Monthly Archives: July 2009

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Song of the Day #364: ‘Rubber Ring’ – The Smiths

louderthanbombsThe Smiths released a lot of non-album singles and B-sides during their first few years, as well as a couple of Britain-only compilation albums. In 1987, American record company Sire Records compiled all of those tracks and released them in the U.S. on a double album titled Louder Than Bombs.

Only a couple of these tunes can be considered throwaways: a syrupy cover of Twinkle’s ‘Golden Lights’ and instrumental track ‘Oscillate Wildly.’ The rest are solid enough to make this collection of 24 odds and ends an unofficial fifth Smiths studio album.

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Song of the Day #363: ‘Frankly Mr. Shankly’ – The Smiths

queendead1986 saw the release of The Smiths’ third studio album, and their bona fide masterpiece, The Queen is Dead. Not only is this my favorite Smiths album but it’s a contender for my list of top ten favorite albums.

But my first memory of The Queen is Dead has nothing to do with the music. Rather, it’s of a girl in my tenth grade biology class who often wore a white shirt with this album cover on it. K___ was one of those quiet, pretty, smart girls who didn’t get much attention in high school but probably went on to fame and fortune. (Actually, I friended her on Facebook and she now works at the Library of Congress.)

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Song of the Day #362: ‘How Soon is Now?’ – The Smiths

meatmurderThe band’s second studio album, 1985’s Meat is Murder, was their most commercially successful and received widespread critical acclaim. It’s also my least favorite of their albums.

That’s not to say it isn’t a strong collection — it is — but it’s one for which you have to be in the mood. Marr really went to town on this album, stylistically jumping all over the map. The Elvis Presley rockabilly of ‘Rusholme Ruffians’ runs into the jangly alternative sound of ‘I Want the One I Can’t Have’ then crashes headlong into the rock shredding of ‘What She Said.’ The album’s title (and weakest) track is a dissonant, sound effect-fueled screed about vegetarianism.

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Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince

potterprinceThe Harry Potter movies — six down, two to go — occupy a strange place in my moviegoing experience. I anticipate them wildly and strive to see them on opening day whenever possible, yet I generally forget them rather quickly afterward. They run together as a blend of potions, broomsticks and Every Flavor Beans.

I feel, in a way, as if they aren’t “real” movies. They are dramatizations of books I’ve loved, a way to bring life to visions swirling in my head since reading J.K. Rowling’s tale. But I can’t imagine watching these films having not read the books (unlike, say, The Godfather or The Bourne Identity). They are very expensive companion pieces.

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Brüno

bruno[Note: This review contains spoilers, not so much of plot points, as there aren’t many, but of specific jokes in the film.]

All of the Brüno reviews I’ve read — whether positive or negative — have focused on how the film works as satire. Some praise Sacha Baron Cohen and director Larry Charles for dissecting the American obsession with fame and exploring homophobia while others suggest the film’s targets are far too simple for its message to be complex.

What I haven’t seen is any reviewer tackle the central question I believe this film asks of its audience: Is this funny? While I appreciate that Brüno and Borat make some points about society, they are first and foremost comedies. And I hate to lose sight of that in the quest for some deeper message. Because while Brüno might fail to change the world, it definitely won’t fail to make you laugh.

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