That being said, let’s point out what I may actually be good at doing, and that is bringing things that catch my eye to the attention of others, even if it’s simply because I won’t shut up about it. And that’s really all good communication is.

So what’s my point? If you didn’t already hear about NBC’s The Sing-Off, you probably should.

It’s the NBC network’s answer to the hype Fox is cashing in on with shows like American Idol and Glee. Nobody’s denying it anymore – the musical is back in force as mainstream entertainment, and the drooling public is rarely impressed anymore if you can’t act AND sing AND dance all at once. And no matter how hard I try to ignore it, “reality” TV is still ruling primetime. So why not combine the two? Hosted by Nick Lachey (why yes, sir, this is what your career has become), The Sing-Off pit eight acapella singing groups against each other for a Sony recording contract and a cash prize. The groups included a range of ages and styles, including Latin, barbershop, girly pop, gospel, and something I can only describe as frat rock. The judges included semicelebrities what’s-his-face from Boys II Men, the only Pussycat Doll that mattered, and a personal favorite of mine, Ben Folds.

So why was I so psyched to watch the finale tonight? Not only have I had a longtime obession with acapella covers of radio hits, but this miniseries definitely filled the void that Glee recently created. And these people had real talent for music, something you tend to miss out on if all you listen to is the radio or even glamorized audio recordings of your favorite rock albums. Yes, I believe there is still talent in modern music, instruments and all. But being able to watch musicians perform their craft with only the sounds the human voice can make, on live network TV – well, I think that’s pretty neat. Acapella music has been blowing me away since I saw a group of five blind gospel singers make music with only their voices when I was in fourth grade, and the performances on The Sing-Off gave me an even greater appreciation of what real musical training can achieve, despite its cheesy reality-show flair.

But that’s enough outta me. Here are a few of my favorite performances from the finalists on the show. Here’s hoping it comes around for another week sometime soon.

From your happy entertainment seeker,
Alisa.

Tegan and Sara have been making music much longer than they’ve been on public (or at least snooty indie kid) radar. I personally caught on in the So Jealous days, and tracks like “Walking with a Ghost” and “Speak Slow” made me thank God there was still catchy folk-pop in the world.  Then, they released The Con, and I got a chance to catch them live with City and Colour. Let me just say that I’m glad Canada ain’t too far away.  The Con was moodier and definitely more single-driven (who the hell hasn’t heard “Back in Your Head”?) but it’s obvious these tiny twins are progressing naturally in their music, drawing inspiration from teen angst, relationships, and all those other things we’ll never tire of hearing songs about.

On to Sainthood. The first track, “Arrow,” starts out suprisingly heavy and synthy, two sounds that the Quinn twins have dabbled with but haven’t yet used to this degree. The album progresses cohesively, with the reflective lows and catchy highs of a good mixtape.  Standouts include the single, “Hell,” the dancy “Northshore,” and piano-driven “Alligator.”  Tracks like “The Cure” are familiar Tegan and Sara without seeming stale.

Then again, I’m easy to please. Makes for biased reviewing.

Check out their live performance from The Late Show with Conan O’Brien yourself:

Happy listening! I may make another appearance to review Brand New’s Daisy when the mood strikes.

So once upon a freshman year, I was involved with a little a cappella singing group called A Little Knight Music.  One of our directors at the time had his own music project with a friend, and they had recently released an instrumental album called Something To Be Said (which is actually quite good.)  Several of us had the opportunity to lend our voices to a piece for this friend (James Shuster’s) solo album, and the song is up on Myspace for the entirety of the Interweb to hear!

It’s not a big deal; there were several of us that lent a few chords towards the end of the song “Early Evening Whisper,” but I’m still pretty excited about it. And hey, their stuff is an interesting listen and worth checking out. I and the rest of my AKLM fellows are given cred in the band bio.

Ch-ch-check it out here.

In other news, RPatz got hit by a taxi in New York City today, trying to avoid a mob of hysterical tweens, and the highlight of my evening was watching the Jonas Brothers on Larry King Live. Alas, no, I will never review Lines, Vines, and Trying Times.

Happy blogging,
Alisa

Yep, it’s true.

Perhaps this is just a case of low expectations working in my favor, or the draw of young, attractive actors in familiar roles, but I really enjoyed this movie.  And my dad was a trekkie – I’ve seen all the other Star Trek movies and too many hours of the TV show from the Next Generation days, and there wasn’t a lot to hold my interest there besides Patrick Stewart. And maybe it was just a generational thing, or my abhorrance of William Shatner, but I wasn’t all that familiar with the original series. This movie was an excellent transferance of a beloved series to a younger, explosion-loving crowd.

