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It’s not easy making friends. At least that’s the case for me now. I think about that a lot, because I consider myself an extrovert. Maybe, I’m a total asshole and I just don’t know it? Maybe it’s because I live in Boston or because people I know keep moving away. Also, I’m in my forties with a family. Who knows? But yeah, making friends in this city hasn’t been easy. One person I DID meet in Boston is Kurt....

WHO: Jon Spencer WHAT: Songs of Personal Loss and Protest WHY: With his new backing band, Jon Spencer has injected some youth and vigor into his already-explosive musical style. His first full album with this lineup has the energy and humor of the old Blues Explosion but brought up to date. Spencer sticks to the garage while giving a callback to the style of old blues and R&B singers with a cheeky commentary on the issues of today. You won’t...

Boogie Nights Allow me to coin a terrible phrase. Paul Thomas Anderson is a “written-in” artist for me. Anything he does, I think, is worth watching. The opposite of course, being the “written-off” artist whose work I’ll actively avoid. Like, say, Christopher Nolan. It’s nothing personal, it’s just that some people’s work I feel like I can connect with more. I just reviewed One Battle After Another and found it kind of lackluster, but still somewhat interesting. How does...

Nomadby Neil Gibbons, Rob Gibbons, and Steve Coogan I don’t know how exactly I became such an Alan Partridge fan. I like Steve Coogan and especially his Trip series with Rob Brydon. I guess I just had a thirst for more Coogan and Alan Partridge was a deep well to drink from. The more I drank, the more I enjoyed it and the more I kept drinking. Sure, a fan would watch the TV shows, the specials, and maybe even...

WHO: Jeff Tweedy WHAT: Twilight Override WHY: Can Jeff Tweedy be stopped? He’s a song-making machine. Last year he put out a fantastic collection of songs as a 3XLP (even though it “only” clocks in at 1 hour and 51 minutes, meaning it fits on TWO CDs, thankyouverymuch). Sure, he’s gone the “quiet” route these days and is afraid of rocking, but the quality of Twilight Override is remarkable, and with killer tracks like Parking Lot, Feel Free, and Stray...

The Cramps are one of the most important American rock and roll bands of all time. No one could blend cheese and sleaze quite like they could and their influence is felt all throughout music. If some band or someone cannot appreciate the Cramps’ music to some extent, they’re not worth being associated with. Unfortunately, the band left us prematurely with the passing of vocalist Lux Interior, and after having stayed dormant for some years, their record label Vengeance seems...

Star Wars: Skeleton Crew Original Soundtrack by Mick Giacchino It’s hard to know exactly when we need to pull the plug on Star Wars or completely abandon it. I used to be a fan of the franchise, but somehow, re-watching in my old age (30s), it failed to connect with me at the level it did as a child. Had I become jaded? I know plenty of Star Wars apologists of course, but my hot take after my re-watch is...

“Wuthering Heights” I don’t think anyone was asking for this movie, but we got it. I guess some people were excited, but the “Wuthering Heights” marketing team DEFINITELY insisted we wanted this movie. “This is it!” they told us. “The greatest love story of all time!” “It’s super horny!” “It has music by Charlie XCX!” “YOU WANT THIS!” I wasn’t really interested in “Wuthering Heights” until the reviews came out. Everyone hated it, and everyone was, suddenly, really funny...

WHO: Brook Pridemore WHAT: Only I Can Prevent Forest Fires WHY: We’ve been singing Brook Pridemore’s praises for years because he’s, in our minds, the most underrated solo musician currently in the biz. His music is a pleasant mix of folk, deeply inspired by punk ethos, and with a healthy dose of introspective witty lyrics. It’s not just that he’s a great musician, he’s also a wordsmith. He should be packing the halls, but instead he’s out there jammin’ econo,...