding behind the mask of animated characters and is able to put himself and his natural voice out there. Also, he had a very talented band that worked amazingly as a collective.

So, Blur don't tease me. If you're finally regrouping, please do so with all four members. If not, Albarn can turn off the cartoons and give me another great GBQ record.

I Invented You and I Will Destroy You

2008-11-18T11:29:00.004-05:00

I've been a bit lazy on my updates as of late. There was the election. I'm happy with the outcome, but what else needs to be said that hasn't already. Gobama! I saw Barack and Michelle's post-election interview on 60 Minutes on Sunday. They seem so normal and relatable (not to mention very, very intelligent). While it feels like the world is crumbling around us (economy, war, Prop 8, etc.), I still can't help but feel optimistic about the future.

Speaking of Prop 8, Allison and I joined the nationwide protest Saturday, by joining the mass of vocal advocates for gay marriage downtown. It was cold and rainy, but sometimes you've got to suffer a little bit for what's right. Forty-one years ago, it would have been illegal in large part of the country for me to marry my wife, so I can't help but defend those that want something that should be a basic civil right.

Stifle Copies of Myself

2008-11-12T14:47:00.003-05:00

I am no longer without an iPod. Thanks to some handy connections, I was able to purchase one of those discontinued 80 GB Classic models for a reasonable fee. It's got color and plays video; you just gotta love the future. I wonder if I can get four years out of this one like I was able to with the 20 GB black and white version. Anyway here's my current playlist:

TV on the Radio - Golden Age
Mates of State - My Only Offer
CSS - Rat is Dead
Death Cab for Cutie - Long Division
Oasis - Falling Down
Santogold - Lights Out
The Decemberists - Valerie Plame
MGMT - Kids
The Cure - The Perfect Boy

I've Been Gentle, I've Been Kind

2008-11-03T09:25:00.003-05:00

Old Man had its third and final show for October 2008. Or should I call it Rocktober? This was probably the tightest of the three and Jana was able to play the drums during the entire set with a gorilla mask on. Impressive!

10/31/08 - The Rudyard Kipling - Setlist

01. Undercover
02. Black & Blue
03. Cut My Hands
04. 1987
05. Run
06. One Night Stand
07. This Time (For Real)
08. Appetite
09. The Question
10. Lips To Watch
11. Available

I've Been Busy, I've Been Blind

2008-10-28T09:57:00.004-05:00

Old Man played at the always interesting Highland Taproom on Saturday. We opened for Pagoda Treehouse and Dying Indiana. The sound there is always weird when you're in the middle of it, but apparently it sounded good out in the room. We had a bit of a rough start when we attempted a two person rendition of "My Blue Room", but things got pretty rockin' as the set went on. The next show is Friday, Halloween night at our old stomping grounds, the Rudyard Kipling.

10/26/08 - Highland Taproom, Louisville, KY - Setlist

01. My Blue Room
02. 1987
03. Run
04. Black & Blue
05. Undercover
06. Cut My Hands
07. One Night Stand
08. This Time (For Real)
09. Appetite
10. Lips to Watch
11. Available

I Made a Promise to Myself...

2008-10-24T15:01:00.007-05:00

The Cure - 4:13 Dream

Ever since the birth of the Cure over thirty years ago and through a multitude of personnel changes, there have only been three other musicians in the band that managed to not only match Robert Smith in talent and technique, but also push the band's principle songwriter creatively. Those three musicians would be bassist Simon Gallup, guitarist Porl Thompson, and drummer Boris Williams. It's practically indisputable that the Cure's most successful era, both artistically and commercially, was when all three were in the band at the same time. Not to undercut the contributions of Roger O'Donnell, Perry Bamonte, or Lol Tolhurst, but Gallup, Thompson, Williams, and of course Smith were the driving forces behind The Head on the Door, Kiss Me, Kiss Me, Kiss Me, Disintegration, and Wish.

I bring this up in my review for the newest album but the Cure, 4:13 Dream, because I believe that it is the best album by the band since that historic period. While Robert Smith was able to retain Simon Gallup during the interim, Wild Mood Swings, Bloodflowers, and The Cure, all fell short for various reasons. Wild Mood Swings was too long and didn't have enough really great material to justify the length. Bloodflowers was D.O.A. due to being over-hyped, too many expectations, and the strange need to force a third chapter to some imagined trilogy. The Cure was a move into the right direction and overcame a lot of what weakened the previous two efforts. Still, the primary reason why these three albums could not come anywhere close to the "Big Four" was due to a lack of creative challenge from the other musicians. Bamonte, O'Donnell, and drummer Jason Cooper are all very skilled, but their playing lacked the identity and ability to add to Smith's songs that make them more than the sum of their parts.

4:13 Dream is the first album in sixteen years to feature Porl Thompson. I've never been shy about the fact that Thompson is the biggest influence on my own guitar playing, so when his return was first announced, I was more than excited. He's an amazing musician and deeply creative. His playing has always stood as a brilliant juxtaposition to Robert Smith's guitar work. Perry Bamonte did a fine job, but apart from a few overused guitar licks, I could never tell where Smith ended and he began. This has never been the case with Thompson. The new record is made even better by his return.

Not that Porl Thompson should get all the credit, but his return seems to have lit a fire under both Robert Smith and Simon Gallup. Gallup's bass work seems more inspired by Thompson's output. It's as if he saw a creative challenge and was able to rise up to meet it. More importantly, Smith has finally reestablished himself as one of the most important songwriters in the last three decades.

In the last decade, Robert Smith's most annoying habit as a lyricist has been the pro/con, positive/negative writing. It practically ruined Bloodflowers for me and smacks of laziness. Sure, he still employs a variation of this on "The Perfect Boy", but this is an instance where it actually pushes the song's narrative and it really works. There are still songs where gold, silver, and crystal replace each other or there's a new season per verse, but it isn't as noticeable as when a verse is completely repeated except that "always" is replaced by "never". So as far as lyrically crafting goes, 4:13 Dream is a major step up over the previous three records.

Another noticeable improvement on 4:13 Dream is Robert Smith's ability to change up his singing rhythm from song to song. His singing has always been brilliant and that voice is unforgettable, but delivery has rarely varied. Not so on the new album. On "This. Here and Now. With You" he slowly builds over the duration of the song and crescendos at a brilliant bridge. Like the music, Smith's delivery on "Underneath the Stars" moves at a glacial pace. There's fury in "The Scream" and "It's Over", which is he sings at a breakneck speed. All of this helps in giving each song a unique identity.

"Underneath the Stars" - This is a really amazing opening track and ranks up there with some the best openers from the Cure's catalogue like "The Kiss", "Plainsong", and "Want". "Underneath the Stars" is truly majestic in nature and moves at a slow but determined pace. It calls back to Disintegration more so than any song produced since that landmark album, more so than anything on the supposed sequel Bloodflowers. Why it took almost two decades for Smith to create a track that could rivals the beauty and power that encapsulate that 1989 album is unknown. Maybe he just stopped trying so hard and let it come naturally.

"The Only One" - I wrote quite a bit about this song when it was released as the first single earlier this year. What I will mention here is that it's placement as the second song fits with the tradition of upbeat pop songs that get the album rolling forward like "Play for Today", "Primary", "High", and "Club America". This isn't the best song on the record, but it's a sweet, dumb, fun number and very much in the tradition of one of the Cure's biggest hits "Friday, I'm in Love". Like that polarizing track, "The Only One" may have some inane lyrics, but the guitar work is skilled and fluid.

"The Reason Why" - The pop continues with this awesome number. Simon Gallup's bass has never sounded this much like New Order's Peter Hook as it does on the opening lick for "The Reason Why". That's not a bad thing and he doesn't over do it. Porl has his own catchy riff during the verses, too. This is the type of song that made me fall in love with the Cure in the first place. It's melancholia wrapped in a brightly colored package. This song definitely could be released as a single and is one of my favorite tracks on an already excellent record.

"Freakshow" - I went into depth on this number when I wrote about the single. It continues to grow on me with each listen and the studio version is still better than the live rendition due to all the instrumental layering.

"Sirensong" - This is a pleasant mid-tempo acoustic strummer. What really sells this song is the slide guitar work by Porl Thompson. This is something unique to the Cure catalogue, but it feels natural and not forced. I also really like the layered "she said, she said" vocals that proceed the chorus. Short and sweet.

"The Real Snow White" - Like "Freakshow" I wasn't totally sold on the live version of the song due to it sounding thin with only Thompson on guitar. The recorded rendition is a whole lot better. The Cure almost sound like the Pixies here with Smith's sly phrasing and Thompson's collapsing guitar line. Definitely a grower.

"The Hungry Ghost" - This is another song that could have easily been released as a single. "The Hungry Ghost" is a solid pop/rock number that features some uncharacteristic outward looking lyrics from Smith. His forte is romance and falling in or out of it, but this is one of those rare numbers where he increases the scope of his themes. Luckily, it isn't as obvious or clumsy like "Us or Them". Thompson employs an echoing, almost Edge-like guitar part for this number.

"Switch" - On a few Cure albums there's a song that seems to not fit into the overall scheme of the record as smoothly as the others. Not that they're bad songs, but "Wendy Time", "Strange Attraction" (correction: this song is painfully abysmal), "Anniversary" don't seem to gel as naturally with their respective albums for some reason or other. "Switch" is that song for 4:13 Dream. This sort of "machine rock" number (see "Wrong Number") isn't as organic as the two rocking closers on the album, thus sticking out a bit. This song gets points for Thompson's crazy intro, though.

"The Perfect Boy" - I've already raved about this song enough when I reviewed the single. It's still one of the best songs Robert Smith has written in the last decade and a half.

"This. Here and Now. With You." - This is a pleasant little builder. It starts off low and gentle and climaxes into a beautifully loud (but not rocking) bridge. Smith gets to use some interesting vocal phrasing on this one, too. If anything, it serves as the calm before the closing storm.

"Sleep When I'm Dead" - This song begins the build towards a loud, violent conclusion to 4:13 Dream. I wrote about "Sleep When I'm Dead" back when the single was released. It's still a song that continues to grow on me. I hear elements of "The Hanging Garden" in the bass during the verse. I really like the chaos of the bridge near the end. It acts as a hint of what's to come.

"The Scream" - This brooding builder is fantastic. It seems to take the best elements of the rockers on The Top and the legendary, unreleased "Forever" and perfect them. I wonder if Gallup broke any bass strings on the madness that ends the song. Thompson's guitar turns into a swarm of bees by the conclusion and Jason Cooper does some of his best drum work here. Smith's wailing is spot on here.

"It's Over" - There's a reason why the Cure closed the primary set of their shows this past tour with this number; how can you possibly continue to play another song with out a break after this high speed, brutal number? This is the type of track that "Give Me It" and "Shiver and Shake" always had the potential of reaching but never quite achieved. Layers of insane guitars by Smith and Thompson, thundering drumming by Cooper, and an impossibly amazing bass line by Gallup. Smith sings at 100 miles per hour which just increases the intensity. "It's Over" blasts in, does the job, and gets the hell out. If the next album is to be the darker sister to 4:13 Dream, then it has been savagely set up by this awesome song.

If I had one real gripe about 4:13 Dream, it would be the over reliance on vocal effects, but it's not enough to diminish everything I enjoy about the record. 4:13 Dream is the type of album by the Cure that is in the spirit of The Head on the Door, Kiss Me, Kiss Me, Kiss Me, and Wish; it’s made up of a batch of songs that showcases the many styles of the band, leaning more towards the pop and the rock side of their sound. I would put its quality on par with Wish. While Wish had more songs that I would consider classics, 4:13 Dream holds together better as a collective unit. If this is the "dream", then I'm looking forward to the release next year of the companion album for the "nightmare".

8 out of 10

You Shall Not Pass!

2008-10-17T11:48:00.003-05:00

Debate #1: Old school, stand up behind a podium variety.

Debate #2: Walk around and chat in a Town Hall format.

Debate #3: Sit down across a table discussion.

Debate #4:

Wizard Battle!!!

Moderator:

"I'm Gandalf the Grey and I approve this message."

All I Need

2008-10-16T08:36:00.004-05:00

All I need is a president that I'm not ashamed of to represent my country on the world stage.

All I need is a president that will actually consider all sides of an argument.

All I need is a president that will surround himself or herself with competent advisers that will not be afraid to speak their minds.

All I need is a president that will remain cool under fire.

All I need is a president that represents the entire population of this country and not just certain groups.

All I need is a president that doesn't focus on wedge issues at a time when there are bigger fish to fry.

All I need is a president that will use diplomacy before action.

All I need is a president that believes in the scalpel before the hatchet.

There are other things that I want out of my president, but they elude me at the moment.

My name is Paul and I am voting for Barack Obama.

Please Don't Let Me Hit the Ground

2008-10-10T08:19:00.002-05:00

Old Man had a very well received performance at the New Albanian Fringe Fest last night. I'm not used to having working monitors that allow me to hear all the vocals clearly, so that was a nice change of pace. There was a problem with the lights shutting off a couple of times during the set, but we took it in stride. All the Old Manses were satified and we drank plenty of the free, delicious, micro-brewed beer.

10/9/08 - New Albany, IN - Setlist
01. This Time (For Real)
02. Undercover
03. Black & Blue
04. Run
05. 1987
06. Cut My Hands
07. Appetite
08. Lips to Watch
09. Available
10. The Perfect Kiss/Tempation (New Order cover)

Equations Run Through My Brain

2008-10-02T10:42:00.003-05:00

I set up an iLike profile for Old Man yesterday. It also created a page on Facebook. I posted the shows we're scheduled to play in October as well as three mp3s (streaming and for download) for "The Question", "1987", and "Run". Over the next few days I'll post more songs for folks to listen to on their iPods and other music playing devices.

Plans of a Future War Was All I Saw on Channel Four

2008-09-30T08:33:00.010-05:00

Last week, I mentioned some of the genre show I was watching during this new fall season. This week's Sarah Conner was pretty good and went down some interesting roads, particularly in the development of Cameron. Last night's Heroes left me a little wanting for more. The thrill and spark of the first season has all but extinguished. As lackluster as the shortened second season was, it was able to ride on a little of the first season's momentum. I really think that the creators need to narrow the focus a little and concentrate on some major character development and emotion rather some of these convoluted plot threads. Complex is good if written well and is acted well (see Battlestar Galactica). Let's hope that tonight's Fringe keeps me engaged, but last night I was beginning to feel that the current/new "Golden Age of Television" was on the wane.

One new show I'm really enjoying it HBO's True Blood. It's Alan Ball's (Six Feet Under) show about vampires that are "out" and their impact on the world, specifically a small town in Louisiana. Anna Paquin plays a young human woman named Sookie that happens to be telepathic. She becomes intrigued by a vampire that moves into town named Bill, mainly because she can't read his thoughts. There's a great oddball cast of characters. Sookie's best friend Tara is unable to self-censor, but she cares about Sookie. Sookie's brother is a bit of a screw-up horndog who keeps ending up at the wrong place at the wrong time. Speaking of dog like behavior, Sookie's boss Sam has been displaying some strange canine-esque mannerisms. The show is funny, odd, full of mystery, and worth checking out.

Thursday saw the return of The Office. I actually think this show works just as well in a one hour format as it does in a half hour. I really didn't start watching this show that closely until the end of the third season. I've quickly fallen in love with it. It and 30 Rock (when it returns) are the best comedies on television at the moment.

Survivor also came back last Thursday. Sure, it's the poster child for all that went wrong with the reality television boom at the beginning of the decade, but it's a guilty pleasure. I like the strategies and the dealing and the backstabbing. It can be pretty unpredictable during the last half of the season when it becomes every person for themselves. Makes me wonder what I would do if tossed onto that show.

You Think You're Tired Now, But Wait Until Three...

2008-09-29T10:08:00.004-05:00

Compared to last year, my music purchasing has been almost nil. Especially in the realm of full CD purchases. Money has been a little tighter this year, resulting in a lack of disc buying or an immediate replacement iPod. Maybe I can convince Sec. Paulson to give me a bailout.

Anyway, this year has seen a number of albums that have met my "Three Songs Are Great, Might As Well Buy the Whole Record" criteria. In other words, here's a list of albums that I should have bought this year:

MGMT - Oracular Spectacular

These two tongue-in-cheek genre blenders are sort of a less silly Ween. The first reaction to MGMT's songs is to either dance or laugh, but if you cut under the layers a bit, there are moments of self-reflection and musical complexity.

Three Songs: Time to Pretend, Electric Feel, Kids

Death Cab For Cutie - Narrow Stairs

After the lackluster major label debut, Plans, it appears that Death Cab are back in fine form with Narrow Stairs. Definitely more uptempo when compared to the last record. I've heard about half the album and I'm ready to buy it.

Three Songs: I Will Possess Your Heart, Cath, Long Division

Santogold - Santogold

Santi White gets compared to M.I.A. a lot, but I think she's developed her own sound. She's another genre blender and she's got a really good voice.

Three Songs: L.E.S. Artistes, Creator, Lights Out

Los Campesinos! - Hold On Now, Youngster...

Wall of sound. Multi-insturmental. Boy/Girl vocals. This is sort of the mad pop that made me fall in love with The New Pornographers. Very energetic. Hell, they've already got a second album coming out in October, eight months after this one dropped.

Three Songs: You! Me! Dancing!, My Year in Lists, Death to Los Campesinos!

I have plans to buy the new TV on the Radio (Dear Science) and the new Cure (4.13 Dream) albums, but that goes without saying.

Signal To Noise

2008-09-23T07:44:00.020-05:00

It appears that the Fall 2008 television season is in full swing as of this week. Some shows have premiered or kicked off their seasons over the last two weeks, but this week sees the return of some of the bigger series like The Office, My Name is Earl, Survivor, and Heroes. Though I am still mourning the loss of Journeyman, this season hasn't been short on sci-fi or high-concept offerings.

Terminator: The Sarah Connor Chronicles is big dumb fun. I really shouldn't use the word 'dumb', since it is engaging and has some good character moments. It's probably the most consistently action-packed series I've watched in a long time. The season opener was a non-stop chase scene which was probably a smart move to lure in new or casual viewers. This could run the risk of becoming repetitive, but the creators continue to find interesting ways to endanger the Connors and their cohorts. Also, there are a few neat little plot threads that poke out between explosions.

The acting is fairly decent overall. It pains me to admit it, but Brian Austin Green is pretty good as Derek Reece. Hopefully, he won't use the success of this show to make another go at a rap career. Summer Glau, who perfected the vacant stare on Firefly, does a decent job convincing me that she's a killing machine inside of the body of a thin, young woman. While Shirley Manson isn't the greatest actress in the world, she gets to play a pretty cool character that is poised to have long term consequences for our heroes. Last night's episode saw the very expected exit of a semi-recurring character which will hopefully convince John Connor that he cannot have a normal teenage life and that there are consequences if he even attempts it.

Heroes kicked off its third season with two back-to-back episodes last night. It appears that the show is off to a better start than the last season. From comments about season two by the creators, I'm hoping that they've learned from the mistakes made last year and the show will return to its first season glory. There is a dizzying amount of plot threads and mysteries established in these two hours. The real trick will be in keeping the series from collapsing from under the weight of them. For the most part, I'm genuinely interested in most of them, which isn't something I could say about the second season.