Thumbs up for Simon Pegg (Shaun of the Dead, Hot Fuzz) as Scotty and Winona Ryder as Spock’s mommy (I barely recognized her!)

Thumbs down for Anton Yelchin’s (Charlie Bartlett) silly Russian accent. It grated on my nerves every time he spoke, which I find completely baffling since his name is OBVIOUSLY RUSSIAN.

And yes, as I already turned this project in and got an A on it, I’m probably just going to blog about whatever I want now. Go ahead and fight it.

Live long and prosper,
Alisa

The internet community, especially the Twitterverse, has already begun a campaign to save the show, not even twenty four hours after the season finale aired on Fox.  You can go here to join the uprise, and right here I’ll share with you my piece on why this show deserves to stay on air:

Dollhouse deserves a second season because of all the things it is NOT… it’s NOT a show about doctors, lawyers, wealthy housewives or whiny teenagers. It’s not a show with the same basic plot outline in every episode, say, for instance, a certain “snarky-but-brilliant doctor diagnoses patient, turns out to be dangerously wrong!, diagnoses once more, and oh look, manages to save the day in the knick of time.”

Dollhouse is sci-fi without aliens, mysterious fantasy islands, superhuman ninja women, werewolves, sparkly vampires, or human deformities. Dollhouse is a good, old fashioned mystery with a 21st century spin. It’s about relatable characters with realistic motives that are never generic, and it’s told in a way that leaves viewers breathless. It speaks to metaphors of humanity and inhumanity with Whedon’s signature fresh, witty dialogue. Dollhouse deserves a second season (and a better timeslot, certainly) because it unlike anything on TV right now.

And honestly, most of us middle class, average Americans would be perfectly content watching Eliza Dushku do just about anything on our TV, i.e. sleep, poop, knit, whatever.

So in a day and age where having a “cause” is trendy Facebook fodder, I say it’s time to rise up.  Breast cancer, illiterate kids, beaten puppies, and Sudanese child soldiers all have their champions; it’s up to us to fly a banner for good television!

Sincerely,

Alisa

(Also, this is important.)

Unlike many of the bands I’ve reviewed so far, you’ve probably heard of Brand New. And if you haven’t, keep reading…

Brand New formed just outside of New York City in 2000 by frontman Jesse Lacey, Garrett Tierney, and Brian Lane out of the ashes of a post-hardcore band called The Rookie Lot.  Brandon Reilly and Vincent Accardi joined with them to create Brand New.

They released their first album in 2001, titled Your Favorite Weapon.  The album was all about breakups and sticking it to friends that betray you; it had this kind of youthful,  New Found Glory attitude to it that made it fun to listen to.

They followed up that success with 2003′s Deja Entendu. The album was darker, more intense, and generally more grown up, but it still retained the post-hardcore alt rock that they established in the beginning. Songs included more serious subject matter like female to male rape in “Sic Transit Gloria (Glory Fades)” and loveless marriage in “The Quiet Things That No One Ever Knows.”

This brings us to their third album, The Devil and God are Raging Inside Me, released in 2006. If you can glean anything from that title, they continued going to much deeper, darker places that are still universal amoung teenagers and young adults. Standout songs include “Jesus Christ,” about wondering whether or not you’ll get to heaven or hell when you die, and “The Archers Bows Have Broken,” about religion’s abuse of people. If Your Favorite Weapon was about broken friendship and Deja Entendu was about hurtful love, The Devil and God… are Lacey’s exploration of the downfall of religion.

I know this CD isn’t as current as some of the others I’ve brought to your attention, but I thought it deserved some attention for its thematic excellence.  Definitely give the newest record a listen if you’re a fan of Bright Eyes or Taking Back Sunday.

Also, you can usually catch Brand New playing supergiant arenas alongside acts like Dashboard Confessional, mewithoutYou, and again, Taking Back Sunday.

Here are some lyrics from “The Archers Bows Have Broken.”

Order your daughters to ignore me, think that will sort me
And sweep me under the rug.
And a beating with a book, everyone
The book tells you to love.
There is an ember in the heart of the kiln
And its burning hot with love,
Burning out my sins until there’s nothing but dust,
Holding me with care into your cigarette
‘Cause the God I believe in never worked on a campaign trail.

