Word: matters
(lookup in dictionary)
(lookup stats)
Dates: all
Sort By: most recent first
(reverse)
Occasionally the album does seem to hint at genuinely darker subject matter, but these attempts feel rather half-hearted. “How Long” is a great example: “So give it up for anger / It makes us strong,” the song begins. The song’s introduction, set amidst deeper tones and more ominous beats raises expectations of a darker mood, but the pace of the song changes abruptly and resumes the album’s positivity. Similarly, “I Saw It” begins with the lyrics...
...play, as well as another novel, Flaubert’s “The Legend of St. Julian the Hospitalier.” It is through the fragmentary nature of his work that Martel is able to evoke the sense of fear and claustrophobia that his subject matter can leave in its wake...
...problem with “Here Lies Love” isn’t any lack of musical or lyrical complexity. If anything, Byrne and Fatboy Slim prove that they could make a fun, complex album—or, for that matter, a rock opera—on just about anything. The problem is that the near complete success of “Here Lies Love” only begs the question of why a more identifiable, emotionally compelling subject was not chosen. If Byrne set out to prove he could find the artful musicality in a seemingly distasteful figure...
...culture wars in the U.S. are a good example of the more general societal conflict over whether time’s arrow points the way toward a world that is good or, for that matter, happy. Empirical studies give some indication that progress is not a recipe for satisfaction, even though citizens are freer—perhaps, at liberty to be as unhappy as they are unconstrained. Society might not be on the path that Fukuyama or the preceding picture suggests, but any reclamation of societal standards—such as those underlying monogamy or speech regulations—would...
Although this film makes a valiant attempt to depict a moving story of the strength of family bonds, “The Last Song” overshoots the emotional factor by miles. By shying away from the darker tone required of the subject matter, the film is nothing but inert...