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Delorean chills out with "Apar"

By The Observer · Tuesday, Sept. 17, 2013

You know that kid who starts all the parties and dances on the tables and orders everyone pizza and sings along to all your favorite songs with you? That was Delorean's last album, "Subiza" - a joyful kid bursting with energy. "Subiza" boasted enough tropical dancefloor anthems to last you and your friends through the night and into the morning. Two insanely catchy singles from the album, "Stay Close" and "Real Love", got enough blog love to catapult Delorean out of their local Spanish club scene and onto the international stage. Since then, they've toured across America and played at Pitchfork music fest. Their combination of high-energy dance music and smooth harmonies has drawn comparisons to Animal Collective, M83 and Cut Copy. They've made a name - and a good one. It's been three years since "Subiza". But now that kid who started all the parties, who ordered all those pizzas, who sang along to all those songs - he's zoned out in the corner, sunken into an armchair, chilling out. Because Delorean's new album, "Apar," doesn't even try to reach the heights of its predecessor. The explosive energy has been replaced with laid-back atmosphere and soft hooks. The punchy drums and riffs are gone, replaced by soft synths and reverb-laden guitars. There are no dance floor anthems here, just 80's-esque stargazing jams and chilled grooves. Sure, the pulsing drumbeats are there, and in many ways it still feels like a dance album, but try dancing to it and you'll soon find there's just not much energy there. That's not to say it's a completely bad record. It's great hangout, adventuring sort of music - think Rusted Root's song in Ice Age that goes, "Send me on my way," and just kind of grooves along. "Apar" is a smiling friend putting a hand on your shoulder. Most of the tracks, smooth and cheerful, have an uncanny ability to lull a listener into a good mood. On "Unhold" and "Your Face", beautiful female vocals paired with flowing hooks take the album to a few unexpected heights. If nothing else, "Apar" sports many friendly atmospheres just waiting to complete sunny days. In the end, "Apar" is still a slight disappointment - a step in a safe direction for a band that seemed to burst with excitement and potential. Delorean now falls closer to the likes of chillwave artists like Wild Nothing, and Washed Out, and to be honest, those two bands have already done what "Apar" attempts to do, and they've done it better. But Delorean's still a young band - this is only their second release. They could go anywhere from here. For now we just bob our heads, smile and hope the next path leads somewhere new and exciting. Contact John Darr at jdarr@nd.edu 

The Observer

Arctic Monkeys start strong, flame out

By The Observer · Tuesday, Sept. 17, 2013

Oftentimes, when people hear that a band is classified as "indie rock," they either flee in terror or lock themselves in a bomb shelter with a copy of Ronald Reagan's autobiography. Have no fear. "AM," the fifth studio album released by the Arctic Monkeys, may fall under the heading of indie rock, but it packs a punch that makes it well worth a listen for fans of all musical tastes. Believe me when I say that 'AM' is not just for beret enthusiasts to listen to on their Zunes while long boarding to the nearest vegetable co-op.  For those unfamiliar, the Arctic Monkeys are a highly talented five-man band hailing from Sheffield, United Kingdom. Their unique sound and fast paced tempo, layered with the thick English accent of lead singer Alex Turner, have vaulted them to fame around the world. In fact, the Arctic Monkeys are the first band signed to an independent label to record five consecutive No. 1 albums. 'AM' definitely sounds like a chart-topping album during its first few tracks. "Do I Wanna Know?" and "R U Mine?" are rewarding listens that will have your head nodding and your feet stomping in no time. Just make sure your friends aren't around to laugh and pelt you with garbage when it happens. "One for the Road," the album's third track, is yet another solid offering. Its pulsing drums and synthesized guitar riffs are strongly reminiscent of The Black Keys, another popular "indie" band that hails not from England but from the city of lights, city of angels and capital of the free world: Akron, Ohio. "AM" explodes out of the gate, even if the word "explode" may be too "edgy" and "Republican" for many people who listen to indie rock. However, the album grows disconcertingly thin in musical content after its fifth track has come and gone. If 'AM' starts as the Boston Red Sox, it ends as the Houston Astros. If it starts as the Miami Heat, it ends as WNBA's 10-win powerhouse, the Connecticut Sun. So, I guess my main criticism of "AM" is that it slows down and grows stale at times. A rolling stone gathers no moss, but "AM's" second half jams up the album just long enough for a slight layer of mediocrity to accumulate. What I used to love about the Arctic Monkeys, what made me buy their earlier albums and become a fan of theirs in the first place, was the frenetic style and energy they packed into seemingly every song. Their music used to be loud and crazy, used to make you want to do something rebellious or stupid, which at Notre Dame can be defined as holding your girlfriend's hand in broad daylight, skipping Mass to do homework or entering the first floor men's bathroom in DeBartolo Hall without a gas mask. It's the absence of that fun, fast-paced style that drops "AM" from a great to a good album in my eyes. Don't get me wrong, "AM" is definitely worth a listen and a download. However, for those new to the Arctic Monkeys, I would suggest starting with one of their earlier albums, specifically "Whatever People Say I Am, That's What I'm Not," before giving "AM" a try. Although not the Arctic Monkey's best effort to date, "AM" shows us once again that everything Britain lacks in dental hygiene and the ability to win revolutionary wars, it makes up in producing unique, groundbreaking rock music that people of all tastes can enjoy. Contact Dan Brombach at dbrombac@nd.edu 

