- A new album from Interpol is a rarity for music fans. The New York quartet has only released one album since their 2002 debut, Turn On the Bright Lights, so their new album Our Love to Admire is noteworthy for that reason alone. As an Interpol fan, I was curious how the group’s sound would change going from indie label Matador Records to major label Capitol Records. Unfortunately, the ever-corrupting influence of a major label can indeed be heard on the album, where it’s clear that Paul Banks and Co. are aiming for a more mainstream appeal instead of retaining the indie cred that had made them so great up to this point. Before, Interpol was a serious, powerful and thoughtful group that relied on Banks’ powerful, driving and often overwhelming vocals and a somberness that recalled the sound of indie pioneers like Joy Division. This time around, the change is obvious in the incorporation of keyboardist Carlos D into the band’s repertoire as well as Banks’ more melodic, mainstream vocal stylings. On songs like The Lighthouse and Pace is the Trick, the new sound of Interpol is at its most visible. The lead single, Heinrich Maneuver, is more along the lines of what we’ve come to expect from Interpol, although I can't help but wonder if that choice was made to give fans the illusion that the record in general isn’t as much of a departure as it really is. So on one hand, I’m inclined to give this album a thumbs up because it’s still a good listen and better than the majority of the crap clogging up the airwaves right now, but on the other hand I’m wary because it just may be the bridge that takes Interpol from cool, individualistic indie rock to a future of mainstream, blasé crap that makes the first part of their career nothing more than a wistful memory. If I could say one thing to the band, it would be to do a 180, turn around and head back to the spirit and sound that has given you two nearly gold records and a spot at the top of the indie scene. Don’t go the rest of the way to the dark side, sell out and turn into another Killers or Blondie……..
- Distanced, underwhelmed and angry. Those three adjectives would be a good description of how I felt last night as I watched the bobble-headed, egotistical, steroid-fueled Barry Bonds hit his 755th career home run to tie Hank Aaron’s record. As the ball sailed out of Petco Park in San Diego, flying into the left field seats where a scrum ensued for possession of the ball, I was partly angry and upset because the dreaded moment had finally arrived when baseball’s biggest cheater had reach the game’s most revered record. Still, I wasn’t overwhelmed with rage because I also felt a sense of distance and disconnect, almost as if I were watching a video game that didn’t really matter. Because truthfully, if Bar-roid did use performance-enhancing drugs to hit many of his 755 career home runs, why should I care about his record. His bitterman act and surly demeanor, coupled with the mounting evidence of steroid use, have made him a figure that I and many other fans just don’t give a crap about. So as that ball left the yard, the one word that popped to mind most powerfully was, “Whatever.” I was glad it was mostly over (not totally, because Bonds still has to hit one more to break the record) and that within a few days I can go back to following Major League Baseball without 3/4 of the stories focusing on, either directly or indirectly, Bar-roid and his pursuit of Aaron’s record.
- Ocho Cinco is back, and that’s good news for all of us. Cincinnati Bengals wide receiver Chad Johnson is absolutely the best character in the NFL, a free-spirited and fun-loving guy whose colorful touchdown celebrations and antics garner a lot of attention and no shortage of criticism. What’s great about Ocho Cinco’s act is that it’s never malicious and never hurtful to anyone, because O.C. is looking to have fun and put on a show, nothing more. In an interview with SI.com writer Peter King, Ocho Cinco says that he had a subpar season last year (he was on my fantasy team and nearly cost us the championship, so I can validate that) and he knows why. O.C. says that last year he was hurt by attempting to stay down and maintain a relatively low profile instead of acting like, well, Ocho Cinco. At the behest of Bengals coach Marvin Lewis, O.C. was a toned-down version of himself last year and he feels not being himself hurt his play. Thus, my man Ocho Cinco is promising to be back to his old self this year, with a collection of touchdown celebrations so good that he’s been collecting money to pay for the fines the NFL will impose on him for them. One TD celebration that O.C. has planned in the event of a touchdown in the first game of the season is so outrageous that he claims Lewis will suspend him a game for doing it. “I need to be myself, I need to get my sex back,” O.C. explained. I don’t exactly know what that means, but I know it’s good news for football fans, because Ocho Cinco at his best is him going Riverdance in the end zone, proposing to cheerleaders on the sidelines, using the end zone pylons as putters and attempting CPR on the ball after scoring touchdowns. Glad to have you back, O.C., I’m looking forward to a 15-20 TD season this year.
