Pop Culture Purchases

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Get Guilty
A.C. Newman

As the lead songwriter for Vancouver’s
The New Pornographers, A.C.
Newman has become widely respected
for the poppy music and clever lyrics
that have made the band so successful.
His second solo album, coming five
years after 2004’s The Slow Wonder,
showcases more of the same. The
differences between this album and a
New Pornographers album are that it
loses some (but not all) of the natural
fun the songs by the group have, and
the music is more sparse without the’
Pornographers stable of musicians.
This really works well on “There Are
Maybe Ten or Twelve,” “Get Guilty,”
and “Prophets,” which are songs that
wouldn’t have turned out as well if
they were being delivered by a group.
“Submarines of Stockholm” will take
several listens to figure out what he’s
saying, but it’s worth it when the song
clicks. A.C. Newman is a very gifted
songwriter and this album just may be
his best work yet.

— Mark Fisher

 

SIGG Water bottles

The purchase of bottled water is
discouraged in many cities worldwide,
and some, such as Liverpool, have
gone so far as to ban their purchase
completely. In an era of increasing
environmental awareness, consumers
are switching to a more sustainable
choice: the reusable water bottle.
Swiss company, SIGG, has ingeniously
designed a wide range of highly
fashionable, functional, and extremely
durable aluminum water bottles.
Crafted with the environment in mind,
these bottles are made to last and will
serve for many years to come, but
when their retirement time finally

does come, they are 100% recyclable!
Staying hydrated has never been so
trendy. So ditch the plastic, and pick up
yourself up a SIGG today!

—Shawna Swatez

 

 

 

 

Becoming Holyfield
Evander Holyfield and Lee
Gruenfeld

One of the best and most candid
athletic memoirs that I’ve read in
a long time, Becoming Holyfield is
the story of one of boxing’s most
legendary figures, four-time World
Heavyweight Champion Evander
Holyfield. Holyfield, who wrote the
book with Lee Gruenfeld, tells a very
compelling story about his early years
and eventual rise to stardom as a
fighter who became among the best in
the world for multiple weight classes.
Throughout his career, Holyfield has
been one of the central figures in
some of boxing’s greatest and most
controversial moments. Holyfield
provides his own personal insight into
his wars with Muhammad Quwi over
the cruiserweight championship, his
legendary trilogy of bouts with Riddick
Bowe and of course his infamous feud
with Mike Tyson. If you’re looking
for a terrific account and stories about
boxing’s biggest moments, then
_| Becoming Holyfield is one of the best
books you could read.

—Garth McLennan

 

   

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Alone Il
Rivers Cuomo

Rivers Cuomo has put together

yet another solo album consisting
of old Weezer demos. This time,
though, there is more of a defined
theme to the album. Instead of
focusing on random demos he has
put them into a compilation of
sorts. This collection is intended
to represent his worst time on

the road which happens to be his
tour with Weezer (between Blue
Album and Pinkerton) when he was
feeling particularly, you guessed
it, alone. This album is actually
better than his first one; however, it
suffers as he seems to be trying to
make it almost “too depressing” in
his attempt to convey what he was
feeling at the time. Despite this
aspect of the album, the tunes are
surprisingly upbeat, which keeps it
from being one long, dreary listen.

— Matthew Steinbach

 

 

 

 

Pind.

Oh, Dear Lord, not another single from U2!

Irish pop group retains their status as lamest band ever

By Jay Schreiber

‘ N y hat could be more annoying than a past-
their-prime new wave group that can’t
seem to get the picture? The answer of
course is U2, a past-their-prime new wave group
with sketchy songwriting and overrated tours that
still doesn’t get the picture.

The music scene as of late has become
disgustingly poppy with a focus on delivery and
overlooking quality. Amidst all the groups that
could be listed here, U2 comes to the forefront
as a ridiculously overhyped and overplayed
band. Their tours sell out arenas (two shows at
GM Place in 460 seconds) and they have played
to shows of over 200,000 people, including a
special performance for president Obama at his
inauguration on January 20".

Why? What makes this group so impressive
that they get to play for world leaders and keep
their spot as Ireland’s number three export right
behind potatoes and Guinness? With the release of
their latest single, “Get on Your Boots” for their
upcoming album No Line on the Horizon, I find
myself needing this question answered like George
Bush needs speech therapy.

Bono’s vocals are usually relatively
monotone, with a very small range, and sometimes
sound like the drunken moan of a dying whale.
The Edge, Axe-man for the group, plays a
minimalist style of guitar with no real solos that
for some reason or another earned him the #24
spot on Rolling Stone’s greatest guitarists of all
time. Adam Clayton and Larry Mullen Jr. keep
rhythm for the group as the bass and drums in U2,

  
   

 

generally keeping a straight 4/4 beat and sticking
to the root notes. —

U2 has gained success after being associated
with such British new wave acts the Police and
Billy Idol. The release of their albums War and
The Joshua Tree, both decent albums for their
time, made them a household name. However,
since 1990, their music has turned into crappy
radio filler that continues to make them millions.

In 1985, U2 was famous in helping to
orchestrate Live Aid and since then have been
self-appointed spokesmen for making our world a
more humane place. While that is noble and all, it
has nothing to do with their music; for example,
what the hell does saving the world have to do
with getting on your boots and vertigo? Songs like
that don’t contain any artistic value or represent
their outlook on the world and every time I hear
them, I feel like clubbing a baby seal just out of
spite!

Why doesn’t U2 try anymore? Hell, Why
don’t they change their musical style completely
and try something different? This band has gone
on for 20 years too long, and need to seriously
consider laying off the ego.

At a concert in Scotland recently, Bono
clapped his hands above his head, and stated,
“Every time I clap my hands, another child in
Africa dies.” From the back of the auditorium, a
Scottish man yelled out, “Then stop clapping your
bloody hands!”

After listening, or should I say putting up
with, the latest single from U2, I’ve come to
the conclusion that maybe it’s about time we all
stopped clapping our hands...

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