Album of the WeekLondon Calling-The ClashThe third album from the band, London Calling, marks a development in musical style with the incorporation of more genres to create a unique sound that would come to immortalize The Clash. Released in 1979 this is the band’s greatest record as well as one of the greatest records in general. Dealing with the angsty themes of unemployment, racial conflict, drug use, and the responsibilities of adulthood, London Calling is filled with anthems for youth fighting a crumbling world. The album begins with, “The Ice Age is coming/The sun is zooming in/Meltdown expected/The wheat is growing thin,” and carries that theme all the way to the end.
Book of the WeekAnimal Farm by George OrwellThis may have been one of those books you were forced to read in High School and so is remembered, begrudgingly, as that book with the animals who become corrupt and possibly had something to do with the Russian Revolution. Despite this, with our current political state and the recent election of Scott Brown, this Orwell novel is worth a read. Its warnings about rhetoric, corrupt political figures and the naïveté of the masses is as current as ever, plus it’s a short read so you might be able to finish it before you are suddenly hit with a new semester of work.
Movie of the WeekRear WindowWith all the hype about new and improved movie technology and the Avatar craze running rampant throughout the world it’s nice to sit back and just watch a good old-fashioned movie. No frills and CGI, just an intriguing plot, and good acting. Rear Window is perhaps my favorite Hitchcock. Carried by the ever charming Jimmy Stewart the movie is able to keep you guessing and completely enthralled despite the fact that it takes place entirely in one man’s apartment. So if you’re tired of gore, and cheap scares try the subtle horror and building suspense of this classic thriller.
Artist of the WeekBanksy”Some people become cops because they want to make the world a better place. Some people become vandals because they want to make the world a better looking place.”Perhaps some of Banksy’s intrigue comes from the level of anonymity he has been able to maintain over the years. He began as a free-hand graffiti artist in England but has gone on the produce of pieces around the world including a number of pieces on the Apartheid wall in Palestine. His work contains messages of politics, culture, and ethics and have a satirical humor. Banksy is an artist of the people, his work displayed to the world free of charge, so take a look.