Unless you don’t have a computer or a television, or you’re so anti-Kanye West that any mention of his name singes your eardrums, then you know about his GOOD Friday releases. For those of you that need a little update, Kanye West announced way back on Aug. 23rd that he would be releasing a new, free song every Friday until Christmas. So far he has delivered on that promise with 10 songs available for download on the main page of his self-titled website. He is set to release his next album, My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy, on Nov. 22nd and still has 10 Fridays left, so we’ll have to watch and see if he can keep it up.

Now, you may be wondering, “Why is it called GOOD Fridays? He’s not comparing himself to Jesus again is he?” Well, West founded a record label back in 2004 named GOOD Music, an acronym for “Getting Out Our Dreams,” so that is most likely where the name came from, but I have no doubt that he chose Friday for its religious overtones. The other thing you are probably thinking is, “How good can these songs be if they are free and there is a new one every Friday for four months?” That is a perfect question. Below you will find a succinct track-by-track review of the best and the worst songs that have been released so far.

1) Power (Remix) (feat. Jay-Z and Swizz Beatz): This song took everything about the original that made it powerful and threw it away. Worst of all, in the first verse he repeats the word “clap” so many times that it seems like he couldn’t think of anything else to say—not an ideal way to start. It picks up near the 3:30 mark, but by then it is way too late.

2) Monster (feat. Jay-Z, Rick Ross, Bon Iver, and Nicki Minaj): You can tell someone outside the rap industry had a hand in this. From the creepy opening voice that lures you in to the evil carnival-like back beat, the theme is strong and unique throughout. Kanye and Jay-Z drive the track with some of their most severe and truest lyrics to date, while Nicki Minaj unfortunately fails to deliver. “WTF” Line: “Have you ever had sex with a pharaoh? / I put the pussy in a sarcophagus.”

3) Runaway Love (Remix) (feat. Justin Bieber and Raekwon): This song turned out better than I expected. Kanye and Raekwon chill out a little so they don’t clash with Bieber’s teenybopper-targeted chorus. I just can’t take it seriously after Kanye says, “I’m telling you what Wu-Tang taught me,” in the middle of the Justin Bieber song.

4) Devil in a New Dress: As the title suggests, West rhymes about a relationship with a woman as evil as him. The fact that it doesn’t feature any other artists shows how personal these lyrics are, and although he takes on trite subjects like his ego, this time around the listener can actually feel something.

5) Christian Dior Denim Flow (feat. Kid Cudi, Pusha T, John Legend, Lloyd Banks, and Ryan Leslie): Maybe Kid Cudi is just good luck, but this song renewed my hope in Kanye’s endeavor. Despite the song being seven minutes long there are no weak verses like the ones found in other GOOD Friday releases.

6) Take One for the Team (feat. Keri Hilson, Pusha T, and Cyhi the Prynce): It starts off with a sloppy beat any wannabe high school beat boxer could replicate that kills any merit the song could have had. Then you realize this song is basically a high school talent show; you’ve got the moderately attractive girl who took a few voice lessons, some cocky kids who think they’re the next Biggie Smalls, and the guy whose parents bought him the professional equipment to add all those nice effects. If that isn’t enough, Kanye has to resort to old lyrics and shout-outs to finish it. If you look at this grade-wise, Kanye is failing. If you’re an optimist, he gets it right half the time. Personally, I choose to think along the lines of the latter. If Kanye wants to give out free songs for four months and half of them are great, then count me in. It’ll be an entirely different story when his new album comes out.

These artists were recommended by College Music Journal, a conglomeration of all the major college radio stations in the United States as well as those in select countries. Each year CMJ holds a festival in New York City with thousands of bands spotlighting the best in rising indie music.

