“That’s not very scary. More like a six-foot Turkey.”

Kasabian – Velociraptor!

Just two years since their last release and Brit-electro rockers Kasabaian are at it again, whatever “it” is supposed to be. In the past Kasabian has delivered plentiful portions of danceable and hard rock tunes but have seemed to mellow on Velociraptor. No, I don’t mean it’s an album of ballads or anything, it’s still rock music that moves at a moderate pace but there doesn’t seem to be much spark here. Past Kasabian songs like; “Club Foot”, “Processed Beats”, “Shoot the Runner”, even “Vlad the Impaler” from the last album all had an edge to them whether it was more hard rock or hip hop inspired. Songs on Velociraptor feel like they were crapped out too fast, I mean you can put as much lush production on a song as you want, but make sure you have a good song to start with.

Kasabian thus far have appeared to be one of those bands that the critics love to hate. It doesn’t help that Kasabian has always seemed to exude a certain arrogance, possibly rubbed off on them by repeated touring with Oasis. They think they’re hot shit but have never really had the material to back that reputation up. Despite what anyone says I think “Club Foot” is a classic but they haven’t had as much breakthrough success since then. I enjoyed the last three Kasabian albums because the songs usually had a little grit behind their polished pop appearances, this album is just too squeaky clean.

In the past I’ve been too easy on laziness when it comes to artists I like, so I’m taking a stand. Kasabian should always WAIT until they have the best songs before making an album. I don’t care if it takes four years, I think this album came out too fast. Some songs are okay, the title track for instance (even if it is a bit of a ripoff of The Vines “Get Free” and Shocking Blue’s “Love Buzz” famously covered by Nirvana). The track “Switchblade Smiles” is probably the closest to the kind of Kasabian song I want to hear, gotta have that edge! I still think Kasabian can turn it around but next time they should probably look before they leap.

Favorite Tracks: “Switchblade Smiles”, “Velociraptor”

It’s a Good Time to be Pissed at Nintendo

This monstrosity is the Nintendo 3DS Slide Pad add-on. It’s probably the biggest news out of TGS, even though Nintendo announced it before the event and pictures were leaked out before that. If you’ve never seen a 3DS before and you’re wondering why it looks so bulky and lopsided, let me tell you what’s new. The Slide Pad add-on grips onto your 3DS, surrounding your previously sleek system’s lower half, adding new shoulder buttons and, notably, a second circle pad. Never mind that it laughs at symmetry and aesthetics, new buttons!

When I first saw this thing, I was flustered, but I took solace in knowing that its announcement was in conjunction with the new, 3DS-exclusive Monster Hunter game. That franchise is massive in Japan, it turned the PSP into a success over there. So I could understand Nintendo bending over backwards to secure what could become its new console’s biggest hit. But, when Nintendo showed the Slide Pad off at its pre-TGS show, it confirmed that the add-on will be used by multiple upcoming games. And the news just got worse from there.

Probably the most remarkably terrible thing about the Slide Pad is that it takes a battery. You’d think with something stupid like this, they could at least build additional battery power into the device, helping to overcome the 3DS’ most obvious flaw. But no, Nintendo expects me to find a freakin’ AAA battery for it. And I can’t use my sweet 3DS dock with this monstrosity either. Boo!

More importantly, the Slide Pad goes against the concept of the 3DS. It doesn’t need a second analogue stick because it has the touch screen. Every single DS game compensated for that, and that limitation made DS games unique and popular. With a second analogue stick, developers don’t necessarily need to use touch anymore. What does that leave us with? A less powerful PlayStation Vita with headache power.

But as someone who bought the 3DS after Nintendo dropped its price, I feel betrayed. When I bought the system, I knew battery power was an issue and I knew a new iteration of the system was inevitable. I accepted that. Now my handheld has to either become an abomination or incompatible with the future of its software lineup. Now when they come out with a new 3DS revision, which they haven’t announced but you know is coming, it will essentially be a relaunch of the system. As a consumer, I have never felt so completely fucked over by a company that I previously trusted. I can think of no other peripheral in gaming history that is as damning as the 3DS Slide Pad. So I’m pretty pissed. Nintendo’s going to have to come up with something pretty extraordinary to make this 3DS Ambassador come back home.

