Two-cent piece

I’ve been meaning to catch up on my pop culture reviews. Because I’m lazy, no one really wants to read 500 words about one book, album, etc., and like the typical twentieth century kid, I’m obsessed with instant gratification. So, this is just my two cents on what my attentions have been directed to as of late. Feel free to recommend anything for me to review.

Be advised: This is a “hyper” story. Any title that may seem interesting and/or unfamiliar is hyperlinked. That’s right, I’m going WebMD on your ass. I’ll try to do this whenever I shove a cornucopia of pop culture down your throat.

Downtown Owl: After spending the past decade in the limelight writing for “Esquire” and “SPIN” as a comically dark critic of pop culture and how he perceives it, Sex, Drugs, and Cocoa Puffs (2004) author Chuck Klosterman switches gears to the 1980s sleepy town of Owl, N.D., a place where, as Klosterman puts it, “disco was dead but punk never happened.”

As Klosterman’s first foray into fiction, Downtown Owl isn’t too shabby. It’s a little rough, and in some depths of the text it’s prevalent that Klosterman is an accomplished writer testing different waters, however Klosterman is able to smoothly wade fiction with his signature voice: honest, sarcastic and endearing. 3.5/5

Acid Tongue, Jenny Lewis: The Rilo Kiley frontwoman respectfully sheds the Watson Twins in her follow up from 2006’s Rabbit Fur Coat, teaming with the likes of Jonathan Rice and Elvis Costello for a gritty, bluesy, sexy tone. Check out “The Next Messiah.” 4/5

Andrew Bird: His velvet vibratos joined by folky, eccentric beats. Check out “Fake Palindromes” (The Mysterious Production of Eggs, 2005) 4.5/5

Girl Talk: It doesn’t matter if you don’t appreciate rap, and it doesn’t matter if you don’t appreciate rock: You gotta give this guy props for creativity. Night Ripper (2006) meshes Ludacris, Boston, Elton John, and Nirvana, and it actually sounds good. You go, girl. 3/5

The Soup: This is a no-brainer. It’s on E!, and broadcasts throughout the weekend. God bless you, Joel McHale. This is what Perez Hilton would be like on television. 5/5

Burn After Reading: As the Coen Brothers lovingly return to their slapstick from their Academy-praised No Country for Old Men, BAR’s a good’n. The best part of the movie, as in most Coen films, is the idiosyncrasies of the characters, especially power-duo of the dim-witted, skunk-maned Chad (Brad Pitt), and the even more dim-witted, plastic surgery-obsessed Linda (Francis McDormand).

The movie received mixed reviews, but so did Fargo and O Brother, Where Art Thou?. I could see someone not enjoying the movie, because the film ends with not much closure, but it’s undoubtedly Coen. “What did we learn? Not to do it again, I don’t know what the fuck it is we did…” 3/5

Bryn Rich on Illinoise Sunday, Oct. 26: Nice show, guys. Underground Illinois music gets a voice every Sunday night on Hit Mix 88.9. Hosted by Learn to Fly’s Bryant Fritz, this particular installment was complete with live jams (thank you Bryn), additional guests (Aslan’s Claw frontman Josh Annis), weather updates (Sufjan, without you none of this would have been possible), copious requests and dedications, and interesting discussions ranging from a (wooden? crayon?) panther to upcoming local shows. Keep rockin.’ 4.5/5

Cheers,

CS

Extras...

DCFC's Ben Gibbard drops in on Jenny Lewis

Daytrotter Session of Andrew Bird's "Lull"

Condensed Soup

Burn After Reading's mixed reviews

Carleton Singing Knights cover "Chicago" a cappella