A deeper look at the grooves pressed into the First Light LP by The Ratchets. Anyone who has followed my contributions to this column likely already knows and understands that, while my coverage of vinyl records is very format-focused, I do not believe that the format itself deserves much discussion. Simply said, I do a lot of vinyl coverage because I like the SOUND of vinyl records – the color of the vinyl into which the music is pressed is...
A deeper look at the grooves pressed into the Constellate LP by Tensei.Over the last few years, The Flaming Lips have really come a long way from being the LSD-dipped and surrealist punk band that they were when they emerged from the wilds of Oklahoma in 1983. Since then, the hard left musical turns that they were perceived to have taken have become streamlined and the group has developed a greater sonic palette with which they’ve been able to compose...
Beastie Boys Bookby Michael Diamond and Adam Horovitz How are you going to write a Beastie Boys autobiography without Adam Yauch? That’s the first thing Adam Horovitz and Michael Diamond bring up in the Beastie Boys Book. Of course, the group was greater than the sum of its parts, but Yauch might have been the creative fuel and driving force behind the band. That’s the picture the band paints of him at least. But the story must be told, and...
J DillaDonuts(photo: turntablelab.com) I never saw the appeal in rap music after the 90s. It just seemed too bombastic and show-offy and trying to be bigger than itself to really connect with me. More style than substance, you know? That is, until I got turned onto the more indie stuff like Aesop Rock, El-P, Mos Def, and Talib Kweli. THAT’S where it was at for me. The songs just felt more grounded. More than all that rap singing about Bentleys,...
Aquaman Pity poor DC. In the superhero movie rivalry they’ve continuously been getting the short end of the stick. Sure, they’ve made some stinkers, but hasn’t Marvel as well? When you actually think about it, every superhero movie has been a success because every superhero movie has made a gazillion dollars worldwide. Marketing-wise it just seems like Marvel has won the brainwashing brand loyalty battle. They’re like Apple. We’re supposed to eagerly anticipate new product and are unable...
Sarah SilvermanA Speck of Dust I love Sarah Silverman for many reasons. I love her on talk shows, her outlook on human nature, and her comedy. But, what I love most about her is how her humor is meant to reach out to other audiences and tries to build a bridge between two groups of people who normally wouldn’t even share the same space. That’s rare nowadays. Most comedians getting attention these days are more concerned being on the right...
Ye vs Tay 7-inch skratch record by Mike C and AkikoLUV(photo: turntablelab.com) Every now and then we like to get weird on the Vinyl Vlog, and this entry most certainly is that. Let’s just back up a second and explain this. Skratch Snobs offer up vocal tracks for…well… scratching sampling. If you’re at a DJ-ing gig, cutting the tracks, supplying beats, and dropping the bass, there’s nothing like a well-known vocal track to spice up the dance floor. And what...
A deeper look at the grooves pressed into the Holger Danske LP by The Old Firm Casuals. After a solid amount of time up on blocks (the band’s debut album was released in 2014 and, while there have been a couple of splits and a couple of EPs, demands for something more substantial have gone unanswered), a recent reissue campaign renewed interest in The Old Firm Casuals (a.k.a. Singer/guitarist Lars Frederiksen’s “other” band, beyond Rancid) and so they’ve answered that...
Double DragonCollector’s Edition – Blu-Ray Let me take you back to a time when movies based on video games was the hot new idea. This was the 90s. Thinking back on it, it’s surprising that it was such a trend because it wasn’t particularly a good one. None of those movies did very well, except maybe for Mortal Kombat. Maybe they were going for name recognition alone, or something kids would drag their parents to see. Remember Street...
A deeper look at the grooves pressed into the White Stuff LP by Royal Trux. Listening to White Stuff (Royal Trux’ first album of new material since 2000’s Pound For Pound), I simply could not stop thinking about and drawing comparisons between it and Danny Boyle’s film T2 Trainspotting. In the film, all of the characters who survived the events which played out in Trainspotting have found life after heroin addiction and discovered new fascinations – be it crime, working...