Aaaand We're Back

Well, I said I would probably be back on Saturday, and it's Saturday! Technically, it could be pointed out that there was an extra week of other days in between there, but hey, we don't need that kind of negative thinking now. What's important is that I'm back, and I'm very sorry to everyone who was expecting new content here. Which is Eli. Sorry Eli. Anyway, there will be exciting new stuff coming up tonight! Huzzah!

A Little Down Time

Hi, imaginary readers! I'm going to be busy (hehe) for the next couple days, so there won't be any new content going up on The Casualty Report until Saturday at the earliest. While I'm sure this would be crushing news to my audience, thankfully I don't have one so it's all good! When I come back, however, this is a sampling of what you can expect for the next week:

- A review of Inception
- A review of the second episode of Covert Affairs
- Continuing coverage of both Louie and The Good Guys (I'm really gonna try to catch up, I promise)
- In Case You Missed It: Frightened Rabbit's The Midnight Organ Fight
- Thoughts about Comic Con (here's one: I wish I could go)
- Whatever else I decide warrants wasting my time on

So, I'll be back soon! Smell ya later!

Track of the Day - 7/19/10

"A Shot in the Arm" - Wilco
Listen Here

One of my favorite Wilco songs off of my favorite Wilco album, Summerteeth. Wilco has always been one of those groups that I enjoy, but something about them usually stops me from getting fully invested in their music. This track however, and most of the rest of the album, is a Wilco that I can get behind completely. Check it out!

Previous day's connection: Actually, two here, though only one was really intentional. First (and intentionally), both Yeasayer and Grizzly Bear were featured on the compilation album Dark Was the Night, which was actually the first place I heard of either band. Second, both groups are based out of Brooklyn. Like I said, all music fucking comes from Brooklyn now. Fortunately, Wilco hails from Chicago, so today's will be a bit less redundant. Give it a go!

Track of the Day - 7/18/10

"Deep Blue Sea" - Grizzly Bear
Listen Here

Another night where I'm about to collapse, so I've picked a song that's incredibly soothing and dreamy to fit my current mood. "Deep Blue Sea" is a pleasant little track from Grizzly Bear that floats along nicely while utilizing sparse guitar and drums to good effect. Try it out yourself!

Previous day's connection: I'm probably too out of it to actually coherently explain this, but both "2080" and "Five Years" put time limits on the singer's lifetime - five more years for "Five Years" and by the year 2080 for "2080." Hey look at that! That wasn't too terrible. Hopefully I'll be a little more awake tomorrow, though.

Music Review -- Big Boi

Big Boi
Sir Lucious Left Foot: The Son of Chico Dusty
Def Jam, Purple Ribbon

One of the most important, character-defining questions of the modern era, one which threatened to split the nation down its seams and lead us to another bloody civil war: Speakerboxx or The Love Below? Really, though, the only proper answer to that question is "both" (but The Love Below is totally streets ahead. Just sayin'), but for those of you Speakerboxx fans out there, you're in for a real treat.

Antwan Andre Patton a.k.a. Big Boi a.k.a. Sir Lucious Left Foot a.k.a one-half of the greatest hip-hop duo alive finally released his debut solo album earlier this month after years of waiting and growing anticipation. His former label, Jive, were complete dicks and are essentially responsible for delaying the album a year and keeping several killer tracks featuring Andre 3000 off of the album. Yet despite all that drama, Sir Lucious Left Foot is an album that feels both incredibly polished and fresh. The tracks are heavy on the bass, but Big Boi delivers a slightly more varied and funkified sound than on Speakerboxx, and puts his high-caliber guests (T.I., Janelle Monae, B.o.B., and many more) to great use here. Big Boi's lyrics and smooth flow serve as an anchor for the tracks, allowing his guests and the music to branch off into a myriad of styles and sounds, from the electric thump of "Shutterbugg" to the piano-heavy R&B of "Turns Me On." While I've always viewed Big Boi's main strength as the ability to step in and deliver a couple fantastic verses, he's actually consistently good throughout the album - there's no real filler material here (almost unprecedented for a rap album).

I'll still maintain that The Love Below owns Speakerboxx, but Sir Lucious Left Foot is an impeccably crafted effort that stands as probably the best hip-hop album so far this year. It instantly hooks you, and the level of quality throughout ensures that you won't stop listening to it until the end of the last track. And it's a very promising sign of things to come: as Mr. Left Foot himself says, "Damn, that wasn't nothin' but the intro."

Grade: A-

If you only have time/money/patience for one track: "Follow Us"
Alternative choice: "Royal Flush" - one of the tracks that Jive cut, but it's definitely worth checking out as it features both Raekwon and Andre 3000 (at the top of his game)

Track of the Day - 7/17/10

"2080" - Yeasayer
Listen Here

Today's track is by Yeasayer. I'm tired right now, so that's about all I can come up with. If you want to know some stuff about it, you should listen to it, cause it's a song and they're for listening, not reading about. Sorry.

