Wilco frontman Jeff Tweedy is like the loner you’d meet at a party, sitting alone in the corner with a guitar and his own six-pack. He may not be very attractive or even that fun, but one could at least expect a modest, thought-provoking conversation. That’s how Tweedy delivers his songs in Wilco’s new album this year, A Ghost Is Born.

The Chicago-based alt-rock band’s 2002 release, Yankee Hotel Foxtrot, was lauded by virtually every critic and became their best-selling album to date. The album instantly became an American classic with its neo-folk songs of heartbreak, alcoholism, youth nostalgia, regret and hope enveloped by some strange yet surprisingly charming sonic textures. However, their fifth and latest album is like nothing that which has preceded it.

As the title suggests, A Ghost Is Born is a struggle between musical identity and uncertainty. In “Handshake Drugs,” the centerpiece of Ghost, lead singer/songwriter Jeff Tweedy asks, “…exactly what do you want me to be?”

Throughout the record Wilco searches for this identity with various styles, whether it be the sweet, piano-driven, Beatles-esque ballad “Hummingbird,” the boisterous punk of “I’m a Wheel,” or a return to their original alt-country roots in “The Late Greats.”

In Yankee, songs are built on a dense, surreal arrangement of textures, tape loops and synths that are equally intriguing, melodic, and engaging. On Ghost, while these unusual layers of artificial sound are still present, they are a stripped down palette of guitars, bass, drums and piano. The result is a sound that explores every musical horizon as simply as possible and sometimes comes up short.

Simply said, Wilco has taken a small step back with Ghost, and listeners may become confused and frustrated with the overall feel of the album.

Some of the tracks, like “Less Than You Think” and “Spiders,” sound like incomplete and overwrought fragments. However, many of the band’s endearing themes from previous albums resurface in Ghost.

Plus, it helps that Tweedy is so damn irresistible. With his endearing, light, rusty Midwest tenor, Tweedy expresses an interesting understatement in light of a fractured relationship on “At Least That’s What You Said” – “I thought it was cute for you kiss my purple-black eye/even though I caught it from you.”

A Ghost Is Born couldn’t have any hit songs if it tried, and it may take a number of listens to fully digest its musical and emotional complexities. Yet, it is comforting to know that a band like Wilco is trying to expand its artistic horizons instead of cashing in on the unfulfilling world of mainstream monotony. 3 stars out of 5

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If you happen to be frustrated by the lack of access to alternative forms of film in the area, Jeff Heinle has a solution for you.

Heinle, a professor in the department of communications and theatre, has set out to create an SDSU Film Society that will remedy this situation.

Heinle was inspired to start this organization based on his own college experience.

“When I was an undergrad, I belonged to a college film society and it was a great experience. I was able to come into contact with films that exposed me to different cultures, additional historical issues, various artists,” Heinle said. “I expected forums like this to be a part of every college experience; besides, many of the screenings provided plenty of laughs.”

“I really want students at SDSU to have the similar opportunity that I had to experience the incredible variety of visual culture that motion pictures offer while at college,” Heinle said.

Students are currently working on earning the Student’s Association approval for the society to become an official SDSU organization, Heinle said. He said he isn’t exactly sure when the society will become an actual club.

“It’s not an official club, but (students) are meeting to get that started,” he said.

After it gains recognition by the university, the primary goals of the film society will be to plan and exhibit film screenings, film festivals and special events, such as speakers at SDSU; as well as provide opportunities for students to travel to film festivals.

There is a great potential for the organization’s success because its objective is all-encompassing and it’s able to reach out to other organizations.

“Since film touches upon so many interests and areas of study that I would hope the film society would work with so many other student organizations,” Heinle said.

“For example, international cinema would appeal to language clubs and global studies, while documentaries might be of interest to history and political science student organizations,” he said.

In addition to screening films, other experiences provided would be the hands-on area of selecting films, organizing the promotional material for the screenings and special media events, and managing the accounts.

Heinle hopes the film society’s selections will cover all sorts of films from all over the world that are generally inaccessible in this region.

“I hope the focus of the society would be to present international cinema, documentaries, avant-garde or experimental films, animation, short films that you always hear about at the Oscars but never get to see, regional filmmakers and independent films,” Heinle said.

“Film societies usually provide an alternative media experience or put on retrospectives-of a director, genre or a national cinema, such as French films of the 1960s,” he said.

Meetings of the SDSU Film Society are held the first Monday of the month at 6 p.m. in Pugsley Hall in room 300. Their next meeting is scheduled for Oct. 4.

“Can’t Hardly Wait”, a long-forgotten teen romantic comedy of the ’90s, contains a profound quote of advice that should be embraced by all incoming freshman living in the dorms.

In a brief, but inspired performance, actor Jerry O’Connell stumbles out in a drunken stupor, mumbling a universal suggestion for all new college students can live by. “Don’t forget to wear rubber flip-flops in the shower…I’ve got warts all over my feet…”

Along with the looming bacteria ready to attack unsuspecting feet within the communal showers, incoming freshmen living in the dorms are vulnerable to some serious bumps in the road as they begin their college careers at SDSU. So who better to receive advice from but other older fellow students who somehow managed to survive the horrors of the first year?

Ryan Rubbelke, a senior who once dwelled in Waneta Hall, affirms the timeless advice give by O’Connell’s character on the army of bacteria within the showers.

“Always and I mean always, wear rubber flip-flops in the shower unless you want to itch for months,” Rubbelke says. “Without any protection you can be totally susceptible to athlete’s foot that will not go away for awhile.”

Let’s face it. When college students want to have a good time, they are usually going to do so with alcohol. Besides, what else is there to do? Although dorm policy expressly forbids alcohol consumption, freshmen will most likely cross the line at some point. But there are ways of avoiding the wrath of a snoopy RA.

“If you plan on drinking in your room, never hide your supply in the fridge,” says Evan Davis, a sophomore resident of Pierson Hall. “If some authorities do happen to come in the room and your alcohol is concealed, they only really check the fridge.”

Sophomore Cole Jungen knows the importance of a stable relationship with roomates. To prevent impending conflict, compromises should be made to accommodate everyone’s needs.

“We had some conflicts earlier on,” Jungen says. “My sleeping habits were so much different. I felt guilty, so I eventually had to change the fact that three alarm clocks going off at the same time wouldn’t wake me up.”

Though its flaws abound, no one can deny the great opportunity the dorms offer when it comes to meeting new people.

“If you leave your door open it’s very easy to make conversation with people walking by,” says sophomore Kristi Smith of Binnewies Hall. “Just make sure you don’t have a beer in your hand. The pesky RA’s are lurking.”

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