Daily Tar Heel Blogs

As we’ve already focused on the movies that opened Wednesday for this week, and there isn’t much else happening, let’s skip ahead and look at the cream of the crop for next week. Movie-goers are in luck for the upcoming week. We have two totally different films coming to town Friday that seem worth checking out, in two totally different kinds of venues.

“Moon” (The Chelsea):

-There’s been a dearth of good, thoughtful, mellow sci-fi movies for a few years running, trumped as they are by the fast-paced shit shows like “Star Trek” and “Transformers: Revenge of the Who-the-hell-cares.” “Moon” will be nothing if not an antidote to that.

-This is another way of saying that “Moon” appears to be a revamped version of Kubrick’s “ 2001: A Space Odyssey.” If this is true, it might be not only one of the best sci-fi movies ever made, but one of the best movies ever made, because that’s what “2001” was. But sci-fi movies don’t age well, so a little rekindling the fire is perfectly acceptable. -Duncan Jones, son of David Bowie (yes, you read that right) is directing this as his debut film, so it will at least have a fresh style, with star Sam Rockwell performing what amounts to a mostly one man act. -The HAL Supercomputer from “2001” has been replaced by a text face application. That makes me : )

“Bruno” (Wide Release):

-Germans are rarely ever treated in popular Anglo-American films without being bad guys, but bad publicity is better than no publicity. Austrians don’t get any attention at all. Now Sacha Baron Cohen comes along as a gay Austrian fashion-writer to destroy another national image. I’m sure Austria is thrilled.

-All the American prejudice that was satirized in “Borat” will surely be back again, and  this time directed at one of the few groups of people that it’s legal to discriminate against. Cohen will do what he does best: walk the fine line between satirical activist and humorous bigot.

-The high-jinx that Cohen got up to filming this one have been hilariously disastrous. (http://www.thesmokinggun.com/archive/years/2008/0708081bruno1.html). From the previews, the movie looks like it might live up to it.

- By Diversions Staff Writer Jonathan Pattishall

The hip-hop world - as well as the BET Awards - got thrown off its axis this week after the death of Michael Jackson, but the mixtapes continued.

QuESt is one of my favorite new emcees. His energy, his delivery, his timliness. The guy drops tracks on the regular and has been known to throw a verse over a new commercial single only a day after the first leak. But anyways, There’s Only One Month Left is in anticipation of QuESt’s first album’s upcoming release and features a couple of songs that have been floating around as of late. A lot of remixes, a lot of good hip-hop.

What’s Good?: “N.I.D.O.A.”,”Losing My Mind,” “Champ’s Been Here”

Tracklist and Download link for There’s Only One Month Left

DC has been getting some mad love from me in the past two weeks, so let’s keep it going. XO has a pretty generic DC sound, but Monumental helps create a soundscape for XO alone. AB the Producer produces all 12 tracks which gives the tape a much more fluid sound and groove and play more like an album than a bunch of odd songs that were recorded when he had the time.

What’s Good?: “Crabs in a Barrell,” “Go Hard,” “Time Out” Feat. Allison Carney

Tracklist and Download link for Monumental

And to end the post on a more somber note, some MJ tributes. Cookin’ Soul did put together an amazing tribute, however, remixing Mike’s best with artists like The Notorious B.I.G., Jay-Z, Eminem, Lil Wayne and 2 Pac. The best though? “Beat It” reimagined with KiD CuDi’s “Day ‘N’ Nite.” Also, don’t forget about the always on it DJ Premier. Yeah it’s awseome. Get ‘em.

Tracklist and Download link for Cookin’ Soul

Tracklist and Download link for DJ Premier

-By Diversions Staff Writer Benn Wineka

Deaf Judges

All Rise

(Emerald City Ruins)

Several years ago Rolling Stone named Chapel Hill the second best college town for music in the U.S. Coming in at number eight was the headquarters of the University of Georgia, Athens. Making a name for yourself around either one of these aforementioned towns is a kind of a big deal given the high regard in which they are held. Breaking out, however, of the friendly confines of a hometown bias is a whole other battle.

Athens group Deaf Judges has figured out a way to get around the whole localized appeal problem. They just take such a wide array of musical influences and elements and toss them into the mix that it comes out as a delightfully raw hodgepodge of sound and lyrical fury that it accommodates a wider variety of listeners than a normal group would.

