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2011 NBAk Draft Pre-Preview

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A Preview of The NCAA First Round- Thursday March 17, 2011

Here are my very brief summaries to every game going on tomorrow (I will add more as time goes on):

12:15 (CBS)

12 Clemson vs. 5 West Virginia

Clemson: The Tigers come in here with a little bit of confidence after a blowout win against UAB in the first round.  Although they certainly lack the star power and depth to carry them into the later rounds, their defense could frustration to a not-so-potent West Virginia offense.

West Virginia: Even though they are not nearly as good as they were last year, West Virginia definitely has a chance to make some noise in this year's NCAA tournament.  Senior guard Casey Mitchell and Kevin Jones really get this team's gears going.  If both of these guys are at the top of their game come tournament time, the Mountaineers could find themselves in the Sweet 16.  

My Prediction: West Virginia will beat Clemson, but by not that much.  I wouldn't be shocked if they lose this one.

NBA Prospects to Watch: None, surprisingly.

Music Review: My Chemical Romance - Danger Days: True Lives of the Fabulous Killjoys

Can My Chemical Romance stop making concept albums? Probably, but there is no need to. They know how to do them well, and why change a good thing? After the smash success of 2006's The Black Parade, My Chemical Romance has crafted an album about a group of bandits named The Killjoys who live in the California desert in the year 2019. Sound confusing? I agree. But it's also outrageously different than anything they've done before. However, it's also one of their strongest albums.

From what I've gathered from numerous sources, song material and interviews, The Killjoys are fighting against an evil corporation named Better Living Corporation and it's leader Korse. Furthermore, they are being guided by a radio DJ named Dr. Death Defying. The rest of the story concerns a member of the Killjoys being captured and the rest of the gangs attempt to get her back, and the trials and tribulations they face. But I'm almost positive the majority of people aren't into the story. They care about the music. And the music is just as ambitious as the story.

The biggest difference with this album is how optimistic it is compared with earlier material, especially pre-Black Parade era. Songs such as "Bulletproof Heart" talk about running away to find a better life. "Planetary (GO)" and "Sing" are more bombastic numbers than we're used to from Gerard Way and company, and that's far from a bad thing. The former sounds like it would be playing during a car chase, and "Sing" is a stadium ready anthem about just singing out loud. It's different for My Chemical Romance, and unexpected.

However, the highlights of the album all arrive in the middle. Tracks 8 through 12 are some of the 5 best tracks that My Chemical Romance have constructed. "Party Poison" features Japanese radio broadcasts and is an explosive number and features some of Frank Iero's best guitar work. "Save Yourself, I'll Hold Them Back" and "S/C/A/R/E/C/R/O/W" are also outstanding songs, easy to sing along to with powerful vocals. Gerard Way hasn't been better, and his singing is one of the album's highlights. Finally, my favorite track "Summertime" sums up the album's optimism and powerful feel. It's a sing a long number that would have captured Modern Rock radio if it was released in June as a summer single. Easily one of their best songs. The final 3 songs contain 1 interlude, and the album ends on a satirical number about band breakup, perhaps an ode to critics of the band's constantly shifting styles.

Band's are expected to change and grow. My Chemical Romance is one of the few bands who has found success with every style they form, not relying on the sound that made a previous album successful. It's a trait that is easily admirable, even if you're not a fan of the band. They have been able to make a great sound in every album they've released, and each has been different. Danger Days is no exception. It's ambitious, optimistic, and catchy. It's also one of their most consistent efforts. Gerard Way and company are back after a long 4 years with one of the best albums. Welcome back Killjoys, it's nice to meet you.
Final Grade: 8.5/10 (Get this album)

Music Review: Rihanna - Loud

After the lackluster reviews for her 2009 album Rated R, Barbados bad girl Rihanna headed into the studio with hitmakers Tricky Stewart, Polow da Don and The Runners to craft the most consistent album of her career. Everyone knows the story of Rihanna and Chris Brown, so it's easy to excuse her for sacrificing hit songs for dark subject matter on Rated R. However, many wondered if she would be able to return to her 2007 form of making songs like "Pon de Replay" and "Umbrella".

And she has. Hell, some of these songs are better than anything she has done before. Songs such as "Cheers (Drink to That)" and "What's My Name?" featuring Canadian upstart Drake are intoxicatingly catchy. Only Rihanna has the ability to make the simple repetition of the words "Oh na na oh what's my name?" make every pre-teen sing along with adoration. She finally plays to the strengths that made her successful - an ear for pop and the ability to craft a memorable single. "Cheers" samples Avril Lavigne's "I'm With You" and uses it effectively, turning a song about young love into a alcoholic anthem. It's ambitious, daring, and works. On "Only Girl (In the World)", the first single from the album, Rihanna is able to reach back into her influences and make a song in the same vein that made Good Girl Gone Bad so successful. She is able to sound confident, down to earth, and extremely lustful all at once. It's a talent that can't be taught, and Rihanna uses her ability well.