SUN AIRWAY

No one has heard of this duo probably. I hadn’t until a few days ago, and after hearing “Oh, Noako,” I have fallen in love with the soaring instrumentation that these guys implement. It has an Animal Collective complexity to it all, but is not so challenging that it takes a few listens to figure out. Instead, Sun Airway hits you hard in the first go, and it’s truly gorgeous. Debut album Nocturne of Exploded Crystal Chandelier (dreamy title, right?) comes out officially this week. It’s a testament to how good this music is that the band has already signed with Dead Oceans (Phosphorescent, Bowerbirds) after just a four song EP. Expect reviews for this one to be unanimously good, but since critics aren’t the end-all, be-all, you should just check it out for yourself.

LOWER DENS

Jana Hunter and the crew are originally from Texas, but just made the transition to Baltimore this year. It seems the new East Coast location is doing them well as a full-fledged band; their debut album Twin-Hand Movement has garnered uniform critical praise across the board. They’ve been touring nonstop in support of it, being asked to play venue after venue in the Northeast in particular. They played multiple shows during the CMJ fest in New York City, low-profile ones at that, so if you were able to catch the elusive band you probably saw one of the best concerts of the week. Not gonna lie, this is one of my favorite albums of the year, one that has flown highly under-the-radar in the midst of all the big releases. It’s unfortunate, but I think the band is going to be the next Beach House-esque act. Come one or two more albums and Lower Dens is going to be a household name, making the best in low-fi, soaring rock music. Plus, Hunter’s voice is the right amount of raspy for this guy.

JAILL

This bearded Milwaukee quartet signed to Sub Pop overnight after reps for the label saw them play in Seattle. Now with a major distributor behind them, these guys from the heart of the Midwest have all of a sudden been propelled into the indie pop-rock sphere, and they played multiple shows at CMJ to prove just how tight their sound is. There’s a lot to love on their album, That’s How We Burn, including the album artwork, which features a woman in a dolphin hat on the banks of Lake Michigan drinking a beer in a Wisconsin cup holder. Yes, that image sounds stereotypically Midwestern, but the music fits the bill and is good at the same time, so don’t let it throw you off.

All Delighted People

All Delighted People is a welcome return to music (as he never lost form) for Sufjan Stevens. Clocking in at nearly sixty minutes, it’s certainly not an EP in the sense of length but it could of as an EP in that it doesn’t deter from a single subject. The EP features Sufjan exploring subject matter on love and anxiety and what makes all these delighted people human. It’s all very emotional, very much like the brief recollections of young love and flirtations in youth’s ardor on Seven Swans but without all that religion.

The extended song lengths (two songs over ten minutes in length) should be no surprise to anyone familiar with his work, in that anyone familiar knows that the length only means that song has numerous twists and turns to take on, which only makes the music more interesting.

“The Owl and Tanager” is particularly revealing, entailing a run-in with an angry father over the phone (described with haunting chants of “you little boy, you little boy”), occurring after descriptions of sleeping in the same room followed by running away, all sung in a tone conveying as much fear of intimacy as the words themselves carry.
Both versions of the title track are vibrant enough to not get old, as the classic rock version adds enough to the original to justify its inclusion. “Djohariah” is an excellent closing song. It beautifully flows through various movements while encapsulating the various moods and themes established earlier on the album. It is a moment like this that make me appreciate Stevens’ “lack of faith in the song”, as he want let himself be limited by traditional definitions of just what a song (or album or EP for that matter) is, which allows for this type of experimentation.

AGE OF ADZ
Age of Adz leaves behind observation of human accomplishments as Stevens explores what escapes human living, in that it was inspired by the prophecies of Royal Robertson of the end of the world and the rebirthing of existence and assorted schizophrenic hallucinations and pursuits. Robertson’s paintings were also the inspiration for the visual direction of Age of Adz artwork.

Sufjan hasn’t completely left humanity and its pursuits behind. He hasn’t even left his own humanity and his respective pursuits behind. “Too Much” testifies to this, with its pleads to escape from emotional commitments. Lines like “if I was a different man/If I had blood in my eyes/I could’ve read of your heart ” and “Maybe I talk too fast/Maybe I talk too much” lend a lot of worry to the mood of the song and the repeated pleas of how “there’s too much riding on that” completes the picture of an exhausting and emotionally laborious psyche.

