Penny Sparkle, Blonde Redhead

Since my last post I have been wanting to write a review of the new Blonde Redhead album. Never getting around to actually post. And, honestly, never getting around to listen to the entire album in a full sitting. I struggle to review albums I only hear piece by piece. Already a bad sign for the review... I just couldn't find the interest in sitting down for the full length of the album. I still haven't had that sit.

There are two Blonde Redhead albums which I adore: Melody of a Certain Damaged Lemon and Fake Can Be Just As Good. There are two Blonde Redhead albums which I enjoy from time to time: Misery Is A Butterfly and 23. For the most part, and obviously in my opinion, these are the only albums you really need to understand Blonde Redhead.

Most of their last few albums sound a lot alike. Most of their first few albums sound a lot alike. There was a shift in the middle. A good shift? No. A bad shift? No. Just a single shift. Something different. But, nothing that would alienate any of the listeners.

I have always thought of Blonde Redhead as the less interesting Bjork. A feminine version of Radiohead (yes, Blonde Redhead is male and female vocals, I am talking musically). It is unfair to compare a band to such artists. Impossible to live up to their standards. And, realistically, I have never put them in comparison. Only something I've noticed.

On their most recent release, Penny Sparkle, I find myself lulled to sleep. A little too distracted. This album may be too quiet. Too removed from my interest. This is the album for background music at very matured dinner parties. For music when the family comes over.

This all sounds a little too negative. The album isn't bad. It isn't awful. It just kind of exists in this middle ground. Not the worst place to live.

C

Life During Wartime

BEST OF 2010

Todd Solondz has experienced quite the career. His debut film, Welcome to the Dollhouse, was an indie hit. It came to fame during the rise of the art house film. The story was disturbing, over the top, dark, and somehow relatable. Soldonz started here with the creation of his world.

His second feature, Happiness, is my favorite Solondz film. Happiness is more disturbing, darker, funnier, and more cruel than Solondz's first film. I wouldn't have imagined such a film. In this film, Solondz touches on the most perverse side of humanity. The sex is kinky, illegal, dirty, depressing, and dangerous. Solondz even manages a unique portrait of a pedophile.

Solondz fell to the side with the next two releases, Storytelling and Palindromes. Both films suffer from a need to be different and preachy. Solondz is trying too hard. But, at the end of Palindromes, Solondz reintroduces us to a member of the Welcome to the Dollhouse family. This is where Solondz begins to fold his worlds into one.

On Solondz most recent release, Life During Wartime, he has created a sequel to Happiness. The film takes place 10 years later. And, true to Solondz form, not a single actor returns from Happiness. Solondz has recast the entire film, but is using the same characters. This is a bold and wise choice. This keeps the entire experience fresh. Like watching a brand new film, but feeling oddly comfortable with this "new" cast of characters.

Also, Solondz uses two characters from Welcome to the Dollhouse. The audience is never fully made aware the two characters are the father and son from the first film, but the names match. The backgrounds match. Solondz is completely in his own world. And, this was the best thing he could have done.

Life During Wartime is Solondz most incredible film. The images are beautifully shot. The cinematography is perfect. All the sloppiness and art house awkwardness of the earlier films are all gone. Solondz is working to make a true film. A fully formed idea, concept, and plot. This is the film Solondz entire career has been building up for.

The movie is dark. But, dark in a black comedy kind of way. I found myself laughing out loud through a handful of parts. The film is awkward. The dialogue is unique. The relationships are strained. But, this is the point. Solondz is showing how we function on a day to day basis. The ghosts of our pasts- lovers, family, friends.

I can not have imagined a more perfect film. Truly beautiful, smart, and original.

A

Vivre Sa Vie

I haven't seen many of Godard's films. Probably less than half. But, I do believe I've experienced the holy trinity of Godard. The father (Breathless), the son (Pierrot Le Fou), and the holy spirit (Band of Outsiders). Any other film I watch by Godard will feel less than the other three. This is a fact I've put into my mind. And, so far I have not been proven wrong.

Again, my love of prostitution is at play with Vivre Sa Vie. Nana, the character played by Anna Karina, is a want to be actress pushed to the breaking point. Once her finances are gone she turns to a friend for advice. Prostitution being the best advice. All of this is handled in such an unusual way. Nana never hesitates. She doesn't seem scared, either. She is a strong spirit. Unwilling to let anyone break her dreams.

The films credits are a series of different angles of Nana's face. We are shown her left side, right side, and front. The audience is forced to really study Nana. Also, this is Godard's way of letting you know this is very much a character study. Godard plays a joke on us by beginning the film with a conversation between Nana and Paul. We are only shown the backs of their heads as they sit at a diner counter. After being forced to stare into Nana's face we are quickly taken away.

