Single of the Week: “Leftovers” by Mato Wayuhi & Black Belt Eagle Scout

We love Black Belt Eagle Scout here at Spinning Platters. She’s released 3 albums that balance between the gentle and the loud in ways that would do Neil Young very proud. She’s unafraid to push boundaries as an artist, but “Leftovers” was probably the last thing I was expecting. It’s a bright and sunny song that borders on reggae. It’s a hopeful, joyful piece. Her collaborator on this song, Mato Wayuhi, and effortless singing/rapping interplay work nicely with BBES’ delicate tones. 

Black Belt Eagle Scout is hitting the road, doing a short run of West Coast shows alongside the legendary Julie Doiron, before heading East with Wayuhi. Tickets and the schedule can be found here. 

Show Review: Alex G at The Fox Theater – Oakland, 9/23 & 24

I was planning on taking my 15-year-old daughter to see Alex G. She’s the reason I got into him six years ago. She discovered him on YouTube, and over time she grew increasingly irritated by the hordes on TikTok who butchered his lyrics and turned his shows into screaming matches over mis heard refrains. Continue reading “Show Review: Alex G at The Fox Theater — Oakland, 9/23 & 24”

Film Review: “Predator: Badlands”

The Predator franchise hunts for a wild team-up adventure, and finds it

Thia (Elle Fanning) and Dek (Dimitrius Schuster-Koloamatangi) team up in ‘Predator: Badlands.’

Sometimes, the deeper a film franchise explores its lore, the more the lack of mystery renders new entries as overwritten, overexplained, and uninteresting (see Maleficent, Star Wars, Halloween, Alien, etc.). Every bit of old and new intellectual property is vulnerable to this type of universe-building, since there’s a lot of money to be made in juicing a franchise for all its worth. Not all of lore-exploring is bad, however. There are many exceptions, and after 2018’s disappointing Shane Black vehicle, The Predator, the Predator franchise has been successfully growing its cinematic universe since 2022 under the helm of writer/director Dan Trachtenberg (10 Cloverfield Lane, Prey, Predator: Killer of Killers). Predator: Badlands is the most adventurous and (intentionally) funny entry in the series, and it’s also the most distinct departure from the adult-oriented, extremely violent nature of its predecessors. Badlands stretches the tonal scope of what a Predator movie can include and feel like. With 2022’s Prey maintaining the franchise’s grittiness and simple setups (albeit taking place on the Great Plains in the early 1700s), and this year’s animated Predator: Killer of Killers expanding the Predator narrative pallet in inventive and ultra-gory ways, Badlands is an additional and promising franchise track: a character-oriented Star Wars-esque adventure. Continue reading “Film Review: “Predator: Badlands””

Show Review: Cannibal Corpse at The Majestic Ventura Theater, 10-03-2025

RESPECT THE NECK

I’ve never been to a concert in Ventura, CA. I’ve also never seen Cannibal Corpse live. So, when given the opportunity to head out to The Majestic Ventura Theatre, a theatre that has seen countless bands over its lifetime, to see one of the progenitors of goregrind death metal, I simply had to take it. Mind you, this was a 50-mile trek for me, but it was a Friday, so I hit that fuck it button, cranked the throttle on my motorcycle, and zoomed off straight from work.

Continue reading “Show Review: Cannibal Corpse at The Majestic Ventura Theater, 10-03-2025”

Film Review: “Nuremberg”

Emotions are an afterthought in this timely but surface-level historical dramatization

Hermann Göring (Russell Crowe) is on trial in ‘Nuremberg.’

