Spoon - Transference

Austin indie rockers, Spoon, emerge victorious with their highly anticipated new release, Transference. While considerably more simplistic than anything they’ve done, Transference should be regarded as an important album as it is the first album produced entirely by the band.

Trading in the more layered, multi-instrumental sound fans embraced on their widely sucessful 2007 release, Ga Ga Ga Ga Ga, for a more stripped down approach was a risky choice but one that the band had to make to get closer to the band’s ideal sound. In an interview with the New York Times, frontman Britt Daniels claims Transference to be “the most that we sounded like us yet.”

The first single, and possibly the strongest overall track on the album, “Written In Reverse,” has already been well received by fans and critics alike. But that isn’t the only gem on this album. “Is Love Forever?” is arguably the most catchy song Spoon has done to date. The addition of a ballad will no doubt come as a shock to most. “Goodnight Laura,” compliments Daniel’s strong, yet pure vocals with the simplicity of a single piano.

Other noteworthy songs, “Out Go the Lights,” as the lyrical victory, and “I Saw the Light,” for just being downright catchy.

From start to finish it is evident Spoon is claiming their much earned spot as a leader in the indie rock music scene. Blending the rock sound they’ve almost perfected with a more modern pop sound like other popular indie bands Ok Go or The Stereophonics (both with new releases late 2009 and early this year), Spoon has easily produced one of the most likable albums we’ll see in 2010. Transference, though perhaps not as technically strong as Ga Ga, is sure to be a favorite of long time fans while gaining a steady following of newcomers.

For what it’s worth, I give Transference a 4 out of 5.

X-Men Origins: Wolverine

How does a leaked copy of a highly anticipated movie affect box office ratings? Apparently not at all as Fox’s X-Men Origins: Wolverine ranked in a nice $35 million on opening day.

Wolverine follows Logan, aka “Wolverine,” through the events that eventually lead to his involvement with the X-Men and has something its predecessors did not; a captivating plot line with a focus on individual character development and personal relationships. This dramatic turn makes it less about special effects and fight scenes and more about they motivations of the characters. But don’t fret action fans, there is plenty of CGI and fight scenes to keep you happy too! The addition of fan favorite, Remy LeBeau, aka “Gambit,” played by Taylor Kitsch, adds a lot of explosive fight scenes and great visuals with his iconic card throwing.

The further exploration into Wolverine’s past left much inconsistencies with the previous three films, the most notable being the seeming de-evolution of the character Sabertooth. Yes, Sabertooth made his big screen debut in 2000’s X-Men. Chronologically, Wolverine is set before any of the events in the previous films take place, yet Sabertooth has no recollection of Wolverine. Furthermore, Wolverine’s Liev Schreiber’s Sabertooth is cunning, witty, and articulate. Tyler Mayne’s 2000 portrayal is of an animal with limited verbal communication skills who is no more than muscle for hire.

The single biggest victory of the film was gaining insight into the long running inner struggle of Wolverine’s desire to embrace his mutant side yet suppress it all at the same time. Jackman was able to show the character has much more to him than insults, sarcasm and pretty sweet set of claws. Wolverine provided much needed insight into what really happened with Stryker all those years ago before his memories were taken.

Casting was somewhat hit or miss with Wolverine. Schreiber and Jackman play off one another so well you almost believe they truly are brothers. Though the dynamic between the main two characters is near flawless, some other members of the cast left much to be desired. Ryan Reynolds’ portrayal of Wade Wilson, aka “Deadpool,” contributed little more than mediocre comic relief. The decision to cast Will.I.Am as the teleporting John Wraith added little to the character dynamic furthering the belief that musicians should not act. However, in addition to Schreiber and Jackman, expect stand out performances by Danny Huston as William Stryker and Lynn Collins as Silverfox.


Perhaps the only potential threat to the film is the amount of liberties taken in comparison to the comic book origin story. Long time fans of the comic will be disappointed in the blatant rewrite of the fictions history, especially pertaining to Wolverine and Sabertooth’s relationship and Deadpool’s origin and powers.

Inconsistencies and mediocre acting from some aside, X-Men Origins: Wolverine is a must see for fans of the movie and those new to the series alike. For what it’s worth, I give Wolverine a 4.5 out of 5.

