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Arabic Fusion in a Hidden Oasis
One of the first things one notices about Saha is what there is not to notice. There is no street presence, since it's tucked away inside the Hotel Carlton (part of the Joie de Vivre boutique hotel chain, and situated next door to SF Station favorite Brick). Chances are you just don't stumble upon Saha; someone has to recommend it, or you just have to know, and that's part of the allure.
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From Razorblade City to Gutterfly
It's been awhile since the Pacific Northwest has gotten its shine on in the hip hop world, but that could change shortly with the release of Gutterfly, the sophomore album from the Portland-based Lifsavas that is due out on the Bay Area's Quannum Projects record label April 24th. The conceptual album, which takes place in fictional Razorblade City and leans on the blaxploitation genre, is already receiving critical praise from a variety of national publications.
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SF Station Blows It Up
Adam Goldstein better know as DJ AM had his birthday bash last Friday at Mezzanine and what a party it was with Dj Fashen opening the night with some groovy hip hop beats. Mickey Avalon and crew hit the stage to get the girls screaming for some "Jane Fonda" and finally AM and Travis Barker doing a drum/DJ thing that simply killed it. The twosome mixed rock, hip hop and everything in between to move the crowd into a dancing and screaming mess.
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Released on 4AD, 4/10/07
I oftentimes wonder how a band can stay fresh in its inevitable maturity, how it can both fight off the repetitive monotony of stylistic transfixion and yet continue to evolve and influence. With the onslaught of industry promotion, our ever-shortening attention spans, and the relatively recent introduction of music piracy sites and file-sharing programs, it's a wonder bands make it past their introductory album before being buried in another's media blitz. In the creation of one comes the demise of the creator. Enter Blonde Redhead, a band discovered by Steve Shelley, drummer of Sonic Youth, in 1993.
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Released on Secretly Canadian Records, 2/20/07
Infectious Richard Swift stitches up his cleverly crafted musical attire with Dressed Up for the Letdown. An almost one-man-band, Richard Swift may be perceived as a creative oddity with inspired sounds from the seventies, ranging from Elton John, Carol King and a little something borrowed from The Beatles, to bring you all into his curious audience. The opening tune, titled after the CD, starts you off in the way of Tom Waits along with a small horn section reminiscent of The Beatles' Sgt. Pepper album. From there it establishes a tuneful hippodrome-esque platform from where you will be lead with care and profoundness.
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Released on Hefty Records , 5/15/07
The New Orleans-based duo of Joshua Eustis and Charlie Cooper (aka Telefon Ten Aviv) have cut their teeth with a myriad of A-list musicians including Nine Inch Nails, Eminem, and others. Additionally, their distinctive work has been included in a myriad of film scores. In Remixes Compiled, Telefon Tel Aviv has assembled a compendium of their best remixed work including the remixed work of Nine Inch Nails, Bebel Gilberto, and several others.
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Through the Past, Darkly
The Wind That Shakes the Barley, recipient of the Palme D'Or at last year's Cannes film festival, is the latest from English director Ken Loach, a committed leftist who has spent much of his 45-year career turning his political meditations into popular entertainment. Barley is no exception.
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Two for One is Cheap at Twice the Price
Grindhouse, Robert Rodriguez (Sin City, Once Upon a Time in Mexico) and Quentin Tarantino's (Kill Bill, Pulp Fiction) double paean to the glories of exploitation cinema, is exactly what their fans have come to expect from their previous films: sick, twisted, demented, repulsive fun (and that's meant in the best way possible).
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Reap it, Reap it Good
Katherine Winter (Hilary Swank) is a disillusioned Christian missionary who's commitment to Christianity has been supplanted by her commitment to debunking alleged religious "miracles". Right away it becomes all too clear that whatever transpires in The Reaping is going to involve some kind of reclamation of Katherine's lost faith. Nothing serves as a catalyst for reclaiming one's faith like a good, old fashioned reaping.
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There is No Truth
Despite all of the news coverage of death, atrocity, and tragedy coming out of Iraq, the war often seems surreal and distant. Director Philip Haas (Angels and Insects) does something remarkable in bringing the war to the big screen in The Situation. Filmed exclusively in Iraq, one truly does get a vivid sense of just how dire "the situation" has become.
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An Existential Drama That Goes Nowhere
The tagline for First Snow, helmed by screenwriter-turned-director Mark Fergus asks, "What if someone looked into your future and didn't see tomorrow?" Part character study, part mystery/thriller, part crime-drama, First Snow misses out on the promising potential inherent in its premise of an egotistical character facing his mortality and the effects that knowledge has on his psyche.
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Bring a Bit of Spring Indoors
Along with colored eggs, rabbits and yellow marshmallow Peeps, "colorful" makes me think of Easter and the return of spring. Aside from the Peeps, all of those things symbolize the ideas of fertility, abundance and renewal associated with the season. Furthermore, fresh floral arrangements brighten your home and give one the feeling of hope associated with new beginnings.
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Lost in Translation
Federico García Lorca was by all accounts a complex, gifted, but deeply troubled character. Like Rimbaud and other hardcore romantics, his flamboyant and brief life (he was executed by Nationalist Fascist troops at the age of 38) still allowed him plenty of time to churn out enough poetry and plays to earn a spot in the pantheon of Western Art...
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