‘Shutter Island’ has a mind of its own

When you go to see a movie that seems to promise a mix of “One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest” and “Escape from Alcatraz,” you expect a fair amount of twists and turns. Read more

Silent voices from secret places

The SCAD community witnessed two moving performances of “The Vagina Monologues” Feb. 18-19. Read more

Butch Walker’s ‘No Heart’ has plenty to spare

Georgia native Butch Walker may be the best rock musician you’ve never heard of — at least not as a solo artist. A veteran of the music industry and a producer/collaborator with such acts as Pink, Weezer and All-American Rejects, Walker couldn’t sound further from the more popular names he’s helped reach heights higher than he. A unique amalgamation of folk, rock and indie, Walker has slowly built a small following of cult fans. Now with the release of his fifth solo record, “I Liked You Better When You Had No Heart,” Walker is poised to gain more followers.

You might know him as the guy who did that cover of Taylor Swift’s “You Belong With Me” and was subsequently invited to play with Swift at last month’s Grammys. But what does Walker sound like doing his own stuff? Sincere. Walker has made a clear effort in his indie career — he spent the ’80s and ’90s in a succession of bands — to not be pinned down to any one genre. It’s like the old Osmond saying, “a little bit country, a little bit rock and roll,” but not as cheesy.

In past albums and in the new one, his songs speak from the heart about life’s ups and downs. Even when he and his band are having fun and writing about stock subjects, the lyrics come from experience. It leaves a bigger imprint on the listener than songs built around catchy-but-empty three-line hooks. But one listens for more than lyrics; the music that accompanies the words is just as appealing.

Compared to his previous album, “Sycamore Meadows” — bonus points if you know what we’re talking about — “No Heart” definitely has more bounce in its step. More hopeful than “Sycamore,” it has the energy of earlier solo efforts, but builds off the content and feel of his later work. The title of the album is a mystery. It’s not the title of any song on the record and of those eleven songs, not one lacks a modicum of heart. It features a mix of upbeat rock-pop numbers that should stand well as singles. With experimental genre-mixing tunes that draw from recent folk elements, and the occasional slower heartfelt ballad that finds its way into each of his albums, “No Heart” is less roller coaster than tour bus. It takes listeners through a variety of sounds that mesh well together.

Album highlights include, “She Likes Hair Bands,” a sometimes humorous pining for a girl; “House of Cards,” an upbeat jam session with a bit of twang; “They Don’t Know What We Know,” a mish-mash of folk and power rock; and “Temporary Title,” which is arguably the best tune of the bunch with a speedy mix of guitar solos, “woah-ohs” and catchy hooks. Singling out these tracks seems somewhat wrong given the overall strength of the work here, but newcomers would be wise to sample the above tunes before delving into the full album.

Who knows? You might add to the growing list of fans. If not, well at least you’ll know the answer to a future Trivial Pursuit question about Taylor Swift.

“I Liked You Better When You Had No Heart” will be released Tuesday, Feb. 23.

‘Lost’ redeems frequent flyer miles for final season surprises

On Sept. 22, 2004, Oceanic Flight 815 disappeared over the Pacific. On Feb. 2, 2010, it landed safely in Los Angeles.

And so begins the end of a six-year journey with television’s most ambitious drama.

After a season finale in which the writer’s literally made it so that anything — even a polar bear riding a tricycle out of the jungle — could fall in line with the show canon, Read more

‘IRM’ has magnetic resonance

After collaborating with Air on her previous album, Charlotte Gainsbourg’s Francophone dream-pop has since undergone a darker transformation. Musical experimentation with Beck and medical procedures following a waterskiing accident gave birth to Gainsbourg’s most recent brainchild, “IRM” (the French acronym for MRI).

Gone are the tender, hesitant vocals; they’ve been replaced by odd assertions, dark whispers and in-your-face eccentric thoughts that harbor unsettling elements on every track. “IRM” wanders heedlessly on the line of the surreal. And while Beck’s hand is detectable throughout the album, it serves primarily as a ground for her otherwise day-dreamy cloud walk through clear and stormy.

Beck and Gainsbourg collaborate on “Heaven Can Wait,” but the nature of this track is most fully revealed in the jarring, yet inviting, bizarreness of the music video. The song poses a carefree and upbeat attitude, yet the video speaks of everyday instances misshapen and malformed, so they are alien and familiar at once. Its brevity belies its impact, as the collection of scenes is the equivalent of experiencing an entire art gallery in less than three minutes. The real disconnect is the abruptness and lack of resolution. As a cinematic device, it develops a yearning for more. A yearning that is never fulfilled.

