Film review: Skyfall

Let’s face it: A James Bond movie is good for what it is, and Bond is good at what he does. Namely, he kills a lot of people, saves countries (his own and a few others), beds women, drinks vodka martinis. He allows us to escape for a couple hours. No more, no less.

Album reviews: A Fine Frenzy, Anberlin and Angel Snow

Alison Sudol, a.k.a. A Fine Frenzy, has one of the most heavenly voices in all of alternative folk rock, and she puts it to good use on her third release, Pines. A concept album about a pine tree being given a chance to create a life of its own choosing, Pines takes you on a mesmerizing musical journey.

ARTS Pick: Angel Olsen

Music critics have deemed Angel Olsen’s voice “blood-curdling” for a reason. Sliding from nearly spoken word to the theatricality of cabaret in an instant, her range makes a chilling impact on each song she records.

ARTS Pick: Rick Ross

Big man of the rap game and Maybach Music Group founder, Rick Ross (Rick Ro$$ or Ricky Rozay, to the overly-colloquial), brings a Cerberus act rounded out by fellow Maybach artists Wale and Meek Mill to town.

ARTS Pick: Lyle Lovett

One of the most consistent names in the Americana genre, Lyle Lovett hasn’t slowed down since his 1986 country debut. With 13 albums and an impressive filmography under his belt, he’s never allowed his style to grow stale.

ARTS Pick: Clowning Workshop

Working through the tides of life’s natural ups and downs can get the better of even the best of us. Some shut off, while other’s go off (see road rage, going postal, and anger management). Enter the ringmasters at Charlottesville Circus Arts, who have a funny way of looking at life’s lemons.