Weezer's Red Album Drops (Most of It Anyway)

Fans eagerly awaiting the arrvail of Weezer's latest album need not wait any longer as earlier in the week, leaked songs for the forthcoming album, Weezer's 6th, were leaked online through websites like BitTorrent and even inflitrated Youtube with fan made uploads.

Though the official album isn't officially available until the 6th of June (moved up a week from its original date) and only eight of the ten songs were ultimately leaked, it should give fans and critics a good indication of what the band has been up to since its much debated last effort "Make Believe."

About two weeks ago, Weezer dropped their first single "Pork 'n Beans " which is currently burning up the rock radio charts. The single, inspired by blights with the record company is clearly the most radio friendly song on an album full of suprises and those good old fashioned Weezer moments.

The album begins with a misstep, in what is perhaps ultimately the album's worst song to date, "Troublemaker." Where Rivers Cuomo boasts that he's a "trouble maker not a double taker" and that he's "doing things his own way," prompting thoughts that maybe the promise of another color-coded album might not be enough to save the day.

Weezer fans rejoice however as the next song provides the album's clear standout track. The tune "The Greatest Man Who Ever Lived" is filled with the same un-weezerlike statements of pop bravado that filled the first song. Here we find Rivers boasting that he is indeed what is mentioned in the title. The song starts off at a similar pace to "Troublemaker" before spiraling into a Queen-like whirlwind of mini-song vinettes that include chanting and Rivers hitting the high notes. The last part provides some much needed relief to Weezer fans who have waited a long time since Rivers last delivered a line with the sheer force that he croons "ooooooh baby/ i think that I'm goin' crazy." A line that dares you to try and not sing it out loud.

Elsewhere on the album there is much to be excited about. The album marks the first time since before the Green Album (and this decade) that a Weezer album feels more like the work of a band than simply the singer, guitarist and principal songwriter Rivers Cuomo. He even goes so far as to reliquish the vocal lead on "Thought I Knew" and elsewhere harmonies are abound as the other Weezer band members step up to the plate and give Rivers the "all" that he demands in "The Greatest Man who Ever Lived."

Elsewhere on the ablum, "Heart Songs" features lyrics about the songs and artists that influenced Rivers, which include the likes of Michael Jackson and Nirvana. "Everbody Get Dangerous" is another instance of single material and proves to be a better crafted pop song with each subsequent listen. However when on familiar turf, Weezer are never able to sound off. In "Cold Dark World" Rivers sings about his "angel girl" and the bleak world which they inhabit, a combination that makes for a winning track.

So where does the Red Album stand in the line of Weezer albums? It's too early to tell and already I've found myself in numerous debates with friends of varying opinions. But that's the good part. For the first time in a while Weezer has released an album with songs worth giving a damn about if your friend didn't like it. An album that will spark different opinions and different reactions. It features songs that indulge River's weird side, and make you realize that that was always Weezer's strength, keeping it weird.

However more importantly it features a slew of better than average and better with every listen pop songs. And if nothing else, the Red Album proves that even if Rivers isn't "The Greatest Man That Ever Lived," he's still a songwriter worth caring about, at the helm of one of rock's heavyweight bands.

Neil Young's Legacy Grows More Legs

In probably the weirdest bit of news I've stumbled upon lately, Neil Young, veteran rocker best known for his distinguished solo career and tenure in the band CSNY, has extended his legacy out of music and into the animal kingdom.

Nme.com reported today that the veteran rocker has recently had a species of spider named after him. Myrmekiaphila neilyoungi was the 'scientific name' given to the new arachnid when it was discovered by a fan and scientist, Jason Bond. Bond made the discovery in Alabama and has recently confirmed that it is a new species through "DNA testing."

What's most hilarious is that the spider, named after Young is distinguished from other spiders by its different genitalia, which may or may not come as a compliment to the star depending on how you look at it.

So far the star has not commented on how this adds to his legacy and is currently touring under his new album, Chrome Dreams II.

link to story:
http://www.nme.com/news/neil-young/36546

Iron Man!

Skip your classes and make haste to Cinemark: "Iron Man" is the most fun of any superhero movie released in the past year.

Robert Downey, Jr. stars as Tony Stark, a hotshot weapons dealer. Taken captive by a local terrorist group during a visit to the Middle East, they demand Stark reconstruct for them his latest design, the Jericho. Instead, he builds an impenetrable iron suit, and proceeds to lay the smack down.