In a later track, “La Collectionneuse”, Gainsbourg strikes this chord again, but in a more subtle, meditative way than the video’s abusive push-pull. Lyrics like, “I add up all these moments/In a long narrow ledger/Decimals of pain/Integers of pleasure,” add to the album’s essence — little bits of otherworldly thoughts that are recognizable yet irresolvable.

Even though “IRM” seems trapped in this emotional, dream-like netherworld, it meshes and plays well, just as Beck and Gainsbourg’s collaboration does. It sounds both candid and elegant. “Time of the Assassins” demonstrates this the most. In it, Gainsbourg muses, “And can something change/And still feel the same/The beginning’s the end/I start all over again.”

“IRM” was released Jan. 28 and is available streaming on Charlotte Gainsbourg’s Web site.

Give it a try. You’ll feel right at home in a place you’ve never been.

Rise from your grave: Vampire Weekend, Take 2

Vampire Weekend’s 2007’s self-titled album received polarized responses with very few left in the middle ground. It was either detested with hipster-hating rage or embraced as quirky indie-rock. Whichever side of the battle you found yourself on, a general consensus was that the album seemed more of an in-process wordplay than the result of a progressive exploration.

But even among the band’s dissidents, Vampire Weekend’s latest album, “Contra,” is seen as a significant step up from its first attempt. The gestalt of the album seems appropriately engineered for both the intent musical analyst — as it’s lyrically rich — and likewise workable as mindless white noise.

The tracks incorporate random elements and blend clever, careful wordplay with pseudo-intellectual namechecking. The lyrics cover everything from feudal Japan (“Your Tokugawa smile/And your garbage style/Used to save the night”) to a typeface (“She’d never seen the word BOMBS blown up/To 96 point Futura”) and natural toothpaste (“But she use real toothpaste/Cuz if that Tom’s don’t work/If it just makes you worse/Would you loose all of you faith in the good Earth?”).

“Horchata” starts the album with mellow Caribbean-inspired electro beats that layer and evolve as the song progresses. The drumbeats that follow the chorus provide a pleasant contrast with both the toy piano accompaniments and the beat drop-off after it ends. It makes it a prime opening track to set the album’s pace.

“White Sky” initiates with a curious Tetris-like beat — appropriate, given the retro-gaming title of the album. It also successfully blends musical elements. “Holiday” is audibly more tame in comparison, but it is still chock-full of brilliant wording.

In a word, “California English” is weird, but in the best of ways. Never would it seem that the contrast of Auto-Tuned lyrics and orchestral melodies would mesh, but it synthesizes for an enjoyable sound fused with a rolling, playful drumbeat woven throughout the track.

“Taxi Cab” is a cooldown from the anxious, playful pace of the previous track, and the toy piano returns with a vengeance. Despite the subdued pace, the lyrics reveal something significantly less childlike and naive: “You’re not a victim/But neither am I/Nostalgic for garbage/Desperate for time/I could blame it on your mother’s head/Or the colors that you father wears/But I know that I was never fair/You were always fine.” The words come like moments-too-late-thoughts — the sort of familiar mind fodder that only comes once a relationship has crumbled.

“Run” seems like a continuation of this same runaway train of thought, but bends itself into a slightly more upbeat theme.

The rest of the album is just as solid. And although VW’s cunning lyrics seem compulsory — like they’re trying a bit too hard to come up with another word for one they’ve already used — “Contra” demonstrates a polished, clever charm. Vampire Weekend still possesses a sharp delineation between the lovers and haters, but both may admit “Contra” is a tuned and developed composition of musical and lyrical fun. It stays true to the band’s unique quirky and playful sound.

The album was released Jan. 12, and is available streaming for free at the band’s Web site (http://www.vampireweekend.com).

The unlikely return of ‘Chuck’

NBC hasn’t had a lot of good news these days. With all the chaos going on with the NBC’s scheduling, the strong ratings for the improbable third season of “Chuck” are a bright spot for the beleaguered network. The story behind the show’s journey to Monday nights is a testament to the devotion of fans — and the power of advertising.

After squandering the momentum of a post-Super Bowl episode, the show’s ratings fell during the last half of its ’08-’09 season. By the season finale, the show’s hopes were grim. With NBC then adopting a Jay Leno brushfire burning up a third of the weekly schedule, it looked like the action-comedy was a goner. But strong fan response online, paired with a Subway promotion that mirrored “Jericho,” saved “Chuck” from termination.

