Thursday, May 24 2012
Avengers Assembled! ‘Ultimate Avengers Movie Collection’
These films are the spiritual successors to Batman: The Animate Series.
How She Left the Russian Forest: ‘Enchantments’
If you had no idea that Russian mystic / charlatan / healer / pretender Grigory Yefimovich Rasputin, aka the Mad Monk, had a wife and two daughters, you are not alone.
Killer Mike: R.A.P. Music
Killer Mike and El-P revive the spirit of early '90s Bomb Squad productions from Ice Cube and Public Enemy as faithfully and forward-thinkingly as they possibly can.
‘Clueless’ Remains as Enjoyable Today as It Was When It Was First Released
Over time, Clueless has only gained a sweetness that perfectly goes hand-in-hand with Heckerling’s quick witted and, at times, biting dialogue to elevate the film above a the glut of teen comedies available.
Shannon Stephens: Pull It Together
Instead of spending so much time pulling things together, Stephens and company would have done well to break a few things down.
Clashing Coincidences: ‘The Accidental City: Improvising New Orleans’
Weaving together events that range from international politics to the socio-cultural development of poor American families, Lawrence Powell’s comprehensive glimpse of New Orleans' past is particularly important today.
The Brian Jonestown Massacre: Aufheben
A theme of deliberate confusion runs throughout Aufheben's 11 songs. Hell, even dubbing them “songs” is a bit of misnomer, as structure is largely forsaken for instrumental pastiches and all-enveloping grooves.
Childish Gambino - 30 April 2012 - Sayreville, NJ
Personable, funny, as good a singer as he is a rapper, Childish Gambino is likely here to stay, and probably only get bigger.
Paul Thorn: What the Hell Is Goin’ On?
Thorn should know a good song when he hears it. His own works are filled with saints, sinners and the strange whose lives cannot be viewed through the prism of the sacred or the profane. The same is true of the people he sings about on the new cover record.
Wes Montgomery: Echoes of Indiana Avenue
Other than a crackling record on a turntable, there is perhaps nothing more satisfying to a jazz aficionado than the release of never-before-heard material from a great player.
Soulfly: Enslaved
On their eighth album, Soulfly strikes back at critics, proving why change is both overrated and unnecessary for them.
Wednesday, May 23 2012
Cannes 2012: ‘The Angels’ Share’ + ‘Killing Them Softly’
Much like Ken Loach's The Angels' Share, Andrew Dominik's Killing Them Softly features scatterbrained thieves and clever fast-paced dialogue.
Cannes 2012: ‘The Hunt’ + ‘Love’
Both Thomas Vinterberg's Jangte (The Hunt) and Michael Haneke's Amour (Love) mix horror and hope.
America’s Funny Book Filter: ‘Comic Books and American Cultural History: An Anthology’
The comics medium has long been as broad as fiction, a mode of expression which reflects the deepest parts of an artist’s self to a corporation cashing in on a trend.
Margaret Mitchell: American Rebel
Gone With The Wind is one of the most popular books ever published. More than 75 years after its publication, neither it nor its author are above controversy.
Garbage: Not Your Kind of People
Garbage's first new record in seven years is precisely what you would expect from a band who peaked in the late '90s.
In ‘‘Rain Dragon’, a Couple Move Together but Drift Apart
Rain Dragon strikes me as true lad lit: It’s the story of a relationship in crisis, told from the point of a view of a guy who doesn’t think like a girl. At all.
‘Grateful Dead: Dawn of the Dead’ Could Use More Life
Want to know the early history of the Grateful Dead? You may have to look no further than this review.
Father Yod & the Source Family: The Thought Adjusters
A decorated veteran, a stuntman, a monk, a restaurant owner, a spiritual leader, and a frontman. Father Yod was all these things and more, becoming a LA cult figure until his death in 1975. Drag City releases some of Father Yod & the Source Family's most sought-after material.
Xiu Xiu: 2 May 2012 - Washington D.C.
Xiu Xiu remains one of the most compelling live bands of its time.
