The Fifth Element Original Motion Picture Soundtrack (Mondo) Eric Serra It’s going to take a lot for me not to start yammering on like Ruby Rhod when I talk about the Fifth Element. I’ve been in awe of it ever since I saw it as a kid. From the story, to the characters, to the sets, to the outfits, everything in the Fifth Element is executed at an absolutely stellar level. Surprisingly, all this has not prevented the movie...
Jerusalem by Alan Moore I should start this review by admitting that I am an Alan Moore fan and a very big one at that. So much so that I consider Watchmen, V for Vendetta, and From Hell required reading for anyone who cares about words on paper. The man has reached a certain status in my mind where, even though I don’t consider him infallible (Promethea didn’t exactly float my boat), I will go the extra mile and really...
ALL Pummel (Porterhouse Records) I think it goes without saying that in the ALL/Descendents camp, ALL will always be the more underappreciated group. It’s strange to think that, out of the two, the band that’s considered the part-time project (Descendents) will always get all the glory. Not that ALL has had a stronger musical output, mind you (though after the Descendents’ Hypercaffium Spazzinate that gap might be closing in), but the fact remains that when the cards are...
A deeper look at the grooves pressed into the Family Hangover LP by Walrus. When one considers Walrus’ debut LP, Family Hangover, the first stumbling block which comes up is where the music came from. As one listens, it quickly becomes easy to pick out little bits of ideas which were obviously originally the work of artists who initially inspired the band and, because those stylistic breadcrumbs are so easy to spot, one will quickly begin to wonder just how...
The Holy Mountain Blu-ray (Abkco) Writer and director Alejandro Jodorowsky’s work truly defies categorization. They are graphic, religious, symbolic, but more than anything else, seek the truth. In that sense they can’t really be brushed off as the work of a mad man. Although one wonders what’s roaming around in Jodorowsky’s head. We’ve covered El Topo already on this site, and as strange as that movie may seem, compared to it the Holy Mountain seems absolutely batshit crazy....
Mastodon Emperor of Sand There’s a reason why Mastodon is currently one of the biggest metal bands that still matters. They don’t pack in stadiums, I know, but they’re not playing tiny venues either. They’re big enough to play all the late night shows (I’ve seen them on Letterman, Kimmel, and Fallon), and even occasionally do the oddball appearance (remember when they were on the Human Giant show?). Also, they have a sense of humor about themselves. These are...
A deeper look at the grooves pressed into the Vine LP by Jen Gloeckner. Anyone who has ever gone to therapy knows that it can take years to accurately qualify, articulate and compartmentalize feelings like anger, resentment, isolation, love, affection, confusion and emotional unease and then begin to deal with them in a healthy manner. It’s all a process and, in that regard, Jen Gloeckner has arrived miles ahead of the game on her third album, Vine; after having slugged...
Letterman: The Last Giant of Late Night by Jason Zinoman If you’re a fan of comedy you’re going to have to answer the following question at some point: are you a Leno or Letterman person. I’ve always been a Letterman guy, even when I was unaware of the whole Late Night battle. In high school, we just didn’t talk about the Leno segments in class (and no, we weren’t paying attention to the teacher), but focused mostly on what Letterman...
A deeper look at the grooves pressed into the Life’s A Garden LP by Worthless. The beauty of psychedelic rock in its purest state is that the music is about art and expression first, and then everything else (be it community, statement-making, even simple performance presentation) comes second. That can mean a psychedelic rock album takes an unwieldy form (check out The Flaming Lips’ album Zaireeka – which requires that four CD players play a different disc simultaneously – for...
El Topo Blu-ray (Abkco) If you haven’t seen the movie Jodorowsky’s Dune I highly recommend you stop what you’re doing and watch it immediately. Through the course of an hour and a half you will take this extravagant journey into probably the most ambitious movie ever attempted and into the mind of Alejandro Jodorowsky. To say that he comes across as eccentric might be an understatement, and it’s highly probable that you’ll leave the movie feeling inclined to learn...