Yoko Ono Plastic Ono Band
Between My Head and the Sky
Chimera Music
7/10
múm
Sing Along to Songs You Don’t Know
Fatcat
8/10
I’m going to review both of these albums together because they have a similar vibe and I fucking feel like it. I really cannot tell you how badly I wanted to hate this Yoko Ono album. My editor-in-chief can tell you, and I’m positive that’s precisely why he sent it to me. As much as I would love to tell you this Beatles-killer has produced the most atrocious thing released …

Inglourious Basterds
Universal Pictures
10/10

Quentin Tarantino is a modern cinematic master. Starting from a young age, Tarantino displayed an innate grasp of the characteristics of an outstanding film, and he has carried this talent later into his career. I make this statement sparingly; his career could hardly be considered in its “late” stages.
However, his mastery of film is, in my opinion, nearly unrivaled. No American filmmaker, to my knowledge, comes even remotely close to the perfect pairing of cinematography, storytelling, acting, and score that seems second nature …

Vera Ramone King
Poisoned Heart: I Married Dee Dee Ramone (The Ramones Years)
Phoenix Books
6/10
Vera Ramone King’s Poisoned Heart recounts the story of the author’s tumultuous relationship with the Ramones’ core songwriter, Dee Dee Ramone. While the book has some unique and interesting insights into life behind the scenes in the lives of its subjects, it is plagued by repetitive passages and clichés.
I heard the book portrayed Dee Dee Ramone in such a negative light that his estate tried to prevent its release. This fact probably built more hype around …

(500) Days of Summer
Fox Searchlight Pictures
9/10
(500) Days of Summer is that rare kind of film that transcends its genre and the stereotypes that follow. The film is, for lack of a better categorization, a romantic comedy, but it really works on so many more levels. Forget its indie marketing scheme, forget its little Sundance blurbs, and forget the trailer’s claims that “this isn’t a love story.” Sure the indie claims are backed up by the inclusion of numerous hipster-approved references, sure it was a hit at Sundance, and no, it …

Kava Kava
Forwards
Midnight Swimming
6/10
Hmm…Kava Kava. Not quite sure what to make of this. For one thing, although they feature a full band this is a largely electronic release, so in terms of artists you might lump alongside them think Basement Jaxx, Daft Punk, Crystal Method and the like. However, there is something to keep in mind here. Namely: studio releases from electronic acts are often sub par and unlistenable. Music created for a dance floor doesn’t often translate well on a stereo, let alone an iPod or computer. …

Wheat
White Ink Black Ink
The Rebel Group
8/10
Wheat definitely started out as a four piece – over a decade ago, I might add; however, their own bio refers to them as “3 guys in a basement.” Yet nearly all of the photos I could find, including those on the group’s official website and myspace, feature just two individuals- confusing, to say the least. Confusing, just like the album cover with its giraffes, rhinos and ostriches in a bed of flowers whose centerpiece is a Buddhist statue enjoying a milkshake while the …

[Emperor's note: I've decided that if a writer doesn't include an intro to their interview, I will write one that may or may not be true. This is the first one.]
I, Luke Toney, have always had a crush on Byron of the Bouncing Souls. How nimble and strong his bass playing hands must be. The thoughts of him holding down the rhythm have long since drawn me towards him. When the very smart and intelligent and funny Emperor offered me his meager interview scraps, I lunged at the opportunity to …

Hell City Tattoo Festival ‘09: Let it Bleed
May 29th-31st, Killumbus, OH
Hell City, the tattoo festival mentioned heavily in my article on Durb Morrison recently, rolled through Columbus this past weekend. I’ve been going to the festival since its premiere back in 2002. During its early years Hell City was fresh, new, and exciting. It quite literally changed the landscape of what convention goers expected out of a tattoo convention. First and foremost, it was one of the first festivals to really capitalize on the transfer of the center …