Sort of Sweet Child of Mine

Child of Eden

Child of Eden was clearly designed to be played with the Kinect. Since I don’t have one, I don’t know what I’m doing reviewing this game. When you factor in that I enjoyed, but didn’t necessarily love, Child of Eden‘s spiritual predecessor, Rez, I feel hardly qualified to talk about this game, nonetheless critique it. But here we are. And while I’ve always considered myself the type who backs away from a challenge, this one seems doable.

So it’s the future. Mankind has moved on out into deep space. The first person born in space, Lumi, had her consciousness transferred into the future Internet when she died. Now she’s come under attack by viruses or something and it’s up to you to save her. Even though she’s already dead. Information is important, damnit!

Of course the story doesn’t really matter that much, it’s merely an excuse for you to travel through some genuinely beautiful and trippy visuals. Like Rez, Child of Eden delivers a synesthetic experience that no other form of entertainment can match. It’s like a more beautiful, interactive Pink Floyd lazer light show. As important to the experience as the visuals is the music, which walks the thin line between techno and trance. Each song drives its level and you’ll have to attack with the rhythm of the music to get a high score.

Oh what’s that? You’d like to know how this game plays? Fair enough. It’s a sort of on-rails shooter. You can attack in two ways: a lock on attack and a rapid fire blast. Most enemies are best defeated with lock on, but every once in a while you’ll encounter an armored enemy who must be blasted down. More importantly, you’re rapid fire shots can take down incoming enemy fire. You also have bombs. Moving along…

Actually, I guess that’s enough. Child of Eden is a prettier, Kinect-enabled Rez. It’s five levels long, and each of those will take you about 10 minutes to beat. The game lengthens itself by demanding you repeat levels to unlock the next one, which would be more annoying if the game wasn’t so zen-like to begin with. My biggest complaint was the lack of checkpoints, when you die you’re booted all the way back to the main menu. That really sucked when I died toward the end of the last, and longest, level in the game. I get the feeling that with Kinect, Child of Eden could really be something. Playing it with just a controller, well, it was something.

Hump De Bumbershoot

Last year was my first outing at Bumbershoot; the northwest’s premier music festival, at least last year it was. Last year the headliner was none other than music legend Bob “Motherfucking” Dylan and along with Neko Case and The Decemberists it was an event not to be missed. So how could they top that? Well since they probably couldn’t they went in a completely different direction, bands that aren’t as famous or good. Okay I’m getting a little carried away here, this year wasn’t bad, but it’s hard to get excited when you’re only there to see Hall and Oates. As much as I love the cheesy pop music of Daryl Hall and John Oates I was shocked to find they could still headline a festival like this, does that mean they’re as good as Bob Dylan? Seems like they should be playing the Emerald Queen Casino but here they were and I saw them and ya know what? It was still fun, I guess it’s more about the entire experience than anything else.

My Bumbershoot odyssey began this year as I was jusr crossing the bridge into the emerald city and got a phone call. My step dad called and me and asked “Hey John, is it too late for your mom to come?” You see at this point I was going to Bumbershoot by myself but my mom had showed some interest earlier, so even though it meant turning around right before my early arrival I turned back and she joined me. This gave me a good opportunity to use a deal I had where I could bring a guest for half price of the original ticket, I’ll take it!

We finally made it to Bumbershoot at about 2:00 and spent the first half hour or so getting some grub and getting a feel for the festival. The first performance we caught was Head Like a Kite a semi electronic group featuring a vocalist jumping around and shouting and a drummer laying down the beats. They were basically the definition of okay, though I enjoyed this other guy in the panda suit on stage (he knew how to work an audience,) Afterwards we continued to wander until we found a fried candy stand. So many times I’d heard about fried candy but never seen it readily available, still full from lunch I decided I’d be back later but my mom got some fried pickles. Actually they weren’t half bad, just imagine a pretty good pickle in a fish n’ chips-like batter with tartar, sounds gross but America has spoken.

