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About The amplifier. (West Linn, Oregon) 1921-current | View Entire Issue (Feb. 1, 2011)
"Dawn Treader" treads its way into our hearts J oshua K m __________________ "To d efeat the darkness ou t there, you m u st d efeat the d arkness inside y ou rself." C .S. Lew is in corp orated m an y biblical them es that created a collage of sym bolism in the film , "C hronicles of N arnia: The V oyage of the D aw n Treader." The voyage that L u cy (G eorgie H enley), E d m u nd (Skandar K eynes) and E u stace (W ill Poulter) take, is one that delves w ith in and requires each ch aracter to resist evils that lu rk insid e of them selves. In the p ast tw o m ovies, the v illain s w ere the W hite W itch (Tilda Sw inton) in "The L ion, the W itch and the W ardrobe" and M iraz (Sergio C astellitto) in "Prince C aspian." In "The V oyage of the D aw n Treader," the evil force is a fog that b rin gs out fears, strengthens tem p tation s, and cau ses irration al feelin gs tow ards peers. The story line is abou t resisting tem p tation and evil w ithin. Positive lessons are show n throu gh the characters' p erson al issues. For exam ple, L u cy shares a com m on yearning w ith m any w om en today; to b e b eau tifu l and to be adm ired. Lucy w ants to look ju st like her older sister, Su san (A nna P opp lew ell). W ith the help of A slan (voiced b y Liam N eeson), this m ovie teaches that w e should n ot strive to b e like som eone else. "The Voyage of the D aw n Treader" had som e cheesy parts about E u stace's dram a and greed, b u t hey, R eep icheep, (voiced b y Sim on Pegg) the m ouse, m ade it p retty legit. I enjoyed this m ovie, bu t frankly, m any audiences these days do n o t go to w atch the m ovies to be tau ght lessons abou t life. Because of this, the m ovie in m y op inion m ay n ot be very popular. O verall, the m ovie in m y opinion deserves a rating o f tw o and a h alf out of five, as it w as a disap p ointm ent after having w atched the first tw o m ovies. The first tw o "C hronicles of N arnia" m ovies had m any enjoyable com ponents. The anim ated anim als and new w orld of "The Lion, the W itch and the W ardrobe" m ade it interesting. "C hronicles of N arnia: Prince C aspian" w as another w ell p u t together piece resp lend ent w ith w ar and battles. H ow ever, becau se "The Voyage of the D aw n Treader" lacked an evil character, it m ade the m ovie less interesting for m e. This m ovie w ill appeal to younger audiences, ages, as long as they d o n 't feel too cool to learn another lesson about life. W hile the m ovie had I great scenery, $10 or $13.50 (3D) for the m ovie theaters is too m uch to pay. I suggest that if you w ant to w atch this m ovie, ait for the rental. "The Voyage of the D aw n Treader" is rated PG for som e frightening sequences of fantasy action. Courtesy of Google (mages "The King Is Dead" justifies Decemberists still going strong After the triumphant, theatrical storytelling of their previous album, the Decemberists are toning it down for their latest release, "The King Is Dead." This versatile, Portland-based band has come out with another strong record with folky tones, great lyrics and further proof that Colin Meloy is one of the became available for free download on the Decemberists' website, giving fans a first look at how the album will sound. The lyrics, though not as extravagant as some of their earlier work, are extremely well-written. The melody is very catchy, making it probably the most radio-friendly song on the album. The instrumentation had a lot of Courtesy of Capitol Records "The King Is Dead" is the Decemberists' sixth and most recent album. The band, which hails from Portland, changed its tone from extravagant to relaxed for this new release much to the delight of listener. indie rock virtuosos of our time. This new project was promising from the start. On Nov. 2, one song from the album, "Down By The Water," folk influence; along with the usual use of both electric and acoustic guitars, the accordion and harmonica are prominent. When REM meets Neil Young, and it is a fantastic indie sound. The fans rejoiced after hearing this preview to the album, and they had even more reason to after the album's release on Jan. 18. The rest of the album is very similar to its aforementioned single. Meloy, the main songwriter for the Decemberists, doesn't exercise his massive vocabulary as much here as in his last five albums, but the lyrics of "The King is Dead" are still well- crafted and meaningful. One shining example of this is "June Hymn," which has stunningly beautiful lyrics and (at least by the Decemberists' standards) is surprisingly minimalist." And years from now/When this old light isn't ambling anymore/ Will I bring myself to ride?/I give my best to Springville Hills." The musical tone of "The King Is Dead" is fun and generally laid-back. At the very least, it's more chilled than their previous albums. Where "The Hazards of Love" was hard-rock and "The Crane Wife" was alternative, "The King Is Dead" is solidly folk- rock. At least four of the Decemberists' last five albums are very theatrical and grand; "The King Is Dead" isn't so. It's the "going-back-to-our- musical-roots" album, with its countryesque instrumentation and relaxed atmosphere. The emotions range from introspective ("January Hymn") to rebellious ("This Is Why We Fight") to bouncy ("All Arise!"), and there's even a song about coal mining ("Rox in the Box"). The songs are accessible, genuine and enjoyable, which is—in a nutshell—everything good folk-rock should be. Its orchestration, simple lyrics, toe-tapping rhythms and general emotional tones are all characteristic of this genre. It's a new direction for the Decemberists—and it works. "The King Is Dead" is one of the first releases of 2011 and for my money, it's one of the best so far. All fans of the Decemberists and good indie rock should check it out, and all music fans should too. The Z100 crowd would benefit if they take a break from Lady Gaga's dance hits and Taylor Swift's bubbly pop for a little bit. Take some time to chill out to the authentic and local sound of "The King Is Dead." This album is available on the Decemberists' website (www.decemberists.com) at $13 for the standard CD, $19 for vinyl, and $165 for the deluxe box edition. It can also be bought for $9.99 on iTtmes, on Amazon starting at $7.99 and wherever music is sold. I Met the Decemberists use B rown Originating from Portland, Ore., the Decemberists have achieved the num ber one hit record album release and Jan. 18, the day "The King Is Dead" was released, I had the pleasure of meeting the Decemberists in person. I went not as a journalist, but as a fan. They were signing posters, copies of their new record and whatever else fans would bring at Music Millen nium, the independent record store on Portland's east side. I brought my Decemberists t-shirt that I bought at a con cert a year and a half earlier. Emma Kennard, sophomore, brought her sketchbook with a pencil-drawn portrait of the band for them to sign. My brother, Brice, and I each asked Colin Meloy, front man of the band, one question as he signed our things. My question was rather geeky: "What brand of harmonica do you play?" He replied that he plays Hohner Marine Band, to which I recalled that Bob Dylan plays the same kind. A geeky conversation about the brand's merits followed while all five Decemberists signed my t-shirt and Emma's sketchbook. Brice decided to ask Meloy what he thought was "the best thing in life." Meloy gave an honest and touching answer: "I have a five-year-old son." Hands were shaken, things were signed, and fun was had by all.
