Reviews of popular culture related areas, including music, film, TV, books, games, comics, and more.
In January’s best metal, Dax Riggs unexpectedly returns, Sacrifice’s thrash shows no signs of rust and Necromaniac invoke proto-death/black nightmares.
Joe Ely puts emotional content front and center, whether offering a tale of addiction or a mirthful story of his encounters with a local cop.
I’ve never played a video game so punishing as Citizen Sleeper II: Starward Vector, which stresses scarcity by playing for scraps.
Bonnie Prince Billy’s The Purple Bird reaches its highest points when Will Oldham finds the joy in life, which feels like its own form of resistance.
On Sol Y Sombra, Rose City Band offer an honest emotional reflection for our times with music that propels forward with their same carefree style.
The Greyboy Allstars’ Grab Bag: (2007-23) is a vibrant collection of previously unreleased tunes showing off the mad skills of these San Diego groove masters.
Murder, secret rooms, and a man in a bat suit are among the shenanigans in silent film The Bat, a seminal work that begat comics dark superhero Batman.
Stephen Deusner’s entry in the 33 1/3 series about the wreckage of Garth Brooks’ ‘The Life of Chris Gains project makes for a mightily entertaining read.
Celebrated Berlin-based composers Brueder Selke and Midori Hirano form a trio for this spellbinding new collaborative release.
Boom.Diwan’s new LP is gorgeous, deeply personal work that emerges from encounters between performers with diverse backgrounds and expertise.
Listening to Lilly Hiatt’s Forever, her first album in four years, one can’t help but get swept along in her romantic bliss and the music’s hypnotic pulse.
Brother Elsey rock out to ease their pain and share their feelings with the rest of us. It’s recommended that this album be played at a loud volume.
