Unreal 2: The Awakening (PC)
Developed by: Legend Entertainment
Published by: Infogrames

With all the Unreal titled games out there in the market, it’s hard to make that choice. However, each of them serve their own purpose and are fairly different games from each other. I just wanted to clarify this so there is no confusion. Now what the hell was I going to talk about again? Oh ya, Unreal 2: The Awakening.

The title says it all, it’s the sequel to the first person shooter smash hit Unreal, released in 1998. What makes this game different from other Unreal titles is that it only focuses on the single player mode. You won’t find a multiplayer option anywhere so STOP WHINING!

The first thing you’ll notice when you play is the kick ass graphics. Visually the game is UNREAL! “Pun intended”. The alien worlds that you visit are imaginative and stunningly atmospheric. Even down to the little native critters running around. My favorite part about the game is the weapon designs. For example the Spyder gun uses these egg sacs as ammo and shoots out a ton of spiders at your foe.

The game play is very linear and it’s not a very long game. Plotwise, the story is nothing to really wet your self about. However there is a lot of back story and some twists that will make you want to proceed further. Basically you play as this dude that has hunt for these alien artifacts that everyone seems to want.

Due to lack of multiplayer the replay value is greatly decreased. I’ve played through it once and don’t really have the urge to go through it again any time soon. Overall it’s slightly better than the first Unreal. If you have a high end computer with 2.5 gigs to spare on your hard drive, this title is worth checking.

I give it an 8.8 out of 10, on my Ass Kick Meter. — Chian

Daredevil
Directed by: Mark Steven Johnson
Written by: Brian Helgeland and Mark Steven Johnson (screenplay)
Starring: Ben Affleck, Jennifer Garner, Michael Clarke Duncan, Colin Farrell, Jon Favreau, Joe Panteliano

I didn’t expect much from Daredevil, and maybe that’s why I was so pleasantly surprised by it. I know that sooner or later this comic book movie boom is going to come crashing down, and I really expected Daredevil to be the first stinker to hit screens. I gotta say though, if they keep releasing comic book movies that are at least up to these standards, the trend could potentially continue for a long time to come. Daredevil is just about everything that a good comic book movie should be — not much more than that, but then again nothing less either.

You may or may not know who Daredevil is, but you’ve probably at least heard of him. He isn’t exactly one of Marvel’s premiere heroes, but he would be pretty close to cracking their all-star starting line-up. Matt Murdock was the son of boxer Jack “The Devil” Murdock, and one fateful day he was involved in an accident that sprayed him with radioactive chemicals, leaving him permanently and completely blind, but strangely enhancing each of his other senses to superhuman levels. As the oh-too-familiar story goes, the murder of his father urged him to put his special abilities to use, training to eventually become a crime-fighting vigilante. By day he would be a lawyer, striving for justice in the courtroom, and by night he made up for where the court system failed by kicking ass with his acrobatic skills. He decided to pay tribute to his father’s boxing nickname by dubbing himself “Daredevil”.

In the first 20 minutes of the movie we are given a nice summary of the origin story, and then the real plot kicks in (if you can call it that). Murdock meets Elektra (Jennifer Garner), daughter of Ambassador Nikolaos Natchios, and the two fall in love. Unfortunately, her father is on the hitlist of the city’s organized crime ringleader, known simply as The Kingpin. When he is whacked by the Kingpin’s hired assassin, Bullseye, Elektra mistakes Daredevil as the killer. This puts Murdock in an “uncomfortable” situation, seeing as she doesn’t know his secret identity. Eventually a number of showdowns take place, and the movie glides to a swift, predictable and conveniently open-ended conclusion.

The best thing about Daredevil is that it is believable and grounded in the real world, but it doesn’t take itself too seriously either. The humour is enhanced with the presence of Jon Favreau, who seemingly reprises his role as Mikie from Swingers by playing Foggy Nelson, Matt Murdock’s law partner, who isn’t quite the ladies man he’d like to be. Kevin Smith’s cameo was a lot of fun, and Colin Farrell was so overboard as Bullseye it’s impossible not to laugh at some of his stunts and one-liners.

A good comic book movie also requires some decent action and special effects, and Daredevil does have plenty of both, complimented by just enough back story and character depth to keep it interesting. There’s a few interesting martial art duels, made to look flashy with some of those bullet time effects that were popularized in The Matrix. The most impressive visual effect, however, was the one that illustrates the special “radar sense” that allows Daredevil to visualize shapes around him by their sound. That alone was worth the price of admission in my opinion.

