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Butthole Surfers – After The Astronaut LP – “Mexico” A deeper look at the grooves pressed into Butthole Surfers’ After The Astronaut LP. I confess that, when a vinyl copy of Butthole Surfers’ After The Astronaut arrived on my desk, I was thrilled – but I held off on reviewing it right away. I figured, “Why rush? I already reviewed the album once years ago ,...

Ahoy-hoy! It’s that time of year again. If you’re in New England, this Summer hasn’t been so bad. It’s been a great one actually: good weather, good shows, good vibes all around. If you got a job this summer, I’m glad it’s over. If you took classes, I’m glad that’s over too. You have to start new classes now. If you were in camp, then I’m sorry but it’s time to get back to the real world. But fear not,...

WHO: Toadies WHAT: The Charmer WHY: I can’t believe it myself. I saw them play their old hit Possum Kingdom on KEXP and that song drilled its way into my brain all over again. It turns out they have a new album, produced by Steve Albini, that was getting some pretty good reviews. Sure enough, after a couple of listens, it’s becoming one of my favorite albums of the year, especially because it sounds way too much like Shellac for...

Michael I’m a child of the 80s and back then you couldn’t help but be exposed to (and in my case, be in awe of) Michael Jackson. The man was a global superstar. To put that into context, I grew up on a rock in the middle of the ocean and even without American media, I knew his songs. Look, I wanted to hate this movie, but I just couldn’t. Is Michael a perfect movie? No. Does it have...

The Odysseyby HomerTranslated by Emily Wilson Everyone’s got Odyssey FEVER! Say what you will about Christopher Nolan, but he has a way of peaking an audience’s interest in any random historical topic: Dunkirk, Oppenheimer, and now the Odyssey. We’re all a bunch of philistines anyway, so if he’s getting us to learn about something to make us more cultured, God bless him. Turns out of Nolan cares about a topic, suddenly EVERYONE cares. The problem, of course, is that Nolan’s...

WHO: Poison Ruin WHAT: Hymn from the Hills WHY: Can sludgy metal be this catchy? Is it allowed to? Their previous EP Confrere was fine. It was pleasant but forgettable. Not forgettable enough to not give Poison Ruin another chance. I’m glad I did. Hymn from the Hills seems like a more coherent and complete work, full of hooks and, I suspect, forbidden melodies for a band of this genre. One I can’t even describe. Maybe it’s a new direction...

Speed Racer The Wachowskis aren’t one-hit wonders, but they do have a questionable success-rate. I think their movies don’t always pass the test of time. Speed Racer is an odd one, at that. It was a bomb and probably made Hollywood happy to have revoked their blank check after The Invasion: a move I had no idea existed. Still, this movie has kind of gained cult status since its failure. That’s always cooler than being a success…because test of...

1984by George Orwell 1984 is an important book. Not just because it’s a great story, brilliantly constructed, incredibly revealing of its time, and a cautionary tale (much of it became true, sadly), but also because it’s the book that taught me to read books. It’s the first “real” book I read after I wasn’t forced to read them anymore. That was way back in high school. But in my twenties, I’m not sure why (inspired by punk rock, maybe?), I...

WHO: Mariachi El Bronx WHAT: Mariachi El Bronx IV WHY: Before anyone starts crying foul, let me just remind you that the Bronx are true Angelinos who grew up with, and always appreciated, mariachi music. Even this band is made up of tried-and-true mariachi musicians. To top it all off, it could be strongly argued that the hit rate of the Mariachi El Bronx albums have been higher that the Bronx proper albums. Mariachi El Bronx IV is no different....