REVIEWS
MUSIC: Kings of Leon, Only By The Night
Kings of Leon seem to pull from a lot of musical influences on their new album, Only ByThe Night. On some tracks, like the opening song "Closer," the Kings sound a lot like Radiohead, particularly like the band's 90s hit "Creep." On other tracks, such as "Manhattan," the guitars are more reminiscent of Coldplay's "Fix You." Either way, Kings of Leon have chosen their influences wisely, and this album, their fourth, is by far their strongest.
The two standout tracks on Only By The Night are the first single, "Sex On Fire," and the track that follows it on the album, "Use Somebody." Both songs are catchy and well structured. As an added bonus, lead singer Caleb Followill's voice—which on other tracks can come across as grating and scratchy—is at its best in a solid wail and strong falsetto.
The band hasn't managed to fix all its kinks, though. Most tracks are too long and a bit self-indulgent. The Kings' lyrics could use some of the same inspiration they put into their music. Most songs are about booze, girls and all-night partying. Nothing is particularly insightful, and the songs are not even all that unique from each other, which makes for a boring listen.
But the Kings are indeed heading in the right direction, and doing so in the style of some of the greats in current popular music. If they focus as much on lyrical content as they do on guitar riffs, they could move into a whole new stratosphere with their next release.
—Elise Stawarz
"Rich, funky swamp grooves...celebrates life's most fundamental joys with unforced talent and deep feeling" -The New York Times
Another stunning aspect is the cinematography, particularly during the story sequences. The costumes are complex and gorgeous, the colors so vibrant you can practically taste them.The world of Alexandria's imagination is almost like a Salvador Dali painting come to life, and the result is breathtaking.
The relationship between Untaru and Pace's characters is magical. The two of them have strong chemistry together, and Alexandria's affection for Roy is one of the film's most compelling characteristics. Pace gives a heartbreaking performance as Roy, simultaneously charming the audience while showing us that he's just as broken on the inside as he is on the outside.
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Abby Olcese
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Music
MOVIE: The Fall
This reviewer is fully aware that it's pretty cliché to say that if you see one movie this year, "See this movie." But really, you should. For anyone who's grown up watching movies like Labyrinth and has waited for years to see another truly worthy fantasy movie, The Fall is required viewing. It's a fairy-tale all grown up.
The Fall, now on DVD, is a gorgeous film in the vein of fantastic storytelling classics like The Princess Bride.
Alexandria (adorable and earnest newcomer Catinca Untaru) is a young immigrant girl who has broken her arm while at work picking oranges. While in the hospital, she meets Roy (Lee Pace of *Pushing Daisies*), a film stuntman who has also suffered a fall, although his has left him with a severely injured back and an addiction to morphine pills. To get Alexandria to provide him with the medication he craves, Roy tells her an epic story, acted out for the audience by Alexandria's vivid imagination. Its characters are played by the people she knows, although sometimes her own visions come into conflict with Roy's descriptions (one of the characters, for example, is an Indian. Roy implies the character is Native American, but Alexandria imagines a man from India.)
September 25,2008
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