Jack Johnson: To The Sea

With the release of Jack Johnson’s fifth studio album, To The Sea, one thing can definitely be said: summer has officially arrived.

Alongside his signature sound—muted strum pattern, pulsing keyboard, soft vocals—, Johnson also uses a surprising amount of electric guitar on the album, proving once and for all he is indeed not a hippie acoustic purist. His simple but catchy electric riffs layer well with his mellowed-out songs and act as a breath of fresh air, putting his “Banana Pancakes” days well behind him.

His lyrics continue to be built upon bright imagery and wittily constructed metaphors—most of which are based on the sea, thus the album title. Overall, Johnson produces a musical luau that celebrates self-searching and looking past something’s face value.

As can be expected, Jack Johnson once again has created an album that will likely melt listeners away to the ocean, the beach, or anyplace happy and sunny. To The Sea should certainly be considered as essential to enjoying this summer as ice cream, ultimate Frisbee and sunscreen.

–Logan Thomas

Lincoln Park Media Students Amy Foster, Levi McCandless, and Ashanti Lee won the Abstract category at this year’s C.A.U.S.E. Challenge hosted by the Pittsburgh Science Center, Pittsburgh Filmmakers and Bayer. The students were awarded $300 in cash prizes, as well as science center passes and director’s chairs.  The school in turn receives $1500 that will benefit the Lincoln Park Media Arts Department.  View the winning video, ‘Lids Off’ below along with another Lincoln Park entry by Emma Garofalo, Davey Wagner, and Tyler Petz entitled, ‘Chalk is Biodegradable’. This video was selected as one of the 17 finalists.

Lids Off from Scott Andrew on Vimeo.

Chalk is Biodegradable from Scott Andrew on Vimeo.

Cozy Up To Some Cuddle Magic

Picture, the sophomore album by the “psychedelic chamber folk ensemble” Cuddle Magic, is set for release February 9, 2010.

Cuddle Magic is a group consisting of a number of talented musicians from the northeast area, many of them coming from the New England Conservatory. The music Cuddle Magic produces dwells under the shadow of no specific genre, instead touching upon many styles such as avant-pop, jazz, classical, and world music. Cuddle Magic’s esoteric approach to music may only appeal to certain listeners; however, there is something to be said for the unique qualities of Picture, which can be appreciated by most, if not all.

The instruments used on the album include violins to vibraphones, banjos to basses and much more—all of with are professionally played and seamlessly arranged. The vocals are calming, reminiscent of Simon and Garfunkel, with whimsical yet strangely poetic lyrics, such as “whitened germs in a vacuum/chewing Happydent gum”; it makes less sense until listened to. Several songs from the upcoming album can be heard on the band’s website (www.cuddle-magic.com).

Cuddle Magic’s Picture is made up of some very experimental music but the lush and beautiful soundscape is an experiment to be considered a success.

Cuddle Magic with be appearing along with Boca Chica December 9 at Modern Formations in Pittsburgh.

~Logan Thomas

Despite the title of their recently released sophomore album, In Search of Solid Ground, Saosin — an alt-rock band out of California — never really seem to have lost their footing.

The album title points to neither the band’s critical nor commercial success; their self-titled debut album, released in 2006, was highly praised and has moved more than 300,000 units since it hit the shelves.  No, the title refers more to the album’s themes of searching, questioning, and insight.

These are themes that any band could write about, but the emotional weight of In Search of Solid Ground makes

Saosin stand out among the many other bands that choose to write about such universal ideas. Singer Cove Reber’s vocals range from soul-searching cries to ambient whispers, and the songs are full of both loud and soft energy, driven by intense instrumentation.

The band displays a chemistry in their music that tells of their goal to expand their horizons and go above and beyond thier previous work, which can always be a searching process. As demonstrated on the album, it looks like Saosin has found something that works.

–Logan Thomas

The media arts department students from Mrs. Lil Pontis’ video production class are extremely proud to announce the release of three webisodes.  These webisodes were developed over the course of the spring semester at Lincoln Park and cover topics about LPPACS’s student involvement with the National Resource Defense Council, and Odyssey of the mind.  In addition to these posts, you will also find a feature about some of the practicums that were completed by LPPACS students this year.

