Quick Bits: Singles from Upcoming Albums

Unless you're an INXS fan, you're more than likely going to hold out as far as new album purchases this week are concerned. While The Darkness have also released their sophomore album One Way Ticket To Hell... And Back it's not something worth rushing out to purchase either (unless you're a fan of course!). With that in mind, I've come up with a short list of singles from upcoming albums that are worth noting to tide you over 'til next week.

Busta Rhymes "Touch It" and "Where's Your Money" (feat. Ol' Dirty Bastard)
"Touch It" smartly uses a slowed down Daft Punk "Technologic" background vocals and beat, and with it's minimalist sound it fits comfortably into previous hip-hop hit singles. While this isn't necessarily a bad thing, it's unlike Busta to play catch up as he used to be the Beck of Hip-Hop, at least five years ahead of the trend. So while it isn't the most creative work, it's certainly one for the clubs. "Where's Your Money" features a posthumous appearance of the ODB and is also produced by Dr. Dre. This is probably the best ODB has been since "Got Ya Money" which is really too bad, and Busta is at top form with his wordplay as usual. Much darker than most of Busta's previous singles, but extremely effective, this is a solid single. Both of these songs will be on Busta Rhymes' upcoming album The Big Bang!.

"Touch It" ★★★½
"Where's Your Money" ★★★★

Beth Orton "Conceived" (Michael Brauer Radio Mix)
Incredibly sincere and beautiful as always, the latest from Beth Orton is an instant classic that should immediately be added to any fans library. Timeless and engaging, this is one of Orton's best works.

★★★★★

Pharell "Angel"
Yeah, I don't like Pharell either, but there's something about this song that's definitely working for him. It's still obnoxious--if Pharell weren't famous he'd be one lonely man given some of the lines he drops about women--and goofy, but it's all in good fun, and for once it doesn't seem like he's trying too hard. By far the biggest surprise in a while, this is an enjoyable song to say the least.

★★★★

The Ice Harvest

Ramis' entry into film noir is an interesting one. While the quirky wordplay and character exchanges are still there, the undertones are drastically different. Instead of being glossed over with a shot of optimism and good cheer like many of his previous works, The Ice Harvest finds Ramis at his darkest and grittiest. It's the film the Coen Brothers never made

Starring: John Cusack, Billy Bob Thorton, Connie Nielsen, Randy Quaid, and Oliver Platt
Written by: Richard Russo and Robert Benton
Based on the novel by: Scott Philips
Directed by: Harold Ramis.

"As Wichita Falls, So Falls Wichita Falls" is the motif which the movie is essentially built around, and also what really makes the movie work. In presentation and dialogue, to say that this film is dark is an understatement, and as such it can't really even be compared to films such as Bad Santa. Instead of having Bad Santa's quirky but over the top antics, The Ice Harvest finds it's pace on the slower end of the spectrum, creating a slow burn; giving the audience ample opportunity to appreciate the subplots and twists that are occurring (sometimes even without our knowledge), and not explain everything out for all to see. The film is also rather raunchy, as many of the scenes take place within strip bars, showing the hypocritical nature of not only the people in Wichita, but it's a social commentary of people in general. The hypocrisy comes through the general notion that everyone in the city is considered to be very Christian and conservative, yet the majority of men spend their time out at the bars, and the women portrayed in the film are hardly angels themselves. The main source of comedic relief comes through Oliver Platt's hilarious but exaggerated performance as Charlie's (John Cusack) best friend Pete. Otherwise it's within the subtleties of the dialogue, and also the great chemistry between Vic (Billy Bob Thorton) and Charlie that one can find the most satisfaction. It's certainly not a film for everyone but for those that enjoyed such films as Fargo or LA Confidential you should at least find this film moderately stimulating. It's not a masterpiece, and for those walking in thinking that it's going to be a typical Harold Ramis film, you're grossly mistaken, but it's a very admirable effort and a movie that at least makes you think, and for the way films are these days, that's an awful lot.

★★★★
Rated R for violence, language and sexuality/nudity.

New Look

Yeah, yeah... it's back up and running now... I know it's a completely different look from what it has been in the past, but I hope you like it. If not, just let me know and I'll work on something else... but in the meantime here's what I got in the pipeline for you all:

John Mayer Trio Try! review
Dave Matthews Band Live at Assembly Hall November 30, 2005 concert review
Holiday Shopping Guide
Top 10 Artists, Songs, and Albums of the Year
A few vault reviews
And much more!

