So first of all I've decided to write about what's going on in the world of pop culture on a weekly basis. This is rather ambitious of me, so please forgive me if I fail miserably. I have a few other blog ideas in the pipeline, so you can expect to see a little more of me in the future.

Anyway, the big thing this week, for me at least, is the release of Quentin Tarantino's Inglourious Basterds. For those of you who haven't heard yet, it's the story of a group of Jews during WWII who go Nazi hunting. There's also some of Tarantino showing off his fanboy side and allowing cinema to save the day, or at least play an integral role in saving the day. Trailer 1 Trailer 2
Also, this is a little old but I'm still super excited for it, there's a new Where the Wild Things Are trailer.
Next up: last weekends box office. The number one opener with $37 million was District 9 which looks to be really good and has been getting a lot of positive press. Finishing up the top three were G.I. Joe with $22 million and The Time Traveller's wife which raked in %19 Million. The big disappointment was Ponyo which came in at number 9 with $3.5 million, but you have to keep in mind it was released on fewer than one thousand screens.

In music news, Bob Dylan was picked up by police in New Jersey. He was apparently standing outside someone's house in the pouring rain and was picked up for suspicious activity. I find this story hilarious, if only because i'm imagining some insane person claiming to be Bob Dylan and telling the truth. Wacky stuff.
Radiohead officially released a new song titled These Are My Twisted Words. You can download it here or get the torrent here. This comes following the news of them announcing that they don't plan on releasing anymore albums for the time being.
Well, that's all I've got for now. I'll definitely be fine tuning this if I decide to keep it going at all, so suggestions for how to improve this would be much appreciated.

So here's a quick album review I wrote for my high school print journalism class. I honestly don't think that much of it, but i've been told it was pretty good. I'm constantly noticing what I need to improve in my writing so future posts should gradually increase in quality. Enjoy.

Titus Andronicus kicks off their debut album, The Airing of Grievances, with one of the best album openers in recent memory. The song, “Fear and Loathing in Mahwah, NJ,” is reminiscent of Sonic Youth's fantastic “Teen Age Riot” in that it begins quiet and melodic, then progresses into an exhilarating blast of noise that continues through much of the album. However, where “Teen Age Riot” elegantly blooms into punk territory with the help of a now iconic guitar riff, “Fear and Loathing” chooses to jump in with an infinitely yell-alongable exclamation that would most likely be frowned upon if printed in this article. *EDIT*(FUCK YOU!)*EDIT*

Stylistically, the album could be classified as a combination of shoegaze, folk rock, and punk. Distorted guitars and vocals mix to create a “wall of sound” that could initially turn some listeners off, but is worth sticking with as the music is truly great. There is an infectious joy and sense of urgency throughout this record that makes itself feel like something that was created with passion and a need for expression.

Thematically, this is one of the angriest albums I have ever heard. The lyrics are sharp, clever and don't come off as self-pitying, which is always a plus. The Airing of Grievances draws inspiration from a number of sources, including Hunter S. Thompson and Seinfeld. This is clearly the work of some educated musicians, guys that kick around quotes from Camus and Shakespeare alike.

The nine tracks here span roughly forty-five minutes and, though this lends to some lengthy songs (by punk standards), not a moment is wasted. In fact, my main complaint is that the whole thing is over much too quickly for my taste. Additionally, the album is slated for a reissue sometime in 2009 by XL, the band's new label.

This record delivers on nearly anything a teenager could want, especially anger, existential dread, and pop culture and literary references. The album name alone expresses both anger and a reverence for Festivus. Frank Costanza would be proud.