Mercy Review: "The Last Thing I Said Was" (Episode 1.6)
Though the writing on this fledgling show can still be ham-fisted and lazy at times, jolting from moment to moment without paying the attention to detail that brings an audience along for the ride, this sixth episode of new show Mercy has a few genuinely fine moments.... read more
Alec Ounsworth: Mo Beauty
A hauntingly gorgeous contradiction in terms On his first solo effort, the Clap Your Hands Say Yeah frontman continues his enthusiastic experiments with strange sound combinations. He’s pensive these days—mellow and introverted—and his self-questioning lyrics are matched with a fittingly eerie sound. The album is well conceived with articulate themes running throughout, as when Ounsworth laments the fall of New Orleans in “Holy, Holy, Holy Moses” and then later channels the city’s brass-laden funeral marches into the dirt-smudged “Idiots in the Rain.” Ounsworth’s resounding use of strings, horns, piano and percussion appears and disappears at unexpected moments with beautifully unsettling... read more
Holopaw: Oh, Glory. Oh, Wilderness.
Soft-spoken indie band rocks out on excellent third album On their first two albums, Holopaw ruffled hushed folk with synths and loops. Nestled in almost-sterile arrangements, John Orth’s flutey voice defined fragility, as circular arpeggios turned like quiet screws. Their new album, thankfully, still sounds like Holopaw. It’s just that now, Orth’s voice is often buffeted by bright bursting chords, and leads glinting with pretty little errors. Standard but effective strings and horns sub in for electronics. The result is an album that’s vigorously lily-livered, with hardly a dull moment to be found. Orth’s lyrics are holistic and tender; rich... read more
Z DVD Review
DVD Release Date: Oct. 27, 2009 Original Theatrical Release: Dec. 8, 1969 Director: Costa-Gavras Writer: Vasilis Vasilikos, Jorge Semprún Cinematography: Raoul Coutard Starring: Yves Montand, Irene Papas, Jean-Louis Trintignant Runtime: 127 minutes Repressed Greek political thriller builds slowly but remains powerful and relevant... read more
The House of the Devil
Release Date: October 30 Director/Writer: Ti West Cinematographer: Eliot Rockett Starring: Jocelin Donahue, Tom Noonan, Greta Gerwig Studio/Run Time: Magnolia Pictures/93 mins. The devil’s in the details of this modern horror classic The House of the Devil isn’t just a movie: it’s an experience. It joins the league of Rosemary’s Baby, The Exorcist and The Omen as one of the most diabolical entries in the modern horror library. And as you can probably guess, it’s also batshit scary.... read more
The King Khan & BBQ Show: Invisible Girl
More skuzzy garage rock from increasingly visible pair Before he donned his gold lamé hot pants and played wild shows like the unholy offspring of Little Richard and Screamin’ Jay Hawkins, King Khan made a pair of loose, lewd, lo-fi albums with fellow Montreal ex-pat and former bandmate BBQ—a.k.a. Mark Sultan. Three years after their lip-smacking What’s for Dinner?, the duo re-teams for another set of R&B-inflected, ’60s-influenced garage rock with its juvenile-delinquent charms and dirty minds intact.... read more
Rickie Lee Jones: Balm in Gilead
Wild girl returns with headphone album “It’s hard to be older and poor, I don’t dig it that much anymore,” Rickie Lee Jones sings on “Wild Girl,” the opening track of her 13th album. Although she’s in character, it’s odd to hear her sing that line; 30 years into an unpredictable career, she still sounds like the wild girl she once was. The largely self-produced Balm in Gilead plies a folksy yet soulful jazz-country sound that showcases both her inimitable voice—with its playful meter and peculiar grain—and her studio prowess.... read more
Various Artists: Ciao My Shining Star: The Songs of Mark Mulcahy
Stipe, Yorke and The National headline benefit for ex-Miracle Legion frontman All-star tributes are too rarely bestowed upon those most in need of recognition. Mark Mulcahy’s long overdue moment in the sun is a bittersweet one, as Ciao My Shining Star adapts the veteran singer/songwriter’s outstanding back catalog largely into a poignant memorial to his wife, Melissa, who died tragically last year.... read more
30 Rock Review: "Stone Mountain" (episode 4.3)
Two weeks ago, Todd VanDerWerff from the AV Club wrote a blog entitled “30 Rock’s Dangerous Decline and the Shadow of Will and Grace,” which I took some umbrage with mostly because I disagreed with many of the points ... and partially because there were a few that I did in fact agree with. He basically posited that the lack of character development and proliferation of plots has been what's bringing the show down, though that's a bit of a reduction of his argument. Last week’s episode was particularly disappointing and made me question whether VanDerWerff was right on more... read more
The Office Review: "Koi Pond" (Episode 6.07)
Before addressing the deep-rooted (but strangely charming) insecurities of Scranton branch’s employees, and especially those of the commanding duo of Michael and Jim, “Koi Pond” opens with Daryl pushing a paper-cart full of saucer-eyed kids through a haunted warehouse, outfitted with costumed co-workers and, well, not quite the age appropriate thrills. Michael successfully demonstrates the “too much of a good thing is a bad thing” theory by simulating his own hanging, kicking out a chair and convulsing his suspended body with his head tied in a noose. It was a nice nod to Halloween’s festivities and serves well in the... read more
Community Review: "Introduction to Statistics" (Episode 1.7)
