Epinions Recent Reviews for jwiebe

JPod not Coupland's finest work

Mon, 16 Apr 2007 12:22:02 GMT

rating: 3/5 by: Epinions Author jwiebe - Let me preface my remarks by stating that I've always enjoyed Douglas Coupland's writing. He has a knack for telling stories about seemingly hopeless individuals and situations that have a knack for working themselves out in the end. Characters often...

Embryonic Arcade Fire

Wed, 11 Apr 2007 18:40:25 GMT

rating: 4/5 by: Epinions Author jwiebe - For the Arcade Fire, a band that has become a fixture on industry magazine covers, has opened for U2 and played Saturday Night Live, and in short has become one of the biggest independent music acts going, 2003 must seem a long time ago. Back...

Thom Yorke's solo project is only for diehards

Sat, 7 Apr 2007 14:49:25 GMT

rating: 2/5 by: Epinions Author jwiebe - Perhaps because I'm still waiting for news of the next Radiohead album (rumours have it slated for release sometime in 2007), I have been listening lately to Radiohead frontman Thom Yorke and his 2006 record The Eraser. I remember...

Electric Cafe: The un-essential Kraftwerk

Tue, 3 Apr 2007 01:50:32 GMT

rating: 3/5 by: Epinions Author jwiebe - If you take a look at some of my more recent reviews (see below), you'll see that I'm on a big Kraftwerk kick lately. Albums such as Radio-Activity and Computer World still appeal to me and seem likely to remain a playlist fixture for...

Funeral is a masterful debut

Fri, 30 Mar 2007 13:22:08 GMT

rating: 5/5 by: Epinions Author jwiebe - I often connect a particular record or song with a particular time in my life. Mostly because, if I like a new album, I tend to listen to it and little else until something else comes along that I like just as well. So for me, Funeral, the...

Hello, Goodbye

Wed, 28 Mar 2007 16:50:34 GMT

rating: 4/5 by: Epinions Author jwiebe - I apologize in the advance for the title, but I was trying to avoid some of the more painful puns and references on the word "Goodbye" The Junior Boys burst onto the scene in 2004 with the release of their debut album, Last Exit...

Kraftwerk dissects our Computer World

Tue, 27 Mar 2007 15:54:03 GMT

rating: 5/5 by: Epinions Author jwiebe - Almost every review of a Kraftwerk album, and of Computer World in particular seems to begin by explaining how influential the band has been in pioneering the field of techno or electronic music. This is undeniably the case. But too great a...

Clean, comfortable place to stay in Grand Forks

Mon, 26 Mar 2007 20:29:38 GMT

rating: 4/5 by: Epinions Author jwiebe - Grand Forks, North Dakota, is hardly the first place that comes to mind as a desirable tourist destination. It is a prairie university town of about 50,000, along the North Dakota-Minnesota border. But its proximity to Winnipeg, Manitoba (2.5 hours)...

Neon Bible's success well-deserved

Fri, 23 Mar 2007 17:24:56 GMT

rating: 4/5 by: Epinions Author jwiebe - The release of Arcade Fire's Neon Bible was one of the largest independent releases in the last year. The hype surrounding the album has been well-documented, and was especially notable on music blogs and websites, while the buzz also managed to...

Elegant in its simplicity

Wed, 21 Mar 2007 16:29:05 GMT

rating: 4/5 by: Epinions Author jwiebe - It is not often that I write a review for a product that is over 30 years old. That I am bothering to write a review for Kraftwerk's 1975 full-length release Radio-Activity is testament to the fact that, to me, this album is still relevant...

Wear your support, for a price

Tue, 4 Apr 2006 19:26:52 GMT

rating: 4/5 by: Epinions Author jwiebe - Let me be completely honest. I haven't the first idea how one should go about reviewing a football jersey (soccer, if you prefer). I've been searching for some of the for famous sides, like Manchester United, and Real Madrid, but it seems nobody else...

Travel guide for the somewhat uninspired

Sun, 2 Apr 2006 23:41:37 GMT

rating: 3/5 by: Epinions Author jwiebe - There are many approaches to travel writing. There are countless guides that bombard the reader with endless minutiae regarding which museums to see, which places to stay, which foods to eat, and what air to breathe, essentially, in every stop. Others...

I'm pickin' up good hydration

Wed, 15 Mar 2006 19:32:34 GMT

rating: 4/5 by: Epinions Author jwiebe - My experience with the MSR Hydromedary System is likely quite a bit different from most people who go out and buy one themselves. To begin with, I didn't go out and buy one myself. Instead, I received it as a Christmas gift, which happened to arrive...