Godard's filming is unusual. The camera moves in such strange patterns. At times it plays along to the music. At times it moves like the dialogue. At times, the camera moves the action to the screen's edge. Godard is so playful with filming. Constantly forcing the audience to pay closer attention. To get past the distractions and attempt to focus.

The film is set up into a series of 12 tableaus. This is very similar to the way Brecht created theatre. Brecht uses titles as the start of every scene. The uses of titles allows the audience to know what is about to happen in the following scene. This keeps the audience from being distracted by plot. Again, forces the audience to pay closer attention to motive and character. Lars von Trier uses this same Brechtian method in his films (Dogville, Manderlay).

Vivre Sa Vie isn't boring. It is too short to bore. But, it isn't quite full of enough substance. There are a handful of dialogues that really pull the audience in. Some philosophical ramblings. Mostly just a strong spirit wandering slightly lost.

The films rests on Karina's shoulders. She does a most beautiful job. There are two scenes where Karina stares directly into the camera. The audience in confronted with the break in the fourth wall. And suddenly everything feels more real. I looked away from the screen in a moment of discomfort. A beautifully played trick.

B-

True Blood: Season Two

Ok, so it is addictive. And, really trashy. The acting remains bad. The stories remain silly. But, for some reason, once you start the series... it just snowballs into another episode into another into another.

The series is already headed where I knew it would. After the first season of clever ideas and unique plots, the show is losing steam. The main story line seems a bit weak. Drawn out too long. I enjoyed the story of MaryAnn. I love the idea of the partying, the drugs, drinking, dancing. I loved the power she had. I enjoyed her philosophy on life as a way to live to the extreme. To stop worrying about the silly stresses. And, I love the actress Michelle Forbes (In Treatment: Season One). But, her story moved slowly. Very little happened over the span of 12 episodes.

Jason Stackhouse's character finally became a little interesting. His search for understanding leads him to a right wing religious cult of sorts. And, to see Jason cope with the process and come out a better person at the end... showed some real development in a character I thought was only around for sex appeal.

Lafayette's story line disappears almost altogether. The character's trauma is only hinted at from time to time. But, I guess I'm asking too much of a series that exists purely for fun... I hope. Again, I find myself in the same situation I was after the first season. Am I supposed to take any of this seriously? Or, am I just to enjoy beautiful people acting fools?

Certainly addicting. Certainly a guilty pleasure.

C

Body Talk pt. 2, Robyn

BEST OF 2010

It is rare for me to find pleasure in an entire album. Especially an electro-pop album. I am still pretty new to the world of pop. Having spent most of my youth lost to folk singers, 70s rock bands, and hipster indie rock. Only in the past couple of years have I found the pleasure of a great pop song. Luckily for me I did it just in time. What an incredible couple of years for electro-pop (Lady Gaga, Kelis, Robyn, etc).

Body Talk pt. 2 is Robyn's middle piece of a proposed trilogy. And, I have never enjoyed the 2nd film in a trilogy. So, I had low expectations for a 2nd in a music trilogy. I was wrong. I was very, very wrong.

The album opens with 'In My Eyes.' This may be the only weak song on the album. And, when I say weak... I mean still pretty damn good. The fault is how catchy it is. This might be too radio friendly. A little formulaic. The voice at the start of the track reminds me a little of the voice found in some of the iamamiwhoami videos. I was startled at first. But, quickly the track opens up into a pop song that sounds as if glitter is raining in the background. The second track, 'Include Me Out,' gets the dance started. This is where the hips shake and I start to sing along. Again, falls in line with 'In My Eyes,' very radio friendly pop.

Body Talk pt. 2 finally takes off with 'Hang With Me.' On Body Talk pt. 1, Robyn did a beautifully stripped down version of the song. And, it worked on that album. But, once Robyn and others added the beat, the song has found new life. The sadness still exists. This is why I adore the song so much. The ability to wrap something so sad inside something so beat driven.

'Love Kills' is everything you want it to be. A hard beat and a bitter tone.

'We Dance to the Beat' starts where 'Don't Fucking Tell Me What To Do' left off. The robotic repetition has returned. But, this time, I have no complaints. Robyn's voice comes across as a machine. And the lines she throws out are some of the most beautiful lines ever to find their way into pop music ("we dance to the beat of the continents shifting under out feet," "we dance to the beat of bad kissers clinking teeth," etc). This is my favorite song on the album.

