Inside Beat 2012-02-02

FEBRUARY 2, 2012 • VOL. 29, NO. 26

INSIDEBEAT THE WEEKLY ENTERTAINMENT MAGAZINE OF THE DAILY TARGUM

Men’s Fashion Zoolander Round Two? A LEDGE N O N A MODS • M IM R Y K S • D UP KICKS E P M U P • T • WILCO IF L IR A H C REDTAILS•

Page 2 • Inside Beat

February 2, 2012

EDITOR’S RANT, THEATER & ART

FASHION ADS: STYLED

BY ASHLEY PARK ASSISTANT EDITOR

Some people might say that fashion, instead of moving forward, revolves in circles. For example, flare jeans have moved from hippies in the ’60s, to the bottom bins of the Goodwill and back into the wardrobes of modern-day hipsters. Looks like flares took one leap forward and two steps back. Just last year, I was eyeing a Kate Spade handbag that I couldn’t afford. Now, the same design is on sale but in a different color, and I still can’t afford it! Assuming that a lot of the products churned out ever y

season are not new, but old made new, why are we as consumers always wanting more?

Despite all the heavy marketing — a “new” trend, a “hot” collection, the “it” bag — there’s actually a lot of monotony to fashion perhaps created by the marketing itself. Think about it. How many products advertised in past issues of VOGUE or Harper’s BAZAAR do you actually remember? There’s a sort of emptiness and formulaic nature to the ad campaigns that render them unmemorable — Photoshop plus a leggy model plus clothes and accessories only bought by the “1 percent.” Is it really innovation

we’re looking at or just the semblance of innovation? The sheer saturation of images and fastpaced season-by-season nature of the fashion world encourages forgetfulness, making it seem like that blouse is “so modern” when actually it walked the runway five years ago. Ho hum.

So like a hypnotist’s pocket watch, heavy advertising in the fashion world simultaneously makes consumers forget old styles while tricking them into thinking new trends are actually new! They create black holes of want, of demand, which result in a financial void. They condemn existing ensembles as “out,” and delude us

into thinking that by buying into their “nowness,” we will somehow be enhanced — taller, slimmer, more confident — only to be brought down again next season.

Urban Decay just came out with a sequel to their successful eye shadow palette, NAKED. The “new” colors are very similar with some tonal rearrangements here and there. But really, is anyone going to stop you on the street and say, “Those colors on your eyes are clearly from the NAKED 2, not NAKED 1, palette.”

Balancing wants (an upgraded pair of Nike Air Safaris) and needs (a coat without holes in it) is not always easy, especially when fash-

Z OË S ZATHMARY .................................................... EDITOR EDITOR EDITOR

FREDDIE MORGAN............................................................................TV EDITOR EMILY GABRIELE.......................................................................MUSIC EDITOR HEATHER TEDESCO................................................................THEATER EDITOR ZOË SZATHMARY....................................................................FASHION EDITOR JILLIAN PASON..........................................................................COPY EDITOR KEITH FREEMAN.........................................................................PHOTO EDITOR ALEX NATANZON............................................................................FILM EDITOR JASON PEARL...............................................................................ONLINE EDITOR RYAN SURUJNATH...........................................................VIDEO GAMES EDITOR

SELL

ion articles are always screaming that readers “must have” this.

Don’t be afraid to question the authorities — even the fashion highpriestess Anna Wintour. Be smart.

What sort of agenda might the author have? Will this product really fill a gaping hole in my wardrobe, or do I already own some version of it? Does this fit my style? If the answers are negative, sit on your wallet. If you whole-heartedly believe you’re making a thoughtful, non-impulsive purchase, go ahead. It never looks good to be a brainless, trend-following mannequin. As Yves Saint Laurent once said, “Fashions fade, style is eternal.”