The only real qualms I had with Daredevil involved the soundtrack, and the somewhat abrupt ending. The nu-metal soundtrack gives the movie a cheap, trendy feel that will only make it seem dated a few years from now. It works for some of Bullseye’s scenes because they connect with his bad-ass image, but Daredevil himself deserved something more introspective and subtle. Why couldn’t they have just released all these songs on an album “inspired by” the movie? I really wish they would have held back with some of the “attitude”.

As for the ending, well, it’s not a total insult, but it didn’t really accomplish anything either. The faceoff with Kingpin seemed premature for one thing, and momentum that had built throughout the movie was cast aside at the last minute in the interest of leaving room for a sequel. This may be the nature of comic books, but movies don’t work all that well with a serialized storyline. Although movies often have sequels, you rarely see more than 2 or 3 continuations, which means events in movies should have more permanence, and a greater impact. By the end of Daredevil, I almost felt like the whole thing went nowhere. Oh well… it wasn’t perfect, but least it was a fun ride along the way.

Will the comic book fans be happy with Daredevil? I think for the most part they will, although I haven’t read many of the comics before. Sure Bullseye didn’t wear a costume, but at least he made a comment about wanting one. And Kingpin may have been portrayed by a black actor, but Michael Clarke Duncan is about the only human being big enough to match Kingpin’s supposed girth. Affleck is not the best actor in the world, but he did a surprisingly good job of embodying the different aspects of Matt Murdock’s character, especially the darker, “tortured soul” angle. Long time readers may also appreciate the fact that they played up a lot of the religious undertones (being that he is a “devil” who is an Irish Catholic), that were often used in the comics.

Comic book illiterates, on the other hand, may find that Daredevil reminds them of the Caped Crusader a little bit, but this shouldn’t detract from their enjoyment of the movie. If anything, Daredevil offers further proof that horrid affairs like Batman Forever and Batman & Robin need not be the case when it comes to comic book adaptations. There’s a lot of great source material to be found within the pages of graphic novels and comics, and as long as people keep bringing the stories to the screen with a fun spirit and an understanding of the original vision, then I will gladly “take the dare”, so to speak. — Sean

Dustin Diamond Live
@ Yuk Yuks, Hamilton — Feb 15, 2003

Standup comedy is always better live than on record or on TV, and I guess thats a good thing for the case of Dustin Diamond, 26 year old former child star, Saved By the Bell’s Samuel “Screech” Powers. Seeing “the white Urkel” live was if anything, awkward. I had felt that I had grown up with Diamond and the SBTB gang, and its weird seeing him in a new environment, not doing the squeaky high pitched voice, not wearing suspenders, not airing his grievances to Kevin the Robot. (Man he hated Kelly Kapowski, didn’t he?) I had walked into Yuk Yuks this Valentines Day not expecting much. Like most people there, I just went to “go see Screech”. I didn’t care if he ended up sucking or not. It was something weird to tell people you saw, and it would be good to just see the Man anyway. I was wrong. I now want Dustin Diamond to succeed in his chosen craft. He can do it. I know he can.

Dustin Diamond is moderately funny, which is damn good for a standup comedian these days. Dustin is very animated and jumpy on stage. Visually, he’s doing everything right. He’s very enthusiastic in his performance. His material isn’t the strongest, but Dustin is really into this stuff (he’s been doing it for 4 years now), and with a few tweaks, people could go see him for the show itself and not for who he is (or who he was).

Seated about 6 inches from stage and less than a three feet from Diamond himself, I found myself really rooting for him to kick ass, wanting him to kill up there. To Diamonds credit, at this point in his career, having some blue humor in the show is a good idea. Its been keeping Bob Saget busy for years, bringing out audiences just to see America’s dad swear. Dustin’s smart to tap into this idea, and its funny at times, way better than Saget’s thats for sure. Sometimes its funny because its Screech and he’s saying “cock”, and sometimes its just plain funny.

Sometimes however, its less funny because its Screech. And only because it feels like he’s not being himself, at least not as much as should be. For him to come out and only do bathroom humor (which is fine), proving to everyone he’s a grownup now is selling himself short. Sure, I know his ‘observational humor’ about swamp balls and the Drippy Penis is true and pretty funny, but this type of humor, aside from a few Bayside jokes, is his entire act.

