Foo Fighters reclaim Alternative Rock throne with Wasting Light

April was a big month for Dave Grohl and his band:  the Foo Fighters. It all started on April 5^th when a new documentary on the band, “Back & Forth,” was released in theaters worldwide for a one day special event with the feature length documentary being followed by a 3-D performance of the band’s new album “Wasting Light”. The documentary played commercial-free on VH1 that weekend, followed by music videos by the band. There was also a day dedicated to the band on the music channel FUSE called “Foo Fighters Takeover” where the channel played music videos by the band along with concerts, interviews, and specials.

All the promotion built up to April 12^th, when the band released their seventh album “Wasting Light” worldwide. The album was the first to feature the new five person lineup for the band, as former lead guitarist and longtime touring guitarist Pat Smear was added to the band as the second main guitarist splitting parts with current lead guitarist Chris Shiftlett. With Dave Grohl still playing rhythm guitar this presented the band with an opportunity to blend three distinctive guitar styles together to make one solid sound that “sounds like the Foo Fighters” according to Grohl. It works really well on the album as it adds heaviness and complexity to the sound.

Besides for adding Pat Smear to the band the Foo Fighters also recorded the album in a different spot than they usually do. A couple of years ago the Foo Fighters built a recording studio that they’ve used to record the two previous albums “In Your Honor” and “Echoes, Silence, Patience, & Grace”. But Grohl felt the band was too concerned with being musical and wasn’t playing like a rock band. So for “Wasting Light” the band decided to record in Grohl’s garage. It made the recording process more enjoyable as they were able to bring their families to hang out at the Grohl house while they recorded in the garage. Another interesting change with the recording process was the equipment the producer Butch Vig, who is reuniting with Grohl for the first time since 1991 when Nirvana made “Nevermind”, used to achieve the sound Grohl was looking for. Instead of recording digitally and editing it and making it perfect the band decided to record on analogue tape equipment and convert it digitally in post-mastering. This presented the band with the challenge of playing well enough where they didn’t have to edit certain parts of the songs, but between the garage and analogue equipment they were rewarded with a raw heavy sound unlike anything the Foo Fighters have ever done.

From front to finish “Wasting Light” is phenomenal. It starts with the high energy “Bridge Burning”, where the first vocals we hear from Grohl is him screaming “These are my famous last words”. Grohl uses his patented scream more frequently in “Wasting Light” to really committ to that garage rock band sound he was aiming for. The lead single of the album, “Rope”, is the best example of how great the Foo Fighters sound with three guitars. They are all playing different parts at the same time, and blended together it sounds really good.

Making so much music with Queens of the Stone Age frontman Josh Homme has finally influenced Grohl in a Foo Fighters album, with the song “White Limo” being the best example. It’s unlike anything the Foo Fighters have ever done, but the high velocity vocals from Grohl work with the Queens of the Stone Age gritty guitar style and results in a raw rock sound.

Some songs sound like the normal Foos, but the quality of the songs is at its highest since 1997’s “The Colour and The Shape”. “Alandria” brings back memories of “The Pretender” from their last album, but with a better melody and less intensity. Even the filler of the album is great for the most part, with “A Matter of Time” and “These Days” being the standout of the bunch.

The second to last track is the eerie “I Should Have Known”, which shows Grohl singing with torment and guilt in the beginning and slowly building into a rage he unleashes at the end of the song. The song was written about Grohl’s longtime friend Jimmy Swanson who died of a drug overdose a few years ago, but it can just as easily be interpreted as being about Nirvana bandmate Kurt Cobain. Throughout the song, Grohl’s emotional charge comes from his knowledge that he could have gone down the same road as his close friend had he not been given a different fate. The building suspense of the song ends with him sounding somewhat psychotic and it’s hard not to feel his pain.

After the tormented “I Should Have Known” the band closes the album with the comeback tale “Walk”. The song talks about a man who overcomes his demons and starts over one step at a time. The highlight of the track is when Grohl takes what seems to be just another line in the verse and turns it into the refrain by chanting it over and over and continuing on with the momentum. It’s one of the highlights of the album and is the perfect way to end it. Its ability to counter “I Should Have Known” makes it the best album closer since “New Way Home” from their prime effort “The Colour and The Shape”.

“Wasting Light” is a very good album that goes harder than anything they’ve ever done and is a collection of well written songs by Dave Grohl. Their previous album “Echoes, Silence, Patience, & Grace” was really good as well, but it didn’t have that album feel and seemed more like an album of singles. The songs were good for the most part and some were great, but nothing compared to “Wasting Light”, their most focused album since 1997, and something for Grohl to be proud of and move forward on.

This album could be the beginning of a new era of the Foo Fighters if they can build on this momentum. And with a headlining gig at this year’s Lollapalooza already confirmed, it looks like this could be the Foo Fighters’ year…again.

Will You Survive?: Dead Space 2

It’s happening again…. Those are the only instructions given to a player upon entering the world of Dead Space 2.

The main character of Dead Space, Isaac Clark, has been rescued from deep space after destroying the ship the first game took place on, the Ishimura. Three years later he finds himself in the midst of another necromorph (mutations of humans outbreak). The player must struggle to find his way to anyone they can trust, and to figure out the source of the madnes

The story of Dead Space 2 is phenomenal. The player feels for the protagonist, and wants him to survive the deadly ordeal. As the story progresses you come across a small but very diverse cast of characters.  From Eli, an engineer whom survived the initial outbreak, to Nicole, Isaac’s “dead” girlfriend.

The game play of Dead Space 2 is refined from the first but more of the same. You still have to cut the limbs off of enemies. However the addition of new types of enemies spices gameplay up.  Nothing is more satisfying then using the contact beams giant beam to one shot enemies that once were too strong to destroy.

On the multiplayer front, Dead Space it is a game of teamwork and communication. Every player to survive in order to win. Each also only has access to different weapons. So teams need to strategically decide what weapons will be most potent.

 Dead Space 2 is a fantastic ride through a world unlike our own. If a story and scares are what you want look no further.

Ludo is acting immature, and I love it!

After enjoying decent success off their 2008 album You’re Awful, I love you, Ludo has made its triumphant return with Prepare the Preparations.

The album follows form for Ludo, which means it follows no form whatsoever. Skeletons, cyborgs, robots, ghosts, and manta rays are just a few of the many subjects covered in the thirteen tracks.

The beautifully naive lyrics paint a wonderful picture of the mind of Andrew Volpe, the band’s lead singer. The fear of the dark, unrealistic image of what women like in a man, and futuristic battles all point to a youthful mind flowing freely onto the track.

My favorite track is Battle Cry, Volpe’s anthem for a young revolution. The chorus rings with electric guitar and a loud driving beat as a riveting choir sings, “We are young, but we will never die. We won’t give up, this is our battle cry!” 

Skeletons on Parade is the runner up for my favorite track. This eerie song tells the tale of the night all of the dead came down from their mountain top graves to walk the streets of the living. The style of the song is at first reminiscent of the soundtrack to Tim Burton’s The Nightmare Before Christmas, but soon switches to a pirate chorus straight out of Pirates of the Caribbean.

Even though I loved their first three albums, Prepare the Preparations is my favorite yet from Ludo.

Lovely Bones – film/book dazzle but unsettle as well

The Lovely Bones written by Alice Sebold and directed by Peter Jackson is an interesting twist on the murder mystery genre. What makes it different are the softer tone and the perspective from which it is written.

The story is about a girl named Susie Salmon (Saoirse Ronan) and her family as they recover from her murder. Susie was a typical fourteen year old girl growing up in a Pennsylvanian suburb with her parents, a younger sister named Lindsey (Rose McIver), and a younger brother named Buckley (Christian Ashdale). She had aspirations to become a wildlife photographer and had a crush on a boy named Ray Singh (Reece Ritchie).

Her promising life was ended on a chilly evening in December of 1973 by her neighbor, George Harvey (Stanley Tucci). An investigation was begun but never got very far because there was not enough evidence. As a result, Susie’s family was left to wonder what happened to her and cope with the loss in their own unique ways.

Meanwhile, Susie goes to Heaven and dutifully watches over her family and friends as they continue to live their lives without her. Ultimately this book provides an insight into forgiveness and the love of a family.

As a book, The Lovely Bones is very well written. It is captivating, suspenseful, and beautiful. Despite the graphic nature of some of the scenes and the sad content, this book keeps the reader interested. Alice Sebold continually makes the reader wonder what the characters will do next and whether or not George Harvey will ever be caught. Unfortunately, the readers may find an ending that feels insufficient.

As a movie, this story was even better than the book. The artistic style really was its shining star. Computer animation was used often, especially for the scenes of Heaven, but it did not seem garish or intrusive as in some movies. Instead, the animation added to the wonder and beauty that is usually associated with Heaven. The movie’s artistic style also extended into the portrayal of certain vital scenes, such as Susie’s murder, in a way that made the message clear to the audience without it being too graphic. The only negative aspect is that it cut out important plotlines that show what happens to the main characters as a result of Susie’s death.

In both the book and the movie, the characters are seen as very human and realistic. Their reactions to Susie’s death are true to the situation and are not uncommon. Only certain characteristics, such as seeing ghosts and trying to kill the murderer, are unrealistic. All they do is add to the story’s suspense, instead of helping to make the characters more human.