Most superhero types seem like creeps outside their personas. Downey, Jr.'s Stark is the rare exception to the rule, a character who continues to be more interesting outside of his gadgets and gear than he is with them. Wesley Morris of the Boston Globe tapped the pulse of the performance in his recent review of "Iron Man," claiming "Downey appears to like all this make-believe. Even the clunky dialogue sounds witty out of his mouth."

Maybe that doesn't sound so praise-worthy. But it speaks to some of what makes Downey's performance in the film so fun. After his escape from captivity, Stark returns to the States a changed man. Swearing off his company's commitment to weapons manufacturing, Stark becomes consumed by a new task, the construction of a stronger Iron Man suit.

With this, he becomes the latest in a designer line of eccentric billionaires cum superheroes. He holes up in his basement, building the suit out of eye-dazzling gadgetry. Crime fighting is clearly what billionaires do for past time (Howard Hughes was, in fact, also a superhero). So why couldn't Paris Hilton funnel some of her time and resources into a similar venture? She could be the Bionic Socialite or something. It'd be cool, and it'd give her something to do now that the Simple Life has been canceled.

I won't go into any more "Iron Man" details. Someone else is probably slated to do a full review of it in the section soon. But I did want to gush, and recommend it to all who may have been on the fence about the Marvel Comic figure's incarnation on the big screen.

In general, I also wonder what Hollywood looks like now that so many A-List actors and actresses have begun taking part in the superhero genre. A Justice League of Hollywood complete with Oscar statuettes, action figures, and fat paychecks - I like to imagine they all meet up in a mansion somewhere in secrecy. There, they talk shop and swap bragging points. Christian Bale is probably always off scowling in a corner, full brood mode, while the once twiggy Tobey Maguire would likely be too busy working on his abs and pecs to talk much to the rest of the group. Hands down, though, George Clooney would be the life of the party, chuckling about his rubber nipple fittings for "Batman & Robin." In my head, it's a riot. And now that Robert Downey, Jr. has joined the party with the "Iron Man" franchise, the group has a resident bad-ass.

-SM

My Morning Jacket offer up New Single for 'Evil Urges'

My Morning Jacket are a big time festival band that are starting to make some headway in the mainstream music industry. The band is a Bonnaroo favorite, having played at the festival for 5 out of the 7 years of its existance.

Coupled with that, the band has also had the honors of opening up for Pearl Jam and will soon grace the May edition of Spin Magazine all in preparation for their new album Evil Urges which is set for release on June, 10th.

The new single for the album, bears the odd moniker "Touch Me I'm Going to Scream Pt. 2." The band seems to pick up right where they left off after the ambitious 2005 release Z, which found them straying from their trademark southern rock roots for a more experimental tone.

Despite the fact that lead singer Jim James reported the album was likely to harken back to the more classic rock sounding LP "It Still Moves," the single has a stronger sonic resemblence to songs like "Wordless Chorus" and "It Beats 4 U"

While it is indicitive that the band has not lost its creative prowess, it does seem that this album is going to steer in a funkier more dancable direction. MMJ continues to set themselves apart by trying to defy genres and it is likely like with a typical MMJ album it is most likely that they better cuts will be buried deeper in the album.

Drummer, Patrick Hallahan, talked about his plans for the new album at a Bonnaroo press conference last week.

Boston College Reporter Jeff Wallace asked, "With such a limited live scheduled this summer, I mean, how does it feel to return to the Bonnaroo, you know, immediately after that album drops?"

Pat Hallahan: It just so happens that, you know, we had planned that album dropping time before Bonnaroo have actually asked us to join on and we thought as the perfect opportunity to, you know, play right after the album drops. So that’s actually going to be – I guess, our official national listening party between that and Radio City Music Hall.

The drummer goes on to say that their set list for the Tennesee concert will likely "mix the new material in with the old material" saying the album basically added "13 new songs to extend our set list time." Adding ultimately that he has a particular place in his heart for Bonnaroo as it "the only festival that will let us play for three hours straight."

Single: "Touch Me I'm Going to Scream Pt. 2"

Rating: 3/5

Single Link:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Bpdwwa7lsUI

Unfarmilar with the band? Start Here
"One Big Holiday" Live on Conan

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_0Q9iAcPjzc

Neil Patrick Harris & The Second Life of Celebrities

Harold & Kumar Escape from Guantanamo Bay, the second in the film franchise, contains ten minutes of epic cinema gold. While stranded in the wilderness the perpetually daft duo attempt to hitchhike only to be picked up by none other than Neil Patrick Harris (Doogie Howser MD).

