Music Highlight: Everybody Else

Everybody Else, a band I first tuned in to earlier this summer, gets their name from a well known song by The Kinks (an old favorite of mine).  The band's formation in Los Angeles heavily influence their music, which is upbeat and energetic. That influence is also probably why they've become one of my favorite bands to listen to during the summertime. Their sound reminded me of Rooney, another California based band that is already well established in the music scene. 

Unlike many bands with a good beat, Everybody Else's lyrics are well thought-out. Songs like "Memoriam" contemplate childhood memories in detail, and "Rich Girls, Poor Girls" discuss the merits of  loving girls with money and without. I can honestly say that I enjoy every song on their self-titled album, but some of my favorites include "Faker", "Say Goodbye", and "Meat Market"

Listen to their entire album here on Last.fm, or here on Amazon

In TV: Green Wing Makes Hospitals Look Insanely Fun

I was recently introduced to a fantastic show called "Green Wing" (which you can view here on Hulu),  a British creation that ran from 2004 to 2006. Think "Scrubs" but with raunchier and, obviously, more British humor.

The series features doctors as well as administrators doing hilariously insane things. An ongoing "romance" between Alan (a radiologist) and Joanna (head of human resources), is among one of the funniest aspects of the show. While Alan struggles to win Joanna's affections, all she wants from him is an office romp. Other funny characters on the show include Guy (the hospital's jerk) and the insane Sue White (who is hired to listen to complaints of employees, but instead verbally abuses them).

One of the show's memorable lines occurs when Alan is taken to a restaurant by his colleague: "Joanna brought me here once... to discuss hospital employment policy. Surreptitiously however, I was bringing her to climax with a breadstick." In another banter, Alan says to Dr. Macartney "Most females find body piercing repugnant. Luckily, I am still intact". Dr. Macartney responds, "Yes, even I draw the line at piercing arseholes." 

Most of the show's humor revolves around sex and other awkward situations, and the straight delivery of such lines had me laughing hysterically.

I have started on the first season, which so far is great. I've read that it begins to go downhill during the second season, though I can't attest to that just yet. As of now just season one is on Hulu. So if you're bored this summer and looking for a quick laugh, Green Wing fits the bill.

In the News: A Man's Existence Denied in Immigration Case

On Saturday, while many of us were participating in the nation's most patriotic holiday, the New York Times was finishing a story about a man's life forgotten in the wake of 9/11. 

The story describes what little the NY Times could find on the life of Tanveer Ahmad, who died in a U.S. immigration jail after suffering a heart attack. Ahmad immigrated from Pakistan to the United States in 1993. He was arrested in 2005, and for what crime? After entering his apartment with intentions to charge his roommate with a violation, immigration agents instead detained Ahmad because of a misdemeanor he committed in 1997 (while working at a gas station, Ahmad pulled out the store's unlicensed gun to stop a robbery. He had already paid the fine for this misdemeanor). 

Before the arrest, Ahmad had paid taxes and immigration fees and held permits for his jobs. He committed no other infractions of the law. He did fail an immigration interview in 2002, however, when the interviewer doubted that his marriage to an American woman was genuine. His visa officially expired in 2005. According to the article, when Ahmad was arrested that year he chose not to challenge his deportation. All he wanted was to go back to Pakistan.

Three weeks after being detained, he died. According to the NY Times, pressure from Congress and the news media caused Ahmad's death not to be included in the immigration agency's 2007 list of deaths in immigration detention. But his arrest was included in the agency's anti-terrorism statistics. Only in March, three years after his death, would officials confirm the man even existed.

To some of us, a story like this isn't all that shocking. We all know the discrimination that occurred after 9/11, that is still occurring. But for a man who had no connections to terrorism and who had abided the law to be treated in such a way is pretty appalling. His 1997 infraction was already paid for, and that should have been the end of it. If a white person, even a white immigrant had committed the same crime, he would never have ended up the same way. Undoubtedly there are other men out there like Ahmad, whose existences have gone unacknowledged. I just believe this article is something to consider. The United States is a pretty lucky place to live in, but we should all be reminded every once and awhile of its shortcomings, and the price some pay to even attempt to live here.

Music Obsession of the Week: The Comas

The Comas, a band whose songs have been looping through my head the past week, can probably be best characterized as indie pop-rock. But it was the band's wide range of influences and sounds that caught my attention. Some of their songs are reminiscent of  '80s grunge, others are ambient, and some fit comfortably into the group of modern indies (of Montreal, the Shins, etc.). I also think the combination of a male vocalist (Matt Sumrow) with a female vocalist (Nicole Gehweiler) works well for the Comas and helps set them apart from other bands of their genre.

I've started on their 2007 album, Spells, and have been working my way back. Some of my favorites on the Spells album include "Red Microphones"and "Come My Sunshine"  which are both upbeat and catchy. Their 2004 album, Conductor, combines tranquil, more dream-like songs (listen to previews of songs like "Science of Your Mind" and "Moonrainbow" here) with edgier ones such as "Employment" (also featured on Amazon). 

Check them out on lastfm or their website.

The Death of Karl Malden

For past week or so various pop icons and celebrities have been dropping like flies. One who may be lost in the fray is Oscar winner Karl Malden. 

The actor received Oscar nominations for supporting roles in On the Waterfront and A Streetcar Named Desire (for which he won). Both films are fantastic and feature the late great Marlon Brando (if that doesn't at least give you a reason to see them I don't know what would).

Malden is a bit of a novelty in that he was never known for being the leading man but managed never to languish in the background. I hope his death is received in a similar fashion; maybe in light of the recent deaths of such leading players as Farrah Fawcett and Michael Jackson, Malden's will be a scene stealer. 

The Mission

My aim is to critique and shed light on the latest in media. I'll share my obsessions of the week, highlight various music, books and films, and comment on news items I think are particularly interesting or troubling. 

I welcome discussion, so feel free to share your opinion