The Alrights' 'High School' not head of the class - Diversions

The Alrights' 'High School' not head of the class - Diversions

High school: a time for learning and experiencing different things, where a student takes many different classes in one semester. The Alrights' debut album, titled "High School," finds itself in a strangely similar spot, with many different song styles on one album, none of which seem to complement the others.

Yes, I would say that the diversity in its music does give the band an appeal to a wider audience than if it had one, collective sound, but it sure makes for a confusing album to listen to.

The intro to the first track, "Call Her Name," has a similar sound to a mixture of Soundgarden and the Beastie Boys, that is, until lead singer Toby Churchill chimes in. His vocals give the song the flavor that it needs for The Alrights to leave more of its own mark in the music world.

The band notes that it is influenced by such artists as John Lennon, The White Stripes, Weezer, Erykah Badu and even Monty Python. While listening to the album, I found it was clearly influenced by The Killers, Modest Mouse and Scissor Sisters as well.

In fact, I could only find the soulfulness of an Erykah Badu sound in some of the songs. But I didn't understand where the other stated influences impacted the music.

Even the artwork for "High School" had a similar look to that of the music video to Modest Mouse's "Float On."

The bands' front man and lead singer, Churchill, is the main source of the songs, having written nearly every one on the album.

According to the band's official MySpace page, the diversity of the band's sound is not a gimmick, but merely just what Churchill'"feels like doing."

Churchill also plays guitar, piano and keyboard. Danny Cosgrove assists in vocals and plays bass while Chavo Ambom covers the beat on drums.

My favorite song is definitely "Heaven Sends Her Regards." The music and vocals to this track are right up my ally and I found the lyrics to be thoughtful and humorous.

I originally picked this album out of the stack of numerous other artists in the Daily Forty Niner office because I found track 12 to be untitled. Though not at all what I expected, listening to track 12 did prove to be enjoyable, though certainly in more of an amusing way than musically.

The band formed in the summer of 2003, but the members of The Alrights had been playing together for years before. After numerous gigs the band signed a record deal with NYC City Canyons Records in the fall of 2005. The Alrights are touring the country, starting off of course, in their home town of Duluth, Minn.

My recommendation to the band would be to pick one style for each of the albums to give a more connected feel while listening through the entire album. Using as many different styles on one album as they have on "High School" creates a detached feeling I find to be bothersome.

I say, if you like most or all of the songs on the album, buy it. Otherwise, you're better off individually purchasing the songs you like online.

"High School" is a good time to work on finding yourself, which I recommend The Alrights do before recording another album.

'The Night Listener' holds up to suspense - Diversions

'The Night Listener' holds up to suspense - Diversions

Miramax Films' new psychological thriller "The Night Listener," directed by Patrick Stettner and starring Robin Williams and Toni Collette, will open in theaters on August 4.

Some psychological thrillers leave audience members with the impression that the story is an impossible occurrence, a definitive "that was a great fiction" feeling. "The Night Listener" is a more "natural" psychological thriller, leaving an air of the possibility that this could really happen to you or someone you know.

Gabriel (Robin Williams) is a talk radio host whose lover Jess (Bobby Cannavale) has just moved out, but is trying to show that he is moving on. After having lived together for years, the couple's separation adds to Gabriel's already fragile self-esteem.

An avid storyteller, Gabriel uses pieces of his real life experiences, namely how he and Jess live with Jess' AIDS, for his radio program and his fans just eat it up. Gabriel will often embellish or change aspects of his life to give a much different impression than what actually occurs. This lifts Gabriel's self-esteem just a little each time and causes him to remember his stories rather than what actually happened.

Just as Jess leaves, 14-year-old Pete (Rory Culkin) comes into Gabriel's life. Gabriel and Pete form a friendship over the phone after Gabriel reads the book Pete wrote about the torture he survived from his parents and their friends' sexual appetites for him when he was younger.

Pete's adoptive mother, Donna (Toni Collette), is supportive of their friendship and hopes that the friendship with Gabriel will give Pete and his book the extra support needed to overcome the many obstacles he has already dealt with and has yet to work through.

Gabriel's life changes when he suggests that Pete and Donna are the same person after a first conversation with them on Gabriel's speakerphone.

Searching for the truth, Gabriel finds out that nobody in the book deal has actually met Pete and Donna because all correspondence has been over the phone. This brings Gabriel to the desperation and desire for truth that drives him to travel to Wisconsin, where the picture of Pete had been sent. Twists, turns and dead ends are abound until Gabriel finally catches a break and gets to meet Donna, who invites him to her home with Pete.

Unfortunately, Pete is in the hospital at the time of Gabriel's visit and, still doubtful of Pete's existence, Gabriel finds Pete's room with all the news clippings and radio program posters tacked to Pete's wall, showing how much he really admires Gabriel.

There is an unreasonable and sudden snap in Donna's behavior and she refuses to let Gabriel see Pete in the hospital the next day. Gabriel takes matters even further into his own hands and goes on a search for Pete to all the local hospitals and then back to Donna and Pete's home.

Sandra Oh gives a note-worthy performance as Gabriel's friend, Anna, and with such a natural performance and connection with Robin Williams, it makes you feel like listening to real life conversation every time they're together.

This is a finely laid out psychological thriller that will creep up on you, as opposed to the edge-of-your-seat and action-based movies. The tone and suspense of the film is heightened by the lighting choices and even more by the fantastic musical score.

Highly recommended and enjoyable, you should certainly make it a point to see this film and the great performances given by each actor.