- I was extremely pumped to hear that Rogue Wave, an amazing indie rock band from Oakland, planned to release of its fourth album, Permalight, March 2 on Brushfire Records. I was extremely pumped….right up to the point I heard the new single, “Good Morning,” that the band put out for listening online. Now? I’m still excited, just not nearly as excited as I was before I heard what that song sounds like. Over the course of their first three albums, Rogue Wave have put forth soaring, layered indie rock with oft-ambiguous-yet-deep lyrics. What I heard on “Good Morning” is none of those things and instead is a huge step in a pretty crappy direction – dance music. “I told Pat [Spurgeon, drummer, keyboardist, vocalist] I wanted to make a total dance album,” lead singer Zach Rogue said. Yeah, that’s no good. I don’t need garbage songs featuring synthesizers, “club beats,” and dancy feel. I can get that garbage from any number of un-talented pop music hacks, artists like those tools in Maroon5. The reason bands like Rogue Wave are – or were – so great to listen to is that they didn’t succumb to lame synthesizer sounds and didn’t make sh*tty dance-pop music, which is the single most offensive and horrible music genre in existence. According to a press release put out by the band, the change in its sound has its genesis in an event from 2008, when Rogue woke up unable to move because the result of two slipped discs in his neck. He was bedridden for months and in excruciating pain, but when he was finally able to pick up a guitar and play again, Rogue decided he wanted to write music that was totally new. “When I started writing I wanted to make a record that was a little more up, a record you could move your body to because I couldn’t move for so long,” he said. I’m okay with that, making more positive music. That much is cool, but you can do that without turning into just another hack dance/pop band that leans on the crutch of synthesizers and similar garbage that shows no musical talent whatsoever. And yes, I know that the release of this album comes on the heels of several major events for the band, including the tragic death of a former bandmate, Spurgeon’s kidney search (the subject of a PBS documentary D-Tour) and fatherhood. I feel bad for them in dealing with some difficult things, but that doesn’t mean I am going to excuse them for putting out what seems to be a crap-tacular album that will tarnish any future listenings of their first three albums. The band will unveil the new material at its upcoming Noise Pop appearance on February 24 and at the Fillmore on April 30 and hopefully the album doesn’t end up being as bad as it appears it could be. I shouldn’t be saying that about a band that has always been one of my favorites, but that’s where we are…………
- Financial times are tough, but clearly not tough enough for AT&T. If the company were truly struggling to make ends meet, then I have to believe it would not be announcing that it will invest an additional $2 billion in its network in 2010 to ensure it keeps up with the growing demand from smartphones and other 3G data devices on its network. Apple’s launch of its new iPad tablet “computer” last week will definitely increase those demands and AT&T wants to be prepared, Chief Operating Officer John Stankey explained during the company’s fourth quarter 2009 conference call. All told, AT&T plans to spend between $18 billion and $19 billion in 2010 upgrading its wireless and backhaul networks to handle the influx of new traffic. A significant chunk of that cash will go to adding 2,000 new cell sites and upgrading existing cell sites with three times more fiber links than they had in 2009. These moves will increase capacity for the backhaul network that connects the cell towers to AT&T's main network and allow the company to more readily upgrade in the future to 4G wireless technology. That change is expected to begin this year as AT&T begins testing its 4G network using LTE, the same technology Verizon Wireless is using for its 4G network. The process will be a gradual one, with a few commercial deployments ready in 2011 and more commercial deployments in 2012. Any upgrades for AT&T are significant because it remains the only wireless operator in the U.S. selling the iPhone. That has been something of a two-edged sword this past year, as a litany of complaints from iPhone customers - dropped calls, slow Internet access, and poor all-around service – have been rolling in. Critics have ripped AT&T for not spending enough on network upgrades to keep up with growing demand and although Stankey (love that last name, but he sounds like he should be an NFL offensive lineman) admitted as much, he maintained that his company is "closing the gap." Closing the gap also includes adding additional radio network controllers on existing cell sites and boosting capacity at convention centers, sports stadiums and along public