sign in sign up
<<
Home , At the Bottom, Ben Folds, Deja Entendu, Glassjaw, Jesse Lacey, Manchester Orchestra

6 Aquinas THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 17, 2009 7

Arts & Life Editor Joe Wolfe Brand New’s darker “Daisy” VMAs still full Campus Comment commentary by Arts Life Nicholas Chinman Dervela O’Brien of surprises & Staff Writer In the aftermath of the West Fans of the alternative-rock commentary by incident, Swift stunned the audi- band, Brand New, are anxiously Tim Simpson ence with her live performance. Download awaiting the release of the band’s Staff Writer She sang her award winning “9” just short of a perfect 10 fourth entitled “Daisy,” single “You Belong with Me” in a which is scheduled to be released On September 13, the 2009 crowded City subway of the September 22. After almost three MTV Video Music Awards took commentary by with fans providing the back- years of touring and writing new place at Radio City Music Hall ground vocals to her tune. She Jeremy Evans material since their well-received in New York City. For the sec- week glowed with enthusiasm while Staff Writer “The Devil and God Are Raging ond consecutive year, the event spinning around in circles, danc- Inside Me,” the native was hosted by comedian Russell ing on the seats and involving In 2005, Shane Acker created band has worked hard to put to- Brand. several members of the crowd an animated short as a student “Pale Blue gether their latest album, which is The night began with a heart- in her upbeat performance. Af- project. He crafted a fascinating sure to surprise its listeners. felt speech delivered by Madon- ter leaving the subway, she and world, one which caught the at- “Daisy” follows many of the na in honor of her late friend Mi- photo by Brand NEw Myspace Page her fans ran to the front of Radio tention of many in the film-mak- Eyes” same dark philosophical themes chael Jackson. Several of Jackson’s BRAND NEW exhibits their deeper and darker side on “Daisy.” City Music Hall where Swift con- ing business. The short was nomi- presented within their past two most recognizable such as cluded by dancing on a car above nated for an Academy Award for , “” and “The shows the band’s new spin on concludes with “Noro,” a that “Thriller,” “Smooth Criminal” and -The Velvet her screaming fans. best animated short film, but lost Devil and God Are Raging Inside conveying their characteristic raw neatly ties the album together, re- “Bad” were played alongside a Another exciting performance out to “The Moon and the Son: An Me,” however its unique sound re- emotions of anger and desponden- peating the same hymn-like sing- choreographed number to com- occurred when Lady Gaga took Imagined Conversation.” How- veals the band’s evident maturity cy. Right from the onset, the band ing that opens the album. memorate the “King of Pop’s” Undeground the stage. The highly anticipat- ever, this short caught the eye of over the past decade. Brand New sets the stage of what’s in store for In one of his rare interviews achievements. Janet Jackson also ed performance began with her film maker , who was released the record’s first single “At the rest of the album. featured in the ’s made a special guest appearance smash hit, “Poker Face,” until it impressed by Acker’s work and the Bottom” at the end of August, In songs like “You Stole” and music magazine “Kerrang!,” lead to perform her hit song “Scream,” There are not too many quickly shifted to her latest hit wished to see the short become which captures the band’s appar- “,” listeners get a singer admits, “we a song that she and Michael re- bands that consistently show “Paparazzi.” Her performance a feature length film. While call- ent innovativeness. The creation glimpse at the band’s new ap- were thinking a lot more about corded together in 1995. Jackson’s up in other bands’ “greatest included bizarre movements ing “9” a feature length film is a of new album allowed the band to proach at folk/alternative music what we’d want to play when we life and career as a groundbreak- and even more eccentric cloth- stretch - 80 minutes long is well influnces” lists as much as further experiment with their con- mirroring that of the indie-rock were up onstage” and offers that er in the music industry was ing choices. Gaga then caused shy of the average length of two . tinually changing sound, combin- band, Modest Mouse. the new album is “quite dense.” honored throughout the entire photo by MCTCAMPUS the entire music hall to gasp in hours for feature films - viewers ing deep lyrics, melodic verses and Despite their attempt at an orig- Though it shares many of the ceremony. SHANE ACKER excites audiences as he brings them into an unknown and magical world full of Although “The Velvet Un- shock when she started gushing will certainly get their money’s heavy screaming. inal sound, songs like “Gasoline” same aggressive attributes as their There are several moments stunning visuals. derground & ” is their blood from her chest. Naturally, worth. The new record calmly com- and “Bought a Bride,” include the previous works, “Daisy” is sure to during this year’s VMAs that claim to fame, their album it was planned and her perfor- With Tim Burton as producer, it’s amazing to think the short was pect of the film couldn’t quite live lowing the audience to familiarize mences with a accompa- post-hardcore choruses of - gain much praise and attention caused quite a bit of controversy. mance ended on a rather morbid Acker succeeded in putting to- done merely as a student project. up to