"Now I'll be bold, As well as strong, And use my head alongside my heart,
So tame my flesh, And fix my eyes, A tethered mind freed from the lies"
In an era where buzz bands too often fall out of fashion without much notice, the fabled “sophomore slump” is even more of an issue. After a band releases a stellar debut album to widespread critical and commercial acclaim, the big question on everyone’s lips is, “What’s next?” Artists must ask themselves the same question and ultimately decide the best way to proceed in what can easily be a damned-if-you-do/damned-if-you-don’t type of situation. With their second record, Mumford & Sons adhered to the idea that “if it ain’t broke, don’t fix it.”
The title track on Babel starts the record with a fervent energy as Marcus Mumford shout-sings about tearing down the walls that keep us emotionally cut off from one another much like the language barrier that came between the would-be architects of the Biblical tower from which the album takes its name. “I Will Wait” is the obvious choice as the album’s first single, featuring all of the trademarks that earned the band instant fans with “Little Lion Man.” It’s a triumphant number with steady foot-stomped bass drum, blistering banjo, fiercely strummed acoustic guitar and the catchy refrain “I will wait, I will wait for you.”
“Broken Crown” is a particularly memorable song that starts with a steadily fingerpicked guitar, which is ultimately joined by a pounding beat, ominous piano, banjo and bass. The song continues to build to a furious climax with Mumford spitting a venom-soaked chorus. “I’ll crawl on my belly till the sun goes down,” he sings. “I’ll never wear your broken crown. I took the road, and I fucked it all away.” (No one sings “fuck” quite like Marcus Mumford.) Other stand-out moments include tracks like “Holland Road” and the beautiful, sparse ballad “Ghosts that We Knew.”
At its core, Babel feels very much like a continuation of Sigh No More. There isn't much new here as far as the style and musical spectrum the band established on their debut is concerned, but the quartet is still doing what they do quite well. The songs are still powerful and moving, and hearing them incites the listener to stomp and yell along in passionate fits. While the band will undoubtedly be criticized for playing it safe on the new record, there is no denying the music is solid despite its familiarity. If you have not yet picked up your copy of "Babel" then the moment you finish reading this, get it. You will not be disappointed.
The Dentist's office. Just saying it gives you chills through your entire body and an innate sense of fear. But have you ever wondered why the profession of Dentistry scares us so much? It's because it was created by the government to perform a number of experiments on humans as well as many other things. Well in this blog I will list five reasons as to what and why the government has created this horrific profession.
1. Waste of time
Have you ever been in the middle of something terribly important when all of a sudden you realize that you have a dentist appointment that you must attend? I did, two days ago. I was watching the Americans womans water polo quaterfinal match. It was the most exciting match I had ever seen and it was going into overtime when, what do you know...I have a dental appointment. Only an evil group of doctors and government officials would ever do something so dastardly as pull me away from a womans water polo match, nonetheless such an exciting one.
2. They are testing our trust
In years past the government has realized how trusting us Americans actually are, and to make sure that this trust does not diminish and to test how far our trust can spread they send us to the dentist. They start out with looking inside our mouth and as long as we do not stop them they move on to poking around our mouth with sharp little daggars. This just shows how dumb we are that we will let a complete stranger that we hardly know stick a little knife into our mouths and we actually pay them for it.
3. Testing a new language
Have you wondered why the dentist will put their hands inside your mouth and then start asking you questions about your life and all you can say is, "mmph muph nhadjklhafkl;gha;lsdhjkgads;ga"? That is a new language that they are creating because they believe that in the future we will all be gagged from birth to death.
4. Make us feel incredibly awkward
When you lay down in the dentist chair and they start prodding inside your mouth, where do you look? If you are forced to into their eyes then you are not alone. They do this for two reasons, to make us feel incredibly awkward and mind control. They believe that if we rise up and fight the communist regime of dentistry then they will be able to squelch it by making us look into their eyes.
