By James Baggett
WATCH Band of Horses at the McMenamins Crystal Ballroom on Wednesday, touring to promote its most recent album, "Cease to Begin." Moving back to its South Carolina roots for this second album, Band of Horses' folkish, mystic, emo-pop is really something to hear. Though probably not revolutionary, this band is unique - and good enough to have created its own niche in today's brand of indie rock. Lyrics about lost love and the emotional hardships of moving back to South Carolina from Seattle form perfectly to lead singer Ben Bridwell's soothing, euphoric voice.
SEE "No Country for Old Men" by Ethan and Joel Coen, the brothers who brought us "The Big Lebowski" (1998) and "O Brother, Where Art Thou?" (2001). It begins when Llewelyn Moss (Josh Brolin) finds a pick-up truck in a Texas desert. Dead men surround the truck. Inside is a load of heroin and $2 million in cash. When Moss takes the cash, he ignites a bloody chain of events that local law enforcement cannot control.
The pace is steady, the evil power is unrelenting, and the violence is gut-wrenching. Humor is interjected at the most ironic times. The movie is based on the book of the same name by Cormac McCarthy.
RENT the movie "Amazing Grace," which tells the story behind the famous gospel song. It's the 19th century, and the slave trade in Britain is flourishing. When William Wilberforce (Ioan Gruffud) is elected to parliament, his idealistic views on the value of life and the inherent rights of humans lead him to pursue an investigation of slavery in Britain. It leads to a lifetime of lobbying against slavery.
Ultimately, William's efforts are successful, and parliament votes to abolish slavery. William's friend, John Newton (Albert Finney), was the author of the song "Amazing Grace," and helped inspire the young politician to fight for his beliefs.
LISTEN TO Jay-Z's new album, "American Gangster." Jay-Z's 10th studio album features Beyonce, Lil' Wayne, Kanye West and Nas. It's a concept album, inspired by the new movie with Russell Crowe and Denzel Washington, also called "American Gangster." The album tells the story of a Brooklyn teenager who enters into the drug trade and becomes thoroughly wrapped up in all that it entails.
Jay-Z apparently saw parallels in his life to that of Frank Lucas, the drug kingpin whose story is told in the movie. His last album, "Kingdom Come" (2006) never sold well, and was seen by critics as too pretentious for Jay-Z's fan base. But in "American Gangster," his flow tells of his roots as a kid in Brooklyn, and shies away from talk of Gucci suits and Rolex wristwatches.
