Apologies to anyone who may have expected a review of that movie with the homicidal rubber tire I mentioned - I ended up catching the African competition entry "A Screaming Man" instead. That decision, of course, has everything to do with my noble passion for highlighting under-represented world cinema and absolutely nothing to do with the fact that there were about 600 people in line for "Rubber" by the time I arrived at the 400-person-capacity theatre.
That latter lateness was the result of my being ensnared in one of the worst cases of human gridlock I've ever experienced (which is saying something given that I've frequently visited Mumbai). Having foolishly attempted to cross through a crowd gathered for a red carpet premiere with a slim group of people, I soon found myself completely unable to move in the sweltering mass that gathered to get a peek at the stars of Mike Leigh's "Another Year" (a TigerBeat cast if there ever was one). The lack of group cohesion from those looking to escape the crowd created a horrible human Chinese finger trap - the two pushes to get out happened to be in directly opposing directions. Polite French pleas proved to be no help - what ultimately worked was screaming loudly in English along with a few frustrated New Yorkers. So, yes, maybe we reinforced the awful Ugly American stereotype, but sometimes stereotypes are both surprisingly effective and kind of fun!
When I wasn't catching screenings and tarnishing my country's reputation, I had quite a bit of fun observing and eavesdropping while walking around the Palais des Festivals, the center for screenings and industry negotiations at Cannes. Blind item - which major Hollywood industry player was caught excoriating a lackey via cell phone in the film negotiations marketplace?* As for star sightings, Pedro Almodovar and Michael Haneke were seen walking around, but the way weirder sight was Valerie Plame, presumably in town to promote competition entry "Fair Game", which focuses on her CIA leak scandal. But all play aside, I got some work done - here are reviews of a few competition entries and the most prominent American film of the festival.
You Will Meet a Tall Dark Stranger (dir. by Woody Allen) - Out of Competition
More in the farcical vein of "Whatever Works" than the darker territory of "Vicky Cristina Barcelona" and "Match Point", "Stranger" takes Allen back to London to observe the comic self-delusions of a small group of characters. The Allen surrogate of sorts here is Josh Brolin, who has been given a floppy, tousled hairdo in an unconvincing attempt to nebbish up his He-Man physique. Brolin plays Roy, a one-novel wonder struggling to replicate his past success. As his frustrated wife Sally (Naomi Watts) nurses a growing crush on her boss (Antonio Banderas), he becomes equally drawn to an attractive neighbor (Freida Pinto). Also in the mix are Watts' divorced parents Alfie (Anthony Hopkins), whose mid-life crisis has led him to marry a hooker, and Helena (Gemma Jones), a devotee to psychics and New Age mysticism.
I'll confess that I was pretty taken with the preponderance of movie stars making googly eyes at each other here (after all, exposure to extended scenes of a man eating breakfast alone can leave you craving a little frivolity). And "Stranger" certainly hints at a few interesting ideas, particularly the necessity of some degree of self-delusion for everyday survival. But "Stranger" seems shallow on most every level. Few of the characters are sketched with any depth (as the titular attractions, Pinto and Banderas function mostly as exotic cardboard cutouts) and the comedy is often stale (Hopkins' slow realization of his wife's golddigging nature seems too obvious to ever be really funny). Worst of all is the ending. Late in the film, Allen introduces some dark twists that ramp up the drama, but at the point where better movies would be rolling towards a climax, Allen simply cuts the film off, leaving only a few lazy and abrupt implications as to his characters' ultimate fates. You get the unmistakable impression that he doesn't care enough about these people to follow their stories through to the end - and if he doesn't care, why should we?