Another standout is "Raining Men" which features up and comer Nicki Minaj, who delivers a rap that is one of the albums highlights. Easily one of the best songs on the album, due to the beat and the perfect mesh of styles Nicki and Rihanna bring to the table. Finally, the album ends on "Love the Way you Lie, Part 2". While the original was a smash single, this version does not live up to the hype. It's slowed down to feature more Rihanna singing, the beat is changed and Eminem's verse is effective yet underwhelming.

The last song sums up the album. While most songs are great, there are many forgettable moments. Rihanna is at her best when she plays to what a male listener wants to hear - a girl sing about lust, love and a need for passion. Rihanna knows how to make a hit, and she has done it consistently. Often she is unable to stay focused in this style and tries to expand. It's like Joaquin Phoenix trying to rap. It's not the worst thing you've ever heard, but it's disappointing to hear when you know there is something they're much better at. I want to close the review by highlighting one different success of the album. Rihanna constructs her best ballad of her short career on this album called "California King Bed". It's a moving number that makes Rihanna seem sadder than even her lowest moment on Rated R. If she can make ballads like this from now on with a good music of outstanding pop songs then Rihanna will become one of the biggest artists in showbiz. Loud is an album you should check out as it has many great songs, but drags in places and lacks consistency.
Final Score: 7.9/10 (Worth a listen)

Music Review - Kanye West's "My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy"

I'm living in that 21st century, doing something mean to it, doing better than anybody you ever seen do it, screams from the haters, got a nice ring to it, I guess every superhero need his theme music...

By now, you and just about every single person you know have heard those lyrics (other than maybe your grandparents, but there's probably still a chance they've heard it too). In case you're trying to recognize it, it's the cocky, in-your-face, explosive opening line of "Power" by Kanye West, the first single and third track on his new album, My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy. The major star figure dropped off the face of the earth about a year and a half ago after the famous incident at the MTV Video Music Awards. In May, he struck back with this song, and from then on it was a collision course; except while we usually think of a collision course as a bad thing, this was a full speed ride towards an album so good it's almost hard to believe.

The Breakdown

1. Dark Fantasy
The album begins with the odd swirls of holy opera underlying Nicki Minaj's powerfully odd voice, not rapping but introducing the story. "Twisted fiction / sick addiction / well gather round children / zip it / listen!" she declares, her voice growing increasingly forceful, as suddenly a slow build of female choir sings the hook. It builds and builds until finally collapsing into the main stretch of the song, Kanye rapping over an irresistible beat. Right off the bat he's lamenting about his night-time demons, and yet makes it sound undeniably cool - this sets up the whole album. It's one of the best tracks on the album, and an incredible way to start it off.
Best Line: "The plan was to drink until the pain over / But what's worse / The pain or the hangover?"

2. Gorgeous (feat. Kid Cudi & Raekwan)
After the choral finish of Dark Fantasy we're suddenly thrust into the dark swirl of distorted electric guitar and Kid Cudi singing the hook. Both Kanye and Raekwon take turns at rapping, with Kanye tearing up the first three verses and then Raekwan coming in at a sudden beat change that will never get old to listen to.
Best Line: "We make em say 'oh!' cause the game's so pimpish / Choke a South Park writer with a fish stick."

3. Power (feat. Dwele)
Here's the single you all know - Kanye's loud, declaration of, well, power, that was released to start up the hype for his album. What an incredible job it did back in May - and the "power" of Power has not died one bit. In fact, within the context of the album, it almost feels like it has more "power" than before. People loved the track for a reason - it's incredible - and whether you've heard it or not, it still is.
Best Line: "They said I was the Obama(abomi)nation of Obama's nation / Well that's a pretty bad way to start the conversation."

4. All of the Lights (Interlude)
The instrumental interlude is a nice change of pace, and allows a singeling out of the beautiful instrumentals of the masterpiece that's soon to come.

