MP3-A-Palooza

I had this huge post written up and then realized it was ridiculous.  Lists are always better than forcing people to read.  I think this is at least 7 months of backlog, which is insanity within itself.  Thank you Amazon.

• We Are Scientists - "Brain Thrust Mastery"
• Judgment - Buy it
• The Go! Team - "Proof of Youth"
• Judgment - Borrow it
• Hot Chip - "Made in the Dark"
• Judgement - Buy it
• The Magnetic Fields - "Distortion"
• Judgement - Skip it
• Weezer - "The Red Album"
• Judgement - Skip It
• The Mars Volta - "The Bedlam in Goliath"
• Judgement - Borrow it
• Radiohead - "In Rainbows"
• Judgement - Buy it
• Blonde Redhead - "23"
• Judgement - Buy it
• Duke Spirit - "Neptune"
• Judgement - Borrow it
• Gnarls Barkley - "The Odd Couple"
• Judgement - Buy it
• The Raconteurs - "Consolers of the Lonely"
• Judgement - Borrow it
• Queens of the Stone Age - "Era Vulgaris"
• Judgement - Buy it
• Vampire Weekend - "Vampire Weekend"
• Judgement - Buy it
• The Rapture - "Pieces of the People We Love"
• Judgement - Skip it
• Death Cab for Cutie - "Narrow Stairs"
• Judgement - Buy it
• Beck - "Modern Guilt"
• Judgement - Buy it

Coldplay in the Hood

Coldplay @ the Forum, originally uploaded by kardinalsin.

It hasn't gotten old. 4 different shows (one at the VZW Amphitheater, one at the Bowl, one at Staples, and one at the Forum) and it hasn't gotten old yet. I would venture to say that it's gotten better every single time, but Coldplay are just a fantastic band to see live. It could be the sweeping scale of the music or it could be the affable demeanor of frontman Chris Martin, but most likely it's just because I enjoy their music. If that makes me more pop, then indie street cred be damned.

A rundown of the setlist:
Life in Technicolor
Violet Hill
Clocks
In My Place
Viva La Vida
42
Yes
The Scientist
Chinese Sleep Chant
God Put a Smile on Your Face
Square One
Speed of Sound
Trouble
Lost
Strawberry Swing
Yellow
Death Will Never Conquer
Fix You
Lovers in Japan
Reign of Love

Encore:
Death and All His Friends

That's quite a set actually. It gives me some opportunity to comment on their new album also. The reviews are in and their mixed, but so far I have to say it's one of their most accomplished works. Sure, Viva la Vida is very reminiscent of their trademark sound and Violet Hill doesn't work for me at all, but the rest of it really stretches their artistic limits. Some of it isn't so successful (see: Violet Hill), but where they stretch, they stretch well (see: 42). I like to refer to a few of their songs by obvious influences and touches in the presentation, but hearing them live really doesn't do nicknames any justice. 42 might be their Radiohead-ish vein, but it's a sweet little piece of music. Lovers in Japan could be considered their U2 track, but the execution is decidedly Coldplay. At first listen, I wasn't in love with it, but I can now safely say, after a few listens, that it stands up to be a gem. All this, of course, is backed by their sweeping performance in front of thousands at the Great Western Forum.

See them again? I would, in a heartbeat.

Summer Movie Malady - Weeks 4 & 5

Clearing out the queue yet again.

The Incredible Hulk
Ang Lee's movie was better.  Yes, I'll say it again.  Ang Lee's movie was better.  The acting, the inspired motion capture animation of the director's own movements, the storytelling techniques.  Ang Lee's movie was better.  I don't care that there was more action, I don't care that Ed Norton lent more star power to the leading role of Bruce Banner, the first one was much better.  What was wrong with it?  Liv Tyler was decent, but no match for Jennifer Connolly.  William Hurt was good as always, but the gravitas of Sam Elliot made Thunderbolt Ross more vulnerable and human.  Tim Roth was an excellent villain, but I prefer my Emil Blonsky more Russian and my abomination more reptilian.  Yes, I'll say it again, Ang Lee's movie was better.

Overall Score: 2.5 out of 5 stars

Wall-E
Pixar continues its dominance of the computer generated animated feature.  It's sad that their success has relegated 2-dimensional hand-drawn animation to television, but their success has bred some of the most memorable films of the last decade and a half.  What makes them so amazing, however, is not their fish-out-of-water formula, but their dedication to quality character and artistic ingenuity.  Wall-E is an animated film unlike any other.  The introductory 30 minutes are devoid of any proper dialogue, the main character has a limited vocabulary, and action takes a backseat to beauty.  What's surprising is that it all works.  There is more pathos in Wall-E than in most of the year's dramas combined.  The amazing part remains that the entire audience (the majority of which included young children) was engrossed in the story.  Suffice it to say, I loved it, loved it, loved it.  Surprisingly romantic and socially relevant, the film does not pander nor talk down to the audience.  It's true to the heart of its story and even loaded with enough themes to even inspire the slightest bit of controversy.  The animated short, "Presto," an excellent introduction prior to beginning the film, was just an appetizer of what was to come, for that hour and a half running time, I was immersed. 

Overall Score: 4.5 out of 5 stars