Leisure

Reviews and think pieces on music, movies, art, and theater.

Leisure

Critical Voices: Nicholas Jaar, Space is Only Noise

You might have heard some unavoidable Internet buzz about this new release. After dropping a smattering of genre-bending EPs in 2010, this experimental producer—barely old enough to drink—is releasing his debut. He’s got a keen ear for space and silence and his vocal-centric work suits headphones more than dance floors. No, I’m not talking about James Blake—this is Space Is Only Noise, the first full-length to come from 21-year-old Brown University undergrad Nicolas Jaar.

By February 17, 2011

Leisure

Critical Voices: Toro y Moi, Underneath the Pine

Today’s indie music is somewhat dichotomous: on one side are the simplistic, folksy, vocally-driven bands, and on the other there are chillwave electronic maestros. But on his 2010 debut Causer of This, Toro Y Moi (real name Chazwick Bundick) managed to slip between the cracks, landing in an altogether undefined genre with a combination of catchy melodic vocals and trippy electronic samples.

By February 17, 2011

Leisure

Banger Management: Singing the iTunes blues

During my four years of college, I have discovered a common musical phenomenon—the scattered, disorganized, and unlabelled iTunes libraries of my peers. Again and again, I have been amazed to find that my friends had not taken the same time to painstakingly organize their music collections that I had, filling in every piece of information iTunes accepts, from album year to artwork.

By February 17, 2011

Leisure

Internet IRL: Up Next: High-tech walkers

As a 20 year-old in 2011, I grew up with adults critical of new gadgets and gizmos. Game Boys were “stupid,” computer games were “a waste of time,” and smart phones may still be “expensive and unnecessary.” I always shrugged these comments off as ignorant skepticism, but recently I’ve come to a realization—it’s not that adults are intolerant of technology; technology is intolerant of adults.

By February 17, 2011

Leisure

Mask and Bauble’s Todd: Laugh, rinse, repeat

If too often you find yourself holed up in Lau, twisting your brain trying to survive your second semester of organic chemistry, you don’t want to see a play that’s going to tie your mind in knots. Mask and Bauble must have realized this and decided on a spring play that is about as far from meta-theater as one can get—Sweeney Todd, the Steven Sondheim classic on which Mask and Bauble gives an innovative take. Though at points disjointed, the cast takes full advantage of their roles to create a fun-filled atmosphere that will make any audience forget that they’re watching a play about killing people.

By February 10, 2011

Leisure

Improv alumni celebrate 15th anniversary

If you’re an acquaintance of anybody in the Georgetown University Improv Association, you may have noticed a slight change in your Facebook events during the past few days. Suddenly, your invitation to Improvfest this weekend was missing half of its title. Originally, it boldly advertised an extra-special guest headliner: the all-caps-worthy “MIKE BIRBIGLIA.”

By February 10, 2011

Leisure

Rapids needs more raucuousness

Ever since the massive success of 2009 smash-hit The Hangover, a series of R-rated comedies have attempted to imitate and capitalize on the blend of well-crafted, raunchy dialogue and situational absurdity that made the movie such a success. With Cedar Rapids, director Michael Artera takes imitation one step further, borrowing Hangover star Ed Helms.

By February 10, 2011

Leisure

Herbivores take over D.C.

Last week, Washington was overwhelmed by what many claim to be the greatest culinary innovation ever to come out of American kitchens: barbeque. This celebration of the grill—and all other things carnivorous—was part of the annual D.C. Meat Week. But after a week’s worth of fatty protein, D.C.’s vegetarian and vegan community is striking back, combatting some of that high cholesterol with the second annual D.C. Meat-Free Week.

By February 10, 2011

Leisure

Critical Voices: Cut Copy, Zonoscope

With Zonoscope, Cut Copy is going on a trip. The Melbourne-based electro-pop group’s sophomore release is brimming with journey images and metaphors, from song titles like “Where I’m Going” to lyrics like “take it from me/we’re on a path to eternity.” And while Zonoscope is still filled with the ecstatic, feel-good, summer-y beats that fans have come to expect, this release is Cut Copy’s attempt to be taken more seriously.

By February 10, 2011

Leisure

Critical Voices: Mother of Mercy, IV: Symptoms of Existence

Philadelphia metallic-punk outfit Mother of Mercy is not for the faint of heart. MoM delivers a distinct blend of straightforward hardcore punk and darker, brooding rock sounds influenced by the likes of Danzig and Samhain. After years of creating impressive music and touring with punk forefathers, last year Mother of Mercy signed with premier hardcore and punk label Bridge 9 Records.

