Weezer - Raditude

Weezer's newest album, Raditude, showcases a flying dog on the cover, and features a guest spot with Lil’ Wayne on a song written by hip-hop mogul Jermaine Dupri. The majority of the songs were co-written by pop producers Butch Walker and Dr. Luke, the masterminds behind such acts as Kelly Clarkson and Miley Cyrus. The album also contains a nod to Bollywood, and a collaboration with the All-American Rejects. On paper this may sound ridiculous; it’s either the boldest or most idiotic album in the history of Weezer. Casual fans will see it as classic Weezer, while the band's more obsessive fan base will complain endlessly that it doesn’t match the dramatic, emotional grandeur of their sophomore effort Pinkerton. The hardcore fans might hate to hear this, but Raditude is Weezer’s best album.

The album kicks-off with the ebullient (If You’re Wondering If I Want You To) I Want You To which infuses a Violent Femmes style acoustic guitar riff with a Motown beat reminiscent of the Supremes Can’t Hurry Love. I Want You To is the first single, and is able to take the Weezer sound to new places while still maintaining the classic vibe. The percussion on the verses is far more interesting than anything heard on any previous Weezer outings, and the chorus explodes out of the speakers demanding one’s attention. The Beach Boy’s style vocal harmonies on the bridge sound warm, and show-off the band’s fantastic vocal blend.

Raditude succeeds not only based on the merits of the song writing, but also on the technical prowess of the band. Weezer has come a long way from their early days in terms of vocal ability, and musicianship. The band has never sounded tighter, and the creative arrangements on each song show off each member’s abilities equally well. This is especially true since each song on the album is so radically different from the last, so the band members are able to explore new depths. It is quite impressive that Raditude is able to flow so well despite the variation in songs.

When discussing Weezer it is inevitable that comparisons are made to their first two albums, and how since that time the band has lost its artistic integrity. This couldn’t be further from the truth, and Raditude proves it. Raditude does not have the personal tone of Pinkerton, and it is exactly for this reason that the album is so brilliant. Great music does not have to read like a confession from the diary of a tortured artist, in fact some of the worst music is created under this pretense. The goal of a true pop artist is not to inject their own emotion or personality into their songs, but rather to escape from them, and create music that contains universal themes that reach out to as many people as possible.

Weezer front man Rivers Cuomo understands this concept, and as a result his songwriting abilities are always reaching new heights. Rivers decided long ago that it was not his place to attempt to impress the pretentious snobs of the music scene (Pitchfork). So while his songs may seem cheesy or even stupid, they are in fact meticulously and intelligently crafted. He realizes that it is not enough for a songwriter to just write good songs, but that the songwriter must constantly challenge himself to reach out to as many people as possible, and immortalize the music.

Raditude is not just an attempt to cash in on the modern pop sound. The brilliance of the album lies in the fact that it always keeps in mind the history of Rock ‘n’ Roll which has preceded it, and brings it into a modern context. For example, Let It All Hang Out is a song that riffs on the classic, blue-collar Rock ‘n’ roll concept of working for the weekend. This is an example of a song where Cuomo and his collaborators have taken a broad concept that is ingrained in the collective psyche, and adapted it to modern times. This is what pop songwriting is all about. The songwriter must take traditional concepts that have been proven to work, and introduce new elements, thus creating something new, and fresh.

Weezer is a band that has always been able to interject itself into modern, popular music. They write fun, catchy songs that appeal to each generation. Cuomo writes, not from a personal perspective, but rather from the character he has created for himself. This character is a representation of every kid who’s ever felt nerdy, or out of place. Weezer is the kid who doesn’t belong at the party but he’s there anyway rocking out with the cooler kids. The story arc of Weezer has always been Rivers Cuomo’s struggle to break out of this awkward character, and become a real rock star. On Raditude Weezer has finally become everything they’ve always threatened to be.