So far, I really like the more active role of Mama Petrelli. She's a pretty compelling character in how she has to balance the bigger picture which conflicts with her maternal feelings. Though, those feelings could all be a sham given the reveal at the end of the second episode. Still, she's less hand-wringing than Linderman or EVIL like Sylar. I thought the new speedster was fun and cute. I'm glad there wasn't any sign of Micah and that Molly, though sloppily handled, was written out of the show. I'm looking forward what the future may hold for Hiro's buddy, Ando, too. I also want to know what the deal is with Nikki/Jessica/...Tracy?

Fringe is the new X-Files. So far the show has been fun to watch and has had some crazy, gross-out moments. The three principle characters seem to be a hodge-podge of Mulder and Scully's personalities. Olivia is out to find the truth like Mulder, but more by-the-book like Scully. Peter is cynical like Scully (times 11), but is sarcastic and gifted, similar to Mulder. Walter fills Scully's medical/scientist shoes, though a bit madder. While Mulder could be a bit unstable, Walter is full-blown crazy. Hopefully, he won't pull a Denethor and try to set himself and Peter on fire.

At the moment, Fringe seems more concerned with high-concept more than character development. Not that there isn't any, but I'd like to see more once the show settles into a groove in about two or so episodes. Also, it could benefit by widening the focus of the character base. With only three main characters and only a few peripherals, plus a slowly revealing background mythology, Fringe could run into some the problems that The X-Files had. However, I remain cautiously optimistic.

By the Power of Grayskull...

2008-09-22T00:00:00.001-05:00

You can figure out the rest.

Finally! We have power at the ol' homestead. Hopefully, the same can be said for the workplace in the morning.

Give Me, Give Me, Give Me the Power, and I'll Make Them Believe

2008-09-21T14:23:00.002-05:00

Sunday afternoon and still no power at the house. There has been some progress made in the surrounding area as far as traffic lights that are finally back up and running. Work was still out on Friday, but hopefully (fingers crossed) it will be up and running again tomorrow morning.

Yeah, this is getting old.

More of the Same

2008-09-18T12:24:00.002-05:00

As of Thursday afternoon, we are still without power. I'm still going into work (which is also without power), picking up paperwork, and taking it to the in-laws' house to do it. At least the temperature is pleasant at night.

W(i)ndy Time

2008-09-16T15:33:00.004-05:00

After returning Sunday afternoon from a family reunion down at Mammoth Cave, Allison and I were relieved to find that our house had survived the hurricane winds of Ike that had decided to re-intensify over our fair city of Louisville. The downside was that we had no electrical power. Luckily, we have plenty of candles and a great flashlight/lantern combo, so we can get around the house at night.

The outages are pretty random around the area. Neil lives a few blocks away and managed to retain his link to electricity. Allison and I were bored after dark, so we got some beer and headed over to his place for some light, company, and television.

Monday morning came and I called work to find that they were without power, too. Urg! No money for me. We grabbed some coolers from the in-laws (they still have power) and iced down our perishables and threw our frozen food into their downstairs freezer. Then we hung out over at their place so we could use our computers, charge our phones, and get reconnected with the world. I also helped in the dismantling of many tree limbs that had fallen in their yard. After supper, we went home to a dark house and I went to bed around 10 PM out of boredom.

Today, same as yesterday, no power at home or work. I mowed the lawn just to feel useful and then realized that I could get a bunch of paperwork from work, take it over to the in-laws', do some work, and get paid in the process. At least, I won't short a whole week's pay.

Iz Cans Feelz Sooo Much Bettrz!!1!!!1!

2008-09-09T10:22:00.005-05:00

Zoe is well on the way to recovery. By the end of the evening, she was back to crawling into my lap and purring when I would pet her. She even jumped up into bed with us. This morning she was more active than the day before and her temperature was down. At least, we now know what to look out for during next year's round of vaccinations.

We Missed You Hissed the Lovecats

2008-09-08T09:35:00.007-05:00

What a weekend. Friday evening was fine. Allison and I were craving sushi, so we went to Sakura Blue in order to avoid the potential $70 bill that would have appeared if we went to our favorite restaurant, Maido. Three awesome rolls and $20 later, we were more than satisfied. The rest of evening was low key and spent at home. I played around with a receiver that allowed me to use my XBox controller on my laptop. Look out Team Fortress 2!

Saturday was Caturday as we took Zoe and Harriet to the vet for their annual check up and shots. We also got them microchipped just in case something crazy happened and they got out. They were fairly well-behaved while at the vet and took their shots like champs, the only real problem occurred on the way home when Zoe peed in her carrier. We gave her a bath (and Harriet too, since that's how we roll in the Brown/Cuyjet household) and other than the post-vet hissies, they were fine.

Saturday night we went to the Rudyard Kipling since my band, Old Man was scheduled to perform. Due to double booking, miscommunication, and sound engineering problems, we decided to pull out since we wouldn't be going until... oh... closing time! Instead, we went ahead and booked the bar for Friday Halloween night, so we're going to try to make it one hell of a night.

Sunday was pretty lazy until the evening. Around seven o'clock P.M., Zoe slowly crawled into my lap and started to whine and growl. She was telling me that something was up. When I put her on the floor, she slinked around and continued to moan. I called our friend Lori, who works at another vet's office, for some advice and then called the emergency hotline for our personal vet. One of the doctors got back with me and suggested giving Zoe a low-dose aspirin, which I did. Lori came over and took Zoe's temperature, which was high. She called ahead to her workplace that has staff there 24 hours a day and let them know that we were coming in. They admitted her and started to work on her right away. We left her there overnight and I was a little upset about not getting to say goodbye, but what can you do? About thirty minutes after we left, the doctor called and let me know that Zoe was running a fever of 105° which is about 4° over normal. They gave her some fluids and a shot and would let us know how she was doing in the morning.

This morning I went to work all worried and missing my little girl. Harriet seems to be doing fine and wanted to play, so at least I don't have to worry about her, too. The vet's office called me this morning and said that Zoe was doing a lot better and that we can pick her up anytime. I'm at work, but Allison is going to get her. Needless to say that I can't wait to see her when I get home.

A Rush and a Push...

2008-09-02T07:45:00.008-05:00

I haven't posted in a couple weeks. Not that I haven't been busy, but its just been more of the same. I thought about posting about Sen. Barack Obama's speech last week, but what can I say that hasn't been said already? It was amazing and he inspires me. I'll take hope over fear any day of the week.

I posted the fourth issue of my fan fiction project last weekend. I'm still having a blast with it and those who comment on it generally have only positive things to say. I'm finally at the part where I can stop rearranging the house and start making the title my own.

Antony and I recorded the second episode of X-Addiction on Sunday and it's currently available for download. We clocked in a little over two hours, but we crammed in a ton of content. All killer, no filler. It's a monthly show, so I don't feel too bad about it running long. The regular Comic Addiction Podcast keeps trucking along every week. We've got some potential guests lined up to interview so that should be fun. I'm still cranking out about three or four reviews a week as well as editing other writers' work, so I'm keeping busy with the site.

Old Man has a show on Saturday at the Rudyard Kipling. I'm looking forward to that, but I wonder how it'll sound. The Rud had its PA stolen last month. I'm not sure if it has been replaced or not, so I'm going in this a little in the dark. I figured they'd let us know if we had to provide our own.

I'm still addicted to Team Fortress 2. I couldn't wait for the updates on the XBox version (due out by the end of the year), so I started playing it on my laptop. It's not as smooth (due to limitations of my computer) and I'd rather use a controller instead of a mouse and keyboard, but it's still a blast. You can have a game with twice as many people on the PC version, so it gets pretty crazy.

So Come On, Jump With Me

2008-08-13T08:17:00.019-05:00

The Cure - The Perfect Boy (Mix 13)/Without You

"The Perfect Boy" is the fourth and final singles to be released once a month before the new album by the Cure which has been rescheduled to drop in October. Of all the new songs that the band has been playing on their recent tour, this is the one that I've enjoyed the most ("Underneath the Stars" is close second). It sounded really great on the multiple live recordings I've listened to and I've been very eager to hear a studio version.

For the most part, "The Perfect Boy (Mix 13)" lives up to my expectations, but I have one problem with this single mix: the vocal effects. There is way too much reverb throughout the song and a slightly distorted chorusing effect during sections of the pre-chorus and refrain. It doesn't add anything to the song and can be a little distracting. I'm going to assume that this is part of the single remix and that the album cut will be less doctored.

However, that's my only beef with this single. The rest of the song is pure Cure gold. This is the best single to be released by the Cure since "Mint Car" (a truly glorious pop song in of itself). I would go as far as to say that this is the best song Robert Smith has written in over a decade for various reasons.*

"The Perfect Boy" is a wonderful example of sonic build, climax, breakdown, and resolution. The song begins with just Robert's voice and muted guitar part. Simon Gallup and Jason Cooper come in on bass and drums after four quick lines. At the same time, Robert's guitar part is echoed with a distorted line. Guitarist Porl Thompson holds back until the pre-chorus and then continues to provide splashes of chords during the second verse.

Things really get rolling with the second chorus. A few things happen here that brings the song to a head: Robert doubles the number of lines, there is some guitar layering, Jason continually smashes the hell out of the cymbals, and most importantly, Simon changes his bass line to include a slide during each line. For me this is the highlight of the entire song and it really peaks musically here. This is followed by pulling everything back except for Robert's vocals and original guitar line. "The Perfect Boy" resolves with the instruments picking back up to the level played at on the second verse.

Lyrically, this is one of Robert Smith's best songs in quite some time. Ironically, it plays with a device that I've grown tired of him using: positive and negative verses. However, it really works within the context of the song's narrative. The first verse is from the point of view of the girl that thinks she's found the perfect boy. She wants to take things slow and enjoy the relationship as it unfolds. The second verse is from the boy's perspective. This guy doesn't care to wait around. Not only does he want to get physical, but he doesn't want to stick around for the afterglow ("And I don't want to get obvious, But I have to be gone by three.")

The boy's lines are direct responses to the girl's words and he comes off like a bit of a jerk. He tells her that her world of two people "doesn't happen for real". At the same time, though, he plays head games by saying "If it was meant to be us, it was meant to be now. Don't see the sense in wasting time." Then he agrees that they're "on the edge of a beautiful thing" and delivers on last coaxing line, "So come on, jump with me." This guy is not the perfect boy. This guy is a real bastard. At least, the "happy ever after" girl realizes this by the end of the song. Unfortunately, it isn't really clear if she fell for this guy's lines first, but we're left with a sense of hope that she'll someday find "the perfect boy".

I must mention that Robert Smith delivers a really great vocal performance on "The Perfect Boy" despite the heavy effects. He changes up his vocal rhythm throughout the song and doesn't rely on any of his patented coos and squeals. This combined with everything I've mention comes together to make a really fantastic song. Bravo!

The B-Side is a non-album track called "Without You". It is dominated by an acoustic guitar part that recalls some of the better parts of the Wild Mood Swings sessions. This is a step up from "Down Under", but definitely feels like B-Side material next to the other singles. A solid track but nothing outstanding.

9 out of 10

*"Out of This World" was the previous owner of that title and is a wonderful album opening track. "Maybe Someday" is excellent, but loses points for that organ solo. I really like "Cut Here" as a non-album single, but it always felt like it was missing something. "Before 3" has that clumsy bit of swearing. While beautiful, "Taking Off" is a poor man's "Just Like Heaven". I better stop before I find myself defending this statement against every Cure song released since 1998.

Face... The Paneled Front Tier

2008-08-12T13:28:00.021-05:00

Being a lifelong fan of Star Trek, I've been awaiting the release of the J. J. Abrams directed franchise relaunch film with a mixture of excitement and anxiety. Excitement, due to this being the return of Trek to the big screen and headed by J. J. Abrams, the guy responsible for Lost. Anxiety, because it's directed by J. J. Abrams, the director of the last Mission Impossible movie and the fact that I'm a paranoid fanboy that pays too much attention to continuity. The teaser posters with the first real glimpses of the actors in character came out recently, so I thought I'd share my initial thoughts upon seeing them.

The Hotness Poster

First thing I want to mention is that I like the design and the uses of color. Eric Bana plays the big bad, so he's in grey, while Uhura, Spock, and Kirk are in red, blue, and gold, which corresponds to their departmental uniform colors from the television series. This is a nice touch and lets Trek-heads like me know that the folks involved know a little bit about what they're doing. Let's look at the characters:

Nero - Eric Bana: All that I know about this character is that he may be a Romulan and that he's the main villain of the piece. He looks mean and the head tattoo is a nice touch. If he's supposed to be a Romulan, it looks like the point of his left ear was burned or chewed off. Evil, but still bringing the hotness.

Nyota Uhura - Zoe Saldana: Uhura appears to be the only female regular cast character to make the cut for the relaunch (I haven't heard anything about a new Nurse Chapel or Yeoman Rand). Nice job on the eye makeup; it recalls back to Nichelle Nichols without seeming too retro. I always thought young Nichols was pretty hot, but Saldana totally brings the hotness.

Spock - Zachary Quinto: Talk about near perfect casting! Homeboy looks dead up like a young Leonard Nimoy. As far as his acting goes, Quinto does an okay job hamming it up as Sylar on Heroes, but he may fare better in a role where he has to repress his emotions. He's probably going to be one of the reasons I'll be able to get Allison to come to this flick with me. She thinks that Quinto has the hotness.

James T. Kirk - Chris Pine: If Quinto nails the look of Spock/Nimoy, Pine totally nails the attitude of Kirk/Shatner. He's good looking and knows it. This is the face of the guy that will try to sleep with every woman he meets on an away mission. This is the guy that will try to sleep with your girlfriend. This is the guy that would change the rules of the final exam. This is the guy that doesn't like to lose. This Kirk brings the arrogant bastard hotness.

The Not-As-Hot, But They Sure Ain't Ugly Poster

The rest of the crew get their own poster. This one follows the same color scheme as the first. The only difference is that Sulu is in gray and not gold to balance out Nero in the first poster.

Hikaru Sulu - John Cho: I didn't realize until today that this is John Cho who played Harold in the Harold and Kumar movies. I think he's a decent enough actor, but I wonder how his is at shirtless fencing. Hopefully, he won't have to demonstrate a mastering of the "George Takei Slacked-Jaw Stare of Astonishment".

Montgomery Scott - Simon Pegg: Pegg almost looks unrecognizable in this picture. His hair is darker than usual and he doesn't have a goatee. He doesn't necessarily look like James Doohan, but there's definitely something very "Scotty" about this shot. I love Simon Pegg and I'm looking forward to what he does in this role. And I just have to say it, "You've got red on you."

Leonard "Bones" McCoy - Karl Urban: Another actor I didn't recognize at first. This is the guy who played Eomer in the Lord of the Rings. Amazing what quick shave and a haircut can do. I will say that he's got a bit of the DeForest Kelley annoyed looking down. I hope this Kiwi can pull off a Georgian accent.

Pavil Chekov - Anton Yelchin: I know nothing about the actor and this shot doesn't scream "Space Davy Jones" like Walter Koenig, but he certainly conveys a sense of youth and inexperience. Chekov was the supposed to be the young, naive ensign, but he was mainly brought on to attract a younger audience, which is what this entire new cast is being wheeled out to do.

From these images I remain cautiously optimistic. I'll feel a little better once I actually see a trailer with some action and acting. So far, though, it feels like that Abrams and Co. are on the right track.

Why Can't I Be You?

2008-08-11T08:11:00.001-05:00

Don't you ever wish you could be this happy all of the time?

Congratulations to Michael Phelps, Garrett Weber-Gale, Cullen Jones, and especially Jason Lezak on an amazing win in the men's relay. Watching Phelps and Weber-Gale lose their shit when Lezak came from behind to narrowly beat the French team was fantastic. That's probably my favorite thing about the Olympics: all the opportunities for unrestrained, pure emotion (happy and sad). Yesterday's victory was a perfect example.

Death of a Disco Dancer

2008-08-05T08:36:00.018-05:00

After nearly four years of heavy uses, my iPod has entered the last days of its existence. For about two months the click wheel has been constantly frustrating me. It started by not going back to the previous menu when the 'menu' button was pressed. It acted like the select button. Lately, the wheel has been so touch sensitive that scrolling usually ends up causing something to be selected. The final blow occurred when I plugged the iPod into my laptop, and iTunes said that the player was corrupt and I wasn't even allowed to alter playlists or add anything new to it.

Despite the inconvenience and the timing coinciding with somewhat of a momentary money pinch, I shouldn't complain too much. This is a machine that was obsolete within a couple months of purchase. I have one of the last generation black and white models that I've heard is one of the most reliable of the brand. It lasted four years of constant daily usage. My iPod is more important to me than my cellphone.

It's amazing to think how much an mp3 play has effected my music listening. I still buy CDs; last year was one of my biggest disc purchasing years for me in quite some time. However, the ability to carry almost two hundred albums worth of music in my pocket has been incredible. I enjoy making playlists and I buy songs off iTunes as one would buy a single. In addition, the ability to edit and recraft an artist's album by subtracting songs and adding session B-Sides is complete music geek joy.

I find the iPod Touch to be very appealing. Wifi internet, touch screen, bells, whistles, no phone plan, but I don't really need it. Besides, for the same money I could get an iPod Classic with a color screen that plays video and has way more memory. Storage space and reliability is more important to me than all that other really cool stuff.

Of course, I could get a new cellphone that plays mp3s. Still, there's the issue of storage space, interface, and playlist creation. I haven't really explored those options, but I have a feeling that those machines will understandably be phone first, mp3 player second. That LG Dare looks tempting, though. It's the Verizon answer to the iPhone and I've read good things about it.

In the meantime, I'll continue to yell at my iPod and wrestle to get it to play the song or podcast that I want to hear. At work, I should be fine, since I subscribe to Sirius and I stream it through the computer. My commute to work is very short, so Morning Edition on the way to work and All Things Considered on the way home should entertain and inform me enough. I could always dig out some old cassettes, too.

Breaking News! As of this posting, my iPod now occasionally will stop in the middle of a song, pause for about five seconds and then move on to the next song. This happened for about three songs in a row before I got to listen to one in its entirety. The horror... the horror!

I Follow Where My Mind Goes

2008-07-30T11:52:00.010-05:00

Apparently, podcasting once a week for The Comic Addiction isn't enough. Fellow editor and X-Men junkie, Antony Ellis and I have started a monthly spin-off podcast called X-Addiction. We get together over Skype and discuss the previous month's worth of X-Men related comic books. The first episode went fairly smoothly and has met with enthusiasm by a few of our regular listeners.

The guys that run the Uncanny X-Cast podcast seemed a little miffed at first. I guess having two of their most loyal, longtime listeners, who have been extremely active on the message board, decide to take on an endeavor that could be perceived as direct competition might be little unsettling. Antony and I felt that we reached the limit of what we could do as X-Men fans through the Uncanny X-Cast and felt that X-Addiction was a natural progression for us. Also, Editor-in-Chief Chris Partin and I had been talking about new ways to expand the regular podcast and this seemed like a perfect outgrowth.

We chose the end of July to launch since it coincides with the new status quo for the X-Books. The team moved out the San Francisco and this was reflected in Uncanny X-Men #500 and Astonishing X-Men #25. Also, X-Factor starts its first storyline since that team moved to Detroit with issue #33. This makes it a good month for new readers to take a look at the X-Books, so it was a nice fit.

Sticking to a monthly schedule may be a problem. I have a feeling there will be a push for us to go twice a month after a while. I'm having a ton of fun podcasting for both shows, but I don't want to burn out. I'll worry about that when it happens.