The Observer

UNCOOL!

By The Observer · Tuesday, Sept. 17, 2013

I'm not a cool guy. I buy music on iTunes sometimes. I've asked three different people to explain to me what Molly is in the last six months and I still don't totally get it. I use the word dope a lot. Like, way too much. You get the point. I preface this column with that for two reasons. First, Scene had a story fall through at the last minute on Wednesday night and I don't have enough time or energy to come up with a cleverer preface. Wow, what an insightful, Aaron Sorkin-esque behind-the-scenes look at the life of the editor of the least read section of a daily college newspaper; where's my money HBO? The second reason I share this is simple; it takes one to know one. I'm not cool, and as a result I find I sometimes have an almost clairvoyant sense of the otherwise elusive concept of the uncool. Any frat star with a pastel popped collar polo and rainbow colored croakies to hold up their sunglasses can tell you that cargo shorts aren't cool. But can that same future attendee of his company's mandated intolerance in the workplace seminar (I made this guy up, not you, gosh darn it; he can do darn well whatever I say he does) tell you the same beat up Jeep on which he recently spent $750 to upgrade the speaker system will no longer be cool in the very near future? Bet not. But take my word for it. In his not so distant, likely underemployed future ⎯ souped up Jeeps, not cool; gas efficient yet structurally dope (told you) cars, much cooler. All of this is leading me into the meat of this column ⎯ a list of things that I've contemplated for varying degrees of time and have determined to be uncool. You might agree, you might disagree; doesn't shake me much either way. Here we go. *** 1. Parody Twitter Accounts Will Ferrell does not have a twitter account. I don't think he ever has. And I don't know the man personally, but based on what I've seen and heard from him, I doubt he would ever tweet, "Just because I can't sing doesn't mean I won't sing," which is one of the many tweets sent out Wednesday from the twitter account @itsWillyFerrell, which has 1,472,081 followers as of Wednesday evening. Not only do the tweets not sound like him, the account goes by the name "Not Will Ferrell" and identifies itself as a parody account. The same goes for any number of other celebrities or film and television characters, and none of them are funny or interesting or at all unique. And even if they only existed and people followed them, fine, whatever. But the next person I see retweet an "inspirational" quote from Alan Garner, @WolfpackAlan, about alcohol or hangovers or life will get a sharp and swift kick to the unfollow pile.

The Observer

MGMT's new album falls flat

By The Observer · Monday, Sept. 16, 2013

Even at their most accessible, namely, 2007's standout debut album "Oracular Spectacular," MGMT have always been pretty weird guys - just take another look at that title or the title of any of their other releases. On "Oracular," the duo of lead singer and guitarist Andrew VanWyngarden and sampler and synth player Ben Goldwasser pushed the envelope of modern electronic pop, and mainstream musicians have been striving to emulate this sound since. Meanwhile, MGMT have not stuck around to reap the now easy success of rehashing the music captured on that LP but instead continue to test the boundaries of their art. Check 2010's "Oracular" follow up, "Congratulations," for the band delving into more guitar-based progressive psych and creating a blend of psychedelic pop and crisp surf rock while experimenting with unique song structures.

The Observer

Avicii a hit with "True"

By The Observer · Monday, Sept. 16, 2013

Five years ago, Tim Bergling was just beginning his foray into sound mixology in his basement in Stockholm. Today, the now 24-year-old, better known by his stage name, Avicii, has successfully combined elements from a wide variety of genres to produce his first full-length album, called "True," and has already topped the charts in more than 65 countries with his lead single from the album, "Wake Me Up." 

