A deeper look at the grooves pressed into the Water Records vinyl reissue of the Album – Generic Flipper LP. In music, as is the case in chemistry, the most important element is the one that ultimately provides the catalyst which sets everything else in motion. In chemistry, for example, the right combination of sulfer, charcoal and saltpeter can still remain perfectly inert but, when a spark gets added to that mix, the results are explosive; the aforementioned chemical compound...
Facing Unpleasant Facts: Narrative Essays by George Orwell, George Packer I owe a debt of gratitude to George Orwell, because it’s his book that I picked up than 10 years ago that sparked my interest in reading. I don’t know why I picked 1984 but it stuck… hard. It might have been my strange attempt to learn more about history and politics but I was very proud of myself when I finished it even though I had no clue what...
Jaws Original Motion Picture Soundtrack by John Williams We can argue all night about what the best New England movies are, but for my money nothing comes close to Jaws. OK Second Sight might be a worthy contender, but the sheer terror of Jaws probably still overpowers it. Jaws is one of these movies that terrified us as kids and manages to stay with us in our deep consciousness. And for me, I also grew up on an island with...
Mike Watt Contemplating the Engine Room All artists are defined by one piece: the one thing that defines their work the best, has the most appeal, or has made the greatest impact. Few bands are lucky enough to have their One Work actually be good. But “luck” isn’t something that comes to mind when thinking of Mike Watt. Contemplating the Engine Room is Mike Watt’s One Work. The man has had an incredible history and is beloved by many. He’s...
Batman Returns Original Motion Picture Soundtrack by Danny Elfman The Batman movies are more than great movies (for the most part). They’re a window into our soul. Let me explain. Picking your favorite Batman is like picking your favorite late night talk show host. There’s always been one we enjoy the most or can relate to the most and our choices are can tell us a lot about ourselves. The (arguably) five different Batmans are: Adam West, Michael Keaton, Val...
Blade Runner 2049 Is sci-fi making a comeback? It sure seems like it. Or at least it seems like it’s becoming more mainstream. This year alone saw the return of Star Trek, a comedy spinoff series, the success of Black Mirror and the Handmaid’s Tale (sure, that’s more speculative fiction) and even the high profile movie Valerian (which did bomb, rightfully). Whatever is causing this new interest in sci-fi is still uncertain (perhaps it’s the feeling that...
A deeper look at the grooves pressed into the “Flesh & Bone” 7” single by Dan Rico. On first play through Dan Rico’s “Flesh & Bone” 7” single, many listeners will likely be struck and dazzled by what they hear. They’ll be excited by the tone and tenor of both “Flesh & Bone” and its B-side, “Gold Volvo,” because both tracks sound tightly and classically composed, in the finest tradition of the best power pop records. That is indeed a...
A deeper look at the grooves pressed into the Stuyedeyed/Birds split 7” single, released on Greenway Records. It’s always kind of incredible how great a gamble a split 7” single release can be for the artists involved. Over the years, lots of bands have made great ones, yes, but there have been an equal or greater number of weak or soft efforts which feel lopsided because either one band or one song is far superior to the other. It’s a...
Dead Cross – Self-titled You know, I’m big enough of a person to admit that it took me a while to realize what a cool dude Mike Patton is. I remember listening to the Irony is a Dead Scene EP years ago, appreciating the great music and vocals and not realizing that it was Patton’s contribution that really was making that release stand out. Fast forward more than a decade, and I’m absorbing Faith No More’s Sol Invictus and the...
A deeper look at the grooves pressed into the Self-Contained LP by The Containers. Having grown up and come of age in the Eighties and Nineties (here to fore known as the golden age of tape trading and indie rock), I confess with a little embarrassment and chagrin that I had never heard of The Containers prior to Manufactured Recordings’ vinyl reissue of Self-Contained arriving on my desk, and I have to say that I have no idea how such...