Let There Be Hope (Sleigh Bells)

Sleigh Bells: Alexis Krauss and Derek Miller

2010 was supposed to be the best year for music ever what with almost everyone of note releasing an album, but we’re almost halfway through the year and we’ve had nothing but lackluster albums with a couple bitch’in tracks. Spoon, The New Pornographers, Los Campesinos!, Gorillaz, David Byrne/Fatboy Slim: all of their efforts have left me sad and crying in a dark corner of my basement, and I’m not talking about that awesome kind of music that actually makes you weep from its sheer sadness, but the kind that makes you just want to go put on one of the bands older records.

But as I look upon the approaching horizon of summer music calendar, my heart swells with a hope that I’ve never felt before, a hope that makes me think that maybe, just maybe, the world won’t be lost to the douchebaggary of Will.I.Am, Owl City, and Train.

Yesterday, I discovered Sleigh Bells full length Treats was officially out and streaming in its complete entirety over at NPR Music blog (http://www.npr.org/music/). Sleigh Bells got kidnapped by M.I.A after they took the internet by storm with a couple tracks that I heard they made in a basement. Everyone fawned over them with pure delight back then, and everyone better damn do it again. Every single track on Treats is completely awesome raw pop music. The overbearing Brooklyn beats trash and bash any sound waves that dare challenge their insanely intoxicating and booming audacity. It’s got the energy of Iggy Pop’s Raw Power coupled with the producing sensibilities of M.I.A. filtered through Alexis Krauss and Derek Miller (Sleigh Bells) raw power to create extraordinaire electro-clash pop music. It’s just pure freaking delight.

Also, the new The Black Key’s Brothers is looking like it’s going to be another blow out success. I even forgive them for having the same album name as my band. (I know we haven’t even practiced but right now it’s just a concept and the concept name was Brothers). LCD Soundsystem’s This Is Happening comes out in five days. And M.I.A. has a brand spankin new album coming in July, as does Big Boi, which takes home best album title of the year Sir Lucious Left Foot: The Son of Chico Dusty. In a bit of side news, Big Boi actually guested on Martha Stewart: http://www.marthastewart.com/article/clip-of-the-day-big-boi. The link is now proving to go to the page and say “false” after a flash. I don’t know what’s up with that, but hopefully that’ll get fix real soon.

You like pictures, right? Cause I sure do.

Joel Samson Berntsen (Rill Rill – Sleigh Bells)

Kick-Ass Review

Article originally written and published in OHS's The Prowl
If you have a problem with profanity, violence and a little girl killing lots of evil men with guns and knives, stop reading this right now; this movie is not for you. Okay, now that we’re rid of those people, let’s talk about one of the most entertaining movies of the year. Take one part “Superbad,” one part “Kill Bill” and one part “Spiderman,” whirl them together, and you’ve got the two hour, pop culture-induced seizure of violent behavior, swearing and hilarity known as “Kick-Ass.”

The movie revolves around the life of Dave Lizewski (Aaron Johnson), a nobody comic geek who’s tired of people just putting up with petty crime and miscreants. So, he orders a scuba wet suit, a set of batons and takes to the streets as a vigilante.  Dave’s just an average guy; however, he doesn’t have any training in fighting crime. So, in his first attempt to stop a mugging, he gets shanked in the stomach, staggers in the street, gets hit by a car and is rushed to the hospital. And it’s absolutely hilarious. The violent slapstick humor constantly rides the line between hilarity and shock, especially once the characters of Big Daddy and Hit Girl are introduced.

On their own personal vendetta against a crime family in New York, Big Daddy (Nicholas Cage) and Hit Girl (Chloë Grace Moretz) are the most entertaining characters in the movie. The pair are pretty much hyper-real versions of Batman and Robin, except they have guns, swear and chop up criminals. Moretz’s electrifyingly outrageous performance as the profanity-spewing, butterfly-knife throwing Hit Girl completely steals the show. Seeing a nine year-old dispatch a gang of cocaine-hustling thugs with a double-bladed karate staff of doom is one of the most absurdly hilarious things to have ever hit the big screen.

