Initially, the notion behind Major Lazer – two white guys putting out a dancehall record – sounds a bit silly. But while DJs Diplo and Switch are not exactly veterans of the genre, they are not completely out of their element. It was them at the helm of M.I.A.’s dancehall inflected hit single Paper Planes which exploded early last year, and then there are the numerous baile funk mixes that Diplo released following a trip to Rio de Janeiro, and Switch’s highly varied and extensive remix work. Still, even without that in mind – if ever they felt out of their element during this album’s production, you’d never know it. The beats carry an unbridled confidence, and rightfully so; despite an ever so slight slump in the middle (and only because the rest is so consistently flooring), the muscular beats are strong enough to make you move and the smoother ones still have a great groove to them. Not only that, but quite a list of Jamaican (among other) vocalists was assembled, and just about everyone is given their chance to shine.

The mummy's all "Oh, hi."

Guns Don’t Kill starts off with the Mr. Lexx and Santigold-led opening of Hold the Line establishes the mood perfectly; aggressive yet unrelentlingly melodic beat with random sounds coming from everywhere, yet all fitting in perfectly. Cell phone rings, breaking glass, cat calls, smacking lips, and that’s just what I can remember off the top of my head. The steady beat continues as Ms. Thing takes over on the even more arresting When You Hear the Bassline, with the production altering her voice at every turn.

The gorgeous rocksteady (I can’t say that without referencing Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles) groove of Can’t Stop Now is crooned over by both Mr. Vegas and Jovi Rockwell, who each do an outstanding job. The beat is alluring all on its own with its understated quirks, but it’s the vocal harmonies that steal the show. The energy explodes again immediately after with Lazer Theme’s incredibly bold bass line, which rocks hard with Future Trouble’s aggressive flow over it for two and a half minutes that never feel long enough.

Anything Goes and Cash Flow are good in their own respect, in fact they’re great. Both songs are solid, textbook dancehall, but after the astonishing first four tracks, while they don’t quite interrupt the album’s flow or fail to keep things going, they just can’t help but feel like slight let-downs. Things pick right back up though with Mary Jane, which, as the title suggests, is an unexpectedly charming ode to marijuana. The blazingly fast (har har) beat sees Mr. Evil and Mapei singing of their botanic love with Diplo and Switch shooting random shit off in the background to top the already rousing beat. At least for me, this was the first time a line like “Roll it, smoke it, light it up” has ever sounded genuinely fun and not trying to look cool, like “duuuude let’s smoke some weeeeeeeeed.”

While the graphic What U Like is good all around, Amanda Blank is disappointingly… well, she’s practically absent entirely. Einstein has a great flow to be sure, but a battle between the two would have been amazing; one would think this song to be right up her alley, given her aggressively sexual material. Up next is the album’s peak, the R&B meets trance Keep It Goin’ Louder and the glitch happy Pon De Floor. The former is a textbook summer dance song, whose lack of single promotion is downright criminal, while Pon is an equally rousing with its creative voice manipulation and chopped up drums. Guns Don’t Kill ends strong with a baby with built in autotune and the thumping house informed finale of Jump Up. Leftside and Supahype rap and shout out throughout, though the heavily layered and danceable track could probably stand alone even without the spice they toss in.

On tonight's episode, the Hardy Boys trip balls

Guns Don’t Kill… Lazers Do has energy and charm to spare. It’s an excellent introduction to the dancehall genre as well, which is one that I admittedly know jack shit about. Insanely catchy, ridiculously fun, and easily one of the most charismatic albums of the year. I can’t recommend this one enough.

The abbreviated story of Real Estate’s formation almost plays like a variation on the film Garden State: four friends living in New Jersey play together in different bands all throughout high school, one of which being a Weezer cover band. Then the vocalist/guitarist (Martin Courtney) moves away to the west coast to go to college, and comes back some time later, after which the foursome reforms, and Real Estate is born. Much like fellow surf rock/indie pop blend enthusiasts Girls (both bands also carry the badge of indie coolness that is a Pitchfork “best new music” label, very exciting), Real Estate’s debut is startlingly on the money – impressive melodies, a slightly psychedelic atmosphere, and just enough twang to the guitars to make them stand out; sounding almost as the Beach Boys might had been a bleak indie band in the late 00’s. Though however weighty the spacey sadness to Real Estate’s self titled effort may feel at times, the melodies throughout are utterly gorgeous, which is particularly noteworthy given how simple the songs are.

A house that's just a diamond of glass?? That... that's just crazy enough to work!