This story cannot be compared to any other in its genre. Yes, it is a murder mystery and yes, it does have someone devoted to solving it, but other than that it is entirely different. This story is more about love, forgiveness, and dealing with loss than finding out who was the murderer. It also is from Susie’s perspective instead of the person trying to solve the murder. Many readers cherish this book and many more will do the same.

Death speaks in The Book Thief

The Book Thief by Markus Zusak is a unique type of Holocaust era book that stands out from any other on the market. What makes it different isn’t the depressing mood or the common themes of dehumanization, guilt, or abandonment, but rather the perspective from which it is told and the focus on its main character.

The Book Thief begins with the narrator, who is Death, introducing himself, the colors, and the book thief. Eventually, the reader learns that the book thief is a young girl named Liesel Meminger, who has been given up by her mother to be cared for by two foster parents. Liesel is taken to a suburb of Munich called Molching where her foster parents, Hans and Rosa Hubermann, live. It takes some time for Liesel to adjust to life in Molching, but she is helped by Hans and her friend Rudy Steiner.  Hans, who Liesel eventually comes to refer to as Papa, helps her learn to read during midnight sessions. Liesel’s illiteracy is what drives her to steal books, but even after she knows how to read, her love of words continues her obsession to steal. Rudy is another important character to Liesel because he becomes her best friend. They do everything together; from running about town and going to school to stealing food and books. Just as Liesel becomes comfortable in Molching, World War Two begins and Liesel’s foster parents take in a Jewish refugee. Liesel’s life will never be the same again.

Although The Book Thief stays true to the traditional Holocaust story, it has its own unique twist that no other book has. As the narrator, Death has the opportunity to become a character and express what he truly feels. He isn’t just a tool that is used to collect human spirits as they die, he has thoughts and feelings about every moment in the story. One of the best examples of Death’s emotions is his dry humor and wit. He always adds his own sadistic opinion to the book’s events, and that makes the book funny. Another interesting twist to The Book Thief is that its main character is a young German girl that grows up in Nazi Germany. Instead of a story that highlights a Jewish person or someone in a concentration camp, The Book Thief is about a German. By basing the story around a German instead of a Jew, the reader experiences a perspective that is not often used. Through this perspective, the reader learns that not all Germans were Nazis and not all Germans wanted to eradicate the Jews.

All of the main characters were dynamic and lifelike, even the least important characters seemed real. Each one had their own hopes, secrets, and dreams. The author, Markus Zusak, did a wonderful job of developing his characters into interesting individuals that one would want to read about.

While reading this book, there were not many things to criticize. Occasionally the plot was not always clear. Death often forshadowed events to come that did not always make sense or flow with the story. This was the one aspect of the story that was not very good because it was often confusing.

Overall, The Book Thief is an excellently written book that not only pulls the reader in through captivating characters and an interesting concept, but it also keeps one wondering about what will happen next. Markus Zusak has written a masterpiece that is sure to become a classic.

The Expendables blows away competition

When a movie-goer goes to see The Expendables, they should not expect a deep story. What they should expect is a tale of action as six mercenaries (Sylvester Stallone, Jet Li, Terri Crews, Jason Statham, Randy Couture, Dolph Lundgren) do what mercenaries do best:  wage war for money.

The opening scene portrays this theme nicely as the group, led by Barney Ross (Stallone), infiltrates a hijacked cargo carrier off the coast of Aden. As they are on the boat, they discover where exactly the hostages, whom they were sent to rescue, are being held. Suddenly an explosive, shot by Gunnar Jensen (Lundgren), tears into the pirate leader, ripping him in half and leaving both the pirates and Ross’ men stunned. Ross’ men are on the offensive as they rain lead down with high tech weaponry. A high tension hostage situation ends with a moral debate, between Ross and Gunnar, which affects the rest of the movie.

With that high powered lead in, what else can be said about The Expendables? It is simply amazing. Although the film doesn’t do anything to redefine the genre, it takes what has been tried and true throughout the years and makes a hybrid. This is a movie with the deafening explosions of a good war flick, to the intensity filled fire fights that populate movies such as Death Wish, and the blindingly fast and acrobatic hand to hand combat of a Kung Fu movie. There’s even some very smart comedy throughout that genuinely made me smile and even laugh. Everything is done right and it never feels forced.

The ensemble cast works very organically together. They often feel as if they’ve known each other for years. One conversation between Ross and Christmas (Statham) established the friendly sense of competition between friends that everyone has. Although there is never too great a diversion from action into the distraction of a story, the movie still gets its point across.

The Expendables is a very well constructed and tightly choreographed film. My only complaint is there was very little other character development. Randy Couture, Terry Crews, and Jet Li are in the movie solely as extra firepower. That’s not a bad thing, but the stage is set so perfectly to delve into their characters as well.  At the very least they should’ve given them a little more screen time.

