With the early 00’s closing out in just two months, it felt like reason to go back over the last nine years of music and select what The Media Crunch feels are several of the decades best albums. The LP’s that were chosen were based on the potential to be classics or not, their perceived longevity and the influence and impact their sound had on the music scene.
THE FIVE
the Strokes: Is This It?
Amidst the 2001 garage rock revival scene the Strokes came out of a relative nowhere to deliver this 35 minute, lighting in a bottle album. Frontman Julian Casablancas wrote 11 songs that perfectly captured the hipster youth’s attention and delivered it with a swagger matched only by Nick Valensi’s and Albert Hammond Jr.’s guitar playing. the Strokes didn’t even sound like they were making an album, they were just having a good time and you were along for the ride.
The White Stripes: Elephant
Eminem: The Marshall Mathers LP
Kanye West: Late Registration
Say what you will about the man and his ego but when he promised to deliver big on his follow-up the multiplatinum College Dropout, he did. Kanye’s sampling ability mixed with Jon Brion’s arrangements made for one hell of an album. With hits like “Golddigger” “Touch the Sky” and the slow burning “Gone”, he upped his game while retaining what his fans (and music critics) liked him for. With orchestral chords, Adam Levine from Maroon 5 guesting and Jamie Foxx in his Ray Charles schtick, Kanye crafted a near perfect flowing pop/soul/hip-hop album. He clamoured for those pop hooks and in that regard he exceeded expectations. Time will tell if his other releases will hold up as well as this one (or if any will for that matter) but for now, he changed the way Hip-Hop was presented.
Amy Winehouse: Back to Black
Channelling her inner Ronnie Spector, Amy Winehouse followed up her mostly unknown first release Frank with an album that brought back a sixties soul revival. Producer Mark Ronson’s clever combination of a classic soul vibe intertwined with a modern day sound presented Amy as a towering vocal force that had to be reckoned with. At first the novelty of Rehab grabs your attention, but it isn’t until you dig deeper into cuts like You Know I’m No Good, Some Unholy War and the Marvin Gaye tinged Tears Dry On Their Own that you realize her anguish about losing her Blake is all real…and entertaining at the same time. Standing out above her peers, Ms. Winehouse managed to carve out her own sound while showcasing everything that inspired her.
When the whole Miss USA Pageant fight broke out, people were taking sides left and right on whether Carrie Prejean was in the wrong or not for what she said. Then shortly after stories came out about her not so nice side and some in the media said she was “being crucified for her beliefs.” If anything can display what her true level of reasoning and intellect is (aside from those mean accounts given from people who were around her) this is probably it. Throwing a hissy fit like a ten year old, Carrie loses it when asked a simple question while promoting her new book on Larry King.
Florence Welch is a 23 year old from London who’s alternating band mates are “the machine”. Her [literally ass kicking] song “Kiss With a Fist” was recently used in Diablo Cody’s new movie Jennifer’s Body. She has also appeared performing the single on The Late Show with David Letterman. Florence’s London accent combined with pop punk guitars and nuanced melodies with catchy hooks throughout the rest of the album give the band a fresh sound. For fans of Indie Pop/rock or for those that dig the likes of PJ Harvey or Kate Nash. Their first album Lungs dropped on July 5′th and has already wracked up some impressive acclaim. The rest of the album packs a much different flavour then this lead off track but it’s all delivered with catchy hooks and passionate vocals.
In Infinity Ward’s follow up the nearly 15 million selling mega hit Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare, players may stumble across something that tests their morality limit and may make them feel that the limit between art and insensitivity has crossed the line. In the much anticipated Modern Warfare 2 (which sees release on November 10′th) a realistic depiction of a terrorist act involving a few casually dressed Russians take place in an airport that is strikingly similar to a US setting. In the scene, the player gains control of a Russian terrorist briefly. In the video which leaked (which has been getting rapidly pulled down) flight goers are purchasing their tickets and going through the metal detectors when you and the other terrorists take out machine guns and mow down everybody inside. Men and women are massacred as you can see a woman slowly crawling across the floor, mouth agape crying for help. When moving through the level, realistically posed bodies are also laying down in stylized pools of blood on escalators and throughout the airport crawling and whimpering. Upon news of the leaked footage, publisher Activision released a statement saying “It’s there to depict the realities of war in a tasteful and thoughtful manner.” You can’t further harm these people, you can apparently skip it and the game is rated M for mature.
In addition to this, another central plot point of the game is a terrorist bombing on Washington DC with fights taking place in the streets near the white house.
Many may posit that this is no different then games like grand theft auto. What I feel differentiates the two is the level of realism depicted in this title. Infinity Ward prides itself over its depiction of realistic combat. The weapons are designed after real guns that they tested on a range and its plot similarly mirrors that of the war in Afghanistan. The biggest argument presented for why this scene is included is for artistic expression, but unlike movies, the level of immersion that video games provide far outweighs that of a spectator. I personally think that after events like 9/11 it’s completely insensitive and appalling to include a level like this. It’s one thing to have soldiers vs. terrorists in an airport, but the reasoning behind having you mow down defenceless civilians seems to be there just to drum up controversy. Video games have pushed boundaries before many times, but there has to be a point where a line is drawn.