The Juice: Compact and convenient

Fri, 3 Mar 2006 19:27:37 GMT

rating: 4/5 by: Epinions Author jwiebe - Once upon a time, convinced that I was lacking in handy gadgets, I set off for my local Mountain Equipment Co-op (Canadian outfitters chain), in search of a multi-tool. I expected to buy a Swiss Army knife, or something from the Victorinox family of...

Worthwhile, cool, tough, but does it matter?

Fri, 3 Mar 2006 18:55:37 GMT

rating: 4/5 by: Epinions Author jwiebe - The Nalgene bottle is an interesting cultural phenomenon. It is designed for camping. This is the reason that Nalgenes are nearly indestructible. Among my friends and acquaintances, almost all own one or more Nalgenes. Is this because they are all...

A Thank You from Sigur Ros

Fri, 28 Oct 2005 13:09:19 GMT

rating: 4/5 by: Epinions Author jwiebe - Sigur Ros is one of those bands where "who they are" has always been inextricably linked with "where they are from". The Icelantic troupe's music seems to evoke images of a cold landscape, coastlines scarred by craggy fjords, and icy North Atlantic...

Gmail: Google's Gmail: beyond the hype

Fri, 5 Nov 2004 13:16:01 GMT

rating: 4/5 by: Epinions Author jwiebe - Ever since Gmail was launched, at least in "beta", in early 2004, there has been a lot of hype surrounding the email service. Much of this hype can be attributed to the company behind it: Google is one of the darlings of the stock market and of the...

Growing Pains of adolescence (write-off submission)

Mon, 1 Nov 2004 12:53:22 GMT

rating: 5/5 by: Epinions Author jwiebe - RESURRECTING THE OLDIES WRITE-OFF: This is my submission for the "Resurrecting the oldies" write-off, hosted by msmorvay, who's profile page, listed below, contains more information. http://w
ww.epinions.com/user-msmorvay
...

A Grand Place to visit

Tue, 26 Oct 2004 15:16:41 GMT

rating: 4/5 by: Epinions Author jwiebe - I am a student on hiatus, living in the Netherlands for 1 year. I recently visited Brussels for three and a half days, and I would like to share some of my experiences and impressions. Let me preface my remarks by saying that I am a budget traveler,...

Netherlands by bike: an excellent option for the budget traveler

Tue, 26 Oct 2004 10:29:22 GMT

rating: 5/5 by: Epinions Author jwiebe - The Netherlands is a beautiful country. Amsterdam is an amazingly vibrant city and a great place to party. Unfortunately, many visitors to the country focus far too much on the latter with the result that they miss out on the lovely countryside and the...

The Soft Bulletin that hits hard

Mon, 27 Sep 2004 17:59:01 GMT

rating: 5/5 by: Epinions Author jwiebe - By now, I'm sure you've heard of the Flaming Lips. If not, then you've likely seen them gracing MTV with a gaggle of people in rabbit suits, or you've heard their hit song Do You Realize in commercials for Gateway or Mitsubishi. The point is,...

Let's Go: A Big Picture Travel Guide

Mon, 27 Sep 2004 12:33:21 GMT

rating: 4/5 by: Epinions Author jwiebe - The travel guide is one of the best friend's a backpacker can have. There are many such guides for various parts of the world, and there are three many producers of same: the Rough Guide books, the Lonely Planet books, and Let's Go...

Com Lag: a non-linear review

Thu, 23 Sep 2004 16:09:41 GMT

rating: 4/5 by: Epinions Author jwiebe - Let me start by giving a disclaimer. I love Radiohead. I'm a relatively recent convert, having found the backdoor to Radiohead fandom from electronic music to some of their more recent releases like Hail, Amnesiac and Kid A. I was...

Meeting people may be easy; being Radiohead isn't

Tue, 21 Sep 2004 16:02:37 GMT

rating: 4/5 by: Epinions Author jwiebe - The film Meeting People Is Easy (a film about radiohead), by Grant Gee, is not your typical music DVD. It is not a live concert DVD, though the viewer does get to see many aspects of some of the live shows Radiohead gave on the tour following the...

Rough Guide a good companion

Mon, 20 Sep 2004 15:32:18 GMT

rating: 4/5 by: Epinions Author jwiebe - Allow me to preface my remarks by stating that I am a Canadian who has been living in the Netherlands for the past 7 weeks and will be staying in the country for a total of one year. Thus, my approach to this review of The Rough Guide to the...