Previous day's connection: Both Janelle Monae and David Bowie are artists who have used alter-egos in their careers/made albums based around fictional characters. Janelle Monae based The ArchAndroid around the fictional story of Cindi Mayweather, while Bowie of course had Ziggy Stardust. Fun facts.

Film Review -- A Single Man

A Single Man
Director: Tom Ford, Writers: Tom Ford, David Scearce
The Weinstein Company

And now we come to our first film review here at The Casualty Report. Film is kind of like the neglected bastard child of the review categories here, simply because I don't see all that many movies in theatres, because let's be honest, that's so passe now, am I right? Anyway, my point is that most of the movies I'll be reviewing (but not all) will probably not be new releases, and you may very well be confused and scared because I can just pick anything and review it. Well, sucks for you.

A Single Man came out (haha, it's funny cause it's about gays!) back in 2009, an adaptation of a Christopher Isherwood novel that was helmed by fashion designer Tom Ford, trying on his director pants for the first time (haha, it's funny cause he's a designer!). As far as debuts go, this is pretty spectacular. Ford does a great job creating an atmosphere of both time (it's set in 1962) and mood, bringing out the pain and sorrow in even the most mundane of interactions. Colin Firth stars as the bearer of this pain, playing a British professor attempting to get over the loss of his lover (Matthew Goode), and not really succeeding - the movie opens with subtle indications of Firth preparing to take his own life. Before he can go through with it, however, Firth encounters one of his students, a wide-eyed young man (Nicholas Hoult) who takes an interest in him. Julianne Moore is also there as Firth's old friend, a lush that she plays very well, but who's reason for being in the movie isn't perfectly clear. The dynamic between Firth and Hoult is somewhat interesting, but it's the tiny glimmers we see (through flashbacks) of the relationship between Firth and Goode that Ford really nails. Through very brief sequences, the audience gets a real sense of their connection, and consequently Firth's grief becomes much more apparent and understandable.

This is by no mean's a great film, but it's incredibly well done. The same production team that works on AMC's Mad Men does a fantastic job replicating the look and feel of the early 60s, and Ford's direction supplies the emotional malaise and personal touches. Ultimately, though, it is Firth's performance that provides the best sense of the spirit of the movie, and it's very easy to see why he garnered an Oscar and Golden Globe nomination for the role. The artistic qualities of A Single Man will hook you in, but it's Firth who delivers the line and sinker.

Grade: B+

Track of the Day - 7/16/10

"Five Years" - David Bowie
Listen Here

And we move way back to 1973 with today's track, "Five Years," the opener to Bowie's awesome The Rise and Fall of Ziggy Stardust and the Spiders from Mars. On an album jam-packed with killer songs, this has actually always been one of my favorites, from the great use of keyboard to the way Bowie's voice crescendos to hit just the right level. Check out the link to see an elder Bowie playing it with the Arcade Fire (and check out them doing "Wake Up" at the same venue for some of the most intense tambourine playing ever)!

Previous day's connection: Both Cat Power and Janelle Monae were slated to be on this year's reincarnation of the Lilith Fair tour (though Monae had almost all of her shows canceled, if I recall correctly). This could pretty much apply to half of the female artists in the music industry, but I thought that a Cat Power/Janelle Monae double billing sounded pretty awesome. And it has to be better than animal names, right?

TV Review -- Louie

Louie
Dr. Ben/Nick
FX Tuesdays 11 p.m.

This really should have been up a while ago, but I'll try to get a review of the fourth episode up soon so I can catch up with the shows live. However, I think it's been somewhat beneficial that I'm behind in these reviews, as it's given me a chance to see each episode twice so far, which gives me a better sense for which jokes really work and what each episode is really about.

And what is this episode about? Well, there's a couple options. On a surface level, it's about getting old. The opening stand-up segment talks about the downward spiral into old age, as C.K. remarks about how his body is basically slowly falling apart. It's not one of his funniest bits, but the episode quickly livens up the material by showing C.K. visiting a doctor who happens to be an old-friend of his, played by Ricky Gervais in a role that fits him to a tee. The interaction with the receptionist is pretty funny and very relatable (again, I could easily imagine that as part of a Seinfeld episode), and C.K.'s bafflement is great: "Do people like come here and steal medical treatment?" Then Gervais enters, and the next couple minutes are essentially a doctor-from-hell joke showcase that's just plain hilarious - C.K. asks Gervais to examine him, to which he says, "I know what's wrong with you. AIDS!" and laughs hysterically. It's a bizarre, widely different tone from the rest of this episode, but it's a testament to the strength of the show and its writing that it can transition so easily between the absurd and the everyday. The next stand-up bit is also just average, though it does bring up Seinfeld comparisons again in it's reference to Indian giving (I suppose it's also possible that I just think everything in life is a Seinfeld reference, which is mostly true). However, we get something slightly different here, as the camera follows C.K. as he wraps up his set and then stands aside to watch his comic friend Nick (from the previous episode) do his act - though not before we learn that black people don't tip.

