#positivexposure

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Positive mind. Positive vibes. Positive life.

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FILM REVIEW: NEIGHBORS // 8.5

Starring Seth Rogen (This Is The End) and Rose Bryan (Bridesmaids) as the new parents on the block , Mac and Kelly, Neighbors is a frantic riot that wades in the shallow end of "dick" jokes before diving in headfirst, and rarely coming up for a breath. 

Even though it may not have balanced both aspects perfectly this time around, Efron's turn as the Frat President is well worth the often sporadic ride. RATING: 8.5/10

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Pomplamoose is a duo from Corte Madera, California, made up by multi-instrumentalists Nataly Dawn and Jack Conte. They've been around since 2008 but have only recently blown up all over the internet. You may recognize them from the recent Hyundai holiday ads, where they were featured singing "O Come All Ye Faithful", "Jingle Bells", "Deck the Halls" and "Up on the Housetop". 

So, what the heck is a Pomplamoose, anyway? Well, it's a derivation of the word pamplemousse, which is French for Grapefruit. 

Pomplamoose uses a new medium called VideoSongs, which has two rules:

1. What you see is what you hear (no lip-syncing for instruments or voice). 2. If you hear it, at some point you see it (no hidden sounds).

A VideoSong makes for a unique viewing and listening experience, as you can see them in their socks playing piano or dancing around making the stomping noises. It gives you a bit deeper of a connection to the music because you get to see them goof off so they almost start to feel like you're friends. 

Before you check out their YouTube, I must warn you... have some time devoted because you're gonna get entranced!

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Hey everyone! We'd like to introduce a new regular feature to you. Do you remember our Awesome Band Alerts? Well, welcome to  Spotlight On:, an extended version of an Awesome Band Alert. 

Spotlight On: will focus three days of coverage on one band. We will tell you a bit about them, give you relevant links, MP3s, videos, photos, reviews, and fun interviews. 

It's basically a great new way to discover your new favorite bands without actively searching for them. Pretty cool, right?

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Positivexposure donates to Red Cross.

Hey everyone, we just wanted to thank everyone who bought a print from our Human. Artist. section. We just donated everything we made, and here is our proof. Feel free to click the image to see it bigger. I blacked out my address and credit card number. There are still a ton of prints available and all the proceeds go straight to the Red Cross to benefit Haiti.

Here are a couple of questions we get a lot: Can I add my photo to the Human.Artist. section? No. We have way too many that didn’t sell. Hopefully we’ll be able to do another one soon, so keep in touch.

Why Red Cross? They provide medical care and clean water, which we believe are important.

Didn’t everyone already donate to Haiti? Not everyone. A lot of people did but once the initial wave of donations are done and there is no more money going towards helping them, that is when extra money is needed most.

If you didn’t hear about Human. Artist. or you want to take another look, please check out all the prints we have for sale!

http://positivexposure.com/Human-Artist/

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2010 was a great year for music. No, we mean it was a really great year for music. We had to hold two votes for the top 10 albums because there was a crazy amount of ties... too many awesome albums for one list! You guys finally managed to narrow it down, and here are your top 10!

#10 Youngbloods // The Amity Affliction

  YOU SAID:  "This was one of the best Australian releases in a long time. Amity have always been so solid but Youngbloods was a major step up. Clint was a brilliant addition. Youngbloods will be hard to top!" "The Amity Affliction is so ahead of the majority of bands in their scene. They always were and Youngbloods just reinforces that. Stoked to see them again at Soundwave!" 

#9 What Separates Me From You // A Day To Remember

YOU SAID:  "Do their lyrics ever fail to relate to every single person in the world? I think not."

#8 American Ghetto // Portugal. The Man

YOU SAID:  "Amazing album, enough said." "Portugal. the Man will never let me down. Every one of their albums sounds completely different but somehow have the same feel and flow. The oohs and ahhs that Zoe Manville and John Gourley sing on "All My People" is reason enough for this album to make it to number 1."

#7 Sigh No More // Mumford & Sons

YOU SAID:  "It is sweet music of yesteryear that makes me feel so happy! Also they are amazing live." "Mumford & Sons are inspirational"

#6 Hope // Dream On, Dreamer

YOU SAID: "It rules!" "Love the band." "It's the best." "My favourite Australian band. They are such lovely people and this EP exceeded my high expectations. I'm pretty sure they'll take over the world some day."

#5 Contra // Vampire Weekend

YOU SAID:  "Contra is like a grown-up version of Vampire Weekend...it has all the charm of A-Punk, but everything has more depth." ""Run" is one of their best songs, hands down" "I just can't stop listening to this album...everything on it is so good." #4 Brothers // The Black Keys

YOU SAID:  "All the songs are very catchy." "I can listen to this album on repeat and never get sick of it, it is truly modern blues rock perfection." 

#3 Congratulations // MGMT

YOU SAID: "One of the most diverse, well produced, ambitious, evolutionary (for the band at least) albums of the year, which showed the band's ability to break away from the dance/pop shackles that tried to bind them after their debut. An example of a band truly trying new things even after the temptation to effectively repeat their first record." 