The more epic type of lyrical imagery comes at different moments on the album. The title track is one of these tracks, entailing descriptions of “the age of adz eternal living” and the very moment “when it dies”. The music is all very suiting, moving back and forth from sweeping fanfare and heavy drum machines to ambient, ethereal soundscapes provided by synthesizers. The final song, “Impossible Soul”, is over twenty-five minutes long, features auto-tune, and at one point morphs into a dance song. This is all completely new territory for Stevens but he finds room for it all in his vision

The entire album moves back and forth through songs of extremely personal subject matter to massive prophetic visions of existence. The album is the perfect follow up to the more familiar All Delighted People because Age of Adz takes that familiar sound and continues to find new sounds to experiment with, which is a real testament to Stevens’ reputation as an artist constantly moving forward with his visions.

CONCERT

Whilst sitting in the Orpheum Theatre, waiting for the concert to begin, the anticipation was killing me. This was his chance to redeem himself, not just for the last concert in Minneapolis, but also for the last five years of detraction from the spotlight.

Despite talk of him detaching from his older work, he began the set with Seven Swans’ title track. The very large band he had (notable backed by Nedelle Torrisi on vocals, Bryan Devendorf of the National on drums) transformed the song from a solemn acoustic number to a loud electric opening number as if it were getting a facelift to better fit his new material.

As such they spent the rest of the concert playing material from his latest releases, all of which was very good. Not once did was there a dull moment. Even when he broke off for awhile to speak on his latest influences (Royal Robertson, recent anxiety) it was interesting, since Sufjan Stevens is quite elusive when it comes to releasing this type of information to the public or in interviews. In the event he slipped up, he recovered with such a grace and couture (and humility) that I couldn’t call it anything but grade A showmanship.
On that note, the band was incredibly well rehearsed and not a single instance of being out of tune or off key could be made note of. The presentation wasn’t limited to the band, however, as throughout the entire show there was a massive artistic presentation surrounding the band, with lights flashing towards the audience and a large screen behind the band featuring visuals accompanying the music.

The most notable performance was of “Impossible Soul”, the twenty-five minute closer on Age of Adz. Sufjan Stevens did everything the studio recording entailed, but added into it a flashy dance routine with large sunglasses and tinsel-tailed baseball caps. He and his back up dancers routines (including Nedelle Torrisi) were vibrant and a welcome touch to the songs and the visual experience as a whole.

He ended the set with a rousing performance of “Chicago”. Standing ovations throughout the entire theatre followed which in turn guaranteed an encore, which consisted entirely of Sufjan and company revisiting older material. Illinois and Seven Swans saw acoustic performances of “Casimir Pulaski Day”, “The Dress Looks Nice On You”, and “Concerning the UFO Sighting Near Highland, IL”. Much more applause and standing ovations recognized such a wonderful finale.

Good news and bad news for anyone sick and tired of Greys Anatomy, CSI, and The Big Bang theory. The good news is that new fall TV is here and ripe for viewing! The bad news is that most of the new shows are only slight variations of the ones listed above. Network television holds on tight to three basic genres (lawyer/doctor, action/adventure, and comedy), and doesn’t fail to cater to each this year in television. Here’s hoping that a show listed below offers enough fresh material to hook you anyway.

One is hard pressed to find more tears and drama than in the ER or courtroom, which is probably why networks keep cranking out doctor- and lawyer-related television.

The Defenders on CBS and Law & Order: Los Angeles on NBC join the extensive list of law television. Follow lead roles Jim Belushi and Jerry O’Connell, of The Defenders, as they participate in over-the-top courtroom antics that may or may not lead to trouble. Law & Order promises everything you know and love Law & Order to be, except, this year, there’s a twist! (Spoiler alert: the “twist” is that the shoaw is now placed in Los Angeles, instead of New York). Get your medical fix by watching Off the Map on ABC, a show about doctors who must adapt to treating people in a small town located in a South American jungle. If Off the Map is anything like its creators’ previous work (Greys Anatomy), then prepare yourself for at least one tearful monologue and/or supply room sex scene per episode (which hints at a possible plot conflict: are there available supply rooms in South American Jungles?).

