Spotlight On: Dead Sara

For my return to music-related posts, I’d like to focus on the primary up-and-coming band in rock: Dead Sara.  To help justify the strange band name, it’s a homage to the Fleetwood Mac track “Sara.”  Dead Sara has been around as a four-piece group (originally started by vocalist Emily Armstrong and guitarist Siouxsie Medley) for almost ten years, but they didn’t see any widespread acclaim until they released their debut self-titled LP in 2012.

The members of Dead Sara (Armstrong, Medley, bassist Chris Null, and drummer Sean Friday) list their biggest influences as Led Zeppelin, Nirvana, and Rage Against the Machine, and their music does sound like an amalgamation of these three (very different) sounds.  In 2012 Dead Sara reached a mainstream audience, thanks to the lead single off Dead Sara, entitled “Weatherman.”  While certainly not Dead Sara’s best song, this track is undoubtedly their most well-known.

I think Dead Sara is most similar to Nirvana.  Armstrong sings with a raw quality that is comparable to Kurt Cobain (think of Nirvana’s “Pennyroyal Tea”).  And Medley performs riffs that are simple but very effective.  When Nirvana was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2014, female musicians like Lorde, St. Vincent, and Kim Gordon sung Nirvana tracks.  An Armstrong/Medley combination would have been much more powerful.  The most evident Nirvana influence on Dead Sara comes from the track “Lemon Scent.”

But my favorite Dead Sara song is “Test On My Patience.”  In the last few years, it’s become increasingly difficult to find rock bands that don’t rely on modern technology, or lean towards more financially prosperous avenues, like pop.  Dead Sara is unequivocally real and sincere.  Also, here’s a live acoustic version that has a more toned-back sound.

To complement their heavier sound on tracks like “Weatherman,” “Lemon Scent,” and “Test On My Patience,” Dead Sara has released ballads like “Dear Love” and “Sorry For it All.”  “Dear Love” is a particularly good song, with a memorable chorus.

Dead Sara is due to release it’s sophomore album, Pleasure to Meet You, this March.  They have released their first single from the record, “Mona Lisa,” which expands upon their first album while adding a bit of jazz beat.

Other good Dead Sara songs to check out: “Timed Blues” and “Whispers and Ashes.”  Unfortunately their cover of Nirvana’s “Heart-Shaped Box” doesn’t cut it for me; no one can adequately cover a Nirvana song.  Kurt’s voice is just too unique and passionate.

Update

I will try to return to posting on this blog, though not quite as regularly as I had two weeks ago.  After settling in Auckland, New Zealand, I have had a lot to do.  Unlike my statements from my original posts, I have decided I will not use this blog for my thoughts and experiences in New Zealand.  This blog will be primarily for rock music and movies opinion pieces.  But I’ll post one picture from the amazing landscape that is New Zealand:

So, the Oscars just ended a few days ago.  In comparison to my previous post, I agree with the Academy only on Best Supporting Actor (J.K.Simmons for Whiplash).  And Birdman ended up sweeping the board (Best Picture, Best Director, Best Original Screenplay).  I would have been much more satisfied if The Imitation Game had pulled the same feat (although with Best Adapted Screenplay instead of Original Screenplay).  And I would have felt better if Whiplash, Wild, or Foxcatcher had received the biggest prize in film.  Not to say Birdman isn’t an interesting movie (and it certainly provides great acting and unique cinematography), but it should not have won all of those awards.

But the Academy never seems to give Best Picture accolades to my favorite movies.  12 Years a Slave was a really great movie, but I would rather have seen the Oscar go to Gravity in 2014.  In 2013, there is no reason why Argo should have won the prestigious award, especially when films like Silver Lining Playbook and Lincoln were nominated.  In fact, I haven’t agreed with the Academy’s choices for Best Picture since 2007, when The Departed won (although even then there were rumors that the Academy gave the prize to The Departed partly because Martin Scorsese had yet to win Best Picture).  In 2012, Beginners should have received the award (however, I have not seen The Artist).  Same goes for 2011 (Inception instead of The King’s Speech), 2010 (Inglourious Basterds over The Hurt Locker), 2009 (The Dark Knight over Slumdog Millionare), and 2008 (when Rescue Dawn should have squeaked by No Country for Old Men).

