Getting older sucks. There are more responsibilities, everything feels more important yet blander at the same time, and no one’s allowed to show their real feelings. And what are those feelings? Self-loathing, emptiness, nostalgia, disappointment, exhaustion, and longing. It’s hard to…
From The Record Crate: Incubus – “Morning View” (2001)
As ugly of a genre that nu-metal was, there were some bands that could turn it into something enjoyable, damn near beautiful. Incubus was one of those bands.The California-based alt-rockers came at the tail end of nu-metal’s dominance of rock…
Album Review: Lady Gaga – “Joanne”
Lady Gaga is a weird gal, or at least weird in the terms of modern pop music. Yes, her looks are as iconic as they are strange. Her performances are equally complex and ridiculous, bouncing between avant garde and a Joel Schumacher…
Movie Review: American Pastoral
Taking the entire social and political revolution of the 1960s and stuffing into the life of one man is a tough challenge, so the praise that Philip Roth gets for pulling it off with his 1997 novel American Pastoral is…
Album Review: Kings of Leon – “Walls”
Kings of Leon rolled along with the guitar rock revival of the early 2000s with their good looks, chugging riffs and swoon-worthy swagger. But it was the little things that set them apart from New York counterparts like The Strokes…
From The Record Crate: Red Hot Chili Peppers – “Blood Sugar Sex Magik” (1991)
Not to make any generalizations, but September 24, 1991 was a really great day for music. On this one day 25 years ago, the world was introduced to three groundbreaking albums from three very different groups. One was the enlightened…
Album Review: Mac Miller – “The Devine Feminine”
Yes, it’s still hard to take Mac Miller seriously. The Pittsburgh rapper made it big in the indie rap scene as being a clown prince stoner MC, always laying tracks with his raspy voice and goofy come-ons. He was party…
