Jack White Lazaretto The impact that Jack White is having on modern music is undeniable. From the ashes of the White Stripes, the man has managed to build a veritable empire with Third Man records and has sent out his tentacles aimed at every corner of the music beast, corporate or not. Whatever your take on him may be, the man knows how to give people what they want, and it seems to come naturally to him. ...
Adventure Time The Complete Seasons 5 and 6 Adventure Time is one of those shows I went into with a lot of hesitation. With the thorough infantilization of pop culture nowadays — Yo Gabba Gabba, the Ninja Turtles and their “comeback,” the resurrection and long-stagnant comic book hero movie, Transformers (as only children can find something worthwhile in those movies), Stranger Thing — one wonders whether adults watch these shows because they are actually good, or because they...
Popstar: Never Stop Never Stopping Like it or not, the Lonely Island are a comedic force and they’re here to stay. They’ve already proven their worth with the indie comedy masterpiece Hot Rod years ago and have been churning out the good stuff ever since. It makes perfect sense when your troupe is made up of gifted writers, an editor, a director, and a veritable comedic celebrity. It also doesn’t hurt that the Lonely Island is completely in love...
A deeper look at the grooves pressed into the Shift and Shadow 12” EP by XIXA. XIXA released its debut full-length album earlier this year (discussion of that release will be coming in the very, very near future) but, now that it’s out and it has had the chance to really establish itself with the indie rock community, some listeners will be wondering what might have come before the “grand introduction” that Bloodline represented. As it turns out, XIXA’a output...
A deeper look at the grooves pressed into the “War On Love” 7” single by Roadside Bombs. It might not be for everyone but, for me, some of the coolest things to hear are those which crosswire a few different sounds and styles which feel as though they should stand at odds with one another. A perfect example of such an unusual stylistic counterpoint can be found on Roadside Bombs’ new single, War On Love; pressed on “super” cyan blue...
Thee Oh Sees Drop Our Thee Oh Sees coverage ends with a special entry. I remember when I heard that Thee Oh Sees were breaking up. An incredible workhorse of a band like this one just calling it quits like that? Did leader John Dwyer just burn out from putting out more than one album a year? How can someone’s creative juices just stop flowing? Well the hiatus lasted 4 months and everyone both rolled their eyes...
League of Extraordinary Gentlemen: Nemo Trilogy Hardcover Slipcase by Alan Moore & Kevin O’Neill Who would have ever thought that Alan Moore would have a consistent series he would be putting out for fifteen years, and who would have thought that it would be about the League of Extraordinary Gentlemen? More or less, at least. The Nemo trilogy is a spin-off of sorts, but just as smart and witty as we would expect from Moore. Centered around Janni, who is...
Venture Bros.: The Complete Sixth Season Let’s back up a second and talk about why the Venture Brothers is arguably the best show on TV right now. First of all, because Breaking Bad is over, obviously. Second, because the proof is in the pudding and the Venture Brothers is mighty tasty pudding. Watching the Venture Brothers is a delight for many reasons. Not just that Doc Hammer and Jackson Public have created a show so perfectly immersed in...
Thee Oh Sees Mutilator Defeated at Last It’s a funny thing when you think a band has topped themselves to the point of no return. That happened to me when I first heard Mutilator Defeated at Last by Thee Oh Sees. Now this statement (topping oneself) is a hard one to make for a band like this. I’ve said it before and I’ll keep saying it: Thee Oh Sees put out records like Donald Trump lies. Now there’s a...
How Jesus Became God: The Exaltation of a Jewish Preacher from Galilee by Bart D. Ehrman I’ve been reading Bart Ehrman ever since my journey away from Christianity first started. And although I’ve found some of his writings more compelling than others, I’m still glad there’s someone like him out there doing God’s work. Or not-God’s work, which is actually more important. How Jesus Became God mainly deals with the questions and issues church figures were dealing with when they...