Dustin Diamond is a nerd in real life, just as his character was. And thats okay, really. Diamond loves chess more than anything, is smart, his band Salty the Pocket Knife is a big part of his life, he’s obsessed with 80s cartoons like Thundercats, GI Joe (he was sporting a GI Joe shirt that night), he listens to Frank Zappa and Mr. Bungle. He watches wrestling+g. He’s a weird nerd. Theres so much potential material there. The people coming to his show are pretty much the same age as him. If he was more himself rather than the same piss and shit jokes so many others do, he’d have a great set rather than just an okay one. His show was at his best when it seemed more improvised and was telling more personal stories about kids coming up to him in the supermarket, and being in Las Vegas. When he was himself, it was interesting the same way Henry Rollins’ personal stories resonate. Oh well, its enough to make a living on I guess, enough to go on a tour, but probably not enough to base a new career around. I believe Dustin’s smart enough to figure this out someday.

Dustin was able to score off of hecklers a bit. Some people really came with that freak show mentality and made it obvious by constantly yelling “You were Screech!” and “Where’s Belding?” . It wasn’t funny, and Diamond mocked them in a mentally challenged voice, mocking them for going for the most obvious Saved by the Bell references.

By the end, as much as he tried to maybe turn some of the crowd off, change their opinion of him, I still found Dustin to be the same likable nerd he always was. He seems like a really good guy. And he’s got a good attitude, a lot of drive, and I really respect that. But his act still needs some tweaking. — Goon

I Am Spoonbender - Shown Actual Size
(GSL)

This new EP came out late last year to very little fanfare, and it seems almost as if I Am Spoonbender are trying to will themselves into obscurity. For all their talk of psychic abilities, you’ve gotta wonder if the band is at all aware of what other people are thinking about them. It certainly doesn’t seem like it.

Their debut album, Sender/Receiver, was widely hailed as a masterpiece of experimental rock music and avante-garde songwriting. They followed this up with the Teletwin EP, which was a bit of a let down, and headed in a much more synthetic direction. Now they have left Mint Records to release this 3 song EP and it continues further down the path of repetitive hypnotic beats and mind-numbing electronic grooves… which is not necessarily a bad thing, but they just don’t rock like they used to. Not to mention the fact that they can only manage 11 minutes of new material in 2 years! What’s up with that?

I really don’t have a problem with danceable electronic music, particularly if it has a stripped down retro feel or lots of neat blips and robotic noises, and providing it doesn’t enter into that realm of cheesy techno/house or whatever it’s called nowadays. I Am Spoonbender’s latest offering is well within acceptable parameters there, as the songs beep and chirp and encourage one to get out and gyrate on the dance floor with machine-like precision, not unlike something you might hear from Ladytron or Adult. The song I Went And Had My Knives Sharpened is the definite stand-out, with some very catchy synth work and an addictive computerized breakdown at the end. However, even this song seems a little too average for a band that once blew people’s minds with their avante/jazz/prog rock/pop fusion.

One unexpected thing is that each of the three songs on this album feature fairly straightforward vocals. Granted, they are soft (often whispered), hypnotic, and faded into the background for the most part, but they are there, which gives the impression of a rather basic pop structure. Also, the programmed beats on each of these songs tend to drag on after a while, with no change in tempo and little rhythmic creativity. The seven-and-a-half minute “Re-dial Meant Remember” has little more to it than a cool title… it basically puts me to sleep.

It seems like IAS are getting lazy. For the cover of the album they even recycled artwork that was previously used by a band called Ash Ra (albeit for a European-only release). Maybe nowadays they are only interested in expanding people’s consciousness by giving them something mellow to smoke up to. Who am I to say? All I know is that I find this new EP somewhat disappointing and I can only hope that their sonic experimentation has not reached the point of stagnation already. Because that would be a damn shame. — Sean

Owen - No Good For No One Now
(Polyvinyl)

Am I a little sick of the whole acoustic thing? Yes.

With certain exceptions, I find it to mostly sound the same: wish-wash strumming on the same note while he/she wails out love poems that I just can’t relate to. I guess it’s unfair that comparisons to most solo acoustic artists seem to come back to Dashboard Confessional nowadays, so I will avoid that.