the animation. So much at- themselves with them. The film’s “The Velvet Underground” is nied hymn-like tune in the open- tion-filled screaming that longtime from its audience after the first For example, Taylor Swift was note when she dangled above gether a stellar cast that does not What Acker managed to do with tention went into creating and short runtime could easily have equal in quality. ing track “Vices.” The vintage yet fans love and associate with Brand few listens. Be sure to check out the winner in the “Best Female her dancers, bleeding out of her disappoint. Voice talents include his limited technology and budget animating the characters and the been extended twenty or thirty elegant sounding female vocals New. Other tracks, including “Sink” Brand New this fall, when they will Video” category with her music This is most evident in the eyes. Elijah Wood, Christopher Plum- was simply astounding. However, world that they inhabit that the minutes to give all the characters are unexpectedly juxtaposed with and “Daisy,” reflect the band’s pre- be promoting “Daisy” on tour with video for “You Belong with Me.” track, “Pale Blue Eyes,” as The night also included a sneak mer, and John as gorgeous as the short was, the characters and plot do come off a little more depth. heavy instrumentals and post- vious efforts, nevertheless have a an assortment of bands including She was awestruck because it exhibits his calm- peek at the final trailer for “The C. Reilly. All of them perform well feature length film blows it out as somewhat flat. The title char- That said, “9” is definitely a film hardcore screaming. The sudden much more mature and well-artic- , Glassjaw, was her first “moonman” win. Twilight Saga: New Moon.” in their respective roles. All actors of the water. The visuals have acter, named 9, a sapient rag doll, worth seeing. Fans of Tim Burton ing vocals, layered with in- change in style and dynamics ulated sound to them. The album and Orchestra. Swift began her acceptance do a wonderful job in bringing a haunting beauty to them that wakes up in a post apocalyptic will not be disappointed. As for strumentals, that rock the speech discussing how she never A final memorable moment their characters to life. In par- seems right at place among Tim future and discovers others of his Burton, he may have found his suc- thought she could win a “moon- brought Swift back out on stage listener to sleep. to continue her acceptance ticular, Elijah Wood, a veteran of Burton movies. Acker’s attention kind as they hide from a mechani- cessor in Shane Acker. Without a “Pale Blue Eyes” is the man” as a country singer. She the “Lord of the Rings” franchise, to detail every step of the way is cal creature known as the Beast. doubt, Acker brought to the screen was then interrupted by rapper speech that egocentric West cut was certainly no stranger to epic commendable - never at any point Much of the movie simply con- an engaging and eerily bewitching perfect first track for any- Parachute lands in Scranton , who appeared on short. While Beyoncé accepted tales of dangerous journeys and does the animation falter. The ani- cerns long (though extremely well world. It’s simply a shame that all one trying to familiarize stage for what seemed like a pre- the “moonman” for “Video of the John C. Reilly, although a bit out of mation style may be off-putting to choreographed and beautifully the attention that went into this themselves with The Velvet Rebecca Schmaeling they both attended. with Secondhand Serenade, and rehearsed “stunt” that MTV is Year” she told the audience that she too was nervous and excited his usual comedy style, turns in a some, but the meticulous way that animated) action sequences. There world couldn’t have translated on Underground. It deserves a Staff Writer The band lists musicians of they are taking time off their known for. It was soon clear that all genres as influences, includ- tour to play at Scranton for free. when she won her first VMA with solid performance. Acker crafted this world begs to isn’t much in the way of character the script. Despite its faults, “9” is spot in any music library. he was there for another reason. The visuals alone in “9” are be seen, even by those who aren’t development as many of the other a beautifully animated film that ing: Stevie Wonder, , The show has had such a huge He grabbed the microphone from Destiny’s Child. As a result, the This Monday night, the rising classy singer handed the micro- worth the admission price. After fans of Burton or this genre. numbered ragdoll characters get begs to be seen, even by those not band Parachute, will be playing , , , Maroon response that it had to be moved Swift’s hands and stated rather watching the original short film, Unfortunately, one major as- relatively little screen time, not al- fans of the genre. 5, , Jay–Z, from its original location, in obnoxiously that Beyoncé’s video phone over the Swift who grace- on the Dionne Green patio at 8 fully continued her acceptance p.m. and The Arcade Fire. Parachute’s the amphitheater, to the Dionne for “Single Ladies (Put a Ring on debut album, Losing Sleep, can Green Patio, outside of the Stu- It)” should have won instead. The speech that was greeted with A self-proclaimed mixture of roars of applause from the audi- rock, soul, vintage R&B and me- be described as soft pop and dent Center, to allow for more crowd reacted negatively to this Woodstock brings peace, love and happiness to theaters features the single that made room. The band will be around publicity stunt by booing him. In ence. lodic pop, Parachute Overall, this award ceremony rocketing through the charts al- them famous, “She Is Love,” after the show to sign auto- addition, Beyoncé looked morti- commentary by New York Route 15. This all chang- Janis Joplin, The Doors, Crosby, Stills the background, whether it’s play- out on the hill. along with others such as “Back graphs and meet fans. In addi- fied by West’s lack of self-control. was entertaining to watch and most as quickly as they emerged provided viewers with enough Aliya Shaikh es with the next day’s paper, which & Nash, Arlo Guthrie, The Band ing on the radio, muffled through Elliot and Woodstock both sym- into the music scene. Recently Again,” “Under Control” and “All tion, there will be two Dave Mat- During all the mayhem, Swift Staff Writer includes an article regarding the and Steve Winwood. This particu- the stage speakers, or muted as it bolize the end of a decade and that I Am”. These songs resemble thews Band tickets auctioned stood silently on stage until she moments to talk about until next listed on Vh1’s Top 20 Count- year’s show. cruel townsfolk of Walkill chasing lar selection blends smoothly into is in the scene of people camped certain mindsets, allowing room down, Parachute has gone from a combination of The Fray and off at the show. No tickets are was finally escorted off. The 60’s were marked by The a music festival out of town. for the acceptance of change. This a group of teenagers playing in Maroon 5 with upbeat melodies needed and anyone is welcome Beatles invasion, the raging Viet- In one last attempt to save the acceptance can be extended to their hometown of Charlottes- and lyrics centered on love and to come. The show promises to nam War, the launching of Soviet farm, Teichberg tries to pitch his the acknowledgment of the physi- ville, VA to a nationally recog- relationships. be a huge success, and one that satellites and Led Zeppelin’s de- land as the site for Woodstock. cal body, changing political views nized band. The fact that their Parachute has been touring you will not want to miss. but album. Out of this decade, However, the extensive swamp with the growing unpopularity of hit single “She Is Love” was 1969 was a year that was forever on his property sidetracks his idea the Vietnam War and the rise of featured on a nationwide Nivea remembered for one thing: Wood- until his friendly neighbor, played musical freedom. The festival is commercial is just another testa- stock. Before this music festival, by Eugene Levy, offers his 600 acre portrayed as a release of sorts. ment to their recent success. the world had never seen such a dairy farm as the new site. After Director Ang Lee gives us a far- Parachute, originally named collection of musical talent, copi- sidestepping some bureaucratic red out time in watching a little known Sparky’s Flaw, changed their ous amounts of LSD and free-lov- tape, extortion seeking gangsters music festival progress into one of name because they felt that they ing hippies gathered on one dairy and conservative townspeople, the the biggest events of the decade, needed a more mature name to farm. legendary festival reigns for three while touching on some heavy match their rise in fame. The We start off with Elliot Teich- solid days. This was plenty of time themes of social, cultural and po- members include lead singer/ berg, Demetri Martin, playing the for nation-wide media coverage, litical change at the same time. /guitar/piano player role of the good son. He leaves his mud sliding and opportunities to We see such progression in the Te- Will Anderson, drummer Johnny pad job in Brooklyn to move back be trippin’ while listening to Jimi ichberg family as they experience Stubblefield, bassist Alex Ha- home and, once again, attempt to Hendrix. “special brownies” and see the un- grave and saxophone/keyboard- bail his parents’ farm out of fore- The film was scored by Danny known sides of each other. ist Kit French, all of whom met closure. However, the El Monaco Elfman, the man responsible for the So if you don’t mind the heavy and played together in high International Resort offers poor “Wanted” soundtrack. Throughout themes and the freedom that de- school. Guitar player Nate Mc- lucrative aspects and is unable to the movie we hear tracks from The photo by rottentomatoes.com fines Woodstock, go and see what Farland met Anderson at the photo by weareparachutes.com photo by MTV attract any guests from the remote Grateful Dead, Jefferson Airplane, DEMETRI MARTIN (center) brings Woodstock to this generation. the center of the universe is like. University of Virginia, which PARACHUTE SLATED to hit Scranton stage Monday, Sept. 21. KANYE WEST (left) ruins Taylor Swifts’ (right) “moonman” moment.

Campus Comment How would you feel if Kanye West interrupted your award ceremony?

“I would “I would be pretty angry about “I’d push him off the stage.” “I’d have Ashton Kutcher PUNK “I’d feel kind of angry because “I’d cry and be angry.” “I’d be ecstatic.” “I’d be pretty pissed!” “I’d probably cry.” “I’d be pretty damn pissed!” probably cry right there” that” him.” it’s my moment.”

Arielle Verdesco Tom Morin Felecia Mazzoni Tom Manning Scott Beyer Kendra Robinson Mike Martin Christina Rossi Allyson Kiss Paul Rajan Sophomore, Nutley, NJ Senior, Hackettstown, NJ Freshman, Mountaintop, PA Junior, North Kingstown, RI Freshman, Mercerville, NJ Senior, Springfield Garden, NY Sophomore, Brookfield, CT Freshman, Center Valley, PA Freshman, East Meadow, NY Sophomore, Clarks Summit, PA