The Princess of Montpensier (dir. by Bertrand Tavernier) - In Competition
The film takes place during the French Wars of Religion, where Protestant Huguenots took up arms against French Catholics. Hoping to protect his family's status through strategic alliances, the Marquis de Mezieres forces his daughter (Melanie Thierry) into marriage with the Prince of Montpensier, despite her long-standing love for the dashing Henri from the House of Guise. Soon, the two rivals battling for her hand are joined by two other suitors, a grizzled old warrior turned the princess's tutor and the Duke of Anjou, who would later become King. Backstabbing ensues. This is all familiar ground, but I'm not automatically opposed to a well-done retread. But "Princess" just isn't - on a meat scale, it's closer to a bloody raw. The film is bogged down by dull and incoherent action scenes, arcane and uninteresting political manuevering, and endless talkiness.
A few French critics supporting the film have noted that a pretty thorough familiarity with the political world of the time is needed to fully appreciate the film. Whatever - what I know is that the passion that a romance like this needs to stir the heart is conspicuously absent. As the princess, Melanie Thierry is good enough, portraying a woman struggling against the social restrictions of the time (heard that one before?). But she has no spark with any of the several suitors after her, who all range in personality from noble brooding to whiny brooding.
Tavernier hints in the press kit that his intent is in part feminist, given his heroine's lack of control over her destiny and the cruelty of some of the men in her life, but he seems a little too fond of gratuitous nudity for that explanation to really pass muster. Perhaps Tavernier was aiming for something like Sofia Coppola's "Marie Antoinette" (famously and unfairly slammed in its Cannes premiere), which captured a young queen's entrapment in royal ennui with sympathy and formal ingenuity. What he ended up with is a wealth of admittedly fine production values devoted to a knockoff Jane Austen story with none of the romantic heat that made those stories work. Full disclosure: I'll confess that I stopped paying much attention during the last 20 minutes. It was much more interesting to look around the theatre as a steady trickle of audience members walking out of the theater expanded into a flood.
A Screaming Man (dir. by Mahamet-Saleh Haroun) - In Competition
Working with a budget that is undoubtedly a pittance compared to Tavernier's lavish resources, Mahamet-Saleh Haroun has created a film far more worthy of its competition berth. "A Screaming Man" is the first African film to play in competition for 13 years, and although it's a small film with modest ambitions, it's nevertheless a moving experience. The film centers around Adam (Youssouf Djaoro), known to everyone in his hometown in Chad as Champion for long-past victories in national swimming competitions. Adam and his twenty-something son work as pool attendants at a hotel where business is threatened by the civil war raging throughout the country. Intensely devoted to his humble work, Adam is shocked when he is demoted to a position as hotel gatekeeper and incensed when he finds out that his soon has engineered this demotion to keep his own job. Adam soon arranges a severe betrayal of his own in turn, a betrayal that he soon realizes will haunt him.
Haroun low-budget technical achievement is quite impressive. War is never overtly seen in the film, but it continually haunts the action through the sound design, which counterpoints even the film's calmest moments with the sounds of distant gunfire and helicopters. The visual design is no less remarkable - Haroun captures the sandy, sunburnt palette of village streets as vividly as he does the crisp blues and greens of chlorinated water and plastic flora. His frames are also rich
with information, whether he's crafting Tati-esque setups of Adam dashing back and forth between busy entry and exit gates to lift them by hand or if he's showing Adam driving his moped down a narrow alleyway at night, his headlight creating a narrow square of light that dwindles into nothingness.
But the heart of the movie is Haroun's sensitive depiction of a man dealing with a shattered world. Haroun makes clear that the sense of identity created by one's profession and the ensuing existential crisis following its loss are not solely applicable to white-collar businessmen (like the similarly struggling men of Laurent Cantet's "Time Out" and Kiyoshi Kurosawa's "Tokyo Sonata"). Even in his menial task, Adam finds immense meaning, and the drastic change to his life induces a temporary madness with horrifying consequences. "Man" is all the more powerful for the understated stoicism that Djaoro brings to his performance - when cracks inevitably appear in his facade, they truly mean something.
"A Screaming Man" is no world-changing masterpiece, and it is unlikely to claim much awards attention at the end of the festival. But this film tells its small story exceedingly well, and when the story comes from a region so often neglected in film festival circles, it's something worth celebrating. And in case you were wondering, on the "A ____ Man" continuum, it ranks above "Single" but below "Serious".
