The Wake

It’s hard to tell whether the harshest critics of Wes Anderson (director of such films as Life Aquatic with Steve Zissou and The Royal Tenenbaums) lack imagination, or whether they flat-out don’t get it. Either way, his work can be easily characterized as “not for everyone.”These critics need to offer legitimate rationale for this negative point of view. Instead, they use buzzwords like “pretentious” and “affected,” and calling Anderson a one-trick pony who relies on the same formula of privileged characters desensitized by disjointed familial issues.Though I would agree that there is a definite tone and common subject matter present in Anderson’s work, to call it a formula is to undermine the entire notion of an auteur. It would be like saying Akira Kurosawa was formulaic because he made samurai movies.The word pretentious is …

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In this day and age, it’s no wonder that a fictional animated metal band can blow away an audience. That’s exactly what Dethklok, the band featured in the show “Metalocalypse” on Cartoon Network’s Adult Swim, did on Wednesday Nov. 7 in the Great Hall at Coffman Union. Despite being billed as the opening act for …And You Will Know Us By The Trail Of Dead, Dethklok not only stole the main time slot but proved to deliver mind-numbing metal as good as any metal act today. Every aspect of the show was torturously, exhilaratingly brutal.Getting into the concert was ridiculously painful. It turns out that on the official Metalocalypse website there was a ticket section hidden away where people could sign up for tickets to the show. 800 tickets were given out over the Internet, …

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A well-worked delay pedal and dueling electric guitars immediately come to mind with the mentioning of rock-electronica quintet, Minus the Bear. At the mention of seeing them live, the next thought is probably: “Can they nail every song with that same tightness and accuracy?”The Seattle-based band made their Minneapolis appearance last Friday as an array of different social groups filed in to the main room at First Avenue. Standing between a group of wasted frat bros chanting every word and some MCAD students armed with headbands and beat up converses, I watched Minus the Bear hit every appropriate fret on their guitars with crisp timing and energy. Giving you just what you came to see and not really anything more, Jake Snider stayed virtually expressionless while belting out a mix between expected classics (“Pachuca Sunrise,” …

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As any pretentious, well-rounded individual does, I feel like I have the ability to enjoy a good play without being distracted by the fact that no screen exists between the set and me. The Deception makes this feat simple for even the most unpretentious, square individuals that happen to stumble into the Jeune Lune Theatre.The Deception is an interpretation of an 18th century play written by Pierre Marivaux. The originally titled La Fausse Suivante has been adapted by Steven Epp and Dominique Serrand and acted out by the Theatre de la Jeune Lune acting troupe. The Deception follows an heiress who, in an attempt to learn more about the man she’s being forced to marry, dresses up as a young man and goes out to meet her husband to be. What follows …

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Band of Horses - Cease to Begin

Band of Horses exploded onto innumerable rock radars last March with the release of their first album, Everything All The Time. It was an album too beautiful for words. Cease to Begin, released on October 9th, builds on the success of their drifting southern sound, and takes it in a couple of new directions.As good as their first album was, one song stood out amongst the rest. Entitled, “The Funeral,” it put them on the map and, with its eerie “ooohs,” soaring guitars, and crashing drums and vocals, left many fans goose bump stricken. Though there’s no clear cut single on Cease to Begin, the new album …

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You know, celebrity perfume is a bit of a stretch. Shouldn’t it be called something along the lines of “My last album didn’t quite sell like hot cakes; I blame the internet, but let’s make some cash. Love you forever, Failing Industry?” Taking a page out of P. Diddy’s lengthy book Milking the Industry for All It’s Got, Gwen Stefani has been exploiting the anemic goats that are record companies like a major league slugger looking for a wee-bit of ‘roids in a stack of syringes who ends up infecting himself with AIDS. First she had Hollaback Girl, then it was her clothing line, and she even released a Harajuku Girls- themed (her all-Asian, non-English speaking posse) digital camera. Her latest entry into her horizontally integrated empire is a bid in the celebrity perfume …

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Opening the “M”-emblazoned light silver box of Mariah Carey’s new perfume, M, one encounters something entirely predictable–a stylish purple bottle adorned with a platinum necklace and a butterfly cap.The packaging is relatively tawdry, like stepping into a Claire’s Accessories store in the mall. But from Mariah, what else would we expect? She has built a career on showing just a little too much chest and back. But also like Mariah, M is wrought with complexity and contradiction.The bottle is intended to be flashy and visually appetizing, but in its execution it looks overstated and unimaginative. The royalty of the color purple and the natural beauty of the butterfly are cheapened. The same goes for Mariah’s façade. Naturally stunning, her gorgeous natural appearance becomes degraded with low-cut tops and booty shorts.With a spritz of …

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It was as prolific a run as any since the dawn of time. The Roman Empire of family entertainment, Disney was a seemingly unstoppable force. Commencing in 1938 with the release of Snow White and Seven Dwarfs, it has been a nearly 60-year run of utter dominance. With Pinocchio and Bambi in the 40’s, Peter Pan and Cinderella in ‘50s, Jungle Book in the ‘60s, Robin Hood in the ‘70s, and the classic string of The Little Mermaid, Beauty and the Beast and Aladdin during the late ‘80s and early ‘90s. Some mark The Lion King as the end of their era, released in 1994. I personally am willing to spot them Pocahontas, which came out a year later, but there’s no denying The Lion King as a quintessential part of every current U of …

