Who-Views: The Ninth Doctor

He doesn't look it, but he's quite the ray of sunshine.

Thanks mainly to fellow SiD-er Ray, I've developed a new love for longtime BBC staple Doctor Who. I can't say that I'm watching them in order though. Oddly enough my first Doctor is the current and Eleventh Doctor, Matt Smith. I love the Eleventh enough to firmly say that I couldn't imagine getting into anyone else as the Doctor, even though everyone around me seems awfully partial to the Tenth.

So since I recently signed up for Netflix I decided to take full advantage of it and slightly broaden my Whovian knowledge. I'm not watching all the way from the beginning, I might at some point, but for now I'm sticking to the 2005 reboot which kicks off with the Ninth Doctor, Christopher Eccleston.

Since I can only compare him to the Eleventh, my first impression was kind of odd. Right off the bat, I'm surprised by how old he seems. I don't mean seems, I mean is. Eccleston is 19 years older than Smith. I know it's a superficial thing to judge in such a complex character. They say that the first impression is the most important, and it's painfully obvious here. I'm just used to the Doctor looking like a quirky late twenties lanky dude, and suddenly I'm watching an early forties dude with really big ears, and they're supposed to be the same character. Kinda hard to swallow. But once the first episode carries on you get that Doctor sense from him and I settled into seeing him as that character.

Overall he seems to have a shorter temper. He seems snappier and much less carefree than Smith, but oddly enough on other occasions he seems to say that his short fuse is an act and drops the whole anger bit for the lightheartedness that I know from the Doctor. He is also a much dryer character. He does attempt the clever quips and jokes at times, but it just doesn't flow as naturally for him and it almost seems forced. Either way, it's not enough for me not to like the character, just slightly different. I don't like him as much as the Eleventh, but he's cool in my book.

Insert generic blonde here.

On the other hand, we have the one thing that really takes away from the show: the companion. Rose Tyler might just be the most blah character I've ever seen on this show. Calling her bland is doing her a service. After getting used to Amy Pond who just has built in chemistry with the Doctor, Rose just feels like she got picked out of a hat, won a contest or something.

If you look at how she comes in contact with the Doctor, it was pure luck, they just happened to bump into each other. Nothing special. Amy Pond is the girl who fucking waited, an awesome and touching story that gave birth to a great complex character that isn't just there to fuck things up for the Doctor.

And on top of that, she brings along the people around her. Her mom is just as bad, if not worse. Bitchy and loud, almost disruptive to the mood of the show. And she's not even the character I dislike the most; that honor goes to Mickey, Rose's more or less boyfriend, who is without a doubt the biggest idiot I've ever seen on this show.

To his credit, the Doctor acknowledges how annoying these two are, butting heads with Rose's mom quite often and going as far as nicknaming him 'Mickey the idiot', but his love and admiration for Rose is seriously misplaced in my eyes. She just adds nothing to the story, and I can't get over how they try and put over her importance to the Doctor, and I just don't see it.

With only ten stories over thirteen episodes, the Ninth Doctor didn't really last too long, but it's interesting how much he did grow on me. Not all the episodes are great, but the ones that are are actually very good. I look forward to the Tenth Doctor. I really need to see what all the fuss is about. For now though, the Eleventh reigns supreme to me.

Top Ten Most Horribly Misnamed Bands/Groups

One of the most important thing about starting your new band is the name. It will be what people will eventually chant whenever your are around. It is what will define the members for the rest of their careers with said band. Names are important. Most bands got this. Most bands named their bands according to what genre of music they played. Metallica, Slayer, Anthrax are hard names for hard bands. Coldplay, Maroon 5, and Hoobastank tell you exactly how crap their music really is without having to kill your neurons with their lame ass music.

This list, though, is about the bands that didn't get it. So without further ado, here are the:

Top Ten Most Horribly Misnamed Bands/Groups


10. Smash Mouth

What does it sound like? It sounds like a New Wave of American Heavy Metal a la Hatebreed. It sounds like music that will grab your face and punch it in while it drinks whiskey and fucks a stripper.