Already the news press has been quick to jump on this with Australia already considering a re-evaluation and possible ban of the game. Regardless, preorders have already passed the million mark and it’s sure to be the biggest title release of the holiday line-up. In films you are a spectator, you aren’t the character. You aren’t given a choice in this scenario and despite the ability to skip it, it is a section which may have pushed the boundaries too far. In making a case for artistic intents vs. sensitivity, where do you think the line should be drawn?
While the 82′nd Oscars won’t happen until March of next year, how can the Academy not take note of Christoph Waltz’s outstanding performance as Hans Landa in Quentin Tarantino’s newest film Inglorious Basterds right now? The opening scene in which “the Jew Hunter” interrogates a farmer suspected of harbouring Jews while drinking a glass of milk is golden. The rising tension, the way this actor who had only done theatre and a few films before this managed to play a character so defined, at once inviting and then at the flip of a coin sinister, is nothing short of brilliant. He was able to be humorous, villainous and pleasant and have you believe every facet. It’d be hard to capture how good his performance was in words, you’d have to see it for yourself to get the true grasp of it. In a film with high talent, this man managed to chew up the scenery every time he was on screen.
Many actors under Tarantino’s direction have gone on to score nominations and not win. His last two efforts, Kill Bill and Death Proof received nothing. Maybe this will break that spell. He’s already won the Best Actor Award for this film at the Cannes Film Festival where it premiered, this is only the next logical step. Even though there are many films to be released between now and March, here’s an early bid for a Best Actor/Supporting Actor Nod for this fine actor. This is one of those perfect performances that will be hard to forget.
This 27 year old from Toronto Canada just released her debut album “The Bridge” which is chalk full of catchy pop with an old/current R&B vibe. The first single, “Give It To Me Right” samples the Zombies’ “Time of the Season” while Fiona sings coolly over the beat.
Based on that single, which you can check out here, I decided to pick up her album. It’s good, very catchy, nice summer listening. The first nine out of twelve tracks are all catchy with maybe one slow song out of the bunch. The last three are ballads and forgettable, but 9 out of 12 is good enough for me since many of them have been on repeat. It should be on iTunes so you can give it a preview if you want. Melanie has a good voice and comes across as the “struggling musician” type since she was signed to her label for seven years before an album dropped. She also thanked Canada and Toronto twice in the notes so there’s some Canadian “support our musicians” pride there as well. The handclaps, soul and “smooth voice riding a nice beat” makes me feel like this is the perfect album to drive through the city listening to on a nice day.
Don’t really expect anything other than catchy pop, the equivalent of a summer popcorn movie. It’s fun while it lasts and her voice stands out from the bunch since she can actually sing the songs on the album the same live; unlike some current pop acts. Plus she writes many of her songs and the legendary L. Dozier co-wrote a track. She also opened for Kanye West before she released an album and has performed with the Roots. It’s not quite Amy Winehouse level of mixing old school and new but it does a good job.
That’s my blurb, check her out if you can. (Imo, key tracks) “You Stop My Heart” “Monday Morning” “Priceless” and “Walk On By”. Plus “Give it To Me Right” has wracked up quite a playcount for me in iTunes so far, 25 to be exact. Worth checking out.
Taking more then a few jabs at herself in this recent Funny or Die video, Lindsay Lohan shows she has a sense of [self deprecating] humor and rolls with the punches in this fake e-harmony clip.
Leaked online (how ironic!) this morning, the verdict for the “suits” vs the founders of popular torrent site Pirate Bay is in. They lose. Frederik Neij, Gottfrid Svartholm Warg, Carl Lundstrom and Peter Sunde were found guilty of breaking copyright law and were sentenced to a year in jail in addition to paying $3.5 million in damages to companies such as Sony Music Entertainment, EMI and Columbia Pictures. Whether or not the site will still run is entirely incumbent on the users, as it is they who on a daily basis upload unreleased movies, music and television shows that cause these studios headaches. After this successful lawsuit, it would not be surprising for these companies to go after the other ones as well. Now that they’ve downed the biggest, its time to keep going whether people like it or not.
On tonight’s American Idol, gospel/R&B singer Lil’ Rounds and Bluesy pianist Matt Giraud were in the bottom three. After a performance from Miley Cyrus, it was revealed that Matt would be leaving the show. Though, after deliberation and Simon’s quip of “I can’t see you winning” the judges used their sole “save” on him, allowing him to perform again next week. Two contestants will be voted off next week with the musical theme being disco.
This almost sounds like a trap. since when does a movie studio give you a free ticket to see a movie you complained about not finding on a torrent? That was the case for a Twitterer by the name of omgamandaa who wanted to find a cam for the newly released “Adventureland” to no avail. She made a rant about it (in 140 words or less) then Miramax themselves replied. I was sure they would’ve typed up legal papers, not a ticket. Guess they think this will give them good publicity, until 500 0thers try it.
I wouldn’t of believed this myself without the proof, so here’s the post below:
