Separated at birth: Jim Adkins and Franklin Pierce?

It's an interesting dilemma: Is Jim Adkins* a reincarnation of our fourteenth U.S. President, Franklin Pierce (with a little less charisma, of course)?
*And no, I'm not referring to the creator of the Atkins diet, Mr. Robert Atkins - we have him to thank for driving millions of helpless children into the illusory clutches of vegetarianism? There's nothing better than convincing people that stuffing their faces with pork and cheese and then washing it down with beef jerky and bacon grease is going to help them lose weight.
I'm referring to Jim, the Jimmy that is (or once was) Jimmy Eat World, the band that got us all through the depression/repeat identity crises that is adolescence. And although Franklin Pierce did me no such favors, I'm inclined to believe that he'd probably be more fun to hang out with (at least go to for fashion advice.)
They look like they're both pretty good at working up a sweat and then fossilizing their hair. And frankly I would like to have seen Franklin Pierce sporting the denim.
Why would I choose Franklin Pierce you ask? Because I have a complex that involves remember all of the U.S. Presidents in chronological order. Why would I do that? Because I have an insatiable hunger for complexes. I think I'm going to name it the "Manticore Nutrition Approach: A Complex Weight Loss Program."

One Minute Review: the iPod Touch

This summer I bought a new macbook, which is fantastic. What is even more fantastic is that when I went in to buy my macbook, I was informed that I would get a free ipod touch.

I have since used it profusely and have come to the conclusion that I have really don't know whether to love it or hate it. Here is my list of the pros and cons of the iPod Touch

Pros:
Beautiful resolution
Crisp glass touch screen that stays clean
Amazing interface with lots of polish
Applications to manage calendar, get on the internet etc
It is small and slim
The videos come out in widescreen and are watchable

Cons:
Audio issues - for some reason the controls on music are horrible - to scan ahead in a song you have to drag your finger on some microscopic song bar, it doesn't let you shuffle the songs without hitting the shuffle song button, it puts podcasts off in a different section of the menu, the touch controls don't react the first time you touch them.

Storage issues - obviously, Apple was aware that their first batch of ipod touches were not worth the money - so they gave them away for free. The 8 GB hard drive is abhorrently insufficient. You can't even have any music if you want to have videos, or vice versa, or so it feels at least. In a day and age where hard drives are growing to gargantuan proportions, it is hard to have patience while they digress a decade in flash drive storage space. I say bring out the big guns and you will sell some crap.

Application usability - yes the ipod has a bunch of applications, but they are almost impossible to use. The keypad is such a pain to use, you have to sit there and punch each letter like a doofus; even more you have to concentrate like a ninja to not get a wrong letter. The internet application works, but it is weird to scan pages in microversion and then inflate small chunks of the page at a time. I guess you have to get used to it, but I'm not that desperate to get on the internet. Probably the biggest limitation of the ipod touch is its dependence on an outside network to connect to the network. That is why you buy an iphone - it unleashes all of the maps, mail, calendar, and browsing potential of the device.



Bottom Line: Its a good thing I got one for free, cause I still could never conceive of shelling out the money they want for an iphone or ipod touch. Apple just has to offer more to make it worthwhile.

Separated at Birth: Zooey Deschanel and Katy Perry?

I fell in love with Zooey Deschanel when i saw Elf for the first time. She is a viable actress who has recently teamed up with a reputable musician, M. Ward, to release her album entitled She & Him.
Apparently Katy Perry is using her uber-conservative upbringing and Zooey Deschanel-cloned genes to sell albums about her "equivocal" sexuality. And if she ever decides to kiss a girl again, she should give Zooey a call. But perhaps that's a bit too narcissistic.


While compiling these 2 photos together, i'm pretty sure I forgot which was which. So if you run into either of them, you can discuss music, acting, good looks, sexual preferences, and/or suntan lotion.

