So, the past week or so I have had quite a bit of an undertaking. I have sampled (well, more than sampled...) pretty much every big release that I have been curious about.
The new Coldplay, My Morning Jacket, Black Keys, Weezer, She & Him, and the new Death Cab for Cutie. Let's just start from the beginning of that list.
The new Coldplay is just good, flat-out good. They seem like they have finally found their sound and style and not venturing too far into sappiness that they were so found of for so long. If nothing else, check out the opening track and "42" to really get a good idea of this rocking English band at their best. The new My Morning Jacket Evil Urges, is less than stellar. MMJ has been one of my most favorite bands for quite a long time, yet this is the first album ever that I wasn't blown away the first listen. The tracks that I downloaded before release, "Highly Suspicious" and "Evil Urges," are by far the most exciting songs on the record, and "I'm Amazed" probably being my most favorite track so far. I just can't get into it too much, maybe after i see them live again it will all jostle, but I'm not sure I like this new direction. Z was good, different than normal, but good. Maybe classic, but not sure about this one yet. Black Keys is good, they aren't my favorite band and never will be, but I can put them on most anytime and really dig it.
The new Weezer is awesome. Not as poppy as the last outing, but definitely with some of the most memorable songs I've heard in a while. She & Him has proven to be the most efficient next step for M. Ward. Being a HUUUGE M. Ward fan, I was skeptical how someone else could hope to share his spotlight, but Zooey Deschanel is an amazing singer and the style of the music has only merely changed--if only to fit her singing. A great album.
The new M. Night movie, The Happening was by far one of the most laughable movies I have ever seen. I am the biggest M. Night apologist you'll meet. I loved all the other movies he did, with a passion. From The Sixth Sense and Unbreakable, to The Village and Signs I was sold and they are by far the best horror movies I have ever seen. Lady in the Water was good, and I enjoyed it for what is was worth, and maybe The Happening is meant to be taken no more serious than a B-movie...because that is exactly what it is. A B-movie with a twenty million dollar budget. Mark Wahlberg was amazing, always a commanding actor, but there was so much over-acting by actors who are generally some of the most compelling you will ever see, so much black humor, so much just flat out holes in the plot that I believe M. Night was making his modern day 1960s/1970s cheap thrill b-movie.
If that is the case, I loved it. If not, this movie made me lose my faith in politically driven suspense movies forever.