I Cherish With Fondness the Day (Before) I Met You

2008-07-27T16:17:00.003-05:00

I really liked "You! Me! Dancing!" by Los Campesinos! It's a super-fast, catchy pop tune, but it's nothing compared to the incredible under two minute gem that is "My Year in Lists". Simply fantastic. I think I'm in love with this song.

The Thoroughbred of Sin

2008-07-21T09:08:00.004-05:00

It was a superhero weekend followed by a super hangover on Sunday. Allison and I saw The Dark Knight Saturday (after which we proceeded to drink wine, beer, and bourbon over the next few hours... ouch!). The movie was fantastic and all the hype about Heath Ledger's Joker performance is earned. He knocks it waaaaaaaay out of the park and is very deserving of an Academy Award nomination, if not the win. The other actors we're spot on, too, especially Christian Bale and Aaron Eckhart. Chris Nolan shot an amazing movie that remained intense for two and a half hours.

Between The Dark Knight and Iron Man, the superhero movie genre has undergone a rebirth. These two films prove that these kinds of movies can be more than just action set pieces. If the story is tightly written and the acting is top notch, they go from being superhero/comic book movies to just really excellent movies. These two are coming at the right time and work to train the audience for something as deep as next year's Watchmen.

Speaking of Watchmen, the trailer was before The Dark Knight. While I've been wary of Zack Snyder's direction after seeing the machofest that is 300, I was impressed by the trailer. Visually it looks very much like the mini-series brought to life and many of the shots are exactly like the drawn images. I'm actually pretty optimistic about this film now.

If you didn't catch Joss Whedon's Dr. Horrible's Sing-Along Blog while it was free, it's really worth a purchase at the iTunes. It's hilarious, goofy, strikingly poignant, and works as a metaphor for the writer's strike from earlier this year. Neil Patrick Harris (NPH!) is really great in the title role and Nathan Fillon is hilarious as Captain Hammer. Forget Dollhouse, I want Whedon to make more Dr. Horrible or similar ventures.

The Dark Knight: 10 out of 10
Dr. Horrible's Sing-Along Blog: 8 out of 10

Old Ghosts

2008-07-18T09:09:00.003-05:00

Last night some old friends from my college days in Murray, KY were in town to play a gig at my neighborhood bar. I hadn't seen those guys in about a decade. Pretty interesting to see how people have and haven't changed and to hear stories about their current lives. I learned about sketchy nights in the bad part of Oklahoma City and that you can make an upright bass out of an old suit case. Some other old friends that I hadn't seen in sometime showed up for the show, too, and we compared and contrasted notes on the whereabouts of several mutual friends.

They Told Me I Would Live Forever

2008-07-16T09:00:00.007-05:00

The Cure - Sleep When I'm Dead (Mix 13)/Down Under

"Sleep When I'm Dead" is the third of four singles to be released once a month before the new album by the Cure drops in September. It's the strongest of batch so far. "The Only One" was a sweet, pop song and "Freakshow" was a weird, fun number. "Sleep When I'm Dead" is more of a spooky rocker. I figured that each song would portray a different side to the "Cure sound", and I wasn't disappointed. Despite mixing up styles, all three songs (plus their respective B-Sides) hang together really well.

Simon Gallup's jagged, stuttering bass line is the major player in this arrangement. It gives "Sleep When I'm Dead" a dark, new wave fell with a lot of forward movement. Not that the other musicians are slouches. Jason Cooper remains solid on the drums, Robert Smith's vocal delivery is the best it has been in over a decade (the same can be said about all the recent singles), and Porl Thompson squeezes out more funky, wah-wah guitar goodness. This time he plays more of a rhythm part rather than riff it up like he did on "Freakshow", but it's still pretty fantastic playing.

One thing worth noting is the keyboards. This four piece version of the Cure does not have a dedicated keyboard player and are very guitar driven in a live setting. However, they are wise enough to realize when a good piano or synth line helps build up the layers and atmosphere on a song. As "Sleep..." climbs towards the end, the keyboards rise slightly in the mix; not enough to overpower, but enough for emotional intensity.

The B-Side, "Down Under" is the weakest song of the lot, so far. It's not a bad song at all, but it reminds me of the B-Sides that came out during the Wild Mood Swings period. Most of those songs all sounded alike and "Down Under" falls into the same category of being inoffensive dream pop, but nothing spectacular. When vocal effects are heavily used on a song, as they are on this one, it makes me think that something was missing.

7 out of 10

I Don't Belong To No One, But I Want To Be With You.

2008-06-25T09:33:00.021-05:00

Technique - January 1989

I'll just start out by saying that Techique is favorite albums of all-time, as well as being my favorite New Order album. Every song is perfectly played and the album balances every aspect of the band's various sounds. The dance tracks are energetic and the pop songs are elegant and catchy.

"Fine Time" - This is a strange number that couldn't really be anywhere on the record except as the opener. It's primarily a dance thumper with repetitive lyrics and a distorted, imitation Barry White voiceover. For the most part, this is an "everything and the kitchen sink" type of song where New Order layer on every insturment and programming trick in their arsenal. In other words, prepare for anything.

"All the Way" - Gears quickly change with this driving pop number. The bass line and acoustic guitar recall the Cure's "Just Like Heaven" which came out two years prior. Still, "All the Way" stands on it's own as fast-paced, sweet, "live" instruments number. This is one of Bernard Sumner's most lyrically positive songs, too.

"Love Less" - This is another "live" insturment pop song, but a little more low key than the last track. The subject is about a disintegrating relationship, which is more in keeping with Sumner's forte. Sad, but very pleasant on the ear. I love the four snare hits at the beginning to kick off the song.

"Round & Round" - The dance club side of New Order returns with this track. This is influenced by Mediterranean rhythms that were popular at the time of recording. Lyrically it's about a souring relationship. It has been said that Sumner wrote it about the tension between New Order and Factory Records founder Tony Wilson.

"Guilty Partner" - This is another more "live" arrangement. Peter Hook's buzzy, high bass dominates the song with a fluid melody. The subject is about after the end of a relationship, but the narrator is quite convinced that the other party will come crawling back.

"Run" - Another wonderful jangly pop number with a killer electric guitar lick for the chorus. Also, it contains with a wonderfully extended, instrumental outro This is the song that John Denver sued New Order over due to similarities to "Leaving on a Jet Plane".

Mr. Disco" - This is one of my favorite songs on the album. Somber lyrics about lost love is coupled with a killer dance beat. This is one of Sumner's best songs vocally and lyrically. The instrumental bridge is awesome and I love the ray gun sounds.

"Vanishing Point" - The lyrics turn more global with "Vanishing Point". This is another dance track, but the theme makes it a little more somber. Very trance-like at times.

"Dream Attack" - The album ends with one final "live" track. This is another break up song, but this time the narrator admits the need and desire to be with the other person. This is an interesting counter to "Guilty Partner".

Technique is about as perfect of an album as you could ever want. It is played and sang perfectly and the themes are engaging. It's nine songs in under forty-three satisfying minutes and well worth the listen.

10 out of 10

World in Motion - May 1990

And now for something completely different.

This is a sports anthem for the British World Cup football team and it's pretty damn silly. I can see how it would be a big hit for the locals, but other than that novelty, it's a pretty weak song. The chorus is sung by the team and there's an awful bit of rapping by one of the players. For completists only.

3 out of 10

Life and How to Live It - Project Updates

2008-06-23T08:03:00.011-05:00

With the regular television season wrapped up and BSG on hiatus until 2009 (grrr...), I have a little more time to focus on my various projects (when I can pull myself away from Team Fortress 2 on the Xbox 360).

Old Man: The new Old Man line-up made its debut the weekend before last. We played in a bar that Neil and I had never performed at before. Melissa and Jana had played there before in other groups. It was loud, sweaty, drunken, and very rock 'n' roll. I loved it. The crowd was enthusiastic, too, which always helps.

We've got another gig set up at our old stompin' grounds, the Rudyard Kipling one July 1st. It's with a band from the UK, I think, and on a Tuesday night, but I'm sure it'll be fun. We'll probably use the same setlist. If it ain't broke...

Comic Addiction: I've got a couple advance reviews up at the site this week (another one pending until Chris comes back from his vacation). I'm also working on an article which is an overview of what the X-Men titles for the first half of the year.

I'm still editing reviews by other writers and co-hosting the podcast every week. It can be hassle at times, but I'm still enjoying the responsibility and the work. I'm going to Wizard World Chicago this weekend, so it'll be more comic book overload for me.

Fan Fiction: I'm still having a ton of fun with my take on the Uncanny X-Men. The first issue was well received, and I posted the second story last night. The third issue has been scripted out and is ready to be translated into prose format, and I've begun work on issue four's script.

I don't read much fan fic, if any, because it's usually pretty bad. People tend to replace the regular characters with their own creations or it devolves into slash/erotica. The other folks involved in this project with me have done a great job. I think it helps that most of us are new to writing fan fic, so we'll hopefully avoid those typical pitfalls.

nerd[heart]geek: I've still got the rest of the New Order catalogue to discuss (the last three albums and a single, I think). I'll hopefully get at least one review posted this week. Also, I'll continue to review the new Cure singles that come out on a monthly basis, which will lead to the full length album's release in September. Maybe I'll write and overview of their catalogue next.

It's the Same, But It's Not Quite Right...

2008-06-17T10:13:00.014-05:00

The Cure - Freakshow (Mix 13)/All Kinds of Stuff

"Freakshow" is the second single of four to be released once a month until the Cure's new album comes out in September. As with the "The Only One", this single sports a unique mix from the album version and a non-album B-Side. It's a neat plan I'd the monthly single schedule is getting me pumped for the new record.

To tell you the truth, when I first heard live versions of "Freakshow" a few months back, I wasn't impressed. Robert Smith performs it without a guitar, leaving the other three members to bash out the music on their own. Also, Porl Thompson plays more of a lead line on the guitar rather than a rhythm part, making the it sound sonically a bit thin.

The recorded version is a vast improvement. Porl's guitar parts are multiple and funky. Robert's vocals get layered during the chorus and drummer Jason Cooper's playing sounds tighter. There's even cowbell! Simon Gallup reins it all in with a solid bass line.

Lyrically I have know idea what the song is about. Something about a strange woman, some crazy dance moves, and an alien crowd. But the off-beat arrangement and odd words come together to make one of those "weird fun" Cure songs in the vein of "Hot, Hot, Hot!!!" or "Let's Go To Bed". The Cure haven't decent one of those since "Club America" back in 1996. This kooky little number is grower and more memorable than last month's "The Only One".

The B-Side, "All Kinds of Stuff" is another beast altogether. It's the kind of rock song I've been looking forward to ever since Porl Thompson rejoined the Cure. Porl does alot of the heavy lifting here, freeing Robert to deliver a rapid-fire vocal performance. If this is the kind of rock song that gets regulated to B-Side status, I can't wait to hear the other loud numbers that will be on the album.

As far as the lyrical content is concerned, this is another song about Robert's ability to create relevant material, similar to "39". Unlike the obviousness of "39", this one is simply a better song, both in words and music.

7 out of 10

Revelations

2008-06-16T08:39:00.017-05:00

Battlestar Galactica - Episode 4.10

It is unfortunate that BSG goes on hiatus with this episode. The deliberate pacing of this season, while still entertaining, didn't really pick up until the last couple of shows. Still, we do get a great hour to go out on and plenty of food for thought to mull over until sometime in early 2009.

D'Anna's negotiation with Admiral Adama and President Adama are pretty hardcore. She starts executing hostages until the Colonials hand over the Cylons that are hiding in the fleet. Tory jumps ship at the first opportunity. This is played well, since she has been the one to really embrace her true nature. Tyrol has become increasingly cynical over the course to the season. He approaches every new curveball with a shake of the head and a "whatever" attitude. Anders is still scared of how his new identity will impact his continually deteriorating relationship with Starbuck. Tigh is still the XO, and even when he is outed he continues to make decisions he feels that are in the best interest of the fleet.

Saul's revelation to Bill was one of the best moments of the season. Bill offers so many explanations as to why Saul can't be a Cylon, you'd think he had hung out on a BSG message board. Tigh has the hard job of convincing Adama that he is what he says he is and that he is still Saul Tigh, XO of Galactica and loyal friend. He is even willing to sacrifice himself in a gamble to get D'Anna to give up the hostages.

The aftermath of the scene falls way short though. Bill becomes a drunken mess within two minutes and Lee has to help him pull it together. Olmos and Bamber are great as father and son, but the transition to this event seemed too sudden, as if some build up scenes were edited out.

The rest of the hour is really great. Tory, Anders, Tyrol, and Tigh are all outted, bring a conclusion to the hiding in plain sight arc for the four. The alliance between the Colonial Fleet and the Rebel Cylons is re-established. In addition, the purpose of Starbuck's new Viper is revealed as a compass for finding Earth.

This leads to two great ending sequences, both with opposing emotional affects. The first happens when the fleet arrives in orbit of Earth. There is an emotional swell that is undeniable. We've watched these characters struggle, bleed, and die in their search for a fabled home, and when they find it one can't help be feel overjoyed for them. I especially loved Lee jumping onto the table in CSC, throwing off his blazer, and whooping. I don't know if it was scripted or not, but it works and it pumps up the celebration even more.

Which leads us to the real conclusion to the journey. When the entire cast lands on Earth they find it an irradiated wasteland. It appears to be the Earth of our future due to the fallen facade of a Christian church and twisted skyscraper skeletons in the distance. Director Michael Rymer, who has been present since the mini-series and is largely responsible for the way every other director has shot the show, does an incredible job with the scene that is silent except for the waves of the sea crashing on the shore.

The silent reactions of the individual cast members are amazing and they say so much about these characters. Adama is angry; Roslin is crestfallen; D'Anna looks at them both as if expecting some kind of answer. Tory and Anders join hands; Athena and Helo hold hands as well; Caprica Six approaches Tigh and puts her hand on his shoulder. Dee looks reflective (I didn't see Gaeta); Baltar can do nothing but sit on a rock; Galen cynically chuckles and shakes his head as if this is the biggest, foul prank ever played. Then come three reactions that really got me: Lee sadness increases with each step as the camera tracks him through the single shot that wraps the hour up; Leoben just looks down at the ground unable to move as a betrayed and defeated prophet; Kara's is the last face we see and it's about to erupt in tears. She led them all there. She led Humanity to its end.

This plays more like a season finale than any of BSG's previous mid-season cliffhangers. The plot lines of first half of season four has been resolved and second half has been set up to spin the show into a new direction as it barrels to a series conclusion. Undoubtedly, the rest of the Cylons led by Cavil (I still think he had time to download before the Hub blew) and Boomer will find the Alliance. The final Cylon has not been revealed yet. More importantly, the Promise Land doesn't look very promising, so what will the humans do now?

It's going to be a long wait.

This episode: 9 out of 10
Season Four (so far): 7 out of 10

Don't Point That Gun At Me

2008-06-12T08:06:00.018-05:00

True Faith/1963 - July 1987

"True Faith" is one of those singles that's hard to separate from its video. The song was somewhat of a hit in the U.S. (especially on the dance charts), and the video was in heavy rotation on MTV. The avant garde production was directed by choreographer Philippe Decoufle and featured mimes, bizarre costumes, sign language, tumbling, and slap-fighting. How it related to the song, I'll never know, but the images are forever burned into my brain and are recalled upon hearing opening drum beats of the song.

"True Faith" is one of New Order's easiest songs to sing along to, the chorus in particular. Bernard Sumner sings it almost as a mantra, allowing the phrasing and the rhythm of the words to burrow into the brain. Synth and programmed drums are the main instruments here, but there are brief touches of guitar and Peter Hook's high end bass. This song is a good indicator of what's to come on the next New Order full length album.

The B-Side is just as good, if not better. While "1963" is sung from the perspective of a murdered wife, it's still damn catchy. This is also one of Bernard Sumner's best vocal performances and he really sells the fear, pain, and disappointment of the victim. The drums sound more natural, but this is still another keyboard heavy song, employing a synth-string sound throughout. The result is a really great track. In fact, I think that "True Faith" and "1963" is one of the best A-Side/B-Side combinations in New Order's singles catalogue.

10 out of 10

Substance - August 1987

If you do not have this singles collection in your possession yet, stop reading this post and go buy it. This is a recap of all of the 12" singles released by New Order, up through 1987. The second disc of the CD has the B-Sides, but only a few of them are really that good. The first disc containing the singles is where it's at. If you own one New Order CD/LP/cassette/digital download, this should be it. If you have a passing interest in New Order, this should be in your home. Go. Now. I bet you can find it in a used bin, too (which is a shame).

10 out of 10

Touched by the Hand of God/Touched by the Hand of Dub - December 1987

New Order team back up with Arthur Baker for "Touched by the Hand of God". It feels a little like a throwback to an earlier New Order sound, but the song is still pretty solid. The rock guitars and bass add to a more live sounding arrangement. The synth is still front and center a times, but not as dominating as the last few singles. The B-Side is just a remix of the single.

This is another song that I can't help but recall the video when I hear it. New Order are decked out in hair-metal glory, poofy, fake wigs, spikes and leather. They even get to leap off the stage in a shower of pyrotechnics. Classic.

7 out of 10

The Hub

2008-06-09T10:00:00.020-05:00

Battlestar Galactica - Episode 4.09

After a brief dip in quality, BSG returns this week with an exciting and provocative episode. As predicted, the story backtracks a couple days to give us a window to the rebel Cylon and Colonial joint mission to destroy the Resurrection Hub. There is a lot of plot advancement here, but we also get some quality character development for Laura Roslin.

Everytime the Hybrid forces the Baseship to jump, Roslin has a vision. This time around, she is guided by Elosha, her spiritual advisor that died near the beginning of the second season. Whether or not this Elosha is more than a vision remains to be seen, but she did seem to be aware that William Adama was waiting at the rendezvous for Laura. The main point of her visit is to get Laura to make the best of her remaining days and learn to love. Not just romantic love, as in the case of Bill, but familial love, which would be the reason for having Lee and Kara in the visions. The last person Laura had a significant emotional investment, other than Adama, was her aide, Billy. After the loss of that surrogate son, she closed herself off to just about everyone but the Admiral. Does this mean that she'll let Lee continue in the role of President when she returns to Galactica, though?

It was great to see Lorena Gale again, even as a vision. She's an underrated character actress and she was always able to sell the spiritual side of BSG. I didn't think about until this episode, but she would be a great candidate for the final Cylon.

The action during the D'Anna's rescue the the destruction of the Resurrection Hub was exciting. However, the attitude of the Colonial pilots was a little too exaggerated and annoying. Yes, there should be some animosity on the parts of the Humans towards the Cylons, but that should not allow them to backtalk a superior officer so adamantly.

What also didn't work was the Eight/Helo subplot. I think the writers could have played up this unique instance of sexual tension without the part about the Eight downloading Athena's memories. That seemed silly and frankly hurt what could have been some really interesting moments. Also, Not-Athena's speech to the pilots came off corny and Grace Park's delivery seemed off.

Having D'Anna back on the show is a plus and Lucy Lawless is perfect in this episode. She gets her revenge on Cavil (though there is still a slim chance that he downloaded in time before the Hub blew), and being the last Three makes her very unique amongst the other Cylons. Her little joke on Roslin about being one of the Final Five was hilarious and perfect. She has a great point, all she has is information, but it's a bargaining chip that will keep her alive.

