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Cole StrykerAbout Cole Stryker Cole Stryker is an American freelance writer who covers music and multimedia for PopMatters. After getting his bachelor’s in marketing, he shipped off to York, England, where he writes for a travel company and resides with his archeologist wife. Features
The Final Say: An Interview With LackthereofDanny Seim lives out his musical ideal, and he's even found an extra microphone. [10 September 2008] Don’t Forget Your Wellies: Glastonbury 2008With only a flimsy $15 tent and wellington boots for protection, PopMatters’ Cole Stryker avoided Amy Winehouse’s punches, the mud, and John Mayer, at the annual global gathering that is the Glastonbury Festival. [18 July 2008] The Gaudí, the Bands, and the (Not So) MuddyYou know there's a music festival in the city when fedoras and scarves outnumber baseball caps and gold chains. [23 June 2008] Headshots 4 JesusIn its quest to be seen as a legitimate way of life among a legion of detractors, the Christian Church has turned to alternative methods of getting its point across. [8 February 2008] ReviewsDavid Bazan: 13 October 2009 - Washington, DCBazan invites questions from the audience, and inevitably, one or two come from disappointed, even heartbroken fans who want to know for sure if Bazan's given up on God, or put another way, given up on them. [24 November 2009] Future of the Left: 29 October 2009 - Washington, DCCome on, people. Stop sleeping on one of the most invigorating bands to come down the pike in years. [23 November 2009] Broadcast + Atlas Sound: 17 October 2009 - Washington DCLovers of left-of-the-dial indie pop could have hardly conceived a better double bill in their dreams. [17 November 2009] Múm: 23 October 2009 - Washington, DCIt's impossible to watch Múm perform without a dumb smile on your face. [10 November 2009] The Breeders: 21 August 2009 - Washington DCAnyone disappointed by the night's set list may as well just give up on life, because the best material from each album was represented, naturally weighted towards the older stuff. [7 October 2009] Bill Callahan + Lights: 12 June 2009 - Washington DCBill Callahan’s ballads are the stuff of empty beer bottles and midnight brooding. [20 July 2009] Grizzly Bear: 1 June 2009 - Washington, DCThose who criticize the perceived overuse of studio trickery would be surprised to find that the live performance captures much of the record’s sonic atmosphere. [14 July 2009] 
de Blobde Blob is imbued with the same sort of grinding, childlike Zen that Katamari Damacy perfected. [20 October 2008] 
El Guincho: Alegranza!Alegranza! is constantly rolling and tumbling, picking up detritus and debris like some kind of pop Katamari ball. [14 October 2008] 
DJ /rupture: UprootUproot is a different animal entirely, a slithering, reptilian creature content to exist beneath the brush. [8 October 2008] 
Jay Reatard: Matador Singles ‘08Unless Phil Spector is at your soundboard, you have no business writing "Danny Says". [6 October 2008] Bestival: Intergalactic Funksmanship and Noise FreakoutsAs the rain poured down, Bestival’s “30,000 Freaks Under the Sea” theme seemed entirely apt. [29 September 2008] 
Stereolab: Chemical ChordsChemical Chords is a cute summer record, one that’s almost as easy to forget as it is to digest. [18 August 2008] 
Fleet Foxes: Fleet FoxesThe boys' voices rarely go where you'd expect, but upon even one play-through, you can't imagine them going anywhere else. [2 June 2008] 
Foxglove Hunt: Stop HeartbeatUltimately a likeable, if unadventurous, record that manages to recapture what was so great about past pop songs: a keen sense of melody and an ironic sense of humor. [12 May 2008] 
Worms: A Space OddityWorms: A Space Oddity's most crushing failure is the absence of the ninja rope. [7 May 2008] 
Clinic: Do It!I'm beginning to lose hope in the idea that Clinic have yet to unleash their opus. [10 April 2008] 
Lach: The Calm BeforeBusting lyrics about avocadoes and frosty-o's, Lach's whimsical subject matter and proper pronunciation don't sound like the "middle finger to the folk purists" proclaimed by NME in the album's accompanying press release. [28 March 2008] 
The Dodos: VisiterLazily lumped in with the freak-folk scene, the Dodos really aren’t all that freakish. They easily sit alongside OC alumni as music that Natalie Portman probably just adores. [19 March 2008] 
Bomberman LandIt's the same old Bomberman, but now you can give him a poodle skirt. [10 March 2008] 
Various Artists: Achtung! German GroovesThe songs are so stiff and contrived, it seems like a crime to even call the artists "funk", forcing James Brown and Sly Stone to share the moniker with these squares. [5 March 2008] 
Dragon Ball Z: Budokai Tenkaichi 3Dragon Ball Z: Budokai Tenkaichi 3 is the Yngwie Malmsteen of fighters. Its excess knows no limits. 
Beach House: DevotionBeach House return with another album of woozy organ, Napoleon Dynamite beats, and enchanting vocals; this time sounding more like a spurned Leslie Gore than an ambivalent Nico. [28 February 2008] 
Future of the Left: CursesFuture of the Left inject a little adrenaline into our ears, a jarring wake up call from the sleepy sounds of today's indie rock landscape. [14 February 2008] 
Resident Evil: Umbrella ChroniclesAlthough the game raises just as many questions as it answers, superfans will surely relish the narrative crumbs dropped from the table as they discover a bit more about the characters' motivations. [28 January 2008] 
Rayman Raving Rabbids 2Rayman Raving Rabbids 2 really shines in the multiplayer mode, as is to be expected with this sort of game. [16 January 2008] 
Mario Strikers ChargedLike EA's early '90s NHL games, Mario Strikers Charged is all about body checking -- or in this case, slide tackling. [14 November 2007] 
Metroid Prime 3: CorruptionMuch more than a gimmick, the controls of Metroid Prime: Corruption eventually gel into the definitive FPS experience. [19 October 2007] |
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