Latest Entries
Since 2000, Nick Zammuto and Paul de Jong have made music to fit Woody Allen's worst nightmare: a universe expanding, stretched to the point of breaking.
[Brady Baker]
Endless Boogie is a little too composed to be AC/DC, a little too garagey and East Coast to be like ZZ Top, too tasteful to be like Foghat and too straightforward and clean to be like Monster Magnet.
[Chris Middleman]
The Extra Man is fortunate to boast a distinguished cast, since its story never coalesces into something more concrete than a sketch of eccentricities.
[Nathan Kamal]
A wood-fired oven is best for achieving high temperatures, but any regular oven cranked up to 500 degrees gets the job done.
[Amanda Jones]
San Diego, CA, 07/22/10-07/25/10
[Rafael Gaitan]
Unlike other Bruce Willis flicks of the '90s, there's a pleasingly absent amount of cutesiness this time around.
[Marcus David]
If Farewell doesn't as successfully marry high and low culture elements as Spielberg's Munich, it does do a commendable job of keeping the two sides together, filling hollow spy tropes with feeling and life.
[Jesse Cataldo]
"I still like about 95% of my record collection. Except for That Petrol Emotion, that was a mistake."
[Stacey Pavlick]
Yes, Rick Ross has a song named "MC Hammer" and it represents everything that works and doesn't work about Teflon Don.
[Chaz Kangas]
Spur's sound is definitively '60s; it's difficult to even think of a band this steeped in psychedelic, country, riff-driven rock and pop as existing in any other period.
[Nathan Kamal]
That director Todd Solondz is able to make this oppression so palatable in his films is a real skill; neither Happiness nor Life During Wartime feel grating or overbearing.
[Morgan Davis]
Sounding more confident and mature than any 24 year-old singer on their first solo outing ever should, Walker takes to his material like a man who knows that what he's recording is a sheer marvel.
[Nathan Kamal]
January 2009 Archives
Saturday, Jan 31, 2009
Wonder Ballroom, Portland, OR, 12/04/2008
[Nathan Kamal]
Saturday, Jan 31, 2009
Although Tonight incorporates more keyboards and a hint of studio experimentation, it's still very much a classic Franz Ferdinand album that is instantly infectious and catchy.
[Lukas Sherman]
Saturday, Jan 31, 2009
Though McCauley has been studying the greats since childhood, War Elephant would have benefited from more tradition here; with more tradition comes more life, more sin, and more specificity.
[Caren Scott]
Saturday, Jan 31, 2009
A vegetarian joint that even meat-lovers will enjoy? Can it be true?
[Aimee Herman]
Saturday, Jan 31, 2009
Here is a quick, simple recipe to help you get rip-roaring drunk on Fat Tuesday.
[Jane Hruska]
Saturday, Jan 31, 2009
The video collage style alone would make Mock Up on Mu a postmodern piece, but then Baldwin ups the ante by making the narrative itself a pastiche of fact and (science) fiction with its dramatization of the real-life relationship between the Crowleyist rocket scientist, and L. Ron Hubbard.
[Danny Djeljosevic]
Wednesday, Jan 28, 2009
The Academy Awards lets us down once again with five safe choices for Best Picture. Spectrum Culture proudly presents....alternatives!
Wednesday, Jan 28, 2009
"(Vermont) was definitely the middle of nowhere, but we just wanted somewhere where we could go and have sufficient time to try whatever the fuck we wanted to try."
[Nicholas Ryan]
Wednesday, Jan 28, 2009
Though not the masterpiece Andrew Bird has been promising since Weather Systems, Noble Beast gradually unfolds to be an album overripe with ideas, beauty and mystery.
[Eric Whelchel]
Wednesday, Jan 28, 2009
Though the Telescopes will always be an obscurity, hidden under the tutelage of shoegaze acts like My Bloody Valentine and The Jesus and Mary Chain, this reissue is worth a second look.
[Nathan Kamal]
Wednesday, Jan 28, 2009
The Class is a manifesto on our current global educational situation. Don't miss this brilliant film.
[David Harris]
Tuesday, Jan 27, 2009
Chop Suey, Seattle, WA, 11/19/08
Tuesday, Jan 27, 2009
Blood Bank is not so much a new statement as an affirmation of For Emma, Forever Ago's strengths.
[Lukas Sherman]
Tuesday, Jan 27, 2009
This album best serves as sort of a palate cleanser, a sorbet for people who compulsively consume music.