Pops in Seoul

When people come over and see my television their first reaction is to laugh. It’s a boxy, wood paneled, relic of the late 80’s and it doesn’t get any channels. I like it because it’s a good place to set my drink down. I needed to set up the digital converter box my Mom gave me last week but I couldn’t figure out how it works. After about twenty minutes of struggling with the box and wrestling with the wires, I pounded on the TV and was finally able to get one fuzzy channel to come in. Having no choice in the matter I watched Pops in Seoul on Korean Global Television.

Beautiful, My Life by Kim Jung Min was the first video. A soaring power ballad described by the text on screen as being “rough, yet powerful.” Periodically, text will run across the screen with information about the artist or song. Beautiful, My Life, the text informs me, is a “song about never giving up despite hardship.” These little tidbits of information were helpful to me as I don’t understand Korean.

Pops in Seoul differs greatly from the average American music program. Unlike many American shows which often feature a live studio audience, there is no audience in the studio on Pops in Seoul. The music videos are much more simplistic than American ones. Here the singers are the stars of the videos, there are no giant casts of extras filling up space. Probably the most notable difference though was the fact that the entire music video was played. In America the video is usually cut short on TV so the host can blabber.

The hostess was also much different from what you’d find in the States. She was awkward, unfashionable, and probably not the cutest they could have picked. Her accent was strangely American but something was off. The show was in English, but the word choice led one to believe that it was first scripted in Korean and then translated, poorly.

The next video was by Ipani who the hostess described as having a “well shaped body and pretty face.” The onscreen data fills in the details again. The song, Oppa, is about a girl who is in love with an older guy. It has a “trendy, vocodor sound,” and Ipani has recently been recognized as a “sexy icon.” Then there was the music video for Luv by Memory from her album The Peacock 001. She was described as having a “lucid voice, and lucid melodies.”

Between music videos they showed the “News Flash” segment. Surprisingly, the news was relevant to fans, giving information about one star’s on stage injury and how it would affect his tour over the next few months, or another singer’s new show and the band he produces opening up for him. Not one mention of a scandal, no celebrity feuds, no trash talk. The “News Flash” included information that music fans would actually care to know about.

Watching Pops in Seoul was an unexpected joy. Although it wasn’t exactly a great show with the low production values, awkward English, and mostly terrible music, I found the detour from regular American programming refreshing. And best of all no commercials were shown until the show ended. So if you ever find yourself bored, without anything to watch just check out KGTV where you’ll find all your favorite KPOP stars like DJ Tukutz, Kim Jinho and Kim Jung Min.

The Aqua

From a distance it’s hard to see what’s so exciting about the new Aqua skyscraper overlooking Millennium Park. It looks like a regular building that really contributes nothing significant to the skyline. However, as you move closer you realize the daringness of the design. The curved balconies which are attached to this glass box give the building an undulating, wave-like appearance similar to the Wave tower in Australia.

The 80-story tower is placed in one of the most desirable locations in Chicago with an enviable view of Lake Michigan and Millennium Park. The building was designed by a young architect by the name of Jeanne Gang, already the winner of several prestigious awards. The tower is notable not just for it’s out of the box design but also for being the tallest building in the world designed by a woman.

The design is undeniably breathtaking, and its placement is complimented by the Chicago River and Lake Michigan. It is a highly original concept and represents a bold new look for Chicago architecture. The tower will house apartments, condos and a hotel. Inside, there is also a plethora of amenities: party rooms, indoor and outdoor pools, hot tubs, lounges, coffee bars, running tracks, fire places, garden terrace etc. There is also a curved stairway which allows access to the street from the garden terrace.

However, despite the allure of this bold and impressive building the fact is it isn’t selling. The condos remain empty for the most part and the hotel pulled out of the project before construction ended. What’s the problem? This building which appears to have so much promise seems to be stunted. Is it just the economy or is there something wrong with this building?

The answer is probably a combination of the economy, and the overall impracticality of this building. Yes, the building is astonishing to look at but what about actually living there? A one bedroom condo costs upwards of $250,000 with a balcony that not only takes up a lot of space but is essentially unusable, unless you want to get blown away. There just isn’t much incentive to shell out the cash needed for a place like this. There’s also the matter of maintenance. How are these balconies going to be maintained during the winter?