5. All of the Lights (feat. Rihanna, Alicia Keys, John Legend, The-Dream, Fergie, Kid Cudi, Ryan Leslie, Charlie Wilson, Tony Williams, Elly Jackson, & Elton John)
Whew, take a breath. That's a lot of people to be featured on a 5-minute song. Is it too much? Does Kanye get overshadowed? Is this the one bump on an otherwise incredible album? The answer to all three of those questions is no, and, in fact, the opposite. It's not too much - the mix just adds to the lively, electric feeling of the whole piece. Kanye does not get overshadowed - this is still 100% a Kanye West song. These features are not your typical guest appearances; other than Fergie, who has a very short 4-bar declaration, Kanye is the only one who actually has any verses. Everyone else adds a little something to the song - Rihanna leads the gorgeous and sparkly hook; the girls provide spiraling backup vocals; Cudi's dark voice is perfect for his small mini-hook; Elton John coasts through with bits of piano and then croaking out some minor lyrics at the end; all these features just add depth. And finally, the song is not the one bump in an otherwise incredible album - it's the best song of the year.
Best Line: "Restraining order / Can't see my daughter / Her mother brother grandmother hate me in that order."


6. Monster (feat. Jay-Z, Rick Ross, Nicki Minaj, and Bon Iver)
Here's another song many people have heard, the popular G.O.O.D. Friday track "Monster", a dark, hard-beat contemplation on how much you can kick ass and completely suck at the same time. These artists are outwardly declaring just how much of monsters they are - but they're refreshingly proud of it. The real star here is Minaj who steals the show with her violent, explosive declaration of self.
Best Line: The ridiculously raunchy "Have you ever had sex with a pharaoh? / Ahhhhh put the p**** in a sarcophagus."


7. So Appalled (feat. Jay-Z, Pusha T, CyHi Da Prynce, Swizz Beatz & The RZA)
Next is another G.O.O.D. Friday track, the apocalyptic "So Appalled", where the men involved lament on the downsides of fame. It feels much more epic and relevant on the album than it ever did as a stand-alone track, with the dark background highlighting the "appalling" terror that the artists describe.
Best Line: "I went from the favorite / To the most hated / Would you rather be underpaid or overrated?"


8. Devil In A New Dress (feat. Rick Ross)
This is the final G.O.O.D. Friday track on the album, but it's not really the G.O.O.D. Friday track we actually heard. The first 2 and a half minutes is - and an excellent 2 and a half minutes at that - but then the song suddenly cuts into a swirl of delicate and sparkly piano and strings, accompanied by a guitar solo. Then comes in Rick Ross, who I normally am not a fan of, but I feel it's important to mention that he really stands out here - his verse adds a great sense of messy unbalance to the track.
Best Line: I'm a sucker for the hook, "Throw your hands to the constellations / The way you look should be a sin / You my sensation / I know I beat you to the congregation / We love Jesus but you done learned a lot from Satan."


9. Runaway (feat. Pusha T)
The smash hit from the VMAs is now a 9-minute long epic meditation on the assholes and the douchebags of the world. It's Kanye's great acceptance of who he is, and sincerely apologizing for it. Pusha T adds a good verse, but at the end of the day, this is strictly Kanye's song, where he shows off his soft side. The original 5-minute anthem is now accompanied by a 3-minute finale of strings and swirling auto-tune that really just sounds like synth because of how inaudible the words are, and this provides a very unique and interesting effect - Kanye is shouting his thoughts and feelings, but nobody can hear him, leaving him in isolation.
Best Line: "And I just blame everything on you / At least you know that's what I'm good at."


After the star-studded collection of songs that consumes the majority of the album (minus Dark Fantasy), the rest of the album is pretty much left up to Kanye. While there are features from here on out, they provide merely backing vocals, or in the case of Best Birthday, an outro that's really just spoken word and not musical effort. This is important to note because as the album reaches its climax and finale, it leaves Kanye on his own, and truly brings home just how good of an artist he is.


10. Hell of a Life
The final act of the album cuts straight in with edgy synth as Kanye declares "I think I just fell in love with a porn star / Turn the camera on she a born star." "Hell of a Life" is a violently urgent, anxious trip into the darkest places of Kanye's mind. It's a sprawling nightmare of a song, never shying away from the darkest of thoughts and yet never seeming uninviting. It's direct and open in its darkness, and it makes it easier to approach. This is the beautiful, dark, twisted fantasy on My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy.
Best Line: "Runaway slays all in the chain gang / Bang...bang...bang...bang...bang..."


11. Blame Game / The Best Birthday (feat. John Legend and Chris Rock)
Don't let the two names in this song fool you - this may be Kanye's most solo and personal song on the whole album. Legend sings the hook for the first part of Blame Game, but the rapping is all Kanye, and what intense and emotional rapping it is. Our star digresses on the topic of a nasty breakup, and while the entire album is full of Kanye's honest confessions, it is here that we truly see his pain shine through. Mixing his own voice up with different effects, it sounds almost as if there are 4 different people rapping the second verse, but it's all him. After a distant, lonely reprise of the chorus by Kanye plays through, we enter the "Best Birthday" part of the song, which continues the sample-worth-mentioning "Avril 14th" by Aphex Twin, but the actual verses are essentially over; in comes Chris Rock with comic relief, playing "the other guy", and while he's hysterical, the comedy in the final third of the song enhances the heartbreak - it makes it seem as if Kanye is being mocked, and we feel his pain.
Best Line: Kanye achingly sings, all alone, "I can't love you this much / No I can't love you this much..."