Out of all genres, new detective/adventure series dominate the market this fall.

To the list of new action dramas, NBC contributes Undercovers and Chase. Undercovers, a show about married CIA agents out of retirement was created by J.J. Abrams and is reminiscent of Alias, but with occasional witty banter. Chase offers an hour of generic, fast moving chase scenes as glamorous leading woman Kelli Giddish hunts down fugitives. Overall, both will satisfy action needs with scantily dressed escapes and slow-motion explosions, but neither will deliver much surprise.

CBS gets in the action via Hawaii 5-0 and Blue Bloods. Remake skepticism is common, but Hawaii 5-0 has generated good buzz with both critics and ratings, and promises to uphold the integrity (theme song/catch phrases/location) of its ‘70s original.  Bluebloods, starring Tom Selleck, blends police and familial drama, while following the story of (you guessed it) a family of police officers. Equipped with a talented cast and intriguing concept, Bluebloods has big potential for future episodes.

If scheming lawyers and moody cops aren’t your cup of tea, a few new comedies are up for viewing this fall. NBC’s Outsourced is already stirring controversy. The quite-possibly racist show is bold for network television comedy as it pokes fun at the vast cultural differences between America and India. The show takes place in Mumbai and follows Todd Anderson (played by Josh Hamilton) in his task of overseeing a novelties call-center. The show has faced heavy criticism for stereotyping and weak, “easy” writing.

Fox brings multiple comedies to the fall lineup this season. The most notable addition, Raising Hope, focuses on the story of Jimmy Chance, a young boy who unexpectedly becomes a father. Although Hope, created by the same people behind My Name is Earl, indulges in broad comedy (lots of Earl-reminiscent trailer park gags), it also surprises with sharp writing and intelligent jokes, and has received refreshingly positive reviews from critics.

Staying true to its sitcom base, CBS premiered Mike and Molly and $#*! My Dad

Says. Both shows stay true to sitcom form in that they feature spunky, mis-fitting, and sometimes-overweight-but-in-a-loveable-kind-of-way families. $#*! My Dad Says, based on the popular twitter feed, clumsily incorporates twitter quotes into lukewarm storyline, that not even leading man William Shatner can salvage. Mike and Molly, a show about an overweight, married couple, has received positive reviews—in that it hasn’t exactly gotten overly negative reviews. Only so many self-deprecating fat jokes can fit comfortably into 22 minutes of television…Mike and Molly pushes that limit but stays sweet while doing so.

This has only been a slight glimpse at the expansive collection of television premiering this fall, Unimpressed? Don’t fret. Undoubtedly someone somewhere is already pitching bigger and better ideas for next season.

GAMES

If you haven’t heard “Shadows In Bloom” by this (what else?) Brooklyn-based duo, do yourself a favor and break away from this article to give it a listen. It contains what is probably one the best samples of the year behind M.I.A.’s Suicide riff in “Born Free,” and utilizing Secret Service’s 1980s track “Flash in the Night” is not only a) totally obscure since they are a Swedish new-wave band who no doubt have their catalogue mostly on cassette, but also b) totally genius because Games basically just resplices the song hundreds of times in the course of 2 ½ minutes. Yes, they are one of those blog buzzworthy bands, but it’s well deserved. After all, these guys have known each other for 16 years and have been making music for about three quarters of that time. They know what they’re doing.

GLASSER

And speaking of an act which exploded out of nowhere, let’s talk about this one-woman project fronted by Cameron Mesirow. She employs the same tribal drums of bands like Prince Rama or new material from School of Seven Bells and that voice is totally haunting- who the hell even knows what she is singing about? The rhythms are so entrancing that you quickly lose focus; instead you begin to wonder what Mesirow is crooning about… what is she trying to make you understand? Unfortunately, we Twin Cities folk didn’t get a chance to see her a few months back. Glasser is on tour now with local megagroup GAYNGS and probably contributing some vocals to their mix if the new City of Music video on City Pages is any indication.

