Third Time’s The Charm

Super Smash Bros. Brawl

Released on March 9, Super Smash Bros. Brawl is the third entry in the franchise which has spanned just as many consoles. With a bigger roster than ever and more modes that any fighter in recent memory, it is also the best so far as well.

I won’t bore you with the details I’m sure you’ve already read by now. Snake and Sonic are in it, Subspace Emissary is the cool single player mode, there are many control options but those using the Wii Remotes pretty much suck. The game is great.

Instead, I’d like to address the haters. I’ve found that there are really two groups of haters, hardcore fighting game fans and those who say its overrated because of all the Nintendo characters.

To the first group, I’d ask that you not think of it in the same way you think of other fighting games. Smash Bros. is a very different kind of fighter, almost more akin to an adventure game. But don’t mistake that for a lack of depth. Smash Bros. is great because it’s so simple and easy to pick up, yet there’s a lot of depth to the game as well, just look at how big the tournament scene is. Think of it with an open mind and you might be very pleased.

To the other group, I’d just like to say, “so what?” The game was made with the idea of Nintendo characters fighting each other. It was a very exciting and fun premise that many people enjoy. To say that it wouldn’t garner as much praise without the Nintendo cast is a moot point. The cast and mythos are essential parts of the game. It gets high review scores because it deserves them for what it is, not what it could be.

Super Smash Bros. Brawl is not a perfect game, but there’s a lot to it and the multiplayer fun is hard to match. If you’ve got a Wii, you need to own this game.

One other thing: I’ve been thinking about the reviews we do and was wondering, do we really need the stars at all? Could we just do a “buy – rent – skip” review scale? Does it make a difference to you if I give something four stars or 4.5? Holler back.

A Good Finish

Run Fatboy Run

Now my expectations were not particularily high for this Simon Pegg outing, Which has been delayed for awhile now, but after going to the sneak peek of Run Fatboy Run, I’m actually pretty glad I saw it because it actually had some big laughs. So many comedy movies these days are just so unbelievably dumb, so it’s a real treat every once in awhile to see one that actually delivers. Yeah sure it is somewhat prediactable and formulaic but I was having so much of a good time that it didn’t bother me at all.

The cast here is pretty good, star Simon Pegg (who also co-wrote the film) is always likeable in the pathetic average joe role (Similar to his performances in Shaun of the Dead and the British TV show Spaced) and he has a great knack for subtle and physical comedy. Dylan Moran (Also from Shaun of the Dead) has great chemistry with Pegg as his loser best friend and even Hank Azaria and Thandie Newton are solid.

Probably a key reason in why this was such an enjoyable experience, was being in a large audience of people laughing hysterically and for me to be laughing as well. There are two scenes in particular that really got everybody going (One including “Popping a blister” and another where Pegg and Moran fight each other). The film did have a few weak points though, like I said it did follow a fairly predicatable formula and it did take a little while to really get going, but it was still a lot of fun.

All in all it was a real feel good movie and what I wish Adam Sandler’s films could still be. You don’t have to rush out to theaters to go see it, but if you feel like a laugh or two and have some time to kill than you should check it out sometime. It’s David Schwimmer’s directorial debut, plus that one Frattellis song from the trailer is actually in the move. This is an extremly solid three stars…

Lofa for Life

Unlike Josh Brown, some football players actually like to win games. Lofa Tatupu signed a 6 year contract extension today, making him what seems to be a Seahawk for life. The 25 year old middle linebacker is the cornerstone of the Hawk defense, and hopefully produce the more of what we’ve seen the past three years. Since his rookie season he has led the team in tackles all three years and been to all three Pro Bowls.

The coolest thing I thought came out of all this, is how the team banded together to get this deal done. Patrick Kerney, Deon Grant, Jordan Babineaux and Craig Terrill all restructured their contracts so the extension would fit under the salary cap. It just shows how the Seattle Seahawks are committed to winning, and hopefully Seattle will be a winning city for years to come.

T3: The Best Double Albums Rock n’ Roll Has To Offer

John’s review of The White Album got me to thinking about what double albums are actually worth listening to all the way through and what albums really use their lengths to their advantage. I do realize that this list is kind of bias towards artists from the 60’s and 70’s, but it seems that there’s only been a handful of decent double albums that have been released since the birth of cd’s.

10. Prince – Sign ‘O’ The Times (1987)

Coming after the albums “1999” and the hugely successful “Purple Rain”, this album further proved that Prince was one of the most important musical artists of the 1980’s. The album has some of Prince’s funkiest numbers to date, such as “Housequake” and “It’s Gonna Be A Beautiful Night”. It also has some delicately soulful ballads like “Slow Love” or the Indian influenced “The Cross”.