Real Estate is one of those bands that benefit from a more lo-fi sound, as they can embrace the haze engulfing their music as opposed to simply drowning in it. Beach Comber and Pool Swimmer show their penchant for establishing minimalist atmosphere right away, each with a very simple harmony but with such charisma that you’re lured in right away; the harmonizing heard throughout the latter in particular is somewhat mesmerizing. Up next is the “Pavement, is that you?” of Suburban Dogs; the lo-fi pioneers’ influence is heard especially here, and is unmistakable in Courtney’s chants of “Back home” near the end, after drearily singing about how “Suburban dogs are in love with their chains” and pleading “Carry me back to sweet Jersey,” as if to prove the song’s point.

The album’s second half runs as smooth and briskly as the first, even with a six minute song (the longest here by a reasonable stretch) in the middle. Suburban Beverage, in spite of its length, breezes by quite quickly, largely due to its many quick, yet laid back transitions. Gradually though, the song builds up steam toward the fade out end (even though it never becomes anything truly aggressive). Let’s Rock the Beach, the second instrumental (the first being the very brief but lovely Atlantic City), showcases the great chemistry between the members, particularly bassist Alex Bleeker and guitarists Courtney and Mathew Mondanile. The instrumental is nearly five minutes, but again, it breezes by, as it is very easy to get lost in their playing on this incredibly soothing track. Snow Days closes things out with a short and gentle vocal harmony followed by another quick melodic jam session, with unexpectedly vigorous drumming from Etienne Duguay.

Is anybody else reminded of the picture from Weezer's Blue Album?

The Jersey boys go through ten songs in about forty minutes, but given how deceptively tight the group’s sound is, it seems much, much quicker; there certainly is something to be said for being able to cram so much atmosphere into such a small package. Real Estate’s self titled debut is a great example of why indie subgenres are on the rise at the moment; they’ve toyed with the basic elements of the sound until they’ve produced something that’s not quite new, but still close enough to be completely unique.

As I call it, the ‘white boy reggae’ scene has been thriving for the past couple years. Bands like the Expendables, Pepper, Slightly Stoopid and Rebelution have toured relentlessly in recent years to packed houses; I saw both Rebelution and the Expendables sell out the House of Blues on Sunset last year. Adding to this slew of talented young reggae bands is Passafire, whose album Everyone on Everynight dropped on September 15^th. The band, from Savannah, Georgia, is signed to Pepper’s own LAW Records, and has toured with them in the past. Their 2007 album Submersible was considered to be one of iTunes’ top reggae albums of that year, and Everyone on Everynight is the follow-up to that record.

And it follows up very nicely. While the lead singer, Ted Bowne, has a bit of a strange voice that takes some getting used to, it really fits with the music, a great blend of reggae and rock styles that makes them sound a little more substantive than the silliness of bands like Pepper and the punk-infused Slightly Stoopid. Also, the guitar work on Everyone on Everynight is rather impressive, as they employed the use of some ripping electric guitars which make the songs that much livelier; while Submersible was solid, the songs tended to have a similar overall feel and tempo to them. This time around, the songs are much more varied and have their own styles that are each memorable in their own way.

Casting of the Cares kicks off the disc, and it’s a melodic romp with some great guitar riffs and percussion. Keeping in Touch follows it up and has a nice gentle melody weaved throughout the tune, making it another highlight. Illuminate has a more aggressive rhythm, led by some kickass bass work by Will Kubly and a bouncy beat that I imagine is quite a hit in the live setting. I’ve only seen Passafire open for Pepper one time, before any of these songs were around, so I want to see them now that this album has been released to see some of these songs performed. On Here in Front of Me, the guitar again takes over, as the song is led by a riff that leads into one of the more catchy choruses on the album, with Bowne asking “Is it actually happening…right here in front of me?”. The chorus then goes into a sick melodic breakdown heavy on the percussion. The song reminds me a bit of 311, which to me is a good thing since 311 is my favorite band.

Carouser is another of the high-energy songs on the album, with more funky bass and electric guitar riffage that start the song off with quite a bang before it slows down into the verse. Leave the Lights On is another song that sounds like 311, with a crunchy riff propelling the song into mosh pit-territory (or at least the type of mosh pit that would be at this kind of concert). Keep in mind, now, when I say “sounds like 311” that’s not meant to take anything away from Passafire; the energy of these songs just echo the same type of catchy energy and masterful reggae/rock fusion that I find with 311 tunes (or at least older 311 songs). Prelectricity slows things down a bit after the power of Leave the Lights On, and as the ‘end’ of the album (before the two acoustic numbers) caps off a pretty impressive collection of songs.

This album really finds Passafire at the top of their game, and is a marked improvement over Submersible, which I found a bit too one-dimensional in sound. The band has since really fleshed out its feel and the structure of their songs, and the result is one of the better albums of this genre that I’ve heard in recent memory. Rebelution’s latest album Bright Side of Life, while also solid, is very similar in sound to their debut Courage to Grow, as the band apparently didn’t really expand their sound too greatly; conversely, this time around Passafire has expanded on their repertoire in the best possible way. I hope they soon attain the same kind of attention and fame as the other bands of this genre. They definitely deserve it.