Nick is utilized pretty damn effectively here. His stand-up bit is somewhat funny, and then gets downright uncomfortable when he brings up assassinating Obama. As a bleeding-heart "liberal fag" myself, I think Nick is a complete idiot, but he reminds me a lot of my uncle - and it's clear that his character is a great foil for C.K. Nick knows he's not very smart, but he's smart enough to sense that something is wrong with the way things are, and he takes this out on liberals and C.K. himself. Oh, and he's also a very proud person, and all this combines to make the fight between him and C.K. almost painful to watch. It's not comedy-violence - this is two middle-aged, overweight men scuffling in a bar, and Louie again showcases it's devotion to reality here by having Nick end up in the emergency room with a cut hand. At the hospital, C.K. and Nick have a discussion about marriage and their age, which ultimately reveals what I think Dr. Ben/Nick is getting at. C.K. wraps up the episode by talking about how a friend from the country came in to New York and was horrified at the sight of a homeless person, while he didn't even notice him. This reflects on the conversation between C.K. and Nick in the hospital - C.K. finds it very difficult to see that his friend's life is no better than his. The episode starts with C.K. expressing a huge degree of self-loathing about his body and his age, but it concludes on a message that suggests that his real problem is that he can't see that everyone faces some form of similar problems. Regardless, this is an episode that's a little front-loaded in terms of laughs (though the stand-up at the end has some good moments), but the back half is just as relevant to what this show is, even when it isn't delivering the laughs.

Grade: A-

"This is the worst thing that's ever happened to me, seeing that. And my dad hung himself in front of me. Whilst masturbating."

Track of the Day - 7/15/10

"Tightrope" - Janelle Monae feat. Big Boi
Listen Here

And now for something completely different: the frenetic and addictive single "Tightrope" from Janelle Monae's latest release, The ArchAndroid. Monae is impossible to pin down - she's incredibly diverse, bizarre (check out the music video I linked to - awesomely weird), and talented, but tracks like "Tightrope" show that she could probably take over the music world if she wanted to. Big Boi stops by for a short but killer verse, and the rhythm and Monae's vocal work just make you want to move your body. Also be sure to check it the remixed "Tightrope (Wondamix)" featuring B.o.B. and Lupe Fiasco for some awesome verses from all parties.

Previous day's connection: And the answer to our three-part, epic quest to discover the mysterious link between Frightened Rabbit, Wolf Parade, and Cat Power? They all have animals in their band names! Wow, that was a bit of a let-down, huh? Well, there's plenty more room for groaning and inevitable disappointment in today's connection! Give it a go!

In Case You Missed It - The Cool

Lupe Fiasco
Lupe Fiasco's The Cool
Atlantic Records (1st and 15th)

Though widely cited as a "concept album" following it's 2007 release, if you were to attempt to unpack just what the "concept" at work on The Cool, you would likely be utterly confused. Fiasco moves from subject to subject as rapidly as he raps, touching on topics like child soldiers, immigration, and the ups and downs of stardom and the rap game. In a way, the fact that it's difficult to decipher the concept makes The Cool one of the better "concept albums" out there - every time you listen to his lyrics, new possibilities for interpretation open up as you unravel the metaphors and double meanings layered thickly over every track.

Lupe Fiasco made a bit of a splash with his debut, Lupe Fiasco's Food and Liquor, but The Cool is a real showcase of his talents as a rapper. Fiasco is incredibly diverse; he can spit fast on tracks like "Go Go Gadget Flow," the most easily listenable, bass-thumping track on the album; or he can take a slow, almost jazzy flow on the groovy "Paris, Tokyo." However he's delivering them, Fiasco's lyrics are simply amazing, and it's clear that this album is painstakingly crafted, from the writing down to the production - something that's surprising rare in hip-hop. This makes each song well worth listening to on it's own merits, as Fiasco slides easily between different styles and topics. Even Fiasco himself admits that only a few tracks really fit the "concept," and then only loosely. This opens up each track to be interpreted on it's own, for some really interesting results. "Gold Watch" asks listeners to "peruse the essentials of cool," while "Intruder Alert" unravels several heartbreaking stories about the consequences of fear.

