Photos by Chris Lopez
Whether you’re a purist who keeps your precious comic books in safety deposit boxes or a n00b who just jumped on the bandwagon at Hollywood’s behest (yeah, tell me I’m wrong, girls-who-think-Green-Lantern-has-always-looked-like-Ryan-Reynolds and kids-who-think-Batman-always-sounded-like-Christian-Bale-constipated), you should at least be aware that comic books are cool now. At least, that’s what I’m putting out onto the Internet and as we all know, everything on the Internet is true.
With that said, 2011 was actually a bang-up year for the world of comic books. The San Diego Comic Con has not yet been …
Electric Six
Heartbeats & Brainwaves
Metropolis Records
8/10
With Electric Six’s Heartbeats & Brainwaves—the disco-punk-metal’s eighth album in nine years—the Detroit-based sextet may not break any new ground, but therein lays their charm. Arguably the most prolific band in existence right now, singer Dick Valentine and his five cohorts are content to crank out their brand of earnest inanity, and they aren’t all that interested in changing up their formula for broader appeal; one gets the impression their flirtation with the mainstream at the outset of their career was enough for them. They’re something …
Tom Waits
Bad As Me
Anti- Records
It would be a misnomer to say Tom Waits is aging like a fine wine. Yeah, he gets better with age and other such platitudes, but likening his continuing evolution to the maturation of a barrel of whiskey is more apt—warm, rich, and full of earthy undertones that leave the imbiber reeling. Bad As Me, his first album of original material since 2004, exemplifies the analogy.
At age 61, the maestro of conjuring melody from junkyard clatter, sideshow soundscapes, and barstool serenades has released his most concise …
Captain America: The First Avenger
Paramount Pictures
7/10
Captain America: The First Avenger is the origin story of well-known comic book hero Captain America. Set in the 1940′s during WWII, the film follows Steve Rogers, a scrawny Brooklyn man who wants nothing more than to serve Mother and Country and do his part. Unfortunately, Rogers is deemed physically unfit to join the U.S. Armed Forces, but a simple twist of fate finds him volunteering for the “Top Secret Super Soldier Project.” Quickly transformed from sickly young man into Captain America, this superhero fights …
So I went all the way to Winston Salem, North Carolina to interview A Light Divided last Thursday. After a nine hour flight, they wouldn’t even buy me lunch, but we did explore the functions of prisms. We conducted the interview at their apartment, where we explored my apparently sexist view on the alternative music scene. A Light Divided is a female-fronted alternative rock band from North Carolina. They like to melt faces as well as grilled cheeses.
Also, none of this really happened. I emailed vocalist Jaycee and drummer Adam, …
Let England Shake
PJ Harvey
Vagrant Records
8/10
PJ Harvey released Let England Shake, her latest in a long line of records. Admittedly, this is my introduction to PJ. Yes I know, I’m a bad person. I was impressed to say the least. Her otherworldly croon recalled a tighter Blonde Redhead. Blonde Redhead, but not PJ? What a n00b. Yeah, I KNOW. I KNOW okay? Her earnest songwriting and interesting melodies won my heart. And she’s forty? I said a gat damn. Not as much of a drastic change in sound as her previous …
The post-CMJ recovery time is almost 3 weeks, at least for us late 20’s grandmas. When you get a press pass, you need to pack as much in as you can, and this year was no exception. It was my personal goal to see not only as many bands as physically possible (and that your pass allows you entry into), but also a good mix of music to round out the experience. While CMJ tends to trend much towards indie-rock then anything else, there was certainly a wide spectrum within …
When The Emperor asked me to do my first review ever for Racket Magazine (first ever review anywhere) I was scared! The more I thought about it the more I thought why not? How hard can it be to write a review of the singer of my favorite bands, The Alkaline Trio!? Let’s roll.
I have been a fan since I first saw them live at the Anaheim HOB in 2001. As soon as Radio came on and the entire audience shouted from the top of their lungs the now infamous, …
Pacer
No. 1
Chunksaah Records
4/10
The debut release from Pacer, the loud, melodic up and coming punk band from London, England, could very well be the soundtrack to some teenage boys’ Saturday night, cruising around in search of something good.
The seven songs on No. 1 sound a lot like the Bouncing Souls crossed with Municipal Waste – outspoken and aggressive, though melodic and with words to sing to. Though there isn’t a song on the album that exceeds three minutes, the aggression and grating quality of singer/guitarist Robert Wilson’s voice draws out …
The CMJ Music Marathon is a yearly gathering of jaded music industry types and eager, not-yet-jaded college radio kids in New York City. Young, pretty radio girls, beware: don’t be seduced by that seemingly sweet and handsome radio promoter! Just a word of advice from years of experience. The festival, which is put on by the publication CMJ (College Music Journal) takes place over 5 days and if you go hard and party till you drop, can be a 24 hour affair. From day panels to day parties to evening …