So it's looking to be a busy winter, once again I do hope you like the redesign... just let me know what you think!

Fuzzy Bits: November 15, 2005

Mos Def drops out of Breed Love Odyssey Tour

Mos Def just recently dropped out of the aforementioned tour for uncited personal reasons, for those that already got tickets, you should be receiving an e-mail shortly if you haven't already. There are no plans for him to return to the tour at a later date.

KROQ Almost Acoustic Xmas show acts announced
The always popular KROQ Christmas show's lineup has been announced, and while tickets have already gone on sale for day one, day two tickets go on sale Friday at 8pm ET. Personally, it seems as if the second night is going to be absolutely amazing, here's hoping they make another release of the highlights from this show on CD.

The lineup is as follows:
day one
Nine Inch Nails
System of a Down
KoЯn
Fall Out Boy
Thrice
Rise Against
Avenged Sevenfold

day two
Depeche Mode
The White Stripes
Jack Johnson
Coldplay
Death Cab for Cutie
Nada Surf
Hot Hot Heat
The Bravery

for more information, visit KROQ's webpage, or simply visit Ticketmaster.

New Release Tuesday
Here are some of the highlights of discs that have been released today:
Confessions on a Dance Floor Madonna
Home Grown! Beginners Guide to Understanding the Roots volumes 1 & 2 The Roots note: each disc is sold separately
Kicking Television Wilco
Cab Train
Down In Albion Babyshambles

Fatlip The Loneliest Punk

Eccentric, funny, sad, and most importantly good. The much anticipated debut album from Fatlip (formerly of the Pharcyde), was almost worth the wait.

While Fatlip made a name for himself with the 2000 release of the single "What's Up Fatlip?" (which is included on this album), he had since been unheard from, meticulously working on the current release. While it's not a masterpiece by any means, it's an undoubtedly solid effort and proves that Fatlip hasn't lost his touch one bit. He even addresses his own problems with approaching the ablum with the track "Writer's Block," which is one of the highlights along with "Today's Your Day." Fatlip's delivery and lyrics are their atypical odd musings, and the production, while not necessarily as on point as it has been in the past, is still good. This certainly isn't an album for everyone, however for those that do have an appreciation of the Pharcyde and particular Fatlip's reputation for being a "jack-of-all-trades" eccentric rapper will truly enjoy this album. A very solid debut, it'll be exciting to see if Fatlip decides to continue to release albums at a (hopefully) consistent rate.

★★★★

From the Vault: Crash

For all of its powerful moments, it's what lies below the surface of the film that makes it so troubling.

Starring: Don Cheadle, Matt Dillon, Thandie Newton, Sandra Bullock, Brendan Frasier, Chris "Ludacris" Bridges, Ryan Phillipe, and Terrance Howard
Written by: Paul Haggis
Directed by: Paul Haggis