They’re playing with the Expendables and Hawaii’s own Iration February 27^th at the House of Blues on Sunset. Get your tickets now. Beanie and board shorts required, of course.

Amerie blew up back in 2005 with her smash single 1 Thing, a complete R&B knockout with a great beat and smartly understated vocals. While since, she’s recieved her share of praise from critics, popularity past her biggest hit has mostly eluded her. It’s a shame too, especially given how good her last album (2007’s Because I Love It) was; 1 Thing was even tacked on to Because I Love It after its lead single flopped, as if a desperate attempt to get people buying the disc. But as the old saying goes, if it ain’t broke, don’t fix it, and while Amerie’s fourth studio album, In Love & War, boasts very little change from her last release, and it lacks a single with enough punch to become a radio sensation, it still just sounds too good to be old just yet.

Is she melting? Growing wings? I dunno, but it looks kinda cool

In Love & War gets off to a great, great start. From the funky Tell Me You Love Me’s blasting horns to the of the fourth cut Higher, the energy is abundant and Amerie’s strong, edgy voice is confidently leading it all. Heard ‘Em All has an instantly grabbing, stuttering beat with a fantastic vocal, clever percussion, and carefully placed synths, and Dangerous is driven by a rugged rock-meets-soul sound, with a great deal of emphasis on the rawness of Amerie’s voice. Both have incredibly addicting choruses as well, but it’s Higher that really gets you moving. The subdued guitars and synths provide a slick backdrop to the surprisingly convincing singing.

Ironically, it’s lead single Why R U that breaks up the momentum. It’s the first point on the album where the balance is slightly off; the hip hop aspect is pushed too hard, and Amerie’s background vocal in the chorus is suspiciously similar to a single of hers from a while back. Where everything has felt wonderfully genuine up to this point, it feels postured here, and doesn’t sit well with the rest of the album. The following Pretty Brown Eyes, while better, falls to the same foil. The song, a duet with Trey Songz (who sounds quite good, actually), seems to be putting forth too much effort to be hard hitting, and consequently feels too forced.

Thankfully, the soulful More Than Love gets In Love & War back on track with ease. Like on a handful of tracks from Because I Love It, More recalls nineties R&B, but here it has a more updated sound. Fabolous is featured here as well, and sings the second verse (preceded by an amusing faux argument), which gives the already charming song a big dose of personality. Amerie perhaps sounds her best on Swag Back, which alternates sharply between piano and synths; she can sound simultaneously assured but not, and reminds how good she is at understating her voice and letting it soar at just the right moments, a quality far too many female R&B singers lack. Red Eye has a soothing downtempo feel, which carries out for the remainder of the album, from the similarly gentle yet sweeping The Flowers to the almost bleak sounding piano-led closer Dear John.

One thing that separates In Love & War from its predecessor is the presence of a theme unifying all of the tracks. As Miss Amerie said herself, “Conceptually, I just really wanted to write about the tumultuous times of a relationship. Not so much like everything is so perfect, but looking at the more imperfect sides of love and relationships… …I was just thinking ‘the whole concept of love and war really encapsulates everything that I was trying to get across as far as a theme for the album.” Even without knowing her intent, the concept is highly noticeable, from the frustration sung over in the earlier tracks to the resignation in the closing ones.

That's amazing! How is she.. wait... she's not suspended in gravity at all! She's a phony!

With the exception of a small slump in the middle, In Love & War largely succeeds. Even though it’s ultimately the same ground already covered by her last album, the savvy production as well as Amerie’s theme of love gone wrong prevents it from ever getting boring. It’s a very enriching listen, which unfortunately will not be nearly as popular as it should be.

The Legend of Zelda is a series that all video gamers should be familiar with. It’s an action/adventure game in which Link, the hero, searches the world for magical items , new weapons, and various other powerups in order to defeat the evil villain at the end. Usually, this is done to save the princess Zelda. Saving the world is less important, which is odd, because Link usually isn’t getting laid.

Spirit Tracks Box Art

The Legend of Zelda: Spirit Tracks is for the Nintendo DS, and is basically a mirror image of the Phantom Hourglass in terms of game mechanics and graphics. The music is solid as always, and the storyline is about standard for a Legend of Zelda storyline.  An evil villain has captured Zelda’s body, but this time her spirit is free. She now acts as your fairy and can possess phantoms. So far, it sounds intriguing and fun. Getting to play with Zelda is a new twist on the usual expected adventure. And the game is fun, but there are some problems that I don’t think can be overlooked.