In the end, the Aqua is a gimmick. Yes, the design is fashionable, but the building fails as a work of architecture as it offers no practicality for the residents. Those who live in the building are more likely to feel as though they are in the middle of a Stephen King novel than a bustling hub of activity. In its current state, the tower functions quite effectively as a symbol of our economic decline. The facade is beautiful, the location prime, but the inside is empty, lacking in substance, providing the luxury it advertises to very few. Americans today still have the desire to see images of wealth and beauty, but are cutting back when it comes to acquiring it for themselves. It is truly unfortunate that the Aqua Tower is so beautiful because overall it is entirely impractical.

The Stages of Life

Caspar David Friedrich's The Stages of Life is an interesting, yet somewhat trite exercise in symbolism. Initially, the lighting in this painting is very striking. The color palette is ambiguous, and it’s hard to tell whether it is dusk or dawn. The colors range from light to very dark suggesting a passage of time, with the bright lights representing the children, and the dark for the older persons.

Also interesting is the way each member of the group on the shore corresponds with the ships in the water. The children (who have just begun their journey through life) are represented by the two small boats which are closest to shore; the larger boats for the adults which are placed further out to shore, with the old man’s corresponding ship being the furthest out to sea. The painting seems to suggest that life is a vehicle which moves us through time, similar to the way a ship is a vehicle that moves us through distance. Time and distance are both journeys that people go through in their lives.

While the painting has some nice qualities such as the lighting, technique and symbolism it is overall an inconsequential painting. It doesn’t have much to say in a historical context, it simply looks nice and posits a simplistic kind of symbolism which conveys nothing profound.

Self-portrait as Sick Bacchus

Self-portrait as Sick Bacchus is an early piece by Caravaggio in which he takes the classical figure of Bacchus the God of Wine, and puts his own spin on it. What you see in the painting is not a God, but rather a very frail, and sick looking young man, with a look of extreme anguish on his face. The ripe peaches, and grapes at the end of the table directly in front of Bacchus not only contrast with the dying fruit in Bacchus' hand, and the wilting leaves on his head, but also, with the way the fruit is drawn in the foreground, it comes out at the viewer, making it a focal point. By drawing the viewers into the painting in this way, and bringing attention to the ripe fruit that is right in front of them, while at the same time showing them the rotting fruit in the hand of Bacchus, the painting seems to be signifying the death of old traditions in art. In that sense, the painting has a sort of defiant attitude about it.

The painting has a slightly disturbed feeling to it. The way Bacchus is isolated in darkness brings an air of mysteriousness to the painting. Besides the table in the foreground, there are no clues as to where he is--the background is just a wash of color. Where is he? His face is turning blue; he is possibly dying alone in this room. And is that a smile on his face, or a grimace? He is looking directly at the viewer with that strange expression on his face, and it almost seems as if he's been interrupted. All of these things: The darkness, death, and overall uncertainty found in the painting have a very unsettling quality.

Self-Portrait as Sick Bacchus succeeds despite the subject matter being so old and overused during the time period. Caravaggio takes the traditional image of the God of Wine, spins it into his own characteristically twisted style, and uses it to foreshadow the decline of tired, traditional imagery in painting and the artist's desire for a new, more forward looking style.

Ask the Dust By John Fante

Reading John Fante’s Ask the Dust is like a revelation. Halfway through you’ll be slapping your forehead and wondering where the book has been all your life. You’ll wonder why you haven’t heard of it before and why it isn’t required reading. This novel, which was originally published in 1939, is responsible for the influence of many great writers. Reading Ask the Dust you can’t help but be reminded of books such as Larry McMurtry’s All My Friends Are Going to Be Strangers, J.D. Salinger’s Catcher in the Rye, and everything Charles Bukowski has ever written.

