I’ve been listening to them quite a bit since I saw them supporting Jimmy Eat World last month. Now I’m not normally a huge indie fan but I’ve decided that everyone needs to listen to this band! I wont rest until they do and no you don’t have a choice. They have a very Moby-esque feeling to them which I like since Moby is a King. This video isn’t the best quality but it’s definitely worth checking out their MySpace (http://www.myspace.com/styrofoam). Couches in Alleyways is one of the best new songs I’ve heard in a long time. I’d place it up there with No Cars Go from Arcade Fire and if you know me at all you’ll know hoe much I like that song and how much sentimental value I place over it. Either way I hope you enjoy them and if you don’t, don’t shoot the blogger.
Jimmy Eat World, but first…Dublin! March 27, 2008
Jimmy Wat World – Olympia Theatre Dublin, February 27th
Jim Adkins: guitar, vocals
Rick Burch: bass
Zach Lind: drums
Tom Linton: guitar, vocals
It has been six years since Jimmy Eat World played their first Irish gig and February 27th saw the clean living, nice guys of rock return to Dublin for an explosive performance in the Olympia. The band who are touring behind their newest album Chase This Light (Interscope Records) played a variety of songs from their six albums ranging from the upbeat new singles Big Casino and Always Be to some of their more sedate and melancholy tracks. The band seems to have two sides. One a heavy hardcore punk inspired side and a softer melodic side; it’s hard not to be moved by tracks like My Sundown or Hear You Me. The first makes their thousands of fans to jump hypnotically up and down in excitement and the second reduces them to tears. It is their gift for switching so flawlessly between the two that make Jimmy Eat World stand apart from other punk or indie bands. It is a genuine raw talent that always leaving the audience guessing what’s coming next and expectantly wanting more.
The band is quite unique and difficult to place into any one genre. They have been described as anything from hardcore punk, indie and even emo. It doesn’t matter how you describe them though the fan’s reaction in the Olympia was enough to tell that whatever they’re doing they’re doing it well. They wowed crowds with celebrated punk tracks The Middle, Sweetness and Pain all of which helped them shoot to fame in the mid 90s.
Singer Jim Adkins remarked during the evening how the band have come a long way from their small town roots and from their banter with the audience it was easy to tell they are genuinely happy to be there.
Styrofoam was the perfect opening act for the show. Their arpeggiated and sometimes haunting melodies sounded like a mixture of the punk rock style which influenced Jimmy Eat World with just a touch of Moby. The frantically melodic Belgian newcomers were hugely well received by thousands of fans lucky enough to get a ticket to the sold out show.
Rambo Review March 27, 2008
You need to see past the exploding corpses and the outright exploitation of the struggle of the people of Burma to get to the heart of what Rambo is really about. Unfortunately when you do get there you realise that it is mainly about exploding corpses and exploitation. The inclusion of real news broadcasts at the start of the film seemed like a cheap way of setting up the plotline. It was a thinly veiled attempt at being political which just seemed contrived and tacky.
Taken at face value however Rambo isn’t a bad film; it’s certainly in keeping with the tradition of the Rambo series of being gun-toting, testosterone fuelled fun so if you liked the previous instalments this one is worth going to see even just to tie up the loose ends from the previous films. The plot is fairly linear though so the only lose ends are at the end of Rambo’s trade mark red bandana which should be due a wash some time soon. It’s the quintessential action movie and if that’s what floats your boat Rambo is like a trip down the rapids.
Stallone does very little talking in this film, it seems the years seem to have caught up with him. Instead he does most of his talking with landmines, grenades and in one case a makeshift a-bomb. He manages to recapture some of his former glory when he gets behind a mini gun and single handily takes out an entire platoon of the Burmese military. Incidentally this is the first scene in any of the Rambo movies where he has had to reload his weapon. Even the guns are ageing.
A review of a review? How Shakespearian March 19, 2008
Escapistmagazine.com is one of the web’s newest and most original blogging and review sites and an absolute must for anyone who dares to call themselves a ‘Gamer’. The main feature of the site is the side splitting computer game reviews by English-born, Australian-dwelling computer journalist Ben “Yahtzee” Croshaw.
The razor tongues Yahtzee delivers his weekly video game reviews in a distinctive four and a half minute non-stop monologue. Relentlessly he tears through the latest video game releases pointing out the flaws that most other reviewers are too gracious to mention. Quite often his hatred for his the Nintendo Wii, first person shooters, boy racers and ex-girlfriends are drawn on in his maniacal ranting but they never distract him from his original goal – taking game designers down a peg or two…or three.
The videos released every Wednesday turn traditional reviewing methods on their head. He takes a bold new approach making them accessible to anyone, not just those with a prior knowledge of video games. The site also houses blogs from a number of other gaming experts who offer readers advice and opinions on everything from computers to religion. With blogs and reviews as sharp as these the games industry should be concerned. Not only do they have to worry about bad reviews, the critics are becoming more entertaining and innovative then the industry it is reviewing.
iPod, iPhone, iDon’t Care March 9, 2008
It’s not even on the market yet but we have already been saturated with talk of the iPhone. From the way it has been built up in the media apple seemingly have programmed a solution for world hunger into it.
I believe these designers should stop showing off and start making something useful. So I say good job to those trying to bring affordable laptops to children in the third world, and to Ubuntu who give software away for free. We need more innovators and less exhibitionists.
Interesting links
One Laptop Per Child plan: http://laptop.org/
I’m getting old March 9, 2008
I’ve had my suspicions for quite some time but I can now confirm that at the tender age of
21 (going on 22 in my defence) I have well and truly entered mid life. I’ve started worrying about savings and investments and even started looking at my options with regards to the job market and apartments available to someone on my income. Although since I don’ have any form of job at the moment my options are a) cardboard box b) stick it out with the parents for another year or so.
I had this revelation where I have all my revelations, on the bus. I was coming home from Bray on the 145 last night and when we got past Cherrywood a group of girls no older than 18 got on with some fairly questionable looking bottles of “club” and a brain cell between them and all I could think was “If that was my daughter I’d be ashamed”. We all go through a crazy phase at some stage in our adolescent lives. We’ve all been in Supervalu on a Saturday night buying beer and pig hearts but at a certain point most sane people realise that this behaviour really can’t last forever, If you think it can you’re either stupidly wealthy, have emotional issues or are Charlie Sheen (who I guess is both really). But for most of us at a certain point we just have to grow up.
Maybe it’s just me. I have always liked a certain amount of stability on my life, with of course an adequate amount of spontaneity to keep things interesting. Although not too much and obviously not in aspects of life where this might upset balance or harmony (I’m a woman I’m allowed to be unreasonable)! I like that I am happy spending nights in on the couch watching DVDs with the mister and that I’m about as low maintenance as you can get. Is it wrong that I spend my Friday night playing Lego Star Wars? No! And if you think it is you obviously don’t know me…or have never played Lego Star Wars!
I like knowing that when I go home on a Friday night other people’s nights are just beginning. This might sound strange to some people but it makes me think back to the younger wilder version of me that actually played the social game and cared what people thought about her and I thank my lucky stars that I’m not her anymore. I like when people who judge my decision not to go to clubs (I don’t see the point) or get mind numbingly drunk (again…point?) tell me that I’m missing out. It makes me laugh inside, just a little. Because when 3am comes and they’re sitting in Abrakebabra sobering up, mascara running down their chin, counting pennies for a taxi wishing they hadn’t spent all their money on “After Shock” they would trade their Jimmy Choos to be in my position, sleeping like a log.
