ARTS
12 I Tuesday, Oct. 26, 2010
The Incredible Machine
Reviewed by Lindsay Cryer
COLLEGIAN STAFF WRITER
Let’s be real. Did you actually think that
Sugarland’s new album would be bad?
The band known for hits such as the soulful
breakup song “Stay” and
the fun-in-the-sun hit “All
I Wanna Do” is back in
action.
But this time around,
fans and non-fans alike
can appreciate
Sugarland’s fourth album
“Incredible Machine.”
The opening track of
Courtesy of highlandemew.org
the album, “All We Are,”
begins slow, but leads into a rock-n-roll-meets
country hit featuring a strong use of singer
Jennifer Nettles’ voice. The song may attract
Penn State students for repetition of the words
“we are” in the chorus, but that assuredly won’t
be the only reason to listen to the track.
Already released as a single and rightfully
so “Stuck Like Glue” is an uplifting song of
ever-so-dear relationships that are impossible to
let go of. Heartwarming messages aside, the
song features awesome harmonies and addicting
melodies, light and fun instrumentals, the sound
of clapping hands and even an unexpected rap
hem Nettles.
Nettles’ voice is the obvious prominent ele
ment in the duo, also featuring singer and multi
talented instrumentalist Kristian Bush. Her voice
is also a strength of the record. Don’t believe me?
Listen to “Tonight.” Don’t let the fun country
music get to your head. This girl can sing.
Give “Shine the Light” a listen for the exact
same reason. The song closes the album with
perhaps the most meaningful track, which fea
tures a lone piano and the best use of Nettles’
voice in the record.
The songs on “Incredible Machine” are easily
differentiable from the others on the album
something that many artists are unable to
achieve and each is worth at least one listen.
Sugarland will be sure to keep a tight hold
on its fans with the release of “Incredibe
Machine.”
For those who aren’t diehard country fans, this
may not be your go to album. But with
Sugarland, you won’t feel like you’re standing
next to cattle while listening to their music,
specifically this album.
This band has certainly proven to be a
“Machine” that just keeps on running.
Grade: A-
Download: “All We Are,” Stuck Like Glue,”
“Shine the Light”
To e-mail reporter: Ibcl46@psu.edu
The Girl Who Kicked the Hornet’s
Nest
Reviewed by Hannah Rishel
COLLEGIAN STAFF WRITER
‘The Girl Who Kicked the Hornet’s Nest” by
Stieg Larsson picks up right where “The Girl
Who Played with Fire” left off.
Lisbeth Salander the
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courtesy of amazon.com must prove her innocence
by tackling authority fig
ures that have allowed the defenseless, like her
self, to suffer horrible mistreatment. Salander
has very little idea how many people are tangled
in the spider web of the conflict and what they’ll
do to keep that a secret.
But unfortunately, like the previous two books
in Larsson’s series, “The Girl Who Kicked the
Hornet’s Nest” is much longer than necessary.
There is an entire subplot involving the former
editor-in-chief of “The Millennium” where
Blomkvist works.
While the subplot is an interesting mystery, it
has nothing to do with the central plot of
Salander’s trial, but takes up a good portion of
the second half of the novel.
At first I thought maybe the harassment was
somehow tied to the men responsible for ruining
Salander’s plot.
This would have been an interesting twist, see
ing how entrenched the men were in Swedish
society. But no such thing happens and the mys
tery is solved nearly as abruptly as it’s brought
up.
It’s not that the plot isn’t interesting; in fact it
could easily have been it’s own novel if it were
fleshed out.
But in a novel where Salander is the dominant
force, it is incredibly out of place.
The ending of the third book is both satisfying
and open-ended. All the loose ends from the sec
ond book, “The Girl Who Played with Fire,” are
tied up neatly, but Blomkvist and Salander could
easily have another adventure.
It should be noted that Larsson is not one to
shy away from the gory details of rape that are
central to the plot.
He does not give the reader the benefit of fad
ing to black, but instead makes them face the
scenes dead on.