“Kick-Ass” has an energy that few movies are able to obtain; it aggressively disregards standard morals and societal constraints, yet still manages to get the audience to side with and care for the violence-prone protagonists. The audience is always rooting for Kick-Ass to kick ass. And he totally does (after getting the living daylights beat out of him about four times).

Joel Samson Berntsen (This Must Be The Place(Naive Melody) - Talking Heads) 

Top Five Songs- April Edition

James Murphy of LCD Soundsystem

5. ("Who Loves The Sun?" - The Velvet Underground] Loaded apparently was Lou Reed trying to write an album full of popular hits. He succeeded. This is most pop filled, joyful (sounding) Velvet Underground song I’ve ever heard.

4. ("I'll Call B4 I Cum" - Outkast] Preceded by the "Kim and Cookie (Interlude)" on Stankonia (p.s.funniest interlude ever), I'll call B4 just sticks in your head and refuses to leave. I've been singing the chorus at every tennis practice/match since the beginning of the month, and let me tell you, it's a good way to weird/pysch out people. "Wait... did you just say cum? Why don't you just send it over? Out the blue? What the f*** are you singing about Joel?!"

3. ("O.N.E." - Yeasayer] - WHOO! BROOKLYN DANCE BEATS! YOU'RE JUST SO DELIGHTFUL! JUST SO, SO DELIGHTFUL!

2. ("Forest Families" - The Knife] - I bought the full album Silent Shout about a month and half ago, and I haven't stopped listening since (except to play other songs on this list). I've been listening to it in segments though, as to avoid getting burned out on Silent Shout and We Share Our Mother's Health (two songs that both share a 50 plus play count in iTunes). I bought the vinyl a couple month back too, so I've just used the sides to break section off the album. I love every section just like I’d love every kid if I had a family, but everyone’s got a favorite and mine is (Side B: Forest Families, One Hit, Still Light). It’s the apple of my eye.

1. ("Drunk Girls" - LCD Soundsystem] The first time I listened to this single I thought, this isn't what LCD Soundsystem is supposed to sound like. I was mistaken. It was what they're supposed to sound like, and they sound like quick-witted, snazzy, socially perceptive dance-rock. I've had LCD Soundsystem's Sound Of Silver for over a year, but I never really gave it a chance. I bought the single, put it in a playlist with Sounds of Silver, and I’ve been jamming in ecstasy since.

Joel Samson Berntsen (One Hit- The Knife)

I'm Locking Myself in a Cabin for a While

Tentative decisions are here. You’d think I’d be listening to Tentative Decisions.

Instead I’ve just been listening to Bon Iver’s For Emma, Forever Ago.

Four times through and still counting, and that's just tonight.

Joel Samson Berntsen (Lump Sum- Bon Iver)

Returning to Sender (Dexter and I)

Last summer ago I started watching Dexter (the Showtime series). And it was fantastic. But for some reason I stopped watching it around episode seven. Why? I don’t know; it’s just one of those things that happen.

(Side note: during the title sequence, I would always started craving eggs because of the high detailed and close-up shots of breakfast being made, so I started catering to my cravings and it became a ritual to make myself some eggs, pour a ton of pepper on them, and then start an episode of Dexter; it was one of the most satisfying things I’ve ever experienced in my life.)

This summer, I convinced my girlfriend to buy seasons one and two for college (Ah... I’m a tricky, tricky man). Anyway, she only recently started it, so I’ve started re-watching the first season, and I’m an episode away from the season finale. And man, as I said before, this show is freaking fantastic! Yes. The show is so good it warrants an exclamation point; it is really that good.

I know. I’m behind the times.

The first season? Man, you mean back when the Ice cream truck killer was still around? Geez, Joel. You really are behind.

