The glass bottom boat of the cultural press
In the news today: The Dillinger Escape Plan, R.E.M., Breaking Benjamin, Jasen Rauch, Janelle Monáe, Gordon Lightfoot, Grandaddy, Nikki Sixx. Mötley Crüe, Ghost, Vinyl, Rammstein, Eurovision, Sophie Ellis-Bextor, Four Tet, Kieran Hebden, William Tyler, Willie Nelson, Imagine Dragons, The Hives, Gorilla Biscuits, Fleetwood Mac, Stevie Nicks
Altar of Harmony (Third Man Records). Review by James Mann.
Parallelogram (Three Lobed Recordings). Review by James Mann.
Judy Craddock has a pulled pork sandwich after Colby Acuff’s set, not missing a beat of Midland’s wild west tour stop. Grand Junction, Colorado, gets “lucky sometimes.”
The granddaddy of old dark house mysteries, The Bat (1926) creeps onto Blu-ray from Undercrank Productions.
The Shadow Boxing, a neglected part of the Chinese Hopping Vampire cycle, returns on a spooky Blu-ray from 88 Films.
Daniel Rachel gives us a comprehensive account of the 2 Tone Records label and the innovative ska bands who fueled the movement in Too Much Too Young, the 2 Tone Records Story: Rude Boys, Racism, and the Soundtrack of a Generation.
Our Ancestors Swam to Shore (Free Dirt / PM Press). Review by Bob Pomeroy.
Jason Vorhees is back in 2009’s soft reboot of Friday the 13th, and it is time for a re-evaluation of the most recent film in the long running franchise.
Squeeze and Boy George dazzle in Clearwater, Florida, as Michelle Wilson ticks two off her Bucket List.