- When a wealthy or even semi-wealthy person passes away, what is one of the givens that always goes down? Let me help you out: That person’s family engages in a huge brawl over the contents of the deceased’s will, arguing who should get what, how much money should go to whom, etc. What you usually don’t have is a titanic struggle just to find out who the person’s heirs are. But such is the case with the estate of the late James Brown, Godfather of Soul. Brown died on Christmas day, but the search for all of the children he fathered is still going on. The will only listed six children, but since his passing DNA testing has been done on several more individuals claiming that Brown is their baby daddy. Recently two of those claims were substantiated, and although the names of those two people have not been released, one of them is believed to be 45-year-old LaRhonda Petitt of Houston. She is one of the dozen would-be children of Brown who have been tested so far, but smart money is on the number of confirmed children for the G.T.S. rising into double digits. I’m not sure whether to be impressed or mortified, actually. On one hand, it should not take widespread DNA testing and nearly one year’s time to decide who your rightful heirs are once you die, but on the other hand, J. Brown clearly had game if he was able to get with that many different women over the course of that many years. I mean, most guys like to get their freak on, but Brown was definitely one of the most prolific when it came to that.
- Upon learning that two people were shot in a Vegas altercation over the weekend, my first response was the same as yours probably was: What was Pacman Jones doing back in Vegas? Alas, Pacman was not involved in this incident, although signing a contract to wrassle with TNA Wrestling isn’t a much more helpful step if he’s looking to rehabilitate his damaged rep. The shooting in the Caesar’s Palace hotel-casino took place early Saturday morning when a man who had been knocked to the ground in a fistfight decided to escalate things by pulling a gun and squeezing off a few rounds. Richard Earl Shepherd Jr., 34, is still being sought by Las Vegas police. The two victims were treated at a local hospital and released. I have to say, not the smartest move on the part of Shepherd. Casinos are notorious for being the most heavily surveilled, photographed and videoed places in the world, with security systems that rival most nuclear missile silos. If you want to do something illegal, you’re almost better off doing it in the street in front of your local police station than you are doing it in a casino, especially a Las Vegas casino. There are probably no less than four video clips and six still photos of Shepherd engaged in the brawl and firing off his gun, so he really should just turn himself in and expedite this process before things get worse for him.
- Take that, Hugo Chavez! The Venezuelan president has some competition in the realm of oppressive, restrictive and overly sensitive South American leaders, courtesy of Venezuelan President Rafael Correa. Correa has ordered the deportation of a U.S. environmental activist for taking part in a police seizure of two tons of shark fins that were apparently illegally fished. Sean O’Hearn of the environmental rights group Sea Shepherd was detained in the capital city of Quito and will now be booted out of Ecuador. “I am not going to allow any foreigner to come here and tell us what to do,” an incensed Correa declared. You show ‘em, Rafael! Because it’s not important that your country do things the right way, abide by laws, not damage the environment and be a responsible member of the international community, dammit! What IS important is that you don’t let some foreigner be the one to come in and tell you that you’re doing something wrong! The key issue is not whether something is right or wrong, but rather who the messenger is for telling you what is right or wrong! Because let’s face it, no one outside of Ecuador is smart enough, educated enough or capable of looking at something your country is doing and determining if it is legal, ethical or correct. I’m sure this governing policy will serve your nation verrrrry well and won't lead to any problems at all……….
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