spokony

Bomb The Music Industry- //Get Warmer//__** Bomb The Music Industry’s fourth full length //Get Warmer// makes it clear that Jeff Rosenstock certainly hasn’t run out of energy yet. Released July 31st, 2007 on BTMI’s strictly DIY headquarters, Quote Unquote, some of the rules haven’t changed. Still up for free mp3 download, still one of the best hours of unrelenting fun, except now, every recording band member has a pulse. Along with the inclusion of instruments that range from the usual full horn section to a Wurlitzer and sleigh bells with everything else in between, this marks the introduction of live drums and synths. Through it all, Rosenstock remains one of the most genuine writers to ever grace the ska/punk/whatever scene in which he resides, and if anything, this record is more powerful and truer to life than his past efforts, and reminds us just why Arrogant Sons of Bitches were that cool. It’s undeniably bigger, with twenty-four different people making various contributions, and it sounds undeniably better, having been demoed and re-recorded (another first for BTMI). With all the talk about big time artists taking new steps to make their music more accessible, maybe there’s something to say about an artist who gives everything away making his work this much more quality. //Get Warmer// is about life, which by Rosenstock’s standards means being broke, unappreciated, alone, and reminiscent, while staying awkwardly content through it all. And no one says it better. As with past records, silly titles abound, but his lyrics carry real weight. The opener, “Jobs Schmobs,” starts the journey by breaking away from the desk job in classic BTMI style, with Rosenstock’s unrefined tone practically screaming the instrumentally subdued introduction, leading us into a blaring opening horn line that all revolves around his distinct rhetoric. “"Later, suckers," you'll say/And your friends with their brains say that you cannot go back/If you move on your music business degree is trashed/Soon we'll be on the road though, and soon we'll be driving fast so when your boss starts to cry do your best not to laugh/When the world gets half away from you, you can go half a world away.” “Depression is No Fun” is, at times, the track truest to ska on the whole list, and brings with its somber organ introduction a clear theme, “Got a lot of shit on my head/You know we got to pull it together/'cause it's not gonna stop until we're dead,” that only leads to fun with catchy horns mixed with plenty of yelling. “Never Trust a Man Without a Horribly Embarrassing Secret” is a retrospective masterpiece whose writing is simply all heart, looking like Rosenstock’s life manifesto and addressing all those little problems with society (“Me, I won't impress/I'll bore you with kindness/Everyone's obsessed with this whole mess of impressions they wanna make.”) while remembering the good times in a classic stream-of-consciousness (“Soon I'll be falling backwards, stealing your beers, crying loudly, singing Green Day, pumping my fist, getting stared at, making phone calls saying that I miss the days back when I had real fun.”). The record ends with more classic Rosenstock; “The Last Party (Foul)” is just him, a guitar, and a mediocre voice that speaks complacency in the midst of despair. “They say to live is to have no regrets/But sometimes staying put is fine/So I'll hang around 'til the last one's leaving town/And I don't wanna die.” Overall, BTMI’s sound is always rough around the edges, making listening a bit harsh for some. The hugely varied and seemingly endless wall of sound produced seems at points a little over the top, but great writing and arrangement of it makes the record solid. Above all else, Rosenstock has a style all his own, and //Get Warmer// is just another truly emotional look into his crazy world. Three and a half stars.
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Julian Schnabel won a Best Director prize at Cannes for his third film “The Diving Bell and the Butterfly,” and it’s not hard to see an artist at work here. Released May 23, 2007 with a PG-13 rating, “The Diving Bell” is a 112-minute adaptation of the book of the same name written by former French //Elle// editor Jean-Dominique Bauby, and its expression of his condition may very well be flawless. At 42 and in the midst of a beautiful life, Bauby suffered a stroke that left him with locked-in syndrome, retaining a fully functional mind while virtually every muscle in his body stayed in complete paralysis. Forced to communicate with only blinks of his left eye, he is thrown into a completely new existence that is ruled by the newfound freedom of his imagination. It is in this state that he writes “The Diving Bell and the Butterfly,” describing in detail his view of the both the world and himself while “locked in.” Bauby is played by Mathieu Amalric, who, while spending a good deal of the film in a facially distorted motionless state, is given free reign in imagined settings, dreams, and flashbacks. Amalric excels, bringing Bauby back to life through scenes of self-indulgence and passion, revealing his flaws alongside his brilliance. Emmanuelle Seigner plays Céline Desmoulins, who is, as Bauby thinks in narration, “Not my wife. The mother of my children.” Although his love is for another (Henriette Durand played by Marie-Josée Croze), she treats him as a husband, hopelessly wishing for a reciprocation of her remaining feelings for him. She, while not as remarkable as Amalric, doesn’t need to be, while giving solid support. It’s clear that the real star in “The Diving Bell and the Butterfly” is Schnabel and his interpretation. From Bauby’s hazy entrance into the realization of his grim state to the vibrancy of his lavish past life, no scene holds back. This is reinforced by Schnabel’s decision to keep the movie in French despite industry pressure to make an English film. It feels as if no thought is abbreviated, that everything is as Bauby felt and communicated in his own work. The imagination of the motionless subject becomes boundless, spanning distant continents as well as a gluttonous seafood dinner scene. Perhaps what makes the film truly great is Schnabel’s ability to remain true to life in a situation that would cause most to portray Bauby as some kind of hero or attempt to bring viewers to tears. No time is wasted on judgments of his traits or the idealization of some indomitable spirit, and Bauby is simply Bauby, a generally decent man who achieves great success but is thrown without warning in an unexplored state of being. His character never becomes morbid, and all that shines through in the end is his brilliant understanding of his own humanity. Fittingly artistic visuals only add to the all-encompassing nature of Schnabel’s work, as well as its emotional aspect. As Bauby comes to terms with his condition, the scene of a glacier falling apart creates a feeling of starting over and re-exploring that dominates the film. Everything seems to fit together in this look at a real life struggle and the beauty that came from it, and Amalric’s performance is exactly what Schnabel’s vision needed to take the next step. It flows effortlessly, and it is simply beautiful. Four stars.
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Sam Spokony is senior at SHS, just turning 18. He has spent his whole life in Suffern, and lives in Bon Aire with his parents; he is an only child. Sam is an aspiring musician and gained some local fame in 2007 as a guitarist in ska band Bangin' On a Trash Can, still remembered by some in the Rockland/North Jersey scene. He enjoys continuing to write music, watching Star Trek, and observing nature. After high school, he plans to attend SUNY Oneonta, and will major in Music Industry.
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