This is the final installment in the Jon Foreman seasonal EP review. We end with Summer, another worthy combination of six satisfying songs.

Track 1) A Mirror Is Harder to Hold - The EP starts with a subtle and soothing sound: a simple acoustic guitar pattern accompanied by nostalgic horns. Later Foreman’s voice slips in, but he does not strain even once during the track. The song sounds like an early Dylan track: relaxed and folksy, but meaningful. The lyrics are straightforward, with no real metaphors, but imagery that paints a backdrop of a nice summer day. Foreman sings about how he does not want to lose his love because without her he’d be stuck with a mirror (himself; okay, I lied, there was a little metaphor), who “is so much harder to hold.” The simple lyrics reflect once again the fear of being alone, a common theme in Foreman’s songs.

Track 2) Resurrect Me - An interesting string instrument that almost sounds like a sitar starts off this song. During the verse a more monotonous guitar riff takes over, and overstays its welcome. However, this makes the chorus all the more relieving to the listener. How appropriate is it that Foreman sings, “There’s no price that I wouldn’t pay to get some relief?” Unfortunately, the only reason the chorus sounds “good” is because the verses are so tiresome by comparison. Definitely not the best song on the EP, musically speaking, anyway. The lyrics pretty much follow the message stated in the line above - Foreman asks to be resurrected from his meaningless life. Although this is a strongly Christian sentiment, non-Christians can also relate to the feeling of wanting to escape a humdrum life. The energy of the song makes it appropriate for Summer.

Track 3) Deep In Your Eyes - This is the best song on the EP. Rather than being formed over an acoustic guitar, the song is written around a simple piano pattern. In fact, the introduction and first verse are composed of only the piano and Foreman’s vocals - not until the chorus do any other instruments kick in. When the guitar, drums, and violins enter at the chorus, the bulging ambient effect makes the song all the better. Lyrically, this song acts as a three minute metaphor. Foreman sings of a river in everyone that seeks the ocean, embodying the concept of humans seeking God into an element of nature appropriate for summer. It is songs like this, musically handsome and lyrically sophisticated, that remind us of Foreman’s excellent song-writing skills.

Track 4) Instead of a Show - The message in this song is quite plain. The first verse is, “I hate all your show and pretense / The hypocrisy of your praise / The hypocrisy of your festivals / I hate all your show.” The words are obviously about people who care more about their reputation as worshipers rather than actually praising God. Again, this is a rather Christian idea, but it can also be applied to secular society: anybody who has been annoyed by people who care more about being seen doing good deeds rather than doing the deeds themselves can relate to the lyrics. The instruments used are typical acoustic Foreman: acoustic guitar, drums, horns, and bass. The sound is nowhere near bad, but it is more the words that make this song worth a listen.

Track 5) The House of God Forever - The beginning “oohs” of this song sound like they belong in the theme song from The Lion King. However, after the introduction of harmonized vocals and harmonica, an acoustic guitar and cello kick in, accompanied by a simple rhythm. Less tense that the previous song, the listener starts to realize a pattern on this EP: soft and relaxed, up-tempo and passionate, soft and relaxed, up-tempo and passionate. The words come directly from scripture, the famous 23rd chapter of Pslams to be exact, where the psalmist compares his Lord to a shepherd. Sarah Masen, who previously collaborated with Foreman on Spring, returns on this song. After singing a verse by herself, her unique voice harmonizes with Foreman, creating a blend appropriate for the mood of the song. Musically, this is definitely one of the better songs on the EP.

Track 6) Again - An idiosyncratic string riff (sitar again, maybe?) is continued throughout the song. This makes the song slightly mind-numbing, and therefore a good choice for an alternative to a sleeping pill. That is not to say the song is unbearably boring, just a little bit... unexciting. The riff is actually quite interesting and rather experimental on Foreman’s part, paying homage to Asian strings and the ambient piano sounds of classical music. Lyrically, the song does not bother to secularize at all as it could be seen as simply praise music. Perhaps the best way to describe this song is by explaining that the image I see while listening is an endless field of golden barley. Although the song breaks the pattern of relaxed/uptempo by putting two relaxed songs back to back, it is a good choice for an EP closer as it better summarizes the overall mood of the music on all of the EPs: sentimental and meaningful. The only thing I can say now is, congratulations Jon Foreman, on four awesome CDs. Hope to hear more from you soon.

