Culture Greyhound

Music, Movies, Television, etc. Pop culture reviews for the short-attention-span Internet age.

Love and Other Drugs

Watch the two-minute green band trailer and you know exactly how this movie goes, more or less.  Jake Gyllenhaal and Anne Hathaway fall in love, separate, and get back together again.  Welcome to the standard rom-com formula, unchanged since the beginning of time.  That’s not to say the movie isn’t enjoyable (up until the trite ending, which everyone sees a mile away); there is great chemistry between Gyllenhaal’s take on a career-minded, smart-ass, sweet-talking med salesman and Hathaway’s sarcastic, quasi-misanthropic, surprisingly charming twenty-something with Parkinson’s.  Add a dash of breasts, a ton of male ass, and many many boner jokes (the character is selling Viagra, after all), and you’ve got a decent date movie, even if the first third (which is mainly focused on career moves and less on romance) is more interesting than the eye-roll-worthy rest.

Rating: 6

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Music, Movies, Television, etc. Pop culture reviews for the short-attention-span Internet age.

Daft Punk – Tron Legacy Soundtrack

When I heard back in February Daft Punk were doing the music for Tron, I was immediately excited – new Daft Punk? Awesome!  In retrospect I don’t know why I thought producing a score for a Disney sci-fi film would sound anything like Discovery, and inevitably it doesn’t.  That doesn’t mean this hour-long soundtrack doesn’t have its moments – the sound is great, the French duo’s first stab at composing orchestral tunes is to be applauded, and the combination of strings with Daft Punk’s trademark house crescendo is simultaneously creepy and, well, cinematic.  And there are even a couple bangers hidden in here too, reminiscent  of the good ol’ Daft Punk.  There just aren’t enough for my tastes.  In the end, it’s just a film score.

Rating: 6

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Music, Movies, Television, etc.  Pop culture reviews for the short-attention-span Internet age.

Nicki Minaj – Pink Friday

Call it a case of the hype machine, but upon several initial listens, it would seem Nicki gave away her best verses to other people’s songs.  Certainly we are asking too much if we expected the album to be more “Roman’s Revenge” and less “Your Love” – and that is something (albeit a disappointing fact) that I’m willing to overlook.  The production is slick, the melodies are catchy, and Minaj has a great singing voice.  So what if the finished product is a little too soft R&B and less manic schizo rapping?  Nicki has many faces; the first impression was obviously just one of many styles.  But the rhymes on this album do not live up to Minaj’s past work on tracks by Diddy, Trey Songz, Kanye, etc.  The cadence is samey, the words are lazily repetitive, the dead air is filled by stuttering, and the unwritten law of rap is violated many times (the one that says you can’t rhyme a word with the same word….it’s the same word).  Pink Friday will be a moderate success, but it’s not strong enough of a debut to give Nicki the promotion from “featured” to “standalone” artist.

Rating: 6

Two more after the jump…

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As expected, last night Green Day stole the show in Chicago, performing well over the park’s curfew and giving every Lollpalooza ticket holder their money’s worth and then some.  It’s doubtful Soundgarden will be able to top it tonight.  Consequence of Sound has the rave review and more coverage of the day.

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Vision Tunnels EP by Brothertiger (2010, self-released)

Since its inception last summer, the term “chillwave” has predictably divided artists and music lovers the way most newly coined subgenres do.  Like the emo and shoegaze forerunners of the past, the crowd is split between those who denounce the word and those who embrace it.  John Jagos, whose stage name is Brothertiger, likely falls in the latter category; last month he told the nightdrive blog, ” I’d definitely be interested in another chillwaver to remix one of my songs!”  And his move from Ohio to Brooklyn appropriately serves to support the argument: Jagos knows his sound, his influences, and his audience.

That’s not to say, however, that Brothertiger’s debut EP is just another chillwave album.  The elements are all there, sure – hazy vocals, synth pop tendencies, and steady dance beats encompass Vision Tunnels.  But a key distinction remains after these five beach-ready tracks – Jagos effortlessly progresses the ever-changing sound in his own way, utilizing 80’s new wave and early 90’s pop in a low-key style largely untouched by his peers.  Washed Out and Active Child come to mind, but so do breezy, laid-back Pet Shop Boys and slow Annie Lennox tunes.

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Fang Island by Fang Island (2010, Sargent House)

It’s only fitting that Fang Island’s debut begins with the sound of fireworks; they are very aware their music goes hand in hand with a kick-ass Fourth of July shindig.  One could imagine if these guys ever rocked Milton Keynes, the sky explosions would last throughout their set, rather than begin immediately after.  Such is the mood throughout this half-hour disc – a relentless, all-American, fist-pumping party.

The Providence quintet has had a busy year.  They packed up and moved to Brooklyn, provided the soundtrack to a few MTV promos, received high-profile praise thanks to a well-received stint at SXSW, and opened for a little band called the Flaming Lips.  The boys are certainly on their way, and it’s a cause for celebration.  Luckily, the perfect soundtrack is one they themselves composed.

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/\/\ /\ Y /\ by M.I.A. (2010, Interscope)

MIA has always declared she has something to say, but the message is usually convoluted and indirect.  When the Internet propelled her to international notoriety, the political standpoint and unverified past were always interesting stories, yes, but the music was always the focus.

After the entertaining introduction (Arular), the follow-up that made her a superstar (Kala), and numerous polarizing interviews, MIA only verified the hunch many had – she was a great artist and entertainer, and the politics were a gimmicky footnote to the whole package.  Still, it didn’t matter.  Innovative production, machine-gun sound effects, and infectious hooks always helped make up for the odd public spectacles or general lack of knowledge MIA was delivering at the time.

Sadly, this is not the case with /\/\ /\ Y /\ (or MAYA).  Whatever confusing message or peculiar declaration she is trying to convey this time around, it’s not going to take, because the accompanying score is her first giant misstep.  Though not entirely flawed, it’s a scrambled, spotty soundtrack with few memorable tunes and occasionally as tacky and lazy as its album artwork and cringe-worthy title.

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Rusko – O.M.G. (2010, Mad Decent)

It would seem that every underground dance-related phenomenon needs a CHR makeover at some point.  What I mean is, after a while, someone comes along, polishes the gritty edges and buries the key ingredients beneath a plethora of lyrics most likely about drinking unaffordable tequila and having unprotected sex.

Ten-plus years in the making, the emerging genre of dubstep would appear to be bursting at the seams, eager for a Scott Storch-like figurehead to propel it onto satellite radio. Leave it to Rusko to step forward, ready to sugar-coat the burgeoning movement for our relatives attending middle school.

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Sunday marked the 30th anniversary of the release of my favorite movie of all time – Stanley Kubrick’s film adaptation of the Stephen King novel The Shining. The film, which is far superior to the book, is now regarded as a horror classic, though it was not initially given that esteemed honor upon its release in the spring of 1980.  Quite the opposite, in fact.  Kubrick’s re-transformation of the story confused viewers, critics, and even Stephen King, who publicly detested the film.

Funny how a few years can change everything.

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Today, for the final installment of my foray into the Deftones back catalog, I am reviewing their latest disc, Diamond Eyes, released on May 4.

Diamond Eyes by Deftones (2010, Reprise)

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