scene

Small talks with big people: Seth Meyers

By The Observer · Saturday, Sept. 8, 2012

Far Off Sounds Delightful

By The Observer · Tuesday, Sept. 4, 2012

When I think of Iceland, the images that come to mind are steaming volcanoes and geysers, frigid fjords, and Bjork's swan dress (one could probably write an entire article on that wardrobe choice in itself). New band Of Monsters and Men jumped onto the music scene after winning the Icelandic battle of the bands, MÃºsÃktilraunir (I dare you to say that three times fast), in 2010, and released their full-length album in April of this year. Their debut album, "My Head Is an Animal," brings alive the Nordic myths and folklore of the region with a modern, indie twist. The album aptly begins with the female and male lead vocalists singing the album's title lyrics on the track "Dirty Paws." The song picks up with a steady drumbeat and choral lines, and the lyrics set the tone of a journey through folklore and fairytale. "King and Lionheart" continues the myth-like theme, conjuring up images of kings, ghosts and sailing ships (the theme of sailing and the sea is echoed prominently throughout the album). After the upbeat track "Mountain Sound," the tempo dies down a bit with "Slow and Steady." The song focuses prominently on the drums and features ethereal effects and choruses that fade out at the conclusion of the song. One of the summer's top indie hits, "Little Talks" stands out as the intermediate point for the album. The unmistakable brass melody and collective choral, "Hey!" is extremely catchy, and one can't help but sing along with the chorus. The back and forth between singers NannaBryndÃsHilmarsdÃ³ttir and Ragnar"Raggi"ÃÃ³rhallsson (these names are going to kill me) is a heart-breaking dialogue, drawing the listener into a story of seemingly fated lovers. The song continues the allusions to things nautical, featuring the creak of a ship's deck during the quiet bridge. "Six Weeks" paints pictures of fighting off beasts and riding fervently towards home. The song is a little harder-hitting than the other songs on the album, featuring electric guitar, pounding piano, and upbeat drums. Quite possibly my favorite track is the balladic, "Love, Love, Love," sung solely by Nanna. The song draws its beauty from the simple melody and acoustic sound, highlighted by the acoustic guitar, accordion and xylophone -like sounds. Halfway through the ballad, there is a break in which Nanna sings, "So I think it's best / We both forget / Before we dwell on it," yet all one can do is dwell in the silence. "Your Bones" feels and sounds like a journey song; the drums and trumpet seem to drive the songs characters forward as they "drifted towards the storm" and "the fire spread." The following track "Sloom" is a beautiful blend of harmonies between the lead vocalists, backed by simple instrumentation including acoustic and an echoing electric guitar, accordion, and clapping (I simply cannot resist songs that feature clapping). The album concludes with the track "Yellow Light." The song is rather melancholy, as the two characters hopefully make their way towards a bright light while "the soft walls eat [them] alive." The song continues on long after the lyrics conclude, building in power until a sweetly ringing piano and xylophone resolves it. The album relies heavily on vivid imagery of forests, the sea, monsters, animals, spirits and the elements. The distinctive and striking voices of lead vocalists HilmarsdÃ³ttir and ÃÃ³rhallsson narrate an engaging story that takes the listener on the journey with them. The riveting and otherworldly sound effects that echo throughout the album further sets the myth-like ambiance sung about throughout the album. I enjoyed "My Head is An Animal," and think that any fan of bands such as Arcade Fire, The Decemberists or The Shins will enjoy it too. I look forward to hearing more from this group, but I will be crossing my fingers that their Grammy night fashion is not inspired by fellow Icelander Bjork. Contact Lizzie Schroff at eschro01@saintmarys.edu

Download. Listen. Discard.