To best describe Deaf Judges and what to expect when you listen to their new album All Rise, it’s as if MF Doom - now DOOM - and the guys from Endless Mic procreated. It’s like this both both in the lyrics and the production.

The three emcees, Rorshak, Produce Man and Louie Carlysle, share time on the mic preventing any onset of rapper-hypnosis, the tediousness of having to repeatedly listen to the same person/style of delivery for an extended time. It really helps the group because of their DOOM-like spoken word rapping method.

Besides the similarity in delivery technique to a masked Brit, Deaf Judges saturate rhymes with a blend of grimy, intellectual, punk-like wit. For instance, in “T.V. Thieves,” the group name drop the Russian authors Baryshnikov and Tchaikovsky and also reference sex moves named for unkempt Latinos.

Also, you can sense the impact underground literary figures such as Kurt Vonnegut and Hunter S. Thompson have had on the lives of these guys in the ways in which they manipulate their choice of words.

To backup the three wordsmiths is only one producer, DJ Cubenza. Not to stick the group back into an established artist’s shadow, but many of the album’s 15 tracks sound boosted from a DOOM record. Granted they are all well done and offer an alternative to mainstream hip-hop, but the snippets of old recordings and widespread use of sound effects are still too similar to DOOM’s distinctive identity.

So all told, All Rise is somewhat unique and very re-playable, but because an a similarly unique artist has come before, it makes Deaf judges a lot harder to fully appreciate.

- By Diversions Staff Writer Benn Wineka

The Ginger Envelope

Invitation Air

(One Percent)

Don’t mistake the Ginger Envelope for another Fleet Foxes wannabe. Just like the ingredient that comprises half its name, the Los Angeles band packs a punch, and on Invitation Air, their latest release, the group proves that they’re a force to be reckoned with.

Unlike many other folk or alternative acts, Ginger Envelope’s musicianship never feels overpowering or superfluous-instead, the band manages to meld Patrick Carey’s delicate vocals with mournful riffs a la Wilco. This balance of vocals and instrumentals adds texture and depth to tracks that might otherwise fade into the plethora of similar alt-country groups.

One of the most impressive aspects of Invitation Air is its diversity. Ginger Envelope changes tempos, styles, and lyrics deftly, maintaining a unified sound while exploring numerous different tones and genres. The group keeps its folk identity intact while exploring various shades of lyrical simplicity and melody-one track meanders slowly through the mind of a chronic loner, while a few songs later, upbeat banjos and fiddles narrate the story of a swimmer.

Throughout invitation Air, the band masters the fine line between inaccessibility and innovation. On “Stray,” it’s hard not to be drawn in by the loneliness inherent in the song’s haunting harmonies and tortured lyrics. “Half Awake (Roddy)” demonstrates the group’s ability to write great, slightly off-beat lyrics as Carey sings, “You stayed half awake and watched the paradigm decay.”

While the vast majority of the album is exquisite, Ginger Envelope’s esoteric lyrics occasionally become bogged down in pretension and cultivated eccentricity. “May you curl up tom-cat coddled, and break for more,” Carey sings on album opener “Turn Into Tempests,” loading frustrating obscurity on an otherwise-unblemished record.

While it isn’t quite perfect, Invitation Air is by and large a masterful and original effort. Ginger Envelope might initially seem like another run-of-the-mill folk group, but this record makes it clear that the group is capable of accessible innovation that could very well be the ingredient for an enormous success.

The Ginger Envelope plays Local 506 Thursday night with Athens, Ga. group Madeline and the White Flag. The show starts at 9;30 p.m. and costs $8.

- By Diversions Staff Writer Linnie Greene

Luego

The Cottage Industry

(self-released)

Debuted at Luego’s opening gig for Holsapple and Stamey Saturday at Cat’s Cradle, The Cottage Industry EP is being issued as a free download card at the band’s shows to promote the it’s forthcoming full-length. And the three songs that encompass the release are full of reasons to be excited.

