Media Round-Up For the Week

So basically what I'm gonna do is at the end of every week I'm gonna review what I've been listening to, playing and watching I might throw some random stuff in here sometimes but you'll have to wait and see. PLUS I changed the layout of the blog! I'm gonna be uploading weekly little comics now so I hope everyone enjoys some more humour being put into this blog.


MUSIC

Valencia - Dancing With A Ghost

In short Valencia's new album is possibly the best album of the year. Not just in their genre of alternative rock either I'm talking about overall. The album starts out with a bang with its title track which will be stuck in your head for weeks on end with its infectious chorus. The next few tracks slow down the tempo a bit but the lyrics really speak out about lead singer Shane Henderson when he sings, "I came over feeling sorry, standing drunk there from the rain, yeah, you opened up the doorway feeling broken from the start. You let me in, and I began." Speaking of the lyrics they are absolutely outstanding on this album the lyrics have to be some of the best I have heard in a very long time which probably isn't saying much looking at the modern music scene. The track Friday Night mixes it up and takes a darker approach to the bands sound and it works great seeing as how it's one of the best tracks on the album. The rest of the album is nothing short of incredible but I won't go into too much detail because I want to keep these reviews relatively short. I can do nothing but recommend Dancing With A Ghost to anyone who's a fan of the genre and even those who aren't. Valencia's Dancing With A Ghost simply cannot be missed. 10/10

Standout Tracks: All of them

You, Me, and Everyone We Know - Some Things Don't Wash Out

You, Me & Everyone We Know's new album is yet another strong release from the band with too many members to count; six. The first two tracks are amazing although slightly short which is disappointing. The lyrics in Shock & Awe really show what the band has gone through when they sing "This is a f*** you to Richard Reignes who told me I should lose some weight. Come to think of it Payne you too you screwed our fans so we screwed you," it really just seems like they went all out in letting those people know what they think of them. Their new version of Livin' th' Dream is just as good as the original and following tracks A Bigger Point of Pride and Bootstraps are about as catchy as herpes. The title track is great and has an infectious chorus that will be stuck in your head for longer than you car to know. James Brown is Dead is more of a jazzy/soul take on the genre and kind of falls flat although it does have its moments. The Next 20 Minutes is a nice little song that'll have you singing along with it every time it comes on. Also note that the entire song is completely carried by the lead singers amazing vocals as they are very dominant in this track. A Little Bit More is a catchy, repetetive song and Puzzle is an exceptional song with outstanding lyrics although it starts a lot stronger than it ends. Finally the last track Moon, Roll Me Away end the album with gang vocals and sounds great doing it seeming like the perfect track to close with. This album is absolutely amazing and should be considered by any fan of Pop Punk or of the band Say Anything (at times the sound extremely similar). Go out and buy this album or download it or whatever! Just get it! 9/10

Standout Tracks: Shock & Awe, Bootstraps, Some Things Don't Wash Out


GAMES

Lara Croft & The Guardian of Light

Lara Croft has been through some rough patches the past few years. I really can't remember a Tomb Raider game I have immensely enjoyed since way back on the PlayStation; until now. Lara Croft & The Guardian of Light completely changes up the formula from the past games by switching to a over the head perspective. This may seem like an odd choice to some but believe me it works surprisingly well. The core game play remains the same, you do lots of jumping, shooting and solving puzzles. The big change though is the add of co-op play which is a very welcome change if you ask me. Playing this game with a friend was one of the most fun experiences I've had playing any game all year! All this being said there really isn't too much of a story you accidentally resurrect an ancient demigod who tries to destroy the world and you must stop him... that's about it. The campaign isn't particularly long either it probably took me around 5-6 hours to burn through it. Really though seeing as how this is a downloadable title what else can you ask for? That's as long as Modern Warfare 2's campaign and is a hell of a lot more fun too! I really can't do anything but recommend this game it is a must have whether you're a fan of the series or not and at $14.99 you can't go wrong. Lara Croft is back people! 8.5/10

MOVIES

Didn't do any this week but will be sure to get on reviewing some next week!


Recommendations for the week: Everything I reviewed

Next Week: MUSIC - Motionless In White, The Word Alive GAMES - Dead Rising 2, Sonic the Hedgehog 4 Episode I MOVIES - TBA

Cell phones in school: The end of civilization as we know it?



Is this the future?



I think the article being discussed actually gets a lot of things right seeing as how cell phones probably will be a regular thing in schools which isn't necessarily a good thing. Cell phones in schools really will take away a lot of the learning experience involved in the school. The fact is that students really can't multitask as well as they think they can and I'm pretty sure no one who owns a cell phone can text and listen to a lesson at the same time. There are definitely times in class for texting but to be able to do it all throughout would be ridiculous and grades would probably drop steadily for those said students. I know to many I'll sound like a square ripping on the use of cell phones in class but I'll say now that it's not a completely bad thing. Cell phones are increbily useful for communicating with people but should definitely be saved for any time for independant work. Really the thought of them completely not being aloud in classes at all is ridiculous I mean you might as well make them aloud cause if you don't kids will just sneak text anyway. I've given my opinion so i think i should talk about the article a bit I mean it seemed fairly unbiased seeing as how they gave examples from each sides and they actually state that they think cell phones will be like calculators and become aloud in the future but honestly it is biased because it kind of has to be seeing as how its an opinion piece on cell phones at school so they clearly state their opinion. What do you all think should cell phones be aloud in schools? Do you agree with me or disagree? Please sound off in the comments!