Travel in the Legend of Zelda games has always been free. While it was semi-limited in the Phantom Hourglass (you could only go places you had maps for), there is absolutely no freedom in Spirit Tracks. Since your major mode of outer world travel is a train, you are always on train tracks. You can never get off of the train and walk. This makes no sense and really pulls away from the immersion. Not only that, but you have to dodge other trains, and your train is slow. Going across the Zelda world feels like a chore, and that’s a new thing that I’m not fond of. It also makes the world feel extremely small.

Second, controlling princess Zelda is a pain in the ass. You are using the stylus to control yourself and the princess, and it just doesn’t work out fluidly. Fighting monsters with both Link and Zelda at the same time feels clunky. It would have been much better if Zelda could’ve been controlled with the d-pad, so that you could more easily manage both. You usually end up taking damage while drawing lines from the princess to the monster, since you aren’t moving during that time.

Another highly annoying factor is the overuse of the microphone. (Any use of the microphone is overuse.) The Legend of Zelda series has always included a musical instrument, but we never had to blow into our controllers to use them. They also added a fan item which requires the microphone. Using this item in combat is obnoxious, and much like controlling the princess, you will most likely get hit while using it. I hate the microphone. Everyone hates the microphone. I know it’s innovative, but it’s still really annoying.

Overall, the game isn’t bad. It still has the Legend of Zelda feel that you’ve become accustomed to, and will definitely provide hours of fun. But, it has to compete against the rest of the Legend of Zelda series. Phantom Hourglass consumed me. I played it nonstop until I beat it. I find that I only play Spirit Tracks in small bursts, and I’m not excited to continue, because of the train track travel. Even still, it is a solid game and probably better than most that you’ll play.

Hailing from the beautiful beaches of Santa Barbara, California, comes an interview with a member of one of the highest rated modern reggae bands of this generation. Back with their second full-length album, Bright Side of Life,  bass player Marley Williams sits down to chat with me about the album, life on the road, family, and more. Sit back and enjoy the vibe. (All photos by yours truely, and my homegirl Caitlin)

Marley: Sorry I called you a little late. I got caught up in some…afternoon activities *laughs*

Flak: Oh man I got you, it’s alright! So what’s going on? I saw you guys at West Beach (Music Festival), how was that for you?

M: Oh man, West Beach was a really good experience because you know, it’s the hometown, and friends and family can come in, and a lot of great bands. And Twin Productions always takes care of everybody. It’s good to be home, and get to play, don’t have to play and then travel.

F: Exactly. You can just go home for the night or whatever.

M: Yeah for sure.

F: Did your folks come out for this one or…

M: No my folks didn’t come up for that one; usually they come out to the NorCal shows, cause that’s where they live.

F: Oh they don’t live down here?

M: Nah, well I grew up in Mendocino County, 3 hours up from like, San Francisco. So they go to San Fran shows, Reggae Rising shows, Petaluma, and sometimes Santa Cruz too though.

F: Tight man, well I only have a few questions for ya today, not too much.

M: Yeah man, no problem.

F: Well first off, what got you into bass?

M: Umm, well I think that everyone listens to music differently, and some people have an ear for, you know, focusing on melodies, higher notes. Some people like lower notes; bass, and some people like percussion or vocals, so you know everyone listens for a certain element of a song.

Mine was bass, so it was kinda like hip hop and reggae…groovable songs, and the bassline was so simple, but it would keep people moving.

F: Yeah I agree. I’ve played bass for ten years myself, so I’m with ya.

M: Yeah so you know exactly what I’m talking about! *laughs*

F: Yeah man, it’s like a groove thing for me. I dunno it’s like it was the one thing that always stood out to me in a song so I understand what you mean.

M: Yeah for sure, I’m in.

F: So what got you into reggae though, you know?

M: Umm…..well my parents for one, named me after Bob Marley…

F: I figured that heh…

M: Yeah they listen to reggae music way before I was even in the picture so you know, I was blessed to be named Marley and to listen to good music and have that in my background. And you know, songs always remind you of memories, and there are a lot of good memories with reggae music playing in the background for me, so it’s kept going on until this day.

And you know I’m always drifting to other genres here and there…I always stick with reggae, but I’ve really learned to appreciate hip hop and rap.

F: What’s your favorite album right now?

M: Ohh that’s a hard one…you know I don’t really go by albums much anymore. Songs just kind pop out of the blue and it’ll be my jam you know what I mean?

F: Hah that’s a really good answer.

M: I find myself listening to a lot of Snoop Dogg lately, some of his older stuff.

F: Yeah we just saw him in concert the other day, and he’s got that new album coming out, Malice in Wonderland I think.

M: Yeah… well I’m more into the older stuff where everything was with Dr. Dre.

F: You mean like the 92’ shit?

M: Yeah man the 90’s! Everywhere it was Tupac, Biggie, Dre…and rap music was always good to dance to. And on the reggae side of it I always am listening to Bob Marley, Damien Marley, Julian Marley, Collie Budz (he goes on to name a few others I couldn’t understand…all those afternoon activities…), and a lot of dancehall artists.

And we’re just making it you know, with the bass, groovable. You know, people can relate to the beat so they get a message.

F: Yeah I agree. And you were talking about blessings earlier and families, so how does it feel to be blessed with being on the top of the charts forever? I mean, you guys are doin’ it in the reggae world.

M: You know, sometimes I don’t even think about it, but sometimes I’m like “I’m the luckiest man alive!” You know, I didn’t expect it. It was always just “let’s work hard and play good music, put out a good message, and be a source to have fun and listen to good music”. But I never thought that I would get this high, and I’m really stoked for it, and for everyone who supported us you know; our band mates too and our friends…

F: Good. But as always, there’s gonna be haters. What kind of haters do you guys experience, with you being a white guy in one of the most popular reggae bands in the world?

M: You know… I don’t really think about it. It rarely enters my realm…I know it exists…you know, all kinds of headspaces that are negative out there, and I just choose to ignore them. You know I think sometimes maybe I’ll be like…not even knowing that they’re going on because I just don’t care for it. I might be ignorant to the situation…I’m guilty of that.

F: Yeah, but sometimes there’s thing that you can afford to be ignorant to.

M: Yeah man, so I don’t really know about that. *laughs* I think a lot of people at our shows, we’ve developed a pretty close fan base, and it’s been very personal; being more of an underground band, and I think a lot of people who come to the shows, are representatives of that mind space (the no-negativity). We don’t like to trip on anybody, judging anybody, because this is about a certain movement that’s about everybody, that’s above Rebelution, that’s above people. It’s about the reggae spirit that started you know, as far back as Africa, as far as Jamaica, and that fused into the US and Europe; and we praise that spirit so hopefully we have those vibes around.

F: Right, and see, I was listening to your guys’ album today actually, your newest one and wondered, do you get to write the bass lines for that?

M: Well a lot of the bass lines are written by Eric. I guess a lot of em are started by ideas that come from Eric. There’s some that are written only by Eric, and others that we collaborate, where sometimes he’ll start it. But a lot of the bass lines are ideas based off the melodies of the guitar. He wrote a lot on this album, compared to the last…and on this one we let him get a lot of his musical expression out cause he’s feeling it right now and he’s a good musician.  The bass lines are definitely co-written by me and Eric.

F: Oh ok that’s awesome. My favorite songs on the album are Too Rude, Dubzilla, and Bump, you know those three in a row? What are your favorites though?

M: Oh of those three?

F: No I mean of the whole album…your favorite song on the album period, or even your favorite group of songs.

M: Actually a song Eric pretty much wrote everything on was More Than Ever. And I think the way that the melodies go into each other, would catch…more than a lot of other songs. So yeah that one’s really fun, I know you just mentioned Too Rude, and that’s a good one too. I feel like it’s one of the last songs we put on the album, it was sitting on the backburner and it came out good, and it had a new style…a new flavor to give a ‘to be continued’ to see what’s going on with album after this one.

F: Right and I definitely think it was a good song to put on the album. I did a review of your album when it first came out, and I loved it, I mean… it was a good groove (Too Rude) bass-wise…and message-wise. Very message worthy…and I think that’s important. It’s the key thing about reggae that I think a lot of people don’t understand. It’s not about whose in the band, what color they are, whatever with all that other BS…it’s a message thing, and how you groove to it.

M: Right.

F: And it’s good that you mention stuff that was on the backburner, or to be continued, but what’s next for the band…well personally, and for the band?

M: I think what’s next for the band is a lot of touring and trying to play in places that we’ve never played before. Always writing new songs, and always trying to improve our skills, and play as tight as we can. And really it’s a joy to part of a musical…you know… outlet for everybody and ourselves.

We’ve been talking about a Europe tour, Guam, Hawaii, and possibly Aruba. So you know, we’ve been touring the US four times in the last year or so, and we have another big trip coming up in January.  We’ve been establishing some really good crowds, and having a lot of fun at these venues with everybody and enjoying everything as much as we can.

F: Yeah and I was backstage with Jordyn (the band’s publicist extraordinaire) at West Beach, and we couldn’t even get on stage to see you guys because there were so many people there supporting you, so it was good to see.

M: Yeah it’s…its crazy and I can’t wait to see what’s next, but I’m trying to make the best of the ride and have fun.

F: Well one more question man, can you give me something that’s…you know, behind the hype…something that people don’t really know about you? Something personal…doesn’t have to be too personal, something that we don’t know though.

M: *lets out a heavy laugh* Ummm…..

F: It can be anything man, like listening to a certain type of music, maybe a Brittney Spears song that’s your favorite song…

M: Lemme think….lemme think of something cool… *long pause* hmmm.

F: I know it’s tough, but I always end my interviews with this one.