James Callis continues to shine as Gaius Baltar. His one-sided philosophical debate with the Centurion was hilarious, but possibly could lead to complications, if the information was processed and passed on to others before its death. Also, while Baltar was gravely injured and being tended to by Roslin, we have learned that he has allowed his new found religious views to grant himself absolution for past sins. If Gauis feels that he is about guilt, he could become an even more dangerous cult leader.

The ending of the hour was really sweet. Laura and Bill have finally decided not to hide their obvious feeling for each other. The great thing about this is that the relationship has been allowed to evolve at a slow but natural pace over the last four years. Also, Mary McDonnell and Edward James Olmos are simply fantastic and sell the sincerity of the moment with tear-inducing ease.

8 out of 10

Sine Qua Non

2008-06-02T10:10:00.005-05:00

Battlestar Galactica - Episode 4.08

This week's episode of BSG was kind of odd. After an landscape altering episode with an exciting cliffhanger and two weeks to mull it over, we get another set up story. Strangely, some very significant moments transpire over the hour.

Bill Adama's feelings for President Laura Roslin are made completely transparent this week. They've become very close this season, and now Adama has made it known to those close to him that he loves her. This relationship has been allowed to grow and evolve over the past three seasons, so this doesn't feel forced. Also, Eddie Olmos is such a great actor that he's completely able to sell the believability of the emotions welling up in the Admiral.

Adama's feelings for Roslin cause him to do some pretty careless things. First, he takes the Galactica after the missing Baseship, leaving the fleet defenseless. Then he refuses to acknowledge Vice President Tom Zarak's authority. This all comes to a head when he gets into a shouting match turned fist fight with his best friend and XO, Col. Tigh. Luckily, despite his flaws Bill is able to see that his emotions are getting in the way of his command decisions, so he takes a leave of absence, give Tigh command of the military, and takes a Raptor to wait for the Basestar with Laura to comeback. It was a treat to see Bill Adama in a flight suit for once and using his old Viper call sign.

As for the guy left in charge of Galactica, Saul Tigh has his own interesting personal developments. Apparently, his cell meetings with Caprica Six have been conjugal in nature. She's pregnant which means we've got the first Cylon/Cylon baby on the way. This is big step for the Cylons, since "natural" reproduction has been one of their major goals. Also, Saul has been given the chance to command Galactica again, but this time he's a more seasoned leader thanks to his time with the New Caprica resistance.

I have a hard time believing that Tom Zarak would have rolled over and let someone else take over as President after Admiral Adama continued to ignore him. This guy used to be a terrorist! He would have taken a stronger stance. We did get a brief glance of the old Zarak overheard on a radio interview in the background. This was one of two things about this episode that just seemed wrong.

The other moment involved Romo Lampkin's pulling a gun on Lee Adama and threatening to kill the junior Quorum member. I really enjoyed Lampkin and the part he played during the end of season three, but I don't think enough had been established with the character for the writers to pull this kind of trick. Was it a trick? Was Romo bluffing so that Lee would realize that he was the best person to fill in as President of the Twelve Colonies, or are we to take what he said at face value? Had Romo become a man that had lost hope and decided that the rest of humanity was undeserving of a leader that could provide it?

The material involving Romo's cat probably went over alot of viewers' heads. The key clue was when Lee kicked the empty, overturned food bowl and commented on where the cat was. However, are we to believe that the cat has been dead since we first met Romo, or is this a post Trial of Baltar development? This was all handled awkwardly and ended up being a bit confusing.

Lee Adama filling in as the President was telegraphed a mile away, but this should be a pretty interesting development for the character. I just hope they don't play him up too much as a JFK type of character. That would be too obvious. I believe Lee is supposed to become a great leader, but I hope they don't make it too easy for him.

I was disappointed that we only got to see the fallout of the Resurrection Hub battle. However, it appears that we'll possibly get the chance to go back and witness this spectacle next episode. Speaking of which, Sci Fi channel better be throwing us off with the "reveal" in the preview. I would hope they wouldn't spoil a major plot point in commercial, but you never know.

6 out of 10

There's No Place Like Home - Part Two

2008-05-30T08:16:00.019-05:00

Lost - Episode 4.13/4.14

Unlike the previous season finales for Lost, which ended with big shocking twists, the fourth season wraps up by bringing events to their logical conclusions. This season was more about the journey to an end that brought the past and future events together. The show has caught up with itself, so to speak. In doing so, the series is set up for the next season's big story thrust: returning half of the cast to the island.

The reveal of John Locke as the man in the coffin wasn't a big shock. He had long been suspected to be the occupant and given the clues laid throughout the season, it was pretty inevitable. This being Lost, I doubt Terry O'Quinn is out of a job. Locke is one of the show's most important characters, and I'm sure we'll be seeing him up and about before too long. I'm willing to bet that we'll get some "Jeremy Bentham" scenes in flashback during the season premiere.

The method of getting the future Oceanic Six off the island at the same time worked for the most part. Sawyer made the noble sacrifice and gave up his seat so the leaking helicopter could make it to the boat. Jin couldn't make it in time because Frank was panicked and wanted to get away from the freighter that was about to blow up. Frank and Desmond's exits were handled in a way I didn't expect, but worked quite well. The Desmond and Penny reunion was one of my favorite parts of the show, and it was nice to have at least one ray of sunshine amongst all the tragedy.

Since a lot of events played out as expected, I'm more compelled to speculate on what may come next season. I don't think that Jin is dead. He's smart and he would have jumped off the freighter once it looked like Frank wasn't turning back. Michael is probably dead. The moment "Christian Shephard" appeared and told him he "can go now", was great. Michael has been released from the island's hold and is allowed to die. Besides Jin, the other major players on the island are Juliet (who looked gorgeous this episode) and Sawyer (getting the required "oops, my shirt fell off" scene). For some reason I can see these two forming a bond. They're two with the most leadership qualities left on the island and it could be an interesting relationship.

Good sub-characters like Rose, Bernard, Charlotte, and Miles are also there. Daniel was still at sea when the island moved, but when it vanished the second island (a mile or two away) was gone, too. This may be the out that allows Jin and Daniel to be transported, too. There were some hints that Charlotte may have been to the island before. Could she, Miles, and Daniel be Darma children that once lived on the island? They're all around the same age. Just a wild theory.

The idea of rounding up everyone that left the island and going back opens up some great potential character conflict. Kate is already hesitant and Claire's dream visit about not taking Aaron back won't help matters. I'm curious if this extends to Frank and especially Desmond, as well. Desmond and Penny are tied so close to the Widmore/Darma part of the mythology that it seems fitting that they would have a continued presence on the show. Speaking of Widmore, Sun's conversation with the man raises some interesting questions. Is she playing him for revenge or is she wanting to us Widmore as a means to strike at Ben? Whatever the case, I'm loving post island Sun. She has become confident and determined. This is a logical character growth given the circumstances of her life before and during her stay on the island.

I will give the creators and writers of Lost a lot of credit for delivering fourteen hours of the planned sixteen episodes. The writer's strike disrupted things a bit, but they recovered nicely. Streamlining these final three seasons down to sixteen episodes each instead of stretching them out to twenty-four was a wise move. The writing has been tighter and answers are coming at a quicker rate. This allows for less filler and re-establishing a sense of urgency that the series was starting to lack. Season four has made me excited about Lost, again.

This episode: 8 out of 10
This season: 8 out of 10

You Call Me on the Phone, You Left Me All Alone

2008-05-29T08:02:00.023-05:00

Shellshock/Shellcock - March 1986

New Order team up with producer John Robie again, this time for the non-album single "Shellshock". The result is a lot more palatable than the "Sub-culture" single remix. While there is a multitude of voices throughout the track, they don't dominate Bernard Sumner's vocals as they did on the previous single. "Shellshock" is a decent mix of dance music with rock accents; very New Order, but not one of their best singles. It should also be noted that this song made an appearance on the soundtrack for Pretty in Pink, one of the biggest teen films of the '80s.

6 out of 10

Brotherhood - September 1986
Bizarre Love Triangle/Bizarre Dub Triangle - November 1986

New Order follow up the amazing Low-Life with Brotherhood. This time around, the band decided to divide the two sides of vinyl by placing the more live/rock/acoustic songs on the A-Side and the more electronic/dance tracks on the B-Sides. The result is not as fluid as the previous long player, but still a really strong record.

The opener "Paradise" may not jump up and announce itself like previous first tracks on past New Order records, but it's still a strong number. It's a hushed rocker mainly due to the vocals being breathed into the mics. The following track "Weirdo" is another thing altogether. This gem is a pop masterpiece that captures everything great about a New Order rock classic: shimmering, trebled out guitars, interweaving high-end bass lines, and energetic drumming. The music is so good and catchy that Sumner doesn't even bother to sing on the second verse. Also, the build up during the outro is just musical gold. This is one of my favorite New Order songs of all time.

The rest of the A-Side is pretty strong (though "As It Is When It Was" is probably the weakest of the five songs), but the other remaining stand out is "Broken Promise". This is a groovy rocker that builds into a couple chaotic, chainsaw guitar solos. Sumner's desperate vocal performance is one of the best on the album, too. "Way of Life" rounds out the first side and it's a solid New Order pop number. New Order do a great little feint at the beginning; it initially sounds like the song is going to down darker Movement roads, but quickly veers off into upbeat pop.

The B-Side erupts with the now classic "Bizarre Love Triangle". What "Weirdo" does with "live" instruments, "Bizarre Love Triangle" achieves electronically. This is one of New Order's most singable songs and pretty much everything about it is perfect. This song would later be released as a single (7" and 12") and would undergo many remixes; all of which were extremely good.

"All Day Long" is more laid back, but extremely pleasant. The song features a great guitar solo by Sumner and it crescendos into a beautiful synth and bass ending. This is followed by the weakest track on the album, "Angel Dust". There are some elements that are perfected on "State of the Nation", the standalone single that was released at the same time as Brotherhood. The record ends with the quiet and melodic "Every Little Counts".

8 out of 10

State of the Nation/Shame of the Nation - September 1986

"State of the Nation" was released at the same time as Brotherhood, but the song was not included on the album. This song is another dance track with heavy rock elements. This is the third single collaboration with John Robie and it's the best of the three. I guess they kept refining the process as they went along. Still, this is a decent New Order single, not one of their best, but still quite good. Once again, the B-Side is just a remix of the A-Side.

7 out of 10

Just One More... And Then I Gotta Go...

2008-05-28T09:02:00.010-05:00

You'd think between playing with Old Man, writing and recording a podcast for Comic Addiction, and writing for this blog, I'd have enough projects to occupy my time. I'm now venturing into the dark and forbidden world of fan fiction. It's been surprisingly fun, so far.

The idea was pitched by someone over at the Uncanny X-Cast forum and a bunch of us regular posters (FUXers - Forum of Uncanny X-Casters) decided to give it a whirl. I quickly claimed Uncanny X-Men as my title and established the era that we would all work from. The idea is that no more Marvel Comics were published after the cover date of October 1986, right before the Mutant Massacre. I thought that would be a good jumping off point, since the X-Books start to really change around that point and there were a lot of cast change ups afterwards.

Basically, I'm rewritting history from that point forward. The Mutant Massacre will have a different end result and the cast change will not be as drastic. There will be some additions to the X-Men, but no subtractions, leaving me the cast I want to write. The reaction to the first issue has been pretty positive, so that's encouraging. Also, the first issue of another person's X-Factor project has been really good, which makes the whole project even more worthwhile. I'm looking forward to reading the other series that will eventually join the "FUX Universe". Some forum members are also going to provide illustrations so even more people can get involved.

If anything this is a fun creative exercise. I start out by writing an issue in the format of a script for a twenty-two page comic book. After that, I translate it into prose form. This way I can make sure I'm writing just enough material for a regular comic book series on a monthly basis and that the format stays consistant.

Without You I Go Insane

2008-05-21T12:27:00.037-05:00

Low-Life - May 1985
The Perfect Kiss/Kiss of Death - May 1985
Sub-culture/Dub-vulture - November 1985

It's hard for me to talk about any of these three releases individually without referring back to the others that came out that year. "The Perfect Kiss" and "Sub-culture" are singles for Low-Life, despite having different mixes than that of the album versions of the two songs. The release of this record and its related singles marks the beginning of the New Order's longest period of sustained high quality work and my favorite era of the band. There are no clunkers on Low-Life; the entire album is full of some of New Order's best songs.

As with their last two full length records, this one opens with an upbeat, pop classic. "Love Vigilantes" kicks off melodica, live drums and the band playing their instruments, leaving the programming for later tracks. This song feels like a relative to "Age of Consent", but more focused. Bernard Sumner delivers a great narrative about a soldier that returns home to his wife and child after fighting a war.

The second track is "The Perfect Kiss" which was the first single for the album. This song is an amazing combination of live instrumentation and programming. The album version is considerably shorter than the 12" single mix. It lacks an extended intro, the third verse (which happens to contain the song's title), and the full outro. The album take of "The Perfect Kiss" is still a great song, but to fully appreciate it, the full version must be heard. Lyrically, this is one of Sumner's best. It easily could be taken as a song about Ian Curtis and Sumner's feelings of failure for not seeing the signs of his friend's impending suicide. This song is a masterpiece and is easily one of my favorite New Order tunes. The B-Side to the single is just a instrumental remix of the A-Side.

Things get turn dark and slinky with "This Time of Night". Sumner makes a plea to a lover, who he cannot live without. It's about as sexy a song as you'll get out of New Order, but it's also a little creepy. That edginess draws in the listener like a moth to the flame.

"Sunrise" has to be one of the hardest rocking songs in New Order's catalogue. It pulls a feint with a low, slow keyboard intro by Gillian Gilbert, but Peter Hook's bass soon puts an end to that. Bernard Sumner and Stephen Morris quickly follow suit on the guitar and drums, and the song explodes into violent action. The momentum is satisfyingly sustained until the track's conclusion.

The second side of Low-Life slows things up a bit with "Elegia". The cut of this instrumental track that appears on the album is about a quarter of the original twenty minute recording. While this moody, synth-dominated piece is well executed, it's probably a good thing that the band cut it down to about five minutes. If it was any longer, it probably wouldn't have had the lasting appeal that this version attains.

Things pick up a little bit with the lazy, but uptempo, "Sooner Than You Think". This is another stripped down, very live feeling song. It's a wonderful picture of band life on the road and parties in hotels. Extremely catchy, pleasant, and very underrated.

"Sub-culture" is the source material of the second single from Low-Life. The album version is pretty strong, despite some off key singing by Sumner. The single version, mixed by pop and hip hop producer John Robie, is a strange beast, though. On that version, Sumner's vocals are all but dominated by a chorus of disco divas. Also, moments are punctuated with synth-orchestra keyboard hits. I don't think these changes do anything for the song and they rob "Sub-culture" of its intimacy and directness. I think the album version is much stronger. Similar to "The Perfect Kiss", the single's B-Side is a remix of the A-Side.

Low-Life wraps up with the jittery, bouncy "Face Up". This is a very fun number that constantly feels like it's about to fall apart. The chorus is fun to sing and I can't help but yell "Guess what I'm gonna do to you!" at the appropriate moment. This is one of New Order's best album closers.

In my opinion, Low-Life is New Order's first full-length masterpiece. It displays a wide range of the band's various song styles, but all the tracks sit well together, forming a cohesive unit. Also, it establishes New Order as a band that is more than just a singles group. Low-Life ranks as my second favorite New Order album, ever.

Low-Life: 10 out of 10
The Perfect Kiss: 10 out of 10
Sub-culture: 5 out of 10

Guess Who's Coming to Dinner

2008-05-19T08:38:00.021-05:00

Battlestar Galactica - Episode 4.07

And I thought last week's episode was awesome. This one's just as good, if not better. This season's slow start is starting to payoff in big ways and we're not even at the mid-season point yet.

The biggest central development is the uneasy alliance and joint operation to take out the Resurrection Hub between the Colonials and the Rebel Cylons. This presents a fundamental dynamic shift in the make up of the fleet and sets up a concrete direction for the series endgame. Every major beat that transpires in this hour is directly connected to this new status quo.

The loss of Gaeta's lower leg is due to the Demetrius' delay in returning to the fleet because Helo was waiting for the away team to return. Where Gaeta goes from this point is anybody's guess. He's already built up a lot of resentment towards Kara for being labelled a traitor and almost being shot out the airlock due to his involvement in Baltar's government. Now he can blame her for his current condition as well as Anders (who shot Felix and is very shaken up by the ordeal) and Helo.

"Gaeta's Lament" is an immediate and moving result of his amputation. After a few scenes, I was beginning to feel that the creators were milking it for all its worth, but its uses at the end of the hour really drove home the feelings of tragedy, loss, and uncertainty that pervade the two cliffhanger moments. It goes without saying that Alessandro Juliani has a great voice and his delivery was perfect. I could tell that the man could really sing beautifully, yet he was able to channel Felix's pain and fear, giving these scenes a realism.

The two scenes of scheming and reversal between Natalie, Leoben, and Eight rang a little false and convenient. At first, Leoben is all about trust and it starting somewhere and Natalie is wanting to have a back up double-cross ready. Later, after her meeting with the Quorum, Natalie suddenly wants the Cylons to be the first to trust and Leoben is a little resistant, partially due to the Centurions being committed to the plan. It just seemed awkward.

I guess this was the writer's way of getting Natalie back on Galactica so she could be shot by Sharon. I certainly hope this is the last time I have to see an episode of BSG end with Grace Park shooting someone (this is the third I can think of off the top of my head). I guess I can understand Sharon's panic. She knows that the Rebels are supposed to get the Final Five, so she may be afraid of the idea that Hera might be on that list once it's revealed. She's had her daughter taken from her before, so she'd definitely in defense mode.

Things are further complicated by the sudden jump by the Baseship once the Hybrid is plugged back in. Roslin's desperation to determine the meaning of her visions may have cost a lot of people their lives. Not only does she have Baltar, Starbuck, and Helo in tow, but a whole squadron of Vipers, their pilots, and Marines were on board when the ship jumped. I wonder if this will lead to Vice President Zarak attempting to seize control of the government. This would give Lee something to do for once.

Despite a few grievances, this was an outstanding episode. The plot is really picking up steam and there's a definite feeling of change transpiring over these last two hours. It's going to be a long two weeks of waiting.

8 out of 10

There's No Place Like Home - Part One

2008-05-16T08:44:00.015-05:00

Lost - Episode 4.12

It's hard to review an episode like this. This is the first part of the final three hours for the fourth season of Lost, and as a result, there is a lot of chess piece movement so all the characters are where they need to be for this arc's resolution. Interestingly enough, the writers have positioned the cast in such a wide separation, that I have no idea how this is going to happen.

We know who will get off the island. The opening of the episode re-enforces this by revealing the details of the Oceanic Six's (Jack, Kate, Sun, Sayid, Hurley, and Aaron) return to civilization. We also know that they aren't telling the truth about their survival. Luckily, the press start to fish out some of the plot holes that are fairly evident. If Aaron is really Kate's child, then she would have been six months pregnant when she was in custody with the U.S. Marshall. Hurley is surprisingly overweight for a guy that has spent months on a tropical island.