Kia Ora

Oscars 2015

Today I’d like to shift gears a bit, and talk about something other than rock music.  The 2015 Academy Awards are next Sunday, February 22nd, and because I will be just arriving in New Zealand over that weekend, I will not be able to write this post then.  I would like to consider myself an amateur movie critic; I watch a lot of movies every year, including blockbusters, Oscar contenders, and some more obscure films.  With this post I will make my own Oscars list, based on my opinions about movies released in 2014.

Granted, since I am not a professional movie critic, I do not have the capability to watch all movies with awards potential.  In terms of films nominated for one of the major categories at this year’s Oscars, I have not seen The Theory of Everything, American Sniper, Selma, Gone Girl, Still Alice, or Into the Woods.

Best Picture:

Captain America: The Winter Soldier

Edge of Tomorrow

Foxcatcher

Interstellar

The Imitation Game

Two Days, One Night

Whiplash

Wild

Without any doubt, Interstellar and The Imitation Game are my favorite films of 2014.  Christopher Nolan is my favorite director, and I would place Interstellar in the same category as The Dark Knight and Inception, two of my favorite movies of all time.  Like all Nolan movies (with the possible exception of the slightly overrated The Dark Knight Rises), Interstellar necessitates a significant amount of thought to keep up with the plot, and I enjoy intellectually stimulating films.  There are very few films that make me tear up at several different points in the movie, and Interstellar is one of them.  And the visual effects are absolutely phenomenal.

The Imitation Game is an amazing true story.  Benedict Cumberbatch is astounding as Alan Turing, showcasing why he is a great actor outside of BBC’s Sherlock.  And Keira Knightley, who I couldn’t stand in The Pirates of the Caribbean, was exceptional in both significant movies she was in this year: The Imitation Game and Begin Again.  Every part of this film is sensational, and it is very difficult to place it behind Interstellar.  While Gravity and Captain Phillips were two of my favorite films in 2013 or any other year, if The Imitation Game had been released in 2011 or 2012, it would certainly have been my favorite movie of the year.  The real life Alan Turing was one of the most amazing and influential people of the 20th century, yet he was subjected to unimaginable hate and torment for his homosexuality.  This is one of the few scenarios where watching a movie leads me to read the book, instead of the other way around.

The unusual choices on my list here are Captain America and Edge of Tomorrow.  I don’t understand why these kinds of movies are always shunned by the Academy.  Yes, Captain America: The Winter Soldier is a superhero blockbuster, but it plays out like an action thriller, and includes a good plot and dialogue.  Edge of Tomorrow was the most underrated film of 2014, losing money at the box office.  If you look past the decision to give the main character’s role to Tom Cruise, who has been failing to attract moviegoers outside of the Mission Impossible franchise for a while now, it is an awesome, high-paced thriller.

My honorable mentions go out to the hilarious 22 Jump Street (which avoided the sequel burden by making fun of it), Begin Again, St. Vincent, and The Judge.  I saw three Academy Best Picture nominees that did not make this list: Birdman, Boyhood, and The Grand Budapest Hotel.  Birdman features incredible acting and groundbreaking cinematography, but falls far short for me due to its strange plot, overreaching score, and lack of likable characters.  Boyhood is interesting, because of the unique process in which it was made, but in no way was I enthralled with the storyline or greatly vested in the character’s situations.  And The Grand Budapest Hotel was like any Wes Anderson film: way too weird for my liking.  I have never enjoyed any of Anderson’s movies, especially The Royal Tenenbaums and The Squid and the Whale.  While The Grand Budapest Hotel is visually striking, everything else about the movie lacks the quality I think would be necessary for an Oscar nominee.