*The correct answer, of course, is all of them.
-Raj Ranade
Sunday, May 16, 2010
Cannes Dispatch #3 - "You Will Meet a Tall Dark Stranger", "The Princess of Montpensier", "A Screaming Man"
Saturday, May 15, 2010
Cannes Dispatch #2 - "Another Year"
Another day, another flurry of film-related magic. In between screenings at the Grand Theatre Lumiere, I caught glimpses of Roger Ebert and Oliver Stone (currently sporting a hilarious mustache), indulged in an amazing shrimp risotto with noted cinephile and gastronome Fareed Ben-Youssef '09, and received an elbow to the stomach during the frenzied rush to get into the premiere of Woody Allen's new film. I'll have much more about the sparkling atmosphere (including photos!) throughout the rest of the week, as well as a review of Allen's "You Will Meet a Tall Dark Stranger" (for now, two words: frothy trifle), but at the moment I have to rush to a screening of a film about a rubber tire that kills people (which, for whatever reason, is featured in the ultra-highbrow Critic's Week selection). For now, here's a review of my first screening of the day, which happened to be the best film I've caught at the festival so far.
Another Year (dir. by Mike Leigh) - In Competition
"Spring, Summer, Autumn, Winter. Family and friendship.
Love and warmth. Joy and sadness. Hope and despair.
Companionship. Loneliness. A birth. A death. Time passes..."
Those unfamiliar with Leigh's work might be understandably suspicious about the film's quality given the substitution of high-school poetry for information in the press kit and the rather bland title. But the three-time festival-competition veteran has long had one of the most consistent quality records of any leading auteur, and "Another Year", undoubtedly a strong contender for the Palme D'Or, is no exception.
"Year" works quite nicely as a complement to Leigh's last film, the joyous "Happy-Go-Lucky". Like that film, "Year" deals with the contrasts between those in life who manage to achieve happiness and fulfillment and those who are left alone on the margins of society. But the canvas of this new film is wider than the character study of "Lucky", providing opportunities for a full talented ensemble to shine.
The center of "Year" is the London couple of Tom (Jim Broadbent) and Gerri (Ruth Sheen), a pair sharing marital bliss with the kind of glowing warmth that recalls the Gundersons in "Fargo". Bouncing off this calm center are a series of visitors in varying degrees of distress - there's the couple's unmarried and lonely thirty-year-old son Joe, the husband's one-time drinking buddy Ken who has descended into alcoholism, and, most notably, the wife's ditzy 40-something co-worker Mary (Lesley Manville), who is prone to ill-advised flirtations and loud desperation.
As the synopsis may suggest, not all that much happens plot-wise. Leigh has always been much more interested in meticulously observing the way that people interact. Leigh used his trademark method of letting his actors interact in character off-camera for about a year, and then fleshing out a loose plot outline with improvisation during filming. As a result, the film's relationships have an unforced realism - characters who have know each other for years have the kind of gentle rapport where glances can sometimes substitute for full conversations, while characters who have just met have a painfully chilled awkwardness to their interactions.
"Another Year" is suffused with a deep melancholy - by the end of the film, Leigh has suggested that the differences that resign the socially marginized to loneliness are irreconcilable, and (like "Aurora") that there are fundamental limits to the empathy of even the most caring souls. This kind of dour insight is well within Leigh's comfort zone, as demonstrated by past films like "Vera Drake" and Palme D'Or Winner "Secrets and Lies". What's new in "Happy-Go-Lucky" is his additional new emphasis on happiness and optimism. "Another Year" is frequently laugh-out-loud funny (particularly when Broadbent employs razor-sharp snarky deadpan to tease his visitors) and Leigh recognizes here that the goal of happiness is as achievable as its opposite.
