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Thomas BrittAbout Thomas Britt Thomas Britt is a graduate of the School of Film at Ohio University. He teaches in the Film and Video Studies program at George Mason University in Fairfax, Virginia. Features
It’s Me, I’m Alive: A Conversation with Yoko OnoPopMatters sits down with Yoko Ono to discuss her most recent artistic output along with the big ideas of life, death, and the Beatles. [8 February 2010] Tim and Eric Awesome Show ... Interesting JobThrough absurd humour, this show relentlessly disparages the wholesale futility of masculine posturing, useless products, and mindless modern entertainment. [8 October 2009] Mobiles Chirping, Plates Spinning, Sirens Singing: Radiohead’s 21st Century Digital NoiseIn the years directly following the rapturous reception of OK Computer, Radiohead wearied from the repetitive touring cycle, interviews and set lists. What to do at a misanthropic low? Dr. Manhattan takes off for Mars, and Radiohead records Kid A. [25 August 2009] ‘Funny People’ and the Advent of the Social Network NarrativeIf the public prefers disposable, computer generated product about man-babies to dramas about human relationships, then Funny People may be plugged directly in to the zeitgeist. [13 August 2009] La Grande Bouffe & Tales of Ordinary MadnessLa Grande Bouffe and Tales of Ordinary Madness are products of a dark worldview. Neither offers solutions about how to improve a disintegrating society. [27 May 2009] Columns
Black Hollywood: Blaxploitation and Advancing an Independent Black CinemaIn recent history, the myriad commercial and social reactions to so-called Blaxploitation films made feasible the rise of a robust, intelligent, and independent black cinema in the US. [25 June 2009] (more Pop Past) Reviews
Dirty Projectors: Temecula Sunrise EPThe tension between Longstreth's difficulty with the art of self-editing and the expert realization by his bandmates arises again on this EP. [5 February 2010] 
GoliathWhile an intelligent comedy could be built around this material, the Zellner brothers choose to stretch many scenes to an unnecessary length and/or highlight unsubstantial elements of the story. [3 February 2010] 
Beach House: Teen DreamLegrand and Scally have made some noticeable changes in both the songwriting and recording of Teen Dream, which incorporates emotionally engaging tunes and textures into the distinctive Beach House sound. [28 January 2010] 
Big FanThe decidedly maladjusted lifestyle at the center of Big Fan might not be desirable for most people, but Siegel's script seems to advocate for the underdog's happiness, however he finds it. 
Animal Collective: Campfire SongsAnimal Collective's version of sitting on the porch and strumming the day away is actually quite cohesive and pleasant. [11 January 2010] 
One Foot in the Grave: The Complete CollectionA definitive collection of this sort is an essential item for any DVD collector interested in British television or sitcoms in general. [7 December 2009] 
My Effortless BrillianceThere is something deeply affirming in believing that saving a friendship is a worthy pursuit, even for stubborn adults who have a hard time articulating love and regret. [17 November 2009] 
All Tomorrow’s PartiesThis more often than not pays proper attention to the artistic prowess on display, which saves it from playing too laboriously like someone else's vacation slideshow. [3 November 2009] 
Callan: Set 1In Callan, the audience occupies a place of privilege, having access to this secret intelligence service, the high-risk information it manages, and the thrilling jobs it must carry out for the government. [28 October 2009] 
Om: God is GoodGod Is Good reflects its stated conviction, but it is important to note that the listener does not have to adhere to the "mystic path" Om follows in order to appreciate the quality of the album. [16 October 2009] 
Shudder to Think: Live from HomeLive from Home delivers on the rare prospect of a reunion tour that genuinely seems to be about the music rather than a cynical cash-in. [5 October 2009] 
Why?: Eskimo SnowAnticon continues its run of superb 2009 releases with Eskimo Snow, Why?s follow-up to last year's Alopecia. [2 October 2009] 
Mount Eerie: Wind’s PoemThe true achievement of Mount Eerie's Wind's Poem is the redemptive arc Elverum finds within the black metal context. [28 August 2009] 
Agatha Christie’s Poirot: The Movie Collection - Set 4Order might be the key to Poirot's detection, but flamboyance is his preferred method of delivering results. [9 August 2009] 
Sugar Ray: Music for CougarsThe songs on Music for Cougars alternate between slight modernizations and loose throwbacks. [4 August 2009] 
Tim Olive: The SpecialistThat The Specialist is largely a void is frustrating, because Olive has in the past successfully collaborated with noteworthy experimental artists and possesses the knowledge and techniques to surpass such mediocrity. [3 August 2009] 
Trevor Horn and Friends: Slaves to RhythmTrevor Horn possesses a signature pop savvy and excellence that links disparate musical worlds. [23 July 2009] 
The Fiery Furnaces: I’m Going AwayI'm Going Away is best appreciated as a pleasurable pop treat from a group whose vision is ever broadening. [20 July 2009] 
