Jul 28, 2009
Live
John K. Samson is not a tall man. Of course, I suspect he’d be first one to tell you this. Leadman of The Weakerthans, he’s made a career out of singing songs about social outcasts and the geeks who love them. Embodying a strangely compelling reverse-Napoleon complex, he presents himself as a man completely secure in his…er…shortcomings. Taking The Weakerthans’ particular brand of honey-coated melancholy to the streets, this makes for the sort of show that only the cliché “warm and fuzzy” can properly describe. More
Jul 26, 2009
Music
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Stop the World begins with a harbinger of the destruction to come: the slow pop and hiss of a turntable. This reminder of vinyl's fragility quickly erupts into what the London noise rock duo once described to me as "an apocalypse of love harps." More
Jul 26, 2009
Books
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Was Superman a Spy? is a novelty book based on a weekly blog/column called "Comic Book Urban Legends Revealed" that appears over at Comic Book Resources every Friday morning. More
DC/Veritgo
Written by Matt Wagner; Art by Amy Reeder Hadley and Richard Friend; Cover by Amy Reeder Hadley
Jul 26, 2009
Comic Books
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Madame Xanadu Vol. 1: Disenchanted collects the inaugural ten-issue run of Vertigo's latest monthly series. Writer Matt Wagner (TRINITY, Grendel, Mage), artist Richard Friend (#3-10) and the meteoric Fool's Gold creator/illustrator Amy Reeder Hadley (#1-2) helm the mesmeric and captivating trade. More
Jul 26, 2009
Music
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If this summer didn't already have a glut of anthems to soundtrack your next sunburn, Slumberland Records have some indie pop heroes to introduce to you. Summer Cats stick their feet in the door before the fall turns on their winsome debut, Songs For Tuesdays. The Melbourne quintet’s aesthetic is a teen angst-addled conflation of Stereolab’s thrust and The Smiths’ melancholia. Throwing in references to several C86 groups helps too. More
Jul 24, 2009
Music
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Musical mastermind Patrick Watson—a recipient of Canada’s Polaris Prize in 2007—has returned in 2009 to offer up Wooden Arms. A dreamy collection of lush and inspired arrangements, Wooden Arms recalls Andrew Bird’s warm, delicate vocal range and intricate instrumentation. More
Studio: IFC Films
Directed by: Tommy Wirkola; Starring: Ørjan Gamst, Stig Frode Henriksen, Jeppe Laursen and Charlotte Frogner
Jul 23, 2009
Cinema
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Following the blueprint that George Romero laid out, most zombie films are rife with themes of morality and apocalypse and colored with somber social commentary. Dead Snow bucks that trend. More
Jul 23, 2009
Music
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Moderat, the amalgamation of German electronic suits Apparat and Modeselektor, has returned after an abrupt split back in 2002, and this eponymous debut reveals influences drawn from dubstep, ambient techno, and glitch. More
Jul 22, 2009
DVDs
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It’s refreshing to see a film get made and released that feels very personal and truly independent. Azazel Jacobs’ Momma’s Man achieves both of these qualities for primarily the same reasons: It’s a fairly simple story, told in a reserved manner, of a thirtysomething man named Mike (Matt Boren) who is terrified of the responsibility that comes with marriage and a newborn child. More
Jul 21, 2009
Music
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If audiences in 1969 were used to LPs built around 3-minute hit singles, the musical landscape of 2009 is one of dwindling record sales and endlessly shuffling MP3 players. Four decades have passed since its original release, but Isaac Hayes’ Hot Buttered Soul remains resolutely sui generis. Its four tracks—the longest of which reaches well over 18 minutes—makes for a radical, revolutionary masterpiece.
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