From Lenin to Stalinby Victor Serge There are great figures in the history of Soviet Russia (and by “great” I mean popular) and great journalists on the history of Soviet Russia. David Remnick isn’t one of them. Victor Serge maybe is one. I’ve read a lot on Soviet Russia and particularly the Lenin/Stalin years, but never Victor Serge. He’s important enough that people still speak of him, and even the New York Times covers his books but what about his...
A deeper look at the grooves pressed into the 2LP Twentieth anniversary vinyl reissue of Elephant by The White Stripes. I’m not so proud that I cannot admit I didn’t like The White Stripes when the band first appeared on the great, big, popular radar with “Fell In Love With A Girl” in 2001. I didn’t like White Blood Cells at all, in fact; crammed in tight quarters with The Strokes, The Hives, The Vines and all the other “The”...
The Venture Bros. Radiant is the Blood of the Baboon Heart I am a Venture Bros fan. I love this show. I take my review of Radiant is the Blood of the Baboon Heart seriously. How seriously? Let me tell you. In preparation for this movie I rewatched the entire series. One complaint of the show people have is that it has such long gaps between seasons that it’s hard to remember or follow what’s going on in a particular...
A deeper look at the grooves pressed into the Free Rein To Passions LP by The Dirty Nil. How fantastic is it that, in some instances, a band doesn’t have to change themselves or their sound very much (if at all), they just have to write a new batch of songs and be brave enough to just be themselves with the understanding that fans will be able to pick up on it and appreciate that music and that heart for...
WHO: Brutal Youth WHAT: Rebuilding Year WHY: Super fast melodic hardcore reminiscent of Kid Dynamite, you say? Sign me up! In these 29 minutes of sing-along fury, Brutal Youth seem to have figured out a formula of what exactly makes this genre work. The hooks, speed, catchy choruses, down-on-your luck lyrics, and barking vocals are all there. Rebuilding Year just sparks joy in its pure craftsmanship. Brutal Youth came out of nowhere for me, and just might have come out...
Shazam! Fury of the Gods Every now and then a movie comes along that really bums me out. I hope this bummer ends with Shazam! Fury of the Gods. Normally, I would avoid these kinds of movies, but the first one was kinda good, you know? How in God(s)’(s) name could they mess up the sequel to such an extent? Let’s just get down to business, OK? Shazam! Fury of the Gods falls short in just about every aspect,...
A deeper look at the grooves pressed into the Full Sun LP by Spitting Image. While such things might seem like the definition of logic to those on the outside looking in, some bands feel compelled to lay up when they make their first introduction to audiences rather than making an orgiastic statement the first time a needle drops on their album. For example, Jane’s Addiction laid up when they made their presence known on their Warner Records debut, Nothing’s...
Random Acts of Medicine: The Hidden Forces That Sway Doctors, Impact Patients, and Shape Our Healthby Anupam B Jena & Chris Worsham There’s nothing like a good summer book, and there’s no reason why a summer book shouldn’t be fun AND informative. Random Acts of Medicine is one of those rare books because it deals with a pretty complicated topic, but it’s also very accessible. I cannot stress this enough: there are plenty of informative and enlightening books out there,...
How Nirvana Killed Rock Music By G. Murray Thomas Let me say right off that this is not an anti-Nirvana rant. Yes, I feel they killed rock music, but it was involuntary manslaughter, not murder. Actually, it was more like the EMT who accidentally kills the critical patient while trying to save him. Rock was on its last legs anyway, they just finished it off. And they did it by being as good as they were. To understand how,...
E.T.: The Extra-Terrestrial Let’s go back to a time when kids’ movies would scare the living daylights out of you. Let’s talk about ET. This is a movie I remember seeing once as a little kid and don’t really think about much. Sure, it’s cherished by a select few, but those are also the people who won’t stop talking about Sandlot and have a shuffle truffle tattoo on their arm. How are you supposed to take these overgrown infants...