One Foot In The Cradle, One In The Grave

The Pretty Reckless, Going To Hell
Part fame whore, part unique talent, Taylor Momsen is out to make a statement on her band’s sophomore album Going To Hell. To the opening sounds of fornication, you can’t help but smirk at the 20-year-old bat out of hell’s odd sense of humor. She’s an enticing disaster, taking the infamous Season 1 Gossip Girl poster “Every parent’s worst nightmare” to a whole new level.

In recent interviews, whenever Momsen is asked about her nudity in her Heaven Knows video, she remarks in a too-cool-for-school nonchalance, things like, if that’s what people want to focus on, let them.

She says everything is about the music, but through her music she makes everything about sex and religion, pointedly based on herself. The need for attention isn’t on her or songwriting partner Ben Phillips’ feelings necessarily, but more often on blow jobs, gettin’ heavy with the devil and being bafflingly anti-NRA.

The first three tracks on the album are incredibly strong but the hard edge escapes for a few beats. An annoying flub is the similarity between the first verse of Heaven Knows, Jimmy’s in the back with a pocket of high and the first verse of Blame Me, Sittin’ in the back baby park it or drive. With the way the two are sung you would swear it was the same exact thing. Alternatively, Waiting For A Friend is an earnest thought on loneliness, which doesn’t touch on sex appeal or shotguns. Dear Sister is a one-minute gem to break things up and is an actual letter-length “DEAR-” formula song.

The songwriting is stronger than that on Light Me Up and the songs are sharper and more focused. The whole band comes together and each bar is just what you want to hear – Absolution is a good example of this. Over and over, she guides a point home: I don’t want to be saved ; We’re all crucified in the end ; Outside of Heaven, where I could belong. The more mature grasp on her demons comes from the track House On A Hill, where Momsen lowers her voice and says, “My intention is to fade, and I will.”

I won’t add a picture here because it doesn’t serve much of purpose. A lot of them are of a mostly-exposed Momsen and a cross. Remember, guys, it’s all about symbolism.

She may not be a revolutionary. She may not be the first female musician to try to surprise her audience with nudity (sometimes in person). But her one breed of untamed and unpredictable is a dangerous combination that may prove its staying power in a rollover pop star day and age. Either way, take a good album at face value and leave your reservations at the door.

Mimi

I Want to S*** Your D***

Real World Portland 4/17

This is not something I would ordinarily post about. But in 28 seasons, I think this past week’s firecracker newcomer roommate might have made Real World history. Yes, it’s nothing for a roommate get to kicked out or get homesick and leave and, to keep viewership, they cast an even crazier, more over-the-top roommate to fill the spot. The girl who bowed out after one episode modeled for playboy, so the producers really needed to step it up.

Meet Nia from ATL who arrives in Portland taking names and bound to get her way. She instantly begins hearing rumors from the girls about their roommate (OK-native) Jordan and how much he provokes and torments them. Nia is up for the challenge. She tries to reason with him, she bites back for a round, and then she tries a different tactic.

“Let me s*** your d***.”

Followed by,

“I want to s*** the skin off your d***.”

Followed by,

“Guys, I want an audience.”

That certainly doesn’t happen every day. Unscripted television indeed.

[To watch the entire episode, go to http://www.mtv.com/videos/real-world-portland-ep-4-new-chick-little-d/1705863/playlist.jhtml#series=2211&seriesId=39982&channelId=1 ]

Mimi

Wheels, Wires, Shootouts & Cookouts

Gangster Squad beautifully merges two worlds of the Norman Rockwell perfect family and the classic suit-clad gangster scene of 1950s cinema. These two worlds holding hands even; blatantly adulterous. The main characters pay homage to movie stars of the 50’s who played thugs film after film; famous faces like Steve Cochran and Marlon Brando. The swagger; the hats and suspenders; the menacing, piercing eye contact of a villain – hell, all that’s missing is a toothpick.

The high glamour of the age, i.e.; the lost art of swing-dancing, was captured expertly in this film. And how fitting, as G.S.’s leading men profess their love to the city of angels. Wheels, wires, shootouts and cookouts and you have yourself a film noir!

Even seems like Gangster Squad took a few notes from this playbook:

Chase scene from Highway 301 (1950)

Nonetheless, G.S. had its weak parts, one of which being its tendency to lean on race. The African-American Squad member just happens to know a guy on the inside of a heroin shipment, the latino Squad member is called Navidad, and the Chiquita banana lady makes a guest appearance. Enough said, we’ll let it slide for the time period. Ryan Gosling dressing out of an Abercrombie catalog half the time is less excusable.

The biggest drawback to this movie is this idea that every newspaper at the time could possibly “get the scoop” on the inner-workings of feuding mobs. The burning of mob money would not make the front page of the Los Angeles Times because a reporter was not camped out in the broom closet. Overall, too many headlines used as the segue into a thickening plot.