Movie Review: The Dark Knight

After receiving a free pass to see a Tuesday night screening of The Dark Knight at the IMAX theater, I nearly vomited and fell into a jubilee-induced coma. Let that set the stage for how excited I have been, for the past year, to see this film.
I'm a big Christopher Nolan fan. Memento is one of the best, most original films, I have ever seen. I even rented a movie called "Following" from Netflix just to support the Nolan cause. And Batman Begins far exceeded any expectation I could ever have had regarding a batman film, after the onslaught of over-the-top acting, leather, and batsuit nipples I had endured throughout the previous 5 or 6 batman films...
Most reviews say that this movie is terrific. They are correct. A few say that this film is: too dark; too long; too action-packed (seriously?); and too out-of-the-ordinary for a "superhero" film.
I say they're morons.
This was the best movie I have ever seen. Every element was outstanding. The acting was brilliant on all parts (not to mention how believably creepy and real Ledger portrayed the Joker), the music was dramatic but not too noticeable, the cinematography was perfectly dark, and the story was flawless.

And I'm not just saying this - go see it for yourself.

Every scene Ledger is in is transcended to a new level of intensity and is blessed with a poignant creepiness. It is impossible to ignore the Joker's lines; he is mezmerizingly insane and yet arousingly sympathetic as a character. He is mysterious at times, and perfectly justified at others. Needless to say, Ledger has given the performance of a lifetime here. And, on a side note, some reviewers have said that if Ledger receives an oscar for his performance, that it would be based on sentiment rather than on merit. I say prove it. Tell me who outdid Ledger. And tell me that you will not have a hard time forgetting those piercing images of his smeared makeup and maniacal smile out of your head.
The film is 152 minutes long (2.5 hours), but when it ends you will be left neither hungry nor replete. The plot development is perfectly appropriate, and at no point in the film do you stop to wonder when it will be over, as I do in so many films, even films I really enjoy.
The beauty of The Dark Knight is the realism of the characters - Bale plays a flawed man struggling with the needs of a dying city. That's who batman is. That's why this film works. None of the characters are superhuman. Batman tries new things, fails, and fixes his errors. Michael Caine and Morgan Freeman are perfectly cast and give outstanding performances (yet again), providing the perfect comic relief during a seemingly gloomy film.
Sure, this film is dark, but that's the whole point. Batman is not about being faster than a speeding bullet, nor does he turn into a 40-foot tall green CGI beast when he gets upset.
Yes, I'm a nerd.
Go see this film.
I've seen it twice already.

And I'm glad it will beat Spiderman 3's record; that movie was an embarrassment.

Tektonik brings the traffic

When I started MEGAVORE - I put a sitemeter tracker on the blog so that I could see how many people even read this piece of crap. Apparently, not very many, and most of those stumble on this site because of a small picture of some tektonic that I posted awhile back while talking about Deathwish records. Since then, in the few times I've checked the traffic to this site - it seems like most, if not all, is coming from people searching tecktonic or tektonic and finding that image, which leads them here.  Here's an even better one that I found:

That says a lot more about tektonic than it does us, or about the 20 some odd minutes I've probably spent watching effeminate men and women in their cinder block basements and awkward patios, or even cramped living rooms demonstrate their improvisational arm flinging skills.  

Tonight, I found this:

and I decided that I will never search for or watch another tektonic video so long as I live.  I just can't over whether these guys know what song exactly they are dancing to ... either way it is really disturbing.

Brief review: Cut Copy - In Ghost Colours

I just got the chance to download Cut Copy's latest album - In Ghost Colours, and I've been listening to it at least once a day for the last several days. This is one of the best complete albums that I've heard in a long time. Its not the most groundbreaking or even the most exciting album that I've heard lately, but it is just so solid - even more impressive given the fact that Cut Copy is treading so close to so many acts/genres and yet manage to completely own their sound. It is this poised confidence that in a way allows me to just relax and enjoy the music, which is masterfully interwoven with pretty much every element of good electronic music lately. Hats off to Cut Copy - I am planning on making a rare public appearance at their Urban Lounge show in SLC on May 2nd.

video refreshment....

Slug Review: Cursed

Megavore has been granted temporary anonymous status as an official SLUG reviewer.  They had me review Cursed's latest album, III:

Cursed = Cast Iron Hike, Cobra Noir, Converge

Cursed know how to brand woebegone hardcore. They are skilled in the ways of subversively satanic iconography, immoral typeface, and the “I should probably go to therapy cause I’m so messed up but instead I make creepy music” schtick. Moreover, they've maintained a keen awareness of nuanced hardcore authenticity that has elitists like me slowly nodding with approval. On III, Cursed plug in their Voxs, crawl into a dark (and probably totally haunted) basement, and cough up some thick and dirty audio. They’ve toned down their sometimes silly caricature-like horror aesthetic, and the cocksure hardcore rockabilly swagger of previous albums in place of a more no-nonsense, concentrated demonstration of a multifarious antipathy that is (perhaps at times too) reminiscent of Converge. I feel like Cursed is leading me further into their (still totally haunted) mansion of sound, and there are rooms yet worth exploring.