[Chris Middleman]
Tuesday, Jan 27, 2009
Maybe if Just Another Love Story was more about this protagonist's identity crisis then the film's own crisis it would be easier to swallow.
[Danny Djeljosevic]
Monday, Jan 26, 2009
Guess what? Time to upgrade with these indispensable remasters from this legendary band.
[Jory Spadea]
Monday, Jan 26, 2009
Stepping away from the shadow of Damien Rice, Lisa Hannigan achieves a thing of rare beauty on her debut album.
[Aimee Herman]
Monday, Jan 26, 2009
Though already praised and over analyzed to death, Emergency & I remains a vital, engaging and original album 10 years on.
[Eric Whelchel]
Monday, Jan 26, 2009
It is hard to like this soporific film where the passage of time seems like an eternity.
[Jane Hruska]
Sunday, Jan 25, 2009
The Bowery Ballroom, New York, NY, 11/30/08
[Edmond Stansberry]
Sunday, Jan 25, 2009
Working on a Dream is primarily concerned with the steadiness of a contented and domestic married life, and its songs often lack any sense of turbulence or conflict and, unfortunately, depth.
[Chris Middleman]
Sunday, Jan 25, 2009
The album is as arena rock friendly as indie pop gets. Now all that Cut Off Your Hands needs are the arenas.
[Eric Whelchel]
Sunday, Jan 25, 2009
Though ultimately a failed film, Undertow has some interesting moments and should be a must see for fans of David Gordon Green.
[Danny Djeljosevic]
Sunday, Jan 25, 2009
Part meditation on life, part homage to Ozu, Cherry Blossoms works best when not trying to ape the past masters.
[David Harris]
Saturday, Jan 24, 2009
"Well I played for prostitutes on Hollywood Boulevard and you know in medium security prisons - you know that kind of thing."
[Ezra Matteo]
Saturday, Jan 24, 2009
In our first ever 5.0 music review, Antony and the Johnsons return with an album of startling beauty.
[David Harris]
Saturday, Jan 24, 2009
This short album seems to end before it even begins, leaving the listener wanting more. That's not a bad, is it?
[Nicholas Ryan]
Saturday, Jan 24, 2009
This new sushi eatery does everything right.
[Chris Middleman]
Saturday, Jan 24, 2009
Quiche made simple with the richness of goat cheese and extra crunch of bacon and red pepper.
[Nathan Kamal]
Saturday, Jan 24, 2009
Don't miss this gay-themed drama that is touching, refreshing and mature.
[Allyn Sterling]
Thursday, Jan 22, 2009
Backspace, Portland, OR, 11/22/08
[Nathan Kamal]
Wednesday, Jan 21, 2009
You read correctly. Our reevaluation of 2003 continues as the Spectrum Culture staff picks its top films from five years ago.
Wednesday, Jan 21, 2009
An open letter to filmmakers to stop making Holocaust films.
[David Harris]
Wednesday, Jan 21, 2009
Do yourself a favor and enjoy Thom Yorke's original vision instead.
[Jory Spadea]
Wednesday, Jan 21, 2009
On this reissue of the 2003 album, Chatham County Line reminds us that bluegrass is still a vital, and engaging, form of music.
[David Harris]
Tuesday, Jan 20, 2009
The Secret of the Grain's biggest shortcoming was that it was so close to being a fine film.
[Nick Cane]
Tuesday, Jan 20, 2009
Rediscover this album that successfully navigates that fine line between emo and overly emotional. It's an atmospheric snapshot of anxiety and the inability to escape it.
[Eric Whelchel]
Tuesday, Jan 20, 2009
This reissue of last year's great album is for you indie music fans or those woefully angst-ridden suburban kids who happened to miss it the first time around.
[Eric Whelchel]
Tuesday, Jan 20, 2009
Have you heard that Blondie hit "Hanging on the Telephone?" Well, these guys wrote it!
[Chris Middleman]
Monday, Jan 19, 2009
"I think I'm this older, masculine woman playing rock 'n' roll in sweaty clubs. I'm being myself and it's very queer sometimes and I think that's defiant to what is the norm."
[Aimee Herman]
Monday, Jan 19, 2009
For the most part, Get Guilty doesn't really find A.C. Newman wandering too far from his comfort zone but his ability to write catchy songs has not diminished in the least.
[Eric Whelchel]
Monday, Jan 19, 2009
On this side project by Frog Eyes's Carey Mercer, all remnants of pop music are left behind to give way to off-beat compositions.
[Jory Spadea]
Monday, Jan 19, 2009
Riding on the strength of 2007's Strawberry Jam, Animal Collective hits home with Merriweather Post Pavilion, the epitome of what it means to become more accessible without abandoning eccentricities, exploration, and sheer weirdness.