While not a new film by any means, this is a film that's still being talked about today, as many have heralded it as being an evocative look at living not only in a big city, but the general tensions faced in everyone's lives at one point or another. While this for the most part is true, the film uses a number of clichéd tactics that make the film in itself a bit stereotypical of the many Hollywood films in the past that have attempted to bring insight into the world of race relations. Before exploring that aspect of the film however, it has to be said that as a drama, this film simply works. Don Cheadle and Terrence Howard in particular give masterful acting performances, and while Ludacris was simply being natural in his role as Anthony, he still had a surprising screen presence. The cinematography was outstanding and the storylines surrounding Daniel (Michael Peña), the locksmith, as well as Graham (Don Cheadle) were incredibly powerful. The faults starting coming as it seemed that for the sake of narrative economy we just had to take Jean Cabot (Sandra Bullock) for being an exceptionally well off and consequently a raging racist, and it's from here that the movie begins to fall apart.
While it's understandable that for the sake of keeping a movie at a reasonable length one must make shortcuts to be able to tell a complete story without leaving holes, there must be certain aspects of characters that have to be linear. However, in the case of a film that deals with prejudices, how are we to see or understand anything within these characters if there's no explanation of the reasoning for their racist intentions within this film? That's not to say that nothing within this film could ever actually happen, and unfortunately essentially everything within this movie has happened within some point or another. However, the part that troubles me the most is that the film never provokes any thought more than "oh wow, that was racist."
Digging even deeper, another issue within the film was its use of stereotypical characters. You have the intellectual black men, that come off as being more along the lines of Uncle Toms that simply go the "safe" route no matter what, meanwhile the savviest of all the black characters was Ludacris and his partner, and both of them turned out to be criminals. What is that exactly saying about the make-up of African-Americans? Furthermore, the cliché racist cop, played by Matt Dillon, is supposedly racist only because, according to him, he saw what his grandfather did for blacks and how life has repaid him since, and as such he is a case of a person who is in a way seeking vengeance. Whether or not this is actually true or if he's just in denial about his own problems is clearly open to interpretation, and while it appears that he might've taken a turn for the better at the end, there's still no further proof of it one way or another. The most problematic is the aforementioned Jean Cabot, who appears to be racist just for the sake of being racist, and even if one was to argue that her husband (Brendan Fraiser) was having an affair with his secretary, she was so insecure about being around other races from the beginning that even that doesn't seem to be a plausible explanation.
With all of this in mind, while I'm certainly not trying to allude in any way that this is in fact an inherently racist film, I believe that--maybe due to the staggering number of individual stories at hand-- the films weakness in this area essentially undermines all that was good about it. It's really the type of film where while you're watching it you'll find yourself enjoying it and then afterwards you begin to find the darkness that lies within it. When watching one of Spike Lee's acclaimed movies for example, despite the faults that lay within each of his respective movies, there’s still an understanding for a necessity of change. In Crash, on the other hand, racism is almost used as anecdote (think to the car Crash scenes in the beginning and end of the movie, and the "jokes" thrown throughout).
Perhaps the movie really is just meant to be a gloomy outlook on human nature, and nothing more than that. However, given the painstaking process that is necessary in making film, it's hard to say that there couldn't be a more deliberate underlying tone within this film, and that's the part that deeply troubled me. As such, for a dramatic film, this was worth all of the recognition it received. However, as a political and social film, I do believe that Mr. Haggis should probably leave it up to others to explain how the racist mentality works.
★★★

Fuzzy Bits: November 10, 2005

Josh Rouse releases new EP
Josh Rouse released this past Tuesday a sequel to his exceptionally rare Bedroom Classics, vol. 1, which has appropriately been named Bedroom Classics, vol. 2. Containing five incredibly spellbinding and atmospheric tracks this is truly a must have album for anyone. Rouse based the tracks largely on his own personal fascination with film scores, something which is very easily apparent from the first listen, as each song absorbs you into a personal world which Rouse has crafted and is continuously molding as the album undergoes a sense of metamorphosis from where it’s started to where it ends. Josh himself really isn't the focus of this album, as some of the tracks are completely instrumental, while others contain sparse lyrics, so instead the focus remains on the entire composition of each piece. It's amazing to think that he has yet to really release a disappointing album, especially considering he has the ability to be effective even on instrumental tracks; Rouse has truly been on a roll since 2002's Under Cold Blue Stars.

★★★★★

Kaiser Chiefs release new single
In the process of preparing for what's looking to be an incredibly successful tour overseas, the Kaiser Chiefs have released a studio version of "Hard Times Send Me," a track that was originally only available in bonus disc editions of their debut album Employment. While not all that much of a departure from their traditional sound, it's still a very fun near three-minute romp that's well worth purchasing off of iTunes (it's currently only offered exclusively through them).

The Black Keys currently on tour
While some of their shows already have been (or are nearly) sold out, it's still worth mentioning that the Black Keys are going to be on tour until December 3. If you're not familiar with the Black Keys, here's a bit of a rundown: The Black Keys are a blues-infused rock duo from Akron, Ohio. Often compared to such acts as the White Stripes for their incredibly raw sound, The Black Keys rely heavily on harsh, bluesy riffs and equally heavy drums, and always give great live shows. Here's how their tour schedule shapes up:

November 10, 2005 Brooklyn, NY - Warsaw

November 11, 2005 Philadelphia, PA - Theater of Living Arts

November 12, 2005 Washington, DC - 9:30 Club

November 13, 2005 Baltimore, MD - Rams Head Live

November 15, 2005 New Haven, CT - Toad's Place

November 16, 2005 Boston, MA - Avalon

November 17, 2005 Montreal, QC - Cabaret La Tulipe

November 18, 2005 Ottawa, ON - Barrymore's

November 19, 2005 Toronto, ON - Opera House

December 1, 2005 Chicago, IL - Metro

December 2, 2005 Chicago, IL - Metro

December 3, 2005 Champaign, IL - Highdive

Wilco's Kicking Television to be released next Tuesday
Wilco's highly anticipated double-cd live set from their show at the Vic in Chicago earlier in May has been set to be released on November 15. This is the first live release for the Chicago based group and includes such favorites as "Jesus, Etc.," "I'm The Man Who Loves You," "Hummingbird," and "Heavy Metal Drummer" while also containing some of their lesser-known tracks.

Fuzzy Bits: November 9, 2005

Coldplay Announces Upcoming Tour Dates
For you Coldplay fanatics out there, they're returning once again during the course of this winter/spring with a pretty nice list of dates. In a relatively cool gimmick, fans that logged onto and consequently entered the Talk The Tour website can enter their Talk The Tour contest. The grand prize is a phone call from lead singer Chris Martin, a front row seat at a Coldplay concert where you can meet and talk to the band, and finally a ticket to attend the 2006 Grammy Awards. The coolest part about it was that every 33,000th person that visted the site would unlock a tour date. The opening act for the first half of the tour will be Fiona Apple, while the second half will feature Richard Ashcroft. For info on ticket sales check either the website mentioned above or Ticketmaster.


1/25 - Seattle, WA @ Key Arena
1/26 - Vancouver, BC @ GM Place
1/30 - Sacramento, CA @ ARCO Arena
1/31 - Oakland, CA @ Oakland Arena
2/1 - San Jose, CA @ HP Pavilion
2/3 - Las Vegas, NV @ MGM Grand Garden Arena
2/19 - Denver, CO @ Pepsi Center
2/20 - Omaha, NE @ Qwest Center
2/22 - Auburn Hills, MI @ The Palace of Auburn Hills
2/23 - Louisville, KY @ Freedom Hall
2/25 - Houston, TX @ Toyota Center
2/26 - Dallas, TX @ American Airlines Center
2/27 - Oklahoma City, OK @ Ford Center
3/2 - Washington, DC @ MCI Center
3/4 - Orlando, FL @ T.D. Waterhouse Centre
3/5 - Tampa, FL @ Ford Pavilion
3/20 - Cleveland, OH @ Quicken Loans Arena
3/22 - Toronto, ON @ Air Canada Centre
3/25 - East Rutherford, NJ @ Continental Airlines Arena
3/26 - Uniondale, NY @ Nassau Veterans Memorial Coliseum
3/30 - Chicago, IL @ United Center
4/3 - Manchester, NH @ Verizon Wireless Arena
4/4 - Uncasville, CT @ Mohegan Sun Arena
4/6 - Philadelphia, PA @ Wachovia Center

"The Boondocks" Premiere

The characters of "The Boondocks" start their year out with a bang...


"Excuse me? I have brief annocement: Jesus was black, Ronald Regan was the devil and the Goverment is lying about 9/11. Thank you for your time and good night."

Those are the opening words from Huey, as he fittingly kicks off the long-awaited adaptation to the small-screen in much of the same in-your-face manner as he does regularly in the daily comic. It's going to take some time getting used to, but first and foremost this show has the potential to be one of the best on television, and really falls somewhere in between the occasional subtlety of Chappelle's Show, to the incredibly brash moments that instead recall some of South Park's edgier moments. The voices as a whole left something to be desired, as Regina King isn't the best match for either Huey or Riley. While John Witherspoon (the voice of Granddad) originally appeared to falter as well, given his talent, he'll probably be able to do a much better job as the show progresses. Despite the beautifully anime-influenced animation, the show's content is hardly roses and rainbows, and really it's quite amazing what MacGruder (the man behind "The Boondocks") managed to get away with. There's gratuitous use of the "n" word, so you're unfortunately out of luck if that automatically puts you off. In all honesty though, it's not meant in a glorifying manner by any means, and is really used as a social commentary, which is really what the entire show is about. Besides the (in)famous rambunctious kids Huey and Riley, there’s the aforementioned Granddad who represents the “old school” man that’s just trying to make it in the suburban societal setting, and also the hilariously wrong Uncle Ruckus, a butler that’s more racist than any of the white people that live in the area. Without revealing too much about what happened during the first episode, among the highlights are Granddad’s flashback scene, Uncle Ruckus’ song (although everything about him is so absurd you can’t help but laugh), and finally Charlie Murphy who plays the neighbors’ grandson. Admittedly, the humor won't appeal to everyone, but if you're not offended easily, and are willing to learn a few things from a perspective that you certainly won't see on CNN, much less MSNBC, then please do give this show a few watches. It's not perfect, far from it, but what show was from the first episode? If there's enough support for this show, and I really hope there is (there needs to be more people willing to take chances in the entertainment industry such as this), this show should be right up there with Aqua Teen Hunger Force, Family Guy, and Comedy Central's South Park in the adult animation's crème de la crème.