One thing Owen has on Dashboard is the band is a little more interesting. However, not interesting enough to catch my attention for the full album. One of the more interesting songs, Everything Feels Like You, is somewhat interesting at it’s seven minute running time. The song seems to be split in two with the refreshing use of a drum machine in the second half of the song. Everything else just seems to follow the same path, including a ten minute epic that just doesn’t seem to get anywhere.

One of the more important things to an artist like this is a distinct voice. I’m not hearing anything new or refreshing. Sometimes a nice singing voice can work against you I feel. It lacks any character that an unusual voice will bring. If only Owen didn’t know how to sing! That would be an album.

Overall it’s not a horrible record, it just doesn’t separate itself from anything else I’ve heard. It’s one of those albums that you have to be in a certain mood to listen to, and luckily I haven’t been in that mood for a while now. — Jay

The 25th Hour
Directed by: Spike Lee
Written by: David Benioff
Starring: Ed Norton, Philip Seymour Hoffman, Barry Pepper, Rosario Dawson, Anna Paquin, Brian Cox

The 25th Hour is easily one of the more bleak and depressing movies I have seen in my life, and yet, I enjoyed it a great deal. Although it does have moments of clever dark comedy, sometimes the sense of dread is so oppressive that it’s hard to stifle a smile at the jokes. This is a real tear jerker, and not in that Wedding Singer/English Patient kind of way.

Based on the novel and screenplay by David Benioff, The 25th Hour is about Monty Hall, a drug dealer who is caught by the DEA and sentenced to 7 years in prison. The movie details his last day of freedom, during which he reunites with his friends, settles unfinished business and reexamines his life. It may not sound all that exciting, and for a story about drug peddling and organized crime, there is very little action. The majority of the movie is dialogue, and it is appropriately slow-paced, as every moment of Monty’s last 24 hours of freedom is seemingly savoured. But a lot can happen in 24 hours, and as the movie explores Monty’s relationships with friends, family and associates, there are still a lot of questions left unanswered. Who ratted him out? Does he have any way out of his predicament? Can a pretty boy like him survive in prison? Does he really deserve his sentence?

While this may not seem like a typical Spike Lee movie, it does take place in New York City, and believe me, there are several scenes that leave no question about it being a Spike Lee joint. Only Spike Lee would have the balls to shoot an entire scene with two characters standing in front of an apartment window that overlooks Ground Zero. Only Spike Lee could have a character deliver a seething 5 minute rant that lashes out with anger at almost every single ethnic or religious group imaginable (and manage to get it by the censors). But as much as Lee should be applauded for his courage to do things that other filmmakers would shy away from, these statements occasionally seemed a little out of place. I suppose it added to the reality of the film, but it was a distraction seeing things like “Bin Laden: Wanted Dead or Alive” posters hanging in the background of a Wall Street office. Maybe it was distracting because you would never see such a thing in other movies, or maybe it’s distracting because it has nothing to do with the story. I’m not quite sure.

Occasional political diatribes aside, however, the movie really hinges on the performances of the actors, and the 25th Hour boasts an unquestionably solid cast. Ed Norton is known as one of the most versatile actors in Hollywood today, and The 25th Hour does little to discredit his reputation. Philip Seymour Hoffman plays one of Monty’s friends, a teacher who has a crush on one of his 17 year old students (Anna Paquin). That’s right, Hoffman playing another pedophile… poor guy, that’s all he seems to do lately. Of course, he happens to be good at those creepy roles. Anna Paquin emits the same innocent, alluring charm she did in Almost Famous. Barry Pepper was also very effective as another of Monty’s friends; he had a bit of the Christian Bale/American Psycho Wall Street egomaniac in him, but also deep emotions and loyalty running underneath the surface. Brian Cox is also thick skinned yet compassionate as Monty’s father. If there was a weak link in the cast, it might be Rosario Dawson who seemed somewhat unmoved throughout much of the movie despite being Monty’s girl.

The movie’s visual style compliments the acting, and adds a necessary grittyness through the use of occasional handheld shots and lots of colour contrast to emphasize Monty’s turmoil. The music, too, is intense and brooding and almost never lets up. The story is well written and the narrative structure keeps things fresh, as flashbacks are interspersed carefully to reveal the backstory, one piece at a time.

A lot could be said about the ending of the movie, but I won’t delve into it for fear of giving away too much. It leaves much to your imagination, and while some may find this frustrating, I think it’s probably about the closest we could possibly come to a satisfying conclusion.