By 3:00 I was on my way to check out Big Boi in the Key Arena, my mom just ordering the pickles minutes before would wait outside and checkout some other group. So I walked into the Key Arena to the sound of a booming bass and lyrics being spit out faster than the Flash on laundry day. I’ve heard good things about Big Boi’s solo music but not being much of a hip hop fan I didn’t really know what was going on. Though after a few songs I actually started to get into it, Big Boi along with his co-vocalist, DJ, and drummer did a nice job of getting the audience pumped up always addressing us as “Yo Motherfucking Seattle!”. The house really got into it when ever he delved into Outkast’s back catalog to dust off an old hit. These included; “Ms, Jackson”, “I Like the Way You Move” and my favorite “B.O.B” I can’t believe a person can even speak that quickly.

Afterwards I caught up with my mom near some band named YACHT, kind of a B-52 sounding band, a cute sound I guess. At this point we made our way to the main outdoor stage where some guy, I wanna say Dennis? Was playing funk music, we watched for a few minutes until we decided to check out the beer garden. Inside the garden we both got some Chardonnay that aside from a hint of grape had a fairly disgusting flavor. Bored with the endless jamming of Dennis whatever we decided to wander encountering a delightful street juggler. I’ve always loved street magicians and jugglers so I had to check this out and even though he wasn’t the greatest juggler in the world he was a very finely tuned comedic showman. After this I checked soul singer Charles Bradley for a little bit, he was a great singer but I wasn’t really digging his tunes, whatever.

A few hours and a fried candy bar later we made our way to Key Arena to see Fitz and the Tantrums and then later Hall and Oates. I’d heard of Fitz awhile back and had actually heard the group’s album beforehand so I was well prepared for their R&B laced set. The performance was well polished but some of their songs are definitely better than others. Some of their songs just seem to derivative of preexisting soul songs, but overall it was entertaining, I definitely enjoyed their cover of The Raconteurs “Steady as She Goes” and of course the playing of their infectiously catchy hit song”Moneygrabber.”

About twenty minutes later the long awaited sunday headliners finally took the stage to a fairly full Key Arena. They opened with a slightly altered version of “Maneater” that excellently showcased Daryl Hall’s still marvelous vocal abilities. Oh yeah, Oates was okay too, damn he sure is short though. Most of the songs were enjoyable enough but too many contained cheesy jamming sections that really drew the show out longer than it needed to be. I’d looked online a few days earlier to find that they’ve been playing the same set list for awhile now, it definitely seemed over rehearsed, it’s gotta be fresh every time man! Though I was disappointed by the changes made to classics like “I Can’t Go for That” and “Rich Girl” now with a bluesy piano opening, I still enjoyed seeing these talented musicians show off their chops. “You Make My Dreams” was easily the highlight of the night being one of the few songs played exactly as we all know it and “Private Eyes” was a great closer, there’s something very satisfying about seeing that many people perform the clapping in the chorus.

Seeing that this review is already irrelevant and the fact that I lost interest two paragraphs in probably means I should wrap it up. So in conclusion not a great Bumbershoot but an interesting one. I can’t wait to see who will headline next year… Seals & Crofts? That would suck.

C.A.T: The Smiths

The Smiths – The Smiths (1984)

What a tragedy of almost Shakesperian caliber when a classic album segment has to be phoned in, especially to such a talented group. Colin is really the blog’s resident Smiths fan so my outlook comes from more of a casual observer. I listen to the Smiths every now and then though my knowledge of the group is limited. I first heard this album a few years ago and it’s still stuck with me today, at least anytime I’m in the moody for moody alt-dream pop.