Midway through the film, Broadbent's character discusses the environment and notes that the magnitude of the problem is large enough that personal conservation efforts might as well be "pissing in the ocean". But he soldiers on with those efforts, because he must at least do what he can. Leigh has catalogued the miseries of life as thoroughly as any other director, and he sees their occasional insurmountability. But it seems that he's now more interested in those who do what they can - like them, he's pushing forward and soldiering on with a smile.
- Raj Ranade
Friday, May 14, 2010
Cannes Dispatch #1 - "Aurora" and "Chatroom"
It took about 48 hours of flight delays and cancellations that sent me bouncing through four cities in Europe, but I arrived in Cannes last night, and it quickly became difficult to recall any of the bad vibes from my Iceland-volcano-travel-delay reenactment. I hopped off the shuttle to the sight of fireworks bursting in the sky above the Riviera, and the experience has been rather thrilling ever since, from the postcard-ready glittering beach views to the constant presence of beautiful people pretty much everywhere (except the press tent, natch). The best part, of course, is the fact that all this energy is devoted towards highlighting the finest in world cinema. Now, I won't echo the traditional line about Cannes, which is that this is a festival where someone like Manoel De Oliveira gets as much red carpet attention as Naomi Watts (hint: which premiere required large police cordons?). But Cannes is undoubtedly a hallowed Mecca for cinephiles, and I'm absolutely delighted to be able to bring you coverage from the heart of the festival. I'll have plenty more about the city and the festival throughout the week, but here are some (admittedly jetlagged and rough) impressions of the first two films I saw.
Aurora (dir. by Cristi Puiu) - Un Certain Regard
Puiu has a sharp visual eye as a director, imprisoning his characters in the industrial wasteland of Bucharest with vertical barriers and Ozu-esque hallway shots, and the sheer unknowability of the early sections maintains enough suspense that you could charitably call this a crime thriller, especially in the shocking scenes of violence. But those virtues and Puiu's own excellent performance don't change the fact that the audience is left begging for a hint of explanation as the final scene rolls around. And in the fascinating payoff of the ending, they get it - without spoiling anything, Puiu provides all the answers we could have asked for and more in a comic rebuke to our expectations of explanations, psychological or otherwise. "It worries me that you seem to understand this," says a character as the info begins to flow and reduces a ordinary person into a familiar type. Puiu wants the viewer to recognize the inherent falseness of attempt to patly explain the three-dimensional psychology of a real human being, and his epistemological approach to the mind reminded me a bit of Scorsese's struggle to understand Jake La Motta in "Raging Bull".
Of course, Puiu is no Scorsese when it comes to, shall we say, user-friendliness. If the ending challenges a central cliche of the crime genre, that daunting length certainly puts the term "thriller" to the test, and it is a bit hard to see what exactly Puiu might accomplish in three hours that he couldn't do in two. Nevertheless, "Aurora" is another uncompromising and daring vision from the bold new generation of Romanian filmmakers, and it represent the kind of risk-taking spirit that Cannes at its finest has always encouraged.
Chatroom (dir. by Hideo Nakata) - Un Certain Regard
But Nakata is less interested in the "Matrix"-style possibilities opened up by such a world than in the frightening underbelly of these technological systems. "Chatroom" is inspired by the recent spate of real-world teen suicides that stem from cyber-bullying with a magnitude of cruelty made possible by internet anonymity. The lead psychopath here is William (Aaron Johnson of "Kick-Ass"), a hacker who funnels rage from family troubles into elaborate psychological torture of his internet friends, particularly a depressive named Jim who seems to be only one short mental push from self-harm. Pouncing on their insecurities and past emotional traumas, William plays his victims like theremins, establishing fierce loyalties and breaking friendships at will.
Nakata's hyper-caffeinated style makes the mind-games fun for a while, and if the obvious telegraphing of William as "the evil one" dampens some of the suspense, Johnson's leering grin and nervy intensity mark a terrific step up from his bland performance in "Kick-Ass". Ultimately, though, Nakata doesn't have anything particularly interesting to say about the potential wealth of ideas concerning teenagers and the internet. The eerie terror that the early scenes conjure starts to fade quickly as the plot contorts far past the breaking point. It's a shame that the second half of the film resorts to characters acting in absurd and implausible ways (William's climactic push to make Ben kill himself is egregiously confusing), particularly when the incidents that inspired the film involve motives and behavior that are real, terrifying, and all too understandable.