transportation routes. Closing the gap is also difficult when AT&T continues to add new devices and subscribers, which contributed heavily to the company’s 200 percent increase in overall usage on AT&T's network in 2009 alone. To put things in perspective, AT&T now services more than twice the number of smartphones as its competitors and activated an additional 3.1 million iPhones in the fourth quarter of 2009. There will be more additions in 2010, as AT&T announced at last month’s Consumer Electronics Show (CES) in Las Vegas, that it would soon offer two Palm smartphones and several Google Android handsets. Top that off with the addition of the iPad and you have a recipe for disaster unless serious upgrades are made and made like right now…………
- As you’d expect from a Lost season premiere, more questions were raised than answered. The two-hour spectacle began with Jack Shephard on Oceanic 815, talking to Rose and meeting Desmond Hume, who switched seats to Jack’s row because the man he had been sitting beside was snoring. From the plane, we zoom down to bottom of ocean below, where the entire island the show has operated on for its first five seasons seems to be on ocean floor – the Dharma barracks, the four-toed statue and everything else from the island and its jungles. From there, we cut to Kate hanging from a tree on the island (decidedly not underwater). Her speech is muffled and in the dark jungle, she seems to be alone. Once down on the ground, Kate finds Miles, who is also having trouble hearing and has ringing ears. Together, they then find Jack and Sawyer, who are laying in the weeds beside the site where the Jughead nuclear device was detonated in last season’s finale. A giant crater is there, but it looks exactly like it did after John Locke blew up the Swan station’s hatch in 2004, not like it would have after the nuclear explosion circa 1974. Everyone is still on island (except for those pesky scenes from the plane), except they are no longer stuck in 1974, as they were at the end of last season. Everyone is back in present, it would seem. That means that Sayid, who was shot in last season’s finale, is still bleeding to death beside a Dharma Initiative van as Hurley stands guard and tries to stop the bleeding. Suddenly, all-powerful island ruler Jacob appears in the jungle to talk to Hurley. Jacob explains that he is dead, having been killed in last season’s finale by Ben Linus. He admits he is dead, explains to Hurley exactly who he is (they’ve met before, remember, after Hurley got out of prison for murder he didn’t commit while back from the island) and tells Hurley to take Sayid to the temple to save him, along with the guitar case that Jacob gave him when they first met. We then cut back to Oceanic 815, where Locke is on the plane and chats with Boone, sharing the story of the walkabout he took in Australia. Then, we see Ben and Locke in the room inside the four-toed statue on the beach after killing Jacob. Locke cuts a piece of a rug out with knife, then stands up and tells Ben to go fetch Richard Alpert, who is arguing with island newcomer Ilana and her crew (they were on Ajira Airlines flight 316 that brought the Oceanic Six back to the island last season). When Ben tells Richard that John wants to speak to him, Richard throws him to the ground, putting Ben face to face with Locke’s dead body that Ilana and her crew brought with them to the beach. Back at the hatch/explosion site, Juliet’s voice calls out from the rubble and Sawyer realizes that she is still alive, buried under the rubble. Everyone quickly begins digging to get her out. Then it is back to Oceanic 815, where a flight attendant pages any doctor on the plane and Jack responds to the call. He’s told that a passenger entered the restroom half an hour ago and isn’t responding to anyone. Sayid happens by and kicks in the door to help, revealing none other than Charlie Pierce, unconscious on the toilet. Jack realizes something is blocking his airways and reaches into his mouth, pulling out a small bag of heroin to save Charlie’s life. Juliet is still alive as well in the island portion of the show, which we find out when Jin uses the Dharma van to help pull a large beam from the hole and allow Sawyer to climb inside to find her. She is still conscious and admits that she set the bomb off so Sawyer could go home. She also realizes that because they are still on the island it didn’t work. Clearly struggling for breath, Juliet confesses that she has something to tell Sawyer…..and then she dies before she can tell him. Over at the beach, Ilana’s team enters statue room with Ben. They are met by Locke, who tries to tell them to leave the island because he assumes their duty was to protect Jacob, who is now dead, thus leaving them with nothing to protect. Instead, they open fire on him. He disappears and returns as black smoke monster, kills them all, then turns back into Locke. This