INSIDEBEAT

EDITORIAL BOARD RYAN SURUJNATH.....................................................ASSOCIATE ASHLEY PARK...................................................ASSISTANT

TO

THIS WEEK’S CONTRIBUTORS TO INSIDE BEAT :

Rutgers Student Center 126 College Avenue, Suite 431 New Brunswick, NJ 08901 Phone (732) 932-2013 Fax (732) 246-7299 Email beat@dailytargum.com Web www.inside-beat.com Advertising in Inside Beat, Call (732) 932-7051 Monday through Friday, 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.

Spence Blazak Tammie Choiu Diana Cholankeril Jessica Espinosa Elena Georgopoulos Saskia Kusnecov Gianni Stefanelli Cover Photo Courtesy of style.com

Coming Soon to a Theater Near You

BY HEATHER TEDESCO THEATER EDITOR

Rutgers Night Live IV: Cinderella Story Cabaret Theatre Feb. 3-4 cabarettheatre.org Much Ado About Nothing Rutgers Theatre Company Feb. 3-18 masongross.r utgers.edu/theater/calendar

Eurydice Jameson Project Feb. 8-12 masongross.r utgers.edu/theater/calendar

Topdog/Underdog Rutgers Theatre Company Feb. 24 – March 3 masongross.r utgers.edu/theater/calendar

Leagaly Blonde **AUDITIONS** Livingston Theatre Company Feb. 10-11 rultc.org

A Taste of Honey Jameson Project Feb. 29 – March 4 masongross.r utgers.edu/ theater/calendar

How I Learned to Drive Cabaret Theatre Feb. 17-25 cabarettheatre.org

Bare March 1-4 rultc.org

Cool Things in the Art World:Museum of Bags

BY SASKIA KUSNECOV STAFF WRITER

There’s a growing theme of nostalgia in the art world … last week it brought us Tom Tierney’s paper dolls, and this week it brings us the Museum of Bags.

The Museum of Bags was founded by Lee and Howard Forman. An avid collector of Bloomingdale’s shopping bags, Lee Forman became more interested in the design and history of bags as cultural icons after graduating from American University

with an arts degree. The Museum of Bags is an online archive of a total of 7,000 bags — paper and plastic — from various times throughout history, featuring artists and cultural icons from the 1800s to modern day.

There are items such as Roy Lichtenstein’s Thanksgiving turkey bag and Andy Warhol’s soup can bag, as well as monuments from periods of history like the silver jubilee of the coronation of Queen Elizabeth in 1952.

The Museum is currently only online, despite a plan to also have

a physical venue. Online you can view these items in categories like “From Americana to Art,” “Politics and War” to “Special Occasions” and more. The bags are meant to bring about memories from all areas of life, whether they’re religious events, political milestones, fashion or art.

While the store is not open yet, these bags are a must-see for anyone interested in design or histor y.

For more information, you can check out themuseumofbags.org

Inside Beat • Page 3

February 2, 2012

FASHION & BOOKS

Pumped Up Kicks

BY ZOË SZATHMARY INSIDE BEAT EDITOR

College students are stereotypically portrayed preferring comfort to style … but who says you can’t have both?

Fashion blogs, as well as major runway designers, have tapped into the stylish street wear culture, offering a wide array of cuts, textures and detailing. Instead of woozily sauntering to class with a hangover and beat-up tennis shoes, consider one of the following smart options below.

Graphic Content: X-FACTOR

BY JASON PEARL ONLINE EDITOR

While many team books like New Avengers or the most recent Annihilators miniseries tend to focus on big action scenes, X-Factor’s main focus is on character.

With a large and diverse cast featuring mutants of several different creeds, nationalities and sexual orientations, this book delivers on a level that many other superhero series struggle to reach.

The current X-Factor series, which was launched in 2005 with veteran scribe Peter David at the helm, focuses on the mutant detective agency X-Factor Investi-

gations. Led by the self-duplicating Jamie Madrox (aka Multiple Man), this investigative outfit is comprised of some of the most interesting characters in the Marvel Universe. Even when not solving metahuman mysteries the team has had to face countless other crises, ranging from extradimensional assassins to mystical were-children.