When an album cover features a gang sign on it, one would reasonably assume that the music on the CD would be mostly gangsta rap. In the case of 3OH!3’s new album, Want, the gangster songs are all supposedly sarcastic. Indeed, the Boulder, Colorado duo (composed of Nathaniel Motte and Sean Foreman) have openly stated that their music, with misogynistic lyrics that talk about booze and booty, is satirical. However, on Want, 3OH!3 fails to make obvious the satirical aspect of their music and end up becoming exactly what it tried to make fun of.
Now, Want is not another generic rap album. No, in fact, the synth-heavy music is on the borderline of being classified as techno. Also, the best songs on the CD are the ones that feature the pair singing. All of this would seem to point towards the fact that Want is not a hip-hop album at all, but the truth of the matter is that the song-content is undeniably hip-hop based and the delivery is very hip-hop as well.
The minute long instrumental introduction to the album prepares the listener for the rest of the CD well. The song starts off with a pleasantly original enough electronic rhythm, previewing the heavy dosages of drum machines. Then the synths kick in... and for roughly half a minute play the exact same note with a rather boring rhythm. After those 30 seconds, however, variations in the notes occur. Overall, this one minute intro is pretty monotonous... and yet somehow catchy, foreshadowing the upcoming music. Yes, even without lyrics, the intro - entitled Tapp - epitomizes the mix of monotony and catchiness that make up the album that you will listen to feverishly for a couple of months, and then burn because you are so sick of its songs. (No, I don’t mean burn a copy for your friend.)
Want ends up being a guilty pleasure CD. The wise listener will acknowledge that the song-content is boring, but they will still listen to it because the good songs are addictive. Yes, good songs like Punkb*tch. This track, the second on the CD, is a fitting example of 3OH!3 music: from the song-title you can correctly assume what the lyrics will be like (the chorus goes like this: Punkb*tch, 'Cause I've seen it before, Punkb*tch, And I don't care anymore, Punkb*tch, And I just want you to know that we datin' mad models and poppin' mad bottles tonight), but the synth chord progressions are catchy, as are the heavily modified vocals. Sure, their intention might be to make fun of the lifestyles of hip-hop stars, but 3OH!3 actually help glorify that which they tried to shun.
Other stand-out songs on the album are Don’t Trust Me (on which the pair sing, “don’t trust a hoe, never trust a hoe” but also includes some original lyrics like, “tell your boyfriend, if he says he got beef, that I’m a vegetarian”); Starstrukk, with some more lyrics that are degrading to women but also with a rhythm you can’t deny; and Can’t Do It Alone, with great vocal syncopations but more crappy lyrics.
In the end, Want would be a remarkably good album if it weren’t for the irony that the singers’ irony doesn’t stand out. If they work harder on making their satire more obvious on the next album, it will definitely be worth buying. If you like hip-hop based electronica, you will no doubt enjoy this album immensely. Finally, I will admit that writing this review has been like therapy to remind me not to get too addicted to Want. Like I said earlier: the CD is a guilty pleasure where you know you shouldn't want more, but you will.

I realize that it’s not so easy to imagine the season of spring as the temperatures and snow fall here in Sapporo, but bear with me as I review Jon Foreman’s third seasonal EP. Yes, I know you’ve been dying to read it, so here it is: a song-by-song review of Spring.

Track 1) March (A Prelude to Spring) - Already from the title Foreman’s clever use of language is established yet again, as “March” is indeed both a prelude to the season of spring and this very EP of Spring. The song itself is a short one and a half minute sing-along. By this I mean that the track sounds like it could be found on a toddler’s first CD; the blended vocals of Foreman and guest singer Molly Jenson are quite playful, and the backing horns sound like they’re right of the soundtrack to a child’s TV program. By itself, this song doesn’t stand-out, but as the “prelude to Spring,” it does its job by setting up more hopeful and upbeat tones than in Fall and Winter.

Track 2) Love Isn’t Made - This is one of the best songs of the entire EP. Even if there are only six tracks in total, this song still stands out by managing the difficult task of sounding mellow but hopeful. Foreman’s formula for success (simple acoustic guitar, cello, and drums) is employed yet again, but this time with vocal tracks from his wife and sister-in-law.
In the chorus, Foreman sings “Love isn’t made / Love doesn’t sell or pay / But we buy and sell our love away,” criticizing the lack of unconditional love in the world. Even though the lyrics can sometimes be dark, the overall tone is positive with lines like, “So I arrive at the conclusion,” where Foreman sings about finding answers instead of asking questions like he did excessively on Fall and Winter. Love Isn’t Made sets up the theme of resolution and rebirth for the rest of the EP.