What does it REALLY sound like? If you had images of stripper fucking, whiskey drinking, face punching music..... you better call Phil Anselmo cause this ain't it! In the late 1990's there was a hole in the music business that sucked all good taste and left out all the pop punk, surf rock, whatever bands that we all know. Smash Mouth came on the scene with singles like "Walkin' On The Sun" and "All Star" which showed the world once more that white folks should stop trying to rap. Truth is, everyone that grew up with MTV during this generation would remember the lyrics to their songs. But boy, are they the farthest thing from Mouth Smashing that I could think of.

9. Def Leppard

What does it sound like? What the hell happened here? What is a Leppard? What does Def mean? Apparently they changed it from the original Deaf Leopard... which is still a terrible name for a band. This sounds like a kid with obvious learning issues wrote it down for them and in they were too high to apply reason.

What does it REALLY sound like? It's very surprising to me that a band with a name like this one could become as big as they did. During the early 1980's the New Wave of British Heavy Metal took the world by storm and at one point, Def Leppard was at the forefront. That is even though they are not metal at all. I read someone at one point call them the love child of Jon Bon Jovi and AC/DC and it seemed like a fitting description... even though the mental image will forever stay with me... In 1983 they released Pyromania and in 1987 Hysteria to popular acclaim. There is not one band that is as catchy as this one. The songs are just memorable even though their name is probably one of the worst in existence.

8. Graveyard

What does it sound like? The name immediately brings up images of black metal. Emperor, Mayhem and Immortal come to mind.

What does it REALLY sound like? Graveyard is a retro rock/blues band from Sweden (not far off with the black metal thing!). Their style is nothing like the name entails. A band called Dead sounds dark and ominous... The Grateful Dead sounds like it could actually be your friend. Maybe they should have added something to the graveyard to make it feel more like what they sound. Don't get me wrong, I love this band (as you can probably tell by my review of their last album) but they picked a terribly generic name that might turn off prospective fans before giving the music a chance.

7. Young Black Teenagers

What does it sound like? It sounds like a hip hop group from Compton with politically conscious music that deals with living in the inner city and racism.

What does it REALLY sound like? No. It can't be. This name would be perfectly fine for a 1990's hip hop group. There is just tiny problem. One teeny tiny defect in this thing. THOSE MORONS AREN'T BLACK! Phew... had to get that off my chest. How anyone could think that naming yourself Young Black Teenagers when you are not black was some sort of message is beyond me. It's stupid. You are not black, whitey. Live with it! Also... "Tap the Bottle (Twist the Cap)"... ugh.

6. King Diamond

What does it sound like? Fuckin' Neil Diamond. Other than that, this sounds like something from the 80's glam metal scene.

What does it REALLY sound like? King Diamond is none other but the painted face vocalist for Mercyful Fate and the band King Diamond. His vocal style can range from the growly to the really high falsetto that is really hard to find anymore. His career has served to give us some of incredible songs and albums, but the name is still the one thing that doesn't seem to fit. Look at his face somewhere and tell me that you see someone named King Diamond somewhere in there. I don't.

5. Strapping Young Lad

What does it sound like? The name always reminded me of those New Wave-y synthpop groups like Tears for Fears and A Flock of Seagulls.

What does it REALLY sound like? It's definitely not New Wave or synthpop. Not at all. Devin Townsend is known for his wall to wall heavy sound. Strapping Young Lad where a heavy band through and through. While Townsend was always experimenting with different styles and concepts, SYL always kept at its core the sound that made them successful. I guess its the Young Lad part that throws me off, but I'm sure Townsend could have come up with something more creative.

4. House of Pain

What does it sound like? Metalcore to its oompth degree. It feels like someone is about to get murdered in a mosh pit.

What does it REALLY sound like? Would you believe it if I told you that this is three white boys rapping? Two Irish-Americans (I guess I got the part about fighting right) and a Latvian-American teaming up to.... jump around... I guess. I had to find out why they named themselves like they did and found that it is actually in reference to H.G. Wells' The Island of Dr. Moreau. It still makes absolutely no sense. I guess it could be worse.

3. Extreme

What does it sound like? German traditional metal fronted by Udo Dirkschneider.

What does it REALLY sound like? I will completely look over the fact that they actually were the reason that the song "More Than Words" exists because otherwise Chiko will get a seizure. Other than that, there is nothing extreme about Extreme's music. Sure, the band has probably one of the most talented guitar virtuosos in Nuno Bettencourt, but this band is not really extreme unless you are talking about their overuse of hair spray, makeup and spandex.

