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CD REVIEW Indie-pop band channels Smith ’y spirit “TREBLE & TREMBLE” i Earlimart ★★★ out of ☆☆☆☆☆ By PATRICK AUGUSTINE THE GAMECOCK On its fourth proper full-length album, California-based bedroom-pop group Earlimart refines its Elliott Smith and Grandaddy-influenced sound into an album worthy of a sun-streaked Sunday afternoon spent under the covers. Earlimart front man and producer Aaron Espinoza has long been on friendly terms with underground luminaries Jim Fairchild of Grandaddy, producer Scott McPherson and Elliott Smith, who Espinoza said in a news release lived “about 20 feet from his house.” It is ^ clear that Smith’s violent ending and turbulent life had a great impact on Espinoza personally as he wrote “Treble & Tremble,” and Smith’s influence courses through the 13 tracks nearly in the understated way that the late indie singer-songwriter honed his own artistic craft. Despite vocal styling and chord changes that immediately invoke Smith, Espinoza and company manage to guide Earlimart to its own voice, something that 2003’s two releases, “The Avenues LP” and “Everywhere Down Here,” hinted at but failed to fully deliver. “Treble & Tremble” is essentially a record about love and loss. Like all good treatises on the agony of living, it has its lilting, up-and-down moments. Strangely, and undoubtedly intentionally, the lead track, “Hold On, Slow Down,” is a hushed, piano driven affair that mirrors Espinoza’s spot-on vocal mimicry of Smith, and sets the overall tenor of the album. The band never allows itself to get caught up in the mystery of the themes it explores. Instead, the band lets the craftsmanship of its studio time slowly envelop the listener, a la emotional cold fusion. While evocative, Espinoza’s vocals are neither obvious nor mired in overreaching artistic darkness. Conscious of the limits imposed by his singing abilities, Espinoza instead filters his voice to good effect instead of conceding defeat like The Mountain Goats’ John Darnielle. “Hold On, Slow Down” also showcases the unobtrusively compulsive production that is Espinoza’s watermark, with distorted strings and tape noise filtering in from the top to lap over the hollow vocals. Ironically, the opening affair bookends nicely with the album’s second and most accessible number, which any other band would have picked as an opener. Not until the fourth track does Earlimart settle down to its recognizable formula of distorted electric guitar coupled with Espinoza’s breathy delivery and acoustic guitar plus an effortless mixture of loops, synths and effects. This is not to say that Earlimart ever becomes predictable at any point during “Treble & Tremble”’s 43 minutes. Interludes like “808 Crickets” and “The Valley People” are not simply segue between disparate musical statements, but the mortar that holds an entire work together. Fans of Elliott Smith can rest in the fact that his legacy isn’t lost, but instead lives on in new and inventive w^ys so long as- Earlimart continues to tour and record. “Treble & Tremble” is a decidedly slow-burner that takes a few spins to fully reveal it’s beauty, but it could embarrass a record by Britney or Ashlee any day with its carefully wrought sonic textures. Comments on this story? E-mail gamecockfeatures@givm.sc.edu MOVIE REVIEW ‘Hotel Rwanda ’ reveals haunting flj tale of genocide, world detachment ™ “HOTEL RWANDA” ★★★★★ out of ☆☆☆☆☆ By TODD GREEN THE GAMECOCK ^ Terry George’s “Hotel Rwanda” is a film about ^ a modern-day Oscar Schindler. Paul Rusesabagina, played by Don Cheadle, is able to save more than 1,000 Rwandan Tutsis from genocide because of his skills as a hotel manager. “Hotel Rwanda” is based on a true story. Rwanda is inhabited primarily by two tribes, the Hutus and the Tutsis. Rwanda was colonized by Belgium in 1919. Under Belgian rule, the majority of power was given to the Tutsi, who actually make up the minority, and for years many Hutus were treated poorly. Civil war broke out in Rwanda in 1994, and more than 1 million Tutsi men, women and children were killed by the Hutus. The movie does not focus primarily on the actual acts of violence, but rather shows the chaos and fear surrounding the lives of the characters. It shows a ► stumbling, ineffective bureaucracy comprised of the United Nations, European countries and the united States refusing to intervene. Their biggest concern is to get white people out of the country — not to stop genocide. Cheadle’s character, Paul Rusesabagina, is a Hutu married to a Tutsi, and is manager of the Hotel Des Milles Collines, a four-star Belgian resort. The hotel often entertains political and military guests. Cheadle’s character makes himself popular by lavishing expensive gifts to the generals, politicians and the U.N. contingent to keep the peace. He knows there might be a time when he is in a position to ask for favors. When the war breaks out, Rusesabagina makes it to the hotel with his fanlily, several neighbors and about 1,200 other Tutsis seeking protection, including many on the hotel staff. Paul’s only hope is to keep the Hutu military from attacking the hotel and killing the 1,200 Tutsi “cockroaches” inside. Cheadle plays an absolutely desperate man in an impossible situation, but he is somehow able to remain calm and collected enough to run a hotel and protect his family. He is able to convince the Hutu military that the hotel must remain protected, and here is where he must call in every favor he can possibly think of. It works, but only for a while. Nick Nolte plays the U.N.’s Col. Oliver. He knows the situation is madness. He wants to help, but the U.N. and other world governments refuse to give him authority to fight. His eyes and facial expressions tell Paul that he does not think