is a huge revelation, because clearly this is not really Locke, but an imposter. The real Locke is the body on the beach and this faux Locke is the mysterious “man in black” we saw last season in a scene from the island’s past in which Jacob and this man in black argue about the fate of the island and the man in black promises to kill Jacob as soon as he finds a “loophole” allowing him to do so. The faux Locke cryptically tells Ben, “I’m sorry you had to see me that way.” Then, it’s a jump back to Oceanic 815, where Charlie is arrested for heroin. The plane lands, he’s taken into custody and everyone else deplanes safely. Ironically, Jack and Locke are the last two off plane. To kick off the second hour, Jack is paged to a courtesy desk, where he is informed that his father, Christian Shephard’s, coffin is missing. Remember, that’s the coffin Jack went to Australia to bring back with him and now the airline has no idea where it is. This appears to be the funereal portion of the episode, because on the island, Sawyer sets out to bury Juliet while the others head off to temple to follow through on Hurley’s plan to save Sayid. At the temple, they squeeze in through a hole below the structure, one that has been used before by Locke and Ben, among others. Once inside, they make their way toward the temple’s main room but all of a sudden, they are ambushed and members of the group begin disappearing. First, Kate is gone, then Hurley and finally, it’s just Jack left by himself. He too is captured and everyone is escorted out by some Indian-looking men in turbans. In front of them is what looks like a massive Buddhist temple. They are met by an angry-looking group led by long-hair Asian dude, a George Harrison-looking dude, Lennon, and a fellow Oceanic 815 passenger named Cindy who recognizes them. Cindy has two kids, Zack and Emma, and all three were once taken by Others after landing on the island. Back in L.A., Juliet is making her way through the airport with the bounty hunter who captured her and is returning her for the reward. She talks him into allowing her to make a restroom stop, then proceeds to use a pen she nabbed on the plane to try to pick her handcuffs. When the bounty hunter wises up and demands that she come out of the bathroom stall, Kate kicks the door down, lays a beatdown on him and knocks him out. She grabs his gun, tells two horrified women who happen into the restroom that the man on the ground actually attacker her and flees. She makes her way down to baggage claim and sneaks into a restricted area to evade detection by security. Back on island, Sawyer and Miles bury Juliet and knowing that Miles is something of a ghost whisperer, Sawyer demands that he use his skills to speak to Juliet. Miles talks to her dead body, says he was able to get through to her and informs Sawyer that she says, “It worked.” Sawyer wonders what the means and ambles off into the jungle. At the temple, things go sideways fast. The Hostiles, as they are apparently being called (i.e. the neo-Others), want to break out their guns and blast Hurley, Jack, Kate, Jin and Sayid to smithereens. Hurley stops them and saves the day by explaining that Jacob sent them. Asked to prove it, he tells them to open the guitar case. Inside, they find a large wooden symbol in a ribbon shape. The angry Asian leader breaks it open, finds a paper inside and after reading its contents, he asks everyone their names. Satisfied by whatever he has read, he tells his men to take Sayid to the spring. When Hurley asks the paper says, Lennon informs him that it basically states that if Sayid dies, they are all in a lot of trouble. In Oceanic 815-land (how I’m referring to the storyline wherein Oceanic 815 didn’t crash), Sun and Jin are going through airport security, where they are detained for having too much cash in their possession. Anything over $10,000 must be declared and because Jin didn’t declare his holdings, he is taken away for detention and questioning. When another customs official asks Jin if she speaks English and can clarify the misunderstanding, she lies and says she doesn’t speak English. The breakneck back-and-forth pace continues, whipping back to the island where the Hostiles are bewildered because the water in the spring inside their temple is murky and not clear like it’s supposed to be. In spite of that, they decide to go ahead with the attempt to help Sayid. Angry Asian dude warns that there are risks in trying to help Sayid, but the rest of the group is okay with that. With the decision made, a large hourglass is unveiled and Sayid is stripped of coveralls and put into the water, where he appears to come back to life. However, the men holding him won't allow him to come up from under water until hourglass runs out and by that time he is dead. Jack, Kate, Hurley and Jin scream to let him go and that he’s being drowned, but the guards won't relent. A lifeless Sayid is