PAGE THE STAR 6 ARTS Nov. 16 - Nov. 22, 2010 Kid Cudi's second album feels incomplete

LACIE SCHWARZ of his life. He doesn't use his addictive behav­ Staff Writer ior as a crutch to appear cool to his audience, but quite the opposite actually; they reveal his vul­ Pop culture's loneliest stoner, Kid Cudi has nerability. become the spokesperson for a generation of dys­ Now, this song is followed by, "Mojo So functional kids in desperate need ofsome escape. Dope." It tries to derive meaning from the words His sophomore album, "Man on the Moon 2" is produced, but the song ends up void of any sub­ the second installment of an album trilogy he has stance to hold on to. Lyrics like, "take a shower, in the works. This album details Cudi's descent your attitude stinks" really stick out like a sore into fame, followed by the discovery of his alter­ thumb on an album that gets so close to cohe­ ego, "The Rager," which is a self-destructive and sively relaying the depth ofCudi's addictions and unstoppable version of himself. emotions. The album is split into five acts. These acts Act 3, "Party On" is the most powerful sec­ detail his abyss into stardom and then the sub­ tion of this album. "Erase Me" featuring Kanye sequent feelings of betrayal and loneliness that West touches on subject matter that's maybe not trailed closely behind. so poignant, but does give insight into the slightly The chronological order does lend a hand to different perspective he has on personal relation­ creating a flow for this album to follow, but at ships. This song is Cudi's version of Sting's, "I'll times the soulful and insightful messages are lost Be Watching You" as it comes off sounding like amongst lyrics that try to create meaning, but fall the point of view of a deeply intrigued stalker. flat. The point of view is one that isn't really touched Act 1, titled, "The World I Am Ruling" on in modern pop culture. comes ·off a little bit cocky. Through this act he "It makes me feel complete, known' s,omeone shows the audience that the fame was becoming you love don't feel the same way about ya," gives .a part of him. He was starting to see himself as insight in the mindset of a man that is quite con­ this celebrity, and finding some solace in liv­ tent, almost comfortable not having his feelings ing up to this image created for him. The songs validated. The theme of finding solace through in this act seem almost carefree. The standout loneliness is one that embodies the style of Cudi. song on this act, "Scott Mescudi vs. the World," The beat from the song, "Wild'n Cause I'm featuring Cee-Lo, incorporates the mixture of a . Young" slaps hard, but looms around long after Michael Jackson-type_tempo infused with Kanye · you'd expect it to. The song feels like it is being West-like lyrics that leads the listener on a some­ performed in a large room that carries echoes. what melancholy journey, but at this point in the This eerie texture parallels lyrics that are equally album, it still seems hopeful. intriguing. Act 2, called, "A Stronger Trip" talks about He has no problem admitting that he uses ourtesy II sickhop.com how with fame comes the a surplus of people women, and lots of drugs. But he doesn't use The five acts of "Man on the Moon 2," though inspirational, end up leaving much to be desired. willing to build faux personalities in order to get these things to exploit or abuse them; he does so something out of you. This act isn't very cohesive. to hide his inner turmoil. He reaches out to his The songs don't seem to be arrivi.p.g at the same audience by exposing himself for what he truly conclusions and almost contradict each other. is, empty. But the juxtaposition of his openness "I found the monster in me when I lost my ditioned to derive pleasure from are fleeting, so The song, titled "Marijuana" had to show up regarding his pain set against the lyrics, "wild'n cool" sung by Cage shows that there is progres­ he's just going to find solace in relying on him­ on the album, being as his lonely stoner status cause I'm young'' touches on the reality of the sion throughout the album that hints toward Cudi self. . gained him the majority of his notoriety. This situation; he's expected to live up to a certain im­ trying to find resolution in his unruly life. He "Man on the Moon 2" is filled with expan­ song hints toward Kid Cudi as using marijuana age, so, despite the suffering, the show must go seems to appreciate the darker aspects of his per­ sive insight into what makes up the image and the as a friend. on. sonality, but knows there is a time for growth. actuality of who Kid Cudi is. It's an entertaining "(Marijuana) never left me lonely" shines Act 4, "The Transformation" is a compella­ Act 5, "You Live, You Learn" is the resolu­ album that has plenty of songs that modern youth some light on his motives for drug use. He ex­ tion of songs where Cudi is beginning to recog­ tion to the problems uncovered throughout the can relate to. But it doesn't feel quite complete. plains that the world hasn't stood behind him, so nize his downfalls. He comes to the conclusion course of the album. The song, "All Along" opens It comes off feeling like a bunch of really good he uses the one thing that's never made him feel that his destructive behavior is going to be his with a tribal beat that hints toward the dawn of a ideas were thrown against the wall and he chose stranded, drugs. The drug references don't seem downfall. The song, "Maniac" featuring hip/hop new morning. The lyrics create a picture far from to write songs about the ones that stuck. The sub­ to be employed to give Cudi some undeserved artist Cage acts as a reflection .on the darker sides a happy ending, but he arrives at a mind-altering stantial content is present, but the songs don't fit street cred, but to build the context for the reality of their collective personalities. conclusion: The frivolous things that we're con- together to create a whole story. "Personal Identities" captures unique emotion . . .

TAYLOR WRIGHT % /! r *tr Staff Writer 't#:1:{m :~,= \\

Photographs are portraits ofloved ones and are among the most precious ways to keep memories. Portraits are created as a repre-· sentation of a person, to demonstrate emotions and illustrate real­ life personalities through art. The Sonoma State University Art Gallery presents "Personal Identities: Contemporary Portraits," an exhibition focused on individual distinctiveness through portrai­ ture displayed in various mediums ranging from photographs to oil paintings and even pushpin portraits. After the "Blindly Suspended" exhibition, the "Personal Iden­ tities: Contemporary Portraits" is the second exhibition put on dis­ play during the fall 2010 semester. The exposition will show off just about 30 pieces of art featuring artists nationally and interna­ tionally known. The artists in the exhibit have taken one of the earliest ways to capture individuals through portraiture and transformed their art using modern techniques and original styles. Through portraits, the artists attempt to show individual's identities through facial expressions, body positioning and atmo­ spheres or backgrounds. Modern artists, such as the ones who have art displayed in the exhibition, have begun to use unique mediums such as oil paint on glass, printed images on banana leaves as well as faces created by dollar bills sewn together to fashion portraits. At the entrance of the gallery, a slideshow plays on a flat screen TV displaying painted portraits created in the 1700s and 1800s. Artists such as Francisco de Goya, a Spanish romantic painter and Charles Willson Peale, an American painter, are just a few of the greats that observers may see sliding across the screen. These art­ ists were obviously the inspiration for the movement into more modern portraits. "Diagram oflsolated Moments Forming a Memory" by Adam Chapman is a unique installation featuring constantly transform­ STAR II Alma Shaw ing digital art. At first glance, the art piece looks like nothing more Communications majors Matthew Cooper, Erik Nordstrand and Noah Tenney observe the portraits during class. than shades of muted grey and burgundy colors intertwined with thin black abstract lines floating across a screen. The gallery uses modern photography with the portrayal of a a green face and an evil grin, which collides with a shockingly or­ Yet, with patience, the image slowly takes shape pulling each woman in a wheel chair carrying a gun. The photograph is taken ange background. Warhol derived the portrait from a photograph of piece into place to develop a clear portrait of a woman's face wear­ by Jessamyn Lovell and titled "Mommy With A Gun." The picture Nixon, leaving the original features and only distorting the color. ing a headscarf. The title p_erfectly illustrates the journey the art features an older overweight woman donning a black tank top, for­ Another Warhol piece exhibited is a Marilyn Monroe pop art takes from an unrecognizable picture to a portrait filled with per­ est green cargo pants and black leather army boots. She has a smug piece entirely in florescent pink infused with a dark turquoise. She sonality and spirit. look slapped across her face as she holds a rifle across her chest. displays a sexy seductive smile with a pink face accented with her Expressions of sorrow, bliss and fear are displayed across the Parallel is a similar photograph by Mike Brodie, which re­ most distinguished beauty mark in turquoise. faces of children and adults from all walks oflife in Jim Goldberg's mains untitled. A woman sits on a torn and beaten faded floral The only interactive piece in the gallery is titled "I, You, We" · piece. Goldberg displays nearly 85 small black and white photo­ futon in a black cotton dress. Her short buzzed army-like haircut by Lincoln Schatz. The piece features three staggered multimedia graphs grabbing attention with his ability to capture the diyersity makes her look rough along with the tattoo upon her right bicep. screens making the viewers part of the art exhibit. The monitors and raw emotions upon human faces. Several of the photographs She glares at the camera with a rude, almost arrogant expression have cameras that capture images of people walking around the are taken exceedingly out of focus while others are shown in clear across her face. These portraits give the gallery attendees insight gallery and transfer them onto the screens. The motion is delayed and perfect focus. into the lives of people through just one image. With a single im­ allowing for the individuals to be on more than one screen at a A particular photograph that stands out is a depiction of a age, personalities, backgrounds and life stories can be interpreted time. The images are shadows and outlines of observers rather dark skinned woman lying on her stomach in bed with her face or assumed. than direct images, to create a more imaginative and creative art in her hands. The photo hints at the woman crying and falling to Andy Warhol; a famous painter and printmaker who became piece. her hands in pain and angst. Similarly to this image, all the por­ the leading artist through pop art in the 1970s, currently has his The exhibition opened on Nov. 4 and will remain in the gal­ traits manage to reveal extreme passion and pain within humanity art displayed in the exhibit as well. Vibrant colors through a photo lery until Dec. 12. The gallery is open Tuesday through Friday across the globe. silk screen of Richard Nixon are put on view. Nixon is shown with from 11 p.m to 7 p.m., and weekends from noon to 4 p.m.