Drex and the City

Have you ever wondered what the overly dramatic singing style of the villain’s song in a Disney movie would sound like if it were forcibly entangled with an extremely heavy dose of futuristic industrial rock? Yeah, me neither. Nevertheless, this concoction is real and interestingly enough, it’s not half bad. Reminiscent of the rock publicized by an older version of Powerman 5000 and the storytelling delivery of lyrics similar of Pink Floyd’s The Wall, this style persists through the soundtrack to Repo! The Generic Opera, a film due out on November 7th. With such an eclectic group of performers including Paris Hilton, Clown of Slipknot, Steven Perkins of Jane’s Addiction, and Melora Creager of Rasputina, it was surprising to find that somewhat of a consistency existed throughout the course of the soundtrack. Even more so, I was shocked to blatantly catch myself making a ton of connections to other, completely random songs, regardless of the fact that all of the tracks are original compositions.

Although the plot of the film is claimed to be a splice of concepts coming from “Rocky Horror Picture Show” and “Blade Runner”, it can be inferred that the plot is driven through the eerily familiar melodies, rather than the overly elaborate musical motifs that many other productions derive from. Furthermore, it can be stated that this musical breaks some of the molds of a “normal” show by dumping vulgarity everywhere, creating very graphic images in your head. I found myself laughing at the crudeness but also acknowledging the idea that this film may after all be a genuine rock opera it declares to be. All of the music debunks any signs of delicate pampering.

In the end, it’s really hard to make a judgment on the soundtrack without any context of the film. The tracks were always strangely recognizable in ways I cannot precisely comprehend, which only drew my attention. I also found myself getting into some of the sounds, particularly the ones that included some traditional opera with profound rock tempos. However, without perspective of the movie, I don’t know if I’d ever see myself listening to this soundtrack; the older Powerman 5000 stuff can still really fulfill my moods. But with consideration of the music after looking at the trailer, I can say that if you’re looking for a new movie that has huge potential to become the next big cult classic, this is definitely for you. It’s “Sin City” meets Broadway—even I’ve got to admit that’s going to be an interesting and twisted mess worth checking out.

***Media credit: YouTube.com

What does Philadelphia suburbs indie pop-rock sound like? A lot like The Scenic’s debut full-length album “Find Yourself Here.” This local band found a fun sound that earned them a spot on Vans Warped Tour this past summer and the eye of mtvU. “Find Yourself Here” is exactly what you’d expect from a pop-rock album with a little extra pop and rock on the side. That being a good or bad thing is up to your taste. However, I can assure you that the album is nothing short of catchy, upbeat, and fun. So if you’re looking for a local band to support, The Scenic’s a band that will guarantee that you will dance and sing along.

Track one, “Lights Out”, assures you right off the bat that beyond catchy tunes, The Scenic is able to provide you with creative lyrics like “Sold my soul for rock n’ roll/ I never even played a guitar” that will definitely get stuck in your head. The album winds through various themes including life, love, and being lost at sea with a Mr. Bones. Somewhere in the middle a slower piano-heavy song, “Take Your Time”, will give you a break from all the energy found throughout the rest of the LP. The album finishes up with a well-chosen final track, “Follow,” that includes powerful echoing vocals as well as a mix of slow and fast paced tempos.

Overall, you’re not in for a mind-blowing album but if you happen to pick up a copy of the CD, you’re not getting anything less than what you paid for, a catchy pop-rock album.

The Scenic will be playing an ALL AGES SHOW at the North Star Bar in Philadelphia on October 14th with The Goodnight Anthem, The Bigger Lights, Sparks the Rescue, and The Study Band.

***Photos courtesy Anna Clay/The Triangle

If you haven’t heard of The Morning Light, it is time to check them out. This pop-rock band based out of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania have definitely found a sound for their new self titled album that differentiate them from the ever-growing genre. They hit the studio with producer, Matt Goldman, and created a record that falls somewhere in between Jack’s Mannequin’s “Everything In Transit” and All Time Low’s “So Wrong, It’s Right.”

The album starts out with an energetic tune, “Wake Up”, that is sure to catch any listener’s attention. The track listing flows nicely on covering the usual love songs and a mix of daily life themes. Amongst poppy melodies, the band incorporates subtle classical sounds that enhance their debut LP. Track four, “Virginia”, reveals traces of a Beatles sound while songs like “Have You Tonight” include brass instruments that instill a jazzy vibe. After listening to this album once, you’ll have lines stuck in your head that you won’t mind being there. You may be sick of Sara Bareilles’, “Love Song,” but The Morning Light’s “Done Writing Love Songs” sheds light (no pun intended) on a similar theme that leaves you with a song you can embrace. By the time track eight, “Honest,” is reached, it’s apparent that all the lyrics are just that, honest. The record comes to a conclusion with upbeat track eleven, “Movin’ Along,” after a slower song, “This Way”, properly leads you into it.

The album, released on Fearless Records (Plain White T’s, Sugarcult, The Maine) is now available in stores as well as online. If you’re looking for pop-rock band with something a little different to offer, I suggest you buy a copy. And if you happen to like it, catch the band live on their current tour.

