The gamecock. (Columbia, S.C.) 1908-2006, April 20, 2005, Page 10, Image 10
THEY SAID IT
“The great thing in this world is not^e much where
you stand, as in what direction you are moving.”
i OLIVER WENDELL HOLMES
Wednesday, April 20, 2005 author and physician
CD REVIEW
Brothers
commit
hardcore
‘Crimes'
L _
"CRIMES”
Blood Brothers
★★★ out of ☆☆☆☆☆
By PATRICK A. AUGUSTINE
FOR THE GAMECOCK
The old saying goes that a bad
economy makes for good art, but mix in
contentious politics of morality and
you’ve got a recipe for napalm.
Seattle-based Blood Brothers prove
you don’t have to be a whiny guitar
picking folkie to unleash social
commentary on the masses with the
group’s fourth full-length offering,
“Crimes.”
A five-piece, bass-heavy hardcore
punk outfit, Blood Brothers nonetheless
manage to layer tuneful guitar work
under razor-wire scream delivery and
sometimes-Blonde Redhead vocal
inflections hiding extremely well-written
lyrics.
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for poor instrumentation, arranging and
recording, and find it undermines any
attempt at lyricism. But “Crimes” wins
over even stogy critics brought up on
folk with hardcore sensibilities
moderated by tunefulness.
True hardcore fans will find “Crimes”
easy to dismiss for these reasons, or
simply after between 2003’s critically
acclaimed “Burn Piano Island, Burn,”
the Blood Brothers signed to UK label
V2.
However, criticism that they
mellowed out by signing to a major .
couldn’t be more from the truth — on
the record’s 1 Oth track they exhort their
hoard of death’s horsemen to “Prance
into the halls of Congress, vomit in the
speaker’s lap.”
This less-than-two-minute pipe bomb
of a song underlines that Blood Brothers
aren’t for everybody, but know how to use
their medium to make a statement instead
of simply declaring their coolness to
disaffected kids in black.
“Crimes” is a coup d’etat in its careful
crafting of the Blood Brother’s obvious
influences — early ‘90s dance-punk,
screamo and the art-rock of Sonic Youth
and producer John Goodmanson’s band
Blonde Redhead.
Using subde laptop work, keyboards,
and a dual vocal delivery that is probably
the most notable aspect of the band,
Blood Brothers Jordan Blilie and Johnny
Whitney combine falsetto screams with
Droopy Dog meets Joey Ramone.
Listen to the album’s closer
“Devastator” to get a sense of the vocal
pairing’s capabilities, with a Guns N’
Roses-meets-T urkish-chorus wandering
all over the upper register.
The Blood Brothers admit they’re
pissed off by Ws reascendence, and the
anger bleeds through on the second track
and college-radio single “Trash Flavored
Trash,” where they declare that “I know
my addition: guns plus guns equals bang
bang bang.”
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work and the influences of Goodmaiison
is on “Love Rhymes with Hideous Car
Wreck.”
An anthem based around discarded
love and accidents, the band moans
knowingly that “love rhymes with pity
now.” Fans of middle-America dance
punk like The Faint will eat up “Crimes”
like the bloody postcard from the grave
that it is. Just don’t forget to bring your
own concertina wire.
-.
Comments on this story? E-mail
gamecoclfeatures@gwm.se. edu
■ Comedies, special effects, thrillers
to hit the silver screen this summer
By MARJORIE RIDDLE
tORTHFXiAMFX. K k
: Summers are l known for their hot
weather, skimpy clothes and beach
vacations.’ But for film enthusiasts,
summer means ione thing —
This summer's films include big
namc actors and acufifces, some hoping
for performances worthy of Oscar gold,
others looking to create massive box
Kicking off the summer season a bit
early, the final “Stars Wars! installment
makes its way to theaters hilly 19. “Star
Wars: Episode HI — Revenge of the
Sidf picks up where “Episode 11” left
off, with Anakin Skywalker mirried to
Padme Amidala and fighting as a Jedi
knight. As “Star Wars” huffs know,
Skywalker becomes Darth Vader, and
die film shows Skywalker takes his final
“Revenge of the Sith” looks to he
Possibly trying to emulate the boxing
success of “Million; Dollar Baby,”
director Ron Howard’s “Cinderella
Man” opens June 3. Starring Academy
Award winners Russell Crowe and
Renee Zellweger, “Cinderella Man” tells
the story of boxer Jim Braddock who, in
the desperate economic downtimes of
the Depression, tries ' to make his
comeback. Braddock has to fight a
vicious opponent who actually killed a
man in a previous fight. !
The previews for “Cinderella Man”
promise a moving film with plenty of
ringside action but also romantic scenes
between Crowe as the brave Braddock
and Zellweger as his supportive wife.
The movie looks similar “A Beautiful
Mind” the other Cfowe/Howard
collaboration, and fans of this film as
well as starving sports farjs might find
“Cinderella Man” a knockout punch.
Regardless of the tabloid controversy
surrounding “Mr. and Mrs. Smith,” the
film hits theaters June 10 with Brad Pitt
and Angelina Jolie starring as married
assassins hired, unbeknownst to them,
to kill each other.