[Lukas Sherman]
Monday, Jan 19, 2009
Our writer waltzes with Bashir and gets more than she bargained for.
[Jane Hruska]
Monday, Jan 19, 2009
9:30 Club, Washington, D.C., 11/6/08.
[Brian Loeper]
Monday, Jan 19, 2009
If you're a Ween fan, get this amazing compilation from a time and place that no longer exists in this America of ours.
[Mathew Klickstein]
Sunday, Jan 18, 2009
Forget the traditional carts that rove around the room, keeping old food hot. At Gitlo's, the dim sum are made to order and fresh as hell.
[Benjamin Bernstein]
Sunday, Jan 18, 2009
This easy recipe is a good use for that extra, leftover rice we always have to throw out after bringing in Chinese takeout.
[Benjamin Bernstein]
Sunday, Jan 18, 2009
In what may be Clint Eastwood's final film appearance, the legendary actor takes on a role that is both the summation of a career and a possible portent of his remaining years.
[David Harris]
Sunday, Jan 18, 2009
There are songs both good and bad on this EP by a new band that is still struggling to find a sound of its own.
[Nathan Kamal]
Wednesday, Jan 14, 2009
Cult director Russ Meyer and that "Thumbs Up" guy have created one of the most insane and entertaining movies of all time. It's got sex, drugs, rock 'n' roll and murder. What else do you want?
[Lukas Sherman]
Wednesday, Jan 14, 2009
Part Bollywood epic, part kung-fu action flick, Chandi Chowk to China makes no attempt to hide its lameness, but that is where things get interesting.
[Lisa Bahr]
Wednesday, Jan 14, 2009
Even though the National hit it big with Boxer, it is worth delving into the band's back catalog and searching out this gem.
[Eric Whelchel]
Wednesday, Jan 14, 2009
A few clunkers aside, multi-instrumentalist Franz Nicolay expands upon his Hold Steady sound to make an album full of interesting songs.
[Brian Loeper]
Wednesday, Jan 14, 2009
Brimstone Howl explode out of Nebraska with a collection of songs that reference, but expand on, the sounds of Screamin' Jay Hawkins and the Gun Club.
[Chris Middleman]
Wednesday, Jan 14, 2009
First Unitarian Church, Philadelphia, PA, 11/9/08
[Brian Loeper]
Tuesday, Jan 13, 2009
The blue collar has worked for some and came to be a joke for others, but Supersuckers fall somewhere in between. Sounding not exactly lifeless, the band does sound like they're punching the clock.
[Chris Middleman]
Tuesday, Jan 13, 2009
You can almost hear the sound of turned pages from a highly utilized rhyming dictionary.
[Aimee Herman]
Tuesday, Jan 13, 2009
In this vanilla PG-13 rated screamer, the sexual politics in the subtext are much more interesting that events on the screen.
[Danny Djeljosevic]
Monday, Jan 12, 2009
Rediscover this lost classic that surreptitiously became a surreal soundtrack for one moment in our writer's life.
[Chris Middleman]
Monday, Jan 12, 2009
Take a ride on this twisty, Spanish thriller that forces us to think about our role as observers much more than most of the films out there today.
[David Harris]
Monday, Jan 12, 2009
Electric Factory, Philadelphia, PA, 11/7/08 & Ram's Head Live, Baltimore, MD, 11/8/08
[Brian Loeper]
Sunday, Jan 11, 2009
Little Joy's debut album is not another derivation of the Strokes. It is, however, short and sweet music, for enjoying viscerally more than contemplating, and in that it's resoundingly successful.
[Bryan Kerwin]
Sunday, Jan 11, 2009
Our writer takes a nostalgic trip with this latest by Frida Hyvönen.
[Edmond Stansberry]
Sunday, Jan 11, 2009
Stay away from this stinker which does not shed any insight on the Beatles songwriting process nor is it very entertaining.
[Nathan Kamal]
Sunday, Jan 11, 2009
Can a 268 minute film about the latter part of Che Guevara's life get us inside the mind and heart of this legendary revolutionary?
[Shannon Gramas]
Sunday, Jan 11, 2009
The Gourds have been around for a long while and their unique ability to blend country, folk, bluegrass and other elements into something new is still going strong.
[Eric Whelchel]
Sunday, Jan 11, 2009
This guilty pleasure seems to be going through the motions, riding the coattails of LCD Soundsystem and Cut/Copy into the '80s synthpop revival, but adding very little new to the party.