Given the placement of the Oceanic Six on the island before the rescue at the end of this episode, I'm wondering how the hell they end up in the same place to be rescued? Sun has Aaron and is on the freighter deck, while Jin, Michael, and Desmond are down below disarming a bomb. Kate and Sayid are in the hands of Richard and the Others. Jack is off with Sawyer and Frank at the helicopter, not far from the Orchid Station, and Hurley is right outside the Orchid Station with Locke. Jack, Kate, Sayid and Hurley are close enough that I can see them potentially getting off in the helicopter, but Sun and Aaron are five miles off shore. It's going to be an interesting two hours in two weeks, to say the least.

Questions, questions, questions:
1. How's Ben going to get out of this one? Even Locke was skeptical about Ben's "plan". To tell you the truth, Ben sort of came off as a caricature when he told Locke that he "always has a plan". Not that there was anything wrong with Michael Emerson's delivery, but the line was written in a way that Ben didn't seem like the bad ass we got to see in "The Shape of Things to Come". The line bordered on cliche. However, I have every confidence that Ben will pull off something spectacular and position himself to be able to teleport to the Sahara Desert.

2. How is the island going to get moved? We know it involves the Orchid Station. Also, given the time theory involvement, will time off the island spent by the Oceanic Six move at a different pace? Will years off the island seem like months on the island?

3. What will be the circumstances that will keep everyone else from leaving the island? This might not be too hard to suss out. Events will conspire to put the Six together and they might be the only folks that are alive and off the island when it moves. I think any nameless Losties on the freighter are going to get blown up. I bet Desmond and Jin will somehow live as a result of some noble sacrifice by Michael.

Then there are the few that would choose to stay. Rose's cancer has been halted due to the healing properties of the island. Her husband Bernard would understandably want to stay with her. Locke's destiny is intertwined with that of the island. Sawyer has nothing worth going home to and has actually become a leader and has found people he cares about on the island (though the two people that he's the closest to, Kate and Hurley, leave).

And least I forget...
4. What about the goddamn four-toed statue? That one was for Allison.

On a side note, Michelle Forbes makes an appearance as the spokesperson for Oceanic Airlines. She's been getting a lot of work lately (Lost, Battlestar Galactica, In Treatment). I wish she had a regular series to star in, though. I think she's awesome.

7 out of 10

I Love What You Do To My Heart

2008-05-15T08:09:00.017-05:00

The Cure - The Only One (Mix 13)/NY Trip

The Cure are finally getting around to releasing their next album later this year. Until then, they'll be releasing a new single around the thirteenth of each month. There will be four before the full length record hits the markets in September. In addition, each will sport an unique single mix that will be different than the album version and each will come with a non-album B-Side.

"The Only One" is the first single and it became available this week. I've been excited to hear some new recordings ever since my guitar hero and on-again/off-again Cure member, Porl Thompson, returned to the band a few years ago. Not that Perry Bamonte, who played guitar for the Cure for the last decade in Porl's absence, was a bad guitar player, but his style was very similar to Robert Smith's, so it lacked identity. Sometimes I couldn't tell which guitar parts were Robert's and which were Perry's. His playing was identifiable when I would hear a brief guitar lick here or there, but that's about it. Porl's guitar work is very different from Robert's and it has a distinct flare that is very much his own.

Since Robert's main instrument on "The Only One" appears to be the baritone guitar, I'm under the impression that Porl is handling most of the guitar work on the track. His playing here is more in keeping with songs like "High" or "Friday I'm in Love"; arpeggiated runs with shimmering tones. He gets a chance to knock out a pretty cool guitar solo near the middle, but as with past Porl rock out moments, it's buried in the mix. Maybe, the album mix will have it pushed up more.

Lyrically, "The Only One" fits the pattern that Robert has fallen into since around Bloodflowers. Too often his lyrics take a motif or theme and run it into the ground or he'll sing a positive verse followed by a negative verse (see "Bloodflowers"). This song falls under the former category. He sings to his lover that "I love what you do my head" in one verse, "I love what you do to my heart" in the next, and the same for "lips" and "hips". This is cute, but not that inspired. Also, Robert gets as much mileage out of words that rhyme with "scream" (which is followed by "extreme" and "dream") as possible. Cute and fun, but not very deep.

Still, I'll take a song like this over most of what came out of Wild Mood Swings and Bloodflowers. Not a bad start and with four preview singles for their thirteenth album, the Cure have plenty of opportunities to show the band's many signature song styles. This one gets filed under "upbeat pop".

The B-Side, "NY Trip" is a different beast altogether. This track is more of a sly, funky track, somewhat in the vein of "Wendy Time". Porl is given more of an opportunity to rock out on this song. The guitars bleed in and out and there are plenty of wha-wha and effects goodness.

Vocally, Robert sings in a way that he hasn't in a long time. He gets to have fun with his voice and his delivery isn't as straightforward or generically "The Cure" as "The Only One". Maybe this is due to the Cure not having done this kind of song in years. Whatever the case, it makes for a fun listen.

6 out of 10

Of Gods and Cylons

2008-05-13T09:11:00.022-05:00

I got to thinking the other day about a possible connection between the twelve Cylon models on Battlestar Galactica and twelve Olympians. Traditionally, there have always been twelve gods, but Hades gets lumped in with them due to his importance in Greek myth and the fact that he's a sibling to Zeus, Poseidon, Hera, etc. This brings the count up to thirteen (more on that later).

I don't think that the creators of Battlestar Galactica intended that there was to be any direct connection between the twelve Cylons and the Greek gods, but with the gods being personified as the Lords of Kobol, I can't help but find some parallels. With that in mind, here's who I think represents who and how it may impact the identity of the final Cylon.

Cavil = Zeus
Zeus - King of the Gods and ruler of Mount Olympus; god of the sky, thunder, and justice. At first, I picked this connection due to a combination of elimination and the fact that Cavil model number one. Lately, he's taken a very authoritative role in the Cylon assembly. He pushed for the Threes to be boxed and spearheaded the lobotomizing of the Raiders. Also, when he organized the ambush of the Twos, Sixes, and Eights, it looked very much like a raining down of punishment from on high. Zeus was always very vindictive, so this kind of fits.

Leoben = Hades
Hades - Lord of the Dead; god of the Underworld and wealth. This is why I couldn't ignore Hades when compiling this list. Leoben fits Hades too well. Leoben's abduction of Starbuck and hiding her away with him on New Caprica mirrors Hades' abduction of Persphone to the Underworld perfectly. In addition, Leoben's spiritually and obsessions has always stood him apart from the other models, similar to Hades being off from Olympus and dwelling in the Underworld.

D'Anna = Hera
Hera - Queen of the Gods and of the heavens; goddess of women, marriage, and motherhood. Before becoming obsessed with the identities of the Final Five and her boxing, D'Anna seemed to be one of the strongest guiding forces and figures of authority for the Cylons. What really closes the deal on this one for me, is the story of how Hephaestus gained revenge against Hera for rejecting him by making her a magical throne which, when she sat on it, didn't allow her to leave it. The other gods petitioned Hephaestus repeatedly to free her. Seems pretty similar to D'Anna's situation to me.

Simon = Demeter
Demeter - Goddess of fertility, agriculture, nature, and the seasons. When Simon is first introduced, he's running the medical facility that is experimenting on human women in the hopes of creating a human/Cylon hybrid. Also, the episode that he first appears in is called The Farm. So the connection to Demeter and fertility and agriculture seems appropriate. Other than that, there really isn't much to go on where Simon is concerned. He's pretty calm and logical, that's about it.

Doral = Hermes
Hermes - Messenger of the Gods; god of commerce, speed, thieves, and trade. When we first meet Doral, he's posing as a public relations specialist aboard Galactica during the mini-series. This helps connect him to the idea of business and being a messenger. Also, his dress and demeanor has always struck me as one of an oily business man.

Six = Aphrodite
Aphrodite - Goddess of love, beauty, desire, and fertility. This one is a bit of a no-brainer. The various Sixes have become more complex over the seasons, but when first introduced, Six used her sexuality and looks to trick Baltar into granting her access to the Colonial Defense grid. Also, the Gina version was Cain's lover, which gave her access to the mainframe on Pegasus.

Sharon = Hestia
Hestia - Goddess of the hearth and home. I admit that this one is a little tricky. However, the fact that both Sharon and Boomer made conscious decisions of where there home should be makes some connection. Also, with home you have family, and Sharon has one with Helo and little Hera. Maybe a little bit of a stretch, but in context with all the other models, it's the best fit for her. Despite taking the call sign "Athena", I think that Hestia is a better model for Sharon.

Tigh = Ares
Ares - God of war, frenzy, and bloodshed. Tigh fought in the first war with the Cylons and he's a career soldier and officer. The guy is always pissed-off about something, so there's your anger and frenzy. During the resistance on New Caprica, he was the leader that took the "by any means necessary" approach that included suicide bombers. Also, Ares had and affair with Aphrodite, and we've seen a connection forming between Saul and Caprica Six a few episodes back.

Tory = Artemis
Artemis - Goddess of the hunt, of maidens, and the moon. Like Sharon, connecting Tory to one of the gods could be considered somewhat of a stretch. However, ever since Tory has become accepting of her Cylon nature, she has been sort of on the prowl, specifically where Baltar is concerned. Also, she hunted down Cally and blew her out the airlock when the later discovered that Tory, Tigh, Tyrol were Cylons.

Anders = Apollo
Apollo - The Sun God; god of light, healing, music, poetry, prophecy, archery and truth. Apollo has always been depicted as handsome and athletic and that fits Samuel T. Anders pretty well. Also, there's the myth of Cassandra who rejected Apollo's advances. Out of spite, he cursed her with the ability to see the future, but no one believed her. Starbuck dumps Sam for Lee and she comes back with the way to Earth, but no one believes her. Somewhat of a parallel. Also, as Tory (Artemis) has become colder (the moon), Sam (Apollo) seems to have grown more compassionate (the sun), as seen in last weeks episode with the dying Eight.

Tyrol = Hephaestus
Hephaestus - Blacksmith to the Gods; god of fire and the forges. This is another obvious parallel. Tyrol is the chief engineer on Galactica and has even built a stealth Viper. Plus, he has been depicted as a labor leader in several episodes. Hephaestus has often been referred to as being "lame" or "crippled". Chief has become very emotionally crippled since the loss of his wife, Cally.

The 12th Cylon = Athena
Athena - Goddess of wisdom, crafts, and strategic battle. If this ends up being Roslin, that covers wisdom. If this is Cally, a mechanic, that covers crafts. If the final is my personal favorite pick, Admiral Cain, strategic battle applies. Granted Athena seems more appropriate if the Twelth is Roslin and Cain, rather than Cally. If it does end up being Cally, I may consider switching Sharon from Hestia to Athena, and Cally to Hestia.

The 13th Cylon = Poseidon
Poseidon - Lord of the Sea; god of the seas, horses, and earthquakes. Yeah, I said it. There has been some speculation that there is a hidden thirteenth Cylon to represent Earth. The connection to Poseidon would make since given his connection to the seas and earthquakes. If there is one, I don't think we've seen this character before and I hope it's played by Dirk Benedict (the original Starbuck).

Faith

2008-05-12T08:01:00.023-05:00

Battlestar Galactica - Episode 4.06

Bear with me on this one. I watched this episode late Friday night (or is that early Saturday morning?) after an evening of drinks. My memory may be a little foggy and I probably need to watch this one again. Not that I mind. This was one of the best hours of the season.

The showdown on the Demetrius ends with Anders shooting Gaeta in the leg and Kara rushing to the poor guy's aid. If Felix loses the leg due to the extension of the mission, he's going to hold a huge grudge against Starbuck. I'm sure he's still not over her almost blowing him out an airlock for supposedly being a traitor last season.

All this shocks Helo out of his mutiny freak out and he decides to let Kara take a Raptor with Anders, Sharon, Leoben, and a red shirt to find the rebel Cylons' Baseship. He sets the clock, since they only have so long until they miss the rendevous with the fleet, so Kara and company only have a limited time to get back. When they find the Cylon vessel, the wounded, streaking Baseship looks like the painting of a comet in Starbuck's quarters on the Demetrius.

A lot great material follows. The Eights try to convince Sharon to challenge Natalie for control. They think she's going get them all killed. This parallels the power struggle and the crew's doubt of Starbuck on the Demetrius. When one of the Sixes revenge kills the red shirt for her own death on New Caprica, Natalie ends a potentially nasty standoff by executing the Six. There's no Resurrection Ship nearby, so the death is final.

Anders' experience on the Baseship is really fascinating to watch. When he sees the other Cylons touching panels and communicating with the ship, he is tempted to do the same. He wants to explore his Cylon nature, but he still fears what his exposure will result in. Also, he attempts to offer comfort to the dying Eight. He recognizes her as something that is tied to his real nature and could potentially help him understand it.

The Hybrid clues in Kara about the prophecy concerning her being a harbinger and leading humanity to the end. Also, there's a good deal about a dying leader learning the truth of the opera house and the three leading to the five who will in turn lead to the thirteen. The leader is Roslin who has been having visions of the opera house. D'Anna is the Three who has seen the faces of the Final Five. The number thirteen is where it gets tricky. Earth is the home of the Thirteenth Tribe of Kobol, but could there be a hidden thirteenth Cylon? If this is the case, it better be played by Dirk Benedict. His ego demands it.

Back on Galactica, Roslin's cancer treatment forces her into an extended stay at Cottle's infirmary. There she meets another dying patient named Emily (played by DS9's Nana Visitor) who has found comfort in the teachings of Gaius Baltar. Laura's experience with Emily causes her to reconsider the validity of Baltar's message and her bias against it. It'll be interesting if she becomes a convert or how she will begin view Gaius as a result of her meeting of Emily.

Best Scene of the Episode: Hard to decide. The mutiny showdown was intense and so was the execution of the rogue Six. However, Bill and Laura's moment at the end of the show was pretty damn sweet.

Episode MVP: Tricia Helfer and Michael Trucco. She continues to rock as Natalie and is an interesting counterpoint to Starbuck. Trucco does a great job really expressing Anders' need to know who he truly is and his fear of exploring this nature.

Big Question: How's everyone back at the fleet going to react when the Demetrius shows up with the rebel Cylon Baseship? I'm sure we'll get a tense showdown with a scramble of Vipers within the first few minutes of the show next week. This starts to rocket us towards the mid-season break and whatever cliffhanging curveball the writers want to throw at us this time.

8 out of 10

Cabin Fever

2008-05-09T08:49:00.015-05:00

Lost - Episode 4.11

This is the kind of episode I like when watching Lost. The plot continues to move forward and we're given more insight into a character. This time the focus is on John Locke. What's different about the nature of this hour is that we're treated with flashbacks rather than the norm of this season, flashforwards. Also, we're shown various moments throughout Locke's life that go a long way to inform us of his importance in relation to the island.

The idea of Locke's role in the mythology of the island faded a little bit during the end of the last season and most of this one. This episode goes a long way to remind us of his importance. Apparently, the seemingly immortal Richard Alpert has been tracking John since birth. The fact that he's also visited by Mr. Abbadon, who seems to be working for Widmore, makes John an even more valuable piece in the Others vs. Dharma Initiative game.

Claire's appearance at Jacob's cabin with her and Jack's father, Christian, seems to fit with my theory that she died while sleeping next to the fire last episode. She's very calm and not concerned about abandoning her son. Oh, and she's hanging out with Christian, who's deceased. Also, Miles, who can commune with the dead, saw Christian last episode. The dead have made contact with may of the Losties over the span of the show, so this seems to fit.

The real kicker of "Cabin Fever" is that Locke is told by Christian that they need to move the island to save it. This plays into the other dimensional aspects of the island and I can't wait to see how this is supposed to be achieved.

Best Scene: Michael Cheats Death... Again! When Keamy finds out that Michael is Ben's spy, he goes to shoot him, but his gun misfires over and over again. Looks like the island isn't through with Michael, yet.

Episode MVP: Frank the Helicopter Pilot. This poor guy is caught up in something so strange and so much bigger than him, but he's trying so hard to do the right thing. He's able to do a few little things, like funnel information to Michael or dropping the tracking device to the Losties on the beach, but I've got a bad feeling that he's going to end up making a noble sacrifice by the season's end.

7 out of 10

Love is the Cure For Every Evil

2008-05-08T10:04:00.020-05:00

Confusion - August 1983

With the success of "Blue Monday", New Order had established themselves as an outfit that could create great dance music in addition to pop and rock tunes. It was only natural that they would continue to explore this musical realm further. In doing so, the band left their beloved Manchester, headed across the Atlantic Ocean to New York City, and teamed up with renowned DJ Arthur Baker.

"Confusion" is a very successful blending of New Order's pop sensibilities and instrumentation with '80s American hip hop beats and conventions. Vocal samples, scratch effects, and backmasking, tools never before employed by the band, come into play throughout the song. The result is an amazingly catchy dance number. The fact that the song is a lot of fun, especially when compared to "Blue Monday", makes it really stand out in my mind.

It should be noted that the version on Substance is a rerecording and not the original mix. A shorter radio edit of the original mix can be found on Singles. The original mix is rawer and has more energy, but both are pretty fantastic.

9 out of 10

Thieves Like Us/Lonesome Tonight - April 1984

"Thieves Like Us" is another collaboration with Arthur Baker, but unlike "Confusion", this song is a synth-pop ballad. rather than a dance jam. This is about as lovely of a song as one can get from New Order. It's very keyboard driven, has a great Peter Hook bass line, and is embellished with some nice, but sparse distorted guitar hits. Lyrics have never been Bernard Sumner's strengths, and "Thieves Like Us" has some of pretty goofy lines. "Love is the air, it supports the eagle" being a real gem. Still the sentiment is pure and lovely, and the entire package is near perfect.

The B-Side is "Lonesome Tonight" which is one of New Order's better second side efforts. It's a little more guitar driven when compared to "Thieves Like Us", but it compliments the A-Side fairly well. Laid back and serene, but not as sexy as "Thieves Like Us". It's a pretty rewarding song, though, and it continues to grown on me with each new listen.

9 out of 10

Murder/Thieves Like Us (Instrumental) - May 1984

This single was only released in Belgium, but both songs appear on the second disc of the Substance CD. "Murder" is a forgettable instrumental that features samples from the films 2001: A Space Odyssey and Caligula. Very bland. Very unremarkable. The B-Side is a slight remixing of an instrumental version of "Thieves Like Us" which is pleasant enough, but I'd rather have the silly lyrics.

4 out of 10

The Road Less Traveled

2008-05-05T08:29:00.023-05:00

Battlestar Galactica - Episode 4.05

This hour focuses on a few of the major arcs running through this season of BSG. The main plot centers on the crew of the Demetrius and their continuing doubts concerning Starbuck's command decisions. The other two overlap a little, almost forming a single thread, and involve the changes and transformations that Tyrol and Baltar are currently undergoing. All come back to this seasons strongest theme: faith.

Things get really complicated on the Demetrius when the crew discovers a damaged Cylon heavy raider spinning through space. Its only occupant is Leoben, the one Cylon that has constantly put Kara through the emotional wringer and has plagued her since the first season. His appearance takes a different spin this time, though. Kara is desperate for some kind of help in her mission to find Earth, and Leoben is more than willing to offer guidance.

I was hoping that Anders' encounter with Leoben would bear a little more fruit than it did. Leoben does acknowledge Anders' importance in Kara's future, but I guess I'm chomping at the bit for more Final Five revelations. I guess I need to learn a little patience.