FOOD PYRAMID

This is the most underrated local band in my opinion. Getting your hands on their album I is a little tricky. It’s only out on cassette via Moon Glyph which has released local albums from Velvet Davenport and Buffalo Moon this year. Therefore, if you don’t have a tape deck in any capacity whether it be physical or within your car, you have to rely on songs leaking onto the internet, which lemme tell ya: they aren’t around. Fortunately, this band apparently has enough material in the works for about 5 more albums, and thank goodness: the first 18 minute track on this album, “The Sundance Kid,” is a totally glorious sax and horn permeating, space-infused hook which flies by in no time, the mark of a truly awesome composition. It’s only a matter of time before they start getting a massive amount of recognition for their instrumental prowess.

With the afro-funk revival in full swing and Daptone Records holding court over all things east-coast Soul, it’s refreshing to see another contender throw their hat into the blue-eyed Soul revival ring (after all, Mayer Hawthorne gets awfully lonely). Led by Los Angeles songwriter Micheal Fitzpatrick, the Tantrums are a crack team of musicians that manage to buck the common criticism of neo-soul (namely, that it’s neo-soul and apparently incapable of originality) with an old-meets-new sound and a knack for imbuing songs with a genuine sense of joy. “Dear Mr. President” is an incisive message-record that puts one in mind of the Temptations early stabs at social commentary, with a pounding beat and Rock ‘n’ Roll Part 2 chants. The title track is a thoroughly charming little bit of songcraft that gets a major boost from the Tantrums’ excellent backing singer Noelle Scaggs who’s done work with fellow cracker-soul artist Quantic. “MoneyGrabber” might just give Cee-Lo a challenge for best gold-digger kiss-off of the year, pairing a sparse verse with a Daryl Hall feel and a monster hook with some real anger underneath. Other standouts include the decidedly, delightfully old-school “Rich Girls” where the protagonist laments his treatment by women on both sides of the tracks and “Winds of Change.” The latter’s crunching drum track and unexpected profanity belies this record’s post-hip-hop production. While Picking Up the Pieces may be short on surprises, it’s still a very well crafted album by a Songwriter that deserves his capital letter.

The Roma di Luna work ethic is certainly not one to be questioned. The recording process for their most recent effort was reportedly a tumultuous one, with four newborns between the group members. Far from mellowing out into parenthood however, Then the Morning Came showcases a fiery soulful side never before seen from the beloved local act. With an ever-expanding full band lineup complimenting the original duo, Roma di Luna sounds more ready for the bigtime than for white picket fence country. There’s a real warm, organic blues sound to this record, with a drooping B.B. King style guitar transforming “Miss You Too” into Chicago blues stomper and Channy relishing in the newfound territory to show off a spine tingling growl. The pristine folk beauty we expect from the group is still there on tracks like the “Starling” and “Below our Feet,” but it’s hard to ignore such an unexpected (and thoroughly welcomed) development like “When I Die.” The group brings in the horns and spot on backing vocals for a soulful blues that wouldn’t sound out of place on the next Sharon Jones record. About halfway through, a banging drum sample comes in so strong that you almost expect Alexi to deliver one of his Kill the Vultures verses. It’s a pleasant surprise on a record that could be described in similar terms; Then the Morning Came was destined for local stardom, but Roma di Luna have really gone the extra mile to ensure it’s lasting appeal.

Recently, Stephen Colbert was asked to testify in front of congress as an expert witness on the issue of immigration reform and migrant workers. He obliged and, to the horror of many congressional representatives, showed up to the hearings…completely in character.

Those unfamiliar with Colbert’s work need only watch the first ten minutes of his show, “The Colbert Report”, to understand that he is a walking parody of an overzealous and completely biased “news”-caster. More often than not, his portrayal is spot on and damn funny.

He has also starred in some of the biggest controversies a basic cable star could hope to create. His segment known as “Better Know a District” aims to systematically poke fun at every representative in the nation, which caused the former White House Chief of Staff Rahm Emanuel to urge his fellow democrats not to speak with Colbert. And his address at George W. Bush’s White House Correspondence dinner, while hilarious, was undeniably awkward to watch as he mocked the president while standing less than five feet away from him.

