![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
Review Time!
So when I haven't been giving presentations, reading hours and hours of textbooks and research papers, and sitting in either a psychologist's or a dentist's office, this is what I've been doing:
A few weeks back, a new album by Muse dropped, and while it's not my favorite of theirs (that title is split between Absolution and Origin of Symmetry), The Resistance is still a great album. It's a bit cheesy and overblown from start to finish, with more than a touch of Eighties-synth and Queen, but it really embraces all those traits and comes out feeling more fun than anything else. The best tracks are the ones that inspire head-bopping, hand-clapping, and shouting along - I'm particularly fond of Uprising (even though the guitar hits make the Debbie Harry in my head start belting out Call Me every time), Resistance, and Unnatural Selection. In fact, the only tracks I'm iffy on would be United States of Eurasia and Guiding Light, the former because it hedges just a bit too close to being a knock-off of rather than inspired by Queen, and the latter because, well... it's not good. It's a bit too cheesy, too Eighties. Sure, I still sing it when I'm alone, but it's through some cringing and only when I'm alone. A few off notes doesn't spoil the whole album, though. Overall, I approve. This'll probably be best buds with the car stereo by the end of the year.
There's this amazing thing here at UF called GatorNights. Jaime and I have gone twice, first for Star Trek, and then last week for Up. It's hard for me to write a review of Up, because my over-riding urge is to just flail and laugh and bounce. Okay, so that's my reaction to most Pixar movies. What can I say? They really know what they're doing. (Disclaimer: I haven't seen The Incredibles or Cars. From what I hear, the first isn't likely to lower my opinion of Pixar, but the second...) One thing I really love about Pixar films is how genuine they feel. There's no sense of forced marketing or demographic pandering - there are just unique characters, unique stories, and a unique love for the art of storytelling. This really shines through in Up. Is it a stand-out, singular art piece like Wall-E? Probably not. But it's a damn good movie.
One of the interesting aspects I didn't notice until I was leaving the theater is how unusual the character types were. The main hero is an old man - that's something you don't see every day right there. What made Carl even more special is how effective he was. He wasn't a hero despite being elderly; it was essential to his background and shaped both who he was and who he became. A kid in an animated movie isn't exactly ground-breaking, but I think the character of Russell deserves some applause as well. He wasn't a kids' movie kid; he was just a kid. And it worked. Dug and Kevin are both fairly unique as well, but I'll let you find out about them on your own.
The other place Up really shone was in its sense of unfailing optimism in the face of visceral, difficult, very real truths. Yes, this is a movie about a balloon-equipped flying house, but that doesn't mean the world it exists in is pure fantasy. From the impetus that makes Carl set the house afloat to Ellie's story to Russell's badge-earning motivation to the entire character of Charles Muntz, there's a lot in Up to make you cry for very everyday, very human reasons. And cry I did - a lot, too. But I laughed just as much, and I smiled through the tears more often than not. For every setback, there's real determination to go on adventures and find other victories. It's a great message told in a beautiful way. It would be hard for me to recommend Up too strongly - I assume most people who would want to see it have already, but just in case you were waiting for some ranty girl on livejournal to give you permission, here you go. See it! Now! Yesterday! And every time you get disheartened forever after!
So I have someone else to add to my list of celebrities I want to play Mario Kart with: Colin Meloy. I knew the guy was a talented song writer, a quirky lyricist, and a skilled musician. I did not know he's also incredibly funny and one of the best crowd-leaders I've seen live. But we'll get to that - first, Hazards of Love! What an amazing show. I loved the album even more live. The Decemberists definitely pass the Jaime test: "Do they sound the same live?" Yes, yes, a thousand times yes, and when you're talking about an hour of music performed straight through, how incredible is that? Becky Stark was a little weaker than on the album, though I think that has more to do with her type of voice than anything else. She's an ethereal little wisp; in a live mix, she gets a little swallowed up. Shara Worden, on the other hand... holy shit. I got chill after chill listening to her. Recorded format is not grand enough to contain her voice. There were also some neat song specific touches. The Rake's Song, for example, found everyone on stage sans Meloy banging on drums, and at various points, Stark aimed her floating arms at chimes. Even if the show had only been Hazards of Love, it would've been worth the ticket price.
But it wasn't just Hazards of Love - it had another set entirely after that! Whoo hoo! Both Jaime's and my favorite songs were played - Eli the Barrow Boy and Crane Wife 3, respectively - and there was a sing-along to Billy Liar, a guitar duel during The Chimbley Sweep, and a very special performance of the worst song ever written, Dracula's Daughter, coupled with the story of how that awful song caused Meloy to drop his fancy quill pen and God to shed a single tear. Out of that tear, by the way, sprouted gators and mossy trees and Barnes and Noble bookstores and NASCAR-themed restaurants, and that is how Universal Citywalk was formed. Anyway, suffice to say it was a show rich with excellent music and humor, capped off with an earth-shaking cover of Heart's Crazy on You featuring Stark and Worden on vocals and one more sing-along, this time to Sons and Daughters. We didn't get home until 2am, but my god, was it worth it. And anyway, I skipped class the next morning, so my sleep wasn't too impacted, and it gave me something pleasant to reminisce on during my many hours in the dentist's chair. Thanks, Decemberists!
