reviews
JAYPLAY = 11.08.2007
HELP WANTED NIGHTS The Good Life
Help Wanted Nights is the latest release from Cursive frontman Tim Kasher's side project, The Good Life. Showing quieter, more folky influences than Cursive's sludgy rock, Help Wanted Nights is another reason Omaha is one of the best indie-rock cities in America.
The Good Life strips things down to the bare elements—guitars, bass, drums and vocals. Kasher's voice is thick with a rich character of strained misunderstandings and wine-filled nights. The songs have a passionate feel without seeming over the top or pseudo-emotional.
Description VIBRATING CATERER AT BUFFER (CVD)
    BURANTIAN TRAPAG NOISE; ACOUSTIC GUITAR INTRO.
The album starts with the late night, last call feel of "On The Picket Fence." "A Little Bit More" has an acoustic-pop style similar to something from Lawrence's The New Amsterdams. "Heartbroke" has an old ska feel with offbeat guitars and driving beats. "So Let Go" is a desolate track brimming with a hope for something better. And the closer, "Rest Your Head," is ten minutes of upbeat rock bliss.
★★★★
Chris Brower
AMERICAN GANGSTER
As far as subject matter is concerned, American Gangster is no trailblazer. But fortunately for us, a true story about drug culture is one of those subjects that is always green, never cashed (pardon my puns).
The movie follows drug lord Frank Lucas (Denzel Washington), whose rise to prominence in the late 1960s is paralleled by Harlem's demise as a city with an unshakable habit. The stuff is called Blue Magic: 100 percent pure heroin from Bangkok that Lucas and his brothers smuggled into the U.S. using war planes from Vietnam.
Richie Roberts (Russell Crowe) is the detective on the crack-down. His obstacles are three-fold; not only must he take out the Lucas family juggernaut, but he also has to work against corrupt cops who are content with receiving bribes from dealers as well as the users who will go a long way to get their fix. With all this going on, director Ridley Scott is patient, using all two hours and forty-five minutes to create realistic crime drama.
Like its uber-successful predecessor Blow, Gangster tells the chilling story of a greedy man's tragic fall. But where Blow stops, this film continues to trudge into the muck of the issue,
eventually reaching that elusive 'next level'in its ability to portray the frustratingly cyclical effects that a drug influx has on society.
It's sad, powerful, and unrelenting; Martian Child is sure to be a sunshiny alternative. But for those ready, prepare for a hit of realism—no needle required.
★★★★★
lan Stanford