One of the things that I've been really disappointed with this storyline is Sharon's lack of involvement. More specifically her lack of involvement with Anders and Leoben. It feels that her Cylon nature has all but been forgotten. It even feels like she's forgotten it too, especially in regards to the crew's suspicions towards Starbuck. I would like to see some sort of conversation between Sharon and Anders that somehow relates to her being a Cylon, but living as a human.

Back on Galactica, Tyrol is still coming to terms with Cally's death, as well as his true nature. He's in a bit of a tailspin and he even finds himself at one of Baltar's love-ins. Whether or not Baltar's concessions towards the Chief are genuine is yet to be seen, but he plays sincerely. Another connection these two have is the increasing involvement of Tory Foster in their lives. She continues to encourage Tyrol to embrace his Cylon nature and she's also gotten over her crying during sex with Baltar.

It bothers me that Tory is the only one of the Revealed Four to act shady and manipulative. It seems that the Cylons that deal in lies, manipulation, and secrets have mostly been female models. There's Caprica Six, who originally slept with Baltar to get inside the Colonial defense grid. Sharon played stupid, pretty Helo so she could get a baby. Boomer, who's switch flipped and she blew out Galactica's water tanks and shot Adama. As far as male Cylon models go, Leoben has been the most creepy and sinister, even more so in regards to Kara. Interesting to note that these three models are the ones that came to the aid of the lobotomized raiders and look to be the faction that will potentially align themselves with the humans.

Best Scene: Pike getting brutally knocked out by Helo for getting all mutinous and in his face. Dude, I know your call sign is "Gonzo", but Agathon is twice your size. Stupid move, brother. Seriously.

Big Question: Who's going to side with whom when the mutiny goes down on the Demetrius? From the previews, it looks like someone's getting a bullet in the leg.

7 out of 10

Something Nice Back Home

2008-05-02T08:33:00.002-05:00

Lost - Episode 4.10

Jack has never been one of my favorite characters on Lost. The fact that he has at least two or three episodes dedicated to him each season doesn't help this opinion. Luckily, due to the remaining three season getting a reduction in episodes down to sixteen (this fourth season is reduced further to thirteen due to the writer's strike), the writing has gotten tighter and there are less opportunities for Jack based shows. This is a good thing.

What annoys me more than Jack is Jack and Kate together. Their attraction to one another has never really rant true to me and honestly, I think Sawyer is a better fit for her. Juliet is the better choice for Jack. Juliet at least has the backbone to confront Jack when she thinks he's making a wrong decision. She'll argue it out and point out where he's mistaken. Kate will just make a confused, teary face and run off and do something behind his back.

The flashforward lets us know that Jack and Kate are briefly happy together after they get off the island. But like most of his relationships, Jack finds some way sabotage it. If anything, we get to see the beginnings of his decent that will result in his mental state that was first introduced at the end of last season's flashforward.

Dancing around this are several more interesting plot threads. Juliet has to remove Jack's appendix and of course he wants to be awake enough to oversee it. Not that she removed a million of them during her residency. I liked that the writers remembered that Bernard was a dentist and had him help out. It made perfect sense for him to play anesthesiologist and assist with the surgery. I'm sure he's had to put plenty of people under to cut out some teeth.

Speaking of Bernard, he's been getting more screen time as of late. His wife Rose finally gets some dialogue after being off screen for most of the season. I've always like these two because they're the most relatable people on the show. They don't have the outlandish backstories everyone else has and they provide more of a realistic conduit for the viewers. Also, I'm always happy to see another interracial marriage on screen.

Jin is taking steps to ensure that his wife and unborn child make it off the island. His discussion with Charlotte was cool, to the point, and threatening. Jin isn't a bad guy, just someone that will do whatever to protect those he loves. We know that Sun goes back to Korea, but Jin's fate is still unrevealed.

Claire's disappearance at the end of the hour looks to lead to her potential separation from her son. Hopefully, we'll get some clues about what the deal is with Christian Shephard and his relationship with the island. Also, I couldn't help but think on Cable in the X-Men's Messiah Complex crossover, when Sawyer was holding both the baby and a big gun at the end of the episode.

Big Question: Where's Claire and what's up with Christian Shephard?

Best Scene: An unhinged Hurley explaining his conversations with dead Charlie to Jack. I like how it toys with the "They're Already Dead!" theory.

6 out of 10

From My Head To My Toes, From the Words In the Book

2008-05-01T13:16:00.011-05:00

Power, Corruption & Lies - May 1983

The various sounds of New Order start to mature and come together in an album format with Power, Corruption & Lies. Live instrumentation pop songs ("Age of Consent") sit side by side with brooding Joy Division-esque holdovers ("We All Stand"), up-tempo dance tracks ("Ultraviolence"), and sweet slower ballads ("Your Silent Face"). The idea of mixing such different forms of music onto one album seems a bit of a risk, but New Order almost pull it off here.

Unfortunately, Power, Corruption & Lies just isn't that strong of a record overall. It contains two marvelous classics ("Age of Consent" and "Leave Me Alone"), two pretty solid tracks ("The Village" and "Your Silent Face"), but the remaining four numbers are duds as far as I'm concerned. "We All Stand" practically destroys any momentum generated by the opener "Age of Consent". "The Village" would have been better suited in the number two slot. "5 8 6" feels like a poor imitation of "Blue Monday", while "Ultraviolence" and "Ecstasy" sort of form a forgettable lump near the end of the album. The latter is almost redeemable, but its placement next to "Ultraviolence" sucks some of its identity away.

The two outer tracks are the stars of the record. "Age of Consent" continues the New Order tradition of starting the record with a killer song that will bounce around the brain for hours on end. It's a beautiful fast-paced pop song with vocals by Bernard Sumner that signify that he's left the mumbled monotone of Movement behind. "Leave Me Alone" is moving, sincere, and feature lovely overlapping guitars and bass. Around three minutes into the song, the guitars burst forth with more vigor and really give the song an emotional thrust.

Basically, Power, Corruption & Lies is a sandwich made up tasteless meat, some really good cheese, in between two slices of awesome bread. It's important as an indicator of the form the next few records will take.

6 out of 10

It should be noted that American version of this CD also contains "Blue Monday" and "The Beach". However, these two songs are not offically part of Power, Corruption & Lies. As a result, I've removed those two tracks when I ripped the album down to my mp3 player. Ain't technology grand?

Please, Don't Let Me Hit the Ground

2008-04-29T12:22:00.013-05:00

Temptation/Hurt - May 1982

With the release of "Temptation", New Order started to venture into more pop/dance territories. The drumming, bouncy bass line, and skittish guitar part all come together to form a song that demands movement (ironically unlike the album that was named so). The end result is a classic and one of the best songs of the New Order catalogue.

The 7" and the 12" versions were released at the same time, but feature strikingly different mixes. The 7" mix is colder, which can be attributed to the mechanical drum sounds and Bernard Sumner's robotic vocal delivery. The 12" feels more "live". The drumming sounds more natural and Sumner's singing is more melodic. It's worth pointing out that the two versions can bleed into each other. The 7" starts cold and fades out with some "Oooo-oo-oos", while the 12" fades in with the "Oooo-oo-oos" and finishes cold.

The B-side "Hurt" is fairly unremarkable. It's only real attribute is that it points to the more dancy turn the band will take on their next single.

9 out of 10

Blue Monday/The Beach - March 1983

And then there was "Blue Monday".

While "Temptation" pushed New Order into more pop areas of music, "Blue Monday" was solidly a dance track. In fact, these two songs are the beginnings of New Order moving out from under the shadow of Joy Division, while providing indication of the two types of songs that will dominate their future singles and albums. New Order's catalogue can divided into pop/rock songs that focusing more on live instruments and electro/dance tracks that rely primarily on sequencing and drum machines. Somehow they make it all work together and both styles seem very natural and very "New Order".

To be honest, I've always liked "Blue Monday", but it is far from my favorite New Order song. It's a little long, repetitive, and has been played to death. I'm not saying that it's a bad song; in fact I think it's really great. I think it's more important for its historic significance rather than its musical merit.

The B-side is "The Beach" which is just an instrumental version of "Blue Monday"

8 out of 10

A Given End To Your Dreams

2008-04-28T11:41:00.006-05:00

Movement - November 1981

Having established a new post Joy Division identity by releasing a few singles earlier in the year, it seemed only natural that New Order's first full length album would be just around the corner. While some signs of the band's previous incarnation could be felt on the singles, there still seemed to be a distinct indication that this was not going to be Joy Division 2.0. That being said, Movement almost feels like a step backwards. Except for a few more upbeat numbers, most of the record is very plodding.

One of those exceptions is the brilliant opener "Dreams Never End". Compared to the rest of the album, this song is fast-paced and melodic. This is also one of the rare songs in which bass player Peter Hook sings lead. Though the vocals are almost incomprehensible due to Hook's throaty delivery and the layering, the track is still really outstanding. "Dreams Never Ends" starts a tradition of leading off subsequent New Order albums with extremely catchy, single worthy masterpieces.

After that, most of Movement becomes a blur. "Chosen Time" stands out a little due to it's brisk tempo, but everything else congeals into a drony funeral dirge. The album isn't awful, but it doesn't have the promise of rebirth that "Ceremony" or "Procession" had.

5 out of 10

Escape Velocity

2008-04-27T19:33:00.014-05:00

Battlestar Galactica - Episode 4.04

"Escape Velocity" is a strictly a transition episode. Its purpose is to reflect on the events that have transpired over the first three hours of the season and move people into place for next set of plot pushes. This isn't a bad episode, by any means, but after the shocking death of the Cally last week, it certainly doesn't feel like it has the impact of the previous shows.

Galen Tyrol is going through a very rough patch. Not only does he have to deal with the fact that he's a Cylon in hiding, but now he is a widower with a child. All these things cause him to question virtually everything that has transpired in his life. I believe that he really did care about Cally, but he did settle and he admits it. His previous love, Boomer, turned out to be a Cylon and rejoined her people. Her copy, Sharon, is married to Helo, so that knocks her out of the running as a replacement.

The Chief's job performance is also suffering as a result of his preoccupation. I thought Racetrack was a goner after the Raptor crash, but she and her co-pilot came out of it unscathed. Everyone seems willing to cut Tyrol a break, until he unloads on Adama at Joe's Bar. Wherever he's being reassigned will probably allow him to act a little more unrestrained, and we may see Galen explore his Cylon nature more.

Tyrol's struggle has had a major effect on Tigh. The XO lost his own wife last season, and the wound is still pretty fresh. These memories start to complicate matters when he decides to go visit Caprica Six in the brig. Having images of Ellen Tigh dressed as Six and speaking her words was eerie, fantastic and really drove home Saul's confusion and pain. These scenes also set up a relationship between Tigh and Caprica Six, not necessarily as lovers, but potential confidants.

There is some major development in the positioning of Baltar as a true cult/religious leader in this episode. When his followers are attacked by a fundamentalist group, he decides to rail against those who would persecute the monotheists. The most shocking thing about this is that it appears that Gaius actually believes in what he is saying and is willing to fight and suffer for this cause.

Best Scene of the Episode: Baltar taking a beating by the soldiers that won't let him and his people back into their chambers. I don't know if idea of Head Six picking Baltar off the deck was hilarious or goofy, but it was interesting to watch.

Missing in Action: The crew of the Demetrius. No new developments there. All we get is a small flash of Starbuck sleeping over some star charts as Anders watches. The previews make it appear that this deficit will be more than made up next week. Also, there was no news from Cylon-ville, but next week's appearance of Leobon will hopefully solve that.

Big Question: How far will Roslin go to consolidate power? She's making laws that are obvious attempts at containing Baltar's growing power, but she's doing so under the false appearance of protecting people. Her scene with Gaius in the brig was pretty chilling.

7 out of 10

The Shape of Things to Come

2008-04-25T08:20:00.028-05:00

Lost - Episode 4.09

Benjamin Linus is probably one of the most compelling characters I've had to pleasure to watch on television. A good villain can be fun to watch, but a great villain has depth. A great villain can make you feel some degree of empathy for why they do what they do or when they display some form of compassion towards someone that they genuinely love. Also, it never hurts to have an actor or actress that can act the hell out of the role. Examples that come to mind are Tony Soprano (The Sopranos), Dukat (DS9), Scorpius (Farscape), Baltar and Cain (BSG).

Ever since Ben first appeared on Lost and shocked the series' ailing second season back to life, the little man has continued to prove himself a force to be reckoned with. This guy has the uncanny ability to see the whole picture, keep two or three steps ahead of everyone else, and manipulate anyone to his benefit. He does all these things and continues to maintain that he's the good guy.

With this episode, we finally get to see Benjamin Linus care about something and feel loss. We've seen Ben display affection towards Juliette, but that can be attributed to his obsession with her and a desire to control her. His feelings for his adopted daughter, Alex, have always seemed genuine; never more so than with the circumstances of this hour.

It all comes to a head when Keamy threatens to shoot Alex unless Ben surrenders. Of course Ben can't give himself up. He knows that they'll kill her anyway, along with Losties that are holed up with him in the house. What happens next is both heartbreaking and mesmerizing, and actor Michael Emerson plays out the scene perfectly. As Keamy counts down the last seconds Ben has to surrender, Linus tells him that Alex isn't really his daughter and that she means nothing to him. It's sad that Alex has to hear these words, but Ben is actually speaking to himself in preparation for the inevitable. Then Keamy shoots Alex. The result is a few moments of Ben standing there completely gobsmacked.

When he finally comes to his senses, Ben becomes all action. He ducks into a secret room in the house, seemingly abandoning the Losties. When he finally returns there's a look of determination in his eyes that let's us know that "it's on now". As if to portray Ben's emotional state, the smoke monster/security system erupts out of nowhere and attacks Keamy and his soldiers. As the Losties run off into the jungle for cover, Ben calming walks over to his daughter's body and silently says good-bye.

In this episode's flash-forward, Ben wakes up in a parka in the middle of the Sahara Desert. When confronted by men with guns, he displays physical prowess that matches his intellectual aptitude. This little guy is a badass. These scenes from the future result in his recruitment of Sayid (we get to see more of his post-island life) as an assassin, as well as Ben's face to face with Charles Widmore, the man responsible for the raid on the island. Ben tells him that since Widmore changed the rules and Alex was killed, that he's going to kill Widmore's daughter (Desmond's girlfriend, Penelope).

Another character that was interesting to watch this episode was Sawyer. This character has grown from a self-centered con man into a leader that cares for his friends. When Keamy's men are assaulting the settlement, Sawyer runs through a hail of bullets and explosions to rescue Claire. When Locke makes it clear that Hurley is leaving with him and Ben, Sawyer threatens to shoot them. Hurley, not wanting any bloodshed on his behalf, tells Sawyer that he'll go with Locke. They part with Sawyer declaring that if any harm comes to Hurley, he'll kill Locke.

Daniel Faraday is another character that has been rather compelling this season. While he's attached to the Widmore crew, he has displayed a level of sympathy for the Losties. He's being pulled in two directions due to his seemingly decent nature and the fact that he has been hired by Widmore's organization to do a certain job. When he's caught in a lie near the conclusion of the show, he fesses up quickly. Also, Jeremy Davies is such a good actor that you see the internal struggle on his face.

Best Scene of the Episode: Ben's showdown with Keamy and the outcome. Unfortunately, one of the results was the death of Alex (play by the lovely Tania Raymonde).

Big Question: Well, Lost is riddled with questions, but for this episode I'll ask only one. What's Jacob going to do that Ben's so sure will save them all?

MVP Award: Michael Emerson. He's always strong whenever he's on the screen, but when given an entire episode as the focus, he takes it to a whole new level.

9 out of 10

But I Don't Recognize All These Things

2008-04-23T12:58:00.022-05:00

New Order has been one of my favorite bands since high school. While I recognize the importance and impact of their previous incarnation, Joy Division, on music, both mainstream and indie; I've always been partial to New Order. Here's a band that suffered the devastating loss of their singer, just as they were about to take the world by storm, but still managed to forge ahead and redefine themselves. Another thing that I've always loved about New Order is that they could knock out a groovy dance track one minute and then come back with a rocking pop song that was just as good, if not better. As a musician, I'm am constantly influenced by this band, whether it be their pop sensibility or their ability to balance upbeat numbers with thematic sincerity.

Ceremony/In a Lonely Place - March 1981 & September 1981

Joy Division is reborn as New Order with this debut single. "Ceremony" was written while the band was still Joy Division, it definitely feels like something completely different. Maybe it's the urgency of a band desperate to move on, but it's played with such fire that the song cannot be denied.

There's two versions of this song recorded in 1981. The March take feels a little sluggish but more raw. The September recording is the definitive version, in my opinion. The tempo is a bit faster, the playing is tighter, and Bernard Sumner's vocals have less reverb. Either way, it's really hard to mess with this song; it's so bloody brilliant.

The b-side "In a Lonely Place" is pretty unremarkable. It's New Order sounding like Joy Division. Where "Ceremony" is a musical look forward, "In a Lonely Place" goes the opposite direction. If anything, it's somewhat of an indication of the type of songs that will appear on the band's first album, Movement. However, "Ceremony" is such an amazing song, that the single is still a winner.

10 out of 10

Procession/Everything's Gone Green - September 1981

New Order follow up their debut single with one that's just as strong. "Procession" begins with a dreamy synth wash that soon gives way to an onslaught of drums, bass, and guitars. Sumner's vocal melody is trance-like and meditative, running counter to the faster pace of the instruments. It's one of his best performances and it's helped out by Gillian Gilbert's backing vocals. Near the last third, Sumner's guitar chops through everything and increases the intensity until Stephen Morris' snare roll signals the synth wash to return, thus ending the song. This is a really fantastic sophmore effort.

Like "In a Lonely Place" before it, "Everything's Gone Green" balances out the a-side's more live arrangement by being more drum machine/synth based. Vocally, Sumner is once again trying to channel the late Ian Curtis. As before, we're given hints of what Movement will be like with this b-side. The bouncy bass line intro, while distorted and choppy, gives hints of what the band's next single, "Temptation" will be like.

10 out of 10

The Ties That Bind

2008-04-21T09:07:00.030-05:00

Allison and I were in New York City this weekend to attend the Comicon. On Saturday we had the opportunity to sit in on the Battlestar Galactica panel. Keep in mind, we had not had the chance to view Friday night's episode yet, and fearing some spoilers, we decided to chance it. The panel included three of the final five: Michale Trucco (Anders), Rekha Sharma (Tory), and Michael Hogan (Tigh). Also, on the panel was some executive from the Sci Fi Channel. They were interviewed by one of the writers from Entertainment Weekly, who did let it slip that Tory does something sinister in Friday's show. Not too bad of a slip up, but enough to insight a large portion of the crowd that had also not witnessed "The Ties That Bind". The cast members were fun, engaging, and handle even the most ridiculous of questions with class. All was fine until the Sci Fi exec blurted out that Tory kills Cally. Boy, were we pissed and so was a good portion of the audience. He even went as far to say that it wasn't his fault that we had not seen the episode yet. Yeah, he was a jerk.

Things really start to heat up with this third episode of the fourth season. The biggest event was the aforementioned murder of Cally by Tory. The whole ordeal has some extremely intriguing implications, especially for Ms. Tory Foster. One thing is for sure, this tells us that Tory is a person that will do whatever is necessary to protect herself and her new brothers. She also appears to be reveling in her newfound identity. This seems evident in her conversation with Tyrol at Joe's Bar.