Nobunny
Love Visions
1234Go!
10/10
Pretty sure this guy played at the Delta Tau Chi Fraternity House in National Lampoon’s Animal House. Okay, so he didn’t. But he should’ve. This is raunchy, sloppy, fuzzy, stripped down, punk ’n’ roll. There is a noticeable Cramps and Ramones influence. Like those two bands, Nobunny plays songs that sound like a lo-fi punk homage to Chuck Berry and early rock and roll. In that regard, I would say Nobunny shares a few similarities to The Underground Railroad to Candyland as well.
Plus, this guy constantly tips his hat …

Pet Shop Boys
Yes
Astralwerks
7/10
Pet Shop Boys have been making electronic dance music since the early 1980s. Their sound has evolved with the years. What started out in keeping with the breakbeat/new wave sound of the time on songs like “West End Girls” has developed into a more house oriented sound since the nineties.
This album sounds not unlike their previous releases spanning the last decade. To that effect, aside from being generally good, it doesn’t offer anything new and exciting aside from the music itself on tunes like “Love, etc.” the first …

YEAH YEAH YEAHS
IT’S BLITZ!
Interscope Records
8/10
The new offering from the Yeah Yeah Yeahs bursts open with its hand showing for all to see, and it seems to read: “Ladies and gentlemen, we have been listening to a lot of new wave.” The opening track, “Zero,” is equal parts Gary Numan and Duran Duran, while the following track, “Heads Will Roll,” brings Annie Lennox and the Eurythmics to mind.
The departure from a purely rock-inspired sound doesn’t stop there though. “Soft Shock” has atmospheric space rock undertones that are nicely complemented by …

One Win Choice
Define/Redefine
Jump Start Records
6/10
I’m not all that into hardcore, but if I am going to listen to it, I’ll take the melodic stuff, please. One Win Choice fits into this category, the kind of hardcore that has its roots more firmly in punk than metal. The EP contains plenty of anthemic vocals, whoa-ohs and the like. The songs clock in at around two to three minutes instead of five, the vocals are (usually) sung intelligibly rather than screamed in slobbering fits, and their fans probably form circle pits instead …

Living With Lions
Dude Manor
Adeline Records
8/10
First of all, this is a 10”. No one releases those anymore, so kudos to that. Some of this reminds me a bit of Fun Size, this incredible band from Richmond, Virginia back in the mid to late nineties. They never made it very big, even by underground punk standards, but the lead singer did go on to form River City High, who garnered a hefty bit more attention. The vocalist sounds a lot like Gabe Saporta from Midtown, not a bad thing in the least. …

In The Red
Volume 2
Suburban Home Records
4/10
“Alone is the sound of you not coming home/Falling down on my own/The silence of laughter is deafening/That’s the hardest part of being alone”
That’s the refrain of “Something Shocking” on In The Red’s second release Volume 2. This cheesy, horribly written chorus is typical of the release and pretty much sums up what you can expect from every track on the album. These guys cite all kinds of historically relevant influences like Avail, Jawbreaker and Hot Water Music, yet somehow they still manage to come …

Crocodiles
Summer of Hate
Fat Possum Records
9/10
This album is pretty spectacular. It starts out strong, and, at its best, reminds me of Boards of Canada and Air who, if you’re familiar with them, fucking rule. The record is being released by Fat Possum Records, best known for its blues and punk blues albums by the likes of the late RL Burnside and The Black Keys; however, the label is currently branching out and Crocodiles factor in nicely to that equation. The album is more instrumental than not, with what vocals there are …

The Bakerton Group
El Rojo
Weathermaker Music
10/10
From the first ringing guitar lines of the intro to opener “Time Horizon” I liked this album. I was hoping some serious, instrumental, surf action would kick in, but some serious, instrumental, rock action kicked in instead. I went to Google’s image search expecting to find some dudes rocking Dick Dale tribute ponytails, but instead it’s a bunch of beer-bellied bearded guys who would look more appropriate at a high school football game than on a surfboard, yet there they are on a beach overlooking a …