For the past couple of weeks Community has been largely an ensemble show. Joel McHale naturally steals the show when he’s on due to that whole charisma business of his, but the plots haven’t revolved around him any more than the other characters. Overall it was a nice change of pace that helped flesh out the Community universe. Frankly, it’s impressive that after only a handful of episodes its supporting roles were justified in taking over the show as much as they did.... read more
Gentleman Broncos Review
A blast in another galaxy falters when it returns on Earth. read more
Scotland Yard Gospel Choir: ...and the horse you rode in on
Art-pop hopefuls issue another rough gem “Oh my god, my life is so fucked up,” Elia Einhorn emotes in the most overwrought fashion possible on the otherwise lightly swinging “Something’s Happening,” delivering the clincher for both laughs and blood: “I’m supposed to go out with Alie to a midnight movie at the Music Box / Maybe we’ll see That Sinking Feeling, maybe we’ll see A Clockwork Orange.”... read more
All Tomorrow's Parties
Director: Jonathan Caouette Release Date: October Absorbing fly-on-the-stage collage of legendary rock fest captured with Super 8 footage, cell-phone images and handheld cameras Now 40 years after Woodstock and the iconic concert film that proved that the zeitgeist of an event could be best captured by simply rolling tape and allowing the images to tell its story, experimental music label Warp offers us All Tomorrow’s Parties, an 82-minute examination of the famously independent British festival where one musician or band curates a weekend of music at an out-of-season seaside camp.... read more
R.E.M.: Live at the Olympia
Extended live lap through rarities and new ephemera Measured in raw commercial reach, R.E.M.’s appeal may be getting more “selective,” as the euphemism goes, but on this new live double-disc their edge feels recently sharpened. Staged across five nights in Dublin in advance of Accelerate, the set reels off sketches from the then-forthcoming album, including some that never ultimately made the cut. Juxtaposed with a subtle cherry-picking of their earlier work, it’s a coy but endearing alternative history of the band, who seem thoughtful curators. “New Test Leper,” “Cuyahoga” and “Electrolite” flow by as a gorgeous triplet, while the finale... read more
Kings of Convenience: Declaration of Dependence
Norway duo adds depth, dramatic arc to delicate pop pace Kings of Convenience have always had a tight grip on their delicate acoustic sound. However, Declaration of Dependence offers a sense of cohesion their previous albums don’t, a complete story through melody. The slow awakening of “24-25” warms up the listener before the fluttering “Me in You,” which segues gracefully into the lively sway of “Boat Behind.” “Rule My World” begins the descent toward conclusion, though the melancholic pulse of “Renegade” and offbeat vocals of “Second to Numb” still pique and captivate.... read more
We Live in Public Review
Release Date: Fall 2009 Director: Ondi Timoner Starring: Josh Harris, Tanya Corrin Cinematographers: Max Heller, Vasco Nunes Studio/Run Time: Interloper Films, 90 mins. Cautionary documentary looks for social media lessons in the story of a dot-com “visionary” Ondi Timoner has a theory and a metaphor about broadcasting our lives online: it’s gradually driving us insane. All of this Twittering, blogging, using-of-Facebook-without-a-concise-verb-to-describe-our-actions, is leading to madness, and Timoner’s cautionary example is entrepreneur Josh Harris.... read more
30 Rock Review: "Into the Crevasse"
Last week’s episode of 30 Rock could really have come out at any point in the show’s continuity. Sure, it agreed that the events from previous episodes happened, but there wasn’t really any sort of play or acknowledgment of the show's past. The show has always been somewhat ambiguous with its own continuity, able to deal with multiple-episode plots but never really willing to let its characters grow or change. They’re stuck at a permanent point, even if the show makes some concessions to plotlines.... read more
Community Review: "Football, Feminism and You" (Episode 1.6)
I don’t think anyone will be making the argument that last week’s episode of Community, “Football, Feminism and you,” is the series’ funniest. The list of quotes in the random observations this time is much smaller than it would be for most sit-coms truly hitting on all cylinders, and yet I can’t help but feel that it was truly at the top of its game … even without either Ken Jeong or John Oliver popping in to take things truly over the top.... read more
Squirrel Nut Zippers: Lost at Sea
Big-band sound loses some of its nutty nuance Without a release in nine years, the Squirrel Nut Zippers needed to come back with a bang. And in the most literal sense they do, with less than two measures of a snare beat leading to horn and saxophone blares. This, and the rest of the live album, is a no-nonsense recalling of that lost big band era. But with just bits of soulfulness (“Do What”) and tango flair (“My Drag”) scattered throughout, Lost at Sea is no discerning reminder of the band itself. Most notably, it replaces a heavy dose of... read more
The 20 Best Gadgets of the Decade…
The 17 Best Romantic Comedies This Decade
The 50 Best Albums of the Decade…
The 25 Best Movie Performances of the…
The 20 Best Live Acts of the…
Kim Taylor - Days Like this
Blind Pilot - The Story I Heard
Gregory Alan Isakov - The Moon Song
Patrick Watson - Man Like You
Punch Brothers - Punch Brothers at CMJ
Elvis Perkins in Dearland - Stay Zombie…
David Bazan - Hard To Be
Anya Marina - Whatever You Like
