EDIT to preface I am an avid football fan and watcher.
It's that time of year again. Americans from across the world will come together in food, beer, commercials, and football for Super Bowl XLVI. It's an exciting time for not only fans of the respective teams, but for sports fans in general. This year has been a great NFL season, full of surprises and standouts. As the regular season sauntered into the playoffs, the games became even more exciting; with the all the 4th quarter and overtime shockers, no victory was secure until the teams were in the locker room. On multiple occasions, favorites were taken down by the most unexpected underdogs.
It is unfortunate that, after the most thrilling NFL seasons in recent memory, the two most deplorable, most incumbent franchises have made it to the Super Bowl. Both the NY Giants (except for Eli Manning) and the NE Patriots are teams that are both unlikable. For the most part, the entire Super Bowl is devoid of a fan favorite, or an agreed upon "good-guy" to root for. While it is true that most viewers have never have an invested interest in the game, as obviously only two teams make it per year. In this deja vu match up, very few people will have any interest. I, for one, will watch the game, as I almost always do, but will almost certainly be bored to tears. I guess I will root for the Giants since I HATE Tom Brady and kind of like Eli Manning.....how's that for enthusiasm?
I wish I could write more on this, but I'm so painfully apathetic about this Super Bowl I have nothing else to say
Gotye (real name Wouter "Wally" DeBacker) has been around for several years, though very few people, especially in the United States, have heard of him. With the release of his third Album, Making Mirrors, the cat is out of the bag.
Gotye, a multi-instrumentalist, uses his own talents and the aid of a talented producer, to produce a simply amazing art-pop album. Gotye has long utilized instruments from all continents of the globe, but until now, has been unable to congeal them into a cohesive album. Where his previous efforts would document his extensive knowledge from one song to the next, Making Mirrors ties his musical globetrotting into cohesive, easily swallowed, pop songs that are full of emotion and tact. There are only a couple of instances of Gotye wandering off in too avante-garde a territory, but his keen sense of pop structure reels him back in. Gotye opts to bundle his work into a retro-pop genre( a style befitting for his voice, which is reminiscent of Peter Gabriel, Phil Collins, and Sting), but layers each song with loops of the unique instruments that made him famous in the first place. The result is an album that can be appreciated on both a critical and popular plane, and be enjoyed with as much superficiality or depth as the listener chooses. Despite the painfully catchy songs, Making Mirrors is not a work of bubblegum pop; an extreme amount of toil has gone into this work of art.
About a year ago, Nashville trio(plus guests) Tristen, led by Vocalist Tristen Gaspadarek, released their debut album Charlatons At The Garden Gate. After sliding under my radar for nearly a year, I have finally listened to this album, and to say I was impressed would be an understatement.
Charlatons At The Garden Gate is a neo-folk gem, full of idiosyncrasies. Throughout the album, Tristen recounts, with impeccable storytelling ability, her struggles with finding love and untangling her emotions. She tackles these heavy emotions with light and cheery music; where a lesser artist would have released a bogged down, depressing album, Tristen keeps it playful and optimistic. The heavy instrumentation creates a layering that delicately ricochets from minimal to extravagant. The songs are short, and lead little room for interpretation. Tristen does not seem to be over analytical of her feelings, but rather a reporter of them. Her simple beauty and use of figurative language is as addicting to her listeners as it is accessible.
Tristen does well not falling into the easy trap of lovelorn singers. She does not pine and brood over her lack of love, but playfully refuses to succumb to the traditional mores of relationships, and her desire to be happy on her own terms. It is refreshing and devoid of cliche.
Tristen has proven to be a toure de folk force. She has the original words, pretty music, and lively personality to go far in the now popular indie folk scene.
A year ago, few knew who "The Weekend" was. There was merely a cache of songs produced by an anonymous voice. The cat is now out of the bag, and Abel Tesfaye has been outed as the owner of that angelic voice. Echoes of Silence was released at the end of 2011, and is the final of album of a trilogy (the first two being House of Balloons, and Thursday.) Tesfaye continues his claim to fame, which is depraved lyrics coming from his truly beatific voice. The resulting juxtaposition is very haunting. His production is a perfect for him; loaded with minimalist instrumentation, usually led by percussion and reverb, followed by grand swells. The resulting product has taken both the Hip-Hop/R&B, and indie scene by storm.