9. Elton John – Goodbye Yellow Brick Road (1973)

This album really shows Elton John at the height of his powers in the early seventies, it’s too bad he hasn’t been able to do anything as great as this since then. The album starts off with the 11-minute triumph, “Funeral For A Friend/Love Lies Bleeding” and the songs remain consistently solid throughout. With hits like “Saturday Night’s All Right For Fighting”, “Candle In The Wind”, and the title track, this album really shows what a great songwriting team Elton and Bernie Taupin were.

8. The Jimi Hendrix Experience – Electric Ladyland (1968)

Even though Jimi Hendrix’s debut “Are You Experienced?” seems to be the most celebrated LP in Jimi’s catalog, I think Electric Ladyland is definitely in the same league as that classic. You can really see that Jimi is branching out from the 3-minute song formula seen on his first two albums with much longer songs like the 15-minute “Voodoo Chile” or the experimental “1983…”. The album is probably the most psychedelic of Jimi’s albums despite featuring his biggest hit, his version of Bob Dylan’s “All Along The Watchtower”.

7. Led Zeppelin – Physical Graffiti (1975)

Probably Led Zeppelin’s most underrated album, and just further proof that Zeppelin’s greatness cannot be denied. Physical Graffiti shows the band experimenting with different styles such as rockabilly (“Boogie With Stu”), country (“Black Country Woman”), and the heavy blues of their first album (“In My Time of Dying”). They also have plenty of hard-rockin’ tracks like “Kashmir”, “The Wanton Song”, and “Custard Pie”, which are all further proof that Jimmy Page could come up with a great riff like nobody’s business.

6. The Who – Tommy (1969)

The first self-proclaimed “rock opera”, The Who’s Tommy transformed The Who from being known simply for being Britain’s loudest, most destructive band to being one of the world’s best rock bands. Even though the story’s a bit hard to follow, the songs are notheless fantastic, and it’s one of those albums that achieves being a cohesive piece of art instead of just a collection of songs.

5. The Beatles (The White Album) – The Beatles (1968)

After the monumentally influentual Sgt. Pepper, I liked seeing that the Beatles took it in a more simpler direction. They each seem to be much more content on doing their own thing on this album than doing the kind of experimenting that was seen on Sgt. Pepper. It’s also quite amazing to me that this album features 30 songs, nearly all of them are exellent, and yet not one of them was released as a single.

4. Stevie Wonder – Songs in the Key of Life (1976)

It really is staggering how completely brimming with creativity Stevie Wonder was when he made this album. The fact that this is 2 LP’s plus an EP, and that every song is great just adds to this. Stevie builds on his funk/R&B sound with such memorable hits as “Isn’t She Lovely” and “Sir Duke” while also continuing to be very socially conscuious with songs like “Pastime Paradise” and “Village Ghetto Land.”

3. The Rolling Stones – Exile On Main St. (1972)

I wasn’t that crazy about this album when I first heard it, but it has definitely grown on me over the years. Exile On Main St. is The Stones in their most raunchy, unpolished state, which is how the Stones have always sounded at their best. Besides their signature rock numbers, the album shows them returning to the country style present on Beggar’s Banquet with songs like “Sweet Virginia”, “Sweet Black Angel”, and the gospel-like “Shine A Light”.

2. Bob Dylan – Blonde On Blonde (1966)

The first double album to be released commercially by a pop artist, Blonde On Blonde showed that an artist at the peak of their creativity could create 2 discs full of compelling music. This album shows Dylan building on the folk/rock sound of his Highway 61 and Bringing It All Back Home, and has some of his best songs from this period. Dylan’s lyrical brilliance reaches new heights on songs like “Visions of Johanna” and “Stuck Inside of Memphis With the Memphis Blues Again”. The album is basically the peak of Dylan’s creative streak in the ‘60s, seeing as though he became withdrawn and secluded after his motorcycle accident in 1967.

1. The Clash – London Calling (1979)

The Clash reached new heights by expanding on their punk sound to create one of the great rock albums, and one of my favorite albums of all time with London Calling. The album shows them combining their sound with reggae (“Rudy Can’t Fail”, “Revolution Rock”), rockabilly (“Brand New Cadillac”), and even disco (“Lost in the Supermarket”). And yet they do all of this without losing sight of their core punk sound. I don’t think there’s really anything on this album that even remotely resembles filler, and that’s why I’m putting it at the number one spot.