Most recently, the group took on a case involving the murder of Squatter and her kidnapped son, which brought them into conflict with a soul-stealing demon. During the ensuing battle, Madrox was seemingly killed by the aforementioned hellspawn. How-

ever, it was revealed that while Multiple Man’s body may have been killed, his consciousness is being pulled into alternate reality versions of himself as they each face death as well. Back in the mainstream reality, as the members of X-Factor attempt to reconcile their teammate’s death, they are surprised by the reintroduction of former team leaders Havok (Cyclops’ brother) and Polaris (Magneto’s daughter).

With the return of a fan-favorite (super) power couple and Madrox’s intriguing bounce through the multiverse, X-Factor will surely continue to be one of Marvel’s best monthly series.

While these sneakers may not necessarily be appropriate for your next athletic adventure, they’ll certainly make a splash on the runway that is College Avenue.

From top to bottom: Nike Court Force High Top Sneakers, $116.38 Ash Genial Mid Heel Buckle Wedge Sneakers, $248.88 Le Coq Sportif High Top Sneakers, $108 Mancapane Silk & Lace Floral High Top Sneakers, $195 Rachel by Rachel Roy Adinah Sneaker, $80

Page 4 • Inside Beat

February 2. 2012

TV & VIDEO GAMES

MODDIN G SKYRIM

COURTESY OF FANPOP.COM

FRAN DRESCHER

We i r d T V N e w s

BY FREDDIE MORGAN TV EDITOR

Get a load of these unbelievable news stories about television stars that happened just last week!

Former staffer Paul Tarascio filed a lawsuit against NBC Universal and the host of Late Night with Jimmy Fallon, accusing the show of gender bias. The plaintiff alleges in the suit that he was dropped from his job as stage manager because he’s a male.

According to Fallon’s director David Diomedi, Jimmy prefers to take direction from a woman, and has replaced several men by women upon request.

In an interview with The Huffington Post, The Nanny star Fran Drescher said both she and her ex-husband Peter Marc Jacobson had an encounter with aliens when they were teenagers while driving on the road with their fathers.

Drescher speculates that their similar experiences were not coincidence, stating, “I think that somehow we were programmed [by aliens] to meet.”

Drescher adds that she and Jacobson both have “the exact same scar on the exact same spot.” Jacobson believes she scalded herself with hot water, but Drescher believes “that’s where the chip is.”

Former So You Think You Can Dance choreographer Alex Da Silva was sentenced to

10 years in prison after a jury convicted him on rape charges Friday. According to TMZ.com, the 43-year-old choreographer, who worked on the FOX show through the first four seasons, was convicted of one count of rape and one count of assault with intent to commit rape. He was initially arrested in 2009 and charged with the rape and sexual assault of four women who were once his dance students. Since then, the remaining counts were subsequently dismissed. Da Silva was ordered to register as a sex offender as well.

Jay Leno has been facing a lot of backlash from a gag that appeared on Jan. 19 broadcast of NBC’s Tonight Show. In this bit, a parody from The Insider depicted the homes of the Republican presidential candidates. When Mitt Romney’s summer home was announced, the video instead cut to an image of the Golden Temple in Amritsar, the spiritual center of the Sikh faith.

India’s outraged Sikh community was the first to protest, but what was meant as a throwaway joke has now snowballed into a global controversy. Leno and NBC were sued for defamation over the matter, and now British Labour Party lawmakers are seeking an apology to all Sikhs for a disrespectful representation of the Golden Temple.

PHOTOS COURTESY OF BETHESDA

BY RYAN SURUJNATH ASSOCIATE EDITOR

One of the best things about PC gaming is the wealth of high quality, user-created content available over the Internet. With The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim having been on the market for several months now, the wizards over at Skyrimnexus.com have been hard at work, attempting to augment and improve an already spectacular game. From massive, gamechanging overhauls to fine-tuning small details, there are all sorts of mods readily available for those who wish to add something to their Skyrim experience. Of the hundreds of mods available at Skyrim Nexus, here are a few wellimplemented ones that are worth checking out.