While Echoes of Silence lacks the surprises of its predecessors, it is comes through as another strong album. The Weekend exudes the same confidence and tragic narcissism that has made him so acclaimed. He elaborates to his audience his late night tales of casual booze, drugs, and sex. Musically, his songs establish that same strong sense of mood and longing, setting him above the other, more prominent, self disclosing, confessional, R&B artists (such as Drake). There is an authenticity in Echoes that the listener becomes engulfed in, which creates in invested interest in the Tesfaye's eventual demise by the albums ending. Echoes is an evocative journey through a tortured soul.
The Weekend has finished his epic trilogy with a strong, albeit predictable ending. Echoes of Silence once again displays an R&B toure de force at his most bare and brazen. Only time will tell where and how The Weekend will evolve, but his credibility and authenticity as an artist certainly not be questioned.
TV on the Radio has entered the pantheon of alt-rock supremacy. The Brooklyn based ensemble have been inducted to an elite group of post-grunge indie bands that have consistently released flawless albums, and have yet to hit a creative lull. They have created a sound lush eclectic sound that is undeniably "TV on the Radio," but still evolves and matures with every passing release. TVOTR tactfully walks the line of artistic integrity and commercial success; selling records without selling out. They have put in their effort and now reaping their rewards.
TV on the Radio formed in Brooklyn around 2001. The band is multiracial, and multi-ethnic. Much of the bands diverse spectrum of sound can be attributed to its' scores of different influences. Residing in Brooklyn also gave way to a mountainous amount of culture to be absorbed. The band tinkered around and released an album of demos titled OK Calulator (Haha, Radiohead fans.) This release only featured two members of the subsequent lineup, and is merely a skeleton of the sound the band would later achieve. The band kept at it, though, and the band eventually settled on its members, most notably Kyp Malone(he as well as most of the band is a multi-instrumentalist). Armed with a new lineup, TVOTR entered the studio to cut an EP, Young Liars. Released to critical acclaim, showing off the band's penchant for eclectic sounds within a single piece of work. With their newfound adulation, TVOTR re-entered the studioto try their hand at a full length album,2004's Desperate Youth, Bloodthirsty Babes. The LP was decent, but still showed their immaturity as a band. Desperate Youth... was an example of an amazing band slowly coming together. Despite the occasional clunker, the album was received well (most remarkably by rock-god, David Bowie), and TVOTR was signed on to Interscope Records.
Now set with a permanent lineup and a major label budget, TVOTR entered a Brooklyn studio to record 2006's Return to Cookie Mountain. The most exceptional moment of the recording process was surely the inclusion of David Bowie on the song "Province." The results were epic. TVOTR found their niche as eclectic art rock royalty. The album, even the songs jettisoned from funk, to art-rock, to indie pop. The sound was ....TV on the Radio. Cookie Mountain was recepted wonderfully, blowing up the rating systsem of all music reviewers. In all of the major year end reviews, (Spin, Pitchfork, Rolling Stone, Slant, rhapsody) the lowest rank Cookie Mountain received was #4. Uber-critic, Pitchfork, ranked the album #2, no easy feat. TV on the Radio had made it, but nobody knew what was coming next.
In 2008, the band released Dear Science. An exceptional album that somehow dwarfed the acclaim of Cookie Mountain. The album pushed the envelope of the term "genre" and Dear Science's style was a high-watermark for the band. The album so delicately interwove its influence to create a sound that is indelibly TVOTR. The sound of Dear Science, with its' subtle combination of electro/indieart/rock/alternative/world sound, has been mimicked by an immeasurable amount of subsequent bands and albums. This album blew the lid off the indie rock world, and the album has been put in the upper echelons of modern music genius. The unbelievable talent was not lost upon critics, either. Dear Science was ranked #1 in literally EVERY credible year end rank list. It has also been placed on almost every "best of the decade" lists, such as Rolling Stone and Pitchfork. Jamband gurus Phish even champion the album, often covering the song "Golden Age." (Sorry, had to reference it).
After extensive concert and festival appearances, along with guest spots on most every late-night talk show, TVOTR went back into the studio, this time in Los Angeles. Despite the change in scenery, the results were the same. In March, Nine Types of Light, TVOTR's newest album, was released to the world. Though the acclaim was not as austere as its' predecessor, it was by no means panned by critics, and unanimously regarded as one of the better albums of 2011. Nine days after the release of Nine Types of Light, bassist/keyboardist, Gerard Smith passed away from the lung cancer he was diagnosed with a couple of months earlier. The loss of the revered and lovable Smith left a monumental void in the band, who prided themselves on evolving so organically. A replacement was found for the remainder of TVOTR's scheduled 2011 tour dates, but no further plans as a band has been made since.
