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As far as expectations go, I think the only expectation was that it had to be funny and anything extra was a bonus. I guess I guage how funny a movie is with the type of laughter I usually give off. In the case of movies if it’s able to get me laughing like a girl…it has done its job. I will say that some jokes were way too silly that it got unnecessary though the racial jokes and debunking of stereotypes was definitely a highlight. The storyline was a bit cheesy and the jokes make the movie worthwhile. One character also had me annoyed and being overthetop stupid (forget his name but he’s the guy in the trailer making the North Korea + Al Quaeda joke). However the movie knew how to be cute/romantic yet funny at the same time so it wasn’t all drug-filled silliness.

Overall, you got what you paid for which was lots of laughs and stupid storyline or not, it had its moments. 4 out of 5.

As for the soundtrack, it wasn’t too bad with the song that stuck out the most was Mickey Avalon’s My Dick as it played after the “bottomless” party. I think the soundtrack was alright, the hip-hop tied well into the movie the only thing I hated was the use of Boyz II Men It’s So Hard To Say Goodbye. I just didn’t think it tied into the movie and the movie doesn’t need serious “sad” moments.

Anyway here’s my playlist for the movie:
(for you Googlers, the actual soundtrack list can be found here)

1. My Dick by Mickey Avalon
2. Amsterdam by Peter, Bjorn and John
3. I Gotta Run by Everybody Else
4. It Could Have Been A Brilliant Career by Belle & Sebastian
5. Stupid and Shallow by The Futureheads
6. A Better Son/Daughter by Rilo Kiley
7. Kissing In The Grass by Of Montreal
8. Because I Got High by Afroman
9. Banking On A Myth by Andrew Bird
10. Southern Comfort by Arrah and The Ferns
11. Vanished by Crystal Castles
12. Stoned Again by The Evangelicals
13. People You Meet by Bishop Allen

I could explain the meaning of each song if you don’t get why I put them in, just leave a comment and I’ll gladly respond.

The tracks they have available for streaming were pretty good actually. I ended seeing a review on Pitchfork (not deserving of a link here) giving them a 2.3 out of 10. I think after awhile when reading Pitchfork the albums that get praised are good and the ones that get their ass handed to them are usually well-off bands which don’t need a great review (e.g. a major label band) and they are making a statement at something that’s popular that shouldn’t be.

In this case it sounds like many reviewers hate the name Does It Offend You Yeah? and I must agree as it’s doesn’t seem to fit well in daily conversion and when you’re not exactly offensive or an asshole/prick/jerk it’s not very fitting. The title to the album of this album is also quite terrible and the first thing that comes to mind is “pretentious” before even picking up the album.

Bad band names and album titles aside, what it comes down to is the quality of the music. You can have band names such as The Throat Gaggers, The Horse Fuckers or The 2Girls1Cup Watchers (I don’t know if band names such as those exist but I’m not going to search for obvious reasons). As long as the music is good, I could care less and in this case Does It Offend You Yeah?’s You Have No Idea What You’re Getting Into is pretty darn good.

The album starts off with Battle Royale an instrumental track that seems to be homage to one of my favorite films of the same name. I think this is one of the better tracks, while there isn’t much vocally it’s quite enjoyable to listen to and you can see elements of houses or more specifically comparisons to Daft Punk.

Here’s a fan made video for Battle Royale – eat your heart out fans of the Power Rangers (who didn’t like them when you were 5?)

The next two tracks We Are Rockstars and With A Heavy Heart(I Regret To Inform You) are pretty awesome dance songs and all the way through you have some great dance tracks that would be awesome at the club. Other then the rather typical house music, you have these dance ballads that I guess you wouldn’t find after listening to the first few tracks and it’s more of a breath of fresh air as they are just adding vocals to a pretty solid set of music.

I guess see that their music isn’t exactly original but you can argue most pop music has been done before and it really just comes down to whether you enjoy it or not. Sure the music doesn’t offend me and I had a pretty good idea of what I was getting myself into but I am shaking my head here at how poorly critics found the album. If there’s any way of alienating music that I’m sure the masses would like that would be it by acting snobby and thinking that this music is “boring” and “unoriginal” and putting too much stock in a band name does much less for us as music fans more then anything.

Overall pretty darn good, an enjoyable record and I can’t say that about other albums that have been praised a great deal. My favorite tracks are Battle Royale, Being Bad Feels Pretty Good

Rating: 4.5 out of 5.

Due to this album being on a major label, I’m not exactly able to put up tracks to give you a correct idea of what you feel but enjoy these random tracks nonetheless.

Let’s Make Out by Does It Offend You Yeah?

Se7en by Does it Offend You Yeah? (another movie homage?)

Map of the Problematique by Muse (Does It Offend You Yeah Remix)

Bombadil is a quirky folk-pop rock band from North Carolina who will be releasing their new record, A buzz, a buzz with Ramseur Records on April 29th, 2008. This band encompasses three things I really enjoy in a folk-pop music: sweet and simple sounds, quirky lyrics, and use of unconventional instruments. This album has a good mix of sounds a la Wilco, pre-Green Weezer, the Eels. I might be as so bold to say I put them above other quirky folk pop artists such as Kimya Dawson, Antsy Pants, and Adam Green. Overall, I would describe Bombadil as spontaneous, upbeat, and freakin’ awesome.

The songs all encompass sweet melodies, and the band makes good use of different instruments to create delightful music. I love their use of the panflute, trombone, viola, banjo, xylophone (triangle?) in their music. These seemingly unconventional “non-rock” instruments really help enhance their music, as well as let it stand out from the ordinary four-instrument band. Songs like “Cavaliers” and “Johnny” demonstrate exactly what I mean.