The Morning Light will be playing the TLA this Wednesday, Oct. 1 along with The Rocket Summer and Phantom Planet.

***Photo courtesy Erin Yaeger.

The Triangle: I’ve been to a ton to Tegan and Sara shows for the past few years and I’ve gone with all different types of people: male, female, gay, straight. Everyone really enjoys the performances and atmosphere. Why do you think your music appeals to so many different types of listeners?

Sara Quin: I think the first couple years of our career, we weren’t necessarily thinking about whom the audience would be—we just wanted to make music that we wanted to make. I think that we sort of progressed and realized that the bands that we grew up listening to and were really influenced by, were quite diverse and in a lot of cases were pop and rock icons. I grew up in the 80’s listening to Bruce Springstein, U2, The Police, Cyndi Lauper, and I think that we were really inspired by that. And we want to make music that appeals to a mass group of people. I think that most art and music should be that way, regardless of who the person is: their gender, sexuality, background, class whatever.

It makes me very happy to see a diverse audience. I want people in the audience to like the music and ultimately come from all different kinds of places—that makes me excited. We’re writing pretty universally themed music, so it makes sense to me that there would be a lot of different people in the audience who could understand or relate to it. Continue Reading »

On Tuesday night, Low vs Diamond graced the auditory appetites of Philadelphia’s concert goers at the TLA. Opening for Santogold, thegroup provided a taste of their self-titled Epic Records album to those both familiar and unfamiliar with their sound. However, the melodic experience offered more of a generous helping than a bite.

The band members, Lucas Field (vocals and guitar,) and Howie Diamond (drums) originally met at the University of Colorado where they started out in a jam band. They later crossed paths with Tad Moore (keyboard and guitar,) Anthony Polcino (guitar) and Jon Pancoast (bass,) to form Low vs Diamond which allows them to comfortably acclaim themselves as
an “American band;” referring to their four hometown cities dispersed widely across the country.

As the first of three opening bands for the show, Low vs Diamond granted the punctual arrivers an exciting and irresistible atmosphere. The band intrigued listeners with a set full of lush and languorous songs that speak to the heart. Focusing on themes such as family, nostalgia, and saying goodbye to former relationships, the band easily had the crowd singing along, which they say helps them to feed off the energy.

They are known by their fans to perform very animatedly and to always be lucid and cinematic. Hints of similarity to U2 and Coldplay are present, but their unique sound and style has landed them as one of iTunes’ “favorite up and coming bands of 2008,” as well as being singled out in Rolling Stone’s ‘Hot List,’ Filter Magazine’s ‘Getting to know you’ section and LA Times’ ‘The List.’ They have even been featured on the hit CW television show, “One Tree Hill.”

Favorites such as “Don’t forget sister,” “Killer B,” and “Wasted” were performed magnificently with nearly identical sound to the album version. The added intensity of a hungry crowd and the synchronized swell of the music with visual movement on stage created a great show for old fans, and sealed the deal with new ones. Their performance proved their commitment to making it big in the industry and rocking out for all who can relate—which does not leave many listeners out.

***Photos by Olivia Garrity

Claude Chabrol’s “A Girl Cut in Two” tells the tale of a girl and the two men that consume her. A complex character study that at times borders on black comedy, Chabrol’s film dutifully explores not only the emotions of lust and jealousy, but the irony of love.

The titular character is a young, attractive local weathergirl, Gabrielle Deneige (Ludivine Sagnier) who is entangled in a love triangle with Charles Saint-Denis (François Berléand), an aging, well-respected writer and Paul Gaurdens (played to perfection by Benoît Magimel), a spoiled heir from a wealthy family. Saint-Denis craftily seduces her and almost immediately pushes her to arms-length, careful not to upset the balance of his marriage, his career and his affair. On the contrary, Gaurdens crudely and persistently attempts to court
her using his wealth and status as leverage, treating her as though she was just another object he wanted.

Unsurprisingly, the plot focuses primarily on Gabrielle and her suitors, but the supporting characters play perfectly into the overall message of the film. Capucine (Mathilda May), Saint-Denis’ “sexually-liberated” literary agent plays the perfect foil to Gabrielle, much in the same way that Saint-Denis does to Gaurdens. Experienced and savvy, she uses her sexuality to her advantage, while Gabrielle is a slave to hers.

While at times it plays almost like a romantic comedy with the optimism sucked out, the film is, at its core, rooted in Chabrol’s past films. While revealing the parallels to his previous work would give away the ending, it is safe to say that he builds off of what he knows while straying into somewhat virgin territory with the subject matter. Despite excellent acting and an enticing if familiar premise, the film’s rhythm falls flat at times due to sluggish pacing in the second act, barely picking up in time for the climax.

Ultimately, Chabrol accomplishes want he sets out to do, leaving us with an intriguing insight into the cynical nature of human relationships, detailing the all-to-familiar dichotomy of the romantic and the practical.