The first, “Held Up,” is a cut from the fully polished LP. Melding Luego’s traditional country rock to dancey strains of modern alternative, the band has created a hip, catchy single. As a slinking guitar line sneaks around in the background singer/songwriter Patrick Phelan drops witty quips about his failing relationship such as “I undress her, but it don’t matter/Don’t impress her but it won’t flatter.” At the chorus, the song busts out in the late-night sheen of shining keys and the beat takes on an a dance flavor that’s as slow-burning and inevitable as the relationship’s end.

The other two tracks are different but still good. Recorded in four hours by Phelan and bandmate Jeff  Crawford, each song features a stripped down arrangement of piano, drums, acoustic guitar and bass.

“You’ve Got Space, Babe” is a pleasing bit of honky-tonk ragtime that focuses on the speaker’s dislike for his girl’s need for space. Driven by the clever come ons in the chorus, one of which is the excellent “You’re a jewel, and I’m the miner, so ‘Westward Ho!” it’s satisfying and fully developed for a B-Side.

Better though is the final song “Ain’t It Sad.” Over a Venetian-inspired slow dance of piano and guitar, Phelan delivers a short, poignant goodbye to his lover. “Ain’t it sad, ain’t sad, I finally wrote you a song/ But now it doesn’t matter, you’re long gone,” he sings with a tear-stained smile. It’s a cruel and insightful joke on the nature of the most powerful songs of longing: Most of them were written long after the relationship had died.

So the next time you’re considering a trip out to go see Luego for five bucks or so, just go ahead and do it. I can assure you this download alone will be worth the admission. You can just count the show as the bonus.

- By Diversions Editor Jordan Lawrence

I’m really sorry to disappoint you. But other than one new CD, this week blows.

Notable mostly new entries for cringe-worthy acts such as Rob Thomas and Killswitch Engage, there’s little of value in this Tuesday’s new records.

But luckily that one release is a biggie.  And also one that’s been seeing pretty good buzz.

Genre-bending, counrty-leaning rock band Wilco return with their newest effort, sarcastically called Wilco (The Album).

The songs that have seen the public eye have all been great. “You Never Know,” which is up up on the band’s MySpace, is a very amusing Beatlesy comment on youth, and “Wilco (The Song),” which the band debuted on the Colbert Report in March, is a hilarious self-parody of Jeff Tweedy’s neurotic songwriting.

For Wilco to be 15 years into its career and be as self-aware as it is on these two songs is remarkable. And that fact alone is enough for me to want to take a chance on this one.

Sadly, that’s all I got for you this week. I’ll be back next Tuesday.

- By Diversions Editor Jordan Lawrence

Holsapple and Stamey - Cat’s Cradle - June 27

There’s a certain beguiling sense of the un-cool that comes from listening to your parent’s music. Every time I pick up my mom’s copy of Rumours and throw it on the record player, I feel the slightest pang of “I hope nobody sees me.” Luckily my mother has no idea who Peter Holsapple or Chris Stamey are. Therefore I can tell you that I enjoyed their concert Saturday night without embarrassment. Playing as a duo with a full band including steel guitar, stand-up bass and keyboards, the two ex-db’s played standard-style guitar ballads (some of which actually were other people’s songs). As with most aging rockers, the two took little risks, and sometimes this was a detriment. Some of the group’s new songs were tired in that “I’m happy and middle-aged” way that some elder statesmen become. Luckily, most of the group’s songs didn’t fit into this model. Playing with genuine passion and impeccable harmonies, the two sung songs that really dug into the heart of their new lives without being cursory or sugar-coated. At the best, it was enough to make a college kid like me stop and think, “Maybe growing up won’t be so bad.”

The duo’s openers were well selected. Raleigh’s American Aquarium dropped their usual E-Street bombast and debuted a stripped down set guided by soft piano and steel and acoustic guitar. The result was a sound that allowd lead singer BJ Barham to get to the broken hearted core of his promiscuous persona on the band’s new album, Dances for the Lonely. Peter Holsapple’s other project, Luego was also on display. Riding the Beggars-Banquet ambitions of singer Patrick Phelan, Luego delivered a set of good-old boozy country rock that had enough vibrant life and good turns of phrase to still sound fresh.

Click below for more photos.

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Varsity Theater, 1953 to 2009

With the closing Thursday of the Varsity Theater, eighty years of Chapel Hill history is coming to an untimely and tragic end. It’s hard not to feel like a helpless passer-by at the death of a president, or the execution of a martyr.  It’s obvious something serious is happening, but it’s difficult to comprehend how serious it is.

