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...
Thee Oh Sees A Weird Exits Wow, where to even start with Thee Oh Sees? OK, did you know they release an average of 1.5 albums a year? Yeah, that should get your attention. Honestly, with such a massive output of stellar material, it’s hard for me to admit that this band and frontman John Dwyer are still a mystery to me. Maybe it’s because I’m too busy listening to Thee Oh Sees to worry about what goes on behind...
The Comedians: Drunks, Thieves, Scoundrels, and the History of American Comedy by Kliph Nesteroff Books like this one are what it’s all about, people. I am a comedy nerd and the current comedy boom is the sweet stuff that dreams are made of. My dreams, anyway. Yes, with any boom comes an excess of participants. Most will fade away when said boom goes bust, forever forgotten. Unless of course some avid fan (read: nerd) writes a book about them. Enter...
Twin Peaks: The Original Series, Fire Walk With Me & The Missing Pieces blu-ray How does describe or even explain a show like Twin Peaks? It’s reputation definitely precedes it, and for good reason. Twenty five years and countless questions later we’re no closer to getting to the bottom of this show. But one thing is certain, unless you get on board early on and accept that Twin Peaks follows its own bizarre rules, you’re in for a rough ride....