There’s the first first question indeed, what genre would you categorize the Smiths as? With Morrissey’s unique tortured pop poet persona and Johnny Marr’s diverse guitar playing, they crafted a sound that stands alone from other bands of the time. It always amazes me when you can get a band from the 80s who haven’t become dated from the decade of drum machines and synths, these guys were just off doing their own thing. Even on their first album The Smiths leisurely seem to move to the beat of their own drum playing morose yet beautiful ballads with more uptempo pop songs.

Even after how ever many years I have trouble separating the individual tracks in my mind. I can usually remember “Reel Around the Fountain” and of course the American version of the album which includes the classic “This Charming Man” a track I’ve always had great affection for. Really I just enjoy the overall sound and how each track seems to effortlessly sway into the next creating a lush texture held together with great pop songs. Someday i’ll find my way into listening to more of The Smiths music when I’m ready and that’ll be a good day.

Favorite Tracks: “Reel Around the Fountain”, “Still Ill” “This Charming Man”

A Bewitching Game

The Witcher 2: Assassins of Kings

I was a little nervous going into The Witcher 2. The first game didn’t seem as fun to me as everyone else seemed to think it was and I never got that far into it. Like the Elder Scrolls and Fallout franchises, I just didn’t see what they saw in the game. But I could tell that it wasn’t bad and The Witcher 2 came out right when I graduated from college, so I took a leap of faith. I’m glad I did, because I can say, unequivocally, that this is the best game that is a sequel to a game I didn’t play that much of and is also based on a popular series of books I never read. And that’s something.

Geralt of Rivia, the witcher you heard so much about, begins Assassins of Kings locked in the dungeons. This isn’t uncommon for him, since witchers are humans that mutated themselves to become monster hunters. There is a lot of racial tension in this world, with plenty of humans taking a strong anti-elf and dwarf stance. Since Geralt isn’t quite human, he’s an outsider. But more importantly, he’s been accused to killing the king. The game catches you up a little bit and then Geralt is off on a quest to clear his name, one way or another.

The structure of The Witcher 2 is simple enough, each chapter you have a hub town where you can accept quests and explore. There’s plenty to do in this game, especially if you choose to replay it. At a certain point you’re forced to choose between two paths, and the entire game is different from that point. What I liked about that choice, and many of the choices Geralt makes, is that it wasn’t a clear good or evil decision. In this world, everyone’s a jerk and you can never be sure exactly who you should side with, since they might betray you as soon as they’re done using you. It makes the story a lot more engaging than I expected, especially since I came in with practically no lore knowledge.

This is a game that embraces newcomers, while dropping in enough to give returning fans a kick. When Geralt meets up with characters I assume were in the last game or the books, conversations never get too referential, just enough that even I can understand their relationship. I get that Triss is a love interest and Dandlion is a wannabe loverboy without having to have them explained to me. It’s good writing and that’s something I can appreciate.

Assassins of Kings takes a bit of time to learn to play, which isn’t helped by the game’s general lack of tutorials. The first sequence you’ll play through is somewhat demanding for new players, and the game doesn’t help you out. I found the controls a little floatier than I would have desired and lacking in basic functionality and customizability. I ended up playing most of the game with an Xbox controller, which seemed better in some aspects, such as the inclusion of a “loot all” button, something keyboard controls are missing.

This can be quite a difficult game, if you let it. To do well in battle, you’ll have to carefully plan ahead, setting traps and drinking potions to increase your combat ability. Swordplay is simplified to just heavy and quick attacks, forgoing the styles and timing mechanics from the last game. Leveling is a bit more straightforward too, and I made myself quite a beast, making most battles fairly simple by the end of the game. Then again, I played on normal. Maybe I should have adjusted the difficulty when things got too easy.

But I was never not enjoying The Witcher 2. This a great RPG that does everything you could ask of the genre. It engages you with the story, puts a premium on player choice and gives plenty of motivation to explore and quest. That’s about everything I’m looking for. In fact, I better start a new campaign pretty soon, I want to see more of the alternate path.