Best Actor:

Benedict Cumberbatch (The Imitation Game)

Bill Murray (St. Vincent)

Channing Tatum (Foxcatcher)

Miles Teller (Whiplash)

Steve Carell (Foxcatcher)

2014 was a banner year for main actor performances.  There are many actors that are also deserving of recognition, including Michael Keaton (Birdman), Matthew McConaughey (Interstellar), and Bill Hader (The Skeleton Twins).  It was really difficult to choose between Murray and Hader for the last spot on the nominations list.  But Benedict Cumberbatch rose above the rest, with his magnum opus in The Imitation Game.  Cumberbatch is undoubtedly a great actor, as evidenced by the miniseries Sherlock, and this was the perfect role for him.  It’s such an emotional storyline, and Cumberbatch is so memorable in the film.  It helps that the true story of Alan Turing is so poignant and relevant.  Carell certainly deserves second place, with his transformative performance in Foxcatcher.  It’s hard to believe this was the same actor who brought us the legendary Michael Scott.  Channing Tatum was severely underrated in Foxcatcher, and had arguably the most physically demanding job of any actor in the film.  Bill Murray was his usual hilarious and grumpy self (a little bit like Lost in Translation), and Miles Teller proved himself to be a future star with his drumming performance in Whiplash.

Best Actress:

Emily Blunt (Edge of Tomorrow)

Keira Knightley (Begin Again)

Kristen Wiig (The Skeleton Twins)

Marion Cotillard (Two Days, One Night)

Reese Witherspoon (Wild)

I’d give this award to Reese Witherspoon, in her singularly powerful movie Wild.  In terms of entertainment, Wild didn’t quite live up to my expectations (I was hoping for a greater emphasis on hiking and nature), but Witherspoon certainly contributed an Oscar-worthy performance.  My silver medal would go to Marion Cotillard, who is one of my favorite actresses (Inception, Midnight in Paris, etc.).  The idea for the plot of Two Days, One Night was risky, because the plight of the movie fell directly on the shoulders of the main actress.  Cotillard made the movie great, and certainly deserved the relatively surprising nomination she received from the Academy.  Keira Knightley stepped out of her comfort zone and sang in the musical/drama Begin Again, Kristen Wiig appropriately alternated between humor and depression in The Skeleton Twins, and Emily Blunt showed that having a female lead in an action movie can be a great decision.

Best Supporting Actor:

Edward Norton (Birdman)

Ethan Hawke (Boyhood)

J.K. Simmons (Whiplash)

Mark Ruffalo (Foxcatcher)

Robert Duvall (The Judge)

This is the only scenario in which I strongly agree with the probable Oscar decision.  J.K. Simmons won best supporting actor at the Golden Globes, and is the favorite for this Oscar.  His tyrannical performance in Whiplash certainly was the defining moment in his career, and he stole every scene he was in.  Edward Norton added another exceptional acting performance in Birdman, my favorite of his since Fight Club.  Ethan Hawke was the best actor in the 12-year epic Boyhood, and Mark Ruffalo and Robert Duvall both deserve the nominations they received.

After writing this section of my post, I checked the Academy Awards website to see their nominations, and was surprised to see that my nominations were the same as theirs.  While my nominations include two Oscar nominees in both Best Actor and Best Actress, and three in Best Supporting Actress, somehow I ended up with the same ballot as the Academy for Best Supporting Actor.