5. They are slowly killing us...and more mind control
When they put their x-ray machine right next to our face have you wondered why they only give us a a flimsy bib while they stand on the other side of three feet of concrete or in another state? It is because they are trying to control our minds and sway our decisions. Unfortunately for us they had never been quite successful at this until approximately four years ago at the beginning of April 2008. Finally, the government is trying to slowly kill us by shooting our brains with rays. Our minds are melting and I will not stand for this anymore, and if you have any decency neither will you. That was one of the most exciting water polo match and I missed the overtime!!! I will never get that overtime back!!! (yes, that's really what this is all about)
ATTENTION: This review may or may not contain SPOILERS. I'm not sure yet since I have yet to write it. Tread carefully. Who knows what I will say, cause I certainly don't.
At 10:30 P.M. on July19th I arrived at the movie theater with my Batman mask on and fiery joy in my heart. I was about to see the new Batman. However, once the ending credits rolled that joy turned suddenly in to awe and admiration at the brilliance of Christopher Nolan. The final movie in the Batman trilogy contained almost everything that I had hoped for as I waited that hour and thirty minutes in my seat.
The movie starts off exactly eight years after the events of the second film and we find that Batman has retired from crime fighting and that Gotham, oblivious to the truth, praises Harvey Dent for being a hero. We also find Bruce Wayne to have turned into somewhat of a recluse who, even at his own parties, never shows his face. He has become so absent in his companies life that Wayne Interprises has stopped making any profit. It is at this point that you wonder, "How does Bruce get back in the cape to kick butt???" Well the answer is Selina Kyle, otherwise known as Catwoman being played by Anne Hathaway. When I found that she had been chosen as Catwoman I was devestated thinking she would blow the roll. However as the story progressed I found myself enjoying many of her scenes. She adds enough seduction and flexibility that the Catwomen needs to have and making her feel like a real human being. That brings us to our villian, Bane played by Tom Hardy.
Bane was said to have been "born in the depths of a prison". His mask and menacing stature made him Batmans most formidable foe in the comic books as well as this movie. Within an hour of the movie starting Bane and Batman face off in the depths of Gotham City and it does not end well for one of them (I'll give you three guesses to who). That is the last that we will see off Batman until the last thirty minutes of the movie. Hardy plays Bane very well and if it was not for the credits you wouldn't be able to recognize him. Even his voice is changed. It almost sounds like Sean Connery's voice. Each scene that contained Bane almost made you cringe out of fear of him. He is definately not someone you'd want to meet in a dark alley...or anywhere ever.
Altogether the movie was very well done. There were enough explosions and the all-star cast couldn't have been any better. If there is one critique I have it is this, MORE MICHAEL CAINE!!! Because seriously, what movie doesn't need Michael Caine? He was simply not in enough scenes and one of the last scenes he's in almost made me cry.
But seriously, this movie is almost without a doubt winning best movie of the year. This explosive thriller kept me on the edge of my seat the entire time and during the whole movie you will be thinking to yourself, "How in the world will Batman be able to save the day?" and you almost give up hope until he returns in my favorite scene of the movie where he leads the Gotham police force to battle against Bane's army which consisted of two mobs running at each other in a huge brawl, or as the Irish call a regular St. Patrick's day.
Even though this film did not have as many exciting scenes than its predecessor, it still is able to fill the shoes and give audiences a knock-out performance. This is also possibly the best ending to any film franchise ever. Nolan leaves no loose-ends and once the credits start rolling all you will be able to do is talk about it non-stop.
I was recently listening to Spotify on my computer and choosing artists at random to find new music when I saw the name of a band I recognised but had no previous experience with. I decided to give them a chance and after having listened to their album I am so glad I did. I was absolutely blown away by the noises reverberating through my ears. The name of this band is Imagine Dragons.
Imagine Dragons can be compared with fellow Las Vegas rockers The Killers by using synth based
dance-pop with emotionally charged, brit-pop inspired alternative rock. In each of their songs they have a subtle use of vocal harmony with electric intrumentation combined with major key tonality. What makes their EP Continued Silence so great is that no two songs sound the same. To much in this age of music, artists and bands create one or two chart topping hits and then give the rest of their album the same bland sound. Imagine Dragons does not do that. They give you something different with each song to keep you interested.
Their album starts out with the song "Radioactive". This song is made to get your attention right off the bat, which it certainly does. It makes sure it gives you a taste of their musicianship and style by giving you synths and drums with a steady beat and lyrics that will get stuck in your head in a good way. This song sounds very much like a steampunk movie to me.
