A deeper look at the grooves pressed into the Buddha Jabba Momma LP by Chomp. As much as I like the artwork on the front cover (before I heard a note of the music on Buddha Jabba Momma, I was captivated by the cover’s similarity to some of the artwork on the interior of the Plastic Fang LP by Jon Spencer Blues Explosion), I had to remind myself that interesting aesthetics do not make a good album. I also needed...

Blazing Saddles Did any 90s kid not love Robin Hood Men in Tights? I know it’s not considered Mel Brooks’ greatest film, but it’s certainly not his worst. In fact, now that he’s active again, there’s a whole new opportunity for him to ruin his legacy. He’s off to a great start with History of the World Part II. Up next on the chopping block is Spaceballs! I think Young Frankenstein is considered his best movie, and I agree....

Photos by Zack...

Israel/PalestineHow to End the War of 1948 By Tanya Reinhart The history of the Israel/Palestine conflict is a history of how the Palestinians have failed: failed to foresee what was coming, failure to prepare, failure to unify in the face of adversity, and failure to negotiate. There are countless discussions of what happened in a broad sense, but for a more specific, small-picture analysis of the threats facing Palestine and the diplomacy used to confront it, Tanya Reinhart’s Israel/Palestine book...

A deeper look at the grooves pressed into the Hand On Heart LP by Cock Sparrer. While it would be easy for critics to claim that there are a finite number of ways to make an English-sounding or uniquely “Bostonian” punk record (see Dropkick Murphys’ catalogue for a Cliff’s Notes summary of that story so far), it should definitely go to Cock Sparrer’s credit that the band has managed to produce a solid and captivating listen in their Hand On...

We don’t typically review movies that are currently in the theatres here on Ground Control, but then again, Napa Boys isn’t your typical movie. For one thing, I couldn’t get a straight description of what the movie is about. Most of the reviews call it one big inside joke, or they’ve been polarizing: people are either loving it or calling it unwatchable. I guess I had to see it for myself, and as luck would have it, my local theatre...

A deeper look at the grooves pressed into the Before You Get Broken LP by Guest Directors. It has often been said that a band’s debut album is intended to introduce that band to the world – but their sophomore release is more for the band itself. It might come from a desire to push boundaries or simply to establish that the band in question is capable of doing more than just reproducing the strengths that their debut album presented,...

WHO: Angine de Poitrine WHAT: Live at KEXP WHY: Because music this shocking doesn’t come along very often. It’s the band that’s all over your Instagram feeds! It’s microtonal math rock, but I don’t think the audio recording does it justice. It’s the bizarre costume and watching these two talented weirdos build the songs in front of you that’s half the charm. This rocks on so many levels. Let’s make music fun again! Watch them...

The Hundred Years’ War on Palestine: A History of Settler-Colonial Conquest and Resistance, 1917–2017by Rashid Khalidi It’s funny how caught up we can get in our lives where we don’t make an effort to learn more about the things that interest us. How’s that for an opening sentence? And I don’t necessarily mean it in a reprimanding way. If anything, I’m reprimanding myself. I think we would all benefit from learning more about the Israel/Palestine conflict. I’ve certainly been interested,...

Photos by: Tyler B...