The view from the top of Mt. Everest

is boring!

I've seen better views from planes flying over Kansas.

i know now, i know now, i know now ...

that i am gay when i listen to this song.

Separated at birth: Carl Newman & Bobby Flay

Carl Newman: lead singer of the new pornographers.  released an impressive solo album that i was I thought was good for at least 2 weeks.

Carl Newman

Bobby Flay: really good chef, one of the only truly humble, tactful people on TV.  Just watch his food network show "showdown" and you'll see what I mean.

Bobby Flay

welcome ...

to Provo.

questions for the makers of Corn Pops...

Dear Corn Pops,

Why the silver bag?  Do corn pops emit some sort of radioactive transmission that it must be shielded with an aluminum lined bag?

Why no more commercials?  I haven't seen a corn pops commercial for what seems like years.  I never enjoyed corn pops commercials, particularly because there was no mascot - just a lame catch phrase ("gotta have my pops") and untold scenarios where people would go to awkwardly drastic measures to eat corn pops.

What the hell are corn pops?  They are the closest thing to packing peanuts I have ever eaten.  When one actually bites a chunky corn pop in two, the inside is practically foam.  Is that even a food product?  

What the hell do you mean by big yellow taste?  You say it on the box.  I don't like it when tastes are assigned a color.  You should at least attempt to relate your styrofoam cereal to food in some way, and big yellow taste does not do it.  What am I supposed to think when you say yellow taste?  Are you claiming that yellow simply equals the taste of corn pops?  If so, I'm not comfortable with your usurpation of an entire color's flavor.  

And lastly - what the hell is this about?

googling megavore .....

if you ever happen to enter megavore into google, in their pretentious nerdiness infinite wisdom they will ask you if you meant megastore?

 
if you meant to search for megastore and actually typed megavore ... you deserve to look at MEGAVORE

A Fine Frenzy - how can a band with a singer like this not get gigs?

Making a successful band isn't rocket science.  Especially when you have a lead singer as painfully beautiful as this girl.  The band is called A Fine Frenzy, but who cares.  The music is subpar, but honestly, watching this girl play is mesmerizing.  See for yourself: 

Peddar Zasquez predicts TV in 2008

Lost (ABC) The maniacal, ubiquitous series is back. The first two episodes mark a shift in perception as the show now flashes into the future instead of the past. There is much more intensity, less respite for the viewer because of the strangeness of the future lives of “the six”.

Prediction: Lost will lose steam halfway through this season and will become missing in its own delicious confusion.

In Treatment (HBO) Best known for his roles as a tough guy (The Usual Suspects) and Irish husband (Jindabyne), Gabriel Byrne puts on the suit of therapist and deals with people’s problems in a very raw format. There are no flashbacks, no severe editing. It is simply a therapist talking to a patient for a 30 minute session. The camera never fades or leaves the room.

Prediction: In Treatment will soon have a cult following, especially to anyone interested in the craft of acting.

Anthony Bourdain’s No Reservations (Travel) Peddar is years behind on this show. Anthony is the loveable asshole food critic whose goal is to consume the world. As an accomplished chef he is on a mission to test tradition. Surprisingly he often finds tradition to be the best solution to modern cuisine.

Prediction: Anthony Bourdain will continue to make enlightening and culture bending entertainment until he dies from eating Japanese blowfish or from liver disease.

Rock of Love 2 (VH1) At the end of the first season, Jes Rickleff was chosen as Bret Michael’s wife to be, but in the reunion special she admitted that Bret was probably not the one for her. Bret blamed it on her youth but I think we all know what the real reason was, i.e. she wasn’t slutty enough. This season is sure to be filled with buxomed wannabe brides hungry for Bret’s rock of love (money and fame).