The next song on the album is "Demons", and my favorite song so far. When the vocals kick off you might do a double take because they sound almost like Coldplay. This song does well to showcase their versatility and range and is easily the song that exuberates the most emotion.
The following song, "On Top of the World", almost feels out of place with the rest of the EP. It is a very fun and up-beat song but it almost sounds like it should be in the movie Tarzan or possibly on a Bob Marley album. That being said, it is still a good song.
"Round and Round" follows with a very addicting performance of rhythmic beats and a catchy vocal performance. It is a very easy song to get lost to.
The real gem of this album is "It's Time". It is the leading single, and for good reason. It has a hint of folk influence that leaves you wanting more, and possibly searching for that back button on your ipod. This song shows the potential of Imagine Dragons and how they can take from different styles of music and create a musical masterpiece.
The EP then ends with the song "My Fault", which in my opinion was a perfect ending. This soothing melody makes you feel like your ending your day sipping a cool drink watching the sunset.
Altogether, Imagine Dragons has shown me that not all is lost in music. Some bands are still making good songs while rising to the top. You just might have to dig a little deeper to find them.
It's that time again, Fathers Day is once again upon us. This is the day we, as good sons and daughters, show our fathers how much we appreciate them by allowing them to eat what they want, watch what they want (i.e. golf and nascar), do what they want, give them ties and "#1 dad" mugs, stay out of his hair, and of course for this one day only we quit with every single old person joke and save it for Monday. Now these are all great ways we show our dads how much we appreciate the hard work they do for us every day, but what about the ultimate father. The one dad who must have had the most difficult time as a father since he had, literally, not one perfect person, but two in his home. His name was Joseph, father of Jesus (Duhn Duhn Duhn!!!)
Now being the husband of the most perfect woman in the world must have been difficult, but being the father of the most perfect and sinless man in the world must have been excruciatingly complicated. You might think that would be the easiest but think about what you'd have to live up to. You're not sinless. You make mistakes everyday, and your son would know it. Just think about the everyday interactions between Joseph and Jesus:
JC: "Hey dad, do you need to talk about something? I'm feeling that you need to talk about something."
Joseph:"Fiiine!!! Forgive me son for I have sinned. It has been...since the last time we've talked since my last confession. I have been jealous, I lied to that Roman guard about you, I have...said your name in vain. I drank too much wine...which wouldn't have happened if you hadn't changed all of the water!!! Sorry sorry. Now I've just yelled at the Son of God. Now that's it."
JC: "Are you sure? There's nothing else you want to get off your chest? Joseph: "Ok fine. I also gandered too much at the bag lady at Jewish Walmart." JC: "There we go. Well as you know we're not all perfect, besides you know me and mom. But the important thing is that you grow in your faith that you know, I haven't created just quite yet. Anyways, just say four "My mom's", do the dishes, and clean my room for a week."
I seriously need to write a screenplay about this. It would be awesome!!! So on this day while you're cooking your father a great lunch remember the ultimate father of fathers and thank God that you weren't chosen for his path.
"Can you tell me what happened to Michael Jackson
And MTV trading music for acting
Avril Lavigne's on the cover of Maxim"
-Flop Culture by FM Static
I have one question. What has happened to music today? It seems that, while music is getting easier and easier to obtain and listen to, the quality of music today is getting worse and worse.
First of all, who decided that instead of having actually good singers, many singers now auto-tune their voice. I don't want to hear the T-1000 singing, I want an actual real life human-being showing me that they have some form of talent not given to them by some man made machine. Could you see Frank Sinatra using auto-tune to perfect his voice? No, CAUSE IT'S ALREADY BEAUTIFUL!!!
Now, another thing that bothers me about music is how some types of music can be so repetitive. Take rap for example, why is every song about fornicating with female dogs, obtaining money in an illegal manner, or utilizing a certain illegal plant. Granted there are a few rap songs that stray from this conformity but that is only a 4% chance. The use of media as similes in rap songs is also a frequent occurance, mainly of the movie Inception. I was in a friends car and we were listening to rap on her ipod and for five songs in a row is made a reference the Inception. Why? Do you really need to talk about another person's dreams that much. Are you Edward Cullen???
