Mountain Views News          Saturday, April 25, 2015

11

ARTS & ENTERTAINMENT

Mountain Views-News Saturday, April 25, 2015 

Jeff’s Book Picks By Jeff Brown

SEAN’S SHAMELESS REVIEWS: 

PASSION PIT – ‘KINDRED’


HEADSTRONG: 52 WOMEN WHO CHANGED 
SCIENCE AND THE WORLD by Rachel Swaby
Fifty-two inspiring 
and insightful 
profiles of history’s 
brightest female 
scientists. In 2013, 
the New York 
Times published an 
obituary for Yvonne 
Brill. It began: “She 
made a mean beef 
stroganoff, followed 
her husband from 
job to job, and took 
eight years off from 
work to raise three 
children.” It wasn’t 
until the second 
paragraph that 
readers discovered 
why the Times had 
devoted several hundred words to her life: Brill was 
a brilliant rocket scientist who invented a propulsion 
system to keep communications satellites in orbit, 
and had recently been awarded the National Medal 
of Technology and Innovation. Among the questions 
the obituary—and consequent outcry—prompted 
were, Who are the role models for today’s female 
scientists, and where can we find the stories that 
cast them in their true light? Headstrong delivers a 
powerful, global, and engaging response. Covering 
Nobel Prize winners and major innovators, as well 
as lesser-known but hugely significant scientists 
who influence our every day, Rachel Swaby’s vibrant 
profiles span centuries of courageous thinkers and 
illustrate how each one’s ideas developed, from 
their first moment of scientific engagement through 
the research and discovery for which they’re best 
known. This fascinating tour reveals these 52 women 
at their best—while encouraging and inspiring a 
new generation of girls to put on their lab coats
HISSING COUSINS: THE UNTOLD STORY OF 
ELEANOR ROOSEVELT AND ALICE ROOSEVELT 
LONGWORTH by Marc Peyser & Timothy Dwyer
A lively and provocative double biography of first 
cousins Eleanor Roosevelt and Alice Roosevelt 
Longworth, two extraordinary women whose tangled 
lives provide a sweeping look at the twentieth century. 
When Theodore Roosevelt became president in 
1901, his beautiful and flamboyant daughter was 
transformed into “Princess Alice,” arguably the 
century’s first global celebrity. Thirty-two years later, 
her first cousin Eleanor moved into the White House as 
First Lady. Born eight months and twenty blocks apart 
from each other in New York City, Eleanor and Alice 
spent a large part of their childhoods together and were 
far more alike than most historians acknowledge. But 
their politics and temperaments couldn’t have been 
more distinct. Do-gooder Eleanor was committed 
to social justice but hated the limelight; acid-
tongued Alice, who became the wife of philandering 
Republican congressman Nicholas Longworth, was 
an opponent of big government who gained notoriety 
for her cutting remarks (she famously quipped that 
dour President Coolidge “looked like he was weaned 
on a pickle”). While Eleanor revolutionized the role 
of First Lady with her outspoken passion for human 
rights, Alice made the most of her insider connections 
to influence politics, including doing as much to defeat 
the League of Nations as anyone in elective office.The 
cousins themselves liked to play up their oil-and-water 
relationship. “When I think of Frank and Eleanor in the 
White House I could grind my teeth to powder and blow 
them out my nose,” Alice once said. In the 1930s they 
even wrote opposing syndicated newspaper columns 
and embarked on competing nationwide speaking 
tours. Blood may be 
thicker than water, 
but when the family 
business is politics, 
winning trumps 
everything.Vivid, 
intimate, and stylishly 
written, Hissing 
Cousins finally sets 
this relationship 
center stage, revealing 
the contentious bond 
between two political 
trailblazers who short-
circuited the rules of 
gender and power, 
each in her own way.