M: How about…when I was 15, I had hip surgery?

F: Hip surgery? For what?

M: I had a growing disorder. I grew too fast, so that’s a fun one for bass, cause you’re always moving your waist. So now I’ve got a pin in my hip! *laughs*

F: So you’ve gotta stay away from the bass magnet or else you’re in trouble? Hah!

M:  Heh, man there’s gotta be something cooler than that!

F: Shit well you tell me!

M: Man…fun fact…dang man I dunno, I’ll have to get back to you on that one. I’ll text you!

F: *laughs* fair enough man!

As of now, Marley hasn’t gotten back to me yet, but I’ll get back to you on what is behind the hype for this young groove master. Stay tuned for next year’s interviews, as they will be MUCH more frequent!

Until next time my friends,

~Flak

It’s funny to think that a seasoned hardcore vocalist, eager to make new music on his own but unable to play guitar, would turn to synths and produce something that sounds like this, but that’s precisely what Wesley Eisold has done here. Along with Caralee McElroy (Xiu Xiu) and Dominic Fernow (Prurient), he’s made Cold Cave’s full length debut, Love Comes Close, an impressively well textured, cold, and robotic sounding effort.While he might be somewhat out of his element, you’d never be able to tell listening to this. Gloomy hooks are abound, and the whole affair reeks of eighties, but surprisingly enough Eisold manages to avoid sounding derivative and predictable. Hell, one track in particular sounds more or less like New Order covering Q Lazzarus’ Goodbye Horses (made famous by that HOT scene from Silence of the Lambs); if that can come across as genuine, then you know you’ve got something worthwhile on your hands.

Aw fuck, I'll never put this eyeliner on right

From the very beginning, the name Cold Cave is proven to be quite appropriate. The incredibly icy and detached aura is immediate, even before the distorted vocals and dark, fuzzy synths really come into play. Slightly abstract opener Cebe and Me is littered with frosty bleeps, hissing feedback, and a continued steady hi-hat until a sudden ending. Abruptly following is the previously referenced title track, which is the spitting image of early New Order but with its own, distinct flavor. Its slightly upbeat yet cold, mechanical sound prevails for most of the album, but does relent just enough to keep from being overbearingly melancholic.

A trio of strangely danceable numbers (maybe zombie-looking-kid-from-the-Peanuts type dancing, but still) are tastefully scattered throughout, providing attractive decoration that doesn’t detract from the overall mood. Life Magazine is dominated with blasting yet insulated sounding feedback and very catchy hooks with echo heavy vocals reminiscent of Crystal Castles. Sitting smack dab in the middle of Love Comes Close is Heaven Was Full, an almost gratingly goth sounding slab of synth pop, but with a psychedelic flair (and enough going on overall) to keep it sounding fresh, and uncharacteristically… well, lively. Right before the debut ends is Youth and Lust, a strong number with the Ian Curtis sounding vocals being buried under the heavy synths and steady beat and trading off with McElroy’s spoken spots. The musical chorus is very representative of Cold Cave’s sound; mnemonic of the eighties while sounding far too futuristic to actually fit in with anything from the era itself. I.C.D.K. closes things out very well, picking right up where Youth leaves off with its chopped up vocals and electronic twang.

Of course, there are stumbles here and there, but nothing outright bad. The Laurels of Erotomania is repetitive, but more importantly significantly weaker with hooks than the other songs. It’s layered well enough to stay interesting, but the high pitched synth lines over the never ending and incredibly simplistic backing synth sound too video gamey to sound well produced, but not video gamey enough to give itself much character. The Trees Grew Emotions and Died suffers from the same problem, too much repetition and not enough character, and it feels longer than its four minute length. Again, neither is really a bad song, but they really can’t compare with all the compelling material being offered elsewhere on the album.

I wonder if he tried to put the moves on her between takes or something... she looks pissed

Love Comes Close isn’t a perfect album (or even debut for that matter), but it demands more than a simple glossing over. There is plenty to be enjoyed here, and plenty to be found upon the second and third listening. Even more than the largely clever songwriting is how well the overall sound is handled; not once does Cold Cave come across as trying to cash in on the eighties revival trend, or even give off a more than passing similarity to their contemporaries in the genre. It ain’t gold, but it’s still a great listen that will stay with you for a while.

It was easy to be unenthusiastic about Relapse, Eminem’s first album in nearly five years. And not even just because of the large amount of time that had passed; his previous release, Encore, came across as little more than Eminem by-the-numbers. It lacked the heart of even The Eminem Show, which showed maybe three quarters the heart of his two previous albums, at best. Instead of cutting loose with his morbid sense of humor, he was streamlining it with celebrity parody (Just Lose It) and generic hip hop sentiments (Ass Like That). While admittedly, the political stances were appreciated, all of the rest was lackluster by comparison to the rest of his discography, and it didn’t look too promising for Relapse. However, Relapse delivers the goods, and more; I daresay that this is his strongest effort since The Marshall Mathers LP.

