Yo La Tengo This Stupid World They say half the work is knowing. The other half is doing. Does that make sense? Does anyone say that? I don’t know, but it does apply to music in some way. Like my “love” of Jawbreaker. It’s a tainted love. I own their entire catalog and played them relentlessly back in the day, yet I can only remember three songs (Want, Fine Day, and Boxcar). I completely forget entire albums of theirs until...
Star Trek: Strange New WorldsSeason 2 Star Trek, what am I supposed to do with you? Should I just give up on you altogether? Is there anyone on your production team that knows what they’re doing? Strange New Worlds was supposed to be the saving grace of the show. It’s not their flagship, mind you. That one is unsalvageable, which is going to make it last that much more fun to watch. Strange New Worlds was different than what #nutrek...
Shuna’s Journey by Hayao Miyazaki Look, I love Miyazaki, OK? Who doesn’t? I know he’s as “basic” as they get for anime exposure, but if he’s what people default to, God bless ‘em. Anything he does is miles above any movie in creativity. Also, the man seems like he’ll never stop working. Pity the people who work with him. He sounds like he’s an absolute nightmare of a boss. I remember seeing Shuna’s Journey at my local comic book store...
Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles:Mutant Mayhem I used to be obsessed with the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles as a kid. Probably to an unhealthy degree. I remember picking up the Shell Shocked VHS (or was it Beta?) from the video rental place when I was a kid, and being completely mesmerized. Of course, I became a fan of the franchise ever since. I watched the TV show in English and Spanish. I collected the toys and I still remember the first...
Lexicon Devil: The Fast Times and Short Life of Darby Crashby Brendan Mullen (Editor), Don Bolles (Collaborator), Adam Parfrey (Collaborator) Are the Germs the best worst punk band of all time? Their album G.I. had some absolute bangers on them, but unfortunately, the band was led by a narcissistic art student who was more interested in manipulating people than actually making music. Also, the only good live show they played was their last one. Does that negate itself? I don’t...
WHO: Snuff WHAT: Come And Have a Go If You Think You’re Rachmaninoff WHY: My love for the band Snuff knows no bounds. They’re one of those bands from my formative punk years that have remained relevant and continued on an interesting path. Speaking of interesting is this album. This time, Snuff have reimagined their old songs in an acoustic more ballady format. The arrangements are elegant and it helps conjure a new-found love for these songs. I’m glad I’m...
Brutal YouthRebuilding Year Sometimes there’s an itch I just can’t scratch. Sometimes you’ve given up on scratching that itch until someone unexpectedly hands you the perfect backscratcher. Finding new music can be an impossible ordeal. Most people’s taste in music sucks after all, but in reality, the more you listen to music, the more you know what will speak to you. Every year it’s a never-ending cycle of listening to new music that have been recommended by friends and magazines...
Renfield I gotta say, I wasn’t going into Renfield with high hopes but I was kind of surprised. It’s a very cool concept, but cool concepts often get ruined by poor executions or lack of vision by the team. Renfield is a little of column A and a little of column B. The movie wasn’t a huge hit and no one in their right mind is a huge fan of Renfield or wants more of the Renfield-universe, so that’s...
The Hold SteadyThe Price of Progress I think I’ve said this before, but the Hold Steady are one of those bands that suffers from Monty Python syndrome, in the sense that it’s good, but the most annoying people in the world will not shut the fuck about it. Have you met a Hold Steady fan? If you’re not sure, then you haven’t. The real Hold Steady fans are annoying as hell. They think of themselves as some sort of ambassadors...
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...