Review: Rush - Clockwork Angels

Finally.  This is the album that old-time Rush fans have been waiting for.  Let's see:
- Concept album with Neil Peart's signature lyrics?  Check!
- More guitars than synthesizers?   Check!
- Alex Lifeson turned loose with loads of solos?  Check!
- Geddy Lee laying down some of his tastiest bass grooves since 'Hemispheres'?  Check!
- A return to the heavy prog that Rush pioneered in the seventies and early eighties?  Check!
Overall, this album is (in my opinion) their best since 'Moving Pictures'.  'Headlong Flight' is the standout track on the album, but there really isn't a clunker in the bunch.  My suggestion is to break out the booklet that comes with the album, sit down and listen to the entire thing from start to finish.  You'll be treated to truly outstanding musicianship and writing throughout. 
I do have a couple of minor complaints.  As many Rush fans know, Neil went back prior to the release of 'Vapor Trails' and completely changed his approach to the drums.  He's still great, but I have to say that I'm not a big fan of the drum parts he has written since he's made that change.  I couldn't help but think as I listened to the album 'What would this have sounded like if Neil was writing the parts prior to his philosophy change'.   My other complaint is with the mixing and mastering of the album.  Unfortunately, this album is mixed and mastered like a modern metal album.  What that means is that they compressed the hell out of it.  When you compress music in order to increase the overall volume, the first things you lose are fidelity and dynamics.  If you take a look at this thing in a wave editor, you can quickly see how squashed the music is.  This is by no means a problem with just this album - unfortunately it has quickly become the standard for mastering houses to apply compression at every stage.  The resulting mix sounds dull, and almost as if it was optimized for AM radio.  There is in fact a huge debate in the musical community on what is the best way to handle this.  My thoughts have always been that I'd rather the music not be compressed.  This allows it to breathe and actually have some dynamic change between the quiet and loud parts. In addition, if you've got a good stereo you can turn it up and hear things you didn't hear before.  So, the moral of the story is don't compress, just turn up the volume!

Review: The Dark Knight Rises

At this point, there is not a lot to say or write about that hasn't already been written concerning this installment in the Batman trilogy.  If you liked the first two movies, you'll find this one to be an entertaining conclusion to the saga.  If you didn't enjoy Christopher Nolan's version of the caped crusader, then you'll look at this as more of the same.  Anne Hathaway breathes a breath of fresh air into the franchise as 'The Cat' - a burgler with a conscience.  In fact, by the end of the movie she is more of an ally than an adversary.  Tom Hardy is a serviceable villian in the form of Bain, however there were times where his lines were almost intelligible - really inexcusable for a modern film. 
Christopher Nolan's dystopian vision of Gotham plays a big role in the movie as well.  The locations and the cinematography all add to the atmosphere that Nolan is trying to establish.  I've been a Nolan fan since 'Memento', and he certainly doesn't disappoint here.  Crisp direction, exciting action sequences, and the usual storyline that plays on multiple levels are all on display.  Add to that some unforeseen twists and turns in the story, and you've got a winner of a summer blockbuster.
By the way, we saw this at a drive-in theater.  What a wonderful throwback of an experience - it had the centralized snack shack you'd expect with the usual staples (slurpees, nachos, you get the drift).  The only thing missing was the big, bulky speaker that hangs on your window.  They have you tune into their local FM broadcast and you get the sound through your car speakers.  This worked out very well, the only downside being the car had to be set to ACC the whole time.  Anyway, if you have the chance, it is still a great way to see a movie.

Welcome to Stuff We Like

So, this is the first blog post for Stuff We Like.  In case you're wondering, this blog is very simple.  We are going to post about things we like (or don't like).   Honestly, we don't care what you like, so if you disagree with us you are welcome to your opinion but keep it to yourself.  Please don't flame us because we trashed your favorite movie or restaurant.  No one cares, least of all us.  We will try to present cogent reasons for our feelings which you may or may not find useful.  As with all things like this, if we like a place/movie/whatever and you try it because you read it here and you don't like it, don't blame us.  Not everyone is going to like what we like, and that is okay.  If all of this seems too much for you, then you are welcome to start your own blog 'Why We Hate 'Stuff We Like''. 
To kick things off, we are going to start with a real no-brainer.  We found this absolutely wonderful Italian restaurant in Sheboygen, WI (yes, you read that right) called Il Ritrovo. Authentic Neopolitan pizza and traditional Italian dishes make up the majority of the menu.   We strongly recommend the fonduta as an appetizer - delicious.  The service is great, the vibe is definitely casual, and there is a grocery store attached that has a great deli and bakery.  The owner of the restaurant (who clearly worked/studied in Italy with all of the pictures of his time there up on the walls) also owns a full on Italian restaurant across the street called Stefano's.  It is more of a traditional Italian restaurant and reservations are typically required.  We haven't been there yet, but will be trying it soon as we've heard very good things about it as well.  We'll update you once we check it out. 
That should do it for this first post.  Thanks for hanging in there.