"The Boondocks" comes on Cartoon Network every Sunday at 11PM ET as a part of the Adult Swim set, check your local listings for rerun times

★★★★½

Fuzzy Bits: November 6, 2005

Note from the Editor
My apologies for being slow in the updates lately, between the madness surrounding the White Sox playoff run, excessive amounts of schoolwork, a relatively slow period in music/film releases, and finally a temporary problem in updating the page, it's been a tough stretch. Now that all of that is out of the way though, I hope to return and continue to provide you all with the same efficient service and reporting as I did previously.

OutKast's Idlewild to be released December 13
The much anticipated follow-up to the double album Speakerboxxx/The Love Below is actually a soundtrack to their upcoming film by the same name, which is to be released sometime early next year. Despite being a soundtrack, the CD will be a bona fide OutKast album, rather than relying on contributions from other artists. For those who aren't familiar with the film, here's some basic info: The movie is set in the South during the 1930s, where Big Boi and André 3000 play bar musicians who contend with local gangsters that are attempting to takeover their bar. Although no trailers or ads have officially been released just yet, expect to see a lot more press about both the movie and the CD in the coming weeks.

Talib Kweli's Right About Now... to be released November 22
Speaking of highly touted hip-hop artists, Talib Kweli returns with the album which is slated for a November 22nd release. Guests include Mos Def, Jean Grae, MF Doom and Planet Asia. Kweli is also currently co-headlining the Breed Love Odyssey Tour with Mos Def and here are the remaining dates:
November 10, 11 Denver, CO Ogden Theater

November 13 Austin, TX Stubbs

November 14 Houston, TX Hush

November 15 Dallas, TX Black Forrest Theater

November 17 Hempstead, NY Hofstra University*

November 18 Pittsburgh, PA Carnegie Mellon University*

November 19 Atlanta, GA Earthlink Live

November 20 Tampa, FL Masquerade

November 21 Gainesville, FL Univ. of Florida

November 23 Ft. Lauderdale, FL Revolution

November 24 Orlando, FL House of Blues

November 25, 26 Washington, DC 9:30 Club

November 27 Atlantic City, NJ House of Blues

November 29 New Haven, CT Toad's Place

November 30 Providence, RI Lupo's Heartbreak Hotel

December 1 Boston, MA Roxy

December 2 Northampton, MA tbd

December 3 Toronto, ONT tbd

December 4 Cleveland, OH House of Blues

December 6 Indianapolis, IN tbd

December 7 Milwaukee, WI tbd

December 8 Champaign, IL tbd

December 9 Chicago, IL House of Blues

December 11 Detroit, MI tbd

December 12 Philadelphia, PA Electric Factory Ballroom

December 13 New York, NY Roseland


The Roots to release Greatest Hits albums complete with extensive liner notes, remixes and other rarities Nov. 15
Entitled Home Grown! Guide To Understanding the Roots, Vol. 1 & 2 these albums (which are not bundled together unfortunately), will feature the now famous ?uestlove liner notes, and also provide a number of b-sides and remixes. While it's something (especially given the price) that will appeal moreso to the die-hards than casual fans, it's still set to be another major release from the Roots, and still worth checking out

Boondocks Premieres tonight at 11pm ET
The long-awaited premiere for the Aaron McGruder driven "Boondocks" animated TV series premieres tonight on Adult Swim (that's Cartoon Network). Already a popular comic strip featured in newspapers all over the country, the animated version hopes to capture the same provacative and humorous look at current events as the comic does.