Talib KweliRadio Silence In a way, Talib Kweli will never get his due, and that’s just fine. By that, I mean that he should be ten times more popular than he is right now. He’s got everything you’d want in good music: talent, execution, wit, intellect, and a message. But unfortunately, that’s not synonymous with mainstream rap. Nope. Mainstream rap is all about image, excess, money, and fame. Like MF Doom said, the reason he wears a mask is to...
A deeper look at the grooves pressed into EP by Dad Brains. Now over forty years since it first appeared, it was inevitable that punk rock was probably going to take on something that resembled a fatherly voice, somehow. How could it not? With Green Day having made concept records already and both Fat Mike Burkett and Mike Watt having produced punk rock opera albums, punk and its pillars have already begun taking on “grown up projects” (or at least...
Weeeeellll it’s that time of year again. We know you come to us for the best in media consumption: music, live shows, movies, TV shows, and books. But, did you know we also have exquisite taste in consumer goods? Yes, we do! Like every year, we’re very glad to show you some of the coolest products this side of the Mississippi. Regular readers will notice some regulars here (we can’t get enough of them, which is why we keep coming...
A deeper look at the grooves pressed into the Spencer Sings The Hits LP by Jon Spencer. That the fidelity, equalization and overall sound found on a vinyl recording is unmatched by any other musical mediumto date is a claim which has been proven several times over in many place by a great many people (including by several in this column, several times over too), and one of the great examples can be found on a vinyl copy of Spencer...
Dog Party Hit & Run Listening to Dog Party brought back some sweet memories from my college days. Days when I first starting getting into the Ramones. I had been exposed to punk rock in high school and it made a lasting impression but it was only in college that I started doing my homework and learning the basics. NOFX only takes you so far, after all. So, listening to the Ramones consisted of a pattern that’s all too familiar...
The Big Lebowski 20th Anniversary Limited Edition In my old age, there are but a few joys left in my life. My afternoon coffee is one. My time alone in the toilet is another. But another joy of mine is getting to talk to you about the Big Lebowski. The Big Lebowski is a movie that’s important because it transcends. It’s a movie that’s appreciated both by college jocks, to female bookworms, to college professors, to budding youths, to...
A deeper look at the grooves pressed into the “Mass Apathy” 12” single by NOi!SE. It might not sound like the single most glowing endorsement of a single on the surface, but the first thing that NOi!SE’s new, milled “Mass Apathy” single illustrates is that it’s never wise to underestimate a novelty, or write one off. The bullet casing silhouettes which encircle the exterior rim of this one-sided single (the B-side features a silkscreen but no music) look neat and...
The Kids in the Hall: One Dumb Guy by Paul Myers The Kids in the Hall have this nasty habit of always being here for me. First, as a high school kid thirsty for comedy, then as a bonding experience with my girlfriends and college friends, then as a source of solace during a recent rough patch. What sticks out, of course, is just now funny and relevant the show has stayed for more than 2 decades. And that shouldn’t...
A deeper look at the grooves pressed into Light // Sound’s self-titled debut album. Since childhood, we’re taught to never judge a book by its cover or be so superficial as to make inferences about a person’s character based solely upon their exterior persona. It’s good advice – making snap judgements about the contents of an article or individual by the first sight one sees – but that doesn’t mean the first thing that potential patrons visually absorb cannot be...
Keys to the Kuffs JJ DOOM Pity the state of mainstream hip hop. Seriously, pity it. I’ve completely tuned out and shun it. It’s one of those weird situations where I don’t listen to it, but I just know it sucks. I was in an Uber the other day and speaking to the driver, who was a rap fan and had insights into the process. I could pinpoint what I disliked about it, and he had names for these different...