about contributors submissions book series advertising contests tour dates Mixed Media PopMatters Picks
|
|
Chris GaerigAbout Chris Gaerig Chris Gaerig is currently an Associate Editor at HEALTHCARE DESIGN magazine, based out of Cleveland, Ohio. He is a University of Michigan Wolverine, with a Bachelor’s degree in English and American Culture, and has written for such publications as Stylus, Tiny Mix Tapes, Drop Magazine, and The Michigan Daily. He is also currently working on a collection of short fiction that he hopes to have published. Reviews
NBA 2K10Combine lifelike faces with the expansive crowd and referee animations, and you’ve got the most real-to-life sports sim made. [9 November 2009] 
NHL 2K10NHL 2K10 feels like a game made by people who have never played the game of hockey or even watch much of it. [30 October 2009] 
Madden NFL 10In short, Madden 10 is trying less to be like a video game and more like an interactive presentation of Monday Night Football. [11 September 2009] 
Punch-Out!!Punch-Out!! is a game wholly limited by it’s greatest selling point: its adherence to its source material. [22 July 2009] 
X-Men Origins: WolverineThis is more a blood bubble bath, a playfully enjoyable celebration of dismemberment. [5 June 2009] 
Jim Jones: Pray IV ReignJim Jones' latest record, an embarrassing foray into serious lyricism and topics, leads him away from the commercial touches that made him so popular in the first place. [13 April 2009] 
Deadly CreaturesThrown into a world that is obviously massive in the extreme and filling it with boundless possibilities, the player is presented with the ability to explore the world’s vertical walls and ceilings without the game having to make logical concessions to real world physics -- you know, cause spiders and scorpions can crawl everywhere. [1 April 2009] 
Beastie Boys: Paul’s Boutique (20th Anniversary Edition)Aside from a sharpened sonic feel, the 20th Anniversary Edition of this '80s classic is lacking in extras. [20 February 2009] 
Antony and the Johnsons: The Crying LightDue to a thematic shift from I Am a Bird Now, this latest release makes Antony a difficult entity to relate to, forcing him more into the realm of animatronics than human existence. [22 January 2009] 
Skate ItSkate It stands as one of most realistic skateboarding games ever made while maintaining the playability and casual attitude of its predecessors. [14 January 2009] 
Quantum of SolaceWhat truly shines in Quantum of Solace is the single player mode, not the multiplayer that the series has become notorious for. [10 December 2008] 
Ludacris: Theater of the MindLudacris sounds more thug than his former incarnations and his latest collection suffers for it. [4 December 2008] 
T-Pain: Thr33 RingzT-Pain employs his vocoder sonics and everyman attitude on this carnival-themed release. [24 November 2008] 
Wii MusicWhere Miyamoto says you're creating music, you're actually just creating varying rhythms, stringing together eighth and sixteenth notes. [14 November 2008] 
Nelly: Brass KnucklesNelly takes a turn toward a more hard-edged sound and somehow manages to not completely destroy the aesthetic that's made him so famous. [13 November 2008] 
DJ Muggs: Pain LanguageDJ Muggs' latest attempt sees him working primarily with a prolific MC again to try and recapture the magic he had with Cypress Hill [3 November 2008] 
Björk: The Dull Flame of DesireUnfortunately, the majority of this single release is completely disposable. [9 October 2008] 
U.N.K.L.E.: End Titles … Stories for FilmJames Lavelle releases yet another lackluster album filled with guest appearances and dull piano ballads. [29 September 2008] 
Various Artists: Eccentric Soul: The Tragar & Note LabelsNumero Group's latest release is a massive (almost to a fault) collection of Atlanta-based soul jams. [12 September 2008] 
Ransom: Street CinemaNew Jersey MC's debut suffers from the post-thug-rap influx and parochial production. [25 August 2008] 
G-Unit: T*O*S (Terminate on Sight)50 Cent's crew returns with the help of Tony Yayo, but without its star member, Young Buck. [20 August 2008] 
The Walkmen: You & MeThese New York rockers continue to tweak and twist their sound, while the lead singer makes massive bounds. 
Wale: The Mixtape About NothingUnsigned D.C. rapper's strange love of Seinfeld helps deliver the best mixtape of 2008 [15 August 2008] 
God-des and She: Stand UpGod-des stumbles through each and every song, grasping for the wit and power of her shock-rap contemporaries without ever finding an iota of intrigue. [17 July 2008] 
Y-Love: This Is BabylonY-Love is an artist that has a career solely because of George W. Bush and Matisyahu. [11 July 2008] 
Raashan Ahmad: The PushCrown City Rockers' MC delivers a mass of spitfire flows on his solo debut. [30 June 2008] 
Blue Scholars: Butter & Gun$In the scheme of literary, intellectual, underground hip hop, it doesn't get much better than Blue Scholars' Butter&Gun$. 
Bun B: II TrillRemaining UGK member delivers a solo album of incredible flows and production. [25 June 2008] 
Gavin Rossdale: WANDERLustFormer Bush frontman opens his soul to reveal trivial lyrics and mundane instrumentation. [11 June 2008] 
Music Go Music: Light of LoveSecretly Canadian pop group delivers three gorgeous pop tracks with this 12" vinyl single. [29 May 2008] 
Atmosphere: When Life Gives You Lemons, You Paint That Shit GoldTwin Cities duo lacks the charisma and quality production to excel on their latest, obnoxiously named album. [1 May 2008] 
Honeyboy Edwards: Roamin’ and Ramblin’Legendary Delta bluesman returns with a collection of 2007 recordings and older unreleased tunes. [30 April 2008] 
Various Artists: Fallin’ Off the Reel Vol. 2A joyous collection of tracks that showcases Truth & Soul's old-school production methods and smooth melodies. [24 March 2008] 
One Be Lo: The R.E.B.I.R.T.H.Suburban Detroit native’s latest release is a collection of street-conscious jams and succinct lyricism. [5 March 2008] 
Beanie Sigel: The SolutionWhat Beanie Sigel lacks in sheer marketability he makes up for with a vicious flow and an ingenuity rarely seen from an artist of his caliber. [19 February 2008] BlogsMoving Pixels: WiiWare: Tetris Party [20 November 2008] |
Now on PopMatters
Features
:. Director Spotlight: Pedro Almodóvar :. The Iconographies: Masters of Horror Manga: Kazuo Umezu and Hideshi Hino
Columns
The Rockist: We All Know the Way to Sesame Street Worlds in Panels: What We Talk About When We Talk About Supergirl’s Shorts
Blogs
Short Ends and Leader: Poitier Portraying Another Magic Negro: She’s Blind, So Race Don’t Matter
Music
:. AC/DC: Backtracks :. Sufjan Stevens: Run Rabbit Run + The BQE (CD/DVD) :. Joan Baez: How Sweet the Sound :. Robyn Hitchcock: I Often Dream of Trains in New York [DVD] :. Lowlights: Further/Free :. Sondre Lerche: Heartbeat Radio :. Jupiter One: Sunshower
Books
:. The Original of Laura by Vladimir Nabokov :. The City Out My Window: 63 Views on New York by Matteo Pericoli
News
:. ‘Modern Warfare 2’ video game scores record sales in launch :. INTERVIEW:Tom Arnold is a lovable loser , and open about it :. Jazz pianist reflects on his influences in his first piano concerto :. INTERVIEW:Wes Anderson meets Roald Dahl in ‘Fantastic Mr. Fox’ :. INTERVIEW:It’s ‘Tuesday Night’ again for Sheryl Crow :. Libraries turning a page with cafes, chat rooms and flat screens
|