So, with all his notoriety to step on politicians’ toes, why would anyone be surprised to see him going for laughs in the halls of Washington? Well, apparently, some people view the congressional floor as sacred grounds of law and order, a place to be respected. You can disagree with everything that goes on there, but once you step foot on its grand marble floors, it is not to be ridiculed.

This to me implies that everyone has forgotten other calamities that have appeared before Congress, including Roger Clemons, Elmo, and Alberto Gonzales.

Now, I won’t lie, when I watched the proceedings, I cringed. Who wouldn’t? It was probably the most uncomfortable five minutes on television that week, and C-SPAN is uncomfortable enough as it is. And I’ll concede that politicians probably have a better way to spend their time than listening to some comedian create a spectacle.

Yet, in spite of the embarrassment I might feel from watching it, I must say that Colbert’s testimony was absolutely brilliant for two main reasons. First off, it’s an impressive attempt of publicity. The constant news coverage on his “ridiculous” appearance does nothing to hurt his ratings or approval. Those who thought he was obscene still believe that, and those who loved him, love him even more. Yet, those who knew nothing about him may be converted to “The Colbert Nation”.

It also doesn’t hurt that, on October 30th, he and Jon Stewart will be holding dual “rallies” on the Washington Mall. After all the exposure and derision his hearing sustained on cable news channels, I have no doubt that his Rally to Keep Fear Alive’s attendance will rise by a few more numbers.

But most importantly, his cause gains some well-deserved attention. Anyone who actually watched the entire hearing—including the others’ testimony and Colbert’s Q&A— rather than watching two second sound bites of his satirical testimony will find that the topic was treated with the utmost respect. All comedy aside, it is obvious that Colbert understands and appreciates the gravity of the issue, and that it was no mistake to bring him in.

The second reason why his appearance was more than a cheap laugh is that he is showing off how much his character is expanding. No longer does he just resemble the Bill O’Rieley’s and the Keith Olbermann’s of television. His act now bears an uncanny resemblance to congressional representatives, activists, and lobbyists all over Washington. I can point to quite a few examples of more ludicrous statements made by representatives of our own fair state. My favorite Colbert quote: “Maybe this Ag Jobs bill would help, I don’t know. Like most members of Congress, I haven’t read it.”

Let’s remember; this is satire, people, it’s comedy with intentions. If he would have gone in there and thrown a pie in the face of Chairman Conyers, perhaps that would be more of a call to arms against his being there. However, Colbert was there to make a point: that many people without a voice are being mistreated.

“It seems like one of the least powerful people in the United States are migrant workers who come in and do our work, but don’t have any rights as a result. And yet, we still ask them to come here, and at the same time, ask them to leave. And that’s an interesting contradiction to me”

Personally, this time, I think there is more truth in satire.

To the joy of Facebook fans, Friday October 1 marked the opening night of the film The Social Network. Full of quick-witted dialogue and energetic film sequences, the plot sweeps the viewer along with its characters as they embrace the challenging task of founding the now world-wide website, Facebook, while navigating fame, friendships, and a legal battle that put the entire cultural phenomenon into debate.

There is drama, humor, obvious bad guys and subtle good guys, a distinct moral overtone, sex, greed, and enough emotional angst to rival the hormonal output of a junior high school. And it’s made all the better through compelling performances from a great cast and a sharp director. Did you notice Winklevoss Two was a body double? It seems David Fincher found the CG techniques from The Curious Case of Benjamin Button worthy of another go-around.

As with most films, the characters and scenes are surely a heightened representation of reality. I can’t say I’ve ever been to a frat party quite like those in the film, and the real Zuckerberg is actually smiling in his profile picture on his Facebook page, so his face must not be made of stone. However, of all the potential misrepresentations of real life in The Social Network, I’d say Sean Parker should worry most. Justin Timberlake plays a neurotic partier pretty well. Still, I suggest viewing any minor details like these with a grain of salt. This is entertainment after all.