Classified as spy, romance and
kthrillcr, “Mr. and Mrs. Smith” could
■are well if it is anything hke director
Hgoug Liman’s i other
-
spy/romance/thriller “The Bourne
Identity.” Pitt’s talent can sometimes go
unnoticed because of pis good looks,
but “Mr. and Mrs .j Smith” could
deliver. j „
Perhaps vying for j biggest summer
blockbuster is the newest Batman
installment, “Batman Begins,” which
flies into theaters June 17. A star
studded cast includes Christian Bale as
Batman, Michael Caine, Morgan
Freeman, Liam Neeson and Katie
Holmes. I
“Batman Begins” shows how Bruce
Wayne first becofihes Batman at 25,
after the villainous Scarecrow threatens
Gotham City. Cojnic-book addicts and
Batman fans should enjoy the much
anticipated return to Gotham City.
“Bewitched” brings classic television
to the big screen June 24 with Will
Ferrell, Nicole Kidman, Shirley
MacLaine, Mifchael Caine, Heather
Burns and David Alan Grier. Created
from the concept of the 1964 TV show
by the same name, the movie features
Kidman as Isabel Bigelow, an actual
witch who, rebelling against her father,
decides to live an average life. After
leaving her hometown, she meets
Ferrell’s Jack/Wyatt, who is making the
“Bewitched ”/ TV show into a movie.
' r n
Wyatt casts Bigelow in his movie, not
knowing she’s a witch.
Viewers should expect great comedy
with Ferrell in the leading role. For a
few guaranteed laughs, audiences won’t
want to miss “Bewitched.”
Possibly the most highly-anticipated
film of the summer is “War of the
Worlds” directed by Steven Spielberg
and starring Tom Cruise. The
which opens June 29, is an
of H.G. Wells’ book about aliens
to take over the earth. Cruise
Ferrier who has to save his
the impending doom of the
invasion.
Previews look i
Spielberg’s reputation,
with Cruise should be
Other films to
“The Longest Yard
Sandler on May 27;
the Traveling
Water” and “
and “Charlie
Factory”
“The '
Owen
July 15
_I
Smart packing can ease move-out woes
By JENNIFER FREEMAN
THE MIX EDITOR
As the stress of finals builds up and the
prospects of summer gleam on the
horizon, students have one more thing to
worry about before they can wave
goodbye to USC for three months —
moving out.
This process might not seem very
important, but if left to the last minute,
moving out can become a huge hassle that
can easily be avoided.
Residence halls close at 10 a.m. May 7,
so all packing must be completed and
rooms emptied out and checked before
then.
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the process have good advice for
freshman.
“There’s so much stuff that you had
spread out over the whole semester, and
trying to get it back together and ready
to go is probably the toughest part. Try
to remember the things you use
everyday,” said Mike Ester, a third-year
management and marketing student.
“Just make sure you know what you need
and what you’re going to have to take
with you.”
Some first-year students are already
planning a quick move-out.
Stephanie Williams, a first-year
pharmacy student, is “trying to get all my
stuff in the least amount of trips possible.”
PHOTO SPECIAL TO THE GAMECOCK
Materials such as cinder blocks, loft wood and carpets can be recycled through
the Take It or Leave It program. Drop-off sites are found outside residence halls.
Moving companies like Two Men and
a Truck on Rockland Road and storage
facilities like Shurgard on Assembly
Street sell cardboard boxes and other
packing supplies that can make the
packing-up-and-moving-out process
easier.
“People often make the mistake of
thinking used boxes and anything else
they can get their hands on is cheaper and
therefore better,” said Roger Boyer,
operator of the Two Men and a Truck
moving company branch in Columbia.
“It’s very important that you don’t set
yourself up for a failure,” Boyer said.
“Moving is hard work. It’s going to be a
lot tougher on you and your parents if
you’ve waited until the last minute and if
your containers break on the way to the
car.”
To help get you and your belongings
through move-out day safely, here are
some tips from the professional movers at
Two Men and a Truck:
♦ Get started early. You aren’t going
to be very happy the last day in your
place if you still haven’t collected boxes
and moving supplies. Start packing
items you know you aren’t going to need
now.
♦ Try to condense. Go through the
stuff piling up under the bed and decide if
you really need that magazine from
October of last year.
♦ Get the right supplies. Don’t be
fooled into thinking old shopping bags,
topless boxes and pillowcases are good
places to stuff your belongings. Not only
could items get tossed around in the
move, but if loose items fall out, you
could get hurt.
♦ Don’t over-pack boxes. The heavier
the item, the smaller the box.
♦ Clearly label boxes. It will save time
later.
♦ Make sure you seal boxes with three
strips of tape. Remember corrugated
cardboard is one of the few things duct
tape doesn’t stick to — use packing tape.
Don’t interlock the top of boxes.
Some students remember the stress of
moving out is worth it in the end.
“I enjoy moving week cause I know I’m
done with my exams, and it’s good to get
your stuff together and you know you get
to go home and relax and not have to
worry about studying or writing papers,”
Ester said.
If you have too much stuff to take
home, but don’t want to throw it all
away, University Housing sponsors the
♦ MOVING, page 11