P.S. Stick around until the end of the credits for a sweet surprise!

Hatebreed - For the Lions

Cover albums are a risky business. Artists run not only the risk of butchering classics, but also sounding like a second rate imitation. Hatebreed opted for the latter on 2009’s For the Lions. The much anticipated release of covers features a collection of the bands favorite and most influential songs from the pioneers of hardcore and metal.

The main downfall of For the Lions is that it lacks any creativity. The problem lies in Hatebreed’s decision to choose songs from bands who heavily influenced the sound of their band. Crowbar’s All I Had (I Gave) was definitely the worst offender as Jamey and Kirk have almost identical vocal stylings to begin with. Others include Madball’s Set It Off, Judge’s Hear Me, Sepultura’s Refuse/Resist, and Sick of it All’s Shut Me Out.

Fortunately, a few songs stand out on the album. It’s the Limit, originally by Cro-Mags, is a great improvement from the original. Though the band took few liberties with the arrangement, Jasta’s vocals are far superior to John Joseph’s and it is that factor which made this song tolerable. A surprising cover, and easily the best track on the album, is Supertouch/Shitfit, originally performed by the Bad Brains. Jasta’s vocal ability truly stands out in his ability to adapt the original style to his own and make it sound like a Hatebreed original.

The other victory of this album is the return of original guitarist, Wayne Lozinak. Though most fans would agree Sean Martin was a great replacement, there is no denying that Lozinak can nail the fast past shredding that was much noticed on this album. It was no doubt his abilities that allowed the band to take on the more challenging Metallica, Slayer, and Obituary songs.

For what it’s worth, I give this album a 2.5 out of 5 for lacking any shred of originality. Please boys, in the future, reach outside your genre for songs to cover.

For the Lions will be available in stores May 5, 2009. Look for a special edition featuring exclusive bonus tracks only at Best Buy.

God Save Us.

Director Zack Snyder (Dawn of the Dead, 300) made a lot of comic book fans happy when he decided to make a film adaptation of the graphic novel, The Watchmen. Promising amazing special effects and a plot line that was expected to convey the inner struggle experienced by all super heroes even better than The Dark Knight, viewers rushed to the ticket booths opening day pulling in $55.7 million for its makers.

Unfortunately, this movie epically failed to live up to its hype. The plot line was a non-cohesive blend of narrative, which read more like a rant, from the journal of Rorschach, and scenes thrown together to show what the rest of the Watchmen were up to after retirement. It was like I was watching a more adult themed version of The Incredibles. The movie flashed back way too much it was difficult at times to distinguish between the present and the flashbacks.

The soundtrack was about as schizophrenic as the plot line beaming punk-esque tunes from My Chemical Romance with the folksy vibe of Simon and Garfunkel. One moment actually had Leonard Cohen’s “Hallelujah” as the backdrop to the most uncomfortable, over the top sex scene I have ever witnessed. It was worse than watching a bad softcore porn.

Speaking of bad softcore porns, I have seen enough full frontal male nudity to last a lifetime. The horrors of Dr. Manhattan’s (Billy Crudup) floppy blue penis haunt my dreams. This character was clothed for maybe 10 minutes of the entire movie. I understand that’s how it was in the comics, but perhaps the most unnecessary use of nudity I’ve seen to date.

I do have to give the movie some credit, however. I do think the choice to convey real life characters (JFK, Richard Nixon, and Andy Warhol) and attribute some of the major historical moments (ending of Vietnam, and JFK’s assassination) to the Watchmen was great to watch, even if the characters seemed more like caricatures! (Didn’t Nixon’s nose seem a little TOO big?) Also, I loved the way they paid homage to traditional comic book stylings during the opening credits (newspaper articles, and even “POW!” fight bubbles!). The slow motion fight scenes were the only cinematic victory this film had.

All and all this movie just was not worth the 2 hours and 43 minutes of my life it stole. It seemed as though not many people disagree as everyone seemed to be in a “what the hell just happened” state immediately as the lights popped on. I’d say take a pass on this movie for sure. For what it’s worth I give The Watchmen a 1.5 out of 5.