12. Lost In the World (feat. Bon Iver) -AND- 13. Who Will Survive In America?
A while back, Bon Iver's Justin Vernon spoke to Pitchfork about working with Kanye West, and all the accomplishments the men had come to with each other. He is briefly featured on "Monster", but after an album full of ambition, after declarations of power, after astonishment and wonder at a sky filled with lights, after a monster brawl, after lamenting on the downsides of stardom and the poor shape of the world, after toasting to the assholes and douchebags, and after feeling completely alone, the major combination of West and Vernon comes to life for the grandest finale in recent music history. We end with a vibrant re-imagining of Bon Iver's "Woods", with Kanye not on top of the world, not in control of it - but lost in it. This fades into the final track, which is really still Track 12, it's just split because of the transfer from West and Vernon to spoken word by Gil Scott Heron, an artist from the 70s.


It is here that the story comes full circle; after tales of twisted fiction and sick addiction, the children have sit and listened and are awaiting the moral of the story. But Kanye, seemingly for the first time, doesn't have all the answers, and the moral, instead of proclaiming something, instead asks a question:


Who will survive in America?


And with the fast repetition of this question by Heron, the song finishes, and some mild claps ensue; although a standing ovation would probably be more appropriate. Kanye may be lost in the world, but his music benefits greatly - it's his most honest and real effort to date. This is a true portrayal of stardom in America today: the beauty, the darkness, and all the twisted fantasies.


10.0 /10.0 (A Masterpiece)

The Top 10 Movies of 2010 (So Far)

As we're getting closer and closer to the end of the year, it's only a matter of time before the major Oscar contenders bust out into the world. Before they have a chance to steal the show, here are the 10 best movies of the year thus far (minus "127 Hours", which I still have yet to see).


10. THE GHOST WRITER
Roman Polanski's chilling story about a ghost writer uncovering the mysteries of the corrupt leader he's writing for may not stay on the top ten list too much longer, but it deserves recognition as an excellent, quiet, and suspenseful thriller. Oh, and that ending...

9. SHUTTER ISLAND

You're always in good hands with Martin Scorsese in the director's chair, and Shutter Island is no excuse. It's a terrifying psychological nightmare that will haunt you for days. 

8. THE TOWN

Ben Affleck's Boston crime drama may be conventional, but it's conventional done right. You don't need too many twists and turns when you have an outstanding cast and a fantastic director who has really come into his own.

7. HARRY POTTER AND THE DEATHLY HALLOWS, PART 1

Some will find the first half of the biggest series conclusion of this generation too slow or too unfulfilling, but I thought the experience was right on. It has its flaws for sure, but its darkness and deep character development provides for the most haunting, moving, and emotionally satisfying episode of the series.

6. HEREAFTER

Hereafter definitely wasn't for everybody - many found it too slow or too and some too hokey. But I found Clint Eastwood's meditative drama on death and the afterlife profoundly moving and quietly riveting.

 5. WINTER'S BONE
One of the most criminally unseen movies of the year is also one of the best - the horrifying drama Winter's Bone, a dark and eerie story about a girl trying to find her missing father in order to save her family.

 4. SCOTT PILGRIM VS. THE WORLD
Edgar Wright delivered comic gold with Shaun of the Dead and Hot Fuzz, and his newest feature, Scott Pilgrim vs. the World makes him 3 for 3. It's the most fun, heartwarming, bizarre and clever creation of the year, one that can be described as nothing other than the awesomest awesome you can imagine.

3. TOY STORY 3

Over a decade of precedents set by Pixar and the original Toy Story comes to a close with the grand finale to childhood: Toy Story 3, a real tearjerker, is the most touching movie of the year.

2. INCEPTION
Christopher Nolan's mind-bending thriller is the most talked about movie of the year, and deservedly. One of only two movies this year to earn a perfect 10 from me, Inception is a suspenseful, exciting, riveting, and emotionally powerful action adventure that will screw with your thoughts and haunt your mind.

1. THE SOCIAL NETWORK
David Fincher's The Social Network is the other movie this year to earn a perfect 10 - it's a modern American classic. It's incredibly funny, achingly intelligent, and ultimately tragic. It defines our generation and shows the pain of being alone in the world - no matter how many "friends" you have.