WHO: Bracket WHAT: The Last Page WHY: Don’t you dare called Bracket old-timers. They’re old school, man. Once firmly established as a Fat Wreck band, Bracket has most definitely taken creative control over their music: self-recording and self-releasing their albums for a while now. And while they may be known for injecting AC/DC-like riffs into Beach Boys-like harmonies, they still manage to progress and challenge themselves with their latest release The Last Page, which consists of a single 70+minute song....

The Goon, Volume 15: Once Upon a Hard Time by Eric Powell   I’ve got nothing but love for the Goon. Ever since I was a wee lad in my late 20s, I have had the pleasure to see this underdog of a comic book mature and flourish into a juggernaut. The Goon’s universe operated by very basic and simple rules. A mysterious man defends his town from the powers of evil and the undead. Of course, the fact that...

The Goon Volume 14: Occasion of Revenge by Eric Powell   There is no doubt that Eric Powell’s Goon series stands as one of the most unique comic works out there. Especially when you look at the earlier issues, Powell had managed somehow to mix horror, fantasy and comedy with a compelling story and a – what I’m going to call gangster/depression era motif. Now, more than 15 years later Occasion of Revenge finds us at a bit of a...

Scott Pilgrim & The Infinite Sadness Vol. 3 Hardcover by Bryan Lee O’Malley   Welcome back to more Scott Pilgrim, folks. Yes, volume 2 had parts largely adapted for the movie, but here is where things start to take off. Volume 3: The Infinite Sadness (I wonder what that’s a reference to) looks deeply in what is arguably Scott’s most complex fight. Unlike Ramona’s other evil exes, to Scott Todd is his current flame’s ex AND his ex’s current flame...

WHO: Mikey Erg WHAT: Tentative Decisions WHY: It’s about time you found out that Mikey Erg is probably playing drums for your favorite band, or he has in the past, or he probably will be in the future. Step aside, Josh Freese, there’s a new go-to punk rock drummer in town. The Man (yes, we’re going to capitalize that for Mr. Erg), has been a punk rock institution for years. He’s fronted the wonderful Ergs!, he drums for the LLC...

Artist: Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds Album: Skeleton Tree Label: Bad Seed Ltd./Kobalt/Sony Music Since he first broke free of the Birthday Party in 1984 and picked up with the Bad Seeds, Nick Cave has developed and honed an absolutely hypnotizing and disparate body of work (from angry and occasionally manic with Grinderman to soulful on The Boatman’s Call to a bluesy, rootsy and gothic beast on Murder Ballads and Abattoir Blues, and that’s really only the fastest. barest...

Empowered Unchained Volume 1 by Adam Warren You want to learn a thing or two about comics, go ahead and read Adam Warren. The man gets punk rock DIY with his “mainstream” comics. Or about as mainstream as one can get without getting jumbled up in the messy tripe that the “big two” are involved with. I say punk rock, because Adam Warren has figured out how to make it in comics on his own terms, and completely in control...

Scott Pilgrim vs. The World Vol. 2 Hardcover by Bryan Lee O’Malley Our CNN-like coverage of Scott Pilgrim continues. There are few things as joyful as reading and rediscovering this book. Especially in this new hardcover deluxe format. Having gotten into the series after being blown away by the movie Scott Pilgrim vs. The World, it’s very easy to simply proclaim that the books are better than the movie. Not so. The books tell a different story than the comics....

A deeper look at the grooves pressed into David Bowie’s Let’s Dance LP. To begin with, I have to confess that I disliked Let’s Dance from the time I first heard it until early 2016 – right around the time I first saw the Five Years documentary. In Five Years, both Let’s Dance and the album’s producer, Nile Rodgers, played significant roles and seeing that presentation was what convinced me to revisit the album. Because of that film and the...

We Were Feminists Once: From Riot Grrrl to CoverGirl®, the Buying and Selling of a Political Movement by Andi Zeisler Have you ever looked at how feminism is being represented in pop culture and smelled a rat? Have you ever felt alone in this feeling? I certainly do. Well lucky for me We Were Feminists Once Came along and assured me that I’m not taking crazy pills. It’s frustrating talking to Beyoncé-adoring feminists at a party about how problematic she...