The glass bottom boat of the cultural press
Rancid does pop. The vocals are really what do it, although the bass lines sometimes sound like they’re sampled from a Rancid album, too. Occasionally, the instrumentation gets creative, but other than that, there really aren’t any redeeming qualities. So there you have it. If you liked Rancid and you could imagine their songs sounding even better at a quarter of the speed, then 4th Ward is for you. Otherwise, don’t give it a fourth thought.
In this latest installment of his weekly series, Christopher Long discovers and scores a secondhand vinyl copy of one of his all-time favorite LPs: 2XS (To Excess), the splendid 1982 flop from the iconic Scottish powerhouse, Nazareth.
A Murmuration of Capitalist Bees (Expert Work Records, Dipterid Records). Review by Peter Lindblad.
Author and longtime Ink 19 contributor Christopher Long kicks off the 2025 edition of his popular weekly Garage Sale Vinyl series with a bona fide banger: the blues-soaked, whisky-injected, self-titled 1971 debut record from Bonnie Raitt.
Hear My Song: The Collection, 1966 - 1995 (Madfish Music). Review by Bob Pomeroy.
Seijun Suzuki’s 1958 widescreen film noir feature, Underworld Beauty, comes to Blu-ray.
Phil Bailey reviews quirky sexploitation film Facets of Love (1973), a saucy Hong Kong costume drama from director Li Hsang-han of kung fu powerhouse Shaw Brothers, now out on Blu-ray.
Longtime Ink 19 staff writer Christopher Long spent almost the entire year consuming and writing about new music. Here are his personal Dirty Dozen: the 12 records that made his heart the happiest in 2024.
Stormchaser (Inebriated Music / Anthem Entertainment). Review by Christopher Long.
Let It Rock: Live from the San Francisco Civic Center 1980 (Liberation Hall). Review by Bob Pomeroy.