Arts

Arts

Kanye makes it to 'Graduation,' but with a mediocre GPA

September 18

Kanye West really likes himself and isn't afraid to show it. But all his ego-driven rants aside, his new album "Graduation" feels more like the genius of a producer who needed a ghost writer. "Graduation" will still blow up, and the most popular single, "Stronger," will be stuck in your head for the next few months, but the album as a whole is a hit-or-miss work that survives only because of Kanye's undeniable ability to create memorable beats.

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Arts

Atreyu kicks and screams their way closer to mainstream

September 13

The world of rock doesn't have too many staples left these days, but with a little work, Atreyu could easily become one of the giants of the new age. The band's most recent effort, "Lead Sails Paper Anchor," is an album chock full of surprisingly good fist-pumping anthems, complete with 'these-go-to-eleven' guitar solos from lead guitarist and old-school metal-head Dan Jacobs.

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Arts

The Starting Line chooses new 'Direction' with coming-of-age album

September 3

Growing up is a painful process, but The Starting Line's newest album "Direction," proves that the whole thing can be a lot easier if you punctuate the darkly emotional quicksand of maturation with a simple smile.

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Arts

Hopper retrospective at the MFA is a visual feast with a touch of film noir

May 15

The Edward Hopper retrospective at the Museum of Fine Arts is aesthetically delicious.

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Arts

SMFA fifth-year student show offers diverse, gripping images of the present

April 30

The pulse is fast and frantic through the halls of the Fifth Year Exhibition at the School of the Museum of Fine Arts. These works, the culmination of the fifth year certificate program that serves as a year of independent study, embody the harsh realities of the world today. They seem to be a response to the current visual, social and general states of society and the world today.

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Arts

England's biggest buzz band proves it isn't just monkeying around

April 29

It hasn't been long since the Arctic Monkeys laid claim to the title of best nearly-mainstream high-energy indie rock band. After these Brits gained global acclaim from last year's "Whatever People Say I Am, That's What I'm Not" and its singles "I Bet You Look Good on the Dancefloor" and "When the Sun Goes Down," it would be natural to think that the band could coast on their success for longer than just a year, taking time to polish and admire their best album awards from Time Magazine, New Music Express and the Brit Awards.

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Arts

Misaki Kawai invites you into her 'house'

April 29

The Boston Institute for Contemporary Art is continuing its "Momentum" series of one-artist exhibitions with a room-size installation, "Space House," by Misaki Kawai. The artist, born in Osaka, Japan in 1978, has a unique aesthetic comprised of a rock 'n' roll blend of pop, do-it-yourself craft and a healthy sense of humor.

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Arts

It's about 'Time' to discover the Noisettes

April 24

Imagine a beautiful woman decked out in a feathery swan costume. She's humming to herself, wriggling about lithely on stage. Slowly, she strips the feathers off of her body, revealing more and more golden skin until she stands before you, naked. A nest rests in the middle of the stage, delicately constructed of twigs and leaves. The woman minces over to the nest and lays a golden egg from her vagina. It's OK, she's British.

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Arts

Ali's 'Truth' is an indisputably solid hip-hop album

April 22

There are a lot of reasons to like Brother Ali. He is often associated with fellow Minneapolis native Atmosphere and has benefited greatly from their friendship. As hip-hop's best-known albino rapper, he stands out physically and as a symbol of courage. But in his latest release, "The Undisputed Truth," these reasons take the backseat as Ali comes into his own as one of the best active underground artists in the game.

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Arts

Gallery displays artistic responses to atrocities of war

April 19

The trappings of war do not include beauty. They inspire it. On display now at the Museum of Fine Arts, "War and Discontent" is an exploration of artists past and present and their reaction to war in their times. The title of the exhibition just barely reveals the extent of discontent, disenchantment and pure distaste that is expressed in the exhibited works.

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Arts

'23' proves to be Blonde Redhead's lucky number

April 18

The playful cover art depicting a four-legged girl playing tennis announces the coyness of Blonde Redhead's seventh full-length album, "23," even before the first listen. The 10 tracks are more accessible than the band's last album, "Misery is a Butterfly" (2004), and their 13-plus years of experience in the music business shows. Help from some of the industry's top indie artists comes through in this polished yet wistful album.

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Arts

Kings of Leon are saintly sinners

April 17

If three of the four members of Kings of Leon are sons of a Pentecostal minister (and the fourth a nephew), so be it. But this doesn't change the truth that there is distinct possibility that, by traditional standards, they will all be going straight to hell.

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Arts

Museum of Fine Arts Thesis Exhibition brings an overwhelmingly wide range of art to Aidekman

April 16

In a university gallery, it may be impressive to exhibit famous pieces by prestigious artists, but when a gallery displays student work, it fits in with its environment, offering encouragement to the rest of the campus. Until April 22, the second exhibit of the ongoing MFA thesis series will be at the Tufts University Art Gallery in Aidekman Arts Center. Here a variety of mediums and styles come together in a show, as part of the joint degree program of Tufts and the School of the Museum of Fine Arts, Boston (SMFA). Graduate students with different concepts, philosophies and techniques foster an unlikely, loose dialogue within the intimate space of the gallery.

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Arts

'Rags in Skull' revives Brigman's riffy guitar playing after 25 years

April 12

As George Brigman rumbles and rolls his way through "Rags in Skull," his first album of all new material in 25 years, the listener has to wonder what the guitarist has been up to for the past couple decades. It sounds like he scheduled his 2006 dates in the recording studio way back in the '80s, then proceeded to lock himself in his dark, dank basement with a pair of perpetually agitated junkyard dogs and didn't break out of the bulwark until he felt he had tortured himself enough to lay down some of the darkest, meanest guitar parts possible.

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Arts

Oberst is indie rock's brightest star

April 12

In Bright Eyes' recent release, "Cassadaga," the critically acclaimed Conor Oberst develops his unique songwriting skills into another album full of soulful tunes with heartfelt lyrics. The diverse instrumentation and numerous contributions from other guest artists in the indie scene add panache to the production of his newest LP. The increasingly popular rock piece from Omaha, Neb. is back with an ever-evolving musical style that reaches new levels of maturity.

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Arts

Nick Cave's Bad Seeds have grown into Grinderman

April 11

It is always interesting to see an offshoot of a prolific rock band attempt to forge new identities and find new sounds. What is even more interesting is the case with Nick Cave's new band, Grinderman, which is composed solely of people who are also regular contributors in his other band, Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds.

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Arts

Aaron Gillespie 'almost' succeeds with solo project, but lacks the originality to pull it off

April 8

Aaron Gillespie, a person foreign to most, is one of the biggest heavyweights in the hardcore/screamo scene. As the drummer and melodic singer (as opposed to screamer Spencer Chamberlain) of the band Underoath, he makes the band accessible to a larger audience with his catchy choruses and pounding beats.

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Arts

Ontani and Gardner's works are shown as witty recreations of religious pieces

April 8

If there was ever a niche for irreverence in religious art, Luigi Ontani has found it. Of course, he's not the first to go there. Isabella Stewart Gardner (founder of the museum that bears her name) inserted a wry wit into her collection by sticking her own picture in amongst the staid religious memorabilia.

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Arts

ICA exhibit proves that sculptor Louise Bourgeois is part of art world's ruling class

April 5

The Institute for Contemporary Art may have already had its grand opening at its new home on the waterfront, but its current show, "Bourgeois in Boston," cements the new space as an institution that is both locally concerned and capable of hosting exhibits of the utmost significance and elegance.

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Arts

The Sackler Center for Feminist Art: this is what a feminist art museum looks like

March 29

As if anyone needs another reason to head to New York to see art, the Brooklyn Museum just opened what its director calls a "museum within a museum" for the Elizabeth A. Sackler Center for Feminist Art. As the first of its kind in America, the space is to be devoted to art that deals with gender inequality.

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