Saturday, May 8, 2010
BodyHype: A Company of Performers
At Princeton, when I say “Body,” you probably think of clamoring audiences and shaking hips. But what else can you expect from BodyHype Dance Company’s spring show this year?
Without a theme or a title, this show presents itself as a bit of a wildcard. It opens with “Spicy,” a flashy homage to Latin dance, but proceeds to pieces set to songs by Lily Allen, Radiohead, and many other contemporary music artists.
Throughout the first half of the show, it seems that the theme could be “girls versus guys.” Most of the pieces are made up of three girls and three guys, all who engage in some type of choreographic struggle. This formula works well to showcase company members’ strong partnering skills, and it allows the student choreographers to experiment with innovative partnering techniques. But as well executed as these may be, too many similar pieces clustered together tend to dilute an otherwise exciting program.
The show also falls victim to the formula of using lyrics to generate movement (i.e., making a muscle at the word strong, running a hand down one’s cheek at the word tear). While this is a great way to draw in audiences that might not be familiar with dance, it doesn’t seem that pantomime should be at the top of the agenda for these talented dancers.
Indeed, the most successful pieces in the BodyHype show are those that do not fall into any choreographic traps. One of these is a dance by Sibley Lovett ’12, entitled “Where are the Edges?”. Here, Lovett found the perfect combination of dancers, movement style, and song (“Mother” by John Lennon).
Two other standout pieces are “Like Forgetting” by Gretchen Hoffmann ’13 and “Bury It” by Fletcher Heisler ’10. The former, set to “Eet” by Regina Spektor, is beautifully lyrical. The latter, set to “Time Is Running Out” by Muse, is wonderfully acrobatic.
All of these pieces, particularly Heisler’s, make great use of lighting. Costumes, for the most part, are plain, and the wait-time between pieces is tremendous (clocked at 1.5-2.5 minutes). But in the end, BodyHype's dancers let their incredible stage presence and energy shine. With infectious expressions, Hoffmann and Steven Chen ’12 could be considered MVPs in terms of stage presence and energy. But truly, this is an entire company of performers, and in this show, BodyHype's dancers demonstrate that they will deliver, no matter what the choreography - or wait-time - may be.
3.5 paws
Pros: Fantastic stage presence and energy from the dancers
Cons: Excessive wait-time between pieces, formulaic choreography and illustration of lyrics
BodyHype’s spring show ends today, Saturday, May 8, with performances at 7 p.m. and 10 p.m. in Theatre Intime.
- Meghan Todt ‘11
Thursday, May 6, 2010
20 Sweet: Guest Contributor
Guest 20 Sweet contributor Roger Wang checking in....
You all had an amazing weekend filled with music and partying, apologies aside to those who had work to do. (Major kudos to those who went to Bamboozle on Sunday--I bet MGMT/Girl Talk/Wiz Khalifa/MC Chris AND KE$HA were amazing). However, now that the music's gone, how will you possibly make it through reading period? Well, here's a 20 Sweet to make writing those Dean's Date assignments that much easier. I’ve got a Half-and-half to get you through the last week of classes. The first 10 tracks are songs with “Tiger” in the artist name or title. I share some of my favorite mash-up artists in the second 10 songs. Did I leave something out? Hate a song? Leave a comment below.
1. Miniature Tigers – “Cannibal Queen”
a. The motivation for publishing this list was when I found out Miniature Tigers was coming to Tower, as I’ve had this Tiger-themed playlist for a while now, and thought that this would be a great time to share it.
2. Fear of Tigers – “Study Hard Drugs School”
a. One of my newest favorite artists, FoTs has some great remixes too (See below!).
a. Someone has been quoting La Roux on Goodcrush. I swear it’s not me.
