Anyone touting a press kit that hints they sounds like Coldplay better be packing a lot of heat to back it up. Unfortunately, after listening through this album three times, I couldn’t even hear a hint of Chris Martin, let alone any trace of a Euro-pop influence. … read more
Local Reviews: My Own Time
From the ashes of Oxido Republica come My Own Time, a very different machine than Oxido. The obvious highlight of this five-track demo is Karla “Agony” Olivia’s vocals. There is a great amount of energy behind her lyrics, and it just feels like she is singing from her own pain, when nowadays many female singers scream just because they can. … read more
Local Reviews: Purr Bats
Anyone who’s ever picked up an album by Purr Bats knows the sort of insanity they’re getting into, but for those unfamiliar, let me try to explain: imagine a much more twisted version of Devo, blending a folk-western style into a techno-rock hybrid. … read more
Local Reviews: Salt Town Greasers
I can’t tell if these folks are trying to create an eclectic sound or if they just can’t make up their minds up on what to play. Country, punk, psycho and rockabilly all find their way into the mix, but with little thought as to how to play these genres well. … read more
Local Reviews: Team Mom
I was not prepared to be so pleasantly surprised. This album is darn good. With a surge in the indie-pop scene as of late, Team Mom is a welcome addition, bringing new-age alternative with a twist of ’60s folky electric guitar and swing-jazz drums. … read more
Sundance Film Review: The Death of Stalin
It’s difficult to imagine humor in the midst of bleak, Soviet-era Russia during and directly after Stalin’s demise, but writer/ director Armando Iannucci seems to have found the way to effectively normalize and satirize the horrific events in Sundance film The Death of Stalin. … read more
Sundance Film Review: Anote’s Ark
Stretching along the Central Pacific equator, the island nation of Kiribati rests, on average, only two meters above sea level. Based on the latest scientific consensus, all of Kiribati’s 33 coral isles and atolls will be completely underwater within the century. … read more
Sundance Film Review: Shirkers
Sandi Tan might’ve been a strange teenager, but it was in the very best way. Growing up in Singapore, she published a zine and scribbled hundreds of handwritten letters and postcards. Mostly, she obsessed over film. … read more
Sundance Film Review: Time Share (Tiempo Compartido)
Sundance World Drama Selection Time Share (Tiempo Compartido) intrigues with its elusive screenplay, which alternates between the narratives of Pedro and Andrés. … read more
Sundance Film Review: White Rabbit
White Rabbit is a wide-eyed and heartfelt dramedy, compelling with a clever, entertaining premise before digging into its lead heroine. … read more
Sundance Film Review: High & Mighty
High & Mighty is a kind of Chicano, stoner-humor amalgam of It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia and Workaholics with a serial dash of Breaking Bad. … read more
Sundance Film Review: Pity
As far as filmmaking goes, there may be something in the water in Greece. Director/screenwriter Babis Makridis’ and screenwriter Efthimis Filippou’s work in Sundance World Drama Pity converses with a similar vernacular to that of fellow Greek Yorgos Lanthimos. … read more