...I have definitely taken too many of these.

Relapse probably has the best introduction on an album all year in Dr. West. Half darkly funny and half mildly disturbing, he addresses his demons while making fun of the whole situation at the same time. Eminem actually seems the most comfortable he’s ever been with making fun of himself, which is a must for somebody like him (“And this Christopher Reeve shit? You know the guy’s dead, right?”). The Steve Berman skit near the album’s finish is the best example of this, showing Eminem at the receiving end of the following mockery: “Oh poor me, I had a drug problem!” The skits alone this time around are the best they’ve been in quite a while.

Loosely telling a story of Eminem resurrecting his Slim Shady persona, Relapse starts with 3 a.m., a song so violent and fearlessly offensive that it’s just… it’s just great. What makes it so endlessly fascinating is not just how over the top he gets, but how eloquent he is as he unveils these tales of horrific carnage as well(and to think, they just get worse after this!). The following pair of My Mom and Insane explore his childhood (with his usual exaggeration, the latter in particular) has wordplay that tops anything he did on Encore by leaps and bounds; Mom’s chorus of “That’s why I’m on what I’m on ’cause I’m my mom” or Insane’s opening line, “I was born with a dick in my brain, yeah, fucked in the head” are absolutely brilliant. Insane reintroduces us to the off the wall jokes that have been gone from his repertoire for far too long, such as “Well this is called Ass-Rape and we’re shooting the Jail scene,” as well as some that would probably be best not repeated here.

After that we return to fantasies involving kidnapping and murdering celebrities, or simply banging them (Same Song and Dance and single We Made You, respectively). For all its name dropping, We Made You sounds like genuine Eminem talking shit, as opposed to Just Lose It which sounded like borderline posturing. After these we have a series of drug related songs which culminate in the Mr. Mathers skit, leading into the surprisingly honest and soul searching pair of Déjà Vu and Beautiful, the latter actually being produced by Eminem himself. The rest of the album’s production is handled by Dr. Dre, who does a fantastic job all throughout Relapse. The beats all snap and sound fresh, matching whatever mood is being conveyed to a T.

Closing out Relapse is Underground, ending with a cameo from everybody’s favorite creeper, Ken Kaniff. The beat is extremely smart, playing with its time signature (unheard of in commercial rap) with Eminem’s flow sounding aaaalmost disjointed, but he keeps up effortlessly. Throw in his reliably intelligent rhymes, and you’ve got six minutes that will fly by every time. A spectacular way to close a truly outstanding album.

Hmm... I've never noticed this one before

Relapse shows Eminem at the top of his game once again. Brilliant rhymes, great beats, and he flat out sounds more confident than he has in nearly a decade.  After hearing this, I personally don’t think Relapse 2 can come fast enough.

It doesn’t matter what Spain does or, more accurately, doesn’t do. Its unapologetic economic languishment is irrelevant as long as they’ve still got a filmically productive Pedro Almodovar. With the auteur’s most recent emotionally wrought effort, Broken Embraces, the country’s state of atrophy is more than forgivable. Employing his muse for the fourth time, Penelope Cruz stars as the tragic character of Lena, an aspiring actress who occasionally falls victim to the monetary temptations of hooking, but generally works as a secretary for a Spanish mogul named Ernesto Martel.

Promotional poster for Los Abrazos Rotos

Although Lena is determined to live honestly in her quest to make it as an actress, her father is unexpectedly diagnosed with stomach cancer and her family cannot afford the medical expenses of a sympathetic doctor. Enter an eager Ernesto, just waiting to pounce on the opportunity to make Lena feel indebted. At first she tries to go back to the bordello (under the pseudonym Severine), but Ernesto already knows about her alternate occupation and calls her as soon as she reenlists. This foils her plans completely, forcing her to ask Ernesto for the money as a secretary, not a prostitute.

She works hard for the money: Lena becomes the mistress of the wealthy Ernesto Martel because, let's face it, having money is much better than not having money, regardless of having to let an old man lie on top of you

The other side of the coin in this story is writer-director Mateo Blanco, who we are introduced to as Harry Caine, a blind scriptwriter who picks up women that offer to help him cross the street. Initially, Almodovar does not weave the two plots together; in fact, it seems like each story could be its own separate film. Mateo’s agent, Judit (Volver’s Blanca Portillo), along with her son, Diego (Tamar Novas), often visit Mateo to make sure he’s okay and to collaborate with him on various film projects. It is not until Diego mixes MDMA with a bit of meth laced with Coke (the soda kind, just to be clear) that the entire story unfolds, including the reason for Mateo’s blindness. Diego’s curiosity about a man named Ray X who comes to Mateo with an idea for a movie irritates and unnerves his mother before she leaves to scout locations in Barcelona. After Diego recovers from his ill-fated journey into clubland narcotics, Mateo offers to tell him why Judit is so afraid of Ray X, a disturbed and newly open homosexual that just so happens to be the recently deceased Ernesto Martel’s son.