Now that the show has returned with an expanded series order, how has it fared versus budget cuts and a nine-month break? The answer, to steal from one of the show’s characters, is “awesome.”

The basic premise hasn’t changed since we last wrote about the show 15 months ago. The title character, a hapless nerd-turned-super spy, has slowly eased into his new role as mission hero. The Intersect, the computer of government secrets embedded in poor Chuck’s head, has been upgraded from mere knowledge to secret skills and random bouts of kung fu chops. Although this twist, unveiled as at the end of last season, threatened to take everything loyal fans love about Zachary Levi’s character, it has so far been implemented with skill. The Intersect 2.0 can only function when Chuck is level headed, and the skills he can access range from combat to escape.

Whether you watch the show for the spy missions, for the romantic angles or for the fun of it, there’s something for everyone.

The premiere episode was clunky, with Chuck in the wilderness for months after being fired, but it was a nice nod to the show’s revival and return to action. The “Chuck” still relies too heavily on the will-they-won’t-they relationship between Chuck and his fellow spy Sarah. But now that their relationship has to remain platonic for Chuck to keep his emotions in check, there is  hope for either a resolution or a détente.

With a reduced number of episodes this season, the pace of the plot is tighter, but in the end this is a standalone show with weekly missions and stock villainy. In fact, the scope of the show is expanding. Chuck is easing into his role as a spy, even as more and more of his personal life is brought into the fold.

“Chuck” is a wonderful mix of spy show, comedy, geeky humor and romance. It’s a quality show to start the workweek, and the high-profile guest stars lined up for later in the season add to that quality. Thanks to vocal fans, a desperate network, and now a lack of other successes at NBC, hopes are high for this Monday-night escape. Initial ratings are, by NBC standards, strong. Even though signs are good for more “Chuck” beyond April, anyone interested should tune in, and check out past episodes online. For “Chuck” newcomers, the pilot of the show is available through this weekend.

“Chuck” airs Monday nights at 8 p.m. on NBC. Online streams are available on Hulu the night after airing.

The decade in programming: TV’s five best

So, the holidays are over and a new decade is in full swing. Now in its second week, the new year offers plenty of new shows and returning events to keep the average tube viewers glued to their screens. The return of “24,” “American Idol,” “Lost,” and new episodes of your other favorite shows are right around the corner. But until they air, one would be remiss to not give the previous decade credit for producing some hugely important entertainment. Not every show can make the list, but the following five shows all had a lasting impact in their respective categories and continue to exert influence in the current climate. So without further ado, here is our pick for the five best shows of the last decade:

“Survivor”
Mark Burnett’s island competition was the granddaddy of reality shows, and the precursor to all the races, deals and idols of the non-immunity kind that would follow. Still a winner in its 19th season, “Survivor” has had enough innovations and participants willing to backstab and survive in the world’s most exotic locales to fuel the show’s continued success. And although few seasons have anything as memorable as that first final Tribal Council, the viewers have spoken and the show’s torch burns strong.

“Lost”
Sure, “The Sopranos” opened the decade with the notion that television could tackle serious shows with high production values. But it was J.J. Abrams and Damon Lindelof’s labyrinthine drama about a plane crash on a mysterious island that really brought the maturing of the medium into the mainstream. With enough hidden clues, literary and cultural nods and layers of substance for the show’s (dwindling, yet diehard) fans to devour, “Lost” was the first show that demanded the most from its viewers, both on the TV screen and on the Internet. With the show’s much-hyped final season coming in February, this TV phenomenon aims to go out on a high note.

“Arrested Development”
This cult-favorite comedy may have lasted only three short seasons, but its tone and comedy continue to shine. Chronicling a spoiled, rich California family, the Fox sitcom won Emmys, hearts and minds with its sight gags and sharp writing. Rewarding loyal viewers with jokes and numerous callbacks to previous material, “Arrested Development” demands repeat viewings that still make you laugh the third time through. The show enshrined the wacky approach to comedy that can be best seen these days in sitcoms like “30 Rock” and “Community.”

“The Office”
The American version of Ricky Gervais’ British comedy, “The Office” managed to maintain that show’s dry, sardonic look at life for those stuck between the fluorescent lights and copy machines. Building on the original premise and ushering in the now plentiful “mockumentary” narrative structure, the American “Office” remains the anchor in NBC’s otherwise weak lineup. Copied best by the freshman sitcom “Modern Family,” “The Office” showed TV that there’s plenty to laugh at in everyday life.

