ALBUM REVIEW: Blonde Redhead- Penny Sparkle (2010)

 

As is usually the case when indie darlings turn into symphonic beat-bearers for the calm-wave set, this album was derided with impossible expectations and flaunted as a failure upon its release in 2010. But if all you're looking for is a rehash of the early angular proto-prog-punk that made Blonde Redhead dreamboats for the critical acclaim they only sometimes actually got-- you're actually missing the point. Penny Sparkle doesn't nod in that direction at all. In fact, if you were to place 1997's Fake Can Be Just As Good beside Penny Sparkle to do a side-by-side comparison you'd actually believe it even less that the same band recorded both records. Have I used enough hyphens yet?

That's the thing with Blond Redhead. They've always had a weird, mysterious edge. As much as we're all tempted to turn away in disapproval over the sedated (read: BORING) sound of Penny Sparkle, a cursory listen doesn't even begin to reveal the charms it carries. This is an album that needs a soaking period. Actually I've only just started appreciating the album for what it is, and I've been trying since it was released. Maybe it's because I am laying in bed at 1:05 am and I've got the munchies. Maybe not. Stay with me, I promise I'll explain.

Penny Sparkle. The name itself has a certain ring to it. At once an atiquated image, and at once a mood descriptor, it functions on many levels. Even if you don't derive any meaning from the title, once you start unpacking the sound of the record, there's a duality obviously at play. What should Blonde Redhead be, now that they've proven they can triangulate the shit out of a slanted pop hook? What can they conjure with their arguably outdated (but still cool as hell) bag of tricks?

Well, conjure they certainly do. This album is probably the most mysteriously deceptive of any in their canon. Really. Don't believe what all the "fans" told you, this isn't Blonde Redhead: The Senile Years just yet. No, Penny Sparkle revolves and revokes itself from view. It spins and shatters, repeats and replays, and the trance it creates is hard to ignore. That doesn't mean it's an easy record to love, or even to appreciate. No, you have to shut out the world, and tune in. You have to breathe and close your eyes, you have to dive and take a chance. Let your guard down. Sit in awhile. Stop hurrying to the next track. This album deserves a full spin and a rainy day. If that makes any sense.

Blond Redhead have finalized their conversion to synthesizers and drum machines. We all saw this coming, and we all decided if we liked this side of the band a long time ago. If you do, you'll find charms aplenty peppered all over Penny Sparkle. If you didn't, you probably won't stick around long enough to find them. But it's still your call.

MOVIE REVIEW: Side Effects (2013)

Starring: Rooney Mara, Channing Tatum, Jude Law, Catherine Zeta-Jones

So I went to see Side Effects last night, and I wasn’t quite sure what to expect. I had only seen a few ads for the movie but decided it looked at least interesting, at worst convoluted. Thankfully, it landed more on the side of the former. Although, truth be told, some of it was convoluted. But that’s ok.

We start off with a movie about a very depressed woman (Rooney Mara) greeting her husband (Channing Tatum) as he is released from prison after a 5 year stint for insider trading. Emily (Mara’s character) has seen a landslide of bad circumstances pull the ground out from underneath her. We understand and empathize with her plight, and when she drives her car into a parking garage wall (but survives), we really do understand her frustration and inability to cope with her current circumstances. At the hospital, she meets a very empathetic psychiatrist and is prescribed anti-depressant medication and a schedule of therapy before being released. The movie is in slow-motion for a while, as we sit and wonder how much more brooding and pill-popping we can possibly endure. And then the first twist.

Soon we are plunged into a movie that is all thrilling twists and turns, sub-plots and double-crosses, triple-crosses and quick changes, that turn Side Effects into something entirely different than I was prepared for. I can’t tell you what happens— the movie would surely be spoiled if I did— but I can tell you it’s worth the wait to be plunged into the dark underbelly of scandal, the repercussions of prescription drugs, and the dark mind of a woman who never is what she claims to be.

Both Rooney Mara and Jude Law turn in totally compelling and riveting performances. Rooney's depressed and calculating Emily is a twist of a character that constantly keeps you wondering what's what and who's who-- a true testament to her deadpan style, her cloying cuteness, and her ability to subvert convention. Jude Law puts on a very convincing performance as her psychiatrist, a conflicted but well-mannered and professional guy who gets caught up and pulled into circumstances that force him to dig deep and find ingenious ways to pull himself out of the murk. It's clever, the way the movie focuses on his mental state, and the way he is able to not only ward off the crazies but remind everyone else why his line of work is the perfect fit. I don't know if I'm talking about Law or his character, but the point is valid either way.

Director Steven Soderbergh claims this will be his final film. I don’t think that’s going to be true, considering the acclaim he has received in the past, and the acclaim this film is already getting, but c’est la vie if it is. He goes out with a bang, and while this movie isn’t perfect, it surely surpasses most of the would-be thrillers that attempt what this film actually pulls off. We don’t sit there force-fed details that miraculously come together, we watch the movie unfold and transform, taking us under bit-by-bit. It’s a glorious display of cinematic tension and flair for detail that turns Side Effects into something more satisfying than your average popcorn-flick. 

It’s a movie about the duality of the human mind, and the way we attempt to control and subvert our own emotions and thought processes. But it’s also a movie about deception, yearning, unfulfilled dreams, and how life can only hurt you so much before you inevitably hurt back. Take a chance and have an open mind while watching.