Despite its' muddied future, TV on the Radio is sure to continue as a band. Quite frankly, the project is too genius to abandon. It is hard to replace a member as unique as Gerard Smith, but the intellect of the remaining members will allow for the creativity to continue to flow. The future is endless for this hardworking Brooklyn band, and the ever growing fans are waiting for their next big thing.
Chicago Bears offices were swarmed in chaos on Tuesday, as Jerry Angelo and Mike Martz were relieved of their duties. This news has come just days after the Bears finished their disappointing 8-8 season. While the coaching and managerial staff was certainly not without its' concerns, these two were seem to be the whipping boys for a season plagued with unfortunate circumstances. Is their apathy worthy of unemployment?
The 2011 Bears were bound for the playoffs. They had a 7-3 records, and its offense was firing on all cylinders; making the absolute most out of a mediocre, at best, offensive line. Whether you love him or hate him, Jay Cutler provided a sold backbone for the team. Steady workhorse Matt Forte also lended his best performance since his wunderkind rookie season. The defense was strong as usual, and This all changed quickly however, as week 11 gave the entire Bears organization a harsh reality check. Cutler went down with a broken thumb on his throwing hand. Unfortunately, this minor break in a major spot abruptly ended his season. A couple weeks later, Forte went down with a season ending MCL sprain. Combine that with the agonizing back injury to Johnny Knox (and his backup's agonizing drug trafficking charges), and the Bears finished the season 8-8; a mere shell of an NFL football team.
Angelo needs consequences assessed for his languor in the situation. He is the primary reason why the Chicago Bears were left so painfully unprepared when its main ships went down. Fans patience were further tested when he rested on his laurels, opting to use Caleb Hanie, a decent QB, but profoundly unready for professional level of play. While some of his great acquisitions of the past, most notably Cutler, and defensive powerhouses Julius Peppers and Orlando Pace, are what brought the team back to the NFC Championship game (narrowly losing to subsequent Super Bowl Champion Green Bay Packers), the crime of apathy that cost them a playoff birth.
Despite this, should this cost Angelo his job? While he was flat-footed in the face of disaster, this season would not have ended well regardless of the backup situation. Even with quality backups, the Bears could not have compensated for a completely shattered offense. The team may have not lost five games straight, but they could not have went far. It was just too many luckless events to give way for successful playoff performance, if they did make it to postseason. Perhaps resting on his laurels, and chalking this up to a ill-fated year wasn't that terrible of an idea.
Mike Martz really seems to be a scapegoat in the situation. The reasoning for his departure was vague...claiming he and head coach Lovie Smith had "different philosophies." Considering what Martz was working with, few offensive coordinators could have done better. In the past two seasons, he led the Bears to the aforementioned NFC Championship, and a great 2011 season before the shocking amount of injuries. He brought the best out in his team, and most fans would agree that the offense was coming together as a single unit. The notion that he could be faulted for an unfortunate chain of events seems unreasonable by even the most critical fans.
Perhaps changes needed to be made. Where ANY professional team would have made quick changes, and well equipped standbys, the Bears had nothing but regret, and time for its players convalesce. The reality,however, is that there was no direction to point the finger. It was bad luck, and the old Chicago adage remains, 'just wait 'til next year."
Africa Hitech is a noble DJ experiment created by producers Mark Pritchard and Steve Spacek. Separately, they have each have a lengthy list of credits to their name, but this is the groups first experience working together. While it is risky and challenging for two producers to collaborate on a single album, the two do it flawlessly on 93 Million Miles. Africa Hitech combine a myriad of styles and sounds to come with a album that is both driving yet cerebral. It is no easy task to have genres of music careening off each other without the album sounding scattered and unfocused, but Pritchard and Spacek created a very cohesive album. The heavy use of the drum machine as a backbone, and reliance of short blips help 93 million miles sound uniform throughout the album, and allow for a thematic resonance amid a galaxy of tones and styles. The two producers also do a spectacular job transitioning the album. 93 Million Miles opens with the the songs being sped up jittery and, throughout the album leads to a strong finish of jazz and loungey downtempo. The smooth movement makes mixture of music easier for the listener to take in, as well as achieve Africa Hitech's objective of two producers creating a single DJ mix. 93 Million Miles is a perfect example of organized chaos and two artists creating excellence through fun.
