Show Review: Wet Leg with Fake Fruit and DJ Aaron Axelson at Rickshaw Stop, 12.15.21

It was the middle of June in the year 2021. This decade has been pretty terrible, but that single month may have been the most optimistic month of the hellscape we are living in. That’s when employers started hiring again en masse. Biden was hitting a solid stride in the White House. COVID was actually looking like it was about to turn a corner. And, for what felt like the first time years, the world was gifted a song born during the darkness that had killer hooks and lyrics that are purely silly. That song was “Chaise Longue,” and for me, it represented hope. Something that had been missing for far too long. 

In the months since that blissful song entered our lives, the world has gotten darker. Yet, more and more people were quickly embracing Wet Leg. A second single, “Wet Leg,” came as things started to really subside again, and, somehow, it helped boost my mood again. That single was accompanied by news of a short winter tour- three cities in three nights. With the pangs of Delta uncertainty knocking at the door, I still decided to buy tickets. It was a good thing I did because those three shows sold out fast and quickly turned into a dozen. And as the news grew darker and more sour, I knew Wet Leg was coming to America. I made sure to get my booster and some well-fitted N95s in order to stay safe because I wasn’t missing this show.  Continue reading “Show Review: Wet Leg with Fake Fruit and DJ Aaron Axelson at Rickshaw Stop, 12.15.21”

Single of the Week: “Why December” by Ignoring Olivia

Oh man. This song is HEAVY AF. Like, not just sonically, but the emotional weight of this song is also intense. Vocalist Maya delivers the lyrics with a passionate wail that harkens back to Mia Zapata of The Gits or last year’s Single Of The Weeker Kim Gordon. The band delivers the kind of dark ferocity the reminds me of Babes In Toyland or Pretty On The Inside-era Hole. “Why December” is just a great song, a great recording, and is exactly what I needed to hear this week. 

“Why December” is out in the world in all of the usual places to stream and download. Their debut album SULKUS is out this February. Keep an eye out here for breaking news on what may end up your favorite record of 2022. 

Single of the Week: “Abstract Blues” by Kim Gordon & J. Mascis (featuring Fred Armisen)

Most supergroups are a bit of a disappointment. However, this track, which is actually a few months old but is finally getting an official release as part of the Sub Pop Single Club this week, really does what you want a supergroup to do- it takes the most complimentary gifts the different artists have and builds on it. Kim Gordon’s exasperated growl blends nicely with J Mascis’ guitar work that’s drenched in both noise AND melody. Fred Armisen is here, but he just stays in the pocket, supporting two bonafide rock legends and not showing off. 

“Abstract Blues” can be streamed in all the usual places. If you are looking for something physical, you can still join the 2021 Sub Pop Singles Club here and get 12 exclusive 45’s. 

Film Review: “Encounter”

Ahmed’s performance anchors tense, imperfect drama

Malik (Riz Ahmed, center) prepares his sons Jay (Lucian-River Chauhan, l.) and Bobby (Aditya Geddada) for an alien threat.

First, a heads up about the new movie Encounter: it is *not* a sci-fi movie. Despite the title, trailer, and marketing copy all seemingly indicating that’s what we’re in for, the film’s publicity team has done a bait and switch. So if you’re a huge sci-fi fan and think the trailer looks intriguing — as I did — know that instead what you’re getting with this picture is actually a serviceable psychological drama. I’ll also warn you that if you get stressed out by watching gross creepy insects and children in peril, this picture probably isn’t for you.

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Single Of The Week: “Apple Boy” by Mae Mae

Can a song be super snarky and incredibly sweet all at once? Mae Mae may have written the most genuinely realistic love song I have ever heard. It’s tender, it’s sexy, it’s judgemental, it’s full of complex emotions that really wrap up what it’s like to spend time with the one that you have marked “the one.” “Apple Boy” is one beautiful song and I’m happy to share it with you for our Single of the Week. 

“Apple Boy” can be enjoyed in all of the usual places. It’s the second single off Mae Mae’s upcoming EP, Gummy Heart Eyes, coming your way on January 15th. 