“A Girl Cut in Two” is now playing at Ritz at the Bourse (400 Ranstead Street)-Times are as followed through Thurs., Oct 2: (12:00 2:30) 5:05 7:30 9:55

***Media credit: IFC Films

Have any burning questions that you’d like to have answered by Sara, one half of Tegan and Sara before they come to play the Electric Factory on Friday, Oct. 3?

We’ll be interviewing Sara around 2:30 EST today, so send over your questions to entertainment@thetriangle.org and hopefully they will be answered in our future article to appear in The Triangle.

Please, no questions about relationships/dating Sara! Way too many requests have come in asking “Will Sara marry me?”

***Media credit: Tegan and Sara’s Myspace

Come sweat your butt off at the First Unitarian Church on Wednesday, September 17 as WKDU and R5 Productions host Why? and Mount Eerie. Purchase your tickets here or at the door.

From R5:

Why?
A folk-pop, indie-hop, sometimes-mustachioed, psych-rock quartet fronted by Yoni Wolf, former member of cLOUDDEAD and Reaching Quiet as well as collaborator with Hood, Fog, DJ Krush, Boom Bip, Sole, Dept. of Eagles, and 13+God. Why? released a mega superstar awesome album back in 2005. When it first came out we would playing an advance of it in Spaceboy and literally every single customer would come up to the counter - asked what it was was and then asked if they could purchase it. And it makes sense they would ask, as artists such as Boards of Canada, Mum, Tv On The Radio Stereolab, Danielson Famile, The Notwist and Mogwai have been singing their praises for his recorded output lately. Yo La Tengo took him out on a full U.S. tour . Yoni writes and sings mainly, but he’s also known to dance, play any instrument he can get his hands on (piano, keyboard, guitar, bass, drums, harmonica), sample, and occasionally beat his chest like a gorilla. Doug is the utility man, maneuvering such heavy machinery as pianos, guitars, samplers and turntables. Josiah plays drums, teaches drums to little kids, eats drums for breakfast, and sleeps drums at night. Driven by brotherly competition, he also plays anything that Yoni plays. Matt sticks to his guitars. Their latest record is AWESOME. We love this band! Anticon Records.

Mount Eerie
A hodge-podge of tape-loop trickery, stereo panning, super fuzz bass, radio signals, acoustic pluckings, clamoring drums, tympani, xylophone, organ, distorted piano, keyboards and noise that aims for the lo-fi jugular. Delicate pop songcraft, emo-blown yearning, and white-hot rockers, loaded with hooks, harmonies, well thought (and placed) lyrics, and imagination galore. K Records.

Why? and Mount Eerie-September 17-8 p.m.-First Unitarian Church (2125 Chestnut Street)-$12-All Ages

The Live Arts Festival and Philly Fringe is coming to an end, but there are still a few hours to experience the performing arts events that everyone has been talking about!

Tonight, at 10:30, make sure to check out the FUNNIEST performance I’ve encountered to date, “Improv and Sketch Comedy from Rare Bird Show & Meg and Rob, respectively.” Get your tickets here.

The two groups will make you laugh hysterically while you are in the theater and hours to follow. Here are a few video’s from Meg and Rob’s routine:

They’ve graced the stages at colleges nationwide and been deemed as favorites by Philadelphia Weekly, CityPaper and other media outlets in the area. Sounds like a good match for a Drexel student.

$10, 90 minutes. The Adrienne Mainstage-2030 Sansom St. Sept. 13 @ 10:30 p.m.

***Videos courtesy of Meg and Rob

While the title “The Grocer’s Son” does not scream anything exciting or engaging in the English language, the translation back into its native French tongue “Le Fils de L’Épicier,” with the romantic lingo, drew me to enjoy this beautifully filmed end-of-summer drama.

The protagonist, Antoine (played by French actor Nicolas Cazalé), is living day to day in Paris, working restaurant jobs to keep his head afloat. His family, whom he left nearly a decade ago, lives on the outskirts of the city running a grocery store and produce delivery service. Mr. Sforza, Antoine’s father, suddenly falls ill. Antoine is forced to step in to aid his family and take the reigns of the business.

Aside from the issues with his family, Antoine’s friend Claire (Clotilde Hesme), a crush from the city and aspiring student, joins him on the adventure home. Claire hopes to find time to study and a quiet environment to rest from the bustling city life. But she also brings on the love that Antoine has craved.

Antoine encounters ups-and-downs along the way as he delivers goods to the country people and interacts with the family that he left behind. Bringing everyone closer together, Antoine’s presence helps the Sforza’s eventually clean up the issues from the past and look into their bright future.

The simple story line combined with gorgeously shot footage makes “The Grocer’s Son” one of my favorite films of 2008. The music flowed pleasingly along the French countryside. The scenery was absolutely breathtaking. And although English subtitles were displayed, the font and presence did not overcrowd the screen, nor did I have to squint to read the words

“The Grocer’s Son” is currently playing at the Ritz Five, located in Old City between 2nd and 3rd Streets on Walnut. Make sure to bring your student I.D. Tickets are only $6.75 with your card!

Showtimes through Friday, September 19 are: (11:05) 1:15 3:25 5:40 8:00 10:05

***Media credit: Filmmovement.com and respective YouTube poster