The Observer

Othello comes to life from the London stage

By The Observer · Monday, Sept. 16, 2013

"My bloody thoughts with violent pace shall ne'er look back, ne'er ebb to humble love till that a capable and wide revenge swallow them up," actor Jude Akuwudike growled, emphasizing with power each vengeance-soaked word given to him by William Shakespeare in "Othello." 

The Observer

blink-182 Headlines Riot Fest

By The Observer · Sunday, Sept. 15, 2013

As the skyscrapers towered over us from the Chicago skyline, there we were: five Notre Dame students singing the iconic lyrics to the chorus of "I Miss You" by blink-182. We all made a point of pronouncing the word "head" as "yead" from the line "you're already the voice inside my head" (a reference that will immediately be recognized by even the most casual blink fans). However, this moment of friendship and entertainment was not at the Riot Fest festival we attended at Humboldt Park just miles from the Chicago loop; it occurred during our drive to the concert before we had even entered the venue. 

The Observer

Student Activites (SUB) Preview

By The Observer · Sunday, Sept. 15, 2013

The Student Activities Board (SUB) is preparing for a year full of entertainment and events that will appeal to the largest majority of students on campus, according to board manager KaitlynKeelin.

The Observer

DPAC Revisits Requiem

By The Observer · Wednesday, Sept. 11, 2013

It's Friday the 13th, and tomorrow the DeBartolo Performing Arts Center (DPAC) will host one of the most historically morbid pieces of music ever composed: Mozart's "Requiem."

The Observer

Game Wars: PS4 vs. Xbox One

By The Observer · Tuesday, Sept. 10, 2013

It is once again time for Microsoft and Sony fanboys alike to rant on online message boards about why their next-gen console of choice is the best thing to happen to gaming since the invention of Monster energy drinks. In recent months the two videogame empires have been mobilizing their gears to try and pull ahead in the newest of console arms races. For those of you who haven't been keeping score at home, Sony's PS4 seemed to take a short-lived lead at this summer's E3 (Electronic Entertainment Expo). This was due mostly because Microsoft's earliest press releases, including E3, showcased several unpopular policies in regard to the brand new console. The most poorly received of these was the Xbox One's Digital Rights Management (DRM) restrictions; this policy explicitly stated that the gamers would not be able to sell their used games back because each game was going to be playable on only their own system. Another point that did not sit well amongst most gamers was the Xbox One's price point, which was effectively $100 more expensive than Sony's PS4. However, with the sudden reversal of Microsoft's DRM restrictions policy it seems that things have settled down and Xbox fanboys are finally coming around. For those of us who like to play video games, even with the never ending list of due dates looming over our heads, it can seem like a rather difficult proposition to try and pick between one of these two next-gen consoles. I am here to hopefully give a clearer idea of what to expect from this holiday seasons' brand new consoles. Before we get into some of the more specific subject matter I want to try and briefly illuminate some of the basic hardware and software specifications these new consoles will be sporting. Let's start off with the Xbox One. The One will come with a Blu Ray/DVD reader, 8 GB RAM (DDR3), 500 GB hard drive (non-removable), an 8 Core Microsoft custom CPU and a 853 MHz AMD Radeon GPU (estimated 1.31 TeraFLOPS/s peak GPU shader throughput). As for the PS4, it will come with a Blu Ray/DVD reader, 8 GB RAM (GDDR5), 500 GB hard drive (removable), a single-chip x86 AMD "Jaguar" processor with 8 cores, and a AMD Radeon Graphics Core (estimated 1.84 TeraFLOPS/s peak GPU shader throughput). For those of you who aren't too up to date on your tech speak, that should give the PS4 a slight advantage on the hardware/software side of things. That being said, Microsoft's corporate vice-president Yusuf Mehdi said it best while speaking to investors at the Citi Global Technology conference. "Hardcore gamers, ... buy for the game ... [they] don't buy for stats on a spec sheet," Mendhi said.All the technological specifications aside, we can all rest assured that both systems will produce beautiful quality content and will most likely produce essentially the same amount of resolution, so this should not be a main concern. It is important to realize however, that some of Microsoft's higher price is due to the fact that they are including an updated Kinect system with your Xbox One purchase. This system has been revamped to exploit the full potential of the now apparently integral add-on. The plan is to use this camera device to create a simpler interactive TV experience by allowing your Xbox One to respond to simple voice commands as relayed by the Kinect system. Likewise, it is pertinent to point out that the Xbox One system will be providing the option to watch live TV with this product. Microsoft has partnered with Time Warner Cable, the NF, and possibly ESPN to produce dedicated apps and content for its users. The PS4 will not be shipping with the Play Station Eye (the response to Microsoft's Kinect), and will therefore be approximately $100 cheaper. It will also force its users to begin paying for online gaming by purchasing the Play Station Plus service, much like Xbox's Live service. However, with the key difference that as far as we know so far the Play Station Plus service will only encompass online player-to-player gaming. This is very different from Microsoft's Xbox Live service which encompasses and essentially bars users from accessing any of i's online features without paying for the membership. In short, with the PS4 you will supposedly not be barred from using apps like Netflix if you haven't paid for the Play Station Plus membership. The Play Station 4 will be available for purchase in the United States this coming holiday season Novr 1h for $399, and the Xbox One will be available Nov. 22dfor $499. Contact Juan Ramon Cancio Vela at jcancio@nd.edu The views expressed in this column are those of the author and not necessarily those of The Observer.  

