Joe StrummerAssembly It’s strange to think how Joe Strummer’s music is essential, considering his output isn’t exactly large. Or maybe it’s just right and easy to grasp, which is what makes it easier to reckon with. As far as the Clash is concerned, that music...
A deeper look at the grooves pressed into the Skin Suit LP by The Bobby Lees. It gets said a lot, but it’s only in the moment when one actually hears the right sound at the right moment that they realize just how powerful it can be. It’s only in the right...
Kent State: Four Dead in Ohioby Derf Backderf Take a really good look at this book and know that to look into Derf Backderf’s Kent State is to look at the real potential in comics. I used to drink the cool-aid just like everyone else and thought that comics meant...
Acceptance (Southern Reach Series #3)by Jeff VanderMeer The Southern Reach series started out with quite a bang with Annihilation. It was equal parts creepy, compelling, engaging, and suspenseful. It was loaded with interesting characters trying to make sense of a...
Aesop RockSpirit World Field Guide I remember the moment that the world of Hip Hop was opened to me. Years ago, I was interviewing Dillinger Four at the Trocadero in Philadelphia, talking to their bass player about music. He said something along the lines of mainstream...
Lord of the Rings Trilogy If you’ve ever wanted an example of New Zealand’s kiwi can-do attitude look no further than the Lord of the Rings. The cultural impact these movies have had on our society has been monumental. It not only brought hobbits, elves, and...
Who Says You’re Dead? Medical and Ethical Dilemmas for the Curious & Concernedby Jacob Appel Who Says You’re Dead is the book we didn’t know we were going to love. This is such a peculiarly delightful book, mostly because it does so many things right....
A deeper look at the grooves pressed into the Head of the Household LP by Birthday Ass. I remember when I first started listening to indie rock, underground rock and other sorts of music which were a little left-of-center in nature, and it wasn’t always easy. In...
A deeper look at the grooves pressed into the Pretty Garbage LP by Come Closer. While it’s very easy for me to get excited about a new punk band that I’ve never heard before (I’ve been listening to a lot of punk, for a for a lot of years), running...
Jaws45th Anniversary 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...