Fearless in Philly

For anyone that saw Barack Obama’s latest speech in Philadelphia, (I assume most people heard about on the news or “The Daily Show” or whatever) I must say that it was quite impressive even “Lincolnesque” if you will. I can’t recall seeing anyone on TV (let alone a Presidential candidate) fearlessly address such a controversial topic as race to the people. Him saying that he doesn’t disown his white grandmother or pastor for saying somewhat offensive or even rascist remarks shows real courage, in a situation that most politicians would try to deny or seperate themselves from. I caught the speech on the internet and I can’t help but find his words very much captivating. Now I can’t possibly see how any democratic voter could even think about supporting Clinton, when we have such a strong and straight forward candidate right in front of us. I mean Politicians like Hilary Clinton are a dime a dozen but Barack Obama is truly inspirational.

P.S. The handling of this whole speech on “The Daily Show” was hilarious, I’ve really been liking that Larry Willmore guy which is good because I don’t much care for most of the shows current correspondents. Also if you haven’t checked out Obama’s speech, it’s all over the internet so If your curious you should definitely give it a peek.

C.A.T: The White Album

The Beatles – The Beatles (1968)

For this week I thought I’d dust another album from 1968 and it’s none other than The Beatles eponymous 9th album “The Beatles” more popularly dubbed “The White Album.” At over 90 minutes, this double album would not only be The Beatles longest album, but also their best selling, going platinum an impressive 19-times. Though noted as a stressful time for The Beatles here they still manage to put together a great album. With lush ballads, hard rockers and the occasional silly song about pigs, Wild Honey Pie and whatever the hell “Ob-La-Di, Ob-La-Da” is supposed to mean. There’s a lot of diversity on this album and it’s quite an influential piece of work.

It’s hard to pick any specific notable tracks, as most Beatles albums are filled with nothing but that. We get The Beatles doing their best Chuck Berry/Beach Boys imitation, some bittersweet ballads such as “Happiness is a Warm Gun” or the always popular “While My Guitar Gently Weeps.” Let us not forget the many fine solo acoustic pieces such as; “Blackbird”, “I Will”, “Mother Nature’s Son” or Lennon’s eerily beautiful “Julia.” There’s a lot of experimentation going on in this album that for the most part works quite well. The only exception in my opinion would be the bizarre avant-garde “Revolution 9” which is hardly even a song. I guess John and Yoko Ono thought it was art but as I’ve heard, “McCartney hated it and George Martin hated it even more.” I can see why, and too me this somewhat weighs down the album, and makes it difficult to judge as a whole.

As well in all of this, I can’t help but feel that “The White Album” wasn’t nearly as polished or as tight as other Beatle albums. It definitely has it’s own kind of charm, but I feel like if it had been tightened up a bit it could of been even better. I’ll bet the sessions had to of been somewhat overwhelming or stressful due to the amount of material or ideas on this album. As we’ve heard “The White Album” was somewhat of a less collaborative effort between the individual members, (with a handful of songs recorded separately from the others) not to mention that Ringo walked out on some sessions being replaced by Paul. (Filling in on drum duties for “Back in the U.S.S.R” and “Dear Prudence”) But then again this does let us see different sides of each member.

Judging “The White Album” is tough for me, I suppose I consider it a near masterpiece, which don’t get me wrong is still great praise. In my experience most double albums have been somewhat tiring due to their length, pacing, or lack of quality songs. Occasionally I’ll listen to a double album and think “Did they need to record this song? Could the album benefit from a few tracks being cut?” But I think for the most part “The White Album” doesn’t really wear off it’s welcome (Maybe it does on “Revolution 9” but aside from that.) Nonetheless we still got another truly original and creative work from the greatest band of all time.

Consolers of the Lonely

Now it’s been known for awhile (at least to fans) that alternative rock band The Raconteurs (Led by Jack White) have currently been working on the follow up to their 2006 album “Broken Boy Soldiers” But while I was scanning around the web, I ran into something that shook my world. According to The Raconteurs Official Myspace, they not only have a new album coming out this year but it’s coming out next week? As several sources are saying the next Raconteurs album supposedly titled “Consolers of the Lonely” is due for stores March 25th despite the strange lack of advertising. Now the only reason I’m confused by this, is that I can hardly find any information on the internet regarding info on the new album or it’s release date. All I could find was a Rolling Stone article (written today) with the same question… “Do The Raconteurs really have a new album coming out next week?!?” This article came to the conclusion that this rumor appears to be true, as many employees of various CD stores are confirming the shipment of a new Raconteurs album next week. Personally I’m as Paul might say “Sto Excited” I really loved the last album by these Detroit rockers and liked them even better live, when I saw them at The Moore in 2006. So it’s pretty exciting and perhaps I’ll even look into seeing them at Neumos this April, but probably not.