Speaking of the Chief, how is he going to react if and when he finds out that Tory blew his wife out the airlock? Will this cause a split between the Revealed Four? What about little Nicky Tyrol? He's a hybrid child of a human and a Cylon; a Final Five Cylon for that matter. Or is he something more?

It should be noted that Cally Tyrol has been dealing with insomnia and has become increasingly more agitated since the Fleet arrived at the Nebula at the end of last season. This is the same spot where Anders, Foster, Tigh, and Tyrol were activated. She is seen taking medication for her problems, too. Could Cally Tyrol be the final Cylon and only missed the wake up call due to being overly medicated? I've theorized that the Final Cylon will be a woman, and she certainly fits the bill. Also, this would mean that Nicky Tyrol would actually be the first child born of two Cylons, making him more important than Sharon and Helo's little Hera who is half human.

Of course, being shot out the airlock kind of gets in the way of this being developed anytime soon. However, these are Cylons and they've been know to download and resurrect after a while. It would be neat to see Cally show up at the end of an episode near the end of the season. So, Ms. Foster, watch your back.

It looks like Vice President Zarak is going to use newly appointed Quorum member, Lee Adama, as a way to keep President Roslin in check. I get the feeling that he believes that Roslin wants only to do what is right for the Fleet, but wanting to do right and actually doing it, aren't the same thing. If anything, this is a great new direction for Lee as a character. This also allows for more political drama to occur on the show.

Starbuck is now in charge of a ship Demetrius (a sewage ship that now has a couple of Vipers attached to it). In a plot line that seems to mirror that of ancient sailing ships exploring the ocean, Kara has been ordering course correction after course correction. This has left her skeleton crew (consisting of Anders, Helo, Athena, Gaeta, Seelix, and a few others) a bit agitated. It's all heading towards a mutiny at some point down the line.

Back at the Basestar, Cavil approaches Revolution Six with an olive branch in one hand and a grenade tucked away in the other. A meeting turns into an ambush as Cavil and Boomer launch a ton of missles at the Basestars containing the Sixes, Leobons, and other Sharons. I'm looking forward to the eventual uneasy alliance of the humans and the renegade Cylons that should result due to this split.

Best Scene of the Episode: This was a pretty strong episode overall, so it's hard to single out a really standout scene. I've got to admit that when Bill starts reading a pulpy mystery to Laura will she's laying there during her cancer treatment, it was pretty sweet. I'm an ol' softy.

Missing in Action: Baltar, Caprica Six, and Head Six aren't anywhere to be found this hour. At least Tricia Helfer is given some screen time as Revolution Six. Also, it's always odd to see the Cylons debating when a bunch of the models aren't around for the episode. This time Leobon, Simon, and Doral are given the day off.

Big Question: I've mentioned two already: How will Tyrol react to Tory if and when he finds out that she's responsible for Cally's death? and Is Cally the Final Cylon?

If the trailer that was shown at the convention is any indication, things are about to get freaking crazy on Battlestar Galactica and I can't wait to see what happens.

8 out of 10

Six of One

2008-04-14T08:49:00.023-05:00

It was pretty obvious that Starbuck wasn't going to shoot the Prez at the top of the hour. Far be it for Laura to return the favor when give the opportunity. Fortunately for Starbuck, the Prez is a bad shot. This is why she's the leader and not a soldier.

I've got to admit, I do like Bill's rationalization for Laura's poor marksmanship. Maybe there's still a fair amount of doubt in her mind that Kara could be right about Earth, and she subconsciously couldn't kill her. There's also the fact that she's on some serious cancer meds, too. This discussion leads to a rather tense scene between Mom and Dad where they say just about everything they can to hurt each other. This makes the admiral's decision at the end of the episode to give Kara a sewage ship and a small crew more understandable.

Apollo gets a big send off from the Galactica crew as he leaves to take up a career in politics. He gets the slow clap from everyone and a plaque from his ex-wife, Dee. She's probably happy that he's leaving so she doesn't have to see his cheating ass at work everyday. Of course, Lee couldn't even disembark without making out with Kara one last time.

C.A. (Cylons Anonymous) have their regularly scheduled meeting. The Four are eager to find out who the fifth member is and suspect that Baltar might know. Tigh's keen military (or is that alcohol-clouded) mind comes up with the plan to have Tory try to get some info out of good doctor, since she's a woman and Baltar is always horny. Tory goes above and beyond the call of duty and sleeps with him, making Gaius two for two this season.

Speaking of Baltar, his run-in with Head Baltar was pretty hilarious. James Callis is so fun to watch in this scene which amounts to Gaius rationalizing sleeping with Tory. I don't know why the writers decided to go with a Head Balter instead of the usual Head Six. Maybe it was due to Tricia Helfer being busy playing a new version of Six.

New Six is butting heads with the establishment back on the Basestar. Anders' run-in with the Raider that caused the Cylon's to turn tail and run, has the Cavils, Simons, and Dorals spooked. They've started to lobotomize the Raiders, saying that they're tools to be used as they please. Look folks! Irony!

The Sixes, Sharons, and Leobons aren't too happy with this and a vote taken. With the Deannas being boxed it comes down to a tie that is broken by one lone Eight (Boomer) going against her model and voting with Team Cavil. This doesn't set well with New Six and Gang, so they decide to even the odds by giving the Centurions sentience. The toasters understandably do not like what's going with their flying brothers and decide to blow away all the Cavils, Simons, and Dorals in the room. Admiral Cain would have traded Gina in for this Six in a heartbeat.

This sets up a new dynamic to the overall BSG story. The Cylons are spliting up and I'm betting that the Sixes, Sharons, and Leobons head out to the Colonial Fleet so they can be with the Final Five. How they convince the Colonials that they mean no harm is a different matter all together, but I bet it's going to be great to watch.

Best Scene of the Episode: Baltar Meets Head Balter. Callis delivers another great performance.

Eye Roll Inducing Moment: Lee/Kara Make-Out Session & Lee Saying Good-Bye to Dee. (Tie) Both these scenes have Lee in them. I like the guy, but maybe once he's away from these two, he'll be more palatable. He was great during last season's Trial of Baltar episodes, so this might be a really smart move on the part of the writers.

Episode MVP: Tricia Helfer. She's playing a new Six, but she's still able to keep each one distinct. Hair, make-up, and costuming are a big help, but Helfer puts all the pieces together with her delivery. Her Head Six is vampy and calculating, her Caprica Six is compassionate and intelligent, her Gina was sad and damaged, and this new Six is fierce and determined. Her scenes with Stockwell this episode are tense, but subtle.

Big Question: Who's shipping out with Kara? I'm betting hubby Anders, stupid, pretty Helo, and maybe Sharon. Putting Starbuck on a ship full of nobodies would be kind of boring.

7 out of 10

He That Believeth in Me

2008-04-07T09:22:00.021-05:00

Battlestar Galactica is finally back for the show's fourth and final season. In other words, do not call me between 10:00 PM and 11:05 PM for at least the next ten Friday nights (I need that extra five minutes after 11:00 for recovery). Lucky for me, Allison and some of my friends are big fans, so this won't really interfere with my social calendar too much.

Going into this season premiere, there were a few questions on my mind. Not that I expected them to be answered in the first episode, but they're there and I'll probably come back to them as the season progresses:

1. Who is the final Cylon?
2. What happened to Kara after "Maelstrom" and how did she survive?
3. How will Anders, Tigh, Tyrol, and Tory react now that they know what they are and what will be the repercussions of this?

I don't expect the first one to be answered anytime soon. If rumors are correct and SciFi plans to split the final season in half, it may be revealed as the mid-season cliffhanger, but not earlier than that. I'm still hoping for it to be Admiral Cain, but that's wishful thinking. I'm still fairly sure that it isn't Starbuck.

As far as Starbuck is concerned, we don't get all the answers, but what we get is fairly compelling. Kara has been presumed dead for two months, but she says that it's been only six hours. Her Viper is brand new and as Tyrol puts it, "right off the showroom floor". This is the most distressing point about her return. There is no logical explanation for this that she can provide which casts a great deal of doubt about her story. Her gun cams took pictures of Earth and its moon, so she has some evidence of what she saw; not that anyone believes it. And finally, every time the fleet jumps in the opposite direction from Earth, Kara fells it and it seems to cause her some deal of pain.

Which brings us to the Revealed Four. This bunch is still pretty much where they were left at the end of the season finale, except for one startling revelation. When Anders flies out in a Viper with the squadron and comes literally face to face (or should I say eye to eye) with a Cylon Raider, the entire attacking armada turns tail and runs. The most immediate repercussion of this is that the regular Cylons may now know that a member or members of the Final Five are with the Colonial Fleet. This may spare the fleet from some devastating attacks like the one at the beginning of this episode (over 600 souls were lost).

Faith is a big issue this episode and the title reflects this. There's Kara's need for her friends and superiors to trust her so that she can guide them to Earth, as well as Baltar's new messianic status. This has the potential of blowing up into a new power struggle within the fleet if he commits to the role and amasses a large following. I'm glad that the decision was made to cut his hair and beard. The Jesus imagery was bit too obvious. Baltar's prayer to the monotheistic god has a very "garden of Gethsemane" feel to it. James Callis continues to play Gaius with an equal amount of humor and tragedy.

Best Scene of the Episode: Tigh's brief daydream during the Cylon attack in which he pulls out a gun and shoots Adm. Adama in the face. It's played in a slo-mo and lingers just long enough to make the viewer wonder, for a micro-second, that this may have really happened. As always, Paul Hogan sells Tigh as a compelling character full of doubt and despair.

Big Question Asked: Does it really matter if someone you love or loved turned out to be a Cylon? Lee asks Daddy Adama this; more specifically if it was Lee's brother Zak that suddenly returned. Sadly, when Anders tells Kara that if she was a Cylon that he'd still love her, her response is the opposite. She says if she found out that he was one she'd put a bullet between his eyes.

The Cliffhanger: Starbuck is tired of the constant headaches from the fleet going the wrong way, so she decides to confront the one person who has the authority to reverse this: Laura Roslin. Oh, and she has a gun pointed at the Prez's head, too.

Overall, this was a solid BSG outing but not overly remarkable. That being said, decent BSG equals an awesome hour of television. Hopefully, we'll get to see what's going on in Cylon Town soon. I can't wait to see their reaction to Final Five being "activated".

7 out of 10

Nature Abhors a Vacuum, But What's Between Your Ears?

2008-04-04T08:11:00.008-05:00

Almost two months ago, I put myself to the task of looking back and analyzing R.E.M.'s catalogue in preparation for their fourteenth studio album. I think it's pretty evident that I'm a big fan of the group and have been for almost twenty years. Also, this has been an exercise in writing about and critiquing music. Now that I've had the opportunity to listen to Accelerate a number of times, I'm ready to give my views on it.

Accelerate - 2008

Now, that's more like it.

Finally, after a decade of sliding into mediocrity, the R.E.M. trio have finally decided to make a much needed course correction. There are several reasons for Accelerate being the best R.E.M. album in over a decade:

1. R.E.M are back to playing rock music. While Up won points for its experimentation and originality, Reveal and Around the Sun were stale, uninspired, and really boring. Not that I don't like a good ballad or a good pop song, but the operative word here is "good". R.E.M. slows it up a few times on Accelerate, but for the most part it's fast, loud, and crunchy. This record has more in common with Lifes Rich Pageant and Monster than anything else in their catalogue.

2. Since this album is more guitar-based than anything since New Adventures in Hi-Fi, Peter Buck is able to knock out some of his best riffs and licks since Monster. The guitar line that begins the album opener "Living Well is the Best Revenge" feels like the welcome return of an old friend and really sets the pace of the rest of the record. It may lack the sonic experimentation and detail madness of the guitar work on Monster, but it feels more thought out and inspired than his work over the last decade.

3. Mike Mills is back! Not that he ever left, but Mills' backing vocals (an R.E.M. staple) have all but disappeared over the course of the last three albums. Even when he was singing, Mills was mixed down so low that he could barely be heard. Not so on Accelerate. Not only are his vocals present on virtually every song, but he's mixed loud enough on most that he's practically co-singing the choruses with Michael Stipe.

4. Michael Stipe hasn't sounded this confident and urgent in forever. Lyrically, this is some of his strongest, most sincere, and quotable work in a long, long time. Also, his vocal melodies are really great and almost demand that the listener sing along.

5. There are songs on Accelerate that make great singles and should have some considerable longevity. "Supernatural Superserious" is one of the best singles R.E.M. has put out since "What's the Frequency, Kenneth?". Album opener "Living Well is the Best Revenge" kicks things off like a call to arms that incites us to wake up and listen. "Man-Sized Wreath" contains Stipe's best vocal melody on the record. "Horse to Water" is one of the most intense and fastest songs R.E.M. has ever played. Even the slower numbers, "Houston", "Until the Day is Done", and "Sing for the Submarine" have enough grit and character that they are head and shoulders above the sleepy snoozers on Reveal and Around the Sun.

6. Accelerate does not wear out its welcome. Some of R.E.M.'s past records have been hurt by the fact that they were too long and not to the point, particularly New Adventures in Hi-Fi and Up. Accelerate is eleven tracks and clocks in just under thirty-five minutes. With half of the songs being just over two minutes in length and most of it played fairly fast, the whole venture is finished before you know it. The record is good enough that I've listened to it back to back several times.

Accelerate isn't a perfect record by any means, but it's a hell of an improvement after such a downer and practically career terminator like Around the Sun. This is a much needed course correction and a welcomed one at that. More importantly, this is an R.E.M. album that I want to listen to. In fact, the reason I've listen to it so much in the last few days isn't necessarily to write this article, but because I'm enjoying it so much.

6 out of 10

The Worst Joke Ever

2008-04-02T10:20:00.009-05:00

Around the Sun - 2004

Without a doubt, Around the Sun is the most disappointing album that R.E.M. has ever released. It's a limp fish of songs that were written as if the band wasn't even really trying. They put more effort into their best of, In Time, that came out the year before. The new material that was on In Time had me hoping that the next R.E.M. album would be a return to rock 'n' roll form. I was sadly mistaken.

The strongest songs are definitely the singles, "Leaving New York" and "Aftermath" in particular. But even these songs feel like weak efforts and more like pandering to the mainstream masses for AOR airplay. "Wanderlust" attempts to pick up the tempo and stands out a little, but still it's overwhelmed by the rest the underwhelming songs on the record.

I can't even bring myself to write much more about Around the Sun without feeling sad and let down. This was the first R.E.M. album that I had to make myself listen to all the way through and I was only able to after several attempts. At this point, I was ready to give up the band.

2 out of 10

Don't Talk to Me About Being Alone

2008-04-02T08:04:00.015-05:00

In Time: The Best of R.E.M (1988 - 2003) - 2003

As far as best of albums go, In Time is somewhat of a disappointment. The biggest problem is that it covers too large of a period of R.E.M.'s career, culling songs from all their albums from Warner Bros. up to this point. The first five records in that group, Green, Out of Time, Automatic for the People, Monster, and New Adventures in Hi-Fi, were released during the band's most commercially successful period. In fact, this collection would have been better served if it had been split off accordingly: one disc of the five Warner albums with Bill Berry, and a disc to be released a few years later (say after Accelerate) covering R.E.M. as a trio. In an effort to include material from the two post-Bill Berry albums, Up and Reveal, as well as two new songs and a few from some soundtracks, a lot of great material is left off this retrospective.

The entire notion that Out of Time is only represented by one song, the triumphant "Losing My Religion", is pretty insulting. This record was a huge commercial hit and made R.E.M. a household name. "Shiny Happy People" may have been a little silly, but it was still a big hit. Also, "Radio Song", "Near Wild Heaven" and "Texarkana" all got significant radio play. Monster is given similar short-sighted treatment and is only represented by "What's the Frequency, Kenneth?".

In Time does a decent job as far as new and rare material is concerned. Two songs from soundtracks, "The Great Beyond" and "All the Right Friends" (the later is a reworking of an old R.E.M. tune from their bar playing days) are quite enjoyable. The new material "Bad Day", another reworked old R.E.M. song, and "Animal" are very appreciated after the lackluster showing of Reveal. These two are more rock based compared to the material the band had been putting out as a trio. Also, these songs contained something that had been missing lately: Mike Mills' awesome backing vocals.

The second disc of B-sides and rarities is really hit-or-miss. Most of it is filled with live or alternate versions of previously released material. Fortunately, there is a small assortment of really great songs that were used on soundtracks included. "Fretless" is mesmerizing and has some great Kate Pierson vocals, "Chance (dub)" is goofy but fun, "It's a Free World Baby" is a sold R.E.M. track, and Monster tour staple "Revolution" really rocks.

In Time is still enjoyable, but it falls short of being a really solid retrospective. The focus is too wide and the material on the second disc isn't exceptional enough to warrant it. A person is better off crafting their own version of a mid-career R.E.M. best of album.

6 out of 10

No One Can See You Cry

2008-04-02T08:04:00.007-05:00

Reveal - 2001

While I enjoyed most of Up and was getting used to the idea of an R.E.M. three-piece, I was initially excited about Reveal when it was first announced. I saw Up as the transition and was hoping that the next record would be the boys getting down to the business of making great music as they had in the past. R.E.M. had released a pretty decent single that was on the Man on the Moon soundtrack, "The Great Beyond" a year or so earlier. This positive outlook increased after I heard two tracks that were to be on Reveal, the lead-off single "Imitation of Life" and the opening track "The Lifting".

"Imitation of Life" was classic R.E.M., maybe too classic. It was more upbeat than anything on the prior album and was a little more guitar based. The entire piece was wrapped in strings like songs on Automatic for the People. Also, I couldn't help but sing along to it. There is the matter of the verse chords being the exact same progression of the verse chords for "Driver 8". I'm sure this wasn't intentional, but it helped reinforce the notion of this being a very R.E.M. song, even on a subconscious level.

"The Lifting" was a bit different. It's a swirl of keyboards and heavily effected guitars, and it pulled more from Up than "Imitation of Life" did. Still "The Lifting" felt like an R.E.M. song, just in different clothes. Michael Stipe's singing was clear and excellent and Peter Buck even got the opportunity to knock out a rather nice guitar solo in the middle.

And then the album was released.

Except for a handful of decent tracks, most of Reveal is like lukewarm bath water: not painfully uncomfortable, but far from perfect. Very few of the songs stand out from the pack. "All the Way to Reno (You're Gonna Be a Star)" manages to make itself noticed by invoking a old style "King of the Road" sort of guitar line, and the melody is hummable. Unfortunately, the bulk of the record is pretty unremarkable. The last five tracks on Reveal are considerably better than most of the first half, but they're not interesting enough to salvage the whole project.

Needless to say, Reveal was a big disappointment. Instead of moving forward, R.E.M. felt like they were running in place. Maybe the next record would be an improvement...

4 out of 10

Can't You See I Need Nothing Too Deep

2008-03-31T10:44:00.016-05:00

Up - 1998

With the departure of drummer Bill Berry, the remaining trio of R.E.M. (Michael Stipe, Peter Buck, and Mike Mills) were put to the task of how to approach their next album. Berry was more than just a drummer. Apparently, he made no bones about giving his opinion on a song or making suggestions, and even had a hand in writing some of the music. He had also been playing bass on tracks that required Mike Mills to hop on the keyboards. While his background vocals were never as defining or signature as Mill's, Berry's lower voice always did a capable job of adding some lower register harmonies and was well utilized live. In other words, Bill Berry was a vital part of the band, but now the new R.E.M. was in a position to totally reinvent themselves.

