Aug 26, 2009
Music
The Waitiki 7
As summer simmers ever-so gently into autumn and this Hawaiian septet delivers a light tropical breeze through willing speakers (wait for dusk; the effect is awesome), even listeners garbed in season-appropriate attire might find themselves spectacularly underdressed. Adventures in Paradise is a smart and swank affair, the kind that usually hums between the walls of an air-conditioned nightclub.
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Aug 25, 2009
Live
Friendly Fires
I don’t dance. I’m an arrhythmic white girl whose main goal—at most events—is to not put an eye out with my pen or notebook. Although, I’d be lying if I didn’t admit to getting my (very) awkward groove on at last night’s Friendly Fires show. For the record: no writing utensil related injuries were sustained.
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Aug 25, 2009
Music
Web Exclusive
All that time in The Melvins is starting to rub off on the Big Biz fellas, as they seem intent on perversely sidestepping expectations. This one’s going to divide the fan base, no doubt. Many will see welcome growth; others will wonder what the hell happened. You could do bullet points on the changes (or infractions, depending on your ears).
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Aug 24, 2009
Comic Books
DC Comics
Many children of the ‘80s and earlier no doubt read the comic strips in their parents’ Sunday newspapers. Most of the strips were mildly amusing at best (with the exception of The Far Side and a couple of others) and some were downright lame (Family Circus, anyone?). Sometimes there would be a Spider-Man or Superman strip that was tailored more for a mainstream audience than the diehard comic book fan. With Wednesday Comics, DC has reinvented and revitalized the comic strip.
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Aug 24, 2009
Music
Web Exclusive
The Low Anthem’s Oh My God, Charlie Darwin might begin with hollowed, harmonized croons fronted by a stunning falsetto in the opener “Charlie Darwin,” but don’t be fooled: By the fourth track, “The Horizon is a Beltway,” the Providence-based trio is knee deep in gravelly vocals, roaring harmonica runs, and shouted choruses.
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Aug 24, 2009
TV
Web Exclusive
Whereas most of the main characters on teen dramas like The O.C. or Beverly Hills, 90210 seem to be pure of heart but, like most real-life teenagers, prone to mistakes, the Gossip Girl group doesn’t have the same set of morals. This is the show’s stroke of genius, and what makes it the most fun to be found in primetime television.
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Studio: The Weinstein Company
Written and Directed by Quentin Tarantino; Starring Brad Pitt, Christopher Waltz, Eli Roth, Diane Kruger, B.J. Novak, Mike Meyers, Mélanie Laurent, and Michael Fassbender
Aug 21, 2009
Cinema
Web Exclusive
Quentin Tarantino never met a genre he didn’t like, and nearly every movie he’s made thus far has been his own reworking of that specific style of film, whether it’s Reservoir Dogs’ heist film, Jackie Brown‘s blaxploitation or Death Proof‘s car chase movie. So in that spirit, it’s best to think of Inglourious Basterds as his foreign-language WWII Spaghetti Western.
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Aug 21, 2009
Music
Web Exclusive
This quickie pairs “Last Choice,” one of the finer moments from Love Is All’s last full-length A Hundred Things Keep Me Up At Night, with five new tunes. Wyatt Cusick, who recorded the full-length, is also at the boards on the new songs, helping ensure the reverb-laden, raw garage attack that makes Love Is All’s punked-up pop tunes work so well.
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WildStorm/DC
Written by David Tischman; Art by Phillip Bond and David Hahn
Aug 21, 2009
Comic Books
Web Exclusive
The comical sci-fi miniseries is written by David Tischman (Bite Club, Greatest Hits), with art by Philip Bond (Grant Morrison’s Kill Your Boyfriend, Vimanarama) and David Hahn (Fables, Marvel Adventures: Fantastic Four).
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Aug 21, 2009
Music
Web Exclusive
Björk fans would be wise to clear room off of their shelves as another multi-platform collection from Iceland’s favorite pixie has been released. Voltaic is a gathering of material spawned from the release of the artist’s seventh full-length album, Volta. The centerpiece is a live album that features recordings from tour dates in Paris and Reykjavik.
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