1. SKYUI

ALEX DA SILVA

COURTESY OF BUZZBOX.COM

BY

SCHLANGSTER

The SkyUI team has attempted to undertake a pretty daunting task: revamping Skyrim’s entire user interface. SkyUI replaces Skyrim’s default menus with sleeker and neater interfaces that are more intuitive with keyboard and mouse controls. It even manages to include a very useful textsearch utility, which makes navigating inventory and magic

menus much easier. The SkyUI team aims to find a balance between overloading menus with too much information and creating menus that too simplistic.

2. A QUALITY WORLD MAP ROADS BY ICEPENGUIN

WITH

This mod makes a profound improvement to Skyrim’s world map. In addition to adding highresolution textures to make the map look better, IcePenguin's map mod displays main roads, making travel across Skyrim a lot more enjoyable.

3. THE ULTIMATE MOD TYTANIS

BY

Tytanis’ Ultimate Mod is quite possibly the most ambitious project on Skyrim Nexus. This mod adds what can only be described as a mountain of new items, spells, weapons and perks to Skyrim’s already impressive arsenal. However, this is only one dimension of The Ultimate Mod. Tytanis has promised that future updates will include numerous multiplayer features, including cooperative dungeons and even open world PvP servers.

4. SKYRIM HD

BY

NEBUL A

Those fortunate enough to

possess a PC that exceeds Skyrim’s system requirements can download this mod to enhance the game's visuals. Skyrim HD is a massive 1.5 gigabyte mod that replaces default textures with incredibly detailed, custom ones. Of course, these new textures can lead to drops in frame rate and increased loading times, but the quality difference is ver y noticeable.

5. WARS IN SKYRIM

BY ALEXANDROX For those looking for a bit more immersion in their Skyrim experience, this mod can remedy such a desire. The Wars in Skyrim mod adds a bit of unpredictability to exploring the world by spawning groups of tough enemies at random locations and times. Furthermore, there exists the chance of encountering multiple factions of enemies at the same time and triggering large-scale battles that make the game more challenging.

Mods are a fun way to extend a game's longevity. Skyrim is already an incredibly detailed and long game on its own, but the presence of mods will encourage additional playthroughs for years to come.

It’s a Man’s World Dandies, princes and lounge lizards — these were just some of the stylish personas presented at the Fall/Winter 2012 menswear shows in New York, Paris and Milan. While the majority of fashion journalism is dedicated to the ladies, there’s a whole sea of men waiting for their turn in the spotlight.

Inside Beat investigates the hottest men’s fashions, soon to be seen on a sidewalk near you.

— Zoë Szathmary, Inside Beat Editor

Balmain - War and Peace

Olivier Rousteing may be a newcomer at the renowned French fashion house, but he put forth some of the strongest — and wearable — looks for men this year. Allegedly inspired by Russian military uniforms, his overcoats and blazers are sure to soon be seen everywhere. Rousteing kept things from getting too stately with motorcycle boots, zipper jackets and interesting detailing … imagine Prince Andrei as a member of a rock ‘n’ roll band. Don’t be surprised if your favorite musicians start wearing Balmain threads everywhere.

PHOTOS COURTESY OF STYLE.COM

Dolce & Gabbana - Beau Brummell 2.0 Domenico Dolce and Steffano Gabbana seem to have raided the legendary clotheshorse’s wardrobe this year, as models sauntered down the runway in fur-trimmed overcoats and rich wool suits. A smaller percentage of the collection, however, featured chunky knits and professorial trousers. While the majority of the collection was intriguing and Byronic, certain pieces, like the brocade blazers, were awkward and unwelcome.

Gucci - That ‘70s Show Gucci creative director Frida Giannini has never been embarrassed by her love for glam rock — she’s admitted in interviews to having a record collection in the thousands, featuring records by David Bowie and Roxy Music. Her collection for 2012 was subdued, louche and sexy: corduroy jackets in rich greens, satiny charcoal and purple trousers, and well-cut overcoats are all drool-worthy...perfect for the morning after a night at Studio 54.