Best Supporting Actress:

Anne Hathaway (Interstellar)

Emma Stone (Birdman)

Jessica Chastain (Intersteller)

Keira Knightley (The Imitation Game)

Patricia Arquette (Boyhood)

So it’s pretty obvious that I loved Interstellar.  Jessica Chastain and Anne Hathaway are both good actresses, and Christopher Nolan made a great decision in casting both.  Chastain was not in as many scenes as Hathaway, but she took advantage of the screen time she was given, adding even more emotion to a beautiful script.  Emma Stone was also remarkable in Birdman, a film that required amazing actors due to its extremely long scenes.  She rightly received her first Oscar nomination for the film, after starring in some of my favorite movies from the 2000’s (Zombieland!!!).  I gave Keira Knightley two nominations (the other was as Best Actress for Begin Again), and she complimented Benedict Cumberbatch in one of the best acted films of the year.  For my last nomination I went with Patricia Arquette for Boyhood.  Arquette won the Golden Globe, and Laura Dern (Wild) was nominated by the Academy, but I think both of their performances were overrated.  Arquette was certainly good in Boyhood, but she wasn’t too memorable, especially compared to Ethan Hawke.

Best Director:

Christopher Nolan (Interstellar)

Damien Chazelle (Whiplash)

Doug Liman (Edge of Tomorrow)

Joe & Anthony Russo (Captain America: The Winter Soldier)

Morten Tyldum (The Imitation Game)

I love Christopher Nolan movies, but The Imitation Game was so flawlessly directed that I have to choose Morten Tyldum.  Tyldum is a Norwegian director who actually made his English language debut for The Imitation Game.  Thanks to his directing in the film, Tyldum has been attached to direct a potentially ambitious sci-fi movie (called Passengers) in which Jennifer Lawrence and Chris Pratt are possible lead actors.  I love Interstellar for its visuals, emotion, and intellect, and I love The Imitation Game for its plot and dialogue.  You can’t go wrong either way.

Of course, I highly doubt the Academy shares my opinions about 2014’s movies (you need to check out this article about Oscar voters).  Last year, I though Tom Hanks’ performance in Captain Phillips was definitely deserving of a third Oscar for my favorite actor.  He wasn’t even nominated.  So, I’m almost certain the only consistency between my rankings and the Academy come next Sunday will be J.K. Simmons’ win for Whiplash.

The 3rd Album Curse

I still haven’t left for New Zealand yet, and actually spent the last few days in Washington, D.C. (you can really lose track of time in the National Gallery).  But now that I’m back and waiting for the inevitable 20 hours on a plane, I can return to a few more blog posts.

I made a realization about albums that seems to prevalent to be totally coincidental.  There are a significant number of bands (over the past 25 years) who have greatly altered their sound with their third full-length LP albums.  Here are some examples:

Sick Puppies is probably the most blatant example of this phenomenon.  Though the band had been around for a while in their home country, Australia, the Sick Puppies never made any international impact until they moved to the U.S., releasing their first LP in 2007.  This album, Dressed Up As Life, and their 2009 effort, Tri-Polar, catapulted the band towards becoming on the best new acts in rock music.  They were mainstream enough to be liked by the general public, while still providing an essential hard rock sound and vibe on hit tracks like “My World” and “You’re Going Down.”  My personal favorite, “Odd One,” helped me appreciate their music, and enjoy the concert I saw with Sick Puppies opening for Seether.  But, in 2013 Sick Puppies released Connect, which was radically different from Sick Puppies’ previous records.  In an instant, Sick Puppies went from modern rock with hard rock roots to an alternative rock band bordering on pop in several tracks.  Here’s an example: “Connect.”  In the past few months, Sick Puppies bassist Emma Anzai and drummer Mark Goodwin fired the vocalist, Shimon Moore (who has had drug problems).  We’ll see what musical direction Sick Puppies takes in the future.

Another popular example of changing musical style on a third album comes from Linkin Park.  While not one of my favorite bands from the early 2000’s, Linkin Park had a distinctive sound that featured hard rock energy.  The band’s first two albums, Hybrid Theory and Meteora, were essentially a mixture of nu metal (like Korn or NIN) and rap metal (in the RAtM model).  However, with their third record, Minutes to Midnight, Linkin Park switched to a more mainstream sound, focusing on my radio-friendly music and less creativity and experimentation.  In essence, Linkin Park went from refreshingly unique (“By Myself“) to commercially focused, and sometimes strange (“The Catalyst“).

