Blues' European Dream

     Sunday marked the Final of the English League Cup, which saw favorites Arsenal taking on Birmingham City.
     Birmingham took the lead in the 28th minute off a header from Nikola Zigic. Arsenal star Robin Van Persie scored the equalizer 11 minutes later. The score remained level, and it seemed that the clubs were headed for extra time. Then, in the 90th minute, Arsenal keeper Wojciech Sczcesny spilled the ball right into the path of Obafemi Martins, who buried the winner.
Arsenal continue their quest for a major trophy, the most recent coming in the 2005 FA Cup Final. They currently sit 2nd in the Premier League, 4 points behind Manchester United. They play Barcelona in the UEFA Champions League on Tuesday, March 8th.
     Birmingham, on the other hand, have won their first trophy since the 1963 League Cup, and have qualified for next season's Europa League. They may be one of few teams to compete in Europe while playing outside of the top flight. Birmingham are currently 16th in the League, only 2 points out of the relegation zone.

End Of The Road

     Last week, Detroit rock band The White Stripes, announced they were officially done recording and touring together. The Stripes broke through in 2001 with the release of their third album, White Blood Cells, which included the single "Fell in Love with a Girl." They went on to release six studio albums, including 2007 Icky Thump. We were lucky enough to catch them live twice, most recently at Bonnaroo in 2007, and decided to review Under Great White Northern Lights. Lights is a concert documentary film which follows the band on their first, and last, tour of Canada in the summer of 2007. It first premiered at the Toronto Film Festival in September of 2009.
     The tour wasn't the usual trip across Canada, where bands play two or three shows at major venues. Instead, the White Stripes play shows at bowling alleys and elementary schools at small towns all over Canada, including the northern territories. They also play free shows, some announced only minutes in advance, in town squares, on public buses, and at a senior center. Virtually all of the hits are performed, as well as deep tracks, such as "We Are Going To Be Friends," and covers, the best of which is Dolly Parton's "Jolean."
     The film includes performance videos plus behind the scenes footage of Jack and Meg. Longtime fans are already familiar with the relationship between the two, who are ex-husband and wife. Meg is quiet, even painfully shy at times. In contrast, Jack is extroverted, forcing conversations with perfect strangers and cracking jokes, often at Meg's expense. It is this dynamic which has fueled speculation about the reasons behind the break-up of the band. Were there tensions between the two that drove Meg to call it quits? The last scene of the film, a behind the scenes performance of "Blue Moon," raises more questions than the film answers.
     For fans of rock docs, Under Great White Northern Lights is an unconventional look at an unconventional band. For fans of the White Stripes, Lights provides a look at the contentious partnership between Jack and Meg, plus some great tunes from a band at the top of their game. Thankfully, the film offers the chance to experience the Stripes live for thousands of fans who will never have the opportunity. The live CD of the same name is highly recommended for all garage rock fans.

Girl Talk Can Throw A Party

     This Monday, we took a trip to Baltimore to check out electro artist Girl Talk at Rams Head Live, which is a terrific venue just blocks away from the inner harbor. Girl Talk is one of the most innovative and controversial artist in music today. On first listen, its not hard to see why.
     Girl Talk, aka Gregg Gillis, uses samples from popular songs of the last 50 years to create party anthems that present some of your favorite songs in a new context. On his albums, it may be Lil Mama rapping over Metallica riffs. On stage, however, he drops samples from left field to constantly keep the audience guessing, like Wu-Tang Clan over Radiohead's "Creep."
     The controversial part, for sure, is the flagrant disregard of copyright law. Of course, he is not the first artist to sample. Sampling started over 30 years ago, when early rappers began looping disco beats and dropping rhymes. Several years ago, DJ Danger Mouse lifted vocals from Jay-Z's Black Album, and put them over melodies from the Beatles White Album to create The Grey Album. It was generally greeted with critical acclaim, and Jay-Z has even given the album his blessing, despite not receiving any royalties. Girl Talk says that he is using an exception under the fair use doctrine of copyright law, which, conveniently, is one of the most confusing and ill-defined areas of law. What is really going on, though, could be that Gillis samples songs that everybody knows, and artist that are more successful than he.
     For a better understanding of his position, and the problems with copyright law in the 21st century, there is the documentary film Good Copy Bad Copy.
     The concert was fun for all. If you like classic rock, you were immediately satisfied, as the intro to the first song was from "War Pigs" by Black Sabbath. He sampled 60's soul, and 90's alternative, and even used Kelly Clarkson's "Since U Been Gone." It has been some time since Girl Talk first played Baltimore, and his shows have gotten bigger and better. Balloons, confetti and a giant video screen added to the sense of chaos and pandemonium. Girl Talk is highly recommended for anyone who likes dance music, and probably most that don't. Hearing unexpected clips of old favs juxtaposed against different genres will give you a new appreciation for those songs, and probably others you didn't know you liked.
     Lastly, we would be remiss not to mention the opening band. Penguin Prison are a NYC based electro band, combining 80's style new wave and more contemporary indie funk. The result was a pleasant surprise, and got the whole crowd ready to dance. Penguin Prison are a new band, but one with a huge potential upside. Opening for Girl Talk will certainly provide them with a ton of new fans.
     So, if you ever have a chance to see Girl Talk, go for it. Keep an eye on Penguin Prison. And find any reason to visit Baltimore's Inner Harbor and see a great band at Rams Head!