CD
Sergio Mendes
Timeless
Concord Records
Rating: 11111
To be honest, I've always enjoyed Mendes more in concert than on recordings. His musical arrangements are so alive on stage and by comparison seem to be lacking on disc. That doesn't apply here, on this will i. am produced CD. Timeless, to borrow a line from one of its songs, takes the listener from "Sao Paolo to the Apollo" and re-energizes the master Brazilian's songs and style. It's such a great combination that you can't help thinking that music like this is the future of rap. Music's always been about the hybrid and Timeless is a great new genre that should influence a generation.-tired ant
Boards of Canada
The Campfire Headphase
Warp Records
Rating: 1111r
Follow up to Geogaddi, Boards of Canada's latest is quite a change. For the better... As beautiful as their music's been, there was always a distant, almost "cold" element to their songs. Campfire is just as ethereal and dreamy as previous CDs (maybe more so), but with a warmth that raises the emotional level of the material. The addition of guitars, incorporation of psychedelic folk and a de-emphasis on beats mark an evolution of this amazing Scottish duo.-tired ant
PSP Games
The Con
Sony
Rating: 1111
Another fighting game? Not quite. You'll derive more satisfaction from this game than a lot of others in the genre. Instead of engaging in pure violence, The Con actually treats street fights as a competition and an economic struggle for survival. Fight to win cash, take down your opponents. Wouldn't it be nice to be kick ass and get rich from it? The idea is complemented well by good graphics and believable animation of the various characters. A highly addictive game, we recommend you stay away from it unless you have a week to kill.-the idler
DVD
Hustle & Flow
Rating: 11111
How did this movie not get a best picture nomination? Or best original screenplay? Craig Brewer easily outshone Paul Haggis. Frankly, Hustle & Flow should be able to keep the Oscar nominations it did receive and pick up those from Crash, a movie hardly deserving of even faint praise. H&F is by far the best flick of the year, as well as original script. And Terrence Howard should pick up a trophy for his performance. Kudos to Brewer also for putting together one of the best soundtracks of the last decade. Can you tell, yeah, we love this movie. -Che Alavarado
PSP Video
Perfect Blue
Manga Entertainment
PSP
Rating: 1111
Satoshi Kan's classic, Perfect Blue, is melodramatic, overwrought, at times confusing and is still one of the best animes you'll ever see. We'd prefer to watch it on a bigger screen but were surprised by how well it played on our PSP-and of course we can't deny the joy of movie-viewing while sitting in the car and on the train. Great content on a cool device definitely enhances the experience. A "psychological thriller," as they say, it actually tackles the rather weighty subjects of identity and personal transformation in an entertaining and substantive way. While the animation may be dated, the story is not. We highly recommend it.-tired ant