To put it another way, the Varsity’s closing will be a landmark date in the lives of many students. Years down the road, when our kids and grandkids ask us questions like, “Where were you when UNC won its sixth national championship?” and “Where were you when America elected its first black president?” there will be another question that will probably never make it to their lips, but damn well should. “Where were you when the Varsity went dark?”

Please don’t think I’m being melodramatic. I know the world isn’t coming to an end. But part of Chapel Hill’s world is. Eighty years is a long time to serve a community. To put it in perspective, think about how old Michael Jackson was when he kicked it. 50? The Varsity was old enough to be his father. Maybe it wasn’t as famous, but it was infinitely more venerable than any pop star. The Varsity was our grand old man about town, and now he’s gone to his grave.

I admit that this is a little personal for me. I review movies for the Daily Tar Heel, and some of the best movies I’ve seen in that job have been at the Varsity. I know its touch, its ambiance. And I know it can’t be replaced.

And then it just gets downright familial. My parents went on their first date at the Varsity 35 years ago. I asked my dad what they had seen. He stalled for a moment, in the throes of either reminiscence or failing memory, and then he recalled, “It was some crazy French movie about a financial scheme that destroyed the world economy. I can’t even remember the name.” How Varsity is that? And how appropriately coincidental: art from the past mirroring life in the present, which explains the tragedy before us.

That tragedy is the fact that the Varsity is closing because it isn’t making enough money. It hasn’t been making enough for a few years now, and with the economic recession its future looked too bleak. Owner Bruce Stone is cutting his loses by closing shop, but he’s keeping his other art-house theater, the Chelsea, open for now. That’s cold consolation for me: the Chelsea is an ugly little runt of a theater in a shopping center far off campus and it doesn’t have anything like the history of the deceased Varsity. But it’s got free parking, and that’s enough to bring in the kind of business needed to stay alive. The parking nightmare that is Franklin Street is a different story. Thanks a lot, Town of Chapel Hill, for your wonderful urban planning.

No, there’s no silver lining to this tragedy, no pick-me-up or hope of life after death. All it is is a sad story with a bittersweet moral. The story is that the Varsity, a defining experience for generations of Carolina students and a priceless cultural resource, has been senselessly lost. The moral is that we need better parking in downtown Chapel Hill.

For all the movies I’ve seen at that theater, I hadn’t yet exhausted the possibilities of the dark spaces between my seat and the luminescent screen of living pictures. That’s where one explores a true movie house. The Varsity was such a place, and now I’ll never know everything it had. Farewell sweet Varsity, I hardly knew ye.

- By Diversions Staff Writer Jonathan Pattishall

Sunfold - Local 506 - June 26

Though its association with Annuals and the lazily hypnotic nature of its studio recordings might make you think otherwise, Raleigh’s Sunfold rock live. Following the lead of singer Kenny Florence, whose quickly-picked guitar work is quite impressive, the band played a very satisfying set of guitar rock Friday night. The band that proceeded them wasn’t without the chops either. Over the few years of its existence, Durham’s Hammer No More The Fingers has become a taut rock organism. Its three members played off each other so well, that everything they did seemed effortless. Allowing each song to morph into the next with excellent jam segues, Hammer issued a reminder as to why they’ve acquired such a following in the area. And though both bands played well, the highlight of the night went to hammer. During a performance of the “We Pray for Viking Storm,” the theme song for the band’s CD release mini-fest in April, Tooth’s J-Me Guptil jumped on stage and  added his metal roar. It was a surprise to the crowd and the band, and it made the song more than it would have been otherwise.

Click below for more photos.

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If you’re looking for some not so sensationalist coverage of the  passing away of pop superstar Michael Jackson, I’ve got a remedy for all of the T.V. coverage out there.

Mark Richardson at Pitchfork.com wrote a fantastic tribute piece today. I think it really puts Jackson into perspective as a disfunctional person and miraculous entertainer. You can check it out here.

So this weekend, instead of being all glum and focusing on Jackon’s sad last days, let’s all grab our copies of Thriller and dance our asses off. I’m sure that’s more the tribute he would have wanted.

- Jordan Lawrence