writhaus

As a kid growing up in rural Mississippi, I always missed out on the cartoons my friends were watching in the afternoons until, thanks to Hurricane Alicia, dad had one of those old school giant satellite dishes installed. During the school year, it didn’t matter as much, but during the summer, I could watch the satellite feeds of shows such as Thundercats, Centurions, G.I. Joe, and Transformers. As a 31-year-old, I admit to having man love for the Transformers. I loved the meanness of Megatron. I loved how loyal everyone was to Optimus Prime. I loved that Jazz had the same voice as Hong Kong Fooey! When they announced a live-action film, I was as excited as anyone else…that is, until Michael Bay signed on to direct.

It isn’t that I hate Michael Bay. It’s that I hate his work. The only movie of his I enjoyed has been The Rock. I watched Armageddon and realized with horror that I will never get those nearly three hours back. I looked at the banality of Pearl Harbor (in trailer form) and vowed never again to see one of his movies.

My love of Robots in Desguise trumped that, though. I mean, let’s face it: As Americans, we don’t have ready access to our people interacting with giant robots. We have to make do with anime. I actually held out until about two weeks ago. At any rate, this afternoon, with a bit of trepidation, I entered the theater.

In the film, the Decepticons want the Allspark, as do the Autobots, who want to stop the Decepticons from using it to wipe out life on Earth as we know it. No one knows where it is, though. Not until Optimus Prime arrives do we learn what young Sam Witwicky (Shia LaBeouf) has to do with finding it. Throw in Megan Fox as a high school student way hotter than any that went to my school, John Tuturro as a government spook and John Voight as Secretary of Defense, and you have a talented-enough band of actors that you wouldn’t lay the blame on them if the movie failed.

I am happy to report that the film works. It’s silly summer fare, so don’t look for the plot holes (why not shoot them with liquid nitrogen?) or you will miss the point. This film is about giant robots beating the shit out of each other. It is a glory to behold. The effects are top notch. The voices aren’t bad, either, leading to one of the things that made me soften my stance: the hiring of Peter Cullen as Prime’s voice. Bay making that decision leads me to believe he actually likes the cartoon. The sound design is outstanding, as you would expect from an action movie director such as Bay.

I still don’t trust Michael Bay. This film was produced by Steven Speilberg, so that might be the reason it’s enjoyable. I have to admit, though, Bay finally did make another movie I enjoyed, a feat I didn’t think possible. Check it out. If you have a love of Transformers, I don’t think you will be disappointed.

Transformers was viewed at the Pacific Paseo 14 in Pasadena, Calif.

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3 stars

Though you wouldn’t know it from their name, Fujiya & Miyagi are a British trio. Fujiya is the name of a record player, and Miyagi comes from the character on The Karate Kid. They thought it looked cool. I didn’t really like the name until I listened to “Ankle Injuries,” the opening track on their latest disc, Transparent Things. In the song, they chant their name to the beat: “Fujiya, Miyagi, Fujiya, Miyagi…” There’s no doubt the words have a catchy ring to them.

In general, Transparent Things is a good “chill” album. It’s a fairly cerebral offering, but I would like to hear a little more depth. There are not enough loops, and the keyboards aren’t utilized as much as they should be. Combine that with the breathy and soft vocals, and you get a sometimes-boring record. Much of it is quite good, though. The first half of the record is far superior to the second half. The record’s highlights (“Ankle Injuries,” “Collarbone,” “Photocopier,” “Conducter 71,” and “Transparent Things) are the first five tracks. “Collarbone” is my favorite song on the record, and I dare you not to bob your head as you listen to it. The band’s sound peaks in “Conducter 71,” a cool instrumental track. If only they could replicate the soundscape in that song on the rest of the record.

In general, Transparent Things is a fun and light record. It’s beat-centric and is a great album to put on while you’re knocking a few back with friends.

Scale:
0. Shoot yourself
1. Poor
2. So-So
3. Good
4. Excellent
5. Instant classic

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Here we are halfway through 2007. I noticed last week that I don’t have anywhere near the number of songs in my “Best of 2007″ folder as I had in my “Best of 2006″ folder last year. I consoled myself with the satisfaction of knowing there are still a lot of albums coming out this year, even if new Radiohead isn’t among them.

I did think it would be a good time to look back at the music of 2006, though. We have four contributors who have varied tastes. Why not let you, dear reader, know what we liked best last year? Hopefully, in the process, you will discover new music for yourself. To make it easier (or harder, depending on whom you ask), we are selecting five songs. One contributor is sitting out (although he promised new content of his own for Thursday), so you end up with a nice selection for creating a mixed CD or quickie iTunes playlist.