There’s no question that this movie will leave an impression on you, however, it is not necessarily the uplifting experience that many people expect from an night out at the movies. Allow me to reference Darren Aronofsky’s Requiem For A Dream, or Larry Clark’s Kids, both films that were extremely well crafted, but not necessarily something I would want to watch many times over again. Though the 25th Hour is not quite as disturbing as these, it does deliver its share of uneasy moments. Surely Spike Lee has created something very powerful here and worthy of his legacy, and whether you’re a Spike Lee fan or not, I’m sure you’ll appreciate his mastery of the art. — Sean

Burning Brides - Fall of the Plastic Empire
(File 13/V2)

Burning Brides are a Philadelphia based 3 pc. This album however, was recorded with lead singer Dmitri Coats and Melanie Campbell operating as a two piece. Originally released last year as one of Buddyhead.com’s bands, it failed to create a stir. Maybe it was bad timing, combined with the fact that the original album artwork, almost comparable to a Christian Death cover, didn’t exactly fit what the band was about.

Now recently rereleased on V2, “Fall of the Plastic Empire” might succeed, with lead single “Arctic Snow” about to have a video ready on the heels of a string of late night talk show appearances. Will the folks who pick up this disc be disappointed?

Hard to tell.

On the plus side, the album is very hard rocking, and actually has guitar solos, which is somewhat rare these days. Each song starts off similarly, with a very simple riff that explodes into an intense sound that reminds of Mudhoney mixed with “bleach” era Nirvana. A little bit of MC5 and Blue Cheer are also present. “Plank of Fire” opens, not the best song on the album but still stands above all these other bands tapping into the early 90s aggressive grunge sound. “Glass Slipper” picks things up a bit, more punk influenced, quick and to the point. “If I’m a Man” is probably the best song on the album, a bouncy song that climaxes with cymbals crashing as Coats lets out a “HEY HEY HEY HEY”. Coats might be what decides if the band becomes a success or not. When he is raspy or screaming, he’s at his best. When he’s singing more clearly, he often sounds a little too much like Sloan or old treble charger. “Stabbed in the Back of the Heart” has very simple distorted guitar that uses some of the same tricks the White Stripes have become famous for.

For those who managed to see the Brides’ live before, either on TV or on their recent visit to Toronto, they might be disappointed by the poor recording which fails to give the Brides’ intensity justice. Comparing the intensity of the end of “Arctic Snow” live to the recording is a sad task. It feels through much of the album that they are being held back by something, as if they were very self-conscious that they were being recorded. That last little ‘oomph’ to put them over the top is missing. Maybe hooking up with a different producer or engineer would be a good idea. Or you could do what I’ve done, and simply put on your headphones, turn on the bass boost, and crank it up.

It’s unfortunate, because the Burning Brides have all the other elements to succeed. Perhaps those who haven’t seen them live will fail to see my complaint. — Goon

Henry Rollins Spoken Word
Saturday, February 1, 2003 @ U of T Convocation Hall, Toronto

At age 42, Henry Rollins is seemingly more driven and more productive than he’s even been in his life. He’s still writing and performing music regularly, he runs a book publishing company and record label, takes on small acting roles in movies, hosts a TV show and does spoken word tours, among other things. Now, to the uninitiated, the thought of Rollins doing spoken word may seem somewhat dull. How many old Black Flag tour stories can he possibly tell, right? But if you know Hank, you know he’s not the kind of guy who would cash in on past accomplishments, and he’s anything but a one trick pony. Rollins is much more multi-faceted and thoughtful than many people give him credit for, and his spoken word performances reveal him as the fascinating person he really is.

Rollins is known for his on-stage intensity and powerful vocal chords, both of which make him a dynamic live speaker. His energy and enthusiasm command attention and allow him to talk for 3 hours straight without a break, which is a feat that gets a lot of respect even in the stand up comedy circuit. Even more important is the fact that he can talk for 3 hours straight and have the audience wrapped around his finger for every single second of that time.