Like the previous novels in the series which
should be read first once you get past the
chunks of filler and morbid scenes, you hold in
your hands a supremely engaging story.
Grade: B+
To e-mail reporter hßrso27Spsu.edu
girl with the dragon tattoo
who played with fire and
now is kicking hornet
nests is brought to the
emergency room after
sustaining a gunshot to
the back of her head.
If the injury doesn’t kill
her, she faces a murder
trial.
With the help of journal
ist Mikael Blomkvist, she
In 2008, she dared her fans to be
“Fearless” and in 2010, Taylor Swift
challenges them to “Speak Now.”
Surpassing my expectations by
leaps and bounds, “Speak Now” is
Swift’s best, most diverse album yet.
She had a lot of high expectations
placed on her third album.
But I had faith that she could do it.
especially when I heard she penned
• every song herself, not enlisting the
help of co-writers like she has in the
past.
And her personal touch is seen in
•1 every song.
* Swift hasn’t confirmed or denied
who inspired any of the tracks, which
the exception of “Innocent,” a song
about forgiveness she wrote for Kanye
West that debuted at the 2010 MTV
Video Music Awards.
But, with her affinity for naming
names, I wondered if “Dear John” is
about John Mayer. And if it is, Joe
Jonas got off easy with “Forever &
Always” on her last album.
But whomever “Dear John” is about
deserves a thank-you for inspiring
Swift to write this song, which just
might be her masterpiece or at
least the best track on the album.
“Don’t you think 19’s too young / to
be played by your dark twisted games
/ when I loved you so,” she sings over
a guitar that sounds plucked from one
of Mayer’s own tunes.
The song could have easily turned
spiteful, like “Forever & Always,” but
instead it shows Swift’s progression
from bang vulnerable <“Tfivedin your
chess game / but you changed the
rules every day”) to strong (“Tm shin
ing like fireworks sad,
'empty town”).
And Tm guessing Mayer isn’t toe
onfy famous subject of her songs.
I would say that at least four of the
songs are about herek-&tyfriend
Taylor Lautner of “Twilight” feme.
The best of the alleged Lautner
songs is “Back to Decbqiber;”m which
Swift apdtogzes to an ex-boyfriend for
treating hanbadfy.
This is a refreshing change for
Swift’s sad sangs,wiricft are usually
about agiy whodid her wrong.
Butoaeofthe songs that falls short
is “Long Live,” where Swift takes her
Stoiy,” but saying “I had the
time of my life fighting dragons with
you” is taking it a little too far.
Another weak link on the album is
the title track, in which Swift sings
about crashing the wedding of an ex
boyfriend to stop him from marrying
the wrong girl.
In “You Belong With Me,” she inno
cently pined for her best friend, but in
“Speak Now” she takes things to an
extreme.
Also, after listening to the entire
album, I’m wondering why she picked
“Mine” as the first single. While I do
like the song, it didn’t grab me the way
“Love Story” did when I first heard it
There are so many other stellar tracks
on the album that “Mine” falls flat in
comparison.
One song that I hope becomes a sin
‘ gle is “Better Than Revenge,” where
Swift takes on an actress, who has
stolen her boyfriend, who is “better
known for the things that she does on
the mattress.”
While Lady Gaga wouldn’t bat an
eyelash at that lyric, those are strong
words coming from Swift
But Swift doesn’t seem too bothered
by what people, especially the girl who
inspired the song, think. After all,
there’s nothing Swift does “better than
revenge.”
She also demonstrates this when
she takes on the critics in “Mean”
her most country song to date.
She acknowledges the criticisms
she’s received for her voice with the
lyrics, “Drunk and rambling on about
how I can't sing.”
Admittedly, even as a huge fan,
Swift’s voice sometimes leaves some
thing to be desired, particularly wh
she performs at award shows,
didn’t hill in love with her mus;
because of her voice. ,
I fell in love with it because:
girl, just a few months younge:
me, who writes about feelings
relate to.
And that’s exactly what this
does.
Grade: A-
Download: “Dear John,” “1
Than Revenge,” “Back to
December”
To e-mail reporter. hmrso2
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