SIDEBAR: I first saw a preview for this in a Dark Knight Rises showing the day after the Colorado Batman shooting. This movie initially had a scene where the gangster squad is seen doing just that; opening fire on a full movie theater. The scene was cut and the hotel stakeout/Christmas tree scene was put in its place. Then came the Sandy Hook shooting, which I believe pushed the release back about another month. I’m sure that after all of this legwork, dealing with real-life tragedies and the heavy hand of a studio exec, everyone involved is just relieved to see the release come to fruition. 

So, yes, some parts are cheesy. The initial murders are creatively amusing. For some it will be written off as too trying, cliche, and over-the-top. But you’ve got to understand that in 1950s gangster movies, many parts were cheesy.

Mimi

All’s Well That Ends Well, XOXO, Gossip Girl

The show GOSSIP GIRL came to a close this past week and, in classic Waldorf/Van Der Woodsen style, ended with much fanfare. Chuck Bass pushed his father off a skyscraper to his second death, con artist Ivy Dickens was ousted for good, and Derena kissed and made up. And Chuck finally did something about that ring.

We were given a flashback of adult Serena and adult Dan posing as their five-years-junior selves, of course appropriately put into timeframe by Rihanna’s first song, Pon De Replay. Later, we were presented with a flashforward into these charmed Upper East Siders’ lives, where Chuck and Blair produced a seven-year-old in five years’ time and Serena and Dan took five years to get around to tying the knot.

Every past character was roped into one line, and little Jenny Humphrey’s came at the price of GG featuring a PRETTY RECKLESS song during the episode – looks who’s on top now! The anti-climactic end revealed Lonely Boy Dan as the infamous bad-doer Gossip Girl. And somehow fitting two weddings into 42 minutes seem appropriate. Guess this means Gossip Girl of NYC’s Upper East Side is letting A of quaint Rosewood, PA take the stage…

-Mimi

Are You Scared This Sounds Familiar?

The Gaslight Anthem released their 4th studio album earlier this week. Only ten months after band members Brian Fallon and Ian Perkins released their solo album, (ELSIE, under the name The Horrible Crowes), featuring depth beyond Gaslight, this is the band’s first release on a major record label.

HANDWRITTEN is a daze of forgettable songs of engines, sirens, blood, hearts and every other worn-out Gaslight euphemism in the book. “Eventually I’ll haunt you or eventually you’ll be my queen,” sounds like a mocking regurgitation of songs like Queen of Lower Chelsea and Old Haunts on Biloxi Parish. Attempts at the hard edge mastered on The Horrible Crowes Mary Ann fall flat time and again on this 14-track deluxe edition of HANDWRITTEN.

Brian imitates Springsteen more than ever on this album, lacking his trademark story to tell. He’s our weathered Jersey pal who’s already told us that story. This voice is no longer a young man with an old soul, but an aged blue collar rockstar readying himself for the slew of county fair gigs headed his way. It’s pretty difficult to end your last record with a song about dying only to be reborn to mild fairview and acres.

I assume Mercury can claim more than the slightest of responsibility for this sloppy, rushed duplicate of past, passion-fueled work. A bland two-page introduction in the liner notes is the first sign that this will not be the same as the rest. True Gaslight fans needn’t be introduced to our band and newcomers should not stumble across HANDWRITTEN as an honest representation of the group. Some bands, for the sake of their art, should just stay indie.

The highlights of this album would be Mulholland Drive, Too Much Blood, and the cover of Tom Petty’s You Got Lucky. More than anything, the tracks on this album just make you miss the younger, bright-eyed version of these men. I would’ve killed for new songs like Even Cowgirls Get The Blues, Boxer, I Coul’da Been A Contender or vulnerable ballads like Red At Night or I Believe Jesus Brought Us Together.

Not to say Gaslight are sellouts, but maybe if their pockets weren’t so heavy they could’ve reconnected with those Lincoln engines and wounded hearts.

~Mimi

For more Gaslight Anthem reviews, follow these links:

https://southiejustinjustinsouth.wordpress.com/2010/06/15/im-famous-now-for-all-these-rocknroll-songs/  ~American Slang

https://southiejustinjustinsouth.wordpress.com/2011/09/24/brian-fallon-i-was-just-about-to-miss-you/ ~The Horrible Crowes

We Don’t Even Know What The Truth Is

Much has changed on the summer return of Pretty Little Liars. Emily is an unconvincing rebel who conveniently blacks out, Toby has moved out to make that less creepy, and Wren, Melissa’s ex and Spencer’s flame, is now jumping into the daddy role so we aren’t left with a widowed single mother in Rosewood. Ezra and Aria are remarkably still together, albeit forcing the seperation of her parents, Hanna visits Mona in the psych ward, a secret she expertly keeps to herself for half the episode, and of course more bad luck for the girls regarding shovels and holes.