One more upsetting example considers Black Veil Brides.  Now, most people either love or hate this band, and personally I don’t understand the eternal love expressed by the diehards.  But the band’s first album was great (“Knives and Pens,” “Sweet Blasphemy,” etc.), and the second had its good moments (“Saviour“).  BVB combined never-ending guitar solos with Andy Biersack’s mixture of clean vocals and guttural screams, to great effect.  But Black Veil Brides’ third album, Wretched and Divine, commenced a change of direction for the band.  All focus seemed to be placed on sweeping rock anthems, complete with repetitive choruses and a lack of differentiation.  This change included songs like “Revelation,” and were magnified in the band’s next, self-titled album.

Now looking at third albums from a different perspective, some bands become admirable to me only by their third record.  Avenged Sevenfold was definitively hardcore in their first two albums, Sounding the Seventh Trumpet and Waking the Fallen.  Their third album, City of Evil, signaled a new era in the band’s musical history, as they became more focused on a hard rock/metal sound, like their idols Metallica and Black Sabbath.  The current Avenged Sevenfold sound, like “Seize the Day” and “Buried Alive,” are much different in sound than tracks like “Chapter Four.”

Other bands have also exemplified the modification in sound on their third albums, like Slipknot.  How much different is Vol. 3: The Subliminal Verses than its predecessors Slipknot and Iowa?  It’s undoubtedly the same band, but Vol. 3: is so much more melodic and experimental.  The conclusion I’ve made from the third album scenario concerns the path taken by band members.  Many bands don’t change their sound so explicitly in their third albums, and many provide some of their best work on their third records (Nirvana, Foo Fighters, My Chemical Romance, Shinedown, Alter Bridge, etc.).  But others change.  I think it has to do with the musicians’ interests.  Musicians like Kurt Cobain, Gerard Way, and Myles Kennedy/Mark Tremonti are not worried about being commercially successful and making money.  They are merely looking for a creative outlet for their musical passions.  Kurt never wanted to be famous, and Nirvana’s third album In Utero is in large part a direct response against his popularity.  That’s what made In Utero so amazing.  Albums like MCR’s The Black Parade and Shinedown’s The Sound of Madness act as a means of expression for the musicians, more so than any fame or wealth.

However, by a band’s third album, it is likely it has reached its peak, or near its peak, in term of renown and popularity.  Sick Puppies saw that they were becoming more well-known, and they were receiving more praise and wealth for their music.  In an attempt to continue gaining fame, they looked to provide music to satisfy their fans, rather than music to satisfy themselves.  Obviously this is merely speculation and I cannot speak for Sick Puppies or Linkin Park, but it seems like a possibility.  I’m sure its hard to resist the urges of labels, producers, and fans, and result is typically more mainstream in sound.  The bands that continue to produce amazing music, finding a middle ground between outright change of genre or complete focus on specific sound (looking at you Black Veil Brides), are the ones who are in reality more exceptional.  Kurt, and those influenced by him, wrote for themselves, not the audience.  When they played their music, it was a personal experience, and a fan should feel lucky just to be a part of it.  I believe the 3rd album curse stems from that spiral towards mainstream popularity, and the best bands resist the temptation to alter their talents for the benefit of the (largely unmusical) majority.

So, in light of this, I am worried about the upcoming records from Halestorm and Young Guns.  Both are on their third albums, and have both released singles that are less than impressive.  As I await the release of their new albums, I hope they have not continued down that path taken by some others, and instead chose to continue on their musical adventure, without caring what others think.

Musical Masterpieces: The Dark Side of the Moon

Very few albums are impressive from top to bottom, with every track exemplifying a band’s musical capabilities.  Boston’s self-titled album, the Beatles’ Abbey Road, and Black Sabbath’s Paranoid are three such albums, and to a lesser extent Fleetwood Mac’s Rumours, Billy Joel’s The Stranger, and Emerson, Lake & Palmer’s Trilogy.  But no album from the late 1960’s and 1970’s can really compete with the distinctive sound and remarkable accomplishment of Pink Floyd’s 1973 album, The Dark Side of the Moon.

While it is more beneficial to listen to the album in its entirety, I will focus on specific songs for this post.  The Dark Side of the Moon contains a combination of progressive rock, psychedelic rock, and radio-friendly mainstream rock throughout the record, vaulting it beyond any other Pink Floyd record (though I am still partial to Wish You Were Here and Animals; I always thought The Wall was a bit overrated).

Much of The Dark Side of the Moon revolves around the theme of mental illness, which is more explicitly alluded to in the album title and the name of the track “Brain Damage.”  Pink Floyd’s original singer, Syd Barrett, left the band in 1968 due to complications from mental illness.  Barrett’s actions had become erratic, and could not continue working with the band.  Barrett soon became a recluse, and lived out the rest of his days made limited contact with the rest of the world.  He made one short reunion with Pink Floyd when they were recording for Wish You Were Here (in 1975), in which it was noted that he looked much different (he had become overweight and lost much of his hair), and spent part of the day brushing his teeth.  The members of Pink Floyd never saw him again.

Understandably, mental illness became a primary songwriting motivator for Pink Floyd members Roger Waters, David Gilmour, Richard Wright, and Nick Mason.  Tracks like “Wish You Were Here” and “Shine On You Crazy Diamond” were written specifically for Barrett, and themes from many Pink Floyd albums relate to mental illness.  The last tracks from The Dark Side of the Moon, “Brain Damage/Eclipse,” deal specifically with brain injury and lunacy.

The two singles Pink Floyd released from The Dark Side of the Moon include “Money” and “Time.”  “Money” is a good song, but I don’t think it fits quite as well with the rest of the album.  “Time,” on the other hand, is one of Pink Floyd’s best songs.  The lyrics concern the concept that time moves quickly, and deals with the difference between preparing for life’s experiences and living in the moment.  Richard Wright, the band’s keyboardist, has been overlooked as a key member of the band, especially in the years after The Dark Side of the Moon.  It’s easy to forget that Wright was just as important to Pink Floyd’s songwriting and sound as Roger Waters and David Gilmour.  It’s no coincidence that my two favorite songs from The Dark Side of the Moon (“Time” and “Us and Them”) both feature lead vocals from Richard Wright.

“Us and Them” is my favorite Pink Floyd song.  I greatly respect jazz music, although I do not normally like to listen to it, and “Us and Them” contains an undeniable jazz influence.  Dick Parry provides a memorable saxophone part, my favorite in any rock song.

The rest of The Dark Side of the Moon features interesting and experimental songs.  The short instrumental “On The Run” really sounds like someone running away from something.  “The Great Gig in the Sky” stars vocals from guest singer Clare Torry.  The instrumental “Any Colour You Like”  exemplifies the musical prowess of Pink Floyd’s members, as well as their creative ideas.  “Speak to Me,” which serves as the introduction to the record, melds ideas and sounds from the rest of the album.  And “Breathe,” despite being less than three minutes long, is the quintessential song from The Dark Side of the Moon.  “Breathe” is not a sweeping masterpiece, but it incorporates innovative guitar work, Pink Floyd’s signature melodic and psychedelic background ambiance, and Gilmour’s lyrics: “breathe, breathe in the air; don’t be afraid to care.”

The best way to listen to The Dark Side of the Moon is still to play the entire album from the beginning.  Pink Floyd merged songs better than any previous or future attempt.  The Dark Side of the Moon remains the preeminent album of the 1970’s, and obviously inspired many of the most creative musicians who came after.