Texarkana Entertainment Blog

I recently downloaded The Roots new album, “Undun,” and it is a total masterpiece. I think I made my “top five” albums of 2011 list too soon. Rhythmically captivating, tight, soulful and musically beautiful despite the bleak subject matter, this concept album, “Undun,” belongs at the very top of a list of the best albums of 2011. So, put it up there on my list.

- Aaron Brand

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I just spoke with the folks at the Perot Theatre and they say just a hair under 100 tickets remain for the Willie Nelson concert on Sunday, Jan. 8. Willie, seen below in a submitted promo photo, is popular here in Texarkana and I’ve been told someone from as far away as New York is traveling to our Twin Cities to see the icon up on the venerable, historic Perot Theatre stage. Today’s Accent page included interviews with two locals who are excited to see him in concert. Here’s a link: Local fans can’t wait to see Willie. Seeing Willie Nelson at a theater like the Perot is a rare opportunity and I hope all who attend have a grand time.

- Aaron Brand

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Awards season has landed. It’s one of my favorite times of the year, in addition to the winter holidays we have buzzing along, but this year when it comes to being a movie buff I feel woefully unprepared to consider the forerunners for film awards. I will need to get busy in the next couple months catching up (for a variety of reasons, I haven’t seen as many new movies this year). Golden Globe nominations were announced earlier this week and movies like “The Artist,” “The Help,” “The Descendants” and “The Ides of March” were among the top nominees. I’m not surprised to see those movies find the attention. But here’s one crime: “The Muppets” is not among the nominees for top comedy or musical. Sorry, but for a movie that received near universal acclaim, that is surprising, at the very least. I don’t care if it was, nominally, a kid’s movie. It deserves some consideration. Maybe the Oscars will right this wrong.

So, what movies do you think will win the Golden Globes or come up big at the Academy Awards? I have no sense of it yet and think it’s a real wide open year. I still think “Hugo,” “The Help” and “War Horse” may be the pick come Oscar time, but it still feels up in the air.

- Aaron Brand

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I’m not always fond of making top five lists, but in the interest of talking about something I love—music—I don’t mind taking a stab at a rundown of the top five new albums I’ve listened to this year. My taste is, admittedly, probably pretty different for Texarkana and much of the reading audience I have at the Gazette, but I love to recommend some good tunes in the hopes someone will find them too. This year has been an excellent one, as far as I can tell, for new music.

My top three albums would likely be: Bon Iver’s “Bon Iver,” M83′s “Hurry Up, We’re Dreaming,” and The Decemberists’ “The King is Dead.” Bon Iver’s album just landed the band well-deserved Grammy nominations. It’s a powerful, eclectic and intimate spin on folk rock music using the orchestrated meanderings of horns, piano, guitar and the falsetto of Mr. Bon Iver himself, Justin Vernon, to great and finely-crafted effect.  The surreal lyrics are a mystery but a welcome one, and the album has been on continuous rotation for my ears on many a morning drive. If forced to choose, I’d say it’s the top listen for the year.

Then there’s M83′s “Hurry Up, We’re Dreaming,” an album my late cousin Ryan, who had such a keen and appreciative ear for great music, told me quite rightly would be “epic.” It’s full of dreamy synth-pop greatness and it’s a double album, to boot. It’s the kind of music I want to hear while gazing up at the stars.

There’s also “The King is Dead” from Portland, Ore., a gorgeous addition to indie folk, full of lyricism and wry humor. It felt like a great, full summertime album when I first bought it, but on cold mornings last week it was a wholly positive kick in the pants to enjoy the day.

To round out the top five, I’ll mention Radiohead’s “The King of Limbs” and Death Cab for Cutie’s “Codes and Keys.” Both albums felt like fresh directions for these respective bands—welcome adventures.

Current earworm: two SomaFM radio stations, Xmas in Frisko and Christmas Lounge. Right now I’m listening to Louis Prima “Shake Hands with Santa” and Julie London’s “I’d Like You for Christmas.”

What’s the best new music you heard this year?

- Aaron Brand

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I’m late getting to this because this week has been extra busy, but I think many moviegoers have already caught on to the excellence of the movie “The Muppets,” judging by the box office numbers and critics’ praises. I would like to chime in with my recommendation. If you haven’t seen it yet, go do so. It’s super amounts of fun. I saw it over the Thanksgiving weekend with my sister and we loved it. (Admittedly, we grew up with the Muppets. I think the Muppets wielded a pretty big influence on how I view the world.) “The Muppets” shines with a kind of self-deprecating, innocent and yet madcap sense humor you don’t see much of nowadays. It’s also a wildly funny and heartfelt addition to the Muppet legend, and the return of these characters felt true to their original spirit. So often reviving old characters like this to “update” them for a new generation feels inauthentic and opportunistic. Not so with “The Muppets.” It has both its heart and funnybone in the right places. Kudos to the team who brought the Muppets back for this film. I’d even say the movie has an outside shot at a Best Picture nomination come Oscar time.

- Aaron Brand

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