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Sam Shalabi, "Osama"
It is so frustrating to hear this release when I know that Sam Shalabi can make excellent music. Osama is lacking almost everything that typically makes Shalabi's music so good. It's not that the musicians here aren't talented and it's not that the music isn't well played, the problem is the lack of depth and complete disparity between the songs.
None of the multiple sudden changes in musical style help to add to the album's enjoyability, they subtract from it because the changes seem so arbitrary. For instance, the opening song "The Wherewithall" begins with an excellent rhythm section and shimmering guitar melody that faultlessly and easily travels across a broad sonic spectrum. Indeed, it begins colorfully and promisingly enough but then suddenly explodes into a heavy metal brawl of screams and grinding guitars that completely ruins the mood that was only just established. Within the next four minutes the song goes from a quiet, meditative movement to a spoken-word dronescape and then back to still more heavy metal. Normally shifts like these are the sort of things that can make an album exciting, but on Osama this just isn't the case. This game of musical chairs pretty much continues for the rest of the album and it only becomes more annoying. Just when Shalabi seems to finally be settling down, he radically changes styles and ruins everything. Just one more note about this album: the title might suggest that an interesting political statement is being made; one that, given current events, would be worth investigating. This really couldn't be further from the truth. Sadly, I'd even venture to say that Shalabi doesn't have a message at all. A song with the name "Mid-East Tour Diary (2002)" might seem promising, but it starts off with the words "Why don't you just suck my big fat semetic cock?." The song only continued to alienate me as it plodded along with its redundant music and similarly aimless lyrics. The album ends as suddenly as it began and I'm left wondering why this was released; I know Shalabi can do better.
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WZBC's 30th Anniversary Bash
It's no wonder that one of the world's most internationally renowned college radio stations is based in one of the world's most internationally renowned area for its colleges. Based in Boston, WZBC celebrated 30 years of groundbreaking radio last year (beat that, Resonance!). This week is the irregular pledge week and to support them, a video document of the 30th Anniversary Bash has been assembled from footage taken by students and DJs, edited by Jon Whitney and current WZBC Operations Director Amar Ashar. Performers at the bash included Keith Fullerton Whitman, Quasi, Lightning Bolt, Out Hud, Due Process, Jackie-O Motherfucker, Sunburned Hand of the Man, Tunnel of Love, Landing, Bardo Pond, Christopher Willits, No Neck Blues Band, Hella, and Nautical Almanac (many appear in this mini-documentary). Watch the video, then tune in afterwards at www.wzbc.org (or tune in if you're local) and hear for yourself! Support innovative non-commercial radio. Thanks!13 Minutes, Quicktime Streaming Video