By The Observer · Tuesday, Sept. 4, 2012

Passion Pit's new album "Gossamer" packs a quirky and satisfying punch that should make it a rewarding download for new and established fans alike. "Gossamer" is like Passion Pit's adorable, slightly awkward second child; it doesn't quite fill its big brother's shoes, but that's no reason to abandon it on someone's doorstep. "Take a Walk" is the album's most recognizable song, combining a peppy beat with surprisingly serious subject matter. The track provides a grim account of financial and personal struggle in post-recession America, yet is still a great song to jam out to while walking to class.Taco Bell certainly enjoys "Take a Walk," because it recently began using the song in its television commercials. However, what Taco Bell needs to understand is that alternative music is not what drives people to eat their mystery meat tacos at one in the morning. "Love is Greed," my personal favorite track on "Gossamer," continues the album's interesting trend of layering introspective lyrics over Passion Pit's uptempo, experimental sound. Taking a look at the complexity of human relationships, the song asks the difficult question, "If we really love ourselves / How do you love somebody else?" If I knew the answer to that question, I would be writing self-help books and consoling hysterical women on "Dr. Phil" rather than reviewing music for a college newspaper. Fans of Passion Pit's hit song "Sleepyhead" will enjoy "Cry Like a Ghost," which also uses synthesizers and voice distortion techniques to create a distinctly surreal sound. Gossamer drops off slightly from Passion Pit's last musical effort, "Manners," but is still an album I would definitely recommend downloading. I'll be the first to tell you I'm not a fan of country music, but Zac Brown Band really impressed me with their latest album, "Uncaged." For "Uncaged" the band taps into their signature Caribbean-inspired vibe, resulting in both the highlight ("Jump Right In") and lowlight ("Island Song") of the album. "Jump Right In" is a fun, upbeat track I can see myself blasting on Fridays after class, filled with the band's usual amount of tropical references. It can get annoying how frequently Zac Brown Band songs mention palm trees, sand and adult beverages on the beach, but hey, there are worse things in the world. Other highlights include "Natural Disaster," a folk-sounding ode to a beautiful woman whose fiery disposition "wrecks everyone she meets," and the more soulful "Lance's Song," a song about a musician receiving his "silver invitation" to play for "the big band in the sky" after a career filled with disappointment. I would urge those people on the fence about country music to give the album a listen. Zac Brown Band successfully avoids the twangy sound and shallow lyrics found in many country songs, making them a refreshing change of pace in a genre I feel has grown increasingly stale. Those of you familiar with DJ Khaled may know him as the MC/producer responsible for a dizzying number of popular hip-hop songs in the past 10 years. By bringing together long lists of A-list rappers on the majority of his tracks, Khaled has made a career riding to success on the coattails of those with actual talent. However, not even the likes of Kanye, T.I. or Big Sean could salvage the steaming garbage heap that is Khaled's new album, "Kiss the Ring." Khaled can usually be relied on to churn out at least one song per album I enjoy, but "Kiss the Ring" left me completely empty handed, with no tracks standing out as remotely download-worthy. My greatest complaint is that rather than actually rapping, Khaled spends a solid portion of the album doing shout-outs to friends and various locations. Five seconds of such shout-outs may be acceptable occasionally, but a solid minute of his whiny rambling only makes me want to throw my iPod at the wall. Overall, the album is an indictment of Khaled as a no-talent, wannabe musician. In fact, I saved a special place for it in my music doghouse, right next to Lil Wayne's "Tha Carter 4."

Know Thy Shelf

By The Observer · Tuesday, Sept. 4, 2012

"I grew up on Ayn Rand," vice president hopeful Paul Ryan told an audience in 2005. "I grew up reading Ayn Rand and it taught me quite a bit about who I am and what my value systems are, and what my beliefs are." While singing the praises of an Objectivist author might not have been the safest move, Ryan definitely won points in my arbitrary little book of standards. "The Fountainhead" was Ayn Rand's first major literary success. I read it over the summer on the train to Penn Station - Manhattan's skyline made the perfect backdrop. Set in the 1920s, Rand delves into the lesser-known architectural scene of New York City. While the romantic plotline between the protagonist, Howard Roark, and his love interest, Dominique Francon, is addictive (think the masochistic electricity of "Twilight" fused with the sophisticated banter of "The Great Gatsby"), Rand mostly strives to deify the individual. The book reads like an extended allegory. All the characters exhibited physical attributes to match their role in the book. This is a transparent device; the good guys are tall, sharp and athletic, and the bad ones are mousy, wrinkled or sickly. The dialogue mimics Plato's "The Republic," and drags on for just as long. "The Fountainhead," and "Atlas Shrugged," Rand's other infamous philosophical novel, are indulgent, but at least she compels readers to stay with her. The profound imagery and melodramatic plot twists made me catch my breath at times. In a word, "The Fountainhead" is empowered. The main character, Howard Roark, is a messianic character, who adheres to his architectural integrity at all costs. He fails out of architecture school because he refuses to adhere to conventional architectural styles. Roark doesn't build to please the crowds. He builds to gratify himself. He also detests self-promotion, and does nothing to stop the greedy, untalented Peter Keating, a fellow student, who plagiarizes his beautiful work. Fueled by his self-confidence, independence, design genius and gallons of coffee, Roark breaks from the "mainstream" and begins anew. His projects are few and far between, but he presses on with heartbreaking diligence. He is cold to the pull of fame and fortune that Keating enjoys at the best firm in New York. Only inspired design sustains him; each new design hits him like a revelation, like a shot of cocaine. Roark is one of the most intimidating and inspiring characters I have encountered in literature. His work ethic puts to shame the most devout architects in the city and his style is unapologetic and brilliant. Although the readers can't see his ingenious New York City skyscrapers, Rand humanizes the blueprints with emotion. I sensed how his buildings vaulted to the sky and how the spaces he created curved to embrace the awestruck characters with intimacy and intuition. Rand's unabashed egoism enthralls as it comes blazing through "The Fountainhead." To all architecture students or just students out there looking for a little motivation: you absolutely must read this book, whether you agree with Ryan's or Rand's politics or not. Few will contest her point of view is extreme, so no one will blame you (or me) for reveling in her strange, angular and self-obsessed world. Contact Meghan Thomassen at mthomass@nd.edu The views in this column are those of the author and not necessarily those of The Observer.