Railsea by China Mieville
French philosopher Paul Valery once said “The future is not what it used to be,” and he died in 1945, before the introduction of such world-changing inventions as the atomic bomb and the electric toothbrush. To judge from the pulp magazines of the Eisenhower era, the 21st century would be an era of hot-rod spacecraft, ray guns and Art Deco cities on other planets. But, in a sentiment expressed by the name of the Scottish rock band We Were Promised Jetpacks, the actual 21st century bears little resemblance to those shiny sci-fi visions. Most of our most impressive innovations are... read more
Found in: Books, ReviewsBig Science: Difficulty
Rarely does a debut album feel like home, but on Difficulty, Big Science’s first full-length, the Chicago band communicates a certain Midwestern displacement, a gentle-jangled despair coming from coming of age in a rudderless era. These yearnings and confidences are juxtaposed with, and elevated by, energetic instrumentation, resulting in a burst of sing-along-your-sorrows indie pop both familiar and novel. The album begins furtively with “All The Heat Has Escaped,” as breathy vocals float over a pensive organ and gently plucked guitar strings, a kind of opening exhalation to make room for the rest of the album. The band grows direct... read more
Found in: Music, ReviewsSigur Rós: Valtari
Although Valtari has the most in common with Ágætis Byrjun’s follow-up—2002’s incredible (), which features eight pitch-perfect, untitled tracks— it never settles into that album’s rhythm or tone. Instead, it draws up comparisons to the band’s best work without really ever coming together as a satisfying, whole piece. read more
Found in: Music, ReviewsEdward Sharpe & the Magnetic Zeros: Here
“Any ol’ shmuck can be a rockstar,” Alex Ebert of Edward Sharpe & the Magnetic Zeros once said. And in a sense, that’s probably true. While any ol’ shmuck may not be able to write truly original music, the chillwave phenomenon alone serves as a testament to the power of nostalgia to bolster an artist’s career. But whereas chillwave drew on New Wave, Ebert’s Edward Sharpe draws on ’70s folk, family bands and a time when cruising the country in a van full of your friends, wearing flowy muslin clothing and daisy chains, seemed like a viable career option. And... read more
Found in: Music, ReviewsThe Walkmen: Heaven
For a decade now, The Walkmen have cultivated a distinct sound. Paul Maroon, Walter Martin, Matt Barrick, Peter Bauer and Hamilton Leithauser consistently produce albums with a mix of jangly post-punk guitars, deep bass lines, echoing drums, vintage instrumentation and Leithauser’s drawn-out, earnest vocals. Even 2010’s sparse Lisbon follows the formula. Produced by Phil Ek, Heaven is fuller and grander, but it still sticks to their signature sound. What makes Heaven, the band’s seventh album, significant for The Walkmen is not any sort of musical risk. Its significance stems from the band’s growth and evolution, primarily reflected in the lyrics.... read more
Found in: Music, ReviewsSun Kil Moon: Among the Leaves
The first time someone showed me Mark Kozelek’s tunes, it was like an audio orgasm. The friend told me, “If you want to seduce someone, put on Sun Kil Moon.” And for the earlier stuff, this is definitely true. Not that I’ve tried. But I have regarded SKM’s Tiny Cities as a standby bachelorette party gift for girlfriends for whom I don’t feel comfortable buying lingerie. However, with the release of Among the Leaves, I feel that quality has evaporated. The album deals with frustration, aging and frustration about aging. Also, he seems to hate the millennial generation. It’s beautiful,... read more
Found in: Music, ReviewsMarissa Nadler: The Sister
In life, there are cathartic moments through which we embrace our greater selves, exorcising the torrential past while divesting pain, stress and other emotional barriers. Indeed, self-actualization can be a blissful breakthrough, especially when those previous struggles are used to strengthen our resolve and trek into the unknown. For Boston folk singer Marissa Nadler, love and despair seemed her greatest hurdles en route to such liberation, as evidenced by last year’s self-titled album, a stellar collection of sullen melodies and lovelorn anecdotes akin to those of Joni Mitchell. “Heartbreak is a great muse, but it can wear you down,” Nadler... read more
Found in: Music, ReviewsWorkaholics Review: "The Business Trip" (Episode 3.01)
After weeks of anticipation built around tweeting “#tightbutthole” the return of Workaholics didn’t fail to bring the weird. It only took 15 seconds for Blake to scream ‘fuck’ and for a bag of LSD to get pulled out. read more
Found in: TV, ReviewsTom Clancy's Ghost Recon: Future Soldier Review (Multi-Platform)
A loose nuke. A tight-knit team of special forces soldiers armed with the latest Pentagon technology. A globe-trotting chase after terrorists and arms dealers, with breathless inter-level segues from one third-world hellhole to another, the name of each exotic nation and high-value target splashed across satellite images that look like they’ve been downloaded straight from a real-life DoD satellite. Hundreds and hundreds of people who die bloody, anonymous deaths at your hands, for no real reason other than that you can. Quick — what game am I describing?... read more
Found in: Games, ReviewsThe Killing Review: "72 Hours" (Episode 2.10)
Perhaps Terry’s question about what will happen if the cops never find who killed Rosie Larsen was simply just a way to drive Stan to reevaluate his life, but what if this becomes a case that never gets solved? What if the writers make the case go cold to make the audience feel like a detective that continued to chase ghosts? read more
Found in: TV, Reviews