“The Daily Show”/“The Colbert Report”
Two sides of the same coin, Comedy Central’s pair of faux-news giants have gone from cable obscurity in the early 2000s to the go-to source for many to get their daily news fix. Whichever brand of sarcasm-tinged current events you prefer, the fact that a majority of young adults get their news from a pair of over-the-top comedians is nothing short of amazing. With Stephen Colbert mounting a brief “presidential” run and broadcasting from Iraq last year, it doesn’t appear that he or John Stewart will be fading back into obscurity any time soon. Which is a good thing, because in this hyperpolarized political environment, everyone deserves a little laugh.

‘V’ stands for vapid

This really isn’t the best season for science fiction series. “Dollhouse” is all but a goner. New “Lost” episodes are months away. With “FlashForward” unable to take full potential of its great premise and “Fringe” and “Heroes” taking a beating in the ratings, it falls to ABC’s new remake of “V” to take the reigns of viability for genre shows. It is the latest series to try to provide a major-network science fiction program for “Lost” fans to migrate to when that show concludes its run in May. Unfortunately, this is proving to be a hard task. Although “V” has its merits, it is no “Lost” replacement.

A remake of the cult-hit miniseries from the 1980s, the basic premise of “V” is one of the oldest in the book of sci-fi tropes: Aliens (known as the Vs, for visitors) come to Earth and unleash chaos on our planet. The aliens arrive in spaceships, one over all the major cities. They declare their arrival an accident and claim they come in peace. Meanwhile, the humans start a resistance against their new oppressors.

The old miniseries was less loved for its premise, and more for its cheesiness, bad effects and the big twist that the aliens posing as humans are really lizards. This modern day “V” takes about 40 minutes to reveal that twist, something the older series took several episodes to unveil.

Both versions of the show are also heavy on the social commentary. The creators of the 80s “V” slip in not-so-subtle criticisms on World War II fascism, drawing a parallel between the actions of the Vs and Hilter’s Germany. Obviously, that message would not resonate as well with the television viewers of today, so to compensate, the producers of the new “V” series modernize it. Although there are plenty of parallels to the war on terror, more obvious (and some would say, jarring) are lines of dialogue referencing the current political climate. When characters make mention of the Vs providing universal health care and speak about the ever-popular words “hope” and “change”, it seems less like pointed social commentary and more like blatant pandering.

Partially effective messages would be easier to overlook if plot development unfolded at a manageable pace. After blazing through two weeks of time in the pilot, the following episode moved almost glacially. The potential aftermath of aliens promising technology and good will to a skeptical humanity opens up many threads to be explored. So far there is a good idea in tying faith to the invasion, but getting there requires sitting through domestic drama and yawn-worthy FBI investigations.

Character development is also lacking in what is becoming a trend among freshman dramas. With a treasure trove of nerd-friendly casting — including “Lost” alumna Elizabeth Mitchell, Alan Tudyk of “Firefly,” and Morena Baccarin — “V” doesn’t suffer from lack of talent. Baccarin is perfect in her role as the evil alien leader Anna, and Scott Wolf’s journalist character has the biggest potential for development. Any problems here are the fault of writers, who could think of nothing better for Mitchell’s character’s son to do than ogle an attractive alien girl on the mothership for an episode and a half.

It may sound a bit harsh to harp on “V” for not doing much only two episodes in, but there are two things working against the show. First, ABC has decided to only show four episodes during November before putting the show on a winter hiatus. The expectations of how fast the show should progress are higher. Secondly, with the room to explore themes and plot points further than the original miniseries, it is disappointing that “V” has instead chosen to move faster in pace, glossing over the details. No amount of slick production value and good source material will be able hide the reptile under the facade.

“V” airs Tuesdays at 8 p.m. on ABC through Nov. 24, then returns in March.

Shinedown needs no “Second Chance”

By Nadine Lindberg

Tired of ho-hum mainstream music? Bored to tears with whatever is in heavy rotation whenever you dare to turn? Do you want to be blown away and have your eardrums follow suit? Try Shinedown on for size, recently nominated for Favorite Alternative Rock Artist at the 2009 American Music Awards. Lead singer Brent Smith took hold of the show with his powerhouse voice with fan favorites such as, “Second Chance,” “Fly From the Inside” and “45″ while the group played at the Bell Auditorium in Augusta, Ga. on Oct. 19. Following alongside him were Berry Kerch on drums, Zach Myers on lead and rhythm guitar and Eric Bass on bass. Together they are match made in musical heaven. It took little effort for the band to get the crowd jumping, screaming and singing along. The show didn’t disappoint, so don’t miss them live the next time they come to town.

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