JACKIE RANDELL

News

Johnson just goes with it

By JACKIE RANDELL | April 26

Music Review Calvin Johnson Calvin Johnson & The Sons of the Soil 3 stars Calvin Johnson is less known for his vocals, and more for his involvement with Beat Happening in the early '80s and the band's subsequent influences, for a reason. The Olympia native's first solo effort What Was Me was released in 2002 - on his record label, K Records - and was a compilation of tapes from his days with Dub Narcotic Sound System. Acting as the frontman on his second full-length LP, Johnson's voice wavers at times and is oddly off-key at others, but the album manages to remain endearing.

News

Kings of Leon matures with Times

By JACKIE RANDELL | April 12

Music Review Kings of Leon Because of the Times 3.5 Stars Kings of Leon: what you get when you mix three-part brother, two-part guitar, a cousin and an evangelical-father-led road trip across America, which inspired the title of the album. Turns out to be a pretty good recipe: homegrown Southern fare with a hint of garage rock and seasoned with poppy melodies.

News

'Painted Veil' too slow for its hype

By JACKIE RANDELL | January 25

Movie Review "The Painted Veil" 3 Stars Already a Golden Globe winner, "The Painted Veil" comes prepackaged with expectations of greatness. Unfortunately, like most movies whose publicity predates their wide release, it doesn't quite live up to the hype. While the acting is commendable for the most part, some flaws in the movie's production hold it back.

News

Julie Doiron joins ranks of soft-voiced songwriters

By JACKIE RANDELL | January 25

MUSICREVIEW Julie Doiron Woke Myself Up 3 stars A name like Julie Doiron seems to promise female singer/songwriter greatness. Those four-syllables ring nicely with famous names like Joni Mitchell, Liz Phair, Rilo Kiley and more recently, Regina Spektor. Julie Doiron's music also fits neatly into the aforementioned girls' club. A compilation of breathy vocals and acoustic rock, the album wavers between Spektor's catchy pop sound and Phair's edgier melodies.

News

Take a load off with 'Happy Feet'

By JACKIE RANDELL | November 30

MOVIEREVIEW "Happy Feet" 4 stars If you normally don't find small, fluffy, giggly baby penguins adorable, there could be something wrong with you. If you don't find small, fluffy, giggly baby penguins adorable after you've seen them dancing and singing in Warner Bros. Pictures' latest animated flick, "Happy Feet," you're a lost cause.

News

Simpson sinks weak comedy

By JACKIE RANDELL | October 12

MOVIEREVIEW "Employee of the Month" 1.5 stars Jessica Simpson is having a rough time of it lately: Album sales on her recently released A Public Affair have been lower than predicted, and now she's part of a movie that's going to bomb at the box office. Badly. Because that's the only way to characterize "Employee of the Month:" Bad. Really bad. Simpson's acting is bad, Dane Cook's timing and presentation is bad, even Andy Dick's off-the-wall character and overwrought mannerisms are awesome - just kidding, bad.

News

"Black dahlia" a sub-par adaptation

By JACKIE RANDELL | September 21

MOVIEREVIEW "The Black Dahlia" 2 Stars On January 15, 1947, Elizabeth Short's naked and disfigured body was found in a lot south of Hollywood. Her body was halved and her face was grotesquely mutilated. The Black Dahlia case, as it was known, was never solved. If that sounds suspiciously like a crime-novel teaser, you may have heard of James Ellroy's acclaimed adaptation of the events, the 1987 novel "The Black Dahlia."

News

Latest album from Yo La Tengo ups the beat

By JACKIE RANDELL | September 14

MUSICREVIEW Yo La Tengo I Am Not Afraid of You and I Will Beat Your Ass 3 and 1/2 stars Yo La Tengo's latest album is like a New York City hot dog: Its medley of ingredients is not readily discernible, but the ultimate product is delicious. If you're comfortable with that concept, you'll at least taste I'm Not Afraid of You and I Will Beat Your Ass, which boasts the band's signature eclectic mix of rock and pop that still begs comparison to The Velvet Underground.

News

Cantankerous cartoon to entertain campus

By JACKIE RANDELL | April 21

If you've ever enjoyed watching a diaper-clad infant prodigy try to murder his mother, you are not alone. UNC's first Stewie Griffin Festival will be held at 9 p.m today on the Hinton James lawn. The Residence Hall Association and the Carolina Union Activities Board are sponsoring the event, which will include a viewing of four episodes of "Family Guy," followed by the movie "Family Guy Presents: Stewie Griffin - The Untold Story."

News

Disco Biscuits lack the musical gravy

By JACKIE RANDELL | April 20

MUSICREVIEW The Disco Biscuits The Wind at Four to Fly 3 Stars The Disco Biscuits' latest double LP is a compilation of live performances gathered after drummer Sam Altman announced he was leaving. Altman had been with the band since its 1995 founding at the University of Pennsylvania. The band's sixth album, The Wind at Four to Fly, therefore, is simply a collection of new takes on old songs, which would be OK. It would be as good as Eric Clapton's Unplugged album if it touted anything more than extended versions of already overly extended tracks.