Music Review: True Widow, AVVOLGERE

By Tim Murr

When I was two tracks into True Widow’s second album, AVVOLGERE, I said to myself, “Wow, this is everything I love about Sonic Youth’s Confusion Is Sex and Bad Moon Rising, but without all the arty filler.” This Texas trio just rolled into my life with the exact kind of album I’ve been wanting for a really long time.
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Music Review: Sumerlands, Sumerlands

By Tim Murr

I hope Philadelphia, PA is super proud of Sumerlands, whose debut album just dropped. Their self-titled LP, released by Relapse Records and also available on the group’s Bandcamp page, is pure metal that hits all the sweet spots. The group does a fantastic job balancing the sounds of classic metal from the 1970s and ‘80s with the technical aesthetics of modern metal. In other words, imagine classic Black Sabbath being produced today.
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Music Review: The Black Black, Adjusted I

By Tim Murr

When the song “Meticulous” exploded from my speakers, I said “Shit!” and stopped the song, turned the volume up, backed the track up to the beginning, and let it fly. Because, shit, you gotta play something like this loud! The Black Black debuted in 2014 with their LP Boogie Nights. Now they’ve returned with a fantastic EP that will blow your doors off.
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TIFF 2016 Movie Review: Brimstone

By Sachin Hingoo

Though Westerns are generally not my thing (I consider the genre’s zenith to be 1988’s Young Guns, which is effectively an issue of Tiger Beat in Stetson hats), I was drawn to Martin Koolhoven’s Brimstone on the strength of the cast and early buzz that its extreme content would fit appropriately in TIFF’s audacious Midnight Madness programme, if not for its sprawling running time. In both cases, I wasn’t disappointed. Koolhoven’s script is as heartbreaking and well-acted as it is uncompromisingly brutal and terrifying, and his cast, led by Dakota Fanning and Guy Pearce, execute the difficult material perfectly.
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Tyler Talks Horror: The Conjuring

By Tyler Hodg

Hi, my name is Tyler Hodgkinson and I am a total horror n00b.

In this series, I’ll be taking a look at classic, cult classic, and modern horror films with ignorant eyes. The concept is scary simple. Continue reading ‘Tyler Talks Horror: The Conjuring’

Music Review: Luke Winslow-King, I’m Glad Trouble Don’t Last Always

By Melissa Bratcher

Luke Winslow-King’s new album, I’m Glad Trouble Don’t Last Always, begins like you’d expect one of his albums to begin: killer bottleneck riffing and sonic space. Then, it quickly becomes something unexpected. He’s no longer playing stripped-down, front porch-blues. He’s moved boldly into the realm of contemporary blues players (Gary Clark, Jr. is an apt comparison) with a full band, with any trace of whimsy eradicated, and Winslow-King’s fine voice prominent. It doesn’t sound like him, though. Not the him that we’ve come to expect.
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On Ghostbusters and Why The Reboot Is A Gift

By Adele Wearing

I want to talk about the new Ghostbusters movie, although what I have to say has little to do with the ghosts. I don’t even want to talk about how the film made me review my opinion of reboots in general, although it did.

What I want to talk about is female friendships and why Ghostbusters might be one of the most important films of the decade.
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TIFF 2016 Movie Review: (Re)Assignment

By Sachin Hingoo

When the best thing you can say about a film is that “it’s not quite as transphobic as people are saying”, you know that film has major issues.
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Tyler Talks Horror: Night of the Living Dead

By Tyler Hodg

Hi, I’m Tyler Hodg and I’m a horror n00b.

My status is not an exaggeration. If I was to chronicle my experience with the genre, it would exclusively include the climax of Saw, and about 40 minutes of Amityville Horror II: The Possession. Impressive, huh?
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Music Review: Various Artists, Afterschool Special: The 123s Of Kid Soul

By Melissa Bratcher

Have you ever listened to an album that is so charming that you just can’t bear it? I have. The fine folks at Numero Group have added to their considerable catalogue of genius compilations with Afterschool Special: The 123s of Kid Soul. Think: bubblegum pop + funk = sheer delight. Think: the Jackson 5. Think: infectious beats, voices so sweet you just want to curl into a ball and giggle, and true love. It’s hard for me to be objective; it’s so darling.
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