Watchmen: Chapter 1 Sure, Alan Moore is controversial but he’s also right most of the time. Even the worst Alan Moore work is kind of good, when you think about it. Can you blame him for wanting to have SOME sort of ownership over his comics? He only turned against the adaptations of his work once it became obvious that they would never remain true to their source material. His books still get made into movies, and he’s...

...

How long has it been since I’ve seen Paint it Black? I feel like when I lived in Harrisburg, I saw them all the time. Is it because they used to be more active? Maybe being so Philly-adjacent facilitated the whole thing? I haven’t stopped listening to Paint it Black and my love for them is strong. If only there were a way for me to express it. Maybe the best way to do that is bringing them to town...

WHO: J. Robbins WHAT: Basilisk WHY: Basilisk might be too rock for the punk crowd and too punk for the rock crowd. It occupies that grey area. Whatever the case, this album is a crisp, rocking, polished, deep collection of songs that sound both hopefully and as cautionary tales. Basilisk is grim and serious and wears its heart on its sleeve. It’s well crafted both on the outside and the inside. Listen to it...

Star Trek Discovery Season 5 (The Final Season) I look back at the legacy of Star Trek Discovery and I am equal parts baffled and confused. There are many many many things wrong with the series and the franchise as a whole. But, what it basically comes down to is really terrible showrunning and no good ideas. Discovery was never concerned with telling its own stories, but basically throwing back to old Trek. It’s not Star Trek in the classic...

Photos by Hunter...

I love it when your love of a band is born from a chance meeting. I didn’t know having my teeth cleaned was going to lead to long-lasting love of Gwar, but as my dental hygienist was making small talk, we somehow, SOMEHOW, came to the topic of music and she highly recommended I check out Gwar. I had heard of them and always thought of them as a joke band, but the joke was on me. As I heard...

WHO: Jon Spencer WHAT: Sick of Being Sick WHY: Maybe Spencer’s last two solo albums have lacked a little oomph, but Sick of Being Sick hopefully is a course correction. Maybe that’s a bit extreme, but in just 8 songs, this EP delivers the raw energy, weirdness, and catchy hooks that made us all fall in love with Spencer in the first place. It’s a shame it’s so short, because even with another 10 minutes of filler, Sick of Being...

OSEES have no right being as good as they are. They’re simply remarkable. They put out an album a year (sometimes more). There are certainly hits and misses among them, but I’d gladly play the “worst” OSEES album instead of 99% of music that gets put out nowadays. They have done nothing but gain momentum over the years and still (STILL!) show no signs of stopping. They are doing it for themselves and don’t care who comes along. They’re even...

...