2. The Killers (Tie)

What does it sound like? It sounds like something from the extreme metal genre. Something hard and violent and intense.

What does it REALLY sound like? As you probably surmised from the picture above, this is nothing like that. If I where to open my dictionary in search for a replacement name for this band, it would be Inane. The Killers are this sort of indie-ish new wave band that asks questions like "Are we human or are we dancer?". Whatever happened to actually interesting questions in music? This is what we get? Also, it seems like lead singer Brandon Flowers is kind of a douche. I guess I should have realized when you hear a song like "Human". Terrible stuff. Also, a waste of a good name for some other band.

2. The Darkness (Tie)

What does it sound like? This gives me a vibe of a goth or doom band that is incredibly depressed.

What does it REALLY sound like? Nothing like what the name implies. Don't get me wrong, I like The Darkness. These British retro rockers came to the attention of the world in 2003 with their single "I Believe in a Thing Called Love" and the funny music video that accompanied it. What I liked about them was that it was obvious that they were talented, but they weren't taking themselves too seriously with the video and comparisons to bands that came before. Too band they took a name that could have been used by some generic band. There is nothing generic about this band and it deserves a name to go along with it.

1. Slaughter

What does it sound like? Fuck yeah! This sounds like one of the big dogs of thrash. Metallica, Anthrax, Slayer, Megadeth, Exodus, Testament and SLAUGHTER!

What does it REALLY sound like? You gotta be fuckin' kidding me. A band named Slaughter should be powerful and strong and kickass. Instead, what you have here is the pussiest of the glam rock bands. Pink and lame go hand in hand if you are a member of Slaughter. Probably their biggest hit was the sub par "Up All Night" and that is one of their best songs... you can imagine the rest of this pink colored turd of a band's repertoire. A bunch of whiny and unimaginative power ballads that are better off not remembered.

If you know any other bands or groups that you think are horribly misnamed. Let me know in the comments!

Back to Basics - Weeds season 7

I'm really surprised with Weeds. A season or two ago I would have easily said that the show was on it's last legs. They had strayed so far from what had made it a fun and interesting show that they should have changed the title.

Fortunately for them it seemed to be an easy fix. Kill off a couple of characters, put in a healthy time gap, move the family again and you have a fresh start.

The season kicks off with Nancy Botwin fulfilling a three year prison sentence which allowed her family to flee to Copenhagen. She gets released early into a half way house in Manhattan, the new setting for the show.She immediately contacts her sister who has been taking care of her youngest son, who is now three years old.

Upon learning of her release the rest of the gang meet up in New York, and of course everything slowly unravels into more crime and conflict... I mean, it wouldn't be any fun if it didn't right?

I like to think that this season is marked by interesting character growth. Silas for example, seems to have put the drug business behind him, becoming a successful male model in Copenhagen; but now in the Big Apple, he's suddenly the little fish in the biggest ocean around. Interestingly enough, he seems to harbor anger because of what his mother did for them.

Meanwhile, Shane shows emotional and physical growth. Now eighteen, he has worked and even been in (questionable) relationships. He still greatly misses his mother and contrary to Silas, is grateful for her sacrifice. It's an interesting step for a character who was getting rather robotic, and just seemed to be along for the ride the past couple of seasons.

More than anything though, I'm glad to see that Uncle Andy hasn't really changed. He's still up to crazy antics that just brighten up every episode. But while the character hasn't changed, his goals have; he seems to just want to live a normal life, and wants to put the drama behind them. But again, that wouldn't make for very entertaining television now would it? It's fun to watch him try though.

I'm also glad to say that Doug is back to having a bigger role in the show again. After just 'having him around' for a couple of seasons, he is back to being a pivotal part in the plot and where it goes. This is due to Nancy's lack of resources, which is another interesting direction in the story. How does a drug dealer sever all ties with all of her contacts, go to jail for three years, get released into a limited freedom situation and still manage to deal? I can just say that it's very entertaining to see her try.

