// Category Archive for: Current Faves

TV Review: Outsiders S1 E08 “It’s Good To Be King”

By Laury Scarbro

As I suspected, the death of the bren’in last week set off a ripple of events, and things in town really begin to heat up. For a fan, it’s episodes like this that truly make a show worth watching despite the slow parts.

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TV Review: Broad City S3 E06, “Philadelphia”

By Sachin Hingoo

Philadelphia, or rather the suburb of Wayne, is the hometown of both the on-screen and the real-life Abbi and is our setting for the episode. Broad City has always couched its identity in its portrayal of New York, as viewed through the weed-haze of Abbi and Ilana’s misadventures, as a character in and of itself. It leans heavily on urban culture—city-specific concepts like pop-up shops, pretentious art shows, and bodega breakfast sandwiches.

Well, not this time. Broad City’s journey into West (of) Philly manages to be a bizarre little slice of Abbi’s suburban life, and also somehow a twisted, and one might say unnecessary, dressing-down of JonBenet Ramsey. Uh, let’s circle back to that last thing.

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TV Review: The Walking Dead S6 E15, “East”

By Laury Scarbro

As of this exact moment, I’m almost sure the majority of the population knows something major happened on The Walking Dead Sunday night. To say that my mind is blown would be an understatement. But it needs to be emphasized that the worst fears of the fans may not be realized. What you see on the first viewing tends to be inaccurate, as our minds like to use our worst fears against us and make us see things differently than when we go back and rewatch certain events. Recall when Glenn fell off the dumpster? This is just like that, optical illusions caused by shock.

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TV Review: Daredevil, Season Two

By Tim Murr

As a fan of Daredevil since 1987, I’ve been a very happy boy this week watching Marvel’s Daredevil Season 2 on Netflix. While Season 1 was a solid show that honored the source material, this season uses the momentum of the first (as well as, in a roundabout way, the momentum of Jessica Jones and the Marvel Cinematic Universe) to propel our protagonists’ stories into a deeper, more dangerous, and ultimately weirder world.

WARNING: SPOILERS

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Music Review: Witching Waves, Crystal Café

By Tim Murr

I woke up with Witching Waves’ Crystal Café yesterday and jammed to it all morning over a pot of coffee while doing some writing. The album gives off a particularly spectacular energy that consumed my little kitchen and inspired my fingers to fly across the keys for hours. When my wife woke up and came in, her first question was if I writing a review or listening to an old band.

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Music Review: Bleached, Welcome The Worms

By Melissa Bratcher

Bleached’s follow up to 2013s Ride Your Heart lets their intentions be known right out of the gate. Welcome The Worms is a heavy, swaggering album that conjures up sunbaked Los Angeles (and the attendant debauchery) and destroyed romances. That’s all wrapped in furiously catchy songs that are just delightful.

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TV Review: Outsiders S1 E07, “Decomp Of A Stuck Pig”

By Laury Scarbro

This episode of Outsiders takes on the aftermath of the ill-fated trip to the gun shop. It affects everyone a little differently, but will surely have long-term repercussions.

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TV Review: The Walking Dead S6 E14 “Twice As Far”

By Laury Scarbro

If there are any lessons to be taken from the world of The Walking Dead, it’s these: Never get comfortable. Never let your guard down. Never trust the quiet times. There is always a calm before the storm. This week’s episode is no exception. Life in Alexandria seems to settle into a pattern after Maggie and Carol’s ordeal with their alter egos, and this episode very much reads like a filler episode, but don’t let the quiet parts fool you. (more…)

Music Review: Eureka California, Versus

By Tyler Hodg

Making a lot of music in a short amount of time can result in one of two very different outcomes: slapdash garbage or effortless fabrication. Versus is Eureka California’s third release in three years, and demonstrates the latter. The record has a sense of urgency that showcases the band’s hunger, rather than just being an outpouring of unnecessary noisy drivel.

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New Video: Pop. 1280, “Phantom Freighter” + European Tour Dates

By Less Lee Moore

On first blush, Pop. 1280s album Paradise feels like some sort of quasi-industrial throwback to 1984, but it’s something else entirely. Sure, there are drum machines and samples, but frequent touches of echoing piano, spidery Goth guitar, and sitars give the songs a surprising sense of depth and breadth.

Singer Chris Burg’s pronounced growl provides gravitas to lyrics that would sound at home in a Philip K. Dick novel: gritty science fiction that’s dirty and uncomfortable.

The band’s latest video, for the surly and sensational “Phantom Freighter,” captures this vibe visually with an aesthetic that pays homage to early David Cronenberg and George A. Romero. And what is that green stuff?

Paradise was released by Sacred Bones on January 22. Be sure to check out the band on their upcoming European tour.

European Tour Dates:
04/15/16 – Hamburg, Germany @ Hafenklang
04/16/16 – Berlin, Germany @ ACUD
04/17/16 – Halle, Germany @ Chaiselongue
04/19/16 – Amsterdam, Netherlands @ De School
04/20/16 – Utrecht, Netherlands @ ACU
04/21/16 – Tournai, Belgium @ Water Moulin
04/22/16 – Bruxelles, Belgium @ Magasin 4
04/23/16 – London, United Kingdom @ The Shacklewell Arms
04/24/16 – Leeds, United Kingdom @ Headrow House
04/25/16 – Paris, France @ Batofar
04/26/16 – Rennes, France @ BAR’Hic
04/28/16 – Madrid, Spain @ Siroco
04/29/16 – Zaragoza, Spain @ Las Armas
04/30/16 – San Sebastian, Spain @ Le Bukowski
05/01/16 – Gigor, France @ Gigor Electric
05/02/16 – Clermont Ferrand, France @ Raymond Bar
05/04/16 – Milano, Italy @ Ligera
05/06/16 – Pordenone, Italy @ Pn Box
05/07/16 – Marina di Ravenna, Italy – Hana-Bi
05/08/16 – Verona, Italy @ Centro Avanzi
05/09/16 – Zagreb, Croatia @ AKC Attack
05/10/16 – Wien, Austria @ FLUC
05/11/16 – Budapest, Hungary @ Müszi
05/12/16 – Prague, Czech Republic @ 007