Here are a few other reviews of the album:
http://www.sputnikmusic.com/album.php?albumid=13047 (only read if you’re familiar with Brand New’s previous albums)
Rolling Stone

http://www.musicemissions.com/artists/albums/index.php?album_id=4580

Also, here’s a video of the band performing “Jesus” on Letterman. Letterman?! Letterman.

Enjoy!

And in case you somehow missed my stellar review from a couple weeks ago, the new album is definitely worth hearing in concert. I’m also looking forward to the “special performance” from I Can Make A Mess Like Nobody’s Business – as in, Ace’s first solo project from several years back.

Make sure you go here for tickets and I’ll see you next Thursday!

1. David Gray – “Babylon”
2. Jack’s Mannequin – “American Love”
3. Ace Enders & A Million Different People – “The Only Thing I Have (The Sign)”
4. Stars – “Reunion”
5. Tegan and Sara – “Hop a Plane”
6. The Format – “Time Bomb”
7. The Dodos – “Park Song”
8. Jann Klose – “Hold Me Down”
9. The Shins – “Pink Bullet”
10. Something Corporate – “Break Myself”
11. Sara Bareilles – “Bottle It Up”
12. The Black Ghosts – “Full Moon”
13. The Dresden Dolls – “Sing”
14. Cassino – “Lolita”
15. Coldplay – “Yes”
16. Erin McKeown – “Beautiful (I Guess)”
17. Feist – “1 2 3 4″
18. Gnarls Barkley – “Gone Daddy Gone”
19. Ace Enders & A Million Different People (ft. a whole gaggle of other musicians including Mark Hoppus of blink-182 and Kenny Vasoli of The Starting Line) – “Bittersweet Symphony”

Happy Listening!
Also, feel free to comment with any song suggestions for springtime.

“When there’s nothing left to burn, you have to set yourself on fire.”

If you consider yourself any kind of indie music fan, you’ve at least heard of Broken Social Scene. What you may not have come across yet is their instrumentally-rich counterpart, Stars. Two members of Broken Social Scene lend their considerable talents to this romantic act that has released a wealth of material since 2000.

Hailing from our neighbor country to the north, Stars was originally formed by vocalist Torquil Campbell and keyboardist Chris Seligman. There sound is a surprising mix of electronic-rock-driven-indie-pop, with soft vocals and eloquent instrumentation. I particularly enjoy the opening track of Set Yourself on Fire, titled “Your Ex-Lover is Dead,” which starts off with a gorgeous cello line.  Keyboard-driven tracks like “Reunion” and “Calendar Girl” also have a fantastic sound.

Set Yourself on Fire was released in 2004; they have since put out two more albums and their newest EP, Sad Robots.  I’d suggest starting with Fire and picking up the more recent work once you’ve already fallen in love.

You can find out more and order CDs and merch here. (Is it ok to love a band more because their website is infinitely cool?)

Definitely give them a listen if you’re into Broken Social Scene, Straylight Run, or Coldplay.

Or you could check out this video for “Your Ex-Lover is Dead.”

Enjoy your romp into 2004!

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Anybody remember a little band named Ben Folds Five? I bet you do.  Ben Folds has been putting out music for fifteen years or so now, and I personally think he’s an artist that had gotten better with time.  Thought we can remember the mid-90s tunes “Brick” and “Kate” with fondness, let’s look to the present.

Presently, Folds’ new work Way to Normal is pretty darn good. Sweeping, exciting piano rock and razor sharp lyrics. Exactly what you would expect from a guy who created The Bens with himself, Ben Kweller, and Ben Harper and who also produced the first solo album from Dresden Dolls’ aggressive frontwoman Amanda Palmer. In fact, that might be the one criticism I can reserve for this album – it sounds exactly like everything else Ben Folds has put out. Sure, he’s brilliant, and the album includes moment of sheer genius like “Free Coffee,” “Effington,” and “Kylie from Connecticut.”  Regina Spektor lends her spectacular vocals to “You Don’t Know Me,” about a couple who’s been together for too long and no longer care about each other.  Way to Normal is undoubtedly a good record. It’s fun to listen to, and so many bands get swamped in their “art” that fun songs can become a rarity.

But, Mr. Ben Folds, I beseech you. Try something new. I hear they’ve invented a few more instruments since the piano got big.

Give the album a listen if you’re down with The Rocket Summer, the aforementioned Ben Kweller, or the yet again also mentioned Dresden Dolls.

Here’s a video for “You Don’t Know Me” directed by Tim and Eric (Of Tim and Eric, Awesome Show, Great Job.)

Peruse the official site here http://www.benfolds.com/