While New Adventures in Hi-Fi has lost a little of its luster over the years, Up has done the opposite. Of all the post-Bill Berry records produced by R.E.M., Up has actually maintained some long term listenability. In fact, if it weren't so long and was trimmed down to about ten or eleven tracks, it might have been a rather excellent album. The atmosphere for most of Up is pretty chilled, which hasn't been an issue on past R.E.M. records like Automatic for the People. However, despite the strength of some of the later tracks, Up gets a bit snoozy at the end.

From the very beginning of Up, R.E.M. is letting the listener know that this record will not be like their past efforts. "Airportman" is an hypnotic soundscape of mantra-like mumbling from Stipe and feedback from Buck. Things really pick up with "Lotus", which is about as upbeat as the record gets. This is one of the few songs on the album that features a really strong guitar lick, but even its appearance on this track is fairly sparse.

R.E.M. change things up again on the third track with the amazingly, beautiful "Suspicion". This is a sultry, space-lounge number purred out by Stipe and held together with organ and vibes. This is one of the strongest tracks on Up even if it runs a little long. Gears shift again with "Hope", a strange electro-pop number that is dominated with buzzing noises and keyboards. R.E.M. has never attempted a song like this before, and the effort is commendable. In some ways, "Hope" is to R.E.M. as "Idioteque" is to Radiohead.

From this point on, Up falls into a pattern of mid-to-slow tempo songs. This framework is only deviated from on a few numbers. "Walk Unafraid" picks up the speed a little bit during the chorus. It's one of the album's highlights and features some of Stipe's best lyrical work on Up. While "Daysleeper" is still fairly low key, its arrangement is probably the closest to "classic" R.E.M. of anything on the record. It's not surprising that this was chosen as the lead off single for Up.

Despite some redundancy, Up is pretty pleasant. In hindsight, it's extremely strong when compared to the next two albums, Reveal and Around the Sun. At least R.E.M. was taking advantage of their line up change and decided to experiment, making the next two seem lazy and uninspired.

6 out of 10

I Look Good in a Glass Pack

2008-03-29T11:27:00.011-05:00

New Adventures in Hi-Fi - 1996

The bulk of New Adventures in Hi-Fi was recorded while R.E.M. was on tour in support of Monster. This was mainly done during soundchecks, but a few basic tracks were recorded in front of a live audience. The band later adjourned to a studio in Seattle after the tour, and recorded overdubs where needed, as well as four other songs. As a result, Hi-Fi is a bit of a mixed bag.

The material that was recorded on the road tends to be more rock influenced (this was the Monster tour, after all), while the studio tracks leans a little more towards R.E.M.'s older, jangle-pop style. Most of the songs are really strong, despite this variance. However, the record clocks in at over an hour and five minutes, which is about twenty minutes too long for a satisfying listening experiences for me.

By the end of the eighth track, a glorious return to classic R.E.M. form called "Bittersweet Me", Hi-Fi starts to wear out its welcome and the dip in quality is noticeable. "Be Mine" and "So Fast, So Numb" are rather unexceptional and the instrumental "Zither" is well played but unnecessary. Luckily, this second half of the record is saved by the fiery "Binky the Doormat" and the very charming "Electrolite".

Length becomes an issue for certain songs, too. "Leave" clocks in at over seven minutes. This includes a one minute acoustic intro which gives way to a blaring siren that continues throughout the entire piece. I give R.E.M. props for trying out something totally different, but six minutes of a klaxon becomes grating.

It sounds like that I'm really coming down on this record, but there is still plenty of great material on it. Underneath the extra bulk lies a really solid R.E.M. record. "E-Bow the Letter" may be a strange choice for a lead-off single, but it contains vocals by Patti Smith and some of Michael Stipe's best stream of consciousness lyrics since "Country Feedback". Unfortunately, later attempts to use the sing-speak delivery he employs on "E-Bow" pale in comparison. There's a rendition of this song performed at the Tibetan Freedom Concert with Radiohead's Thom Yorke filling in for Patti Smith that's simply captivating.

One of the themes that Stipe dives head first into with Hi-Fi is religion, or his lack of a need for it. This is evident in the one-two punch of "New Test Leper" and "Undertow". Not that these ideas are shocking, but it is worth noting as a topic that Stipe never addressed this boldly before.

Another major significance of New Adventures in Hi-Fi is that it signals the end of the third era of R.E.M. which began with the tremendous success of Out of Time. This would be the final record produced by Scott Litt, who ran the boards since Document. Also, drummer Bill Berry would soon decide to retire, leaving R.E.M. as a trio.

6 out of 10

If There Is Some Confusion, Who's To Blame?

2008-03-28T11:54:00.008-05:00

Monster - 1994

"And now for something completely different."

After exploring softer sounds on their last two records, R.E.M. do a complete 180° turn with Monster. This was the early half of the '90s, punk had made a triumphant return and grungy, loud guitars ruled the day. R.E.M. had become defacto elder statesmen of the alternative rock movement, and they decided that they could still hang with the kids. Some saw this move as an attempt to cater to the younger generation, while others took it as a desire to try something so radically different for a band that was continuing to evolve. Maybe it was a little of both. Either way, R.E.M. was putting all their chips on the line and banking on the goodwill that they had earned over the last four albums.

While I think that Automatic for the People is slightly overrated, I also believe that Monster is unjustifiable shafted. The record is full of some really great songs and the whole project is one big experiment in which R.E.M. continues to push themselves out of their comfort zone and explore some different sounds. At no time does the band not still sound like R.E.M.

If Out of Time was Mike Mill's record, than Monster is all Peter Buck. This being a rock album, the guitars are loud and in the front. At the same time, Buck is conscious enough to vary their tones and experiment with a variety of guitars, amps, and effects. In other words, he knows when to make the guitars wail, buzz, or crunch.

In some ways, Monster is actually a return to form for R.E.M. Many listeners that became fans with the last two records and had not ventured into the back catalogue may not have been aware of "R.E.M. the rock band" that used to play smelly bars. This is made even more evident by the first single and the album's lead off track, "What's the Frequency, Kenneth?" Not only are the electric guitars and Bill Berry's booming drums back, but so is the incomprehensible nature of Michael Stipe's early singing style. "Star 69" is almost impenetrable due to delay effects on his vocals.

It's not all glammed out noise, either. "I Don't Sleep, I Dream" is a rolling meditation of shimmering guitars and "Tongue" is a vampy number that Stipe coos out in falsetto. "Strange Currencies" begins with a guitar line a little too similar to "Everybody Hurts", but grows into an "on bended knees" lover's plead.

While the first half of Monster is more up beat, even fun at times, things take a darker turn with the last half. Sex as a weapon is the focus of "Bang and Blame" (probably the weakest track on the record). "I Took Your Name" is a conflict of warring identities. "Let Me In" is obviously about Kurt Cobain's suicide, but is done with a tremendous amount of reverence and dignity. The album ender "You" is hypnotic and spooky. The real winner of this later batch of songs is "Circus Envy". Its buzzing and crunchy guitars are a perfect fit for the song's lyrics about self-incrimination, finger pointing (both directions), and jealousy.

With Out of Time, Stipe explored the idea of love and its various facets. Monster is about sex and sexual identity. It's very fitting that Michael Stipe transforms his public persona during this period. His shaved head, that first debuted with the "Kenneth" video, was just a physical manifestation of this change, while publicly Stipe became less ambiguous about his sexuality. Michael Stipe the quiet enigma was now gone. Here was a new louder, prouder Michael Stipe.

I won't begin to get into the subsequent tour that followed the release of Monster. The various health issues (number one being Berry's brain aneurysm) that plagued it are legendary. The tour as huge and successful, but for some reason, this is the one R.E.M. album that I always find in the used CD bins at record stores. Apparently, Monster didn't meet a lot of folks' expectations. This is sad, because under all the noise and holler lies a really good record.

8 out of 10

Baby, Instant Soup Doesn't Really Grab Me

2008-03-27T09:00:00.016-05:00

Automatic for the People - 1992

After making their fans wait over two years between Green and Out of Time, R.E.M. made up for the lag by releasing Automatic for the People only a year and a half later. One of the advantages of this was that R.E.M. was still heavily in the music mainstream conscious. The band had won a handful of Grammys the year before as well as receiving a gaggle of Moonmen at the MTV Video Music Awards (the Michael Stipe's removal of several layers of t-shirts with causes and slogans during their acceptance speeches is still a great moment and very indicative of R.E.M. at the time). Luckily, Automatic... was a really, really great record that could take advantage of the band's new found stardom.

While I think that Automatic... is an amazing album, I don't think that it's the end-all-be-all of R.E.M. records, as it is usually treated. In some ways, I think that it's a little overrated. Don't get me wrong; this album is worthy of praise, but there are a few things about it that knocks it down a few notches for me personally.

Strings can be a great accent for a song, but John Paul Jones' arrangements dominate the album. Sure, they're well constructed and utilized, but at times it feels like they almost push R.E.M. out of the songs. For me, it's a little too much.

Secondly, and this purely from hindsight, "Everybody Hurts" and "Man on the Moon" have been played to death and canonized to the point of self-parody. It doesn't help that "Everybody Hurts", while the sentiment is pure and sweet, pushes its therapy session message right up to the edge of farce. Another unfortunate side-effect of these two hits is that the R.E.M. of recent years has been trying desperately to recapture their formulas to dire results.

Enough of the bad; this is still a great record. For me the real highlights of the album are the non-single slow numbers. "Try Not To Breath" and "Sweetness Follows" are two of the most beautiful songs R.E.M. have ever created. They're sad without being forced and elegantly played. Also, there's very little string work outside of a little cello playing. Another great element is Peter Buck's usage of guitar feedback which balances exceptionally well with Mike Mill's organ playing.

R.E.M. only "rock out" once on the record, and that's on the politically charged "Ignoreland". It's a fiery indictment of all the wrongdoings of the Reagan/Bush era and a call for change (which would finally happen that November with the election of Bill Clinton). Lyrically, it may sound a little dated today (well, maybe not, now that I think about it), but the intent is still sincere and raw.

I have to admit, I really like "The Sidewinder Sleeps Tonite". There are so many things working against it, but for some reason, I can't deny it. Its title is a play on an another song. The strings are all over it. The lyrics are goofy. It seems to go on forever (three verses) before getting to the bridge. People constantly mis-hear the chorus and need to be corrected. But, heaven help me, I love this goddamn song. It's one of R.E.M.'s best "gas station songs"; a name I use for songs that are released for airplay, don't become big hits, but you always hear them over gas station speakers or at the grocery store (also see "Electrolite" and "Aftermath").

I would be remissed if I didn't mention the album's two gorgeous closers. "Nightswimming" is unlike anything that R.E.M. have ever recorded before. It's just Stipe singing and Mills playing the piano (oh and those pesky strings, again). It's stripped down, elegant, and simply moving. "Find a River" capsulizes the record's themes of loss, of love, loved ones, and youth, into a fine, almost perfect coda. Mill's background wailing is particularly effective here.

Automatic for the People ended up being an even bigger success than Out of Time. This is the R.E.M. album most likely to be found in any given person's collection of CDs. With such remarkable popularity and achievement, I wonder what would happen if a band like this decided to drastically alter their sound on the next record? Hrmmmm......

9 out of 10

Baby's Got Some New Rules

2008-03-24T11:48:00.010-05:00

Out of Time - 1991

Has it really been seventeen years since this album was released? My, my, my, how the years go by! Half my life ago, this little record came along and would be very instrumental in me falling in love with R.E.M. and alternative/indie rock. With that new love affair would come a desire to create music myself. In other words, this is a very important album for me personally, so my opinion of it will probably reflect that. Not that I'm too worried. Out of Time is loved by many people, not just R.E.M. fans.

If Document opened the door to mainstream success and rock 'n' roll stardom, then Out of Time had R.E.M. moving into the house. With Out of Time, R.E.M. entered the third stage of the band's career in which they became universally hailed as one the most important bands of their generation, if not rock music in general. It apparently was the right album at the right time, because it sounded like nothing else on the radio at the time, or like anything that R.E.M. had ever done before.

The most evident change for R.E.M. on Out of Time is their overall sound. It isn't immediately noticeable on the first track "Radio Song", which is funky rocker that wouldn't be out of place on the last record Green (even with KRS-One supplying some well-placed emphasizing). But once the strings and mandolin kick up on the second song, "Losing My Religion", it's pretty evident that this is a very different R.E.M. record. While the tempos and instrumentation varies throughout the album, there is a serene mood sustained. Even the more up beat songs feel somewhat relaxed. The instrument swapping that occurred on some of tracks on Green continues on the bulk of this record, especially with drummer Bill Berry on the bass and bassist Mike Mills on keyboards, adding to the change in sound. The uses of strings and pedal steel guitar on various tracks help unify the album as a whole, too.

Lyrically, Michael Stipe tries something that he had never attempted before: write love songs. These aren't all love songs about romantic relationships, either. "Shiny Happy People" is about love towards those in your community or the world at large. "Belong" centers on a mother's love for her child. Stipe isn't alone when it comes to providing the lyrics for Out of Time, either. Mike Mills, who has always supplied backing vocals and even wrote the lyrics to "Don't Go Back To (Rockville)" from Reckoning, helps out with "Near Wide Heaven" and "Texarkana". As a result, Mills sings the lead on both tracks, something he hasn't done since the cover of "Superman" on Lifes Rich Pageant.

Mills and Berry (who has done some backing vocals on past R.E.M. records) aren't the only other voices that joins Stipe on Out of Time. The aforementioned KRS-One playfully emphasizes throughout "Radio Song" and provides a quick rap at the end of the song. Fellow Athens, GA alt-rock singer Kate Pierson of the B-52s helps out on three songs. She duets with Stipe on "Shiny Happy People" and "Me in Honey", and sings some back up at the end of "Country Feedback". Though she isn't credited on the song, I swear it sounds like her on "Near Wild Heaven". Her performances are so exquisite, that there was a brief time that I hoped Pierson would join R.E.M. full-time.

Somehow, all these element come together and create a truly great record. R.E.M. ran the risk of alienating their fans, old and new, by attempting something so different from the college radio rock that they cultivated throughout the '80s. In doing so, they made a classic album that has and will continue to stand the test of time.

10 out of 10

I Am Not the Type of Dog That Could Keep You Waiting

2008-03-20T11:37:00.008-05:00

Green - 1988

Green is kind of an odd album when you start to look at it in the context of R.E.M.'s entire catalogue. It should be noted that this was the first record by R.E.M. on a major label, Warner Bros., resulting in even more exposure. To this end, Green can be looked upon as a transitional album for the band. Also, there are songs on this album that sound unlike anything R.E.M. has ever produced.

There are two types of songs on Green: those that would not be out of place on the previous record, Document, and other songs that hint at what the band's next effort, Out of Time, would sound like. "You Are The Everything", "The Wrong Child", and "Hairshirt" are the three songs (all beautiful and haunting) that display a dramatic change in instrumentation and style for R.E.M., as well as foreshadow what's to come. Drummer Bill Berry is moved over to the bass for these tracks, freeing bassist Mike Mills to play the organ and piano. Also, guitarist Peter Buck switches out his axe for mandolin. Pedal steel guitar, another instrument that would be effectively utilized on Out of Time, makes an appearance on "World Leader Pretend", but that song is sonically in keeping with the more Document sounding tunes.

The bulk of the record is made up of songs that take advantage of R.E.M.'s success with Document. Most of these tracks are rockers and perfect for the year long arena tour that the band was about to embark on. Hit single "Orange Crush" practically copies the format of the previous record's smash hit, "The One I Love". Despite not having an energetic guitar solo like "The One I Love", "Orange Crush" has one verse that is repeated twice and a wailed, incomprehensible chorus. I guess if it worked once, it may work again. Well, it did, since the song went to #1 on the U.S. mainsteam rock and the modern rock charts.

Another big hit was "Stand", which was too ridiculous to ignore or dislike. It feels like a children's nursery rhyme that got beefed up with loud guitars. This is a song that begins with a merry-go-round inspired organ part and culminates into an incredibly silly, but fun, wha-wha guitar solo. It's not surprising that the song was used as the theme for Chris Elliot's equally goofy, yet strangely appealing, short-lived television show, Get a Life.

Lyrically, the songs either take a conversational form (Stipe addressing someone, giving directions, etc.) or are expressed from the view point of a character that is not necessarily Stipe. It's hard to get anymore conversational than "Pop Song '89". It's basically a conversation about making conversation. "Get Up", "Stand", and the untitled, last track take more of a directional format, telling the listener what to do. In other words, there is a "you" being addressed in each of these songs.

The character driven tracks are more "me" oriented. "The Wrong Child" gives voice to a handicapped child, where as "Orange Crush" seems to be delivered by someone that has taken part in some sort of conflict. "World Leader Pretend" has a monologue that must be so important to Stipe, that it's the first song to ever have its lyrics published in the liner notes of an R.E.M. album.

In experimenting with new instrumentation while still creating songs that are not too dissimilar to their previous work, R.E.M. has begun to prepare their listeners for the many transformations that the band will undertake sonically over the next decade. With this new freedom to experiment, even larger success was just an album away.

8 out of 10

Living Well is the Best Revenge

2008-03-20T07:58:00.003-05:00

Since I'm taking on the task of doing a discography overview of R.E.M., I figured I might as well include a link to a recording of their show at SXSW (available at the NPR website). The new songs from Accelerate are definitely more rockin' than anything they've done since New Adventures in Hi-Fi. The boys even dive into the older material with a renewed feeling of urgency. This makes me excited about the new record even more.

Chance is Yours and Call the Shot

2008-03-19T12:18:00.004-05:00

Eponymous - 1988

After I listened to Out of Time many times and fell in love with R.E.M., the next album (or should I say "cassette") that I purchased was Eponymous. This record only deepened my appreciation of the band even more. Eponymous is the first "best of" album by R.E.M. Besides offering an small overview of the band's body of work while at I.R.S. Records, this collection also contained alternate takes on three songs and another track that had only previously appeared on a soundtrack.

Eponymous starts at the very beginning and opens up with the original Hib-Tone version of "Radio Free Europe". I've always loved this rendition of the songs so much more than the later Murmur one. The selection from Chronic Town is "Gardening At Night", but with a different vocal mix. Instead of singing in falsetto, this version has Michael Stipe belting out the lyrics in his regular "rock" voice. The instrumental track is still the same, but this new vocal mix really seems to give the song some extra power.

This is followed by "Talk About the Passion" from Murmur, "So. Central Rain" and "(Don't Go Back To) Rockville" from Reckoning, and "Can't Get There From Here" and "Driver 8" from Fables of the Reconstruction. These are all great tracks, but the next real treat on Eponymous is "Romance". This energetic number first appeared on the Made In Heaven soundtrack.

Unfortunately, this is followed up with only one track from Lifes Rich Pageant, which is sorely under-represented here. Luckily, "Fall on Me" is such a magnificent song that it almost makes up for it. The next songs are R.E.M.'s first major hit, "The One I Love", and a new version of "Finest Worksong" that now contains horns. Eponymous closes fittingly with the all too catchy "It's the End of the World as We Know It (And I Feel Fine)".

As far as "greatest hits" albums go, Eponymous is an excellent example of doing one right. It starts at the very beginning of a band's career, culls a single or two from each album, and includes a couple of new treats. If anyone is remotely interested in R.E.M. this is where they should begin.

10 out of 10