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It’s not easy making friends. At least that’s the case for me now. I think about that a lot, because I consider myself an extrovert. Maybe, I’m a total asshole and I just don’t know it? Maybe it’s because I live in Boston or because people I know keep moving...

WHO: Jon Spencer WHAT: Songs of Personal Loss and Protest WHY: With his new backing band, Jon Spencer has injected some youth and vigor into his already-explosive musical style. His first full album with this lineup has the energy and humor of the old Blues Explosion...

Boogie Nights Allow me to coin a terrible phrase. Paul Thomas Anderson is a “written-in” artist for me. Anything he does, I think, is worth watching. The opposite of course, being the “written-off” artist whose work I’ll actively avoid. Like, say, Christopher...

Nomadby Neil Gibbons, Rob Gibbons, and Steve Coogan I don’t know how exactly I became such an Alan Partridge fan. I like Steve Coogan and especially his Trip series with Rob Brydon. I guess I just had a thirst for more Coogan and Alan Partridge was a deep well to...

WHO: Jeff Tweedy WHAT: Twilight Override WHY: Can Jeff Tweedy be stopped? He’s a song-making machine. Last year he put out a fantastic collection of songs as a 3XLP (even though it “only” clocks in at 1 hour and 51 minutes, meaning it fits on TWO CDs,...

The Cramps are one of the most important American rock and roll bands of all time. No one could blend cheese and sleaze quite like they could and their influence is felt all throughout music. If some band or someone cannot appreciate the Cramps’ music to some extent,...

Star Wars: Skeleton Crew Original Soundtrack by Mick Giacchino It’s hard to know exactly when we need to pull the plug on Star Wars or completely abandon it. I used to be a fan of the franchise, but somehow, re-watching in my old age (30s), it failed to connect with...

“Wuthering Heights” I don’t think anyone was asking for this movie, but we got it. I guess some people were excited, but the “Wuthering Heights” marketing team DEFINITELY insisted we wanted this movie. “This is it!” they told us. “The greatest...

WHO: Brook Pridemore WHAT: Only I Can Prevent Forest Fires WHY: We’ve been singing Brook Pridemore’s praises for years because he’s, in our minds, the most underrated solo musician currently in the biz. His music is a pleasant mix of folk, deeply inspired by punk...

A deeper look at the grooves pressed into Butthole Surfers’ self-titled 10” EP, released on Capitol Records in 1993. When Butthole Surfers signed with Capitol Records, it really must have seemed like anything was possible. By then, the years of living in a...