The real star in this film is the wordplay. All the sarcastic quips you’d love to say out loud but don’t are a staple in the script for The Social Network. I heard audience members shouting, “Winklevi” and laughing about, “Oops, I just broke your 350-year-old door handle,” long after I’d crossed the parking lot from the theatre entrance.

Courtesy of scriptwriter Aaron Sorkin of The West Wing, the witty dialogue in the film makes sure the viewer’s intelligence isn’t left wanting. Sorkin has brought the competitive conversation of twenties’ and thirties’ films back to the silver screen. The first seconds of dialogue in the opening scene set the pace for the entire film’s conversations. Jesse Eisenberg as Mark Zuckerberg verbally barrages the audience as it’s thrown into the hyperactive argument playing out between Zuckerberg and his girlfriend Erica Albright.

As my fellow theatre goers remarked in unison, “Whoa.”

If you want to keep up, this film is going to require your attention.

Beginning to end, The Social Network is an enjoying piece of entertainment. Escalating drama, a snappy dialogue, and an intriguing flash back and forth between legal meetings and the story of Facebook’s founding function well in a plotline that could have easily been bogged down by jargon and slow moving boardroom sequences.

So the real question is what has this film left me with?

Cultural products have a lot of power in our society. They spark debate; they fill conversational voids; they build relationships and can define societal groups; they even teach lessons and morals. The Social Network is a cultural product, about a cultural product. As such, the film can be used to examine everything from the impact of online social networks on communication in today’s society to the dangers of unbridled ambition. I won’t go as far as calling The Social Network my generation’s Citizen Kane, but it’s true there are overt messages about the loneliness of fame and the fall of those consumed by greed and power.

I could expand any of these topics, but what most sparked my interest while watching this film was the imaginary line drawn around intellectual property. For Mark Zuckerberg, toeing this line led to million dollar lawsuits over a simple idea.

Protecting intellectual property has frequently been something in the forefront of my mind as both an artist and journalist. The two facets have sometimes found themselves at odds with each other in my experience. Plagiarism is quite easy to find, and to punish. But theft of intellectual property? It’s simply not as easy to define. During my journalistic education, I’ve been taught the basics. Don’t copy. Cite sources. Search for accuracy. End of story. In an art department, the same rules don’t strictly apply. Artists borrow ideas and techniques from each other, dead or alive, all the time. So when is it appropriate, or not, to share recognition with someone from whom you’ve gained inspiration or shared in a brainstorming session? How far can borrowing an idea go before it’s no longer yours? For me, The Social Network brings to life one of the greatest cautionary tales today of sharing and owning creative ideas.

During the last thirty seconds of the “Dream City,” the second track on the Philadelphia-by-way-of-Minneapolis band’s debut album, a beautiful soft tenor sax emerges to play a quiet, lonesome little figure as the song fades away with such a heartfelt lack of irony that we know immediately how much disdain the hipster set will have for this band. Free Energy is unapologetically dinosaur-ific, wearing their love for seventies hard rock like a banner for all to see. What sets them apart from a sea of unoriginal bands doing the same is frontman and songwriter Paul Spangers’ wonderful gift for wrapping stadium sized hooks in the vaguest of political trappings, supported by rock solid playing and a virtuosic lead guitar. Credit must be given to James Murphy of LCD Soundsystem/DFA fame for his production, lending the band a tight, danceable sound that still cracks at full volume like rock of this stripe was meant to do. The band’s title track sets off the album with an incisive, confident statement of identity with soaring guitars and a boot-stomping chorus. “Bang Pop” is the perfect dumb pop song: you know exactly where it’s going and you’re loving the ride. “Bad Stuff” on the other hand, ranges into darker territory, building an epic climax and a sweeping bridge on top of driving bass. The band makes the occasional rookie mistake but an unnecessary string arrangement here or there never killed an album that rocks this hard. Expect to hear Stuck on Nothing being blasted out of car windows wherever good times are being had this summer.