The Observer

Humor Artists Bring the Hilarious

By The Observer · Tuesday, Sept. 10, 2013

The funniest kids on campus are back for another year of comedy shows full of entertaining audience-active performances and improvisation. The Humor Artists are a group of about 12 students who enjoy getting up on stage and having us laugh at them simply because they are downright hilarious. Similar to "Whose Line is it Anyway," the group performs short, on-the-spot skits that usually involve some sort of audience participation. According to the club's vice president Conor Hanney, the group is just like the cast of the hit comedy show only "less funny and with way more 'Flubber' references." The first chance to catch the group's fresh first-of-the-semester performance is tonight at 10 p.m. at Legends. After this week of non-stop work and career fair prep, you owe it to yourself to laugh off all that stress. Always including their name in the title, the group named this week's event "HAts off to HAutumn: The Reckoning." You can never be sure what you'll expect from one of these improv shows, but apparently this is a throwback theme from 2010 when the group "tried to show their respect for the fall season," a "gesture [that] was met with hostility as autumn spit in our faces," according to their Facebook page. When asked what his favorite part of the show is, Hanney said he enjoys watching Alec Vanthournout, the club's co-president. "[ Vanthournout is] super hysterical," Hanney said, "and now he's super fit and agile on account of all the bike riding he did this summer. He does make a disproportionate amount of Revolutionary War jokes, though. Sometimes they're not super relevant to the scene, but they're still positively rib-tickling." In case you already made plans this Thursday to visit a South Bend night club or to finish up some homework, the Humor Artists perform at Legends the first Thursday of every month as well as every Friday before home football games in the Carey Auditorium (located in Hesburgh Library). I highly recommend attending one if not all of their shows; they are all different and somehow always fresh and enjoyable. Are you thinking about how much you would love to get up on a stage and make a hilarious fool of yourself? Great news, the Humor Artists are holding try-outs for the 2013-2014 school year this weekend. On Sept. 15 from 2:00-4:00 p.m. come to the Carey Auditorium for Improv 101. Bring your imagination and sense of humor. If you make the cut, you could become a part of Notre Dame's Club of the Year, according to Student Activities Office (SAO) who, in Hanney's words, "just loves all things 'Flubber.'" If group comedy isn't your thing, come to Legends early and check out some student stand-up. This group of individual performers is hosting a show at 10:00 p.m. called Summertime Schadenfreude. They also perform on the first Thursday of every month, right before the Humor Artists, as well as sporadically in Washington Hall's Black Box Theater. If stand-up is something you are interested in, just email standup@nd.edu to become involved. You may want to beef up that self-confidence before your first show, though, because Hanney's favorite part about watching stand-up is the heckling. "The student comedians feel super disrespected. It's hilarious!" Hanney said. Entrance is free, so come out tonight to watch some of your fellow students make fools of themselves up on stage at Legends. Contact Maddie Daly at mdaly6@nd.edu The views expressed in this column are those of the author and not necessarily those of The Observer.  

The Observer

Hew's Fall Music Preview

By The Observer · Sunday, Sept. 8, 2013

Your weekend may have been difficult. A regular-season loss. For freshman, the feeling may be one of unfair betrayal, for seniors, chilling familiarity. You may have broken and torched a table after Michigan's final touchdown, or you may have cursed the color maize as you solemnly drove home from the Big House. Today the halls of DeBart will be a little quieter, the North Dining Hall staff a little less friendly, and your work ethic utterly stifled. The fall will seem to have lost all its promise. Yet there is hope, my friends, for a new music season is upon us. Outlined against South Bend sky-grey Observer page, the Fall Music Preview is back again. 

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