LPPACS Practicum Feature Webisode from Scott Andrew on Vimeo.

Odyssey of the mind Webisode from Scott Andrew on Vimeo.

NRDC Webisode from Scott Andrew on Vimeo.

Reading Shakespeare’s twisting language can be a chore. So instead of getting lost in the iambic pentameter, you can pick up Christopher Moore’s new novel Fool. But then of course you’ll be getting a completely different story.

       Fool is a book based strongly on Shakespeare’s play King Lear and loosely on a dozen other sources. The tragedy of King Lear has been altered and tweaked throughout the years since its inception, and Fool is a perfect example of how it can be turned from tragedy into comedy. 

      The story is from the point of view of Lear’s jester, Pocket. Pocket is a sly, quick-witted, pottymouth who, according to Moore, was the mastermind behind the plotting in King Lear. After Lear steps down from his throne and hands his crown to his two ungrateful daughters, he and his acquaintances are pushed from the royal picture. From clandestine acts to pushing out the jelly from a duke’s eye socket, Pocket not only witnesses the fickle ways of the British nobility but also lends a hand when needed. Saving his friends and killing a few murders himself Pocket finishes the book with all the heroes intact. To be sure these facts to the people acquainted with the play could be disconcerting. 

      In the Author’s Note in the back of the book, Moore explains his work in the sense that he set out to write a book about a fool. He only borrowed certain facts and traits of his plot from existing stories such as King Lear. This of course explains the happy ending for Lear’s daughter Cordelia in her marriage with Pocket, and her world domination.  

      A funny book with mixed-up, mashed-up references to at least six different time periods Fool is the ultimate underdog story. One could argue the swearing and constant innuendo are a bit excessive and inappropriate; however, it’s impossible to go through a page without cracking a smile. At the end of book it’s safe to say that Fool is 300 pages of pure adventurous lack of restraint, and Moore-esque fun.  

–Rachel Zibaila

Iggy Pop is famous for being the father of punk rock; he was punk rock before the genre even existed.  That being said, what was he thinking on his newest album, Preliminaires?   

Preliminaires is the strangest collection of noises that I have ever heard.  It isn’t until the third track that a recognizable instrument is introduced.  Before that it’s all weird futuristic sounds and Iggy’s frighteningly deep voice.  In quite a few songs the lyrics are spoken rather than sung, sounding like really bad spoken word.  In the first track, Les Feuilles Mortes, Iggy takes it even farther and recites his lyrics not in English, but in French.  Is he looking for a new audience? 

Moving into the more conventional tracks, and I use the term conventional in the lightest way possible, what sticks out is Iggy’s lyrics.  It sounds like he came up with them in the five minutes before he entered the studio to record them.  The second track, I Want to Go to the Beach, has no more depth than the title and the French tracks are an almost welcomed release from the monotony of the rest of the album.   

By far the most absurd lyrics come from A Machine for Loving.  It’s basically a love song written for Iggy’s ailing dog.  It has the feel of a senile cowboy telling a convoluted story over a roaring fire.  As far as this song is concerned, one line says it all: What is a dog but a machine for loving?   

It’s difficult to fathom that the front man of The Stooges has come to produce an album like this.  How do you go from violent punk rock to trippy French spoken word?  I understand that Iggy Pop has done it all and that his options are getting more and more limited, but the argument for perseverance does have its limits.

–Emma Jayne Stabbe

            The thriller State of Play is a jarring trip through the world of politics, journalism, and basic human nature.  The plot revolves around a mysterious young woman whose death goes from tragic accident, to suicide, to government conspiracy.  We view her death and its aftermath from the eyes of a seasoned journalist who has a strong personal bias and sketchy methods of gaining information.

            The opening scene depicts the shooting of two men.  Our protagonist doesn’t come into play until he arrives at the crime scene hours later.  From there we’re introduced to a young congressman and then to the death that sparks the rest of the plot.  The beginning is very disjointed and it’s difficult to get your footing.  Though, once you figure out who to follow, you’re in for a serious ride.

            State of Play is gripping and full of twists.  Every calm scene is quickly followed by a dramatic, high stress situation that will keep you on the edge of your seat.