It’s pretty amazing the amount of ground that he covered in one evening. Most of his time on this night was spent sharing funny anecdotes from his life, told with a thick dose of cynicism and wit. He lives in Hollywood, which gives him a great vantage point of the absurdity of show business. Although he has to sometimes work within the world of show business, he will always be an outsider, and he is great at telling stories from the point of view of the average joe. Some of the topics he covered included his attendance of an extravagant New Year’s Eve Party hosted by The Osbournes, his dealings with Jerry Bruckheimer and Michael Bay in auditioning for Armageddon and Bad Boys 2, meeting Joe Strummer and Johnny Cash, and his take on the Winona Ryder shoplifting scandal. He also seemed to adjust some of his material based on the fact that he was in Canada. There were some U.S. and Canada jokes that inspired perhaps the most laughter of all out of an already extremely receptive crowd.

So this begs the question, is Rollins a comedian, a political activist, a celebrity sharing his life story, or what? The answer is all of the above, and more. There’s no doubt that his spoken word performance is humourous, but it’s not really like watching stand up comedy. It’s much more honest and frank, and less structured and predictable than typical stand up comedy is. His speaking style is very natural and off the cuff, often rambling from one topic to the next, but his comedic timing and use of repetition make it seem very professional (although sometimes he does get a little carried away with loud, obnoxious sound effects). He does not have much of a political agenda or overtly political slant to his spoken word content. Sometimes he touches on broader issues like racism, or jokes about politicians, but it is a far cry from seeing Jello Biafra or Noam Chomsky speak. Hank’s humbleness is endearing; he does not lecture or preach, he merely shares ideas and stories. He just seems to really enjoy talking and getting a reaction out of people, and he is very good at doing exactly that.

I feel it is important to note that you don’t need to know Black Flag or the Rollins Band to appreciate his spoken word material. Sure there are punk rock references along the way and some jabs at commercial rock bands, but it’s nothing too obscure or specific. There’s nothing that anyone will feel left out on. In some sense you know that Rollins is talking to a crowd of people who are big fans of his, but I think he consciously tries to make it accessible to just about anyone. I, myself, am not a huge fan of his music, but I found the performance to be both captivating and hilarious.

When all was said and done, I think every attendee left Convocation Hall feeling enlightened and inspired by the man’s words. Rollins is definitely a gifted speaker and I really think everyone should check out one of his spoken word performances at least once in their lives. He is just very funny, honest, and interesting, and I urge you not to miss out next time he comes through your town. — Sean

Rainer Maria - Long Knives Drawn
(Polyvinyl)

“Surely all art is the result of one’s having been in danger, of having gone through an experience all the way to the end, where no one can go any further.” — Rainer Maria Rilke

There is something poetic about the band Rainer Maria, and I don’t just say that because their name derives from one of the band’s favourite poets. Their music has a certain beauty to it that goes beyond the average rock band. A lot of it probably has to do with lead singer Caithlin De Marrais’ enchanting vocals, which are alternately delicate and biting, but the songs do also have an element of danger to them. Much like Rainer Maria Rilke himself states, the band’s art is clearly rooted in intense personal experiences that are being shared with the listener. Although the band has been pigeonholed with the accursed “emo” catch phrase, they are truly deserving of the title as emotion seeps from nearly every track on this album.

While I am not too familiar with Rainer Maria’s earlier records, on Long Knives Drawn the band seems to have increased the adrenaline a few notches, especially on songs like Ears Ring and Long Knives (a couple of the album’s obvious standouts). The band sounds more focused and less playful than in the past, and Kyle Fischer have given up vocal duties to De Marrais completely, which makes it seem much more personal. Fischer’s dreamy guitar work provides atmosphere and blankets William Kuehn’s tight drumming and De Marrais’ sinewy bass lines. Thankfully the band doesn’t try to bludgeon the listener with a wall of distortion — they allow the music to absorb into the bloodstream more gradually, giving ample opportunity to admire the melodies and listen to the lyrics. Most of the songs seem to be about lost love and self-reflection, which may sound pretty trite, but can enjoyable when delivered with a certain amount of sincerity.

Some of the album’s most moving moments are the majestic lead off track Mystery and Misery, and the ponderous lyrics and thundering chorus of The Imperatives. Truthfully, all nine tracks make for a great listen however.

Rainer Maria are a band who I hadn’t really paid much attention to up until now, but this album has won me over. Fans of Sleater-Kinney, Tilt, or even Blondie will likely treasure this record, although I think just about anybody who’s into good rock music can probably appreciate it in some way. They may seem a bit pretentious to some, but I guess you can’t please everyone. It takes guts to name your band after a famous poet, but if any band can live up to such a name, it’s definitely Rainer Maria. — Sean