The Lemonheads: VarshonsThis is no standards collection, and Dando isn't singing the hits. Varshons is instead a sort of late-career triumph for the Lemonheads. [10 July 2009] 
24: Season 7Long-delayed season 7 includes a fiery blend of political crises, family dramas and exhilarating action sequences. [8 July 2009] 
Hermit Thrushes: Slight FountainAs angular, lo-fi modern rock goes, many bands have garnered more hype with work less gripping than Slight Fountain. [25 June 2009] 
Serengeti & Polyphonic: TerradactylCompared to other hip-hop releases this year so far, Terradactyl is effectively peerless. [24 June 2009] 
Glass: A Portrait of Philip in Twelve PartsHicks finds a good fit between the life and work of Philip Glass and his own intelligence and restraint as a filmmaker. [7 June 2009] 
Eels: Hombre LoboThere's a temptation to resist this material for what it isn't--namely another set of gorgeous downer dirges that he is so skilled at writing and performing. But Hombre Lobo is perhaps Everett's most consistent "character work" to date. [1 June 2009] 
Black Moth Super Rainbow: Eating UsEating Us trims the fringe impulses of Black Moth Super Rainbow, but it does so with a good degree of credibility. [27 May 2009] 
Just Another Love StoryMuch like revivalist Dominik Moll, Bornedal manages to create arresting surprises from classic conventions. [14 May 2009] 
LookIt’s not the content that shocks, but rather the level of insensitivity and ineptitude with which the material is handled by writer/ director Adam Rifkin. [11 May 2009] 
A Camp: ColoniaColonia plays it safe by gathering together various aspects of the Cardigans/Camp catalogue and adorning them to the brim with pretty, but unsatisfying decoration. [28 April 2009] 
Praying with LiorThis film suggests that we all benefit from viewing each life, regardless of ‘ability’, as a teachable moment. [22 April 2009] 
Sleeper: Behind Every MaskBehind Every Mask moves Sleeper's sound away from a Dr. Sample approach and uses live recording and circuit-bent instruments. 
Camera Obscura: My Maudlin CareerThe band's finest work, My Maudlin Career continues the pop rush we've come to expect from Camera Obscura but also develops the band's sound and identity in significant ways. 
The Juan MacLean: The Future Will ComeWhile concepts like future shock and technological singularity are clearly on MacLean's mind, his music does not seem to be advancing in brave new directions. [14 April 2009] 
Pontiak: MakerA set of songs that are compositionally efficient but dynamic in the way the instruments and voices find novel ways to interact over the course of the album. [7 April 2009] 
Tetragrammaton: Elegy for Native TonguesAs with almost all music of this sort, the listener only fully appreciates the craft of the songs through extended and repeated attention. [26 March 2009] 
Twisted / Tormented / Tragic: Two Movies from Canada‘Congorama’ and ‘A Wind from Wyoming’ are wildly different in style and success in this two-film collection. [15 March 2009] 
From the BasementThere is something refreshing in such a direct approach that is content to be unspectacular on a formal level for the benefit of the participants. [11 March 2009] 
American Experience: The Polio CrusadeAn insidious virus, a race for a vaccine, human experimentation -- the subgenre this documentary brings to mind is the increasingly popular bio-thriller. [10 March 2009] 
Brian Wilson: That Lucky Old SunWilson’s not making a comeback. He doesn't need to be resurrected. He's simply ready for the next take. [22 February 2009] 
Live from Bonnaroo 2008The communal spirit seems almost sacrosanct to its attendees and artists, some of whom invoke the term 'commune' in the footage on this disc. [17 February 2009] 
Tenacious D: The Complete Master Works 2This honestly confronts the shifting personas of a now legitimately famous band whose fictional identity once depended on a willful defiance of its own obscurity. [21 January 2009] 
Live from Abbey Road: The Best of Season OneThis release meets high visual and aural standards, honoring Abbey Road's unmatched reputation as a recording studio. BlogsMixed Media: Ed Thigpen 1930-2010 [15 January 2010]Mixed Media: Slipped Disc: Serengeti & Polyphonic - Terradactyl [17 December 2009]Mixed Media: Silent Paper Radios - Reborn As a Wind Chime (full album download) [2 July 2009]Mixed Media: Joe Walker interviews the Fiery Furnaces (video) [23 June 2009]Mixed Media: Future Islands - “Beach Foam” (video) [15 June 2009]Mixed Media: Dark Night of the Soul update (stream) [20 May 2009]Mixed Media: “The State” finally arrives on DVD (trailer) [21 April 2009]Mixed Media: The Music of Adventureland (stream) [25 March 2009]Mixed Media: Four Tet Live (tour dates / stream) [20 March 2009]Mixed Media: Spiritualized to perform Ladies and Gentlemen… in its entirety [19 March 2009]Mixed Media: Havoc - Hidden Files (stream) [18 March 2009]Mixed Media: R.I.P. MeeBOX, Welcome Horne & Corden [17 March 2009]Mixed Media: CocoRosie (video) [12 March 2009]Mixed Media: Wainy Days Are Here Again (video) [5 March 2009]Mixed Media: The Soundtrack of Our Lives returns to the U.S. for Communion (video) [3 March 2009]Mixed Media: Phil Selway, Future Frontman? “Family Madness” (video) [19 February 2009]Mixed Media: Trailer for Burma VJ [5 February 2009] |
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