Burberry Prorsum - Tinker, Tailor... ’70s chic was all over Christopher Bailey’s runway, too...but it seems to have taken its inspiration from John le Carré’s celebrated spy novels instead. Models were impeccable in sharp, menacing tweed suits — matching their sharp, menacing cheekbones, lending an air of Cold War paranoia. Other looks featured quilted jackets and newsboy caps, which brought to mind huntsman in the English countryside. Bailey did add some, flair, however, by throwing in tinkered-with Navajo prints and geometric patterns on coats, sweaters and umbrellas.

Editors’ Picks

Marc Jacobs

Alexander Wang

Balenciaga

Alexander McQueen

Page 8 • Inside Beat

February 2, 2012

FILM

COURTESY OF ALLMOVIEPHOTO.COM

BY ELENA GEORGOPOULOS STAFF WRITER

George Lucas was once a god to fan boys, creating some of the most memorable and successful movie franchises to grace the silver screen. Recent years and reviews have not been so kind to Mr. Lucas, who recently said he would retire from directing and producing mainstream movies. However, he does so after completing his latest project Red Tails, a WWII movie 15 years in the making. Why did it take so long? Red Tails describes the

Red Tails Anthony Hemingway | C +

Tuskegee Airmen, the first AfricanAmerican pilots in the military at a time when the country they were fighting for still had Jim Crow laws.

Lucas said that studios were reluctant to release this film since it would not appeal to a non-U.S. market, thus hurting profits. Nevertheless, in a genre so understood and played out, this war movie tells one story that hasn’t been told.

Red Tails is very much a film that would have been released in 1950 in order to justify and glorify America’s role in WWII; it features brave soldiers who are torn

between following orders or their hearts, motivational speeches, evil Nazis and young men willing to fight and secure their place in history. Intense air combat scenes and racially-charged arguments create good suspense for the audience, truly making a viewer root for these men.

Unfortunately, what detracts from the overall movie is a lack of good writing, original cinematography and any character development. Traits and features about the characters are introduced only to be ignored for a chunk of the

film and never really be explained.

The usual archetypes are filled out in this war movie — the conflicted captain, the tough colonel, the hotheaded joker, the youngest man wanting to prove himself — presenting these men as alternate race versions of characters from other war films rather than individuals with their own demons and insecurities. The main hope that this film puts across is to create an interest in a group of soldiers that were just as brave, if not braver, than anyone else who goes to war.

However, it ignores what other

more recent war movies point out: war is not about bravery or heroism, nor is it an adventure-filled place where you get to make new friends. Those who experienced it have traumas and stories that show the ugliness of all human beings, and to suggest that it is any different is insultingly unrealistic.

All in all, Red Tails is still an emotionally pulling and entertaining film that covers usually glossed over heroes and should be appealing to young people who want more than what the textbooks tell them.

Paul Giamatti: America’s Best Leading Man COURTESY OF ALLMOVIEPHOTO.COM

BY SPENCE BLAZAK STAFF WRITER

When debating the issue of Hollywood's leading man, names like DiCaprio, Depp and Damon are frequently tossed around the conversation. While all of these actors are indubitably at the top of their profession, there is one actor who has proved time and time again that he just might have no peer: no, not Ashton Kutcher, but Paul Giamatti.

Some people say that there is no way to measure actors up against each other, but quite frankly, those people are dead wrong. One can use the following scale to judge the full scope of an actor's prowess: to perform in comedy as well as drama, to have a career that can survive being in a kid's movie, to play both supporting and starring roles, to have a wide array of “flawless performances” and to act well in an awful movie. Paul Giamatti gets a perfect 10 in every one of these categories, while Philip Seymour Hoffman and George Clooney fall just short.

Firstly, the majority of Giamatti characters feature swells of emotion with accessible tenderness one second and perfectly timed comedic relief the next. In terms of comedy, his two best roles are the villain in Shoot ’Em Up who hunts Clive Owen while trying to salvage his marriage and his guest appearance as a socially inept TV editor who is obsessed with the Islanders on 30 Rock. When his role

asks him to be, Giamatti is always the funniest man on the screen.

