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Project: Terror!

Terror struck the University campus Monday when seven disgruntled factory workers revealed they had mixed near-lethal doses of sodium cyanide into the supply of Cargill Inc., the world’s largest marketer of salt products. Despite UV radiation, dipstick analysis and a network of inspection points along transportation routes, Homeland Security failed to secure the breach until the damage had already been done.

R.E.M. offers ‘refreshing jolt’ on CD

For those diehards who suffered through “Around the Sun” (I paid upwards of $40 for the deluxe edition), “Accelerate” is a refreshing jolt of life as well as a huge relief.

Whew. R.E.M. doesn’t suck – they’re actually still really good.

Indeed, R.E.M.’s 14th studio album is everything its 13th was not – where the latter was soft, slow and sedated, the former is loud, fast and angry.

Throwback Throwdown

MurmurStandouts: “Radio Free Europe,” “Talk About the Passion” Deep cuts: “Sitting Still,” “Perfect Circle” Verdict: Half jangle-pop and half post-punk, R.E.M.’s debut LP pushes Buck’s chiming guitars and Mills’ moody bass to center stage. Stipe’s eerily distant vocals form the record’s backdrop, and the result is enigmatic, captivating and wholly new.

Atypical grade system makes Univ. lonely

Faculty and administration say plus/minus grading is partly about keeping up with the Joneses, but the University’s system puts Bulldogs in lonely company. “You have to have a good reason for being in the distinct minority,” said Jere Morehead, vice president for instruction, in a meeting with The Red & Black.

Hooked on downloading?

Four months, one week – that’s how long I’ve been clean. After seven years of abuse, quitting was easy, yet withdrawal’s been anything but. From Napster to SoulSeek, Eve 6 to Interpol, I downloaded more than 1,000 songs – all illegally, all without consequence.

Magnolia Electric Co. revisits lupine, lunar, spectral themes

If songwriter Jason Molina were ever reincarnated as an animal, he’d most certainly be a wolf.

That is, a lost and lonesome wolf howling at a ghostly moon shining through the black of night.

Anyone who’s ever listened to Molina’s music, first under the solo-driven moniker Songs: Ohia and now with the hard-rocking men of Magnolia Electric Co.

Blonde Redhead keeps its tunes ‘all in the family’

When experimental pop veterans of Blonde Redhead hit the road, everything became personal.

Every bathroom stop, every meal choice and every pointless detour could have struck a nerve, sparking a day of silence, sulking and simmering frustration.

Only when the band set foot on another stage in another town on another night – ready to rock beautifully, relentlessly and without abandon – was everything sure to cool down.

Sleek changes modernize R&B

10) Software Swaps. Our first change is one we’re hoping you won’t notice at all. Last week, we switched from Quark Express and CopyDesk to Adobe InDesign and InCopy, meaning our daily production cycle runs smoother, swifter and cleaner than ever before. You can expect fewer typos, better looking layouts and, quite frankly, more out-of-shape editors, as the new system means less running around the office and more staring at the computer screen.

Rocket Man

Last time Billy Bob Thornton starred in a “space movie,” the result was, in his own words, “a two-hour rock video.”

Thanks to independent cinema’s hottest identical twins, however, Thornton’s second time around is far from the sensational glitz of 1998′s second-best apocalyptic asteroid drama.

Lemonheads regroup, to play 40 Watt

When alt-rock poster boy Evan Dando resurrected his once beloved Lemonheads after a decade-long hiatus, he forewent all the clich�s usually associated with dysfunctional band reunions. Unlike other comebacks of late, there were no drunken, late-night phone calls, no overpriced but underwhelming retrospectives and most certainly no full-page ads in The Chicago Tribune.

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