‘Bwd.

The more you give’r, the better you get
The long awaited sequel to Fubar is perhaps greater than the original

   

Angela Espinoza

 

Arts Reviewer

modern day cult classic,
FUBAR (2002) is a
ockumentary that tells the

story of two wild, Western Canadian
metal heads named Terry Cahill
(David Lawrence) and Dean Murdoch
(Paul Spence). Day by day, Terry
and Dean go around drinking beers,
playing metal music, and giving us
their incredibly flawed philosophies
on life. However, things seem to take a
turn for the worst when Dean releases
just how bad his testicular cancer has
gotten. But trust me when I say this
discovery doesn’t slow them down by
any means.

That was five years ago (in
movie time), and now with three
nuts between them, Terry and Dean
attempt to conquer Alberta. This
time around, Troy “Tron” McRae
(Andrew Sparacino) — their other best
friend — is back to his old partying
ways. When Terry explains that
Dean and he are being evicted, Tron
drunkenly destroys their house in an
epic sequence and offers the two jobs
in Fort McMurray. To sober—Tron’s
dismay, Terry and Dean show up, and
even become (barely) qualified to
work with him. While in “The Mac”,
Terry meets the woman of his dreams:
Trish (Terra Hazelton), a manipulative
drink girl. From here, like Dean’s toy
helicopter, things spiral out of control.

      

‘aig

With the same team on board,
FUBAR 2 is another treasure that
carries on the story from the first film.
However, there are some significant
and noticeable changes from FUBAR.
In this new piece, while the filming
style starts off similarly to that of
the first film, it often changes back
and forth to feeling like a regular
movie. Instead of watching a
mockumentary, I often felt like I was
watching something with too much
cinematography and mediocre camera
work. This is also due to a lack of
‘interviews’ , the absence of boom
mic and cameramen in the shots, and
the clean editing. It’s sad to see these
things go, since much of the comedy
and drama in FUBAR was due to
how involved the ‘crew’ got with the
characters.

Once again, most of the dialogue
is improvised. At certain points it
becomes obvious, but for the majority
it’s basically flawless. The amount
of story development in FUBAR 2 is
immense compared to FUBAR, which
leaves us wondering what could be
next for Terry and Dean. The first film
ended in a way that made a sequel
unnecessary, yet here we are today.
So now, fans must enter the same war
Clerks (1994) and Evil Dead (1981)
have long been fighting: which of the
two is better?

I leave that decision up to you
fine folks; FUBAR 2 was released on
October 1".

4/5

 

Lighters up with “Light The Horizon”

A track-by-track review of the new Bedouin Soundclash release

By Angela Espinoza,
Arts Reviewer

tastes in music to one specific

genre. So I’m often disappointed
by the many I know who stick to
the safety nets of generic pop and
heavily auto-tuned “artists”. Yet even
in keeping an open mind, I was still
shocked by Bedouin Soundclash’s
latest endeavour, Light The Horizon.

The Toronto-based band has a
sound that relies heavily on reggae,
soul, and light touches of ska punk.
Brought together by their love of
music, they formed after meeting at
Queen’s University. They released
their first album in 2001, entitled
Root Fire, but it wasn’t until their
second album, Sounding a Mosaic
(2004), that they achieved success.
Their subsequent single, “When
the Night Feels My Song”, brought
them astounding popularity due to
their uniquely soft approach at a pop
song. The recognition they received
for their next project, Street Gospels
(2007), along with constant touring
made them decide to take a break.
Unfortunately, drummer Pat Pengelly
left the band in January 2009,
and lead singer and guitarist Jay
Malinowski perused a solo project
earlier this year. It was feared that the
band would end altogether, which is
why Light The Horizon’s existence,
let alone sound, is such a pleasant
surprise.

With the addition of new
drummer Sekou Lumumba and their
own label (Pirates Blend Records),
Bedouin Soundclash has taken a
far gutsier turn with their latest
album. Each song features its own
experimental flair, from the use of
ukulele on “No One Moves, No One
Gets Hurt” tothe full on brass section
of the bluesy “Fools Tattoo”.

Their opening track and first
single, “Mountain Top”, is a fun and
lively Police-inspired tune, kick-
starting the album on instant. The
lyrical content of semi-ballad “May
You Be The Road” focuses on a man
separating “friend” from “foe” in
the search for someone to “be [his]
road”. The saucy “Brutal Hearts”

|: difficult for me to restrict my

 

features a duet with controversial
Quebec singer Coeur de pirate,

and as the notes soar ever higher,
Malinowski’s vocals shine as he
hits them with ease. “Elongo” is
definitely the power anthem of the
album, sure to get any crowd to
either raise their lighters or clap
through its entirety. In addition to
“Blongo”, “No One Moves, No One
Gets Hurt” and “The Quick & The
Dead” form their own eight-minute
Dollars Trilogy. My favourite song
on the album, without question, is
“Rolling Stone”, a fast-paced track
about the adventures of a rough and
tough drifter. “A Chance Of Rain”
calls out to the Toronto area of St.
Andrew, which had been the subject
of a previous Soundclash song. This
leads into the final and longest track,
“Follow The Sun”, which starts and
ends with the sound of helicopter
blades in the distance, leaving the
listener eagerly waiting for more to
come.

Throughout the album, heavy
allusions to nature appear in the
music, the lyrics and even the cover
art. On one of the album’s sleeves,
there’s a passage about how the band
connected with the environment as
they worked on this and past albums.
What is without a doubt their best
album to date, it’s unfortunate that
Light The Horizon lasts just over half
an hour. If purchased through iTunes,
you can get an additional two bonus
tracks; I’ve yet to hear them, but I
can bet they’re equally mesmerizing.
4/5