Jaime's been listening to Hazards of Love pretty much non-stop today. Good stuff.
A few weeks back, a new album by Muse dropped, and while it's not my favorite of theirs (that title is split between Absolution and Origin of Symmetry), The Resistance is still a great album. It's a bit cheesy and overblown from start to finish, with more than a touch of Eighties-synth and Queen, but it really embraces all those traits and comes out feeling more fun than anything else. The best tracks are the ones that inspire head-bopping, hand-clapping, and shouting along - I'm particularly fond of Uprising (even though the guitar hits make the Debbie Harry in my head start belting out Call Me every time), Resistance, and Unnatural Selection. In fact, the only tracks I'm iffy on would be United States of Eurasia and Guiding Light, the former because it hedges just a bit too close to being a knock-off of rather than inspired by Queen, and the latter because, well... it's not good. It's a bit too cheesy, too Eighties. Sure, I still sing it when I'm alone, but it's through some cringing and only when I'm alone. A few off notes doesn't spoil the whole album, though. Overall, I approve. This'll probably be best buds with the car stereo by the end of the year.
There's this amazing thing here at UF called GatorNights. Jaime and I have gone twice, first for Star Trek, and then last week for Up. It's hard for me to write a review of Up, because my over-riding urge is to just flail and laugh and bounce. Okay, so that's my reaction to most Pixar movies. What can I say? They really know what they're doing. (Disclaimer: I haven't seen The Incredibles or Cars. From what I hear, the first isn't likely to lower my opinion of Pixar, but the second...) One thing I really love about Pixar films is how genuine they feel. There's no sense of forced marketing or demographic pandering - there are just unique characters, unique stories, and a unique love for the art of storytelling. This really shines through in Up. Is it a stand-out, singular art piece like Wall-E? Probably not. But it's a damn good movie.
One of the interesting aspects I didn't notice until I was leaving the theater is how unusual the character types were. The main hero is an old man - that's something you don't see every day right there. What made Carl even more special is how effective he was. He wasn't a hero despite being elderly; it was essential to his background and shaped both who he was and who he became. A kid in an animated movie isn't exactly ground-breaking, but I think the character of Russell deserves some applause as well. He wasn't a kids' movie kid; he was just a kid. And it worked. Dug and Kevin are both fairly unique as well, but I'll let you find out about them on your own.
The other place Up really shone was in its sense of unfailing optimism in the face of visceral, difficult, very real truths. Yes, this is a movie about a balloon-equipped flying house, but that doesn't mean the world it exists in is pure fantasy. From the impetus that makes Carl set the house afloat to Ellie's story to Russell's badge-earning motivation to the entire character of Charles Muntz, there's a lot in Up to make you cry for very everyday, very human reasons. And cry I did - a lot, too. But I laughed just as much, and I smiled through the tears more often than not. For every setback, there's real determination to go on adventures and find other victories. It's a great message told in a beautiful way. It would be hard for me to recommend Up too strongly - I assume most people who would want to see it have already, but just in case you were waiting for some ranty girl on livejournal to give you permission, here you go. See it! Now! Yesterday! And every time you get disheartened forever after!
So I have someone else to add to my list of celebrities I want to play Mario Kart with: Colin Meloy. I knew the guy was a talented song writer, a quirky lyricist, and a skilled musician. I did not know he's also incredibly funny and one of the best crowd-leaders I've seen live. But we'll get to that - first, Hazards of Love! What an amazing show. I loved the album even more live. The Decemberists definitely pass the Jaime test: "Do they sound the same live?" Yes, yes, a thousand times yes, and when you're talking about an hour of music performed straight through, how incredible is that? Becky Stark was a little weaker than on the album, though I think that has more to do with her type of voice than anything else. She's an ethereal little wisp; in a live mix, she gets a little swallowed up. Shara Worden, on the other hand... holy shit. I got chill after chill listening to her. Recorded format is not grand enough to contain her voice. There were also some neat song specific touches. The Rake's Song, for example, found everyone on stage sans Meloy banging on drums, and at various points, Stark aimed her floating arms at chimes. Even if the show had only been Hazards of Love, it would've been worth the ticket price.
But it wasn't just Hazards of Love - it had another set entirely after that! Whoo hoo! Both Jaime's and my favorite songs were played - Eli the Barrow Boy and Crane Wife 3, respectively - and there was a sing-along to Billy Liar, a guitar duel during The Chimbley Sweep, and a very special performance of the worst song ever written, Dracula's Daughter, coupled with the story of how that awful song caused Meloy to drop his fancy quill pen and God to shed a single tear. Out of that tear, by the way, sprouted gators and mossy trees and Barnes and Noble bookstores and NASCAR-themed restaurants, and that is how Universal Citywalk was formed. Anyway, suffice to say it was a show rich with excellent music and humor, capped off with an earth-shaking cover of Heart's Crazy on You featuring Stark and Worden on vocals and one more sing-along, this time to Sons and Daughters. We didn't get home until 2am, but my god, was it worth it. And anyway, I skipped class the next morning, so my sleep wasn't too impacted, and it gave me something pleasant to reminisce on during my many hours in the dentist's chair. Thanks, Decemberists!
Jaime's been listening to Hazards of Love pretty much non-stop today. Good stuff.