WHO: Panda bear WHAT: Sinister Gift WHY: I definitely had an Animal Collective phase. I don’t think I “outgrew” them, because I occasionally revisit them and remember I enjoy that music. I even thought Time Skiffs was a cool album, so there was no harm in giving the new Panda Bear album a shot. Sinister Gift is more rock, pop, and less experimental, but still “weird” by contemporary standards, so sonically it’s in a unique space. It also has those...

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I grew up on the New Bomb Turks. Getting into punk rock, I was a frequent listener of the Fat Music and Punk-O-Rama compilation CDs. What a deal! 20+ songs from different bands for $4! I remember those days fondly and how I would skip to my favorites. The New Bomb Turks were on these comps but, strangely, never made an impact. Come to think of it, I can’t believe these guys were ever an Epitaph band. Did you know...

Thelonious Monk Live at the It Club Record Store Day Exclusive I remember distinctly talking about Jazz with one of my professors in graduate school. This was years ago when I was an even bigger idiot than I am today. But, I was smart about music. I wanted to branch out. Jazz was, and remains, a mystery to me. But as a punk rocker (a good one that welcomed a wide range of music), I wanted to learn more. I...

WHO: Aesop Rock WHAT: Black Hole Superette WHY: Because, despite being big Aesop Rock fans, we slept on his previous record ITS. Fool me once. Black Hole Superette has the same slick production and personal elements Aes is known for. Full of personality, serious topics, humor, and slice of life stories (who is John-something?), this album just further proves that the best rap music happens not in the mean stream. I didn’t even know they were called “superettes.” Listen to...

Photos by Zack...

Lambrini Girls Who Let the Dogs Out? I’ve been holding off on reviewing this record because I’ve been thinking about it a lot the past couple months. There’s a lot of buzz around this band  right now and rightfully so. Their music has the best elements of punk rock: it’s socially and politically conscious and has a sense of urgency to it. It’s also confrontational and has guts, which I love. People love comparisons, and why not? Why not try...

Sean ConneryJames Bond 0076-Film Collection Life’s always interesting when you’re married to a feminist. You have to pick your battles, you know? One of them was the battle of whether or not we could watch James Bon movies in the household. The feedback I got was that we weren’t. I wasn’t going to fight that battle because I knew it was only a matter of time before my wife (ahem…partner) would change their mind…as they often do about most...

WHO: Propagandhi WHAT: At Peace WHY: I could argue that Propagandhi started making their best music once they left Fat Wreck Chords. It might be a hard sell, because of Tomorrow’s Ashes, but their post-Fat releases have been formidable and raging. At Peace continues on the thrash metal path and does what a good album does from a band who wants to keep exploring their style: it sounds different on a first hearing but becomes more and more enjoyable after...

A Minecraft Movie I’m a fan of Jared Hess and his Napoleon Dynamite and Nacho Libre movies. Yes, they’re polarizing, but there’s a sense of G-rated fun that comes with them. Also, they’ve given us some pretty memorable characters. But, remember when the Minecraft Movie trailer came out and people were super upset at Jack Black? Probably because he was playing “the Jack Black character” which, again, is polarizing. I like him too (and his band) and didn’t expect people...