HiHU COHEED AND GOLD AT END NATHAN CARTER StOl> s:ntC’ Coheed and Cambria is a band that’s grown on me steadily since hearing their third album, From Fear Through the Eyes of Madness, which featured arguably their most famous song, “Welcome Home.” Easily more famous through the beginnings of the video game franchise Rock Band (which used “Welcome Home” in their advertising campaign), Coheed and Cambria has been around for some time now, re leasing five amazing albums in less than ten years. Most re cently, the band released album called Year of the Black Rain bow on April 13. While it doesn’t really evolve much from their last album (other than a mildly heavier sound that’s been a trend for the band between albums), Year of the Black Rainbow is still a great disc. The band - led by singer Claudio Sanchez and guitarist Travis Stever - works with spe FBIIDWIIf C/reat&e 'Writer j called The Armory Wars, and all of the albums produced by Coheed and Cambria are ac cording to its storyline. Year of the Black Rainbow is no excep tion and stands as a prequel to the series. Sanchez says that the Colum bia Records team working with him “has helped us evolve our sound to be more powerful and dynamic than ever, and we think it’s definitely our best work to date.” While this newest album re ceived mediocre reviews, and some fans would argue that this isn’t their best work, I lean to wards Sanchez’s statement that it actually is their best work to date. However, I only make that statement to say that their edit ing and lyrics have gained power in this new release since their last. Myself, I’m a bigger fan of their Second Stage Turbine Blade album, but that’s a mat ter of personal preference and land's Japanese Garden to a sojourn in Jerusalem, from model airplanes to Magic 8 Balls... Miller leads us on a pilgrimage through her life as a woman driven by spiritual yearning.” An associate professor of English at Western Washington University and editor-in-chief of the Bellingham Review, Miller has been featured in The Georgia Review, The Missouri Review, The Sun and Creative Nonfiction, just to name a few. SHANNON EHRIN Miller has also received numerous Pushcart Prizes for her essays in creative nonfiction. A reception will be held beforehand at 5:30 p.m. in the downstairs area of the Chapel, and the reading will begin at 6 p.m. DAN KINEM senior reporter accompaniment at The Warner Theatre, and it was fairly packed on a weeknight. It’s just not being offered consistently, and when it is, there is no promotion. If you build it, they will come. Wb have no possibility to offer under ground films doing world tours that are reliable. We don’t even get the majority of films that are nominated for Academy Awards. It slips right under the Erie radar, and most people miss out on great artistic events. There is no Woody Allen, no Von Trier (Antichrist was one of the most talked about films of last year and Erie has to wait for a DVD release), no indie come dies, no documentaries, etc. A lot of peo ple don’t even know we aren’t getting movies. They just think that what plays at Ttpsletown is all there is. Well, I’m lisrata> inform you that couldn’t be far ther from the truth. What you are seeing are films ex pected to make the most money and that are the most accessible films. Any films that fry to do something different would CAMBRIA DISCOVERS OF BLACK RAINBOW COHEEDo., V^AMBRIA never play here. That’s why Erie must invest in an art house theater. The positives that could come from a local art house theater are endless. Not only would it give the local cinephiles a place to go for their latest Von Trier or Herzog film, it would awaken a currently sleeping art scene in Erie. It would offer an artistic and valuable replacement to the newest 3- D blockbuster. Those films have their place in Erie, don’t get me wrong. I am not suggest ing getting rid of Tinsletown. I am only suggesting offering a substitute that requires thought. It could b 6 used as an educational tool for teachers to take students. It could open people of all ages’ eyes to art that they may have never been aware existed. If anyone out there is reading, please do something to ipake this hap pen. There is an audience here for these films, and having them would be a huge improvement to the commu nity. A band's April NATHAN CARTER The John Butler Trio, a band : that defies genres (as they are ( fifluallv reggae as they are aj- V &SBMive and as equally pop as i troW'** are rock), has been : around since their emergence i in the late ‘9os. With Bryon : Luiters and Nicky Bomba, i John Butler completes a very : talented three-person band : that’s steadily gaining popular | ity, mostly through Internet ; fame. The band creates a sort of breezy, alternative rock sound much in the style of State Radio and Barenaked Ladies, except the speed of Butler's de livery showcases more of an original sound than his con temporaries. One of my friends intro duced me to them last year, via the Sunrise Over Sea album. I immediately loved the beat and pace of their material. From quick guitar patterns in "Bound to Ramble" and “Company Sin” to slower, more ballad-like songs such as "See ing Angels” and “What You Want,” Sunrise Over Sea was one of my frequented summer albums between my freshman and sophomore years here. get the songs that I most easily as sociate with. Regardless, Year of the Black Rainbow has a lot to otter long-time fans and newcomers alike. The first interesting thing about the album is that it’s being released as an op tional deluxe edition. With the deluxe copy of the new album. Sanchez collabo rated with best-selling author Peter David to create a 352- page novel of the same name. Along with this promising piece of fan merchandise that 1 haven't yet got ahold of, the album offers several amazing tracks. “Here We Are Jugger naut,” the single from Year of the Black Rainbow, was re leased on March 9. Accompa nied with the technical pop-metal sound that the band has become so famous for, I can’t help but notice the prominence of drums in the song. While the band's drums have always been great, I think their new drummer, Chris Pennie, brings a more rounded rhythm than before. "This Shattered Symphony.' shows their harder metal Uprising When I found out through Facebook that the band was re leasing a new album, I was im mediately excited. This is yet another album that will easily be a part of my summer, because it's just one of those albums that you put in the car and cruise to. The new album is called April Uprising, conveniently re leased on the April 6, and with it comes an expansion of sound for the band. Since their older albums, they've gotten better at guitar (even though it would be hard for them to do better) and they’ve gotten "poppier." That’s the only problem I had with the album. It speaks greatly to a younger audience, though I think their genre and older material speaks much more to adults. The two songs that show this, and the only two songs on the whole album that I even mildly disliked, were "C’mon Now” and "Johnny’s Gone." The rest of the album, on the contrary', is a huge success. "Revolution," the first song is what I would call one of the singles. Taking a political standpoint, as so many alt-reg gae musicians do, the song preaches a revolution to take Behrend Beacon April 16,2010 www.thebehrendbeacon.com roots, contains an undeniable speed-progressive quality. "World of Lines." a fast-paced pattern track reminiscent of “The Running Free," also stands out on the album, which largely feels like an album full of singles. Some clitics have clung to that observation, stating Veur of the Black Rainbow seems "flat and void of passion." but I dis agree. If a band can put out an album full of tracks that all lis ten like singles, it shows a sense of roundedness and com fort. Besides, the acoustic begin nings in [’earl of the Stars dis prove their assumption, as it’s the first semi-harmonius track by Sanchez and Stever with a great electric solo toward the middle. Fasilv a science-fiction themed ballad, the song is my favorite of the album, as it ex poses Sanchez wide vocal range and Stever’s editing prowess. If you're a fan of Coheed and Cambria, check out Year of the Black Rainbow. Album art from deviantAßT iimbol6l6 back what America's citizens lost in the war: lives. "One Way Road.” the second of my prescribed singles, is vo cally fast and sounds like it would be amazing live. Amidst a semi-pop sound is this-QvefY coming tale of someone who doesn't want to be nobody and subsequently how conformity is a "one wav road.” The last single, "Close to You," showcases a moderately technical sound with guitar reminiscent of'7os style. Obvi ously a love song', as are many of John Butler Trio’s songs, "Close to You" has a really in teresting African drum and guitar solo toward the middle, showing off the band's appar ent practice and diversity. Three other songs that stood out are "Steal It” (for its chilled out bass-driven ballad quality). "I'd Do Anything" (another po litical song about our soldiers; particularly the ones in love), and "Fool For You" (also for its chilled out, trance-like begin ning that develops into a fast paced ballad, and in my opinion, encompasses the style of the entire album). So, if you're looking for a new sound, check out John Butler Trio's new album. April Uprising. rijiftii [ir\/|nAi ' 1 L ll J im mu