Fiasco also churns out some fantastic head-nodding, driving hip-hop tracks. "Superstar" was the album's biggest single - and for good reason. Matthew Santos delivers a great, soaring chorus, and Fiasco provides some terrific verses that reflect on the nature of being a superstar. "Hip-Hop Saved My Life" provides a look at the other end of a music career, telling the story of a rapper's inspirations and struggle to make it. And that really gets at Lupe Fiasco's ultimate asset: his storytelling ability. Much like Springsteen or Dylan were for rock, Fiasco is hip-hop's preeminent storyteller, packing a single track with a sense of character, personality, and narrative that is simply amazing. Just listen to the driving, rapid-fire "Streets on Fire," which paints a near-future dystopia better in 5 minutes than a lot of sci-fi novels do in 500 pages. Or try "Little Weapon," which evokes the mindset of a child soldier in one verse, before moving to school shootings in the next. The lyrical dexterity and depth at work is really remarkable, but The Cool is also (unlike some "concept albums") quite easy to access and listen to. You can spend hours examining a few tracks, appreciating the multiple metaphors and storytelling at work, or you can just pop it in your stereo (ha!) and blast it for a little while. If you missed The Cool, you missed one of the best hip-hop albums of the last decade (also be sure to check out his third album, Lasers, which is set to be released "soon").

Grade: A

Next time on In Case You Missed It: Frightened Rabbit - The Midnight Organ Fight

New TV Review -- Covert Affairs

Covert Affairs
Pilot
USA Tuesdays 10 p.m.

USA seems to specialize in shows that are very light and fun - the kind of show where you can watch every now and then for a fairly enjoyable waste of an hour. Covert Affairs, their newest original series, definitely fits into the USA mold, and the pilot delivers a pretty entertaining hour-plus (it was given an extended premiere) of television.

I'm a pretty big sucker when it comes to spies. I like Bond movies, the two episodes of Alias I've seen, Chuck - I'll watch pretty much anything that falls in the genre. So maybe it's just the subject matter, but I was actually pleasantly surprised at how much I enjoyed Covert Affairs. That said, the episode starts off on completely the wrong foot. Having the main character take a random polygraph is an incredibly lazy way of writing exposition, and the information it reveals could easily have been teased out later in the episode. Also, there's a concern when you cast an attractive woman such as Piper Perabo in a role like this that she might just be there to be eye candy (especially since it's hard to believe someone so short and scrawny could be an ass-kicking secret agent). And the start of the pilot isn't promising in assuaging these fears - times Piper Perabo was topless in the first 2 minutes: 3. Beyond that, I was also a little unsure about whether Perabo could pull off this type of role - besides Coyote Ugly (a tremendous piece of shit) and that one movie that I saw 10 minutes of on HBO where she was a lesbian or something, I haven't really seen her in anything, and she certainly doesn't look the part. However, a look comes over her towards the end of the pre-credit scene, which I guess was determination - whatever it was, it gave me hope that she would surprise me.

Indeed, Perabo grows more and more believable as the episode progresses, as she delivers a unexpectedly good performance. Part of this is aided by how quickly and efficiently the pilot moves forward - USA Platinum Member Tim Matheson directed. Perabo is yanked out of training and placed in the Domestic Protection Division, supposedly due to her language skills. The episode puts these skills to good use too (and a guest appearance from The Wire's own Lester Freamon!) and it's nice to see that Perabo's character relies more on her intellect and charisma as a spy since it would be ridiculous for her to be a Rambo-style bad-ass. The pilot quickly introduces some characters that show potential to be a solid supporting cast (the blind tech guy, the strict boss who's married to another CIA boss - I like that people in the CIA are encouraged to date each other here, as I'm tired of storylines dealing with relationships between spies and civilians who don't know their partners secrets). Not everything works perfectly in the pilot - the business with the reporter seemed a little random, though I'm sure it will be addressed later - but the episode quickly moves on to scenes that work better and doesn't give you time to linger on it's failures. I actually have a lot more in my notes that I wanted to say about this, but I'm starting to ramble a bit, so I'll wrap it up - but my point is that it's a very good sign that I actually have a lot to say about a show on USA.

I started off by saying how USA shows are typically light fare that is entertaining enough, but pretty shallow. Based on the pilot, I think Covert Affairs actually has a chance to be a good show - in a similar way to Chuck. There's a twist at the end that suggests that there might be more of a serialized arc to the show, and I like what I've seen of Perabo in the lead role and some of the side characters. I'm not adding this to my series coverage just yet, because pilot's can often be deceiving - the show might not warrant much writing in future episodes. However, the pilot was both good and intriguing enough to ensure that I'll be back for a second episode.

Grade: B

"I would love to shuck some oysters with you"