WHO: NOT WHAT: Stop the World WHY: I did not think Stop the World would make such an impact on me, mostly because I didn’t think I could ever get used to the vocals. I still don’t think I like the vocals, but Stop the World sounds like a love letter to ALL; every...
Joe Strummer and the Mescaleros|Streetcore 20th Anniversary RSD Edition What an absolute bummer this album is. No, seriously. I mean it in a good way. Of all the Clash members maybe the best solo work came from Joe Strummer. That’s maybe not surprising. What IS...
Star Trek: Strange New WorldsSeason 2 Star Trek, what am I supposed to do with you? Should I just give up on you altogether? Is there anyone on your production team that knows what they’re doing? Strange New Worlds was supposed to be the saving grace of the show....
WHO: Kurt Vile WHAT: Back to Moon Beach WHY: Look, you’re not fooling me by calling this an EP, OK? Anything with either 10 songs or more, or longer than 25 minutes is an LP. This thing clocks in at 52 minutes, so KV, you gave us a new album last year, even if some...
Water From Your EyesEveryone’s Crushed This album had everything going against it: the weird name, the weird cover, the weird sound, and the weird categorization. The first two I’ll chalk up to myself and being a philistine. Yes, I think the name is weird but...
There are a number of poets who use humor in their work. Some, like Ogden Nash, strive for it. For others, it just seems to come naturally. Derrick Brown is a naturally funny poet. While many of his best known poems are quite tender, a Derrick Brown show is guaranteed...
WHO: Paint it Black WHAT: Famine WHY: Did YOU know Paint it Black was going to release new music? I didn’t. They said that no good hardcore band has released more than 3 good albums, which is why the band’s last full length was released in 2008, but Famine with its...
Bob Dylan The Bootleg Series Vol. 17: Fragments — Time Out of Mind Sessions (1996-1997) 4LP Box Set Bob Dylan cannot be stopped and will not stop. And really, why should he? He has been making relevant music for 60 years now and has successfully made several...
Shuna’s Journey by Hayao Miyazaki Look, I love Miyazaki, OK? Who doesn’t? I know he’s as “basic” as they get for anime exposure, but if he’s what people default to, God bless ‘em. Anything he does is miles above any movie in creativity. Also, the man...
Pearl Jam Give Way Record Store Day Exclusive Everything critical that can be said about Pearl Jam has already been said. What’s left now are just end stories and personal experiences. The validity of “grunge” as a music genre can be debated (and it should be...