Single of the Week: “Plain Speak” by Marnie Stern

 I’ve had two doctors recently tell me that I need to cut back on my caffeine intake dramatically. And, although Matcha doesn’t seem to be cutting it, Marnie Stern seems to have felt my pain and struggle and released her first single in about ten years, and it’s the perfect substitute! “Plain Speak” is classic Marnie- as frantic and furious as a panic attack (which is the main reason I need to cut back on my caffeine and increase my time spent actually sleeping), combined with the tethering of lyrics that are optimistic without being cloying. Stern has perfected empathic composition, and, really, it couldn’t have come at a better time. 

Guitar master Marnie Stern’s new record, The Comeback Kid, is coming your way on November 3rd, which is exactly one week after my birthday, which is PERFECT! Preorders have already kicked off! And if you become a VIP member of Joyful Noise Recordings, you can get the fancy version with a bonus 7″, in addition to all the other perks of membership like random access to free tickets, the ability to download the full catalog, and fancy other stuff! 

Show Review: Weezer with Spoon and White Reaper at the Greek Theatre, 8/24/23

Back in 1994, when Weezer released “Undone – The Sweater Song” and “Buddy Holly,” I was 15. Despite being into grunge bands like Nirvana and Stone Temple Pilots, I was also hiding a pop music-loving heart. Weezer was neither really pop or grunge, but I didn’t care: I loved them. Having said that, I must admit that I was the kind of casual fan who didn’t own a single album but knew all the words to every one of their radio hits. And that’s how it went for twenty years. Then, in 2014, I finally caught Weezer’s act live (at BottleRock Napa Valley). I was absolutely floored, and that was the day that my Weezer fandom finally became real. So almost ten years later, when they embarked on an epic “Indie Rock Road Trip” tour with White Reaper and Spoon that was coming to an amazing small venue near me? You better believe I wasn’t going to miss it. Continue reading “Show Review: Weezer with Spoon and White Reaper at the Greek Theatre, 8/24/23”

Single of the Week: “FBL” by UPSAHL

I may still be riding out my Outside Lands buzz from last weekend, but that UPSAHL set was truly magical, especially for being to be basically hit over the head with a bit of dirty rock n roll ferocity before my coffee even kicked in. UPSAHL debuted the A-Side to this single, “0 to 100,” a lovely, emotive ballad this weekend. It’s a solid song, but I flipped over the virtual single (ok, I mimed flipping over the invisible 7″. Shut up, let me have my fun.) and found the more emotionally complex “FBL.” On some level, it’s a party starter. On other levels, it’s a complex look at partying and reality and how those worlds coincide, and it’s one phenomenal track by a young talent that’s gonna keep blowing our minds, I suspect. 

 Both “0 or 100” and “FBL” are part of The PHX Tapes Vol 3a continuing series of singles from UPSAHL. Vol. 1 and 2 are also out in the world and ready for your listening pleasure. 

Spinning Platters Interview: Izzy Bizu: Direct From Outside Lands

Guess what?!? This is the first time I’ve ever recorded an interview with the intent of the video being seen and not heard. And it was with the incredibly talented and friendly Izzy Bizu! Her most recent EP is a horn-laden bit of R&B confection called Flower Power and can be enjoyed RIGHT NOW from your favorite streaming service here

I also took some photos with her from the Outside Lands Press Tent:

Outside Lands 2023: 22 Instant Set Reviews

Happy 15th Birthday, Outside Lands! I’ve been to 13 out of 15, which are pretty good odds if you ask me! And despite this being the “year of the throwing stuff at bands,” this may have been the kindest, friendliest Outside Lands yet! I don’t think I’ve had more lovely conversations with strangers in three days at any other point in my life. Folks were consistently watching out for each other on the ground, working together to get medical attention for folks quickly, even at the risk of losing their spot, sharing food and water, and all around being grade-A music fans. I had the most amazing Creole Garlic Noodles of my life. I had the worst vegan experiment of my life- a veggie lamb slider (I won’t tag the restaurant here). I had plenty of Rocko’s Ice Cream Tacos because Outside Lands isn’t complete without at least 1 taco a day. 

Continue reading “Outside Lands 2023: 22 Instant Set Reviews”

Album Review: Steven Wilson – The Harmony Codex

It’s like listening to a kaleidoscope.

Anyone following Steven Wilson’s career, either via his work with Porcupine Tree or solo, has at least a tertiary understanding of his work as a remixer. He has done remixes of back catalogs for absolute legends like King Crimson, YES, XTC, ELP, and Jethro Tull, not to mention one-offs of bands like Black Sabbath, Opeth, Caravan, Chicago; the list goes on. He has spoken in interviews stressing the difference between a remix and a remaster and how much more work goes into remixing. Surround sound is nothing exactly new in this day and age. Still, technology has advanced over the years since 5.1 gave way to 7.1, which gave way to Dolby Atmos – the current standard for theatrical surround sound – allowing for all sorts of experimentation as home sound systems have been catching up.

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Single of the Week: “Mythologize Me” by Eliza McLamb

I know, it’s the first day of Outside Lands, and, sadly, the first year in a while without an Outside Lambs area, so, of course, I have to pick a “McLamb” for Single Of The Week. Well, the pun is unintentional. The song? Purely intentional. A warm and hooky song about the lengths people go to in order to become an idealized sexual partner? Well, that ticks all the boxes for me. I love the song, and I’m ready to dig further into McLamb’s catalog. 

Eliza McLamb has recently signed with Royal Mountain Records, so expect more to come. Until then, you can enjoy “Mythologize Me” in all the usual places, and check out her podcast, Binchtopia, here

Film Review: “The Unknown Country”

Gladstone anchors lovely, meditative film

Tana (Lily Gladstone) pauses on her journey to her cousin’s wedding.

Lily Gladstone first garnered attention for her quietly affecting breakout role in Kelly Reichardt’s 2016 indie award winner Certain Women. She’s been back in the spotlight recently, thanks to Martin Scorsese, who cast her as Mollie, wife to Leonardo DiCaprio’s Ernest, in Scorsese’s highly anticipated upcoming adaptation of Killers of the Flower Moon. In between, Gladstone worked on several other projects (First Cow; Walking Out) and finally landed her first leading role in The Unknown Country, a beautiful, meditative film worthy of her talents.

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Film Review: “The Last Voyage of the Demeter”

The Demeter sinks slowly but surely

There are two pieces of classic literature to which I’m happily devoted in the case of any film adaptation, re-imagining, modern take, or spin-off: Charles Dickens’s A Christmas Carol and Bram Stoker’s Dracula. I’ll save any further reading into my personal attachment to these two stories for therapy, because right now the latter intellectual property has a new entry in a long lineage of film adaptations, The Last Voyage of the Demeter. Based on a short but haunting chapter from the original Dracula text, The Last Voyage of the Demeter continues director André Øvredal’s impressive filmmaking streak, but too many imbalanced components can’t keep this Demeter afloat. 

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Album Review: Dethklok – Dethalbum IV

“WE ARE ALL GOING TO DIE”

It’s been a long and difficult saga for Brendon Small, but with the upcoming release Metalocalypse: Army of the Doomstar, we will finally have a conclusion to the story of the “greatest band on earth,” Dethklok. Despite the more obvious humor of Metalocalypse, there has always been a love and adoration for heavy music, from the overarching score, guitar squealing censor blips, and the four absolute crushers of albums.

Continue reading “Album Review: Dethklok — Dethalbum IV”