Prediction: Bret will finally find that special combination of stripper/nurse/MILF that the network wants him to find.

cavities

Movie Review: There Will Be Blood

Usually I go to the movies to be entertained. The way I see it, as long as a movie keeps me entertained for a couple of hours, job well done; however, when a movie like "There Will Be Blood" comes along, it is hard to ignore. Only showing at select theaters, and rated R even though there's really nothing out of the PG-13 realm, TWBB definitely appeals to an older, more mature audience. Daniel Day-Lewis plays a blood-thirsty (pardon the pun) oil entrepreneur who doesn't care much for the trivialities of every-day life, and frankly doesn't give a crap about anyone else other than himself. The movie really captures his descent into complete and utter bastardom, which is brilliantly portrayed and impeccably acted. Seriously I don't think I've ever seen a more convincing acting job than Day-Lewis does in TWBB. If he does not get the oscar for best actor I will personally go to the house of each and every member of the academy and karate chop him or her in his or her throat. Paul Dano's portrayal of a zealous preacher is a tad over-the-top but appropriately so.
This film is also visually stunning, nailing the intensity of the oil-drilling business while capturing the subtleties of rural life. Jonny Greenwood deserves the highest honors as well for his OST; his compositions were brilliant and perfectly followed the themes in the film. The unorthodox sounds used to create tension and uneasiness were a welcome change.
I know it's 2.5 hours long but it will feel like you hopped in the delorean and took a quick stroll around the parking lot. Stupid reference? Yes.
Go out and see this movie right now.

Amazing Remix: The Presets - My People (D.I.M. Remix)

The power of a good remix is the fusion of two powerful creative forces to create something of a bastard child of monstrous proportions.  D.i.m.'s remix of The Presets's My People is a triumphant remix in that it is so much better than The Preset's original version, and pops so much more than anything d.i.m. does on his own.  I'll admit the bridge from minute 3 to about minute 4:30 is rather tedious, but it comes back with such a pulsing compression that rivals any Ed Banger artist.

The Constable's January Playlist

I thought I'd take a second to document what new or slightly new music I've been particularly fond of in the month of January 2008. 

BenoÎt Pioulard 

album: precis

genre: frenchy folky ambient

description: BP sounds like if Andrew Bird and Chris Richards of Ris Paul Ric (also of Q and not U fame) spawned a love child. The music is mostly acoustic, with really quality ambient elements - some songs are just beautiful abstract ambient stuff. The best part of BP is his distinctive haunting sound that I really enjoy. 

Cobra Noir

genre: unadulterated grimy garage drone hardcore 

description: what stands out to me most about Cobra Noir might not stand out to most: the drumming.  Give these drums a good listen - there is something so pure about the simple yet driving beats that give Cobra Noir to me that push towards authenticity that keeps bringing me back.  Also, their formula of dark garage drone-core is really what I've been looking for these days.

Health

genre: post post core

description: Health sounds like a mix between my all time favorite band as of late - Liars - and another band that just released a horrible 2nd album XRXBX.  I can tell just by listening to these guys that they don't take themselves seriously, but not in an ironic - we're so cool we can make fun of ourselves way, rather in a we have the confidence to experiment with new patterns and sounds sort of way, and that is seriously refreshing.  I will note, there are a few moments that sound a lot like the Locust, which is not a good thing, and on the whole forgivable.

Johan Hedberg

genre: swedish pop-core

description: Johan Hedberg sounds like a mix between Stereo Total and Erlend Oye (the guy from Kings of Convenience).  However, his blend of jingly jangly electronimetrics is enough to have me returning for repeated doses.

Sightings

genre: post-experimental

description: I keep my recent finds on shuffle and Sightings continually keeps me checking to see who is responsible for the audible splogasm bursting in my ears.  They sound like a mix between Mixel Pixel and Black Dice but really way better than either (or both as you will).  I would even go so far as to replace Mixel Pixel with the Liars.  They are just the kind of diy noise-core type of post-experimental music that I've been looking for these days.

The Teenagers

genre: adolescent sentimental core

description: these guys are from France, and they seem to specialize in heavily accented narratives to accompany their caricature-like tributes to gushing teenage sentimentality.  however, The Teenagers are apt to inject all sorts of dirty horny guy take advantage of girl lines.  listen carefully.