You may recall that Fictionist had a flirtation with Rolling Stone Magazine and made it to the third round of their cover contest. This is their first release since said 15 minutes of fame, and their third total. While listening, I perceived swells of darkness against opposing waves of hope—there’s no doubt that this EP is an emotionally driven work of rock n’ roll. … read more
Local Reviews: The Anchorage
Welcome to emo-ska! This is a fun/hate romp through two genres, which actually works for locals The Anchorage. Lyrics about pointing fingers at the lazy, the runaways, the suicide-attempters and those who aren’t facing reality in general, meet a wall of happy horns. … read more
Review: Bessie
Queen Latifah stars as the title character Bessie Smith in HBO’s Bessie, a biopic on the life of the legendary American blues singer. … read more
SLUG x FYF Fest 2015: Day One
After smoothly making our way into LA’s Exposition Park for Day One of FYF Fest (aside from getting my perfume confiscated), we set about exploring the massive festival space, which comprises four major stages—Main, Lawn, Trees and Arena—and a new Woods Stage, which featured all-day-long DJ sets by Horse Meat Disco underneath shiny, colorful tassels.
Local Reviews: S.L.F.M.
Utah musician S.L.F.M. (A.K.A. Jessica Davis) has something unique. The music of a girl who sings with a distorted mic and plays with a distorted ukulele The Kissing Game may be an acquired taste. … read more
Dungeons & Dragons: Princes of the Apocalypse
The Temple of Elemental Evil is the kind of module mentioned in the same reverential tones as Ravenloft and Planescape, and it’s one of the most famous pre-made adventures in the whole of tabletop RPGs. … read more
Review: Rare Replay
The Nintendo 64 is the greatest, most important console ever. It’s a big claim, but the sheer amount of revolutionary concepts being brought, en masse, to fruition by one console, was a towering accomplishment. … read more
Review: Razer – Tartarus Gaming Keypad
The Tartarus is a keypad designed specifically for gaming; it works as a type of extension of the keyboard, but it’s more ergonomic. … read more
Local Reviews: The Summer Storm
The Summer Storm is the kind of outfit that possibly would’ve thrived quite decently in the late ’80s and might’ve even gotten a listen by Steve Albini, but repetitious guitar tones with spoken word in lieu of sung melodies has never been common. … read more
Local Reviews: Baby Ghosts
A little bit of video game effects, some shred-tastic guitar playing, frantic drumming and vocals that alternate from melodic to scream-y—voila! Baby Ghosts are born! The songs are fun, upbeat and punky—it’s the kinda music that would have the crowd jumping along in no time. … read more
Local Reviews: Spirit Master
Notwithstanding their lack of prior coverage and how their name sounds like it was loaned from a Dungeons & Dragons manual, Spirit Master is definitely an interesting act when contrasted with the current local music scenes. Locals might recognize band member Brent Dreiling from Band of Annuals and The American Shakes, but needless to say, comparing those with this record is comparing apples to oranges—engrossedly psychedelic oranges. … read more
Review: Nobunagun – The Complete Series
Drawing upon my experience with anime, it doesn’t seem like Nobunagun has done much to revolutionize the genre. … read more
