Established 1818

The American prep style has dominated men’s wear for a while now, this is nothing new. All you have to do is pick up a copy of GQ, Details, or Esquire or have a look at Scott Schuman’s blog, The Sartorialist for confirmation. Everyone from J. Crew to J. Press have masterfully availed themselves of this trend, and though these retailers are fantastic, I’d like to give a shout out to your grandpa’s favorite clothier, Brooks Brothers. Being that it was started in 1818, Brooks Brothers has the distinction of being the oldest retailer in the United States. That’s right, the brothers has been selling clothes to American men since James Monroe, our fifth president was in office. So why have they been around so long? Because they make clothes men look good in at a price that’s affordable, and if you love something they make, when it’s threadbare and broken down, they’ll still be making it. As an example of the awesomeness of Brooks Brothers, I present the oxford cloth button collar shirt.

To understand the button down shirt you have to understand its history. It was first developed as a riding shirt for polo players; their collars flapped in the wind as they rode and evidently that was just unacceptable, so they secured them with buttons. In 1896 Brooks Brothers brought this style to the young republic as a sport shirt, and back then, men actually played sports in those shirts. The other essential characteristic of this shirt, and a nod to its sporting heritage is the oxford cloth from which it’s made. Oxford cloth is a thick, knobby fabric that feels good to wear and looks great once worn in. It lacks the sheen and formality of a standard dress shirt, making the oxford cloth button down perfect to wear with a pair of beat-in 501s, New Standards or chinos.

Brooks Brothers was the first manufacturer to make these shirts in the United States and in my opinion, still the best value for the money. First reason they are the best value, you can find them on sale about four times a year for $50. Secondly, they come in four fits, Traditional (two-man tent), Regular (one-man tent), Slim Fit (regular people), Extra Slim Fit (slim people). Lastly, they are extremely well made and made in the USA. So next time you’re looking for a new collared shirt, skip The Gap or Banana Republic and head over to your grandpa’s favorite shop, Brooks Brothers.

High Violet

Grade: A-

Standout Tracks: Terrible Love Anyone’s Ghost, Little Faith, Lemonworld

High Violet is an uneasy affair about aging, providing, settling down and settling into a man’s role as grown man. The eleven-track record is stormy, seething with frustration and anxiety, but like the good Midwestern men they are, they keep it controlled, they never yell or let anything get too out of hand. They are grown men after all and they have to provide a good example for their families. They seem to want to cry out but are never willing or able to allow themselves that moment. High Violet is at all times restrained and this restraint is echoed in the meticulous production, the muted drums, echoing vocals, atmospheric guitars and creeping strings. Half talking half singing his words, Matt Berninger’s baritone has a monochromatic quality that reinforces the record's restraint.For most of the record Bryan Devendorf trades crashing cymbals for muted, urgent tom riffs. He Hammers his drum kit throughout, laying down what sounds like heavy mortar fire for a far-off war. Devendorf’s complex rhythms are the perfect counterpoint to Berninger’s minimal delivery and this tense juxtaposition forms the heart of High Violet. Scott Devendorf’s bass riffs move back and forth through his brother’s drumming like they were made by the same person. The twins, Aaron and Bryce Dessner weave a thick cloth of guitar sound that’s ultimately indispensable. At times their creations sparkle and at times they buzz and hiss but they never stray too far from their masters and they never make a scene.

Strangely, when I first listened to High Violet I realized that these are the same kind of men that wrote golden era country music and in my mind carries more of its heart and soul then does modern pop-country. It’s been repackaged by another generation and it carries this generation’s musical sensibilities but it’s honest in a way that the old country singers and songwriters were. High Violet is the sound of a great band operating at the fullness of its capacity during the height of its relevance. It’s troubled music for a troubled time and it’s well worth a long, attentive listen.

Inglourious Basterds review

Quentin Tarantino's war-by-spaghetti-western-style-fantasy won't make Sergio Leone roll around in his coffin, but it's definitely a mix of the good, the bad and the ugly (pun completely intended). It is a propaganda film mocking the ideas of propaganda by means of using Jewish vengeance to fuel a brutal (read:very brutal) comedy.

The film is indulgent and almost masturbatory in it's execution, but you won't be seeing a single shot, hearing a single line, or pondering a single musical cue that isn't on purpose. Such is the Tarantino Way.

In yet another chapter driven (ala KILL BILL) flick, Tarantino throws kitchen sink and all at you. In the film you get a shining scenery-chewing (and stealing) Pitt and Waltz (especially), a Peter Sellers esk turn by Mike Myers and even a "death by cinema" theme to wrap everything together. All of this proves to be very interesting and, for the most part, fun but by the end of this little fairy tale, the sum of the parts may feel a bit hollow.

This may just be my own problem with Tarantino's films. For the uninformed, people hail this as the work of a visionary filmmaker, but the work in INGLOURIOUS BASTERDS is more of a schizophrenic amalgam of Peckinpah, Fuller and Leone.

It's up to you to decide whether this is a good thing...

G.I.JOE: The Rise of Cobra review

First off, I must say that if I were 10 years old, this would probably be the most awesome thing on the planet. Big (and shiny) toys, ninjas, explosions, Sienna Miller...

I really believe that there may have been a solid 45 minute film hidden within those two hours...

however...

G.I.JOE isn't so much a movie, but moreso a series of incessant action sequences strung together. The idea is to basically take the hodgepodge of everything that works in the frame of an action film (or summer blockbuster) and throw it at the screen for the complete running time. The movie just didn't want to stop dancing for you. If you put any thought into what is bombarding you on the screen, you will find that past the kitchen sink, there ain't much else...

Forgetting a film like this is just about as easy as recalling the differences (or even the events) between studio outings such as the Star Wars prequels, the Transformers series, and any other set of films that the major studios have been desperately churning out and trying to turn into franchises.

The characters (if you can call them that) in the film barely have enough room to resemble the barest of archetypes. You can replace Duke (Tatum) with a more able Luke Skywalker, Ripcord (Wayans) with a Jar Jar Binks, Destro (McCullen) with Darth Vader and so on and so forth.

Does this mean that I hated G.I.JOE the movie?

I can't say that I did, but I can't quite say that I liked it. I might be able to tell you (and stop me if you've heard this one before) is that the movie was about a rich bad guy who wanted to have more control over the world and a ragtag group of heroes (from various places because that makes them more accessible) who had to stop them...there were also ninjas...and Sienna Miller...

Sooooo, turn off your brain, chew on your popcorn, and just enjoy the shiny pretty things and you may stand a chance...possibly...

Long live Snake-Eyes!

Number One

Moses and I have talked about publishing a media blog for a while. I remember talking it over with him in the Bellevue Cheesecake Factory of all places about a year ago. We just wanted a venue to tell our friends about what we think of any kind of media that comes out, be it music, film, TV, literature, fine art, fashion or design. Enjoy.