March 2014
Review: ANNE – Pulling Chain
While the invisible line that often divides musical subgenres sometimes requires a stretch of the imagination, Portland-based ANNE (aka David Lindell) has completely jumped the shoegazer one it inherited for a decidedly electronic gothy one, on this, their “proper” debut. … read more
Review: Apocalyptica – Wagner Reloaded – Live in Leipzig
Whether wallowing in themes cut and pasted from Beethoven, maudlin lullabies (with sampled baby prattle) or the most domesticated of Phrygian exoticism, the album consistently eschews any of the rapturous chromatism Wagner used to drown and annihilate the bourgeois ego. … read more
Review: +/– – Jumping the Tracks
Jumping The Tracks is so painfully “meh” that it makes me pissed off and sleepy. It chaps my ass that the vocals just don’t complement the shimmering guitars and neat sonic framework—we have computers that fix this, people! … read more
Localized: MiNX
March Localized features an orgy of electric sound on March 15 at 9 p.m. The sultry, blues-rock sounds of Merchant Royal will massage things into action before we get a little horny (that’s a trumpet joke) with energetic, brass-infused ska-punkers Bombshell Academy. Once we’re hot and bothered, MiNX will hit the stage for an audio-visual
SLUG Games Goes Postal: Presented by Scion
On Saturday, Feb. 15, folks flocked by the dozens to the wintry slopes of Brighton Resort for the 2014 SLUG Games Goes Postal Presented by Scion. Held at the base of the Milly lift, colorful sponsor tents flapped in the morning breeze as SLUG staffers and the Brighton Park Crew put the finishing touches on the course. Designed as an open jam session, contestants had the choice of hitting a massive tube, down box, donkey dick, close-out mailboxes to a dumpster, wall ride and a quarter-pipe with a mailbox. … read more
The Chords are Crushing, a Relapse to Nothing
On March 4, a band called Nothing released Guilty of Everything on Relapse Records. In passing, mention of the label renders associations with brutal extreme metal, but by and large, Nothing are a shoegaze band whose sole sonic metal credentials are, arguably, the sludgy characteristics of some of their riffs on Guilty of Everything. Other than that, frontman Dominic “Nicky” Palermo’s soft, whispery vocals float like clouds over celestially intoned guitar chord progressions and even-keeled beats. “I don’t think it fits at all,” says Palermo. He maintains, however, that, “it doesn’t matter these days.” … read more
DVD Reviews
Reviews for Bullet In The Face, Copper: Season 2, Cosmic Psychos: Blokes You Can Trust, Facing Fear, The Following: Season 1, Mike Tyson: Undisputed Truth and Top Gear: Season 20. … read more
March 2014 Local Music Reviews
March 2014 Local Music Reviews … read more
March 2014 National Music Reviews
March 2014 National Music Reviews … read more
Book Reviews
Book reviews for The De-Textbook, Experiencing Nirvana and Out Of Exile. … read more
Video Game Reviews
Video game reviews for Angry Video Game Nerd Adventures, The Banner Saga, Dead Rising 3, FIFA 14, Forza Motorsport 5, Gylph Quest, Killer Instinct, Max: Curse Of The Brotherhood, Peggle 2, Powerstar Golf, Ryse: Son of Rome, Shadow Blade, The Stanley Parable and Zombie Tycoon 2. … read more
Beer Reviews
Last year, around this time, we discussed how to avoid green beer while celebrating St. Patrick’s Day. Most of you listened, your lives have prospered, and success greets you at every corner. A few of you could not resist the hype, so now I have to take time away from my important beer snob duties to fix the damage you’ve done. … read more
