Cute. Comical. Slapstick funny. These are just some of the tricks Hollywood abuses and exploits to mask the sexual harassment of women and appeal to the male gaze. And since men control the beat, tenor and tune of the industry, women’s roles are as thin now as they were then. This is the beauty of checking out old flicks—they help us unmask the new tricks of the trade.

Check out this scene from Which Way is Up, a flick seen by many modern bloggers as kids on cable way back in the day, since the film debuted in 1977. It was on regular rotation on the movie channels in the early ‘80s, and probably never registered as sexual harassment—a term that genuinely came into the American lexicon via the Senate’s confirmation hearing of Uncle Tom. Anita Hill stuck her neck out, but the nation’s leaders failed to go the distance, which is unsurprising given the tacit harassment of women in pop culture. The sitting president could not even bring himself to correctly pronounce the word harassment, as most Americans do, instead rebuffing something more akin to “harris-mint”.

—Diepiriye Kuku

The entire career of Breakbeat Era spanned about a year at the end of the last millennium. It was a unique collaboration between drum and bass producers Roni Size and DJ Die, fronted by captivating singer Leonie Laws. Their only album, Ultra-Obscene saw the light of day in 1999, peaking at #31 on the UK charts and, like pretty much every electronic album ever made, it barely registered in North America. Yet, to my mind, it remains not only one of the best drum’n'bass albums ever made, essential for anyone who finds Pendulum remotely interesting, but one of the all-time greatest electronic records in general. This video speaks for itself.

—Alan Ranta

The National dropped by Jimmy Fallon’s show last night to play “So Far Around the Bend” from Dark Was the Night.

—PopMatters Staff

Eight years ago this week, French electro group Daft Punk released Discovery, their follow-up to 1997’s Homework. Q gave the record five stars and we thought pretty highly of it too. The album spawned five singles and “Face to Face” went on to hit #1 on the Billboard club chart years later in 2004.

Daft Punk - “One More Time” [single released: 5 December 2000]

Daft Punk - “Aerodynamic” [single released: 28 March 2001]

Daft Punk - “Harder, Better, Faster, Stronger” [single released: 13 October 2001]

Daft Punk - “Face to Face” [single released: 10 October 2003]

Daft Punk - “Something About Us” [single released: 14 November 2003]

—PopMatters Staff

Five years ago this week, critical faves TV on the Radio dropped Desperate Youth, Blood Thirsty Babes on the greatful indie masses. Our very own Tim O’Neil said of the record: “Every once in a great while, something comes along that knocks you off your socks and restores your faith in the healing power of rock and roll. Desperate Youth, Bloodthirsty Babes is just such an album, a dynamically different and radically invigorating shot of intellectual rigor into a moribund retro-rock scene.” “Dreams” was the video off this release.

TV on the Radio - Dreams

TV on the Radio - Bomb Yourself (live)

TV on the Radio - The Wrong Way (live)

—Sarah Zupko

Eight years ago this week UK acoustic band Turin Brakes released their debut The Optimist LP. We loved the record back then and it still sounds fresh and timely. Devon Powers raved: “Turin Brakes have created a testament to singing and songwriting, and it’s impossible not to believe. The Optimist LP is a treasure chest of sparkly baubles and rare gems, and from top to bottom it is precious and priceless.” The record spawned a rash of videos highlighted below, plus, a live treat at the end of the batch.

Turin Brakes - Underdog (Save Me)

Turin Brakes - Emergency 72

Turin Brakes - Mind Over Money

Turin Brakes - The Door

Turin Brakes - Over & Over and Feeling Oblivion

—Sarah Zupko