Arts & Culture

Following their 2007 release of Migration, Sambassadeur swiftly and carefully developed the skill to adopt sounds from US and UK pop and polish them into their own catchy arrangement. In fact, the Gothenburg-based pop quartet's third studio album, European, seems to be an auricular summarization of all things pleasant in life.

The well-established Oakland-based indie rock band tries entirely too hard on newly released Permalight. The ill-fated record proves how easy it is to lose yourself in the need to find a perfect hook.

What do Avril Lavigne, Owl City, Franz Ferdinand and 13 other artists have in common? Not much, but according to director Tim Burton they all complement his newest movie, Alice in Wonderland. In this hodgepodge compilation, 3OH!3's "Follow Me Down" appears alongside Kerli's "Tea Party," Plain White T's "Welcome to Mystery" and other fittingly-titled tracks. Clever, right?

Monday marked the 200th birthday of Frédéric Chopin, Poland's renowned Romantic composer. Happy birthday, old man.

Granada Artist-in-Residence Katya Kamotskaia, with Mark Stevenson, will direct Anton Chekhov's famous Russian play, The Seagull, opening Mar. 10 through Mar. 14. Performances begin at 8 p.m., except for Sunday's, which begins at 2 p.m.

The San Francisco Jazz Collective will perform at the Mondavi Center today at 8 p.m. Tickets start at $12.50 for students.

It's been just three years since Wajahat Ali graduated from UC Davis School of Law. Already, the nation is beginning to take notice of the man hailed as one of today's most influential Muslim American artists.

"St. John Passion" will show at the Davis Community Church on Mar. 1 at 8 p.m. A pre-concert lecture at 7 p.m. will also be held. Ticket prices start at $18 for students.

ART / GALLERY

HellaCappella is back! The annual event will host a showcase of a cappella groups, which will perform their original arrangements of popular songs in Freeborn Hall on Feb. 27.

While half of Hot Chip's latest, most focused release demonstrates their capability for brilliance, other tracks feel safe and lackluster.

After The Delgados broke up in 2005, founding member Emma Pollock began to focus on her own career. She released her solo debut Watch the Fireworks (4AD) in 2007. Pollock spent last year in the studio to record her second album, The Law of Large Numbers on Chemikal Underground, the label that she co-founded in 1994.

Since making their live debut at Brighton's Loop Festival in late 2008, Grasscut's Andrew Phillips and Marcus O'Dair have been working on various side projects including their latest release, Muppet. Phillips - known for his work with One Giant Leap and Lo Recordings - and music journalist/radio DJ O'Dair offer a stylistic take on modern classical blended with experimental electronic.

After five studio releases and over 20 years, Massive Attack has never made the same record twice. It's nothing unexpected from such an iconic figure of the trip-hop genre - and their latest album Heligoland is no exception.

When it comes to movies, my opinions are rarely consistent over time. Instead, I often let other opinions change my own.