Track 3) In My Arms - Lyrically and musically simple, In My Arms strengthens the theme of straightforwardness over complexity. Indeed, after the contemplative songs of his previous two EPs, songs like In My Arms provides a much-needed refreshing break. However, the problem is that that is all the song does; it is more of a column that holds up the structure of Spring than an intricate stained glass window. The purpose of the song is just to build on theme. Like Love Isn’t Made, In My Arms also provides answers instead of questions with the line “I think I figured it out” in the bridge.

Track 4) Baptize My Mind - The jumpy guitar riff in the intro creates an uplifting and uptempo mood that remains for the whole song. Again, this works with a theme that accompanies the season of spring (rebirth), but the song itself is not exactly one of Foreman’s best as it is keeps repeating a riff that isn’t exactly ear-candy to begin with. What saves the song at the end is the metaphorical lyrics.

Track 5) Your Love Is Strong - Considering that this is the best song from all of his EPs, how remarkable is it that Foreman probably spent the least amount of time on lyrics for this track than on all his others? The reason Foreman didn’t really have to strain over the words is that the lines come directly from the Bible. Yes, the verses are composed of lines from the Lord’s Prayer. Of course Foreman puts the biblical words into contemporary language, and adds his own lines here and there to make the Prayer fit into song-form.
Besides the fact that it’s pretty dang cool how Foreman put such a traditional piece of world history into song, the music itself amazing. The entire guitar part is constructed of only eight chords, but those eight chords work amazingly together to create a catchy riff that doesn’t get old. The chords in the chorus keep progressing up the scale - fitting in with the theme of spring that is rising out of the dead of winter. The song also shows off Foreman’s vocal flexibility as it goes from low and rough sounding in the verses to high-pitched but powerful in the bridge. You should definitely check out this song.

Track 6) Revenge - Revenge is a good EP-closer for Spring, as it somewhat progresses out of the simplicity of the previous five songs. More abstract in its lyrics, the song previews the theme of growth culminated on Summer. It also returns to a more depressing mood, made obvious by the opening lines of “I’m the failure / I’m everyone’s fool / And I’m losing my cool at the end.”

Anyone who watches movies on a regular basis would have heard about the new Bond film by now. Yes, Bond... James Bond (that’s 007 for those of you who are more mathematically inclined). That’s right, on October 29th, 2008, Quantum of Solace enjoyed a highly-attended and highly-commended premiere at the London Film Festival, and this weekend the movie broke Bond film records at the North American box office by taking in more than 70 million dollars.
Quantum of Solace is the sequel to 2006’s Casino Royale, which saw the replacement of Pierce Brosnan as the leading man with then-rising-star Daniel Craig. Casino Royale was a popular success, and many movie critics were pleasantly surprised with Craig’s ability to dig into the spy character that movie audiences all over the world love so much. However, by receiving so much critical acclaim, the movie set a high-standard for it’s sequel. After only a couple of weeks of being on the big screen, most of Quantum of Solace’s reviews have been positive. As with any Bond movie, there still seems to be plenty of guns, girls, and glorifying of the espionage business in Quantum, but one thing many reviewers noticed is that the film is considerably shorter in length.
Indeed, whereas the last 007 film was 144 minutes, Quantum only runs for 106. One can only presume that this film is much more packed (who knew that was possible) than the other Bond films. Of course, we will not know just how packed the film is until it is released in January of next year in Japanese theatres. (Alas, we Japanese-theatre-attending-persons are again punished by the late releases in this country.) Hopefully, the film will be worth the wait - and judging by new Bond girl Olga Kurylenko’s looks, I can say that it probably will be.
Find out more about the new Bond film at the IMDB website.

Here is this week’s track-by-track review for Jon Foreman’s Winter:

Track 1) Learning How to Die - Just like Foreman began Fall, the second acoustic EP in his seasonal series kicks off with a mellow guitar-and-vocal-melody based song. The guitar is accompanied by simple strings and horns to build on the simple guitar riff and create more atmosphere in the song. The simple drum beat allows the audience to focus more easily on the lyrics, about the notion that human lifetimes are spent “learning how to die.” Foreman’s interesting perspective on how to “live” inspires the listener to craft their life considering how they want to exit this world.

Track 2) Behind Your Eyes - Inspired by the famous line in Harper Lee’s novel, To Kill a Mockingbird, about how the only way to truly understand a person is to crawl into their skin and walk around in it, Behind Your Eyes sees Foreman wanting to escape from the confines of his body to fully appreciate the whole experience of “understanding” someone else. Musically, the song is more upbeat than the previous track, but it is also quite simple, consisting only of an acoustic guitar riff, a steady beat, and Foreman’s voice. Because it concerns the end of one’s life, it is appropriate for Winter as the season deals with endings.