Zandi’s List:

5. (Coming Soon)

4. Royksopp- “Remind Me”
Great commercial, even cooler song.

3. India.Arie- “I Am Not My Hair”
Again, deep meaning with this song. It was a HUGE anthem for women here in the ATL.

2. John Mayer- “Daughters”
My father requested and got daughters, so it resonates.

1. P!nk- “Stupid Girls”
Who can’t appreciate biting satire of today’s celebutants?

Brian’s List (in no particular order, as it was hard enough to distill to five):

1. Arcs- “Ghosts of Shopping Malls” – Emo still exists without mascara. There are kids who can play music with skill. Canada does have a vibrant music scene. These three things come together with Arcs, a group of college guys who happened to put out one of my fav EPs of 2006. I discovered them thanks to CBC Radio 3 (via Sirius) and spent a morning trying to find out more about them. I nearly had given up when a light at the end of the tunnel not only revealed their Web site but their completely free EP. (You can thank me for linking to it in the comments below.) I have high hopes for these guys.

2. Black 47- “Downtown Baghdad Blues” – Sharing a lead singer with ’80s sensation Dexy’s Midnight Runners, I discovered Black 47 with this song. Starting with the drone of a helicopter, this song is one of an elite pantheon that I loved instantly, especially how well-integrated the pipers are. The song is basically a soldier’s questions about why he’s in Iraq. With lyrics like these, it’s easy to wonder: “Mission accomplished, yeah, up on deck, Got no armor for my humvee, left facin’ this train wreck. Shia don’t like me, want Islamic revolution; Sunni say civil war is part of the solution.”

3. Margot & the Nuclear So and So’s- “Quiet as a Mouse”
Chamber pop at its best, Margot broke onto the scene in 2006 with this song getting into heavy rotation on Sirius’ AltNation. For me, the song is a mix of the depressing and the hopeful, which is a distilled version of how I see the world. You definitely should throw this into heavy rotation on your MP3 player of choice.

4. Roman Candle- “Something Left To Say”
North Carolina’s Roman Candle had this song mulling around the Internet for a couple of years before they finally got their first CD out the door. I am glad it was last year so I could include the song on this list. Essentially a song about moving on in life, it spoke to me the first time I heard it. Definitely worth a listen.

5. Johnny Cash- “God’s Gonna Cut You Down”
For this song, I sorted my 2006 list by plays and presto! This is what was at the top. John R. Cash is dead and gone, but thanks to God and Rick Rubin, his music is still with us. Made better knowing it was recorded in the years leading up to his death, the song just reminds us that no matter what we do, God is watching and will have the last say.

It was tough to distill this to five songs. I want to throw out an Honorable Mention to Gnarls Barkley with “Crazy,” a song I have yet to tire of hearing.

Dave’s List:

5. Arctic Monkeys- “A Certain Romance”
This is the closing track to my favorite album of 2006, Whatever People Say I Am, That’s What I’m Not. As with all of the tracks on my list, it’s a catchy song that’s relatively immediately accessible. I especially like the mournful and quiet guitar work. The lyrics are a cool snapshot into hipster life in England. It’s the perfect cap to a brilliant album. My favorite line is: “There’s only music so there’s new ringtones.”

4. The Kooks- “Eddie’s Gun”
This was the quintessential British two-and-a-half-minute rocker of 2006. It’s sexy: “Did you see the way she looked at me?” How the line is sung perfectly captures the essence of the feeling you get when a girl gives you “that look.” I don’t look for it much anymore, seeing as I’m engaged, but I still can appreciate it.

3. My Chemical Romance- “Welcome to the Black Parade”
At points, “Welcome to the Black Parade” sounds as if it could have come from Newsies, but it somehow retains a cool edge. I tend to shy away from musicals, and this song is as “big” as many songs from musicals. The track is catapulted to elite status, though, by Gerard Way’s vocals. He is the epitome of teen angst. The track also is powered by its powerful and anthemic chorus. At its height in popularity, this song was overplayed on the radio to the point where it was nearly ruined. Luckily it wasn’t.

2. Angels & Airwaves- “The War”
With the guitars issuing relentless power chords and Tom DeLonge’s impassioned vocals, “The War” is my favorite anti-war song of 2006. It’s full of disturbing imagery: “And the houses, laid out like targets. With a deafening sound, we watched them all go down.” DeLonge’s vocal performance is epic, and he perfectly speaks for much of the nation: “Why won’t you tell me that it’s almost over? Why must this tear my head inside out?”

1. Cold War Kids- “Hang Me Up To Dry”
“Hang Me Up To Dry” is the perfect rock song, with its driving beat and accessible melody. The metaphor in the chorus is what got me hooked to this song: “Hang me up to dry. You wrung me out too, too, too many times.” The swagger and attitude of singer Nathan Willett solidify the song as a classic.

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