Another important part of a well-rounded career is being able to swallow one's pride and take a supporting role every now and again. Films like The Illusionist and Cinderella Man are pretty good, but without the glue of Giamatti's performances holding them together, they would have just been dismal.

The next step is to be able to appear in a movie as bad as Lady in the Water and still hold your head high. As silly as the movie is, Giamatti never once makes a fool of himself. The same goes with kids’ movies like Fred Claus and Big Fat Liar. In the former, he plays a Santa Claus for the ages.

Finally, every great actor gets at least one “role of a life time,” but Giamatti has had four: a man at the brink in Sideways, a cynical comic book artist in American Splendor, a Founding Father in HBO’s John Adams and a neurotic TV producer with decades of girl trouble in Barney’s Version. He shows a range that not many other actors posses and loses himself in roles in a way that rivals Marlin Brando or Laurence Olivier.

If Giamatti retired from acting today, he would still be his generation’s best actor, and his body of work is filled with uncountable hours of gems. Almost every performance from the Giamatti vault is worth checking out for fans of cinema, actors or disgruntled bearded men.

Inside Beat • Page 9

February 2, 2012

FILM

BY SASKIA KUSNECOV STAFF WRITER

With all the elements of modern gangster movies, French crime director Jean-Pierre Melville’s Le Cercle Rouge captures the intellectual surrealism of French cinema in a grounded, engaging manner.

French film star Alain Delon (Un Flic) stars as Corey, a sly, polished criminal with an extravagant monetary agenda. He is released from prison to fulfill a task given to him by one of the policeman in the force — setting up a theme of police corruption and a general lack of innocence among men. The same day he is released, the murderer Vogel escapes from the custody of Mattei, the police superintendent, on a moving train.

The two eventually meet, at first expecting one to fear the other, launching both men into an instinctive aggression. But when the two men realized they are both guilty and running, the only natural choice seems to be teamwork.

The first scene presents an alleged quote from Siddartha Gautama: “When men, even unknowingly, are to meet one day, whatever may befall each, whatever their diverging paths, on the said day, they will inevitably come

together in the red circle.” The red circle is the symbolic chalk drawing by the Buddha that brings these men together. In the case of Le Cercle Rouge, even men as soft and simple as Mattei have to come to understand this.

Stylistically, Le Cercle Rouge maintains the unsaturated color and wardrobe of other crime films

by French directors of its time.

The aspect that sets Corey apart from Vogel is his dress: his light trench coat and polished shoes allow him to blend in with the other investigators and policemen, blurring the traditional image of the criminal straight from the sewers. By denying viewers clear visual cues as to whether characters are good or evil, Melville allows audience members to inspect the true nature of characters for themselves.

The faded, unsaturated earth tones of the mise-en-scene in the film provide clarity and a sense of reality among ver y surreal and provocative plot developments.

Overall, this monument in the French crime genre is a compelling one for those who are interested in commentary on human nature, corruption in French society, or someone who is sick of the bang and boom of modern day crime films.

Le Cercle Rouge (The Red Circle) COURTESY OF ALLMOVIEPHOTO.COM

MAN ON A LEDGE Asger Leth | BCOURTESY OF ALLMOVIEPHOTO.COM

BY LISA-ANNA MIGLIORE STAFF WRITER

Director Asger Leth’s latest thriller, Man on a Ledge, uniquely maneuvers around the inescapable expectations of its title but still fails to present the above average film many assumed it wouldn’t be. The film centers on fugitive Nick Cassidy (Sam Worthington, Texas Killing Fields), a man who threatens to jump to his death from his Manhattan hotel window. He is soon joined by Lydia Mercer (Elizabeth Banks,

Our Idiot Brother), a disgraced police negotiator who is hesitant but hopeful of talking down the ex-cop turned convict. Although it appears Nick is going to end his life, the audience learns that Cassidy is actually diverting attention away from a huge diamond heist occurring just a few buildings down: a heist focused on unearthing the very diamond tycoon, David Englander (Ed Harris, That’s What I Am), who framed him for stealing a year earlier. It is up to Cassidy to convince Mercer, the only one willing to listen, of his innocence and

clear his tarnished name from the history books forever.

