Review Album : Glee The Music Presents The Warblers

Eka Ndaru H

09/282000/SA/14702

The Warblers Presentation to the World

First time I heard about this album I was like “What? So the newest album is about the rival?” I thought it was weird since The Warblers is not the main glee club on Glee series. But then I was so curious about it. But now, Glee the Music Presents the Warblers is the only album on my playlist. They gave us something new. This album is the seventh soundtrack album by the glee cast. Darren Criss and Chris Colfer are contributing to this album as the lead vocals, and the Beezlebubs, an all-male a cappella group from Tufts University, provide the background vocal. In a comedy-drama TV series Glee, Criss and Colfer are played as the students of a fictional school the Dalton Academy named Blaine and Kurt Hummel. In The Warblers, mainly Blaine is the lead vocal, so this album also made Criss voice as the lead on 12 songs with Kurt as his duet partner on 2 songs. Only one song where Criss didn’t sing, it’s the Beatles’s Blackbird where Kurt/Colfer was the lead vocal.

The album is opened with Katy Perry”s Teenage Dream, which is heard as a different song with some a cappella performances there. Darren Criss vocal sounds really soulful. You can feel that this Teenage Dream is not a song from a pop diva like Perry. The second song is Hey, Soul Sister which is originally a song by Train. In this song, the Beezlebubs provided a mandolin voice as the background music for Criss’s lead. This song was not really different from the original version but still, the Beezlebubs has made it very extraordinary. Destiny’s Child single Bills, Bills, Bills is the next song. The RnB song became very different from its original version. Still, Criss’s capability as singer was tested in this song because he still can make it feels like an RnB song. The 80’s single of Paul McCartney Silly Love Songs is the next song you can enjoy. This song was one of my favorite in this album. The cheerful feeling that the Warblers gave to this song has really made the song full with love. I know it’s a bit too much, but I think it’s true. The Beezlebubs background vocals for Criss leads have made the song felt different. When I get you alone continued the album with a beautiful vocal performance by The Beezlebubs. The song which is originally played by Robin Thicke showed another Criss’s skill who can sing in a numerous genres. The song gave the album a rock feeling. The next song is Animal, a song which is originally by Neon Trees. In this song, Criss and Colfer performed as a duet. The song sounds like a party song, even though it’s performed by an a cappella group, but once again the beezlebubs gave the joy to the song. Maroon 5’s Misery is the next song performed by the Warblers. This song is one of the best of the album. Criss’s vocal sounds like the perfect match to sing this song. Criss also gave his best performance to the song. The Beatles’s Blackbird is the next song. As I said before, Colfer was the lead in the song. This time Colfer showed his singing skill. The talented Chris Colfer gave us the different feeling of the Beatles’s song. The song Candles which is originally a song by Hey Monday sounds so perfect to the vocals by Criss and Colfer. The duets sound so perfect. This one is better than Animal, even though in some parts Colfer’s vocal sounds weak. A hit by singer Pink, Raise Your Glass, continues the album. In this song, Criss showed that the song can be sung by a guy. The song really rocks the album. Keane’s Somewhere Only We Know is the next song. As the background vocals, the Beezlebubs really gave Criss a balance. Criss’s lead vocal in the song sounds great not only because of his talent but also some “helps” from the Beezlebubs. The Duet song by Barbra Streisand and Barry Gibb, What Kind of Fool, was performed by Criss later. His vocal was big enough for the duet number. I think this is also one of his best performances. The Beezlebubs also gave one of their best backings to Criss which is sound so perfect. Do Ya Think I’m Sexy by Rod Stewart is the last song of the album. As a song, I don’t think this is the best song to be played in the very last place, but the Beezlebubs really good here. They gave the song the a cappella feeling with Stewart’s style. Darren Criss also gave the song a really good performance.

Overall, the album gave us a different sound from Glee. I think the album is one of the best of Glee album so far. Surprisingly this album did not mention the main characters, only a guest star like Darren Criss and Colfer (even though he is a main character, his role on the series became not important after his character moved to the Dalton Academy from the McKinley High). Darren Criss made the album like his solo album. His beautiful vocal has made the album really great. The Beezlebubs also has done a good job. Some parts maybe need overdubbing, but the eleven members of Beezlebubs shows their skill in every song. Hard to say but I think, New Directions has lost to them. I have a new favorite glee club.

Main Article on ChapterOne date May 2nd 2011

Since March 2011, Motion Picture Association (MPA) stopped their distribution to Indonesia. As we all know, on February the controversy about the taxes that MPA have to pay to Indonesia’s government. With no more big movies from Hollywood certainly has made lots of people disappointed. MPA as the distributor of almost every big studio from Hollywood like 20^th Century Fox, Disney, Paramount, and Sony have said their objection to Indonesia’s government. They think that what they have to pay is too high. But Indonesia’s government has their reason why the taxes that MPA have to pay are high. It’s because there are 9 importers from MPA which have not paid they’re taxes.

Those importers have brought about 250 movies to Indonesia from 2009-2010. Actually this problem became serious because those importers didn’t pay their debts which are about Rp 30 Billion. From those 250 movies, of course there are movies from MPA. According to MPA, just like what the representative of Theater Company 21 has said, they have paid all the taxes. Indonesia’s government then decided to make a new act for those importers and MPA that according to the government is made to protect the industry. The new act is saying that importers have to add the royalties from the movies to the taxes they have to pay. This act has made MPA stopped their distribution to Indonesia and asked for another negotiation for the best solution for everyone. While they’re negotiating, MPA has decided to suspend their distribution. “Until there is a deal, all of the movies will be suspended,” said Frank Whitteman, Vice President of MPA for South East Asia.

With no more Hollywood movies, it will be a huge mistake by the government. The impact is not only for the movie lovers in Indonesia but also to the industry itself. Theaters industry in Indonesia is depend to audiences. Remember, audiences are not food customers. Food customers, if they can’t eat a hamburger they will have sandwich. It’s a different case with audiences, if they can’t watch the sequel of Harry Potter this year, they won’t watch Pocong film sequel for example. If the audiences of Harry potter chose to stay at home instead of going to theaters for Pocong movie, the income from the last year Harry Potter movie will be gone. Maybe other audiences will be still watching Pocong movie, but still the income is not as bigger as Harry Potter’s income. We all know that Harry Potter has a huge fan base and compare to that, Pocong has nothing. When the company fell on a great loss, they have to fire lots of employers. Finally, if the theaters company bankrupt, there are no more theaters for our Pocong movies. So, the bigger impact will be affecting the industry.

Another effect of this controversy is DVD piracy. We all know that piracies in Indonesia are getting worst. Government kept saying that we have to fight back piracy. Those campaigns made by the government are saying that. But as we seen here, the efforts are useless if the way they act is supporting piracy. When people cannot watch the movies they wanted to watch like Harry Potter or Twilight then they will choose those pirated DVDs.

The other effect of this problem is that it will be affecting the local movies. Perhaps it helps the local movies to be on the theaters without having a competition with Hollywood movies, but there will be no references for the local film makers to make good movies. We all know that Hollywood is the best reference because movies from Hollywood are great in almost every aspect, the story, the film making and certainly the actors. Cut Mini, an actress, said “We go to the theaters to watch local or Hollywood movies, now we have no more choices.” It will be boring I guess.

 The government should consider this matter in order to save the industry. The Minister of Cultures and Tourism, Jero Wacik, had promised that the problems will be solved before March 30^th or before the “Day of National Film”. But until now, we don’t see any deals between MPA and Indonesia’s government.