Arts

Arts

The Hold Steady gets back to basics on newest release

April 29

"If money didn't matter, then I might tell you something new/ You can't tell people what they want to hear, if you also want to tell 'em the truth," sings The Hold Steady's front−man, Craig Finn, on the second track of the band's latest release, "Heaven is Whenever." The album is due for U.S. release on May 4 from Vagrant Records. In many ways, Finn has little new to tell his listeners; the songs follow Finn's usual narrative themes of booze, sex, drugs, crime, Catholic guilt and his eclectic record collection. Yet The Hold Steady still keeps the material fresh on this album by producing a classic rock sound that oscillates between exuberant and cinematic.

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Arts

Activists, performers and poets: Youth slam poets are a triple threat

April 28

A slam poet, or spoken word artist, can be a social activist, a stage performer and, above all, a passionate poet at the core. Slam poetry is a fairly new, unique form of expression that began with older generations performing their pieces in dingy, Chicago lounges in the '80s. Since then, spoken word has grown to include a large youth slam poetry scene, as students trade in paper for the power of their voices, soap boxes for open mics and claps for snaps, proving they've got something to say to the world.

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Arts

Member of Spring Fling headliner talks about the band's songwriting, music videos

April 28

This Saturday, the rock band OK Go will headline Spring Fling, playing to thousands of Tufts students. The band, started in 1998, has released three albums, the most recent one entitled "Of the Blue Colour of the Sky" (2010), for which they have been touring the past few weeks. Damian Kulash (vocals, guitar), Tim Nordwind (bass, guitar, vocals), Dan Konopka (drums, percussion) and Andy Ross (guitar, keyboards, vocals), who replaced Andy Duncan in 2005, make up OK Go.

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Arts

Community Corner: Ball Square

April 28

Though Tufts students usually first think of Davis Square when they think of off−campus dining and cafes, another square also offers a collection of eateries and coffee shops: Ball Square.

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Arts

Rafter's album makes animalism danceable

April 28

Rafter Roberts — a man who skillfully splits his time between mixing for artists like Sufjan Stevens and Fiery Furnaces, playing in the band Bunky, writing ad jingles and producing his own solo albums — seems to be having a ball. If the riotous, eclectic material on his most recent solo record "Animal Feelings" is any indication, that is.

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Arts

From the Office of the Tufts Daily

April 28

Dear Insane Clown Posse, How's it going, Violent J and Shaggy 2 Dope? Congratulations on your recent mainstream "success!" The hipster corners of the Internet have been exploding with ironic, detached enjoyment of your "horrorcore" brand of hip hop and your crazy, exuberant fans, the Juggalos. "Saturday Night Live" even parodied your new video for "Miracles," a contemplative ditty in which you marvel at many of life's joys, including giraffes, magnets and childbirth.

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Arts

Top Ten | Themes for 'Glee'

April 28

The recent Madonna-themed episode of teenage musical-drama series "Glee" might have been the best yet. Sue Sylvester sported a medley of fabulous hair styles in a "Vogue" (1990) homage, three characters settled between the sheets in a montage to "Like a Virgin" (1984), and the dynamic duo — Kurt and Mercedes — broke it down for a halftime performance of "4 Minutes" (2008). That got us thinking about other themes that might keep the show fresh: 10. Nickelback: Oh, wait. No. Not once. Not ever. 9. Dexy's Midnight Runners: Who doesn't love "Come On Eileen" (1982)? This might be a short episode. 8. Enya: Wait, have we changed songs yet? 7. Mozart: There's nothing we like better than a little "Eine kleine Nachtmusik," and we think that the "Glee" cast would totally own a Mozart medley. The thought of a whole episode of this virtuoso's music truly excites our classical sensibilities, and we are, frankly, amazed that Fox hasn't thought of this yet. 6. Shania Twain: Shania's accessible pop-country would kill on "Glee." We're thinking a rendition of "Man, I Feel Like a Woman!" (1999) by Sue Sylvester with the entire crew in the background dressed in "men's shirts, short skirts." O-woah-oh-oh! 5. Michael Jackson: A King of Pop episode of "Glee" would be such a "Thriller" (1983), we don't think anything could "Beat It" (1982). It's as easy as "ABC" (1970). 4. Miley Cyrus: Miley's shamelessly addicting pop songs will fit in perfectly with a TV show that succeeds by being cheesy. This combination will make you want to break it down and put your hands up (or together). 3. Wu-Tang Clan: Watching the "Glee" kids try and master the rhythmic flow of the likes of U-God and Ghostface Killah will be comic gold. A capella ain't nothing to f--k with. 2. George Michael/Wham!: He puts the boom boom into our hearts, and so does Mr. Schuester. Perfect match for a cover? We think so. 1. "All Out" by Lights Out: "Glee" is all about the underdogs, so here you go: a whole painful episode backed by the electro-pop tracks of two awkward, self-absorbed college boys desperately trying to live out their dreams as 3OH!3 posers. Love ‘em or hate ‘em  — it's two against six in the Arts department — lyrics like, "You say that I'm a loner, and you're godd--n right," pretty much sum up the cast of "Glee."

