J DillaDonuts(photo: turntablelab.com) I never saw the appeal in rap music after the 90s. It just seemed too bombastic and show-offy and trying to be bigger than itself to really connect with me. More style than substance, you know? That is, until I got turned onto the more indie stuff like Aesop Rock, El-P, Mos Def, and Talib Kweli. THAT’S where it was at for me. The songs just felt more grounded. More than all that rap singing about Bentleys,...
Aquaman Pity poor DC. In the superhero movie rivalry they’ve continuously been getting the short end of the stick. Sure, they’ve made some stinkers, but hasn’t Marvel as well? When you actually think about it, every superhero movie has been a success because every superhero movie has made a gazillion dollars worldwide. Marketing-wise it just seems like Marvel has won the brainwashing brand loyalty battle. They’re like Apple. We’re supposed to eagerly anticipate new product and are unable...
As a music fan, you have a job to do. I know that sounds counter intuitive but hear me out. It’s not enough to listen to music and catch up on the new stuff. You gotta go back to the source as often as possible. You have to understand the lineage and the evolution and the precursors for the music that you love in the present. Sometimes it’s hard work. But that’s just how it is: music should be fun,...
Sarah SilvermanA Speck of Dust I love Sarah Silverman for many reasons. I love her on talk shows, her outlook on human nature, and her comedy. But, what I love most about her is how her humor is meant to reach out to other audiences and tries to build a bridge between two groups of people who normally wouldn’t even share the same space. That’s rare nowadays. Most comedians getting attention these days are more concerned being on the right...
Ye vs Tay 7-inch skratch record by Mike C and AkikoLUV(photo: turntablelab.com) Every now and then we like to get weird on the Vinyl Vlog, and this entry most certainly is that. Let’s just back up a second and explain this. Skratch Snobs offer up vocal tracks for…well… scratching sampling. If you’re at a DJ-ing gig, cutting the tracks, supplying beats, and dropping the bass, there’s nothing like a well-known vocal track to spice up the dance floor. And what...
A deeper look at the grooves pressed into the Holger Danske LP by The Old Firm Casuals. After a solid amount of time up on blocks (the band’s debut album was released in 2014 and, while there have been a couple of splits and a couple of EPs, demands for something more substantial have gone unanswered), a recent reissue campaign renewed interest in The Old Firm Casuals (a.k.a. Singer/guitarist Lars Frederiksen’s “other” band, beyond Rancid) and so they’ve answered that...
Double DragonCollector’s Edition – Blu-Ray Let me take you back to a time when movies based on video games was the hot new idea. This was the 90s. Thinking back on it, it’s surprising that it was such a trend because it wasn’t particularly a good one. None of those movies did very well, except maybe for Mortal Kombat. Maybe they were going for name recognition alone, or something kids would drag their parents to see. Remember Street...