September 14th, 2008 by Brianna
So, I really want to talk about Sleater-Kinney, the <fangirl>AWESOMEIST BAND EVAR!!!!</fangirl>
Ahem.
I intend to review the albums in order. Today: their first album, self-titled Sleater-Kinney.
This album was actually the last one I purchased, so I tend to view it in light of the other albums. In comparison to the later albums, one is struck by how much of a riotgrrrl sound Sleater-Kinney has. It is very clean, high quality riotgirrl, to be sure, and it definitely has the SK sound, but the riotgrrrl roots are extremely obvious.
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Tags: music, sleater-kinney
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September 6th, 2008 by Brianna
I meant to have this out sooner, but school interfered.
To start out, I’d like to give a mini review of the the EP released previous to the album.
I absolutely loved I See Red. I usually dislike electronic music. I usually dislike pop. Perhaps the combination of the two is why I like I See Red. (I rather doubt this though…). Seriously, I liked the EP because of it’s ‘basement productiony’ sound – of course, this was actually the case (it was recorded in a bedroom), although it was mixed by a third person in a studio. Still, the fingerprints of two people in a bedroom are obvious, with the production causing it to still sound clean and neat. This twofold element of the EP makes it unique. Most ‘basement music’ sounds rough, raw, and often noisy and messy. Electronic music is usually slickly produced and often mechanical. While both can be good, the combination of the two managed to retain the raw emotion of the material while making it slick and clean. This was the appeal of I See Red.
Now, onto Common Reaction:
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Tags: music, reviews, uh huh her
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August 20th, 2008 by Brianna
Budding obsessed Xena fan that I am, I was looking through the Whoosh! archives when I came across an interview with Josh Becker. He seemed like a pretty smart (if weird) guy, and a excellent director – who doesn’t like obsessed Xena fans – but I was curious about the statement that he was a “lightning rod for praise and condemnation due to his openness and outspokenness.”
I checked out his website, and my first impressions seemed rather correct. He seemed to be the stereotype of the crazy director – he is rather serious about life, and even more serious about his movies (he is constantly telling people to “grow up”). He is incredibly opinionated about everything, and is smart enough that his ideas seem right a good portion of the time. He obviously knows a lot about making movies – his site is full of advice on film structure, DIY filmmaking, etc.
Now, I usually like opinionated smart people, even if I don’t agree with them. But the more time I spent on Josh Becker’s site, the angrier I became. For a while I couldn’t figure out why. Sure, he’s a condescending jerk to people who ask him dumb questions, but lots of people are like that – it wouldn’t make me hate him.
Suddenly, though, I realized what my problem with Josh Becker is. He is a complete Art Snob.
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Tags: Art, josh becker, movies, music, writing
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