By February 10, 2011

Leisure

Fade to Black: We don’t need no education

Just over a week ago, three Georgetown graduates made their mark on the Sundance Film Festival. Hoyas contributed to two entries, earning two prizes and sending shockwaves through the indie film world. While Georgetown can take pride in these ambitious filmmakers’ success, their graduation from a school that lacks a film program proved yet again that when it comes to getting ahead in the movie business, a degree from New York University’s Tisch School of Arts is often not as important as raw talent.

By February 10, 2011

Leisure

Amuse-bouche: The joy of popping

There are some foods that America’s giant, faceless, agri-beast processed food industry can make just as well as the average person. The Pillsbury Grands Flaky Layer Butter Tastin’ biscuit, for example, is a thing of beauty. Frozen pizza and Stouffer’s macaroni and cheese are both mostly high-fructose corn syrup, and not coincidentally both delicious. However, there is one processed food that is an affront to all that is good, right, and beautiful about eating: microwavable popcorn.

By February 10, 2011

Leisure

Don’t miss the climax of The Vagina Monologues

Eve Ensler’s The Vagina Monologues confronts audiences’ discomfort from its very first line: “I bet you’re worried.” As the play’s introduction points out, it “doesn’t matter how many times you say it, it never sounds like a word you want to say.” But past the shock of The Vagina Monologues’ frank language lies a well-crafted, emotionally gripping play, and one the actors, directors and producers of Georgetown’s rendition hope will bring to light women’s issues and sexuality on the Hilltop.

By February 3, 2011

Leisure

Georgetown filmmakers shine at Sundance

Who says Georgetown doesn’t breed creativity? This past week at the Sundance Film Festival, the creative minds of Georgetown were well-represented, with five films whose directors, actors or producers that have graduated from the University competed in the world-famous film contest. And one of these movie, Another Earth, won big. Way big. Another Earth, directed by Mike Cahill (COL ’01) and starring fellow alum Brit Marling (COL ’05), is a sci-fi drama about the discovery of a duplicate Planet Earth in the solar system.

By February 3, 2011

Leisure

If Caravaggio knew cardiology

While scientific advancement has led to solutions and cures that had previously seemed impossible, it has also bred confusion. In fact, very few average people can grasp the small, intricate details of how things actually work anymore. In the exhibition “What Was There To Be Seen,” on display now at the Ann Loeb Bronfman Gallery on 16th Street near DuPont, Kindra Crick and Carolyn Bernstein convey their personal fascinations and frustrations with the often cumbersome subject of biology.

By February 3, 2011

Leisure

3D can’t save Sanctum

How does one of the world’s best-known directors follow up the most commercially successful film in cinematic history? For James Cameron, director of mega-blockbusters Avatar and Titanic, the answer is surprising. Taking a break from fantasy and iceberg-smashing romance, Cameron signed on as executive producer for Sanctum, the tale of a father and son on a life-threatening cave expedition.

By February 3, 2011

Leisure

Critical Voices: Hercules and Love Affair, Blue Songs

Blue Songs, the new album by Hercules and Love Affair, is awful. I’m not going to mince words here: it’s brutal, terrible, miserable, abominable, abhorrent, and appalling. And it’s really a shame. The band’s 2008 debut was rightly praised as one of the best albums of the past decade. Mixing old school house and disco, the group brought a surprisingly fresh twist to DFA Records’s aging nü-disco shtick.

By February 3, 2011

Leisure

Critical Voices: The Boxer Rebellion, The Cold Still

In today’s alternative music scene, too many indie groups have abandoned their original sound in favor of mass appeal. So when a band can deliver emotion that is both honest and unpretentious, and stays true to the successes of its past albums, it’s grounds for major commendation. London quartet The Boxer Rebellion achieves just that on The Cold Still, with unassuming but powerful lyrics and melodies, the band rises above the rest of the indie pack.

By February 3, 2011

Leisure

Banger Management: It’s all about the Benjamins

Hip-hop has always been a regional art. Seminal groups such as Run DMC of Hollis, Queens and N.W.A. of Compton represented their neighborhoods with songs chronicling local troubles and lifestyles. But in the early 1990s, rap’s focus shifted and hip-hop crews began forming record labels to better promote their own music. All of a sudden, the West Coast had Suge Knight’s Death Row Records, which included the likes of Tupac and Snoop Dogg, while the East had Puffy’s Bad Boy label, which centered on Notorious B.I.G.

By February 3, 2011

Leisure

Internet IRL: This is your brain on Tumblr

Studying can be difficult when your most important tool is also your biggest time waster. All of us are familiar with being holed up in the library, intent on doing homework, only to catch ourselves surfing the net. It is virtually impossible to stay focused with the giant bag of potato chips that is the World Wide Web at your disposal. Betcha can’t click just one.

By February 3, 2011