By Sean Kayden

Passion Pit’s long awaited 
third LP, ‘Kindred,’ is 
exceptional on many 
levels. It’s the more 
optimistic counterpart to 
2012’s sophomore release, 
‘Gossamer’. The previous record covered a more 
synthpop frantic vibrancy, but explored much darker 
lyrics than ever before for the late twenty year old 
musician. While Michael Angelakos, the mastermind 
behind Passion Pit, still travels down his not-so-
halcyon days on occasion here, the overall theme 
feels much less about his own personal plight. In fact, 
it’s more of a reflective album with the pursuit of 
happiness in its sight. Angelakos has always taken his 
personal experiences and inject them into bubbly- pop 
music. In 2012, he spoke candidly about depression, 
suicide, and substance abuse. The sounds he creates as 
a backdrop acts as mask for his lyrics, which get into 
heavy subject matters. However, sometimes he pens 
ambiguous lyrics for the listener, but you know they 
are extremely close to home. Nonetheless, ‘Kindred’ is 
blissfully intoxicating. ‘Gossamer’ may be considered 
Angelakos opus, while being grander, ambitious, 
and simply put, sadder. ‘Kindred’ is a toned down 
version than previous efforts, but in 2015, it’s kind of 
refreshing. While other acts try to mimic Passion Pit’s 
past success, the former leader of snyth-pop shows he 
has new tricks up his sleeves. 

 “Lifted Up (1985)” is directly about Angelakos’ 
wife. He’s been very open about his bi-polar disorder 
and living through all the turmoil it has brought to his 
relationship. However, as he poured out everything 
he had on the last record, this time around he’s 
apologetic. The same notion follows suit with “Whole 
Life Story.” “Sorry darling, how could you forgive 
me when our life’s some story out for them to buy?” 
is emotionally sung by Angelakos in front of a wildly 
electro-pop soundscape. “Where The Sky Hangs” 
brings a slower tempo to the forefront. Angelakos’ 
angelic vocals have always been a strong selling 
point for the band and he’s still at the top of his game 
here with ‘Kindred.’ The sentimental mania, slick 
productions, and intrinsically likeability to each and 
every song is outstanding to the say the least. “Five 
Foot Ten (I)” is one of the more chaotic tunes off the 
album, but there’s a deep heartbeat underneath it all. 
The saccharine melodies never come up too sugary or 
syrupy, however just the perfect amount of infectious 
sweetness. “Dancing on the Grave” paints a delicate 
portrait of pensive inclinations. It’s a low-beat track 
off the record, but in return may very well be the most 
poignant. 

 “Until We Can’t (Lets Go)” is Passion Pit’s new 
anthem. This will be the song to remember off 
‘Kindred’. It’s unabashedly fun, but digs deeper 
looking for a better future. “My Brother Taught Me 
How To Swim” is utterly therapeutic in nature. There’s 
just something so peaceful within Angelakos’ honeyed 
vocals. The candy-colored works of ‘Kindred” are 
delightful and addicting as hell. The closer “Ten Feet 
Tall (II)” extends on the other track with the same 
name, but Angelakos vocals are auto-tuned heavily 
in some areas giving off a distorted delivery. It feels 
like a rushed song and utterly filler (perhaps to make 
the album full-length suitable at 10 tracks). Other 
than that somewhat misguided attempt, ‘Kindred’ is 
completely spectacular. Let’s not forget, Passion Pit’s 
debut ‘Manners’ was a thing of absolute beauty. With 
‘Kindred’, Angelakos features sprightly melodies and 
sparking vocals. He may be older, he may be wiser, but 
he’s clinging onto the idea eternal youth and frankly, 
who isn’t in this day and age? 

 Grade: 8.5 out of 10

Key Tracks: “Lifted Up (1985),” “Whole Life Story,” 
“All I Want,” “Five Foot Ten (I),


PASSION PIT – ‘KINDRED’

Artist: Passion Pit

Album: Kindred

Label: Columbia

Release Date: April 21st, 2015


FOOD & DRINK

BUSINESS NEWS & TRENDS

FAMILY MATTERS By Marc Garlett

Many of you remember Fess Parker as the actor who played Davy Crocket King of the wild Frontier 
and Daniel Boone of the TV series in the 60’s , In fact 1954, Walt Disney personally signed Fess 
Parker to a contract. His fame and fortune set up his second career as real estate developer. Fess 
Parker died in 2010 but left his mark in the hospitality arena in Santa Barbara. 

Parker built his first resort hotel in Santa Barbara in 1986. Fess Parker’s Double Tree Resort. I’ve 
stayed there a few times it has the prefect view of the Pacific Ocean.