Nancy Botwin will forever be Nancy Botwin. The ultimate mother who does the most unholy, and immoral of things for her family. We've seen her go through hell for these people, and she continues to do so season after season. She also does it with the same style and wit we have grown to know and love, and this season is no different. I will go as far to say that three years in prison have only made her more resourceful, and in turn, made her even sexier than before.

You want to argue with my point?

I do think this show needed to simplify it more than anything. When a simple show about family life in the pot dealing business goes as far as to bring in the Mexican Cartel you know it's getting out of hand. I really did think they had written themselves into a corner but they managed to bring it back into a rather enjoyable season, going back to the basics of what made it a fun show to watch.

It's also a good season for surprises in many aspects, bringing in a good two or three recurring guest stars and even characters who had almost been forgotten. I won't spoil which past character come back, that would be mean. But as for guest stars we get Michelle Trachtenberg who quickly becomes Silas' "acquaintance" for a while, but beneath that she's a much deeper character than it seems. But even more awesome is the recurring cameo of Martin Short as Nancy's lawyer. He steals every scene he's in with hilarious ease. It's just fun to watch when you notice Short just ad-lib through scenes.

The finale probably one of the nicest cliffhangers in the show's history, but as of right now it hasn't been renewed. There is some speculation that it was made that way in case the show got cancelled. While it wouldn't surprise me if it did, it would make me sad. Showtime would be cutting the legs out from under a good show that's just getting a second wind. I hope they keep it on the air.

So, for now we sit in suspense. I'd be happy to hear about an eighth season, but I won't hold my breath for that one. If it is the end, then Weeds went out on a high note.

6.5/10

I don't get the Delta Blues; I get the Hisingen Blues!

Hisingen Blues by Graveyard

I have been a fan of hard rock/heavy metal for years. My love for heavy metal and hard rock (and the memories of the music my father would play) sort of inspired me to turn back and listen to the old classic rock of the 60s and 70s. While The Beatles, The Rolling Stones, The Allman Brothers Band and Creedence Clearwater Revival were mainstays of my youth, it wasn't until I discovered Led Zeppelin that my love for classic rock was set in stone. After that small sidebar, I think you might understand why I feel like I feel for this album.

In March of 2011, the Swedish retro rock/blues band Graveyard released their sophomore album to the world. Hisingen Blues was released by heavy metal independent record label Nuclear Blast. I was surprised by that, because Graveyard is the farthest thing from Heavy Metal. Graveyard is (like my friend Yhann called it) a Led Zeppelin worship band. That might sound bad and sort of dismissive, but it doesn't have to be.

Graveyard feels like a time capsule. It feels like listening to a band that is contemporary with throwback speakers. Like watching a modern band with 1960s glasses. Sure, it's a little bit faster than most of the blues rock that inspired it, but the influences are there. While they might not be the cup of tea of fans of the modern heavy metal scene, for those that can feel the roots of these modern day bands, and can trace them back to that bygone era that has never been forgotten socially, culturally and especially musically... this band is a breath of fresh air in these tried and true times of generic and soulless rock.

Truth is, I really hate to compare this band with those bands that came before it, but our brains are designed to find the patterns in things and while this band knows what it is, I can't help but be impressed by each song that passes on the album. While "Ain't Fit To Live Here" and "Hisingen Blues" are faster bluesy rockers, songs like "No Good, Mr. Holden" and "Uncomfortably Numb" show inventiveness in their doom and slow, almost ballady southern styles respectively.

They look like they hopped on a DeLorean and couldn't get back home.

So, while I compare this band with many bands that came before them. I don't want it to sound like I am pigeonholing them into one genre of music as it is clear to me and to anyone who listens to their whole album that their influences are incredibly broad. This album has everything you want or need. The aforementioned songs are accompanied by the weirdly fun and entertaining "RSS" and the very interesting instrumental "Longing" that cries of spaghetti westerns, Clint Eastwood and Ennio Morricone.

I have to admit to never having listened to this band's first album before my friend Rocky suggested I listen to this album. When he said I had to listen to this band Graveyard, I have to say I kind of groaned. I thought it would be one of those generic metal bands that play good music but don't really have much to them.