One more thing that I have learned from rap music is that if you want to be famous then all one must do is create a completely obnoxious dance that requires nothing more than one to lean back and forth while standing completely still. This makes absolutely no sense to me. These songs aren't even that good. They just repeat the exact same words over and over. The only joy I can get is from the many bands that choose to make fun of this abhorrent choice of music style. One of these songs that I have recently stumbled upon is performed by the band Family Force 5. In their latest cd they have a song called "Wobble". In it they state that they have created a new dance where one hits their knees together and swings their arms around themselves like they're "hugging themselves." This song brings me such delight while the video brings me even more:
I also wish music provided something more thought provoking than a few random beats or lines half-hazardly thrown together in order to rhyme. Some songs just do not make any sense or when they try to make a song into something sweet but inturn end up doing the opposite. An example of this is the new British backstreet boys band called One Direction, specifically with their song "What Makes You Beautiful". Now if you've never heard the song before you may be wondering, "What makes her beautiful?" Luckily for you I will tell you without you having to look up the song. Ready for it? Insecurity. That's what makes her beautiful. You don't actually find that out until the end of the song when they say "You don't know you're beautiful/That's what makes you beautiful". Honestly for me, I like a girl that knows she's beautiful. I don't want to have to tell her that everyday. I want to tell her that because I love her, not because she needs to be reminded. Now there's is a different song with the same them that I think states how beautiful a girl is much better. It is "Will You Return?" by The Avette Brothers. Towards the end of the song the singer repeats "I wish you’d see yourself as beautiful as I see you. Why can’t you see yourself as beautiful as I see you?" The difference in this song is that it wants the girl to understand she's beautiful.
After explaining to my friend why I disliked the One Direction song her reply was, "So. It's fun to dance too." And that is what this music industry has reduced us too. Songs that are "fun to dance too." Not songs that hold any value to them. Why do we even bother putting words in to songs anymore or bother having them make sense as long as they rhyme. It's all the same, right? What makes music beautiful? Not much anymore.
"...for better or for worse, through beard
and no beard."
It was a beautiful Saturday afternoon. The sun was shining, the birds were birding, and a young bride was freaking out about her wedding. Two weeks ago my youngest sister put a ring on it and married her best friend. While not having a major role in the wedding I was tasked with ushering pretty young girls down the aisle to their seats (and my mom...who's in a league of her own...you know above the pretty young girls and stuff) as well as driving the bridal party around on the day of the wedding. Well needless to say, I looked dang good doing it. So I thought I would just lend my thoughts on the different aspects of the wedding and tell my story, from the eyes of a young brother who even through childhood lifted his older sister upon his shoulders to allow her the opportunity to soar among the clouds.
The Wedding
The wedding was absolutely beautiful. The colors were yellow and gray. I know, sounds pretty weird right? But no, it was incredibly gorgeous. The bridesmaids looked beautiful in their dresses, the groomsmen looked good, I looked amazing, my dad looked crippled. It was awesome. The ceremony was amazing. I almost cried as my sister said her vows. As the couple stood up at the altar and look at eachother, you could see the complete and utter love that they had for one another. The kind of love that would cause them to sacrifice their life for the other. It was magnificent.
Being at this wedding made me think about my wedding. So the moment I got back to the hotel I imediately got onto Pinterest and pinned stuff to my wedding board.
The Reception
Their wedding reception was unlike any I had seen before. First off, it was eight and a half hours long. That's something that'll weed out the spry youth from the old geezers. It contained an open bar, which I did not partake in, as well as a candy bar, which I very much partaked in. However, the most ingenious thing they had at the reception was a cigar bar. This allowed the guys and some girls to chill outside while enjoying a nice cigar and talk to other guys about politics, sports, or how much they wished they looked as good as I did. This is something I will definately have at my wedding, with maybe a hookah bar added on to it. Altogether, the reception was incredibly fun despite the long hours and my aching feet.
This wedding was such a great event that I just cannot wait for my wedding. But most importantly, I cannot wait to be with the one person that I know I want to love and cherish and be provided with twelve children for the rest of my life.