[Bob McCarthy]
Sunday, Jan 11, 2009
Get the garlic fries...unless it's a first date!
[Aimee Herman]
Saturday, Jan 10, 2009
For those of you feeling guilty about eating too much over the holidays, this healthy pancake should alleviate any lingering bad feelings.
[Lisa Bahr]
Saturday, Jan 10, 2009
Another attempt by Hollywood to distill a novel into a two hour picture. It is unclear who suffers more, the characters or the audience.
[David Harris]
Saturday, Jan 10, 2009
"I would say a lot of that old time music that inspires us deals with a lot of heavy of issues like life and death and struggles with God and struggles with how to survive in a fucked up world. Dark elements."
[David Harris]
Saturday, Jan 10, 2009
Hacienda surprise with a set of breezy '60s-era AM Gold songs that are perfect for a warm, summer afternoon colored with romantic melancholy.
[Chris Middleman]
Saturday, Jan 10, 2009
Facing New York have certainly carved their own sound, but because of its hints of immaturity, it is a sound that will inevitably appeal more to Gen-Xers than progressive fans.
[Jory Spadea]
Thursday, Jan 8, 2009
By the end of Kidulthood, it's hard to shake the feeling that you've just watched a raunchy and hyper-urban Sesame Street where none of the characters learn that day's lesson.
[Shane Hoversten]
Thursday, Jan 8, 2009
Moore Theater, Seattle, WA, 11/13/08
[Chris Middleman]
Wednesday, Jan 7, 2009
It is often difficult to find a restaurant that has sophistication, the food to stand up to it and the staff to provide the warmth, but Center Cut scores on all three.
[Jane Hruska]
Wednesday, Jan 7, 2009
"No, we don't listen to hip-hop."
[Edmond Stansberry]
Tuesday, Jan 6, 2009
Sandwiched between the monumental self-titled debut and the legendary London Calling, The Clash's Give 'Em Enough Rope has been unfairly maligned. Until now.
[Eric Whelchel]
Monday, Jan 5, 2009
Now that Christmas has passed, let's take a look under the hood of It's a Wonderful Life and see the dark heart beating beneath.
[Nathan Kamal]
Sunday, Jan 4, 2009
Another set of covers by Chan Marshall that may indicate a stylistic change in her music.
[Cameron Mason]
Sunday, Jan 4, 2009
Carry the Weight tries too hard to sound like another lost Elliott Smith album, which it unfortunately doesn't.
[Bryan Kerwin]
Sunday, Jan 4, 2009
Portland's Pink Snowflakes do pop songs in a sharp, whacked-out psych relief; they are not on the other side of the psych-rock spectrum, where volume and sustained guitars or themes equal mind-alteration and temporal displacement.
[Chris Middleman]
Sunday, Jan 4, 2009
More a stopgap than anything groundbreaking, this series of singles features some of the most light-hearted music yet from the Decemberists.
[Brian Loeper]
Sunday, Jan 4, 2009
While there is much to admire about Louvin's worn-in voice, this collection of songs comes off as a gentle curiosity rather than an essential chapter in the Louvin catalog.
[David Harris]
Saturday, Jan 3, 2009
You read correctly. More a reassessment than a rehash, the Spectrum Culture staff picks its top albums of 2003, as if they were released today.
Saturday, Jan 3, 2009
Nothing can get between our writer and waffles. Nothing.
[Ian Lasell]
Saturday, Jan 3, 2009
A warm dish for the winter months, Shepherd's Pie gets a makeover into something much more than meat and potatoes.
[Nathan Kamal]
Saturday, Jan 3, 2009
Frank Langella turns in an amazing performance in a very good film that could very well be the best about Richard Nixon yet.
[Mathew Klickstein]
Saturday, Jan 3, 2009
When sticking to emotional resonance, The Reader scores. But gussying up a weak script and stock characterizations as something of great import does both the film and its audience a serious disservice.
[David Harris]
Saturday, Jan 3, 2009
The Spirit is a scribbled laundry list of scenes that lead to nowhere. The genre-bending here isn't fun; it's so much "everything all at once," that it leaves one not even in a state of exhaustion, but boredom.
[Mathew Klickstein]
Saturday, Jan 3, 2009
Two great performances are almost enough to save this somewhat obvious script from being another rote story about Catholicism and repression.
[David Harris]
Friday, Jan 2, 2009
Hollywood once again tarnishes a classic story with this retread that has more Gump than gumption to do the right thing.
[Mathew Klickstein]
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