My favorite part was when Spencer uttered the most awkward, incoherent line in the show’s history. She was trying to remind Hanna of Mona’s bad-intentioned history and to do so it only took two loud, well-enunciated words. “Bitch crazy.” What happened to your well-groomed vocabulary and knowledge of basic sentence formation, Spence?

Mimi

The Spring 2012 Pop Trifecta

It is said that things come in threes. Meals, bad luck, Charlie’s Angels. Often, this theory holds up for music the media force-feeds the masses. Whether it be three artists or three songs, these mediums resemble an Alzheimer’s patient.

1. fun. We Are Young. [TV Commercials]

Yes, you know the song. First used to make the Chevy Sonic seem like the hippest, coolest vehicle for hip, cool people to own, this song quickly morphed into an instant anthem of youth and adventure. Infectious enough to reach farther than the band’s usual indie-kid following, this song had everyone meowmeowmeowmeowing.

2. Gotye. Somebody That I Used To Know. [Saturday Night Live]

This is an unlikely hit by an even unlikelier source. This not only sounds like the soundtrack to the ’90s Aussie Cartoon Bananas in Pajamas but the chord progressions are so simple it seems Gotye wrote the song while taking a bath. Gotye impersonates Sting while Kimbra impersonates Katy Perry and don’t bother to remember either of their names as we can feel the next hit pointedly not coming on.

3. Grouplove. Tongue tied. [Gossip Girl]

A simple rave song about sex at the best friend’s house, appropriately featured on Gossip Girl at a time when Nate finds out he’s been banging his best friend’s mom. Grouplove are the first to think they’re golden but honestly, being featured on this show guarantees a band’s success at this point.

Mimi

And I’ll Miss You Most Of All, Brooke Davis

The final season of One Tree Hill has brought us a variety of series-spanning, long-time-coming, end-tying moments. Brooke’s absent father returning to seize his thousandth chance from his daughter, Brooke being a mother at long last, and, of course, the redemption of Dan Scott. It was the only way Dan Scott, in all his darkness and all his wrongdoing could actually die: a hero.

This show delivered an entire other level to the commercial teen drama playing field. OTH always played decent, mature, often indie music. Making a nod at both Stephen Kellogg and the Sixers and Augustana, our favorite show proved to have more of a voice than Gavin De Graw. With possibly the biggest character, Tric, they directly spotlighted the music of Kate Voegele, Bethany Joy Galeotti and Tyler Hilton. OTH knew they had gained some influence and were ready to use it. The last night was no exception, featuring The Horrible Crowes, a band who sported one of the most quality debuts of 2011.

Some of the snappiest lines from this season were exchanged between Brooke and her Karen’s cafe competitor, but none trumped Julian’s explosive last words to Brooke’s father: “It rhymes with thick….Dick, Ted. You’re a dick.” And yet this line of Julian’s paled next to when he told Brooke, “A character who doesn’t love Brooke Davis…I wouldn’t even begin to know how to write that.”

There was a hostage situation, a fire, a feud, a proposal, an adoption, a stalker, multiple arrests, shootouts, and a monumental death. But these final moments will never amount to all that this show has done and the ways it has helped its viewers, its friends, for nearly a decade.

Mimi

Another Blog Milestone

Well, here we are readers. 20,000 views! I’m so impressed by your interest in my interests and I’m thrilled to be a go-to media generator. I promise to keep things cutting-edge as ever and here’s to another day. Another post about another band or another pilot, whether it be written for 5 readers or 1,000, here’s to the future. Honestly, it may not be a big deal but I don’t know what standards are for blogs these days. Moreover, I just wouldn’t know the first thing about being jaded.

Mimi

Are you Chuck, on the Gossip Girl?

This week on One Tree Hill, Nathan Scott was still being kept prisoner in some Eastern European country, Detective Dan was taking too long to put the pieces together and Haley, handing her kids off to Lucas, was about to admit how broken she was.

That’s right, folks. We were given an underwhelming guest appearance by CMM, who seemed to come back for the final season as merely an obligation. After turning his back on his alma mater of sorts for all those bigtime Hollywood movies he is not currently starring in. Austin Nichols holds the reigns on OTH while Chad can’t even seem to master a grown-up hairstyle. And for this weak airport performance he dialed in, you just know he still he made a nice monogrammed LV luggage set full of green.

Meanwhile, Chase has been made active duty in the Air Force again, Alex is gone again, and Chuck’s dad is abusive. I just feel like we’ve been here before. There’s only so much Crazy Clay & Quinn and rival cafe drama we can take.

And last but not least significantly, OTH dared to ask that one big question in the context of no means no: “Are you Chuck, on the Gossip Girl?” Here, here. Nathan is no silly prep school girl and this is not a deserted rooftop.

Mimi