A deeper look at the grooves pressed into the “SEED” LP by Looming. It’s only upon starting to listen to “Seed” that one realizes a female singer fronting an emo band is such a rarity. Why is that? In many ways, it could be argued that the music is tailor-made for a female sensibility (women are in better touch with their emotions and can definitely articulate them better – comparatively, men are more than a little inept). Regardless, the whys...
Eagles Of Death Metal Nos Amis (Our Friends) (Blu Rae) (Shout Factory/HBO Documentary Films) I should confess that I delayed reviewing Nos Amis for as long as I could, before I say anything else in this review. The reason for that was almost entirely personal; during the release cycle for Heart On (EODM’s sophomore album), I had the good fortune of getting to interview and to know singer/guitarist Jesse Hughes – about as well as any journalist gets to know...
The Paul Naschy Collection II My discovery of Paul Naschy and his movies has certainly been a cinematic highlight this year. Having known nothing of the man 6 months ago, I now have grown to appreciate his horror movies and his style and can see just how unique and fun they are. So these collections are truly a treat for Naschy and horror fans. And trust me, these movies are not easy to find. Go looking for them online...
A deeper look at the grooves pressed into the Black Friday-released Run, Stop & Drop (The Needle) EP by the Preservation Hall Jazz Band. It’s not common for a jazz album which was made in a recording studio to really reach out and grab a listener’s attention. Let’s be honest here; jazz was originally music which was born onstage and developed there with the help of gifted players who spent hours crafting it, grooming it, refining it and making it...
Spirited Away GKIDS For a celebrated director like Miyazaki it’s worthwhile to point out how Spirited Away is probably his most celebrated work. Few movies have received the acclaim that this title has and a look at its Wikipedia page really puts into perspective the killing this movie made at any awards show where it was nominated. And it’s easy to see why. Watching Spirited Away is like watching Alice in Wonderland. It starts off with a very ordinary...
A deeper look at the grooves pressed into the Black Friday-issued “Keep It Thoro” 12” single by Mobb Deep’s Prodigy. It’s kind of incredible to think about just how much the “Single” has changed as a format over the years. When singles first gained popularity, their construct was simple; a hit song was collected from a long-playing record, then paired with a song of complimentary length and then pressed one-per-side onto a seven-inch record. Simple, right? As both taste and...
A deeper look at the grooves pressed into Pocket FishRmen’s The Greatest Story Ever Told LP/CD set. In the grand tradition of bands including The Big Boys, Butthole Surfers, Scratch Acid and Daddy Longhead, Austin’s Pocket FishRmen were an archetype Texas punk band in that their artistic vision was a little skewed. They always seemed a little frazzled and they always – always – did things their own way. Even this compilation release is a testament to that “their own...
Welcome one and all to the happy tidings brought to you by our yearly Holiday Buyer’s Guide. Like every year, we bring you a list of perfect gifts and stocking stuffers. Some are old favorites and others are brand new! ‘Tis the season for giving, but also of rewarding yourself for having given so much. You know the drill: we’re not going to bombard you and drone on and on. We’re keeping it sweet and simple and tell you exactly...
Porco Rosso Hayao Miyazaki is an absolute cinematic powerhouse. Whether you’re a fan of movies, Japanese culture, animation, kids movies, or fantasy, chances are you’ve been exposed to his work in some form or another. If you haven’t, that’s because you just don’t know it. With the recent reissues by GKIDS, we’re going to be covering some of our favorite Miyazaki releases in this column. You get to hear about them and we get to talk about them,...
A deeper look at the grooves pressed into the 2LP edition of Ring Spiel ’95 by Mike Watt. As many Ground Control readers are already aware, we have a particular affinity for vinyl records. The sound of them is (obviously) a very big part of that, but the medium’s ability to draw out different aspects of the music contained on it can change the listening experience too; because vinyl has a few more limitations than other media on which music...