Track 3) Somebody’s Baby - This wistful song triggers images of a cold street where snowflakes are softly falling on an already white ground. The lyrics paint in an homeless person on the curb of this street as they commentate on the life and death of a neglected and unappreciated outcast from society. The point of the song is that even homeless people were once considered a beautiful blessing into this world. Foreman epitomizes this point in the chorus where, after singing about a specific homeless woman, he says, “She’s somebody’s baby, somebody’s baby girl, and she’s somebody baby still.” The last part of the chorus is to reflect on the idea that there is a divine being who still values the homeless woman.
The winter imagery is not only crafted by the lyrics, but also by the guitar’s ambient sound and the effective violins in the chorus. Considering lyrical and musical complementation, this is the best song on the EP.

Track 4) White As Snow - This song progresses the EP from depressing winter mode to a peaceful winter mood. Again, guitar and strings make up most of the instrumental section of this song. The one noticeable change is that the drums play a slightly bigger role with more beats per bar. Jon plays harmonics on his guitar to replicate the sound of Christmas bells, and the theme is very much Christian. The song is a plea to God to have mercy on his soul and “create in [him] a clean heart...” by washing him “white as snow.” The snow aspect of this song makes it obvious why it belongs on Winter. The bridge of this song is an exceptionally nice listen.

Track 5) I Am Still Running - On this song Foreman changes the mood from peaceful to relaxed (yes, there is a difference; this track sounds lazier.) The lyrics, however, talk about Foreman’s insecurities - creating a contrast between the words and the music. This is not the best song on the EP, as it can become repetitive, but it is still an enjoyable part of Winter.

Track 6) In Love - Perhaps the most experimental song of all four seasonal EPs, In Love replicates an Asian string sound. Although it was probably played on the guitar, the strings sound like they could be those of the koto or shamisen. Instead of a cello, it sounds like a bassoon is used to create the deep bass sound behind the atmospheric notes of the strings. Foreman applies the rule that “simple is best” lyrically. In fact, half of the words are identical; Foreman follows a pattern that interlaces the words “in love” and “my love” among words that talk about his willingness to sacrifice. It’s kind of like a very repetitive, but deliberate Mad Libs. Musically it is very repetitive as well, without a climax, but this song still makes for an interesting listen as it is so different from Foreman’s usual recipe of acoustic guitars, violins, cellos, horns, and drums.
Again, the atmospheric sounds trigger winter images... and the simplicity of the song triggers the simplicity of white snow everywhere, closing Winter in a reflective mood. Maybe it’s a good time to start working on those New Year resolutions.

(Yes, the reviews for Jon Foreman's EP project will not be on a weekly basis as I promised before... are you really bummed out about this?)

Baseball and Politics

In modern day politicking, where no subject of a candidate’s life seems too private to be untouched, we have seen the media pry into people’s history, families, and lifestyles. Of course most of this is simply to fill up the time of 24-7 television broadcasting; what else would you do when you already know everything about a politician’s track record and policies? Cars, houses, and high-school life are all aspects of the 2008 US Presidential Election candidates that have been examined by the media, but now a new topic is being discussed: which baseball teams do the candidates support?

On Tuesday, Senator John McCain (Arizona, republican) accused Senator Barack Obama (Illinois, democrat) of supporting both of the Major League Baseball teams that have made it to the World Series this year. Campaigning in Pennsylvania (home state of one of the baseball teams in questions - the Philadelphia Phillies), Mr. McCain said, “Now, I'm not dumb enough to get mixed up in a World Series between swing states.
"But I think I may have detected a little pattern with Senator Obama. It's pretty simple really. When he's campaigning in Philadelphia, he roots for the Phillies, and when he's campaigning in Tampa Bay, he 'shows love' to the Rays.
"It's kind of like the way he campaigns on tax cuts, but then votes for tax increases after he's elected."

Both baseball teams are from states considered key battlegrounds for this election - the Philadelphia Phillies from Pennsylvania and the Tampa Bay Rays from Florida - but does McCain really have a strong argument here? Has it really reached the point that Americans will not vote for a certain candidate because they support two baseball teams? Of course the importance of baseball in America is not to be underestimated - the last televised presidential debate lost a lot of viewers to the MLB playoff game that was showing at the same time... but will this baseball fiasco with Obama really affect Americans? Are we going to need a separation of Sport and State? Or is John McCain getting desperate in the final weeks of his campaign to slow down his rival’s momentum.