Yes, this might be true, odd-speaking alter ego of Joel that only comes out in late night ramblings after prolonged viewings of Dexter, but that is not the point. The point is this; I think the ice cream truck killer is my favorite character on the show…

But you know he’s going to die…

Yes, it’s kind of anticlimactic…

But you still are deeply in love and involved with the show…?

Yes.

Well, then it’s all cool my brother.

Why are you talking like that now?

Like what?

Like William Baldwin in The Squid and The Whale.

My brother, I don’t know if anyone who reads this blog will get that reference… I think it’s time for you to get to bed.

But there’s Dexter to be watched!

But there’s work in the morning my brother…

Right, Right… damn your logic.

Say goodnight to the pretty folks my brother.

Goodnight.

Joel Samson Berntsen (Gouge Away- Pixies)

Party in the Castle Commons

We’re in the Shakespeare unit of College Composition. I’m enjoying it, mostly because how easily Shakespeare invents plausible conflicts and character motivation. I mean, almost every character goes through some sort of emotional dramatic character change that radically changes the plot or motivation in some important way.

My problem is the movies, the ones that have castles in them. There’s never anybody in them! In the climax of Hamlet, Hamlet, his mom, his uncle, and a friend turned enemy all are killed by getting stabbed, drinking poison, or getting stabbed with poison. And there’s only like fifteen people watching. Wouldn’t a giant dual with the most loved royalty of the land attract at least a couple more people than that? I’m sure this isn’t really realistic in a play because of the general lack of paid actors, but a feature film could easily fit at least fifty into a giant castle commons.

Anyway, that’s all I got for now. Here’s a clip:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8Z9Ismh1elM

Joel Samson Berntsen (Meadows of the Sea - T.REX)

Gene Kelly & Jay-Z present: The Ascending A’s

While writing a couple papers, I listened to these albums in listed order:

Merriweather Post Pavilion – Animal Collective

The Grey Album – DJ Danger Mouse and Jay-Z

Begin to Hope – Regina Spektor

I threw some singles from Annie, April March, and The Animals in between each album. I guess I just really liked the letter A today.

Also, I threw a Jay-Z quote in my film analysis paper explaining why everyone loves Gene Kelly:

“Lockwood’s a liar, and the audience clutches onto that. They grasp at it and they love it, because he’s like them, he lies. He’s made it, and he’s made it big. In the flash of mere minutes, the audience is enthralled by this charismatic, sexy man because, once again, he reminds them of themselves, only he’s actually made it to the big time. He’s actually a silent film star. Just like Jay-Z once said in lyric, “all the hustlers love it / just to see one of us make it / came from the bottom to bottom to the top of the pot,” and that’s exactly why there’s an immediate liking to Lockwood.”

Etc, Etc, Etc.

Joel Samson Berntsen (My Girls –Animal Collective) one last time before bed

Top 5 songs that I keep playing

5. (Samson – Regina Spektor] It’s personal.

4. (Psycho Killer – Talking Heads] It’s a hell of a song, and I can’t stop singing it. Let’s hope I actually know how to sing it properly…

3. (Better- Regina Spektor] I’ve recently gone on a stint of loving her again. Not that I ever stopped loving her. The play count on That Time is at forty seven. The rest of the songs are severely under played, so now I’m listening to them. I don’t know why I didn’t listen to them earlier.

2. (White Heat / White Light – The Velvet Underground] WHITE LIGHT! WHITE LIGHT GOING MESSING UP MY MIND! WHITE LIGHT! AND DON CHA KNOW IT GOING TO MAKE ME GO BLIND! WHITE HEAT! IT TICKLE ME DOWN TO MY TOES!

1. (Dirty Harry – Gorillaz] I’m gearing up for Plastic Beach, so the Gorillaz are getting played an outrageous amount of times. And there’s just something about the first minute of Dirty Harry. Man.

Joel Samson Berntsen (Sunday Morning - The Velvet Underground)