That being said, The Expendables is a film that every action movie fan should see.

Kid Cudi the track by track

The Down Low

Kid Cudi exploded onto the music scene with his hit song “Day N’ Nite” on his first full length album Man on the Moon/ End of Day in February. The CD has garnered rave reviews from many outlets like Entertainment Weekly and USA Today and even this reviewer. This is his first mix tape (a digital album to garner buzz and hype for the real album) and it’s quite a trip with its depressing lyrics to its upbeat tempo.

The Tracks

Intro-

Chitter chatter at a movie theatre, i’m not going to lie one of the more annoying intros I’ve ever heard

Down and Out-

This is one of Cudi’s best raps. He tells about his life it seems to be a preliminary Soundtrack 2 My Life and what I like about Kid Cudi is that he isn’t an everyday rapper. He tells sad stories about his father’s life and death and how hard it is growing up in a rough neighborhood.

Is There Any Love? –

I really like the sample music in the back but I’m not exactly enjoying Cudi’s rap. His beat is awesome but his lyrics not so much

CuDi Get-

The back round of a kid yelling and Cudi’s slick sounding lyrics mixed with his slower rapping style sounds great. This song is really great it tells a story and it also has some more gangster rap lyrics. Perfect mix

Man on the Moon-

This song has a sad tone like most of his music but this song also seems to speak of a more hopeful Cudi not the one who’s ready to die the one who’s ready to live.

The Prayer-

Another sad tone with happier lyrics, He feels he is here to revolutionize rap music. He doesn’t like the current music scene, so he’ going to change it. This song is very haunting but also very catchy. I like this one a lot.

Day N’ Nite-

Without a doubt his most catchy song on this album. Although it’s not his best rapping it’s some of if not the best singing. This auto-tune is growing on me.

Embrace the Martian-

A lot faster than his other songs. I don’t think he works best fast, his big hits and most catchy songs are slower paced. This song doesn’t really catch my attention.

Maui Wowie-

Another fast song but this time he handles himself better. His delivery seems to be more in sync with the music. This isn’t going to be a hit but it’s not exactly a terrible song.

50 Ways to Make a Record-

This doesn’t sound like a Kid Cudi song at all. It has an older beat and samples 50 Ways to Leave Your Lover. His lyrics are good and his voice goes great with the beat and tempo. I really like this song especially the beat and he does have a good singing voice. I like this song

Whenever-

Slow, drumming beat with some laid back rhyme/singing is usually a good mix. This song is lacking though I enjoy it but it repeats the chorus way to many times the song is 2:03 long with only about 30 seconds of actual rap (which is not exactly great either). Disappointing especially after so many good songs in a row.

Pillow Talk-

I really enjoy this mix tape but his intros to songs take to long to start. This song really goes with whenever. The song has no rapping and is all sung by Kid Cudi. This song really doesn’t do anything for me but it is worth a listen to fill in the story of the rest of the album.

Save my Soul (The Cudi Confession) –

Although I can’t confirm this I think this song samples Gnarls Barkley’s hit Who’s Gonna Save My soul. The mix sounds great. Kid Cudi’s lyrics with Cee Lo’s smooth voice are great. I am a little disappointed with how much he raps I really think this song could have been a bigger hit than Day N’ Nite but the lyrics just don’t do it for me.

T.G.I.F. –

Real New York sounding. This song is not for me, if you like rappers like Ja Rule or Fat Joe you will like this song but I don’t like the beat although the lyrics do shine through.

Cudi Spazzin-

A very odd beat, sounds like the back round of an Audi commercial. I don’t really like the beat and quick delivery of his rhymes, although the chorus is catchy and more at my pace.

Cleveland is the Reason-

Very trippy beat, reminds me of a slowed down version of a Tech N9ne beat. This song has a catchy beat and some good lyrics but it lacks a little. I think it’s missing some of Kid Cudi’s sadder or at least heavier lyrics this seems like he’s just giving one long shout out to Cleveland.

Heaven at Nite-

This song is one of my favorites. The lyrics deal with a kids struggle with drugs, which he finds comfort in. The lyrics are deep but Cudi handles it in a good way. He doesn’t ruin the song by preaching but he doesn’t condone it either, he admits it’s the underbelly of the music industry.

Rollin Remix-

The beat and lyrics mix well, a very good ending to a very good mix.

The Final Say

There are several songs that I love to listen to on this mix tape but that doesn’t mean it didn’t have its flaws. Some songs that stuck out as particularly disappointing are “Whenever” and “Pillow Talk” they’re garbage compared to the rest. He really showed his chops on this tape with songs like “CuDi Get” and “The Prayer”. I’d recommend downloading this whole mix tape and also if you like this I’d recommend purchasing Man on the Moon/End of Day.

Rating 8 out of 10