'Criminal Intent' starts off, musically, like a song from The Knife. Quickly turns into a siren wail that appears throughout the album. And, it works. Not nearly as annoying as one might assume. Before you know it, Robyn has gone from The Knife to Lil Kim. Robyn gets dirty in her plea to the judge ("i can get a little x rated on the floor, but your honor how is this something you get incarcerated for?"). Absolute genius!

On 'U Should Know Better' Robyn works with Snoop Dogg. Typically, I'm over the whole Snoop Dogg guest artist situation. What is he doing anymore? Seemed silly when I first read Snoop Dogg would be appearing on the album. But, I can't imagine a better voice to match with Robyn's voice. And, to hear Robyn and Snoop Dogg sing along to a chorus that borrows from an Amanda Blank/Deadmau mashup is a musical dream come true.

The closing track, 'Indestructible,' is a strings arranged, acoustic song. Beautiful. I don't enjoy pop ballads. And, it would be unfair to suggest this song is a pop ballad. But, to follow the previous songs on the album, 'Indestructible' can only be considered a ballad. This is the song I always wanted Gaga's 'Speechless' to be. Where Gaga disappointed, Robyn has not. And, I can't wait to hear how she handles this song when it appears as a different version on Body Talk pt. 3.

A+

Body Talk pt. 1, Robyn

This review is long overdue. And, I hesitated for a reason. When the album was first released I knew I enjoyed it. But, I knew I didn't enjoy it enough. I felt I wasn't connecting the way I was supposed to connect. Was I to blame? Or, the music?

On my first few listens, I thought Body Talk pt. 1 lacked an emotional backbone. The music and lyrics were fun, but lacked something sturdy. There was an emptiness to the sound. Many of the lyrics were too repetitive. But, all my friends love the album. Compared it with other pop albums I enjoy. What was the problem? I soon found out...

The atmosphere. Body Talk pt. 1 is a pure dance floor album. Not all the songs will work on the floor, but a handful will and do. When I first danced to 'Dancing on my Own' I learned what all the fuss was about. I rarely experience something so grand as singing word for word along with Robyn while I danced on my own. She captured a moment. A truth. A reality. An existence for those of us who crave the floor.

And, when I danced to "Don't Fucking Tell Me What to Do" I fell in love with the repetition. The song no longer seemed silly, shallow, or lazy. The version I danced to was a remix, but the song itself is what stood out. Sometimes you need something easy to grab hold of... to latch onto... to sing a repetitive chorus into the crowd of a hipster dance hall. This was when I finally understood the pure genius of Robyn.

After dancing to Robyn, the songs no longer seem empty. I am always reminded of the experience. The crowd and the sound and the connection. It all sounds a little addictive... drugged up and out. That is exactly how Robyn works. She seeps in slowly and then won't let go.

B

Happiness, Hurts

BEST OF 2010

Does happiness hurt? Accords to Hurts not only does happiness hurt… it may not exist. The Hurts debut album is quite dark despite all the dance pop sounds filling the tracks. This is 80s music the way 80s music was meant to sound… dance beats with dark tones. The Cure is one band that comes to mind with this style. But, the band Hurts most resemble would be Depeche Mode. In fact, Hurts is the sound child of Depeche Mode and Kylie Minogue.

This isn’t the type of album I’m supposed to like. At times the music is too dated. Even in trying to resemble the 80s, it still remains a little out of place. And, the vocals can be a little high, operatic even. There are some strange experiments in sound taking place. Actually, this isn’t the album I’m supposed to love. Strings appear from time to time. Other times, the electronic beat is so beautiful I imagine the crowded dance floor. And, those lyrics… over the top and emotional. I’m almost reminded of Savage Garden at times. But, there is more than teen pop here. This is understood pain. Experienced pain.

This is the album for crowded streets. For long lines. For stuffed subway cars. This is the album of larger cities. A way to escape in something real. But, not too real. Although, at times, the songs are extremely sad. The song ‘Stay’ is the most heart wrenching on the album. I tear up most times I listen.

Since I’m comparing the band to everyone under the sun, I have one final band to compare: The Editors. “Evelyn” is a song that reminds me so much of the songs featured on The Editors second album, An End Has a Start. This is the album to travel if you’re a fan of Joy Division, too.

I am not placing Hurts up as high as I place Depeche Mode, The Cure, or Joy Division. But, even falling into comparison with these bands is a great feat. And, I’m not promising this album won’t make you ask ‘why do I enjoy this?’ There is just something so good about how borderline bad the album may potentially be. But, it’s catchy. It’s brooding pop. It’s danceable. It’s new-ish.

You’ll hate yourself for loving it. But, love yourself for having it.

B+