The biggest challenge facing Nuremberg, the historical drama about the post-World War II Nazi trials, is that audiences can take a brief glimpse into today’s newspaper and read about an abundance of unchecked war crimes still taking place across the globe. Despite the precedent of individual accountability that the trials established, history tends to repeat itself. The second biggest issue facing Nuremberg is the script’s lack of emotional sincerity. Attempts at clever scene transitions and a tone aiming for a suspenseful courtroom drama feel excruciatingly inappropriate. Despite a strong performance from Russell Crowe and the film’s timely release, Nuremberg fails to capture the tragedy, the sensitivity, and the momentousness of its subject matter. Continue reading “Film Review: “Nuremberg””

Single of the Week: “Hundred Aces” by Noname

NICE! It’s been a bit since the last Noname track graced our eardrums. And the song she gave us? “Hundred Acres” is the kind of immediate head-nodder track that could be your guiding light through the dark winter ahead. An infectious piano riff, effortless delivery, complex rhyme schemes, a hook that rings in your head, and it’s just plain a killer track. 

“Hundred Acres” is the first release from Noname’s upcoming album, Cartoon Radio, which I’m eagerly anticipating. Until then, why not join Noname’s book club? 

How Did Black Polish Get Here?

20-Year-Old Jayden Binnix, aka Black Polish, just released their second album, YUNA, a concept album about a succubus that feeds off the souls of men. It’s pretty bonkers and amazing, and we had a wonderful chat about this record, their early work, being a non-binary artist on a major label, and, as usual, a bunch of nerdy wormholes were stumbled upon.

YUNA  is out TODAY from BMG. Stream it at your favorite DSP!

Film Review: “Stitch Head”

Are you ready for (adorable) monsters?

A couple of monsters and Stitch Head (Asa Butterfield) get ready for bed in ‘Stitch Head.’

On the heels of Guillermo Del Toro’s Frankenstein, and just in time for Halloween, comes a whimsical spin on the Frankenstein story, the animated comedy Stitch Head. It’s the first family film of the holiday season, heartwarmingly written and directed by Steve Hudson (True North). Undeniably self-aware and filled with equal amounts of kid-friendly and Monty Python-style humor, Stitch Head brings Guy Bass’s book series to life with charming, colorful vibrancy and carries with it a positive message about friendship and self-worth. Continue reading “Film Review: “Stitch Head””

Single of the Week: “Cost Of Living” by Jewelry Exchange

There are a few musical tricks that I love more than a song that is just a continuous build-up of anxiety. “Cost Of Living” by Jewelry Exchange is *almost* that. It’s weird, because it’s both anxious AND hopeful, which is a line I keep finding myself balancing these days. It’s so bloody good, and the end? It just leaves you feeling dropped. Much like, well, life in 2025. I’m still not sure what I’m supposed to feel with this song, but I’m going to put it on again in hopes that I find it. 

“Cost of Living” is the first single off Jewelry Exchange’s upcoming album Bedazzled. You can prepare yourself for its arrival at this link. 

They’ve even blessed us with a short West Coast tour next month!

11/7: The Valley in Tacoma, WA

11/8: The Crypt in Olympia, WA

11/9: Bad Bar in Seattle, WA

11/10: Mississippi Studios in Portland, OR

11/12: The Knockout in San Francisco, CA

11/13: Thee Stork Club in Oakland, CA (SEE YOU THERE!)

11/14: Vine in Long Beach, CA

Film Review: “Springsteen: Deliver Me From Nowhere”

Down and out in New Jersey: Bruce struggles—and so does the film

Bruce Springsteen (Jeremy Allen White, l.) talks with his manager, Jon Landau (Jeremy Strong).

Bruce Springsteen’s loyal longtime fans are bound to love the awkwardly-titled Springsteen: Deliver Me from Nowhere, but whether or not anyone else will is questionable. Those seeking a comprehensive biopic of the rock star in the vein of Rocketman (Elton John), Back to Black (Amy Winehouse), or Bohemian Rhapsody (Freddie Mercury) won’t find it here. Instead, based on the 2023 book Deliver Me From Nowhere: The Making of Bruce Springsteen’s Nebraska by Warren Zanes, the picture covers only one specific moment in Bruce’s life: the period when he wrote and recorded his 1982 album Nebraska. Continue reading “Film Review: “Springsteen: Deliver Me From Nowhere””