carried from the pool and laid on the floor, where Jack tries to revive him. Unfortunately, he is gone and there is nothing that can be done. In Oceanic-land, Kate continues her quest to evade capture at the airport and commandeers a cab. She jumps inside and is informed by the cabbie that he already has a passenger – Claire. Undeterred and with her bounty hunter right on her heels, she draws her stolen gun on the driver (Erik Doyle of Heroes fame) and the cab speeds off. On the island, Sawyer and Miles are carried in by the Hostiles and dumped in the temple along with their friends. Then, Angry Asian leader summons Hurley to his chambers and questions him about his relationship with Jacob and how he came to their camp. The leader reveals he can speak English, but “doesn’t like how it tastes in my mouth.” When Hurley reveals that Jacob is in fact dead, everyone panics and seems to be preparing for battle. They shoot off fireworks, ready weapons and look genuinely petrified. Over at the beach, Locke and Ben are still talking in room inside the base of the four-toed statue, but again, Locke isn’t really Locke. But he does know all about Locke and proceeds to tell him what Locke was thinking before Ben killed him. He explains that what made Locke unique among the Oceanic 815 crash survivors is that he didn’t want to leave the island. The difference, faux Locke says, it that he does want to go home. Faux Locke and Ben leave the room and walk out onto the beach where faux Locke beats up Richard, says he’s disappointed in everyone, and carries Richard off into the jungle. We then cut to a scene in Oceanic-land, where Jack and Locke chat at the baggage loss center. After learning about Locke’s spinal injury, Jack gives him his business card and offers a free consult any time, being a spinal surgeon and all. The episode wraps up at the temple, where Kate tends to Sawyer, who was roughed up when captured by the Hostiles. Lennon comes in and wants to talk to Jack, but Jack tussles with the armed guards who have come to accompany him. Before their battle can conclude, a frantic Hurley calls out to Jack, who turns around just in time to see Sayid come back to life. All told, a lot to chew on and a lot of questions raised, so it should be a heck of a season…………
- There is nothing more tired and played in this or any other country than the annual tradition of yanking some poor, unsuspecting groundhog out of its hole every Feb. 2 and attempting to use the presence or absence of its shadow after surfacing to “predict” the weather for the months ahead. And yes, I’m looking right at you, Punxsutawney, Pa. I realize that every year, more people come to your dusty little outpost of a town for this “event” than come for an entire decade otherwise, but that doesn’t mean that Groundhog Day isn’t totally ridiculous and worthless. So you yank Punxsutawney Phil out of his hole, hold the oversized rodent aloft and predict six more weeks of winter if he sees his shadow and losers with nothing better to do eagerly await the outcome. Simply put, anyone who was within ten miles of Phil’s ceremonial tree stump at Gobbler's Knob, Pennsylvania, should either be stationed on an iceberg and floated out to sea, never to be seen again, or they should be beaten with whips and chains until every ounce of stupid has spilled out of them. The fact that this is the 99th time that Phil has seen his shadow means absolutely nothing to me, nor does it mean a damn thing to anyone with a life and/or an IQ above 41. The first people placed on those icebergs and floated out to sea are members of the groundhog club in Punxsutawney, which is located about 75 miles northeast of Pittsburgh, in western Pennsylvania. These fools are responsible for perpetuating a circus that has now taken place 114 times. I have a simple message for each and every one of these fools: No damn rodent has any freaking idea what the weather will be like for an month, week, day or hour. Standing in the cold to see this debacle doesn’t make you cool, quirky or fun; it makes you a tool and a brain-dead ass clown. According to the U.S. National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, Phil has "no predictive skill." Thanks for that groundbreaking news, USNOAA. But I don’t think either you or I are going to convince these fools to wise up, get a life and stop wasting even one second of their life on this crap. And no, Groundhog Day dorks, I don’t care that the tradition behind the day goes back to medieval times when there was a superstition that all hibernating animals emerged from their caves and dens to check the weather on Candlemas, which is halfway between the winter solstice in December and the vernal equinox in March. What I would like to do is send all of you back to medieval times so you could all face the guillotine for crimes of stupidity against the world…………
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