#2 Suburbs // The Arcade Fire

YOU SAID: "It's definitely their best album yet." "It is by far the best album of the year because it is awesome." "Absolutely incredible. Their best yet. " 

#1 Blue Sky Noise // Circa Survive

  YOU SAID: "The album is gorgeous. Everything about Circa's sound is beautiful. They have just the right mix of energy and softness." "One word: growth." "Every Circa Survive album manages to top the last without shoving it aside." "One of their most cohesive albums. I love the more optimistic feel in some of the songs." 

How does your list compare with the reader votes? Leave a comment! You can also check out all of Positivexposure's staff's personal picks here.

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Best Albums of 2010 RUNNERS UP

We had an amazing 6 albums that were voted into the top albums of 2010 that didn't make the top 10. We didn't want to disappoint the voters so here are our honorable mentions!

#6 I Speak Because I Can // Laura Marling

YOU SAID: "As a 20 year old, Laura Marling has achieved far more than I could ever have hoped to by that age. Her lyrics are so wise beyond her years and the instrumentation is better put together and more advanced than some music coming from veterans of the music industry. Laura gets my vote for exceeding all my expectations of what she could do."

"I first began listening to English singer Laura Marling with her very first EP My Manic and I which was released in 2007. Being barely 17 at the time of its release she was still a little wary behind the microphone. Her newest album I Speak Because I Can was released by a 20 year old Marling who has grown strong with her music. This album is by far an improvement from her first EP. Marling has grown in her music and her lyrics and has produced a magnificent folk album that many people in America are  unaware of."

#5 The Drums // The Drums

YOU SAID: "Unbelievably believable modern 60s surf pop. I didn't think I would be into it, but it's impossible not to be stuck into this album's catchy tunes." "New kids on the indie scene and they're breakout album was a huge success. Really catchy riffs and beautiful lyrics make this a perfect summer chill album. " 

#4 My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy // Kanye West 

YOU SAID:  "Right from the opening track this one is beyond epic. Kanye West's best and most consistent album covers a lot more musical ground than his general mainstream hip-hop approach - while still maintaining his incredibly catchy hook sensibilities."

#3 Tourist History // Two Door Cinema Club

YOU SAID:  "It's basically happiness on a disc!" "It's fucking awesome. Every single song."

#2 This Is Happening // LCD Soundsystem

YOU SAID:   "This Is Happpening. A great 'final' studio album that really highlights how much James Murphy and the rest of the band have helped to shape their own sound and paved the way for many artists."

#1 Innerspeaker // Tame Impala

YOU SAID: "Because it's Tame Impala ohhhmmyyygggaawwwwdddd." 

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True Grit

Directed By: Joel and Ethan Coen

Written By: Joel and Ethan Coen

Genre: Western, Drama, Action

Running Time: 1 hr. 50 min.

In Theaters: January 26

Starring: Jeff Bridges, Matt Damon, Josh Brolin and Hailee Steinfeld True Grit is the story of a headstrong young girl of fourteen named Mattie, who sets out on a journey to find, and bring to justice a man named Tom Chane (Josh Brolin), who killed her father. To do this Mattie Enlists the help of Rooster Cogburn, a tough, yet barely functional alcoholic US Marshall, with a notorious tendency for violence. The two are eventually accompanied by a Texas Ranger by the name of LeBeoeuf, who is pursuing the same man. One thing that I liked about this movie, was the way that it remains engaging and interesting without needing to tack on needless morals or symbolism. There's no hidden message, there's no twist, it's just a very good movie, and it doesn't need any cheap gimmicks to accomplish that. All of the main characters are interesting and well crafted. Each of them possessing the individual depth that can only come from such a small cast. Jeff Bridges as Rooster Cogburn fills the role of the tough, yet broken Marshall perfectly. His babbling monologues and drunken antics contrasting with the times when conflict erupts, and we see just how deadly and capable he is. And I'm no fan of Matt Damon, but I really enjoyed his character in the film. The approach taken with him was interesting, in that, despite being a cocky Texas Ranger full of tall tales and bravado, he turns out to be exactly what he makes himself out to be.  Surprisingly enough though, Jeff Bridges character is not the standout performance, and despite being considered so, he's obviously not even the main role. Both of these titles rest upon the shoulders of newcomer Hailee Steinfeld. I cannot overstate how refreshing it was to see a genuinely talented child actor in a movie. Usually what I'm treated to, is a whiny piece of luggage, useful only to scream loudly, and drag the protagonist into stupidly dangerous situations.  Thankfully, Mattie is actually a very likable, very well played character. She's headstrong, independent, and can think and talk for herself. Mattie's not luggage, she's the first child character since Kick Ass's Hit Girl that can actually get something done for herself. Also, I liked the way that the villain in True Grit (Josh Brolin) isn't some kind of philosophical embodiment of all evil, he's a poorly educated opportunist, and his encounters with Mattie are very interesting, not to mention refreshingly different from the norm.  Apart from that, what can I say? It's well shot, the music and sound work for the film, and I enjoyed it a lot. It's a difficult movie to review, because there isn't really much to say about True Grit. There's nothing particularly special, or worth mentioning about it. Should you go see it? Without a doubt. Is it anything new and special? No. And that's not a bad thing. It's nothing new, but it's well made enough to make that irrelevant. I give it 5 pluses out of 6, go see True Grit. -Reviewed by Jack Kelleher