Friday, May 25 2012
Jonathan Franzen and the Problem of Sympathy in ‘Farther Away’
Farther Away celebrates the moments when we retreat from technology and the personas we cultivate through social media, when artifice is stripped, and we are left with arguments, empathy, imperfection and humility—the raw materiality of being.
The ‘BBC High Definition Natural History Collection’: A Cornucopia of Wonders
This is the definitive portrait of the natural world we live in, but rarely see.
Saint Etienne: Words and Music
With the aptly titled Words and Music, Saint Etienne offers a statement of purpose for its existence more than 20 years after its founding in what’s essentially a love letter to musical fandom.
This Biography Ensures the Continuity of Mancini’s Legacy: ‘Henry Mancini: Reinventing Film Music’
"Mancini's music will, in its own cool way, keep reaching out, find the next generation, and the next and the next" (244).
Love is Rarer than Diamonds: ‘Letter Never Sent’
This Soviet-era gem about the hunt for precious stones in Siberia is more alchemy than geology.
fIREHOSE: lowFlOWs: The Columbia Anthology (‘91-‘93)
lowFLOWs is a great rock 'n' roll story, the story of musicians pushing on in the face of heartbreak and finding new sounds, new music, and new creative heights.
Carina Round: Tigermending
Carina Round's third full-length is a perfectly crafted record from an amazingly talented songwriter.
Carole King: The Legendary Demos
The music from the middle of the decade shows how much things have changed in such a short time. The songs are serious, even when they do concern love, such as “So Goes Love”, about the end of a relationship. But these more adult concerns are still wrapped in pop conventions.
Pumice: Puny
Noise music is supposed to be challenging. That's someting that Pumice understands and has taken to heart as Puny makes clear. Fortunately, like the best noise releases, their are breaks from the madness where everything makes sense, at least for a little while.
Robin Trower: Farther on Up the Road: The Chrysalis Years 1977-1983
The great Robin Trower shouldn't have strayed this far.
The Splatters
The basic conceit -- fling things at other things and watch them go boom -- cops the appeal of a certain mobile game phenomenon exactly.
Laurent Mignard Duke Orchestra: Ellington French Touch
A new concert recording by the formidable Duke Orchestra of Paris led by Laurent Mignard collects Ellington’s French-inspired compositions, including a wealth of unheard music. The album brings into focus the triumphant late period of jazz’s greatest composer.
Thursday, May 24 2012
‘Code 33’ Screens As Part of Rumur Film Retrospective
Code 33 follows this changing dynamic among police, press, and politicians, as detectives voice their simultaneous dedication to the job and their concerns with the process.
Mark Millar and the Cage of Fame: “CLiNT 2.1”
The cage of fame that powers social media, was most arrestingly described by Lester Bangs in his obit for John Lennon. It's hard not to see it play out again here, with Mark Millar…
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 possible.
‘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.
