ARTSIN
12 I TUESDAY, Nov. 2, 2010
ALBUM REVIEW
`Sidewalks '
Reviewed by Lindsay Cryer
COLLEGIAN STAFF WRITER
The "Daylight" just never seems to stop shin
ing for Matt and Kim.
The duo known for the college anthem
"Daylight" released its third album "Sidewalks"
today.
The band's last album, "Grand," was OK While
"Daylight" was an instant
hit, few of the other songs
seemed to be worth a lis
ten. In "Sidewalks," the
band has continued the
likeable qualities of that
successful track into
nearly every song.
Matt and Kun has real-
ly separated itself from
other notable electro-pop
bands such as Animal Collective and Passion Pit.
The distinctive characteristic of the duo is in
lead vocalist Matt Johnson's voice. It is clear and
easy to listen to and, while not displaying much of
a range, makes Matt and Kim that much more of
a pleasurable, go-to act
The opening track" Block After Block" proves
to be a great introduction. The MGMT-meets-pop
sound that made the band popular in the first
place is heard beyond the first track and will cer
tainly make the enjoyment of the album last.
The thing that I liked the most about the album
was the inclusion of various other genres.
"Cameras" sounds a bit hip-hop. "Red Paint" and
"Where You're Coming From" both sound like
they sample sound effects from video games.
"Wires" features a children's toy piano, strong
percussion and bass beats, as well as some tech
no sounds I didn't think that was possible.
I really wish I had the space to describe each
song. In efforts to use space wisely: "Silver Tiles"
is ridiculously good and "Ice Melts" ends the
album on sky-high note with a beat that sounds
like "Apache" by the Sugarhill Gang.
Take note: Almost every song has been men-
tioned for how good it is.
Johnson's voice is a perfect fit for the genre
and for the sound the band seems to try to cre
ate. Each song, while following a monotonous
wanna-get-up-and-dance vibe, separates itself
from the others and makes each listen enjoyable.
The album is certainly worth a listen for music
enthusiasts from almost any genre.
The track "Daylight" really turned heads and
the album "Sidewalks" will keep ears facing in
Matt and Kim's direction for a while.
Grade: A
Download: "Block After Block," "Wires,"
"Ice Melts"
To e-mail reporter: Ibcl46@psu.edu
SAME REVIEW
`Fallout: New Vegas'
Reviewed by Chris Zook
COLLEGIAN STAFF WRITER
War war never changes
And neither does Bethesda Softworks
Bethesda's newest game "Fallout: New Vegas,"
an open-world first-person role playing game
released Oct. 19, was the much-anticipated addi
tion to "Fallout 3." Unfortunately, the game feels
much less like an addition and more like a copy.
The game starts out in post-nuclear-holocaust
America with your character getting shot and,
miraculously. not dying as a consequence. You're
brought back to consciousness and spend the
rest of the game trying
to find the gunman.
But instead of taking
place in the bombed-out
remains of Washington,
D.C., the game is set in
the Mojave Wasteland
essentially the
Mojave Desert, but with
even less life and joy.
On the up side, this
means the player is
able to navigate the
wasting issues of navi
gating old subway lines. On the down side, basi
cally the entire world is washed over in a dull,
dusty brown.
There are still the staples of every "Fallout"
game, with super mutants, ghouls and the
Brotherhood of Steel. Die-hards of the series will
also recognize a few locations, including the New
California Republic from Interplay's "Fallout 2."
But novelty can only take a game so far, and for
whatever sense of nostalgia or "hey, that's cool"
these details convey, it can't cover for the game's
downfalls.
To put it lightly, "Fallout: New Vegas" is almost
unbearably ridden with glitches. There is at least
one potential technical problem for any possible
scenario the player can imagine, and don't kid
yourself they are game-breaking.
But even with all its technical problems (or
maybe because of them), a lot of the fun is in the
leveling system, which gives the options of
adding bizarre perks to the player's character.
There are a ton of options, and each one does
something unique. Still, this system was imple
mented in the first "Fallout" from 1997, so it's
nothing Bethesda's responsible for. All it did was
beef up the graphics to current consoles.
Basically, it breaks down to this: If you enjoyed
"Fallout 3," you'll like "Fallout: New Vegas,"
mainly because it's more of the same. It would
actually make sense if "Fallout New Vegas" was
just another add-on to "Fallout 3," like
"Mothership Zeta" or "The Pitt.
With all the tech problems and the been-there
done-that, "Fallout: New Vegas" wound up as a
disappointment. Sixty dollars is entirely too much
to pay for the same game twice.
Grade: C
To e-mail reporter. atMNNWPpsu.edu
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THE DAILY COLLEGIAN