Arts & Culture

A challenge often confronting eccentric, visually arresting musicians is the task of transferring the spirit of frenzied and elaborate live shows onto a recorded medium. And they rarely come as weird as Baltimore's Nuclear Power Pants. The guitar-less nine piece includes two very bearded lead singers, three female backup singers, a synth player, a keytar player and a dude that jabs a mic into an amplifier.

The Blueprint 3 is supposedly an anthem to Jay-Z's innovative mark on the music industry. Jay-Z ambitiously sets out to release an album entirely centered on the idea that it will be a template for future originality - something he took literally in some tracks with its futuristic sound.

Last week I wrote about why illegal downloading is understandable, at least in certain cases. I don't recommend it, but hey, I'm not going to judge you if you do.

Written and directed by Theatre and Dance Department professor Jade Rosina McCutcheon, contemporary theater piece Elephant's Graveyard combines the three elements of dance, song and drama onto one stage.

For many artists, having an original work displayed proudly in a museum or gallery, gazed upon and admired by art lovers and fellow artists alike, is the ultimate dream.

Friday, Oct. 30, 8 p.m.-2 a.m.

Vinyl records would seem obsolete and outdated in this new age of technology. This is actually not the case - rather, quite the opposite for a certain select group of audiophiles.

Any disease with the nickname "the silent killer" is one that people shouldn't be kept in the dark about.

MUSIC

On a daily basis, college students face the conundrum of balancing frugality with exorbitant and often lavish excess. We'd all love to be wise money savers to keep up with the poor student image, but in the end, a four-dollar beer really does go well with a nine-dollar meal at Burgers and Brew.

Elephant's Graveyard Oct. 23-24, Oct. 30-31, 8 p.m.

It's a great year for Karen O. In addition to spending roughly a year traveling to various locations around the U.S. to create the Yeah Yeah Yeah's March release of It's Blitz!, O recently helped provide tunes for the motion picture soundtrack, Where the Wild Things Are.

This debut album from Parachute delivers simplicity, predictability and hackneyed lyrics - but not much more.

In this album, Hornet Leg captures an older, playful punk feel that I haven't come across in a long time. The songs are mostly melodious, featuring an unrefined production factor, raw vocals and amazingly funny and creative lyrics that really make you want to thrash and groove.

Executive Director Don Roth has implemented a creative goal for the UC Davis' Mondavi Center by moving towards an artistic, educational and operational vision for the past three years. Muse interviewed him on Tuesday.