What follows is Neil Patrick Harris acting as Neil Patrick Harris. As in the characters in the movie are aware that he is a person from real life with acting experience, when in fact he is playing an exaggerated version of himself on film. One that quite hilariously is prone to boozing, tripping, whorehouses and branding prostitutes.

This new type of film role has come up often in film lately as it has become more common for comedies to use the cult status of an actor as a form of humor. The humor at its crudest exists with this simple premise. Wouldn't it be funny if ____ (insert cult movie actor) did ____ (insert whatever seems least likely for said celebrity to actually do).

The most notable forms of this new type of casting have been in some of the most recent blockbuster comedies. Ryan Seacrests famous breakdown on the E! set in the movie Knocked Up was a written part, and Seacrest was playing on the preconcieved notions of the audience. Elsewhere in the final scenes of Dogdeball, not only does David Hasslehoff provide the inspiration for the German team, but the final decision about the match is left to none other than Chuck Norris.

There times in history where this level of celebrity could not be achieved. Adam West struggled for years in Hollywood to break away from his Batman image only to end up years later as the deranged mayor of Quahog in Family Guy. And for further examples of what it was like for typecast actors you need to only watch Ben Affleck's movie "Hollywoodland" about the mysterious death of Superman actor George Reeves.

With the advent of reality TV though, all this has changed. New types of roles exist for these celebrities to do quite well for themselves. Some like Flavor Flav, Adam West and William Shatner eventually parlay this exposure and likability into latter success finding homes on Television, commercials or what have you.

Some Top Actor Playing Themselves Moments:

1) Neil Patrick Harris in the new "Harold & Kumar"
2) Pam Anderson acting better than ever fighting of the marraige bag in "Borat"

3) Lance Armstrongs Speech about quitting in "Dodgeball"

4) Alice Cooper "we're not worthy" in "Wayne's World"

5) David Bowie MCs the walk-off in Zoolander

feel free to add to the list with some other celeb cameo moments...

Interview

With the Upcoming WMUA Spring Kick-Off Concert this Sunday at 1, I got a great chance to interview an up-and-coming singer/songwriter. The full story about Jesse Elliott, the brain behind These United States, is in today's Collegian. It was an exciting interview and one of the more unique ones I have had. So because a lot of what was said was chopped and cut for the article to create a story, I figured it to be a good idea to post it on our blog for everyone to read.

In my Humble opinion, These United States debut release "A Picture of the Three of Us at the Gate to the Garden of Eden" is one of the best albums so far this year. So I was excited to correspond with Elliott. And after reading up on him, my curiosity really grew and I tried ot branch out for some more unique, or i felt they were unique, questions.

So here is the e-mail Correspondence between Elliott and myself in an uncut/unedited format.

Kevin: Let me preface this question sheet. this is pretty extensive. SO I understand that time may not lend you to answer all of these on a timely manner or at all. It would be great if you could have it done ASAP, and all of the questions. It will allow me time to paint the picture in the paper for the profile that will probably be done (instead of the boring old preview).

My first question has to be about your Band's name: Where did it come from? And how often do you get confused with that mid-90's Presidents of The United States of America? (I have gotten that reaction when I tell people to pick up your album.)

Elliot: Geography. Philosophy. A brand-new same-old pan-American Dream.
Often. Occasionally with the country, too. Or the soccer team that calls the District of Columbia home. Which is weird.

Kevin:Next would have to be the Borges quote at the end of your e-mail. I am one to notice literary and obscure references. What type of things influence your song writing? Do authors writers and great thinkers influence your songs? (Dr. Teeth and the Electric Mayhem from the Muppet Show can't be your one and only influence.)

Elliot:Writers and great thinkers influence everyone. It's the trickle-down effect of culture - Reagan would be proud! Except the hippies won! Or are winning. Subtly. Every day. Look around at culture, at what's considered the norm now. Bastards. I am influenced by everything I ever see or hear. I'm very easily influenced, which is good and bad. I don't have much within me, but I am an amazing sponge and thief!

Kevin:You just had a tour with a new band every night, outside of your three good friends. How was that?

Elliot:Inspiring. See above. We stole their hearts. And they stole ours. It was orgiastic. Is that a word? There were 3 of us - me, Tom, and Robby - and every night, all of a sudden, somehow, there were 6 of us, 7 of us, 9 of us! We were all around us - we hardly knew how we had surrounded ourselves so quickly - fungus in a petri dish! It worked!

Kevin:Did the crowd pick up the authenticity each and every night? And mentally how much did it wear on you having to teach a new group of musicians our songs each night?