An interesting side-note: Barack Obama has stated earlier that he is a fan of the Chicago White Sox from his home state of Illinois, and coincidentally enough the Tampa Bay Rays beat the White Sox out of the league playoffs. Hmm... resentment anybody?

As promised, here is this week’s review of Jon Foreman’s first EP project. Appropriately, we begin the series of reviews with Fall (even though it definitely was T-shirt and shorts weather today). Before I review… let’s play a little word association. Ready? Fall! Leaves… Bright colours… Pumpkins… Somberness… Coldness to come… These are only some of the words I think of when I imagine autumn, and Jon Foreman examines all of these aspects of the season along with some more original and insightful aspects of fall as well.

Track 1) The Cure for Pain ¬– No saving the best for last here; Foreman starts Fall off with the “catchiest” song of the EP. This is simply strategic planning considering that a lot of listeners probably wouldn’t bother to listen to the rest of the EP if it started off with a bad song. However, this is not to say that the other songs are bad… no, it is simply that the other tracks just require more time to grow on you, whereas The Cure for Pain is an immediate favourite.
The strumming pattern of the guitar, the use of ghost notes, and the soft trumpets set this song apart from your usual acoustic hit. Foreman’s vocal talent is that his voice manages to merge roughness with malleability, and he uses this perfectly on the track to solidify its poignant tone. The lyrics are very Foreman-like as well: “I've spent ten years singing gravity away / But the water keeps on falling from the sky” (a reference to his band’s last album? It was titled Oh! Gravity). The sentimental tone of this song does a pretty good job of setting up the “autumn” theme for the rest of the EP.

Track 2) Southbound Train ¬– Here the EP progresses from the somewhat depressing acoustic rock of The Cure for Pain to a more hopeful folk sound with the use of harmonicas. Violins are used as well – but not overused like in a lot of recent pop songs that attempt to sound graceful. The accompanying string section plays an intro that succeeds in sounding like a train’s engine chugging along – painting a picture of train tracks in the countryside where the leaves just started changing colour. Of course good songwriters provide imagery through lyrics, but through instruments? Speaking of lyrics, here’s the best line in the song – “Or maybe I’m just feeling old / Like a lawyer with no one to blame.” That’s going to be a common idiom in the English language starting now.

Track 3) Lord, Save Me from Myself ¬– This song is proof that the momentum was building in the first two tracks as it is the most upbeat song of the EP so far. A guitar riff with plenty of hammer-ons and a liquid rhythm kick off the song – and although musically this is not Foreman’s best, the lyrics should definitely not be overlooked: “My mind is dull and faded / From these years of buy and sell / My eyes have seen the glory / Of this hollow, modern shell.” Employing the common idea of tiredness associated with autumn, Foreman’s lyrics paint himself as a man who is not impressed with modern society.

Track 4) Equally Skilled – The lyrics of the song come directly from the Bible… Micah Chapter 7, in fact. Of course, Foreman puts the verses into his own words, singing about his desperation; how he feels like “a fruit-picker who arrived here after the harvest.” The bleak lyrics run along the theme of the death of nature during autumn. Musically, the track is better than Lord, Save Me from Myself. The guitar part includes a lot of sliding, picking, hammering-on, and pulling-off. During the instrumental breaks, the scratchy steel of the guitar strings produces a chilly sound while the vocal harmonies (all oohs of Foreman’s voice) also add an eerie sound to the song. However, where the instrumental parts may seem slightly cold, the vocals manage to sound warm – like a fireplace in a cold house: signaling the coming cold. Again, Foreman uses musical imagery to convey autumnal scenes.

Track 5) The Moon Is a Magnet – The shortest song of the EP (it’s only one minute and fifty-four seconds long), this song is also the most abstract; musically and lyrically, it is one hard nut to crack. A complex guitar picking pattern (with a unique choice of notes), vague words, and an abrupt ending leave a lot to the listener to decide. Although the song sounds experimental, it is definitely enjoyable. The fuzzy sound of the accompanying horn triggers mental pictures of the golden leaves… ahh…

Track 6) My Love Goes Free – The only song on the EP that doesn’t have any guitars in it, My Love Goes Free keeps a simple piano progression throughout. It ends the EP with the familiar sentimental tone as in The Cure for Pain, but it is presented differently… the former track previewed autumn but this song sets the stage for winter. The song content is quite appropriately summarized in one of its lines: “If you love her let her go.” This is perhaps the easiest song to understand, and it closes the EP by returning a sense of confidence to the listener after the abstruse The Moon Is a Magnet. Although it does not exactly use any musical or lyrical autumnal imagery, it concludes the EP nicely by previewing the sound we will be hearing on Winter.