Lela Lee is an internet success story. Actually, make that success story, period. In the space of sixteen years, the cartoonist, actress (She’s appeared on Scrubs numerous times), and Los Angeles native has gone from relative unknown to one of the most recognized individuals in California’s Asian-American community. Her strip Angry Little Asian Girls has become an internet sensation in itself, and made characters such as the angry Kim, soul-sistah Wanda, and depressive Xyla recognizable figures in their own right.
Not bad for a child of immigrants from Korea. …

Everyone Was In the French Resistence…Now!
Fixin The Charts, Vol 1
Cooking Vinyl
2/10
It’s a crying shame that Art Brut’s Eddie Argos’ stupid spoken-word vocal sytlings ruined everything that EWITFRN! Had going for them. A fun name,  interesting instrumentation, great cover art and a promising premise: to write songs as responses to songs that they felt were annoying. While mocking Avril Lavigne, Kanye and even Frank Sinatra is all well and good, Argos’ dramatic over-acting vocals deserves it’s own rebuttal. One I am fully prepared to give: Stop it.
-Jonathan Yost

Moon- 9/10
Sony Picture Classics
Out on DVD and Blu-Ray- Jan. 12
Moon is a well constructed and beautifully shot sci-fi film written and directed by Duncan Jones, who is also known as the son of David Bowie. The movie stars Sam Rockwell, who gives a surprising performance as a lonely moon-miner, and his only companion, a computer that communicates via emoticon smoothly voiced by an unseen Kevin Spacey.  The film is paired with a stunning and well-matched soundtrack from composer Clint Maswell, best known for his work doing the music for Darren …

OK Go
Of The Blue Colour Of The Sky
Capitol Records
9/10
I bet the Killers are pissed that OK Go can do glam better than them, and can do it without dressing like some kind of hockey playing bird. Starting off with a synth-bass line that would make Bowie pop a boner and Prince to wet himself, OK Go keep up the momentum with an album that, honestly, is pretty fucking sexy. I mean, when a song’s called “I Want You So Bad I Can’t Breathe”, you’re gonna wanna get down to it. …

Old Canes
Feral Harmonic
Second Nature Recordings
7/10
The first thing when one things of Kansas is…well, Kansas. But there’s more to the Sunflower State than prog rock and wheat fields. Witness the quartet of Christopher Crisci, Nathan Richardson, Jordan Geiger and Aaron Croker, better known as the Old Canes. Though they’ve been playing on and off for years, the acoustic folk band has been making inroads since 2004’s Early Morning Hymns. Since then, several Old Cane singles have shown up on YouTube and Pandora, making them just the latest …

The year is 2004. “Until The Day I Die” is filling the airwaves and most music video stations. St. Louis’ STORY OF THE YEAR had finally arrived. After a name change from BIG BLUE MONKEY and a slight lineup shuffle, SOTY had found the formula that would launch them into stardom. Add in mega producer John Feldman and you have “Page Avenue,” a twelve song album of blistering tracks, chunky guitars and catchy melody.
SOTY had a reputation for their flawless, energetic live shows with acrobatics and flying bodies. Having …

Auld Lang Syne
Midnight Folly
Viper Bite Records
9/10
Oh how rare it really is for an album to come along that is as enthralling and immersive as the debut LP Midnight Folly by the New York country rock quintet Auld Lang Syne. Right from the start of track one, “Long Ago” you are immediately consumed by the intensity and honest emotion of the music gushing out of your speakers. Lead singer Timothy Dick’s vocals are ominous, beautiful, dark, and have a certain sense of purity in them. One can almost feel the dark …

PINK RAZORS
LEAVE ALIVE
Houseplant/No Idea
6/10
I take it as a great compliment when I say that Erin Tobey’s vocal performance on Leave Alive sincerely reminds me of the Smoking Popes. The Smoking Popes are an amazing band. At other times, I hear a distinct Ergs sound (particularly on “Not the Wrong Son”), which is a good thing. Unfortunately, that’s the best thing I can say about the album. It’s not bad! It just isn’t all that stellar. It has a fun vibe to it, but doesn’t …

Movits!
Appelknyckarjazz
The Syndicate
8/10
Think Sweden, and you may think meatballs, or lutefisk. Not hip-hop. Well, unless you count the Movits!. The trio of the brothers Rensfeldt and friend Joakim Nilson have been burning out the charts in their native Scandinavia for quite a while now—two years, to be exact. Despite the language barrier—they sing mostly in Swedish—their unique mix of big band and hip-hop scored big US, thanks in no small part to a little talk show host by the name of Stephen Colbert.
Since their debut appearance on …

NO FRIENDS
SELF-TITLED
No Idea Records
8/10
I don’t want to seem like I’m biased towards No Idea bands, because they release plenty of stuff I don’t care for. I just haven’t been sent any of it to review. No Idea has a good track record in my reviews and this release is no exception. I really like this album. Truthfully, I probably like this because the band is comprised of members of Municipal Waste and New Mexican Disaster Squad. The group manages to blend a thrashy hardcore sound with …