Elliot:I hope so. Some of them certainly seemed to. Some wanted what was "us." Some wanted what was not us. People always want different things. We split the difference. The teaching was exhausting, but it was the only things that kept us going. Drive straight from Denver to Minneapolis, though a blizzard the last 4 hours, from 3 am to 7 am, and you better have some beautiful new creative souls waiting for you with a cup-o-joe in one hand a Budweiser in the other.

Kevin:You also have toured a lot, and I mean a lot, over the past few years. What type of people have you met along the way? Are there any that stand-out for any reason at all?

Elliot:Everyone in Boise. And everyone in Salt Lake City. They are mad, all of them. They are the craziest mountain people I have ever met, and I have met a lot of people in a lot of mountains.

Kevin:I see you are slated to record in May, but you have a bunch of new tour dates announced, are you still going to try and record a new album or has it been pushed back?

Elliot: Sure, why not!

Kevin:This one is coming out of left field...What is the Federal Reserve Collective exactly? I have seen it mentioned in many articles about you, but no real explanation. If you could elaborate on this project it'd be great.

Elliot:Not at all. That's coming from within us, actually. That's a large part of who we are. That's why we love playing with new people, why we did this tour, why we gather the first Monday of every month at Iota and play new songs and jump up on each others' songs without invitation and get drunk and surly with each other. We are such an unsightly lot. Vandaveer, Kitty Hawk, Revival, Rose, a million more, we never know who exactly. We all ended up in DC somehow, so why not spend our lonely hours at the waning of the empire together? In other words: a collective.

Kevin: What was your favorite band so far to play with on the road? (Don't give me the generic "They were all great" answer. Everyone has a favorite.)

Elliot: They were all great! AND our favorite was The Scourge of the Sea - Lexington, KY, boys extraordinaire! We've known them the longest of anyone, that must have a lot to do with it. The night was magical. The Dame, the main venue in town there, is shutting down soon - gonna be ripped to shreds, I think. So it was a bittersweet, angry, exultant night, that one. We high-fived Stephen Trask! Chris Sullivan voila-ed a clarinet out of thin air, and blew into it with a Righteous Fury! Scourge! of! the Sea! Scourge! of! the Sea! Scourge! of! the Sea!

Kevin:Is this you first time in Northhampton/Amherst? If so, what do you expect? If not then: how was your experience before?

Elliot:Yes! We expect everything! Please have everything waiting for us!

Kevin:Living in the Nations Capital you must be around politics all the time. What is your stance on a lot of key issues (i.e. the war in Iraq, the floundering economy, oil and food prices.)?

Elliot:My stance: None of us have any idea what to do with the world we woke up on. Isn't that a shame? What a marvelous place.

Kevin:Five favorite Albums right now, or five that are on your tour bus right now that you can't stop listening to?

Elliot:Bus? Ha! Nonetheless...

Two Sheds - Strange Ammunition
David Dondero - South of the South
Why? - Alopecia
These United States - demos for our new album
Buck 65 - Stituation

Kevin:At each stop on your tours what is something you try to do when you go to a new place? (i.e eat some local food, drink some brews with the locals, that type of stuff.)

Elliot:Walk, get ground under our feet. Local brewery or brew on tap, hopefully a new pale ale or IPA. Ask people where they're from originally and how they ended up where they are now.

Kevin:What books do you read while on tour? (Or newspapers ,whatever you read.)

Elliot:Walt Whitman. Over and over. Put myself in a trance. Tom went fr the Camus again last tour - The Myth of Sisyphus. The local alternative weekly, anywhere we go. As many trashy music magazines as we can find, for news on Beyonce and other people who we admire and envy and covet.

Kevin:Finally: Your lyrics are well crafted, and your music is layered well. How long does it take you to write a song and it's lyrics?

Elliot:Thank you! The song is usually written in one burst - maybe pored back over and edited several thousand times after that (I used to work at a newspaper), maybe just left as is. These days, the music is left as skeleton as possible until we can all get together to discuss it. Usually I just have a riff in my head. That's really all I care about is riffs. And where the kick drum is placed.

-Kevin Koczwara

P.S. How did you get such an awesome beard? (I am serious, I love my beard and all but, yours is pretty bad-ass.)

Elliot:Aw, shucks, Kevin! ha! :) I got it from my dad. He inspired me starting at a very young age to be the beardiest I could be. Didn't tell me as much, just led by example.




These United States Daytrotter Session Click Here! Or the Picture!