The challenge with using a blatantly foretelling title like Man on a Ledge is that viewers enter the movie thinking, “to jump or not to jump?” They know that the latter is not an option because jumping off the hotel ledge mid-movie would make it too short and unfulfilling. Actor Sam Worthington doesn’t even appear to be as frightened as he should be. It could be argued that Worthington is calmer in demeanor than he should be because his character knows it is all

a ruse. However, his failure to invoke the sentiment of outmost terror hovering thousands of feet above concrete calls attention to the fact that the landscape is a fake and possibly green screened.

What’s so scary about that?

Asger Leth and writer Pablo F. Fenjves are able to save the “thrill” in this thriller by including a heist subplot to amend where the outer layer of the story fails.

Burglaries, villains and corrupt police add cliché twists to the story, but they are the only semiinteresting things moving it along.

Also, since Cassidy’s past is revealed slowly as he is relaying it to Mercer, this grabs the attention of viewers who are anxious to know why he chose to get on that ledge in the first place.

Despite its clichés, predictability and use of superficial stereotypes, it is still a clever movie.

Various stories could have spawned from the simple concept of having a man on a ledge, but Leth and Fenjves chose to present an entertaining heist thriller that you’ll want to see once, maybe even twice.

Page 10 • Inside Beat

February 2, 2012

MUSIC

Chairlift Something| B+

PHOTOS COURTESY OF FANPOP.COM

BY DIANA CHOLANKERIL STAFF WRITER

W h e n artists like Rihanna churn out hit-making albums every year, a four-year gap between albums seems like an eternity in the fast-paced music world. Yet, avid

music lovers and producers alike forget that time is sometimes necessary to produce solid works of music. That’s exactly what electropop band Chairlift has on their hands with its sophomore release: an undeniable work of electro-pop art. The group’s newest release, Something, is definitely more than its mediocre namesake and proves that quality indeed trumps quantity.

Something opens with the bewitching number “Sidewalk Sa-

fari” — it leaves listeners spellbound as if they just walked into a broken ’80s video game. But on a second, third and 10th listen, it becomes apparent that this intoxicating farrago of bubbling synths and genuine vocals are an excellent beginning to Something’s charm.

Chairlift’s members prove on this album that they are consummate shape-shifters. Their influences are quite varied and far-ranging in the pop world.

Songs like “I Belong in Your Arms” and “Ghost Tonight,” are reminiscent of Fleetwood Mac and Hall & Oates. However, the ballad “Cool as a Fire” takes a different direction. When it pulsates through the speakers, you have to do a double take and make sure you didn’t just play an old Whitney Houston record. Of course, there are a few downtempo moments that don’t quite match with the pace of the rest of

the album, but they are the only weak points on this other wise wonderfully toxic album.

Fans delighted by Chairlift’s debut effort will be blown away by Something. It’s what a good album should strive to be — a story. In a music world that is becoming increasingly disenchanted by minute-made singles and even more so removed from full-length albums, this is definitely a diamond in the rough.

INGRID MICHAELSON

Human Again| A

BY GIANNA STEFANELLI STAFF WRITER

T h e q u i r k y songstress, I n g r i d Michaelson, treks into foreign territory on her fourth studio album, Human Again.

Ditching the coffee shop lullabies, Michaelson takes a more serious stance on her new album. This time around, she strays from her sweet and whimsical musical formula — Human Again is much more than Michaelson’s pretty voice and her ukulele.

Full of orchestral powerhouses and lyrical gems, the album is evidence to Michaelson’s growth as an artist. On her album, Michaelson collaborates with the producer, David Kahne, who worked with artists like Imogen Heap, Paul McCartney and Stevie Nicks. His influence on the album is apparent, as Human Again contains brilliant pop songs that are the perfect balance between emotional and commercial.

Although Michaelson’s new maturity is obvious, it is refreshing to see that she has yet to grow out of her ability to relate to her audience. She is something of a poet, as her witty metaphors and honest lyrics are the driving force behind all of her tracks.

Michaelson proves to be a talented storyteller in the simple but moving ballad, “How We Love.”

Throughout the track, she ponders on the nature of love and how it personally affects a lonely and heartbroken man she once knew.

She croons, “We hate the rain when it fills up our shoes/But how we love when it washes our cars.”

“Fire” is the next best track on the album. As it starts with a swell of strings, it quickly picks up to tell the tale of a masochist in an unhealthy relationship. While it is film trailer catchy, it is also truly sincere…much like many of the songs on the album. Expect to hear a couple of the great tracks on Human Again on your TV or radio soon.

PHOTOS COURTESY OF SECRET ROAD AND GAVIN CONATY

Inside Beat • Page 11

February 2, 2012

MUSIC COURTESY OF AUSTIN NELSON

W I L C O Wilco: iTunes Session| B+ COURTESY OF ZORAN ORLIC

BY SPENCE BLAZAK STAFF WRITER

After only three months, Wilco is back. The Chicago pioneers of alternative countr y kicked off 2012 with a brief iTunes-only studio session. Fresh off of the album, The Whole Love, the group has been receiving a lot of heat. Fans and critics grumble that they “aren’t the same band they used to be,” and many remark that front man Jeff Tweady has been constructing “hasty” lyrics and “halfhearted” guitar licks.

Wilco: iTunes Session is here to silence the haters. The album consists of eight songs that have all the clarity and feeling of a live performance without the relentless

hoots and hollers of a crowd. The first five songs of the live session are selections from The Whole Love. It is evident that the song selection was very carefully chosen in hopes of accentuating the accessibility of the group’s most recent album that was looked over by many listeners.

The final three songs are “War on War,” “Passenger Side” and a cover of “Cruel to Be Kind.”

The first is a Wilco classic about futility, but the final two are the album’s strongest points. The former is from their first album and has rarely been performed live in recent years.

Hearing Tweady sing his passionate song from over a decade and a half ago about control issues in a relationship adds the perfect

amount of nostalgia to the project.

The album closes with Nick Lowe’s classic ’70s pop song that strikes an exemplary tone by fea-

turing Lowe himself along with Wilco. All in all, the EP is yet another reason to reanalyze Wilco’s impressive catalog of work.

ASTEROIDS GALAXY TOUR Out of Frequency| B+

BY TAMMIE CHIOU STAFF WRITER

The Asteroids Galaxy Tour sounds a little like an underground Prohibition speakeasy transplanted on Newt Gingrich’s “moon colony” — or even a soundtrack of a movie about space cowboys. The duo features producer Lars Iversen and vocalist Mette Lindberg. Hailing from Denmark and specializing in a rambunctious, free-forall sound, they have gained popularity with big brand companies, such as Heineken and Apple, who have snapped up their songs for commercials.

The majority of the songs on Out of Frequency are accompanied by glitzy and sparkly clanking and banging, which backs a blustery entourage of brass and occasionally

wind instruments. In their highlight single, “Major,” the band brings in a firing squad of trumpets that bounce off of Mette Lindberg’s chalky alley cat voice, with heavy echoing reverb throughout the bridge.

“Cloak and Dagger” pulls out a noir element. It dresses down with a steady bass beat and an airy whistle, matching note-for-note with Lindberg. Her voice skips down the verses and leads to the track’s bright, concluding explosion, once again, with bright brass.

On the sweeter side, “Suburban Space Invader” hums with a dreamy gush of bubbly, waterfall-like synths.

Transitioning back and forth from explosive to lo-fi sounds, Out of Frequency is a splurge of dance-pop bliss and should take up a choice spot in your summer playlist.

COURTESY OF SIGURD GRUNBERGER

COURTESY OF FACEBOOK.COM/THEASTEROIDSGALAXYTOUR