The story centers around Arturo Bandini, who moves out to Southern California to follow his dream of becoming a famous writer. He is obsessed with this goal at the expense of other facets of his life. Arturo is a troubling man; emotionally disturbed and awkward but not necessarily threatening. While some of his encounters are humorous, others are tragic. One of the few relationships Arturo develops is with Camilla Lopez, a waitress working at a restaurant which Arturo frequents. The relationship begins antagonistically, practically hateful. Arturo fears women and reacts with hostility toward Camilla. However, they continually spend time together. Some moments they share together are almost sweet in a twisted sort of way, other times they are horrible to each other. Overall a strange relationship, ended in tragedy.

Ask the Dust feels autobiographical despite being a work of fiction. It is realistic and avoids flights of fancy, instead showing the grim reality of depression era life. The language is simplistic yet poetic. There are no needless words in this novel nor is there one chapter out of place. It is short and concise yet deep and mesmerizing. It is an easy story to get caught up in since you do not know where the next chapter will take you. Arturo is a baffling, sometimes absurd character that readers can empathize with and feel compelled to read on. Although the book is written very simply, it tells the story without unnecessary flourishes, this is not to say that it lacks in depth or charm. The characters are recognizable despite their eccentric qualities.

Fante wastes no time setting up the character. From the very beginning of the novel you are immediately thrown into Arturo Bandini’s world. This is a rare quality in novels, a quality that implies the work of a fantastic story teller. If you are at all familiar with greats of the 20th century like Bukowski, Kerouac, McMurtry, and Salinger, then you will immediately understand the impact of Ask the Dust. At the heart of Ask the Dust is a story which anyone who has ever pined for greatness can relate to. It’s the story of a poor man who hungers for the fame and the power to take and keep what has been denied to him, yet when he finally achieves his goal, realizes that it isn’t what he wanted at all.

Whatever Works

After filming the majority of his most recent films in Europe, Woody Allen has finally returned to New York City with the delightfully funny Whatever Works. The movie stars Larry David, a neurotic Jew who fits in perfectly to Allen’s universe. David’s role was originally written back in the 1970’s for Zero Mostel. Aside from a few lines in the film that reference current events it’s clear from the opening that the bulk of this film was written during Allen’s heyday back in the 1970’s. Whatever Works has the look, feel and hilarious one-liners of a classic Allen film. The look, of course, is a hermetically sealed version of New York City that really only exists in the mind of Allen.

The movie centers around the misanthropic Boris Yelnikoff a brilliant, former physics professor at Columbia University who has become somewhat of a hermit after a failed marriage, and a failed suicide attempt (he landed on the canopy). Change comes for Boris in the form of a young runaway southern belle named Melodie St. Ann Celestine, who literally shows up as his doorstep one night. Boris reluctantly lets her stay.

By some stretch of the imagination Melodie winds-up being charmed by Boris’ pessimism and they are quickly married. Although David is slightly younger than Allen it’s still slightly disturbing to think of him having a relationship with such a young girl, even though the film acknowledges its abnormality. The idea of love being where you’re least likely to find it seems to be a prominent theme in this film, and though this relationship sounds ridiculous on paper Boris assures us “life isn’t on paper.” Whatever Works succeeds, as many Allen films do, as a study of relationships. This film is preoccupied with the idea of the randomness and “meaningless blind chance” involved in the relationships we form.

The performances might have been one-dimensional if performed by lesser actors. The characters of Melodie and her Mother Marietta are stereotypically southern. However, Evan Rachel Wood and Patricia Clarkson breathe life into these roles which could easily have wound-up as caricatures. David’s portrayal of Boris is a lot like his character on his show Curb Your Enthusiasm only exaggerated. Boris is rude, pessimistic, neurotic and hilarious. In short, everything you could ask for in an Allen character. Though it’s easy to imagine Allen himself in David’s place, David definitely brings his own angry voice to the character.

Even though the film is enjoyable there are some elements which prevent it from joining the ranks of the greatest Allen films. Whatever Works feels rushed and the characters are not nearly as identifiable or lovable as characters in his best films. Overall, this will be regarded as one of Allen’s lighter efforts but that’s not necessarily a bad thing. Though the movie doesn’t quite succeed as well as some of his best work of that era such as Stardust Memories or Manhattan it’s still a charmingly hilarious film. It may not be a grand slam, but it’s a really well executed bunt.