            With its all-star lineup, this movie was flawlessly cast.  Russell Crowe plays the protagonist, the desperate stop-at-nothing reporter, Cal McAffrey.  This part could easily have been turned into a caricature of a journalist.  McAffrey is cutthroat and consumed with getting his story, no matter who is left in his wake.  Crowe’s performance managed to downplay the stereotype and made McAffrey someone that an audience could really get behind. 

Not to be outdone, Ben Affleck has signed on for his best role yet.  In his supporting role Affleck manages to do the impossible – he creates a politician that can be sympathized with.  That in itself is quite a feat, but in addition he keeps us guessing up to the very end.

State of Play has every element that you could want in a movie of its genre.  It has action, betrayal, and an ending that’s sure to surprise.

–Emma Stabbe

   With the release of Depeche Mode’s 12th studio album, Sounds of the Universe, it seems as if the spaceship has finally landed. 

    Depeche Mode is one of the few major bands to survive the ‘80s and its big hairdos, putting them among an elite group of bands, such as U2 and R.E.M.  The British synth-rock trio find themselves 30 years later, continuing to produce their intergalactic sounds at a level and quality as high as any.

    Sounds of the Universe is a result of four years since their last studio release, Playing The Angel; their reunion with that album’s producer Ben Hillier (Elbow, Blur, Dove among many others); and a more concerted songwriting effort that includes not only main songwriter Martin Gore but also vocalist Dave Gahan.  The combination resulted in a reportedly postitive and creative recording enviroment.  It seems to show, because the production quality of the album is great.  Also, the group’s timeless retro-futuristic sound is captured pretty well on the album, thanks to the use of a lot of vintage gear, with blips and bleeps, along with newer gear and recording devices, to keep it sounding tight.

    The album deviates little from the band’s past work.  They continue to delve into dark and brooding subjects such as spirituality and want, and present them with stadium-stomper beats and a mellow soundscape.  One of the weaker points of the album compared to past work is the lack of lyrical creativeness in a couple of songs on the album, resorting to the language and rhyme scheme that might be found in a freshman English class.  However, Gore and Gahan’s voices often help cover up any lack in lyrical sensibility with their melodic croons and croaks.

   “Wrong,” the first single off the album, deals with bad luck and the way most things are out of your hands; it is the first single for a good reason.  It contains arguably the best hook off the album, and is exemplary of the themes and overall feel. 

    While the album may certainly strike many long-time fans as a hate-it or love-it type of deal, it should provide any casual listener with some easy listening.  Depeche Mode may not be giving you the universe with this album, but they do give you snippets of its frequencies.

–Logan Thomas

Les Claypool’s Of Fungi And Foe album is the latest oddity to come from the Colonel.

The album is based on and mostly comprised of the songs he did for the Wii game Mushroom Men: The Spore Wars, and also for the film Pig Hunt. Claypool felt the music he made for the game and film was worthy of its own release, so he played around with the songs a bit, wrote lyrics to some of the pieces, collaborated, and there it was, Of Fungi And Foe.

Whether he is working with Primus or going solo, Claypool’s work is fairly distinct; nonsensical lyrics, funky, innovative bass playing, the tendency to stretch the definition of what music is. All this and more holds true for this album. The music is by no means “normal,” and in fact it could possibly take some getting used to.

For one thing, the word “singing” loses its traditional meaning. The lyrics almost seem to be read more than sung; something that ends up sounding like hicks reciting tripped-out Mother Goose rhymes — but not in a bad way. Along with the unusual singing style, there is a good amount of unintelligible noise made in this album.

The instrumentation on the album is also very unusual. Claypool uses things such as the banjo bass, the marimbas, the vibraphone, and what seems like a bunch of back-yard scrap for the percussion. Cello is even used in several of the songs, giving the album a very psychedelic-gypsy feel.

Despite the unusualness, it seems as if that’s what Claypool does best. The album pulls itself together pretty well; you may even catch yourself tapping along to songs such as “Booneville Stomp.” This album was by no means meant to be a popular success, but it does provide a good look at some of the most experimental and progressive music out there.

Note: Due to the fact that Claypool gained his inspiration for Of Fungi And Foe’s music from Mushroom Men: The Spore Wars and Pig Hunt, there is a slight chance that after listening you will have an unusual craving for mushrooms and killing swine.

– Logan Thomas