We may pretend we prefer the starving artist, a real Kurt Cobain type, brooding and writing raw emotional lyrics; but, there are plenty of terrific covers that challenge the originals in both quality and popularity. The most famous covers that come to mind are Johnny Cash’s versions of “Personal Jesus,” originally by Depeche Mode, and “Hurt” by Nine Inch Nails. Cash’s cover of “Hurt” possibly being the most iconic of all time.

The Computer Accent follows the dance-pop band YACHT as they embark to create their seventh studio album. The kicker? The members hand over the creative process to artificial intelligence, as to better understand their musical style, interests, and along the way, gain a further sense of self-discovery. To achieve this, YACHT enlists the help of technologists, AI scientists, groundbreaking machines, data analysis programs, gadgets, and a plethora of other scientific mumbo jumbo to create the first musical collaboration between mankind and robot.

“Devil Trigger” is the battle theme for one of the game’s three protagonists Nero. “Devil Trigger” stands in stark contrast to the series norm with a sound that can almost be described as EDM. The song has an explosive, energetic attitude to it that matches the chaotic action associated with Nero’s fighting style. The female vocalist gives the piece an overall pop feel; however, under the surface, a solid hard rock base accompanied with hard rock backup vocals is reminiscent of songs from earlier games in the franchise. 

In the documentary Like a Rolling Stone: The Life and Times of Ben Fong-Torres, Fong-Torres recounts the feeling of flipping through the jukebox at his father’s restaurant stating, “Inside jukeboxes, there was no segregation…Rock and Roll was an equalizer.” Music gave voice to the disenfranchised as a form of protest. These principles of rock and roll shaped Fong-Torres’s writing sensibilities, making him a rockstar journalist within the music industry.

The mainstream press was quick to celebrate the concert and Ellington’s legacy, but danced around the merits of “Black, Brown, and Beige” itself. Praising the piece for being jazz’s longest-running tone painting, Time magazine concluded nonetheless that the composition “often seemed too ambitious. Likewise, the New York Times, while admitting “Black, Brown, and Beige” had “many exciting passages," stated that it was the shorter dance numbers where Ellington, as a bandleader, "seemed most himself."

This is not to say artists shouldn’t be criticized and that the origin of a piece of art doesn’t matter, but rather that authorial intent doesn’t necessarily define a piece of art in and of itself. The meaning one takes away from art is extremely personal and has much more say in how it affects the real world than how it was made. This all ultimately trails back to the classic bout between high and low culture – a conflict that  often boils down to a battle over cultural capital.

Its subject matter is endlessly fascinating, and the interviews Clem captures are special relics of musical history. The stories provided are engrossing. Clem has a clear adoration for the subject and his passion transcends the screen.  The biggest issue with How They Got Over is simply that Clem’s scope is far too ambitious for such a short runtime. In covering everything, nothing feels particularly significant.

Jamie Smith is a Pacific Northwest-based photographer and documentary filmmaker. She has been working with local artists, nonprofits, and community organizers to help them share their stories and connect with their communities since 2017. As a music photographer, Smith has covered national touring artists, including the Polyrhythmics, Allen Stone, and ZZ Ward, as well as local favorites like Kim Archer and the Thunderpussies.

Producing a virtual event is standard fare for many large, medium and small corporate marketing teams, but big, consumer events had yet to realize virtual success until well into the pandemic era. Moment House produced a virtual Justin Bieber show from a hotel in Beverly Hills on New Year’s Eve, and stand-up comedians like Kevin Fredericks are hosting larger audiences than ever virtually. But a virtual festival? Is that even possible? Popular film festival SXSW went virtual this year and mega-media company OZY just wrapped its annual OZY Fest.

The Sparks Brothers is as entertaining as it is informative, and music lovers should leave the film both appreciating the Maels’ contributions to pop music and admiring Wright’s ability to tell their story. Furthermore, the folks who – like me – came into this project unaware of the band will, no doubt, spend a few hours digging through its rather impressive back catalog. Not every movie leaves me with new downloads in my music library, but this one certainly did.