Evoking a Spanish Marilyn

At this point, the two disjointed stories merge into one and Almodovar settles into the visual aestheticism that is Penelope Cruz. Like any man who likes men, Almodovar knows what makes a woman beautiful. He is a master in the field of cultivating the most attractive features of his feminine inspiration. He centers entire scenes around Cruz’s elegance and allure, finding any excuse to dress her up garishly, as with the donning of a variety of wigs before Mateo shoots the film Girls and Suitcases and in the scene in which she puts on the most ostentatious gold necklace to be worn since the musical heyday of MGM.

Lena stars as the daffy heroine of a screwball comedy entitled "Girls and Suitcases"

Almodovar may have evolved his directorial tactics over the years, but the intensity of his scripts and the overall presence of a karmic balance remains evident in what is undoubtedly the best foreign film of 2009.

I thought BtH could use some Holiday spirit, so what better to review than the new Christmas album by everyone’s favorite gray-haired soul man Michael McDonald? My first introduction to the wondrous world of Michael McDonald was on the soundtrack to the film South Park: Bigger, Longer, and Uncut. His song Eyes of a Child was so ridiculous and over-the-top that I thought it was a joke; in fact, I thought it was the Michael McDonald from MAD TV, instead of a real, credible singer. Oh, that voice. I’m sure he could sing his way out of any predicament, just by opening his lungs and crooning into the stratosphere with that booming baritone of his.

He has endured newfound infamy after inspiring Paul Rudd’s character in the 40 Year Old Virgin to almost burn down the electronics store due to his concert being in rotation 24/7. While to some, that scene may have been their introduction to Michael McDonald, to us more fortunate souls, it was merely another indication of his awesomeness.

Well, he is back with his Christmas album, the creatively-titled This Christmas, complete with his best Season’s Greetings holiday card face on front. When I heard that he had a new Christmas album, my heart leapt to my throat and I was overcome with unbridled joy, the kind of joy that could ONLY be delivered by a new release from the man himself. And….the album doesn’t disappoint. While Bob Dylan’s new Christmas album is…well, strange and bizarre in a distinctly Dylanesque way, This Christmas is highly entertaining and hilarious, thanks to THAT VOICE. He even busts out some scatting (not unlike that famous 1990’s jam by the Spin Doctors) towards the end of White Christmas/Winter Wonderland, and it’s amazing. Some of the tunes on the album are either obscure Holiday songs or some of his own songs…which is somewhat disappointing since I’d much prefer hearing that husky angelic voice caress Frosty the Snowman or Little Drummer Boy, but I suppose it’s his prerogative to do his own thing. I mean, he WAS in the Doobie Brothers, and his song I Keep Forgetting is the background beat to Warren G’s legendary West Coast anthem Regulators. If I had that kind of history I’d do whatever the hell I wanted to on my Christmas album too.

keepin' it casual with his piano between slow jamz

God Rest Ye Merry Gentleman is another high point, as McDonald croons over a hushed slow ballad that is a pretty relaxing tune. Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas closes out the disc, and this time he’s singing along to a light ukulele and some string instruments. It’s a nice arrangement, both tender and subdued. It’s a fitting way to end the album, with a standard everyone loves, instead of some song no one knows. Apparently some of these recordings have already been released on previous Michael McDonald holiday-themed records (yes, he has more than one!!), so this isn’t entirely a collection of new songs, which is probably lame to the hardcore Michael McDonald crowd out there, if such a crowd exists. Regardless, it’s a solid, albeit definitely cheesy, Christmas record.

I will say this: Michael McDonald has an extremely silly singing voice, with the low baritone and soaring high-pitched wailing that he does on just about every song. So silly, in fact, that I actually inquired into the potential cost of hiring him to sing a friend’s wedding, which may or may not happen sometime in the next few years, simply because of how entertaining we think it’d be if he showed up and started wailing away on the keyboard to Takin it to the Streets or What a Fool Believes.

This Christmas is a nice holiday album, all joking aside. There’s a reason Michael McDonald is still making music; despite all the good-natured ribbing dealt towards him in various pop culture avenues, he has endured for decades and routinely plays to packed houses filled with old people who dig his refined jazzy style. While us young punks can’t really appreciate him on a serious level, perhaps, he is still entertaining in his own right. Although, to be honest, hearing this album blaring every day at a department store would probably make me go completely batshit insane and either dance down the aisles in stupor or go all Paul Rudd and burn the store to the ground.

Well done, Mike, you win again.