What I find most admirable are Bombadil’s lyrics. Very quirky, from the titles (“Julian of Norwich”) to the lyrics (A lonely caterpillar tree/Stands right next to me/And it wants you for a friend to be/And maybe you can be, “Caterpillar Tree”) to the band members themselves. Bombadil are said to be excellent live performers, and a quick look on YouTube will definitely prove so (click here to check it out). I had one of their songs on repeat for hours, “One Two Three.” It is sweet, still maintains its quirkiness, but in a delightful…(dare I say, cute?) way.

Without further gushing about how great this album is, I shall end off with this: Bombadil is definitely worth checking out if you’re looking for something to pulls your folk pop strings that is upbeat and feel good. This album will be part of my summer playlist fo sho (and so should it be part of yers!).

Bombadil – Cavaliers Har Hum

Bombadil – One Two Three

Chek it:

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I first gave these guys (and girl) a listen while browsing bands that will be attending this years Warped Tour. After a quick visit to their myspace page, I quickly realised this was a band I was excited to check out. The first song off the EP, The Answer, is heart-warming, smooth, and typically a really easy listen. It’s a soft song, but packs plenty of emotion through the use of a powerful voice box, and passionate instruments. The vocals are really the x-factor that won me over when listening to Automatic Loveletter. Juliet Simms, the vocalist, is incredibly beautiful and has vocals to match. Her sound ranges from a seductive whisper to a slightly raspy, but powerful singing voice. In The Answer you can hear the two tones during the verse and chorus, which work hand in hand to create that over zealous sound which resonates from this album. Another thing of note is that Juliet’s voice is very raw and sounds naturally cool, the kind of voice that gives either a great or terrible first impression, in this case the earlier.

The instruments also play a big factor for Automatic Loveletter, matching the tone of music set by the vocals. There are a lot of simple riffs played using overdriven guitars, as well as other elements that I can’t quite put my hands on, overall adding the finishing touches to some classy music. There might have been a feint use of an organ, but it’s all these little things combined that create the perfect emo-aggressive sound. The rest of the EP is much of the same. Hush the third track off the album is a little slower and more mellow, venturing to say it’s even more emotionally-driven and moving than any of the other songs on Recover. It’s really deep in terms of lyrics and sound. The vocals in this song are particularly a great example of why Automatic Loveletter is so good. Make-Up Smeared Eyes, the final track can match in emotional value, but this is mainly due to the acoustic backbone of the song. Again, the lyrics and vocals are insanely good.

Overall, the entire EP was an excellent listen, but it really depends on the mood you’re in. After a long day of work, it’s nice to listen to a very subtle, warming band such as Automatic Loveletter, but don’t expect any upbeat melodies. Automatic Loveletter, is one of the emo bands out there that I really enjoyed, and their passion sounds authentic and not faked like many of the mainstream bands. For music that speaks to the heart, Automatic Loveletter is able to do just that.

Check out their Myspace for official tour dates and news.

Automatic Loveletter – The Answer

Automatic Loveletter – Hush

There have been a lot of mixed reactions to In Flames’ latest album, A Sense of Purpose. People either love it or hate it. The vocals have dramatically changed. It’s no longer growls and grunts, but singing. I find that the band has taken a turn for worse as it no longer holds the brutality and energy of the old classic In Flames records.

Although still melodic, the new guitar works and riffs don’t stand out as much and when heard, are easily forgotten. I find the experimental changes that the band has gone through have made their disk really progressive and metalcore-ish. Take a listen to The Chosen Pessimist. It’s so whiny and emo… I guess for a band formed in 1990, it’s just what some people call “natural progression”.

If this was a new band, I would have liked this CD much more. But for a band that was part of the Gothenburg metal scene and was a pioneer for the melodic death metal genre, I think there’s really no need for them to make such a change.

The Chosen Pessimist

Eraser

Abnegation

Buy This CD At: Insound, cdUniverse, Amazon

Anyways, here are the setlists for Gigantour 2008:

Megadeth:
01. Sleepwalker
02. Wake Up Dead
03. Take No Prisoners
04. Skin O’ My Teeth
05. Washington Is Next
06. Gears Of War
07. Kick The Chair
08. In My Darkest Hour
09. Hangar 18
10. Ashes In Your Mouth
11. Burnt Ice
12. Trust
13. Tornado Of Souls
14. Symphony Of Destruction
15. Peace Sells
16. Holy Wars

Children of Bodom:
01. Six Pounder
02. Living Dead Beat
03. In Your Face
04. Hate Me!
05. Hellhounds On My Trail
06. Angels Don’t Kill
07. Blooddrunk
08. Downfall
Sorry to disappoint, CoB fans…

In Flames:
01. Quiet Place
02. The Mirror’s Truth
03. Scorn
04. Take This Life
05. Bullet Ride
06. Graveland
07. Move Through Me
08. Cloud Connected
09. Leeches
10. Come Clarity
11. Sober And Irrelevant
12. My Sweet Shadow

Job For A Cowboy:
01. Coalescing
02. Embedded
03. Entities
04. Reduced
05. Entomb
06. Altered
07. Knee Deep

High On Fire:
01. Rumors of War
02. Turk
03. Death Is This Communion
04. Waste of Tiamat
05. Devolution

This was the setlist for the Denver show but I doubt it will change. I believe High On Fire will be opening.