Cloaked in personal tragedy and painfully unfortunate timing, Lucky is certain to be remembered for its coincidence with the passing of its lead actor, rather than for its own merit. A true shame, both because Harry Dean Stanton was an…
From the Record Crate: Beck – “Sea Change” (2002)
Up until 2002, it always seemed as though Beck was playing a character, a musical chameleon who consistently valued levity over sincerity. No longer hidden behind voice altering machinery and (often nonsensical) stream of consciousness lyrics, Sea Change allowed audiences…
Album Review: Deer Tick – “Deer Tick Vol. 1 & 2”
For the entire span of their career, Rhode Island folk rockers Deer Tick has been of two minds. With their latest project, Deer Tick Vol. 1 & Vol. 2, the gritty Americana darlings have molded a double barrel shotgun that…
Movie Review: American Assassin
When movie studio executives want to pander to what they perceive female audiences want, they churn out soulless, offensive romantic comedies – recent examples, of course, include the abysmal Home Again and The Layover. However, when their goal is to…
From the Record Crate: Talking Heads – “Talking Heads: 77” (1977)
Combining the raw energy of the CBGB scene with a sound that is entirely extraterrestrial, Talking Heads: 77 provided an opulent mouthpiece for the sound that was brewing throughout the nation. There were other acts mining the same wavelength (recording…
From the Record Crate: The Kinks – “Something Else by The Kinks” (1967)
For their fifth studio album, The Kinks chose to gravitate away from the broad rock and roll sound they had fostered during their early years, trading in guitar solos for layered baroque pop ballads and psychedelic R&B numbers. Expanding upon…
Album Review: The National – “Sleep Well Beast”
By the time most listeners became aware of The National in the mid 2000s, the band had already begun to indulge in their ambient, somber sensibilities. It’s easy to forget that they were once a fairly straightforward rock and roll…