I think all those songs are amazing but I think "The Siren" is the most amazing of all. The rhythm section really shines. The blues is really heavy in this track and they do a little bit of everything. If you want to know what they are capable of doing, this is the track that you have to listen to. Rikard Edlund and Axel Sjöberg on bass and drums are fantastic and at their best, while Joakim Nilsson's vocals are crisp and clear while still sounding raw and Jonathan Ramm does his thing with the guitar.

Call this band what you will. Worship band, retro band, blue/rock band, stoner rock, psychedelic rock or whatever other sub genre you can find. They are all of those things and more. Even their album art is cool. It is really a little window as to what they have to offer in the album without having to listen to them. Give them a try.



9 out of 10

True Blood season 4 - Transitional as it can be

True Blood may be taking full advantage of the whole vampire fad that's going on, but it's the one thing that has been doing it decently. It's the only current vampire thing I can stand. And I only put up with it for one reason... It's kinda awesome. Season four just wrapped up and by this point is almost as big a phenomenon as that other vampire thing (yes, the fucking sparkly ones).


The season opened interestingly enough. Sookie Stackhouse had recently discovered that she was actually a faerie, she had then been carried off into some magical faerie dimension where everything was nice and pretty. I won't spoil much here, so lets just point out that time in this world works differently than in the real world. So when she comes back by the end of the episode she had been gone from Bon Temps for around a year, and much has changed.


They really play up Sookie's disappearance and they use it as a plot device to really shake up every character's situation, most importantly, Bill has become King of Louisiana. The vampire community is in damage control mode after the mess caused by former King Russell Edgington. On the human side, Jason Stackhouse is now an actual police officer while the other officer, Andy Bellefleur, is hooked on vampire blood. That's really all you need to know to get started with the season.


These occurrences by themselves would probably make for an interesting season. Unfortunately they went in a whole other direction. Without spoiling much, Eric Northman runs into some trouble running an errand for the new King, he ends up losing his memory, and with it, most of his identity. Thus the most badass vamp in Louisiana becomes a wuss. And to me, this just about ruins the season. I looked forward to all the Eric scenes, because he's such a great character. When you take the best character in the show and turn him into an unwatchable, whiny, lovey-dovey bitch... You're going to lose some of your audience.


It's not totally bad. In the end it does make for some interesting character scenarios and situations. And the scene where that whole memory loss thing gets resolved is easily the best in the season, but they make you wait too long, and some people probably lost interest.


On the plus side, there's enough happening with other characters to keep you invested, at least in their stories. The problem is how transparent this show is becoming. It's easy to tell when we're getting a transitional season; along with season 2, this is the other clear cut example of this situation. Any time the main villain of a season of True Blood isn't a vampire, it's a transitional season. At least up until now. This might change in the next two seasons though, because I happen to think the faeries are finally pissed.


The show keeps true to it's formula of lots of sex, violence, and cursing. The character drama is also very present, it just takes different turns playing with the time lapse of Sookie's disappearance. You still get the good characters giving the hilarious one liners that everyone I know tunes in to laugh at and quote later. But without a doubt this season the 'one liner award' goes to Pam, who stole all the laughs. The poor vamp goes through hell this time around, and she makes certain that you hear her yell about it. It's really fun to watch.

The dirtiest mouth on TV, next to Cartman and probably someone on the  Jersey Shore.

The villain this time around isn't even as good as the last transitional baddie. She seems harmless most of the time, and for the most part all the evil things she does she seems to do by accident. It's not until later in the season that she actually becomes an actual threat, and again, by that time you might have lost interest.


The season doesn't really pick up until the final three or four episodes, and at that point it actually gets pretty good. I'm not saying the rest of it is bad, it's still better than most things on television, it's just not up to par with the last season which was great. I hate making excuses for TV shows, but in this case I must tell new viewers not to judge True Blood for this season, watch the last one, or wait 'till the next.


The finale is a typical close to a transitional season. The main plot gets resolved fairly early on, and then we get a massive (MASSIVE) build for what happens next. I can say with confidence that the next season might be the best one yet. There's enough emotion brewing between these characters to get some pretty intense stuff going, and I think that kind of thing (along with sex, lots of sex) is what keeps this show interesting.


As for this season, it's a decent transition. Nothing spectacular, but watchable for the most part. If the villain had been a bigger threat from the beginning it would have been better, but by the time she is, it gets pretty good.


5.5/10