Review: Battlestar Galactica Season One
Going into this summer, I discovered that Sci Fi's critically acclaimed show, Battlestar Galactica, had recently aired its final episode. As one that can almost never follow an ongoing TV show on a regular basis, this discovery is what finally spurred me into checking it out. Since the summer began, I have been making it part of my regimen to watch at least one episode a week so that I can eventually make it through the series and have a better idea of what makes this show one of the Best 100 TV shows of All Time. Fortunately, Battlestar Galactica makes this an easy task, as it is such an excellent program that I have wasted more than a few beautiful summer days camped out in front of my television trying to cure myself of a bad case of 'ZOMG-what-happens-next' fever, and Season One of Battlestar is surely capable of giving all but the most elitist or anti-sci-fi fans this malady.
The show tells the same story we heard back when the first iteration of the show aired back in 1978 of the war between the humans and machines referred to as 'cylons.' Humanity lived comfortably on twelve colonies until a traitor known as Baltar allowed for cylons to attack the twelve colonies, forcing the remains of the human race to flee, boarding whatever ships they could in hopes of some day escaping the cylon forces and finding the fabled thirteenth colony known as 'Earth.'
From the very first episode, Battlestar Galactica immediately dumps you into the action, starting with the intense back-end of the escape from the initial cylon threat; crews haven't slept in days and the cylons seem within reach of eradicating the human race. It is this intensity that makes Battlestar Galactica a gripping program, and the show's reimaginers, David Eick and Ronald D. Moore, only ease the tension slightly to later ratchet it up even further throughout the show's first year, making for an incredibly tight, high-impact narrative that will leave you most assuredly wanting more.
With a strong cast composed of established actors like Edward James Olmos (Commander Adama) and Mary McDonnell (President Roslin) as well as relative newcomers Katee Sackhoff ("Starbuck"), Jamie Bamber (Lee Adama), James Callis (Dr. Gaius Baltar), and Tricia Helfer (Number Six), the show never feels like it has to lean too heavily upon one role or another. The great thing about this is that the show tends to weave together several plotlines that involve entirely different characters, and, without high quality acting, some narratives might come off as particularly weak, but this is not the case for Battlestar, and it is these strong side plots that help build a more believable and involved universe; a key ingredient in making a quality sci-fi show.
While the phrase 'weave together several plotlines' may seem like either a way to postpone some inevitable plot point or create confusion among viewers, Eick and Moore handle the intricacies of parallel drama deftly in Season One such that viewers are shown a wide variety of the happenings in the human fleet, but are always kept constantly aware of humanity's main goal of surviving the cylon attacks and trying to find Earth. This 'all killer, no filler' formula for a show that--by the way--has some of the best special effects I've seen on TV, makes Battlestar Galactica's first season an incredible first step in the right direction of compelling sci-fi drama.
Protoculture: DJ Hero
At E3 (the Electronic Entertainment Expo for you non-nerds), Activision revealed its latest entry in the 'Hero' series of rhythm games. This time, instead of wailing plastic guitars or drums, players will now be able to man a turntable and crossfader to perform a variety of original mashups created by the likes of DJ Shadow, DJ AM, and DJ Z-Trip. Further details regarding the game had been rather sparse, but E3 brought a ton of new information regarding DJ Hero. Here's a video that explains how the game should work followed by the current list of tracks that have been revealed thus far.
Tracklist:
- "Feel Good Inc." (Gorillaz) vs. "I Heard it Through the Grapevine" (Marvin Gaye) - Activision Studio
- "Bustin' Loose" (Chuck Brown and the Soul Searchers) vs. "Time of the Season" (The Zombies) - DJ Shadow (sample gameplay)
- "Let's Dance" (David Bowie) vs. "Jack of Spades" (KRS-One) - DJ Shadow (sample gameplay)
- "All Apologies" (Nirvana) vs. "Give it to Me Baby" (Rick James) - DJ Shadow
- "Jayou" (Jurassic 5) vs. "Rockit" (Herbie Hancock) - Activision Studio
- "Shout" (Tears for Fears) vs. "Pjanoo" (Eric Prydz) - Activision Studio (sample gameplay)
- "Hollaback Girl" (Gwen Stefani) vs. "Give it to Me Baby" (Rick James) - Activision Studio
- "Satisfaction" (Benny Benassi) vs. "Boom Boom Pow" (Black Eyed Peas) - Activision Studio (sample gameplay)
- "Sabotage" (Beastie Boys) vs. "Monkey Wrench" (Foo Fighters) - Activision Studio
- "My Name Is" (Eminem) vs. "Izzo (H.O.V.A.)" (Jay-Z) - Activision Studio
Song of the Week: DJ Kaos - "Love the Nite Away" (Tiedye Mix)
It's summer. It's hot. Just try to find a cool place and relax to the calming vibes of Tiedye's re-work of DJ Kaos's "Love the Nite Away." It is truly necessary for only the most epic of lazy summer Sundays. Check the weird video below, and if you like the song, we even included a download link for you courtesy of pitchfork.com
DJ Kaos - "Love the Nite Away" (Tiedye Mix) download
"The Parachute Ending" is Complete
For those that enjoyed the snippet of video at the end of my post about Justice, here's the full version of the video for Birdy Nam Nam's "The Parachute Ending."
Review: Phoenix - Wolfgang Amadeus Phoenix
Between the snippets of their performance on Saturday Night Live, some remixes by the likes of Andrew Maury from the Remix Artist Collective and Alex Metric, and a few facebook messages (thanks, Helen!), Phoenix quickly became a name that I could no longer ignore. And, I have to say, now that the firey bird has entered my realm of music knowledge and appreciation, I am much better for it. Wolfgang Amadeus Phoenix, although not necessarily groundbreaking, presents a such a wide range of pop hooks that showcase a flexibility that not many other artists seem to have. And, while some of the diversity seems like attempts to emulate other artists, Phoenix still does it well enough to come off as distinctly different and--in some cases--better than their inspirations.
The record kicks off with the 80s sounding lead single, "Listzomania," a song that will have you wondering why this band isn't bigger; that is, if you aren't too busy dancing or wondering why this song hasn't been included in the soundtrack to some generation-defining film already. Thomas Mars' contradictory, angsty, yet substantial lyrics make for a strong song alone, but the bouncing guitar riffs will keep you coming back for a good time.
Similarly, the second single off Wolfgang Amadeus Phoenix, "1901," delivers quite an impact too, only in the form of a more modern dance rock tune. "Fences" then subdues the vocals to a light whimper while highlighting some plunky guitar work remeniscent of early Minus the Bear. Vocals are then taken out completely for the most part of "Love Like a Sunset" (until part 2 strikes up) in exchange for loops of electronic beeps that are paired with traditional instruments, creating a Battles-type vibe; but, Phoenix is much less experimental, and generally more pop focused, with their instrumentation. "Lasso" returns Phoenix back to the more dance-y side of things by bringing a faster tempo and vocals back out in full force, but giving them a Tegan and Sara-esque twist in terms of cadence and intonation. "Rome" continues in this vocal style while also slowing down to a more melancholy pop sound. It actually isn't until the last three tracks of the album that Phoenix starts to shed obvious comparisons and start sounding more distinct.
This lack of distinction is by no means negative though. All of their borrowings and influences seem to flow naturally through the band's dynamic, and no single convention serves to keep the tunes afloat. Phoenix just seems to be toying with established styles and then making them their own, and let me tell you, they are pretty successful at doing this.
As the album title may seem to imply, Wolfgang Amadeus Phoenix is a collection of songs that are classically poppy. Full of emotive, contrary wisdoms, fun choruses, bouncy guitars, and (of course) danceable beats, Phoenix's latest makes for quite and enjoyable listen, even on the 100th playthrough.