Bird. Not quite amazing or super But not bad either David Lyons By Cody Klyne, Arts Editor 1 years now, superheroes have R= the hot shit. From the world of blockbuster movies, to their tie-in videogames, to series like Smallville and the aptly-named Heroes, muscle and mind-bound vigilantes have seen an unarguable boom in popularity. Well, dear readers, there’s a new kid on NBC’s super powered block. Dawning black leathers and a velvet cloak... It’s a bird! It’s a plane! It’s a somewhat satisfying superhero for the everyman! It’s The Cape. Warning: The following are my impressions on the series pilot episode and will inevitably be loaded with spoilers. I’ll dance around the specifics as best I can, but anticipate the revealing of some fairly key plot points. Readers beware! With a cast starring few notables beyond the venerable and gravel- voiced Keith David and cult-favourite Summer Glau, The Cape follows the justice-driven exploits of do-gooder optimist Detective Vince Faraday. Forced to live the life of a vigilante after a predictable and grand betrayal involving his best-friend, a shipment of explosive potty-training dolls and a madman going by the alias of Chess, Faraday decides to take matters into his own hands in the one-man-against- the-world hopes of rejoining with his wife and son. While the above setup may, or may not, interest you— depending on your appreciation for clichés and superheroes to begin with—there’s something to be said about the unexpected tongue-in-cheek humour sprinkled throughout that makes the mundaneness of the plot feel a little less significant. While the origins of Faraday’s vigilante guise (based off of the titular character in his son’s favourite comic book) is treated with overt seriousness, the fact that he acquires his “super” skills and equipment through a five-minute training montage with mystical bank robbing circus performers was enough to keep me at least mindlessly interested. Note: the first scene involving the cape that inevitably becomes Faraday’s weapon of choice is hilarious, but more than likely not intentionally so. Retractable, velvety, and whip-like; scenes involving cape combat from this point forward will be a bit of a stress test for my ability to suspend my belief. Airing Monday nights at 9:00pm on NBC, while I can’t come out and give The Cape a must-see recommendation, I think it will be interesting to see how the primary cast evolves, given the chance. Chock-a- block with multiple evil organizations, deranged villains, and an overacting supporting actors, here’s to hoping that The Cape is able to become more than the genre tropes it’s made up of. Sensitive doesn’t have to sound sad The Oh Wells; an exception to an antiquated rule Teh Ae By Cody Klyne, Arts Editor ad songs don’t necessarily S have to sound sad. With this in mind, it was just my luck to have the opportunity to interview a plucky, unapologetically sensitive, and genuinely optimistic band: The Oh Wells. With the release of their first album just around the corner, and with the associated release party taking place at The Railway Club only days away—This Thursday, $8 cover, doors at 9:00pm—here’s what they had to say. Cody Klyne: Who (or what) are The Oh Wells? The Oh Wells: A band! Daniel Roberts, Sarah Jickling, Molly Griffin, Tristan Paxton. Drummer pending. CK: Happy accident or diabolical scheme? TOW: Accidental diabolical scheme to gain happiness. Actually, that’s probably the perfect description for us. CK: How long has the EP been in the works? TOW: We’ ve been trying to record an EP for about two years, and after a few failed attempts we finally found (or were found by) an excellent producer who has helped us make The EP That We Love come into material existence in about four months. If you were to include the writing process though, it’s been in the works since the band was formed. CK: There’s a really fun energy that comes through in a lot of the recordings you have posted online due, at least a little, to them being done live off the floor. Did you take to the studio for the album? TOW: Going to the studio gave us a more polished sound for sure, although we still did our best to record what we could off the floor. CK: I think it’s fair to say that you guys have a plucky and upbeat sound and, from what I’ve heard lyrically, your songs are pretty diverse. What would you say, if any, are some key/reoccurring themes or sources of inspiration? TOW: For sources I would say our songs are inspired by our relationships, or lack thereof. For themes I would say bittersweet, bittersweet, and bittersweet. We don’t want to sound sad and sorry for ourselves all the time, so we trick people. We tend to balance out sadder lyrics with upbeat melodies and/or humour. Not that we are always thinking and trying for that balance, it comes naturally, which I feel fairly safe in saying is reflective of our personalities. Oversensitive, but full of hope. CK: What’s one thing readers can expect to see this Thursday night at The Railway Club? TOW: Excitement? Relief? Elation? Let’s just be safe and say beer.