this will end well. Joaquin Phoenix plays a photographer, Jack, who helps capture some of the images that would document the genocide. One of the film’s most chilling moments comes when he tells Paul that people around the world would see the pictures, be shocked but essentially write it off as being somewhere else in the world — basically not affecting them enough to want to do anything about it. In another powerful moment, European troops come, but not to save the Tutsis. They have come to evacuate the European, i.e. white, guests of the hotel. This leaves Paul and the Tutsis in the hotel even more exposed. The film’s most moving element comes in the form of Paul’s relationship with his wife, Tatiana, played by Sophie Okonedo. They are a dynamic force in each other’s lives and their interaction is extraordinary. Cheadle’s most brilliant moment comes when he has just seen something awful. He is back at the hotel, and cannot tie his necktie because his hands are shaking so badly. “Hotel Rwanda” is a very moving film, and it should be required viewing for any hotel, restaurant and tourism management student. Comments on this story? E-mail gamecockfeatnres@gwm.sc. edu Teach-in to suggest SAFER alternatives BySHANA TILL THE GAMECOCK As part of USC’s V-Day activities, a teach-in will be offered Friday for students interested in improving the school’s sexual assault response. Students Active For Ending Rape (SAFER), a national nonprofit organization devoted to ending sexual violence on college campuses, will conduct the teach-in. The teach-in will give an introduction to USC’s sexual assault policy, and the SAFER trainer will lead a discussion focusing on how students can change their policy to challenge the underlying causes of sexual violence. Ashley Burczak, executive director of SAFER, will lead Friday’s two-to-three hour presentation. She said SAFER was created at Columbia University after students realized how poor the current policy was. Columbia U’s rape crisis center offered few prevention efforts, and there was insufficient funding and staff. SAFER’s founding members also noticed a lack of reporting on sexual violence in their campus publications. Burczak said SAFER built a grass roots student movement convincing schools to improve their policies. After receiving attention for their efforts, other schools wanted to get involved. Burczak and SAFER go all over the country to train students in how they can improve their schools’ attitudes about sexual violence prevention. “We bring in a copy of USC’s sexual assault policy, which most students have never seen, and we find its good points and bad points,” she said. “We discuss how it can be improved and focus on setting five goals.” Some of Burczak’s and students’ goals include: working to get a rape crisis center in place (USC has one), find more funding for prevention efforts, hire more staff for sexual violence education and improve disciplinary policies at the school. “My goal is to make a transformation in society by working with local communities, who can make changes that — when made in enough communities — will make a large impact, affecting people’s attitudes and ultimately reduce the incidence of sexual violence,” Burczak said. The teach-in, which will be held at Gambrell Auditorium room 153, Friday Feb. 4 from 6 to 8 p.m., is sponsored by the Women’s Students Association, in conjunction with the ongoing V-Day Campaign to end violence against women. The event is open to the public, and there will be free pizza, cookies and drinks. Interested students can meet at Flinn Hall on Saturday from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. to take the next step in making USC a safer campus. Lunch will be included. Both events are free and open to all students. For more information or to sign up, contact Gabrielle Sinclair at pregenius42@yahoo.com. For information about SAFER, check out www.safercampus.org. Comments on this story ? E-mail gamecockfeatures@gwm.sc.edu ) ‘Simpsons’ plans * half-time snow \ By FRAZIER MOORE : \ AP TELF.VISION WRITER V NEW YORK — Good heavens! Ned Flanders has come into his own. A zealous W instrument of God, Ned has long been I instrumental to “The Simpsons” as it a lampoons organized religion (that is, ■ when not mocking virtually every 111 other human institution, from Hft business to democracy to its own TV 9B network). But lately the ground has shifted H beneath the Simpsons’ hometown I of Springfield, U.S.A., along with HB the rest of the nation. The new term has begun for a president 1 whose re-election was clinched by the “moral values” ballyhoo. The current climate finds faith synonymous with patriotism, while “secular” is code for un-American. Before on “The Simpsons,” Ned was a secondary figure - Homer’s doyingly pious next door neighbor. But the values he embodies in exaggerated form now monopolize the political scene. In fact, one might say that Homer is Ned’s next-door neighbor, not the other way around, so clearly does Ned bask in the mainstream. “The values he represents have become more visible in American life,” agrees “Simpsons” executive producer A1 Jean, “as people who maybe are outward advocates of Ned’s values have come into positions of power. We always satirize who’s in power and what the cultural Zeitgeist is, so currently the point of view Ned has is a little more ripe for ♦ Please see SIMPSONS, page 12 I WARNING: I Read This BEFORE Filing Your Tax Return!!! 1 Top 8 Reasons for Choosing The TAX SOURCE To Professionally Prepare and Electronically File Your Tax Return This Year:_I I^^Accountiriqi&TAXSourc^ricr^SoS-SOQ-ISg^* I v-.'s -j a’\\4s44 '>•- - Your Neighborhood Restaurant and Tavern - Since 1977 - • After the Game, Show or Concert • Free P.M. 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