Film Review: “14 Peaks: Nothing is Impossible”

New doc is a terrific peak at extraordinary accomplishment 

Mountaineer extraordinaire Nims Purja, atop one of his many ascents.

If you feel like you need some motivation to get back in shape after your long Thanksgiving weekend of feasting and resting, I recommend you watch the new Netflix documentary 14 Peaks: Nothing is Impossible stat. The film tells the story of Nepali mountaineer Nirmal “Nims” Purja, who became the first person to summit all 14 of the world’s highest peaks in under seven months. The feat–and the movie about it–are both exceptional and inspiring.

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Wet Leg Debut Album Out April 8th

Hello there, loyal readers. And if you are a loyal reader, you’ll know that I am really like the band Wet Leg. Like, to a degree almost as uncomfortable as their band name. (And by I, I mean Dakin Hardwick, the Music Editor for this very site.) And since I have a forum to talk about how much I like something, I’m using that forum to shout any Wet Leg news that I can. Today’s news is great. First, we have a 3rd single called “Too Late Now” that you can set on repeat just like the first two songs. This one has the same biting commentary, but with a slower build-up and less overtly funny lyrics. This one also has a fiercely loud b-side, “Oh No,” a track that would be right at home on the playlist of a college radio station in 1991. 

But that’s not all! We FINALLY have a release date for their Self-Titled debut coming out on Domino Records on April 8th! Preorders are happening NOW! And of course, there is a limited edition vinyl pressing with a bonus 7″ and an extra booklet. Lastly, we’ve got a full slate of North American tour dates coming your way below the jump! And if you missed out on tickets to their SF and LA club shows, they’ve been added to the bill to Chvrches at the Bill Graham Civic and Hollywood Palladium dates! Continue reading “Wet Leg Debut Album Out April 8th”

Single Of The Week: “Traps” by Bloc Party

Bloc Party’s debut EP can out in 2014. I still remember very vividly the first time I heard it… I was working at a Wherehouse Music location in the Tenderloin. A box of indie label promos showed up, and I opened the box to see what there was. One of my colleagues said, “Bloc Party? I heard they were good. Let’s put that on!” I threw it on and was instantly blown away. They’ve made a few excellent records since then, but nothing quite on that level since then. That is, until “Traps,” their first single in six years. This song is HEAVY. It might be the heaviest, hardest thing they’ve done, well, ever. The drums are ferocious yet nimble, proving to the world that Louise Bartle can, indeed, fill the shoes that Matt Tong left behind so many years ago. 

“Traps” can be found in all the usual places. It’s the first single off Alpha Games, which is due in stores, both physical and virtual, on April 29th. Preorders and presaves can be done here! 

Film Review: “The Humans”

Strong performances anchor awkward stage-to-screen adaptation 

The Blake family gathers for Thanksgiving.

“Boy, the holidays are rough. Every year I just try to get from the day before Thanksgiving to the day after New Year’s,” the late great screenwriter Nora Ephron has Harry (Billy Crystal) comment to Sally (Meg Ryan) in the 1989 classic When Harry Met Sally. “A lot of suicides,” Sally dryly replies. Some 30 years later, Pennsylvania-born playwright and first-time filmmaker Stephen Karam has given us The Humans, a Thanksgiving-set film that illustrates Harry’s point. In keeping with the spirit of the holiday, though, thankfully, the picture lacks Sally’s cynicism.

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Film Review: “King Richard”

Game, set, and match: Smith serves up winning performance in Williams biopic

Richard Williams (Will Smith) coaches his daughters Serena (Demi Singleton, l.) and Venus (Saniyya Sidney).

The last based-on-real-life tennis move I reviewed was Battle of the Sexes back in 2017, a jaunty yet powerful look at the infamous 1973 tennis match between Billie Jean King and Bobby Riggs. Just as that movie was about so much more than solely tennis, so too is King Richard, a film that takes place nearly 20 years later, and, while ostensibly about the early lives of tennis champions Venus and Serena Williams, is actually about race, class, parenting, and marriage. But the