Sam Need

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The Fever will make you sick

By Sam Need | April 27

MUSICREVIEW The Fever In the City of Sleep 2 Stars The Fever is at its best when it's reminiscent of other bands. Unfortunately for the New York quintet, the band's sophomore album, In the City of Sleep, doesn't bring much more to the table other than the occasional reminder of why we love other artists. It's certainly not for a lack of trying, though. Beginning with "Redhead," a headlong dance-punk track characteristic of what The Fever's first album, The Red Bedroom, was all about, the band seemed on track for another middling foray into its genre.

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Lips' latest is a psychedelic trip

By Sam Need | April 20

MUSICREVIEW The Flaming Lips At War with the Mystics 4.5 Stars At War With the Mystics is another interstellar journey of sound courtesy of The Flaming Lips. And, oh, what a trip it is. That being said, it's actually less psychedelic than recent masterpieces The Soft Bulletin and Yoshimi Battles the Pink Robots.

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British imports sing on high 'From the Cliffs' of England

By Sam Need | April 13

MUSICREVIEW Guillemots From the Cliffs 3.5 Stars There's a point in some albums when the listener has to realize that a band is not being versatile and starts having to question whether the band lost its Ritalin during the recording process. From the Cliffs, a schizophrenic but fun U.S. debut by London rockers Guillemots, never seems to settle long enough for an enjoyable listen. The myriad of sounds, ranging from contemporary Brit-pop to piano ballads, results in tracks of varying degrees of quality. Fortunately for Guillemots, most of them are solid.

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Senior earns broadcast honor

By Sam Need | March 31

The same foundation that honors the prime time Emmys recently doled out a prestigious award to a University student.

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Washed-up rapper nets failing marks

By Sam Need | March 30

MUSICREVIEW E-40 My Ghetto Report Card .5 Stars Detention is in order for hip-hop veteran E-40, who at the very least deserves academic probation for his most recent album, My Ghetto Report Card. A West Coast mainstay notable for inventing the "izzle" popularized by Snoop Dogg, E-40 is a respected veteran with a flair for inventive linguistics. That's what makes this spectacular failure so surprising.

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'Whisper' speaks softly, plays louder

By Sam Need | March 23

MUSICREVIEW A Whisper in the Noise As the Bluebird Sings 4 Stars A Whisper in the Noise transcends the joyless spite typical of its dark and baroque pedigree, in its new release As The Bluebird Sings. The album is undeniably captivating, replete with hauntingly beautiful melodies and dynamic orchestral backings. A Minnesota quintet of unusual instrumental talents, A Whisper in the Noise includes musicians specializing in the electric bass and the French horn, but lacks a guitar player.

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Dog flick fit for the pound

By Sam Need | February 23

MOVIEREVIEW 'Eight Below' 1 Star Here's the "Homeward Bound" formula: Take several stranded animals, put them in an interesting but unwelcoming natural environment, minimize the emotional setbacks incurred by terrible human attempts at acting, stir well, and voila, a perfect kid's movie that the whole family can enjoy. "Eight Below" at first appears to be the faithful product of such a formula, marketed as the moving story of eight abandoned sled dogs surviving a winter in the most inhospitable place on Earth, Antarctica.

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Subways eternally mediocre

By Sam Need | February 16

MUSICREVIEW The subways Young for Eternity 2 Stars The Subways' debut album, Young for Eternity, is full of acceptable music. But even that isn't enough to save it from its own mediocrity The Subways, an extremely young and almost unnecessarily angsty Brit-pop "sensation," formed like something out of a twisted Disney movie.