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Arts

Party Down' serves up a second season of laughs

April 27

In the world of premium cable, most half-hour comedies — like Showtime's "Weeds" and "United States of Tara," or HBO's "Hung" and "How to Make It In America" — tend to not elicit many laughs out loud, instead choosing to simply tell more grounded, melodramatic or serious stories in a shorter format. On the other hand, "Party Down," Starz's first original effort, delivers laughs in spades and became the funniest show on TV last year. The show launched its anticipated second season last week.

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Arts

Shutting doors opens eyes in short film

April 27

What can we create meaning from? What activities in life are just banal and unnecessary, and what can we find something greater in? Since the time of Marcel Duchamp, artists have declared insignificant and everyday objects as art, and whatever the reception may have been initially, a porcelain urinal is now accepted as a witty and insightful masterpiece. This groundbreaking movement at the beginning of the 20th century is now almost commonplace, but the pushing of the boundaries of art continues. Artists are still interested in the objects we take advantage of, and they have come to question even the simplest of life's actions.

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Arts

Winter's Bone' director speaks about newest film

April 27

This year's independent film to watch, "Winter's Bone," screened last Friday night at the Somerville Theatre as part of the Independent Film Festival of Boston. The film won the Grand Jury Prize earlier this year at the Sundance Film Festival, and it also snagged the Waldo Salt Screenwriting Award at the festival for director Debra Granik and co-writer Anne Rosellini.

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Arts

Senior thesis project 'Sigh' poignantly explores depths of human emotions

April 26

Tomorrow night, the topic of melancholy will be addressed in senior Brenann Stacker's thesis project, "Sigh." The title perfectly describes the performance, which seeks to explore the depths of human emotions and shows that sometimes words just aren't enough.

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Arts

Caryn Horowitz | The Cultural Culinarian

April 26

Every April, you can find people on this campus in the midst of a serious quarter−life crisis. Seniors, you know what I'm talking about. Within the span of 10 minutes, I oscillate between being unbelievably ready to graduate to walking up to my freshman−year dorm and hugging the outside of the building, wishing I could go back four years. This crazed state is nothing new to Tufts in April, but that doesn't make it any easier to deal with.

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Arts

Dancing Across Borders' visually stunning

April 25

"Dancing Across Borders," directed by newcomer Anne Bass, is a tale of Western chauvinism at its best. This documentary tells the story of Sokvannara "Sy" Sar, a young Cambodian dancer whom Bass, a New York socialite and prominent patron in the ballet world, discovers. While the story of Sy's success is nothing short of miraculous, the film fails to confront the price that Sy pays to attain a dream that was never truly his. Although Sy's story is one of personal triumph, the question lingers at the end of the film as to whether he would have been happier living at home with his own traditions and culture.

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Arts

Project Runway' brings quirky judges, New York edge

April 25

As Tim Gunn would say, the designers of "Project Runway" made it work. Following a disastrous season in Los Angeles, Lifetime finally emulated some of Bravo's charm and brought the seventh season back to New York City with a cast of mostly memorable and talented designers whose quick tongues and designs made the show worth watching.

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Arts

Independent movies run the gamut at IFFBoston this past weekend

April 25

This weekend, three Daily writers hit the Independent Film Festival of Boston (IFFBoston). Here are a few of the films that IFFBoston had to offer:

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Arts

Melrose Place' ends first season of twists and turns

April 22

Scandal, betrayal and lust are constant reoccurring themes of the new CW series "Melrose Place." From revolving love partners, backstabbing tenants, jealous fathers and secret pasts, the first season followed the surreal lives of seven residents of Melrose Place, California.

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Arts

Edgerton's 'The Square' turns out to be more of a circle

April 21

Illicit tales of adulterous lovers have been part and parcel of the movie business since the studio era. "The Square" (2008) takes the conventions of film noir, relocates from the cityscapes of '40s Los Angeles to modern-day Australia, adds a few twists and piles on fatalism with an extra helping of tragic coincidence. While it doesn't exactly bring anything new to the table, "The Square" is a solid exercise in suspense and the brutal logic of fate.

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Arts

Glee' returns for an encore, with a stronger story

April 21

Last week the hottest new show of the year — FOX's "Glee" — returned after an unbearably long mid-season hiatus. Already, after only two episodes, the show has shown why it won a Golden Globe and a Screen Actors Guild Award this past awards season, as it continues its ascent to being one of the most original, insightful and exciting shows on the air.

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Arts

Top Ten | Things we want to see leaked

April 21

This past week, we at the Daily Arts Department heard the rumor that a new-generation iPhone was leaked by an Apple employee. This is particularly odd given the company's history of secrecy surrounding its new products, but we'd like to thank the Genius (pun intended) who did this because it got us to thinking about other things we'd like to see leaked in the near future. 10. (Real) naked pictures of Megan Fox: We've seen just about every inch of this buxom vixen in magazine spreads, in posters and in our dreams. And yet, we're dying to see those last couple of inches. Giggety. 9. Not Fergie's pants: So Fergie, darling, you peed your pants in a concert. Not cool. In the future, maybe you'd want to think about wearing some Depends. 8. No Doubt's new CD: They conducted a whole tour last year on the promise that they were working on a CD for this year. So far, no date for a CD for 2010. We're hoping it's already done somewhere, waiting for some butterfingers to get it out to the public. 7. Eating Off of Plates: We just couldn't get enough of the YouTube.com phenomenon "Drinking Out of Cups," with its talking gecko spouting deranged rants. So we want a sequel, in which an animated iguana would ramble disjointedly about ceramic ware. No way. Get real. 6. The new Windows: Hey, the follow-up to Windows 7 was our idea! Because we were all thinking about how much Windows 7 sucks! 5. "Wicked Summer:" Here's the Situation: we want more "Jersey Shore," and we want it Boston style.  4. Newest Nicholas Sparks novel: We're expecting a tear-jerker that'll be begging for a Hilary Duff movie and will put Ernest Hemingway to shame. Potential title: "Bad Romance?" 3. "Toy Story 3" (2010): Disney is back with the toys we wish we had when we were young, like the nagging, elderly Mr. and Mrs. Potato Head. 2. Who really shot JFK:  Nobody seems to believe that it really was just Lee Harvey Oswald. We in the Arts Department suspect Colonel Mustard, in the billiards room, with the candlestick. 1. Kegs all over Spring Fling: Bring back the beer!

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Arts

Summer music festivals offer fans multitude of artists, sense of community

April 21

As the summer rolls around, bands around the world and across the country begin gearing up for the height of touring season. For many musical acts, the highlight of these next few months will be the major, multi-day music festivals, at which groups and individuals from every imaginable genre play together — if not on the same stage, then at least in the same vicinity. To better understand this cultural phenomenon, the Daily took an in-depth look at the evolution of gigantic musical festivals and the Tufts students who attend them. Coachella Music and Arts Festival: Springtime in Indio One of the season's earliest major music festivals, commonly referred to simply as "Coachella" by its attendees, occurred this past weekend at the Empire Polo Field in Indio, Calif. Starting in 1999 as a two-day event that featured Beck, Rage Against the Machine and Tool as co-headliners, Coachella grew in popularity each year, changing to its current three-day format in 2007.

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