4. First Aid Kit - “Tiger Mountain Peasant Song” (Fleet Foxes cover)
a. Swedish sisters covering Fleet Foxes—an amazing duet.
5. Tigersapien – “Used to Be (Clockwork Remix)”
a. An amazing remix, filled to the brim with heavy synths, and a sick, danceable beat.
6. Love Grenades – “Tigers in the Fire (Wayfarer Remix)”
a. The youtube video doesn’t do justice to Elizabeth Wright’s voice
7. The Republic Tigers – “Buildings and Mountains”
a. I don’t know how I felt when I found out that they were featured on “Gossip Girl”, so make your own judgment.
a. 4 words: Soda cans in hair. For full drama, check this out.
a. An oldie, but also an Indie
10. Drunken Tiger – “I Want You”
a. I’ll end with a curveball--Korean rap. The violin loop evokes feeling of lost love, but the lyrics are hardly as pure as the strings suggest. Best to just sit back and enjoy the bliss of ignorance. Translation here.
And now for some of my favorite mashups. Albums uploaded onto file-hosting sites have been authorized by the artist.
11. Divide & Kreate – “Dance Dreams” - (Lady Gaga – “Just Dance” vs. Eurythmics “Sweet Dreams”)
a. One of my favorite mash-up artists, check out his website: divideandkreate.com
12. The Hood Internet – “Melodies, Desires, & Charlotte” (Lykke Li – “Melodies & Desires” vs. Booka Shade – “Charlotte”)
13. DJ Gordon Gekko – “Know My Drugs” (Fear of Tigers - “Study Hard Drugs School” vs. Nas – “You Know My Style”)
14. Mashed Taters – “Bad Temperature” (Sean Paul – “Temperature” vs. The Bloodhound Gang “The Bad Touch)
15. DJ Abunai – “Apologize For Takin’ Over” (DJ Khaled – “We Takin’ Over” vs. One Republic “Apologize”)
a. Also check out his Summer and Winter Mashups albums—Notable songs: “Phone Sex Is Super Fun” (Soulja Boy vs. Ronald Jenkees), and “Jus a Pokemon” (Dizzee Rascal vs. the Pokemon Theme Song)
16. DJ Euphony – “My Blue Monday” (Black Eyed Peas – “My Humps” vs. New Order “Blue Monday”)
a. Other great tracks: “Lean With It – In Allegro” and “Remember the G-Slide”
17. DJ Fergie Ferg – “Columbus Sailed the Ocean Blue…”(Various Artists)
a. Liked “Aladin”? Check out “Make Way For Prince Fergie”
18. Whole-Z – “The Dome Show” (Three 6 Mafia – “I’d Rather” vs. MGMT – “Kids”)
a. Inappropriateness of mixing a song about oral sex with a song that samples the sound of kids on a playground: very high.
b. Check out “Magic Kryptonite” and “What is Twista”
19. White Noise – “Vader Is Luke’s Father” (Various Artists)
a. Make sure you watch “Citizen Kane”, “Fight Club”, “Titanic”, “The 6th Sense”, etc. before downloading the song’s album “Spoiler Alert”
b. List of what he samples here
20. Torpeedoh – “Anything Goes”(Various Artists…and the theme to “The Office”)
a. Album is ok, but check out “Take Me Home Tonight”
BONUS SONG:
AU79 - “That Song Everybody Likes” (Various Artists)
BAC: Dance takes on reality TV in its latest show
If you didn’t catch BAC’s “Swag Flu” last semester, “The Real Word: BAC” offers you another a chance. The performance traces six dancers on a reality TV show, “Swag School.” The perfect theme for reading week (no better way to procrastinate than with reality TV), the show is fun, witty, and packed with everything oyu love (or love to hate) about reality TV. Each piece is modeled after a show, including “Flavor of Love,” “Ex-Factor,” “So You Think You Can Dance,” and many more.