In 1987, Parker purchased a 714 acre ranch thirty 
five miles north of Santa Barbara, in the Santa 
Ynez Valley, where he set up Fess Parker’s Winery 
& Vineyard. Still operated by family members to this day. The winery produces many award winning 
wines many that have received 90+ ratings, a true American success story you bet! Many of you know 
that I have a radio show that airs live from Santa Barbara every Thursday and I have been introduced 
to many wines from the Santa Barbara area 
and I can say that the 2014 Fess Parker 
Chardonnay is a true representation of the 
emerging wine industry. The Chardonnay is 
crisp, aromas of citrus, a touch of honey and 
for you “oak fans”, you’ll love the fact that is 
has been 100% barrel aged and fermented 
in new French and Hungarian oak. . On 
the palate, great texture with subtle tannins, 
with a refreshing acidity a true balance 
making this Chardonnay a great food 
friendly wine. The price is right at less 
then $15. I paired it up recently with my 
signature home made crab cakes and what a 
great combination.


TABLE FOR TWO by Peter Dills

thechefknows@yahoo.com


5 THINGS TO CONSIDER BEFORE 

NAMING BENEFICIARIES

Once you have decided whom you want to 
receive your assets -- either from a will, trust, life 
insurance policy, retirement account, or bank 
account -- understanding how they will inherit 
becomes important.

 Here are five things you need to consider before 
naming beneficiaries:

1. Beneficiaries of a will have to wait. Any assets 
you bequeath to a beneficiary via a traditional 
will have to wait for their money or property until 
the probate process has been completed. In some 
cases, this can take many months or even years 
-- and if the estate is complex, the legal fees can 
deplete that inheritance. If you want to make it 
easier for your beneficiaries, consider creating a 
Revocable Living Trust as part of your estate plan. 
A trust does not go through probate; upon your 
death, the successor trustee distributes the assets 
to your beneficiaries.

2. Retirement plan and life insurance policy 
benefits are paid directly. The assets in a life 
insurance policy or retirement plan are not subject 
to probate and pass to your (adult) beneficiaries 
directly. These beneficiaries will receive the assets 
after providing the account owner’s proof of 
death and a proof of identity for the beneficiary. 
Naming contingent beneficiaries is important; 
if the primary beneficiary predeceases you, the 
assets will likely go into your estate and will be 
subject to taxes.

3. Minor children should not inherit directly. 
Naming a minor child as the beneficiary of a 
life insurance policy or other assets is never 
recommended. Because minor children cannot 
receive assets directly, the state could take over 
the assets and name someone to manage those 
assets on the child’s behalf. This can result in 
additional expenses that eat into that inheritance, 
and those assets may not be managed according to 
your wishes. Instead, the wise move is to create a 
trust to hold these assets for the benefit of a minor 
child and name a successor trustee to oversee the 
management and distribution of the funds in a 
way that complies with your wishes.

4. Give careful consideration to naming 
retirement plan beneficiaries. Studies have shown 
that most beneficiaries of a retirement plan take 
the cash immediately, which may not be your 
intention. Naming your estate as beneficiary of 
a retirement plan is also not recommended since 
doing so would not allow your spouse or younger 
beneficiary to take advantage of an IRA rollover 
or the “stretch” IRA option that could allow your 
IRA to grow tax-deferred over many years. 

5. If there are multiple beneficiaries, name them 
all. If there are multiple beneficiaries for an 
insurance policy or retirement plan, don’t make 
the mistake of just naming one person -- say, 
the oldest child -- and assuming they will make 
the proper distributions. Instead, designate a 
separate share for each beneficiary. If one of your 
beneficiaries has special needs, create a trust for 
their share so any inherited assets don’t disqualify 
them from important government benefits.

 One of the main goals of my law practice is to 
help families like yours plan for the safe, successful 
transfer of wealth to the next generation. Naming 
the correct beneficiaries, in the right way, is an 
important part of that process. Please let me know 
if you have any questions about this or if there’s 
anything else I can do to help.

 To your family’s health, wealth, and happiness,

 A local attorney, father, and CASA volunteer 
(Court Appointed Special Advocate for Children), 
Marc Garlett is on a mission to help parents 
protect what they love most. His office is located 
at 49 S. Baldwin Ave., Ste. G, Sierra Madre, CA 
91024. Schedule an appointment to sit down and 
talk about ensuring a legacy of love and financial 
security for your family by calling 626.355.4000 or 
visit www.GarlettLaw.com for more information.


Mountain Views News 80 W Sierra Madre Blvd. No. 327 Sierra Madre, Ca. 91024 Office: 626.355.2737 Fax: 626.609.3285 Email: editor@mtnviewsnews.com Website: www.mtnviewsnews.com