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What’s great about the local music scene is that there is a diversity of styles and bands prepared to satisfy whatever tastes you might have.Pictures of Then is a five-dude alternative-indie rock band from right here in Minneapolis. And their debut album, Crushed By Lights, has the potential to put the group on the map on a national level, mostly because of its middle-of-the-road sound.The 14 tracks don’t pave any new ground, which isn’t necessarily a bad or a good thing. Pictures of Then has the kind of familiar sound forged by bands like Smashing Pumpkins and Built to Spill in the early 90s.Musically, Crushed By Lights is fine. It has a balance of older alt-rock with a more modern indie feel. Instrumentally and vocally the band works well.The disappointing part of the album …

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Iron & Wine - The Shepherd’s Dog

The hushed whisper and acoustic creakiness of Iron and Wine’s early output could hardly have predicted the growth that has been seen on the bands’ subsequent releases. The Shepherd’s Dog marks the continued evolution of the indie-folkies, which was first seen on the outstanding Woman King EP, and later on the collaboration with Calexico, In the Reins. While on earlier albums guitarist/vocalist Sam Beam was synonymous with Iron and Wine, the backing band that surrounds his hushed vocals has taken on a greater role, turning the onetime solo project into a wholly collaborative effort. Once again produced and engineered by Brian Deck (Red Red Meat, Modest Mouse), …

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For Trip Shakespeare, the rock star dreams were just taking off when they were dropped from A&M Records in 1992. They had spent almost seven years building a following and making connections in the music business.The Minneapolis band seemed destined to breakout at some point. But when Nirvana brought the grunge scene to the mainstream, Indie pop wasn’t exactly what labels were looking for. Meanwhile, drummer Jacob Slichter was toiling as an office temp in Minneapolis. His friends Dan Wilson, vocals and guitar, and John Munson, bass and keyboard, had made Trip Shakespeare a big name not only in Minneapolis, but around the country, at least among Indie fans. They played with Slichter in a side project called Pleasure, and when their band was dropped from A&M, they turned their …

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They meet in high school and college, respond to ads in the newspaper or get assembled by producers. Bands are forming constantly. Some dream of platinum records and spots on MTV; other just hope to secure that fist gig.“We took it into our own hands,” says Nick Wellner, former vocalist for After the Burial. “We wanted to play with bigger bands, but it was hard to get shows at first.”In 2004 five friends from White Bear Lake, Minn., formed the hardcore group. Wellner, a graphic designer, made posters and fliers advertising the band and their shows. Like most bands today, they started a MySpace page and uploaded MP3s of their songs.“The internet is a tremendous promotion tool,” Wellner says. “Kids around the world-Australia, Germany- know the band.”After the Burial caught on fast in the Minneapolis …

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It is often forgotten how bands begin. They play dingy holes in the wall, arriving five hours prior to their gig, lost in cities that they’ve never been to. They ride around in a not-so-white van for hours until they get to another strange town. Then they get stuck in the middle of Minnesota’s Iron Range, blinded by blizzard conditions, driving on right through the storm. Last year Tokyo Police Club canceled their Minneapolis date when they got stuck in Minnesota’s harsh winter weather after an arduous two day trek from Toronto, the band’s hometown. Once the band got to its next tour stop in Milwaukee their luck didn’t get much better. When they went to Michael’s Restaurant, across the street from the venue, they were a bit letdown.“This guy is like, …

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Our beloved Dinkytown; the hot spots are too numerous to count. From a hung-over morning at Al’s Breakfast, to a drunken stupor into Mesa’s pizza, or a custom “waterpipe” from the Hideaway, it’s a fine tradition. When it comes to the matter of evening date activities, is there any competition? The Varsity Theater, on any given night, can be your sure shot option. With its comfortable interior and diverse lineup of acts, you’re likely to find your night. Matt Pond PA’s performance on Oct. 8th exemplified this matter to perfection.Hailing from New Hampshire, Matt Pond PA brought in a casual crowd with their edgy, but sensitive, appeal. The couches and sofa chairs formed a giant horse shoe around the stage and offered couples a chance to mingle. Kicking off at 9:00 O’clock, the stage front …

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Though their name hints at an influence of psychedelics, White Rabbits haven’t got anything to do with Jefferson Airplane, or feeding your head. And although they’re residents of NYC, originally from Missouri, their sound isn’t geographically linked to either. Of their six members, two are full time drummers. Their use of various percussion instruments, tinkering, then pounded pianos have led to a self described, “honky-tonk calypso,” sound. Their constant use of shakers and maracas, and their admiration of prohibition era clothing, is reminiscent of last years “it” band, Cold War Kids. Album opener, “Kid On My Shoulders,” is a can’t miss. A hypnotic bass line waits under rapid guitars and menacing three part harmonies. It closes with a rousing chant and sweeping chorus of “Ooohhhs.” It’s heavy, fast, and a likely single. My sole …

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