Some might say that five filler videos is one or two too many, but overall I think they’re merited. They certainly serve the theme well and make the reality TV experience more, well, real. We’re first introduced to “Geekwa,” “Cheer-Cheer,” ans “Unique,” along with the rest of the Swag School contestants. And like any good reality show, the fillers feature plenty of drama, confessions, and frighteningly bad auditions.
As for the dancing, there is a lot of talent in this company. There are definitely some stragglers, but I suppose that’s to be expected given the sheer size of the company. I can’t speak to the specifics of hip-hop technique, but it’s obvious that these dancers are really good at what they do. One thing to note is the strong stage presence carried by most of the dancers. There was an air of confidence throughout and many excellent dancers, but I was especially impressed by the performances of Lucy Fang ’12, Alexis Morgan ’10, and Ann Niehaus ’12.
The choreography is equally strong. Most of the pieces are hip-hop—fast, sharp, intense—and all exhibit well the notable technique of the dancers. A couple pieces slow down the momentum, however, which is a nice change: “The Ex-Factor” and “Prisoners of War.” I won’t spoil the ending of “Prisoners of War” by Carlo Frem ’12, but I did think it sort of broke the light-heartedness of the rest of the performance. Decide for yourself whether that’s good or bad.
Other stand out pieces include “Bad Girls Club” by Morgan, “Pimp My Ride” by Tevia Pollard ’12, and the final company piece. I was occasionally taken aback by some unflatteringly skimpy costumes or coarse language, so to the squeamish—be warned. The theme is reality television, after all. However, all things considered this is an excellent performance and a great way to put off studying this weekend. Plus, it’s not totally extracurricular: It is “Swag School” after all.
Cons: A little too much skin at times, some coarse language in the music (it is rap after all…), and potentially too many fillers.
Wednesday, May 5, 2010
Albums of the Month: April 2010
Pop/Rock: “My Best Friend Is You” – Kate Nash
Three years after her debut album “Made of Bricks,” Brit-popper Kate Nash is back with an album that diverges sharply from her earlier favorites like “Merry Happy” and “Foundations.” During these in-between years, Nash played bass and sang for a punk band called the Receeders, and the punk influences are noticeable on “My Best Friend Is You” – maybe even too noticeable. Tracks like “Paris” and “Do-Wah-Doo” are certainly catchy; they have those signature spots where Nash sings really fast and sounds like she’s yelling at you. Unfortunately, it seems that while Nash has injected more girl-power into her lyrics, she hasn’t upped the lyrical wit to match it. It’s a solid album, but Kate Nash has a ways to go before she can be the next Lily Allen.
-Sara Wallace ‘12
Indie: “Avi Buffalo” – Avi Buffalo
Considering this is the band’s first full release, Avi Buffalo’s self-titled album exhibits musical potential that's rare even in far more seasoned musicians. Avi Buffalo is a little bit of everything for just about everyone. Lead singer and guitarist Avi Buffalo sings with a youthful quality, invoking the vocals of MGMT or the Unicorns, and his lyrics speak to a quintessential teenage audience. But in the melodies and the complex interactions between all the instrumental elements, we find the thoughtfulness and coherence of a much more experienced band - Wilco in the whimsical guitar lines, and the Shins in the melodies. If you’re looking for a fresh take on a solid rock sound, definitely check this band out.
-Lisa Han ‘13
Rock: "Leave Your Sleep" – Natalie Merchant
Natalie Merchant is not a new name; she's also not a big name. But the chill singer-songwriter's new album is definitely one to check out, both for die-hard Merchant fans and for people that want to add something new to that cruisin'-down-a-sunset-lit-highway playlist. Merchant brings us her characteristic relaxed, acoustic songs with just a dash of spunk. And her lyrics on this album are especially interesting - you can tell off the bat from the song titles - on tracks like "Calico Pie" and "Spring and Fall: To a Young Child." Overall, "Leave Your Sleep" is definitely something to buy, even if you've never heard of Natalie.
-Jess Turner ‘12
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