Arts

Arts

'Bend to Break' album snaps under even the lightest scrutiny

November 12

When Fred Mascherino left Taking Back Sunday at the end of October, diehard fans of the pop-punk outfit were upset and confused. Why would the lovable screaming backup vocalist and guitarist of the band suddenly drop all ties with the group? After being a critical part of Taking Back Sunday for over four years, Fred has (foolishly) decided to split with the band to focus on his solo project, entitled "The Color Fred."

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Arts

Listeners certain to 'avenge' waste of time, money

November 12

Avenged Sevenfold is a band usually brushed aside by rock fans and critics alike. While some may argue that this is rather unfair, after listening to the band's newest self-titled effort, it seems that perhaps this discrimination is well warranted.

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Arts

Whininess, lack of originality poke holes in armor of Sleep's newest album

November 7

New Jersey native Armor for Sleep made waves with its first two independent releases, "Dream to Make Believe" (2003) and "What to Do When You Are Dead" (2005), albums full of whiny emo anthems about how terrible life is in affluent suburbs. While these two releases aren't completely awful, they definitely left room for growth from the fairly young group.

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Arts

GALLERY REVIEW | Bey portraits add depth to Newbury Street

November 5

Just as Diagon Alley blends into its surroundings, so does the Howard Yezerski Gallery on Newbury Street. Situated between Akris and Juicy Couture, this two-room gallery introduces a world radically and magically different from the commercial and material world of Newbury. The stunning photographs of teenagers in classrooms and on the streets of Harlem reflect the humanism absent from the mega-shopping district surrounding the gallery.

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Arts

Walker works with black-and-white, delineating worst parts of human nature

October 31

Stark contrast repeats itself over and over again in Kara Walker's exhibit at the Fogg Museum at Harvard. Large lithographs hang in bold, black splashes to interrupt sterile whitewashed walls. The images themselves - altered reproductions of Civil War illustrations from Harper's Weekly - utilize only strong blacks on a white background, using marks to indicate depth and form. Walker's alterations appear in contrast - figural silhouettes superimposed over the original lithographs.

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Arts

MFA's jewelry exhibit is truly a gem; Farago collection has Picasso, Calder

October 31

Marilyn Monroe sang in "Gentlemen Prefer Blondes" (1953) that "diamonds are a girl's best friend"

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Arts

We say, 'Viva' the emo/punk/dance genre

October 29

It's fitting that the best song on "¡Viva La Cobra!," Cobra Starship's sophomore release, is called "Guilty Pleasure."

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Arts

Despite title, newest from Say Anything defies genre label

October 28

Max Bemis and his group of crazy band mates came out with their second album last week. Say Anything's new album, "In Defense of the Genre" is a monster; it consists of two discs and 27 new songs.

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Arts

MIT Visual Arts exhibit will blow your mind and eardrums

October 25

The current exhibit at the MIT List Visual Arts Center is not a typical conceptual art exhibit. An exhibit focusing on sound seems to have no place in an art gallery where the focus is obviously and dutifully ocular; yet "Sounding the Subject: Selections from the Pamela and Richard Kramlich Collection and the New Art Trust" forces visitors to explore the connection between the auditory and the visual.

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Arts

Jimmy's 'Light' shines, but not like 'American'

October 23

There are few bands left in the world today that are just generic, good rock bands. Jimmy Eat World bears the burden of being one of those bands and unfortunately, the group is constantly plagued with critics and fans attempting to brand them with a label.

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Arts

J.Lo takes no chances on lackluster album 'Brave'

October 21

She's an actress, singer, dancer, fashion designer, perfumer and producer. Let's face it, Jennifer Lopez has truly mastered being one thing: herself. While Jen-of-All-Trades exudes all the qualities a superstar of her caliber should, her recent work has taken a turn for the mediocre. From films to music she does it all, but recently it all seems to have left viewers and listeners alike unsatisfied. Unfortunately, her latest effort and fifth English album, "Brave," is no exception.

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Arts

Dow gives rural New England a broader lens

October 21

Nearby Ipswich, Mass. hardly elicits thoughts of artistic grandeur.

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Arts

Harvard exhibit proves teachers have lives outside of the classroom

October 18

While sitting in class and listening to a lecture, picturing the professor outside the classroom, not as a teacher but as a researcher, can be difficult. It's pretty surprising to discover that an archeology professor slathers on sunscreen and dons camp shirts instead of her usual skirt and pumps to excavate ruins in South America. This sentiment of awe is present at Harvard University's "VES New Faculty 2007-2008" show.

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Arts

MFA exhibit depicts 'floating world' of 17th-century Japanese youth

October 11

Walking into the Boston Museum of Fine Arts' new exhibition of traditional Japanese paintings, "Drama and Desire: Japanese Paintings from the Floating World 1690-1850," the fresh and dynamic look of the show is utterly striking. The architecture of the entryway promotes a feeling of seclusion with a latticework of white beams, shrouding the paintings inside in an atmosphere that feels more like a temple than a museum gallery.

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Arts

New Harvard Sackler exhibit colorfully remasters Antiquity's naked sculptures

October 8

Getting an accurate idea of what Greek sculpture actually looked like in its time usually requires picturing the Parthenon painted in Crayola colors.

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Arts

'Cex Cells' sheds 'blaqk' light on the history of electronica

October 4

The world of electronica is gaining popularity amongst nearly all demographics, though this phenomenon is not widely acknowledged. Artists dating back to the early '80s, such as Laurie Anderson, have been experimenting with computerized sounds and loops in many different ways, such as Anderson did on her 1982 hit "O Superman."

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Arts

Gardner Museum's serene exhibit will 'shorely' make audiences think

October 2

In the daily rush to get to class on time, to turn in homework when it's due or even take a shower before a night on the town, people often lose track of the passage of time and forget to take a couple of moments to meditate and reflect. The contemporary installation piece, "The Asian Shore," at the Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum provides visitors with the perfect environment to sit back and think.

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Arts

'Walk This Way' unravels subtle ties between fashion and art

September 30

The newest exhibit at the Museum of Fine Arts, "Walk This Way," is a bit unconventional in that it involves, as the name suggests, a great deal of walking.

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Arts

'To Fly' earns high marks for its lofty perspective on the natural world

September 27

Photographs of towering mountains, tranquil beaches or small-town America seem anything but complex and original; these subjects have been mainstays of photography for years. Going beyond, and more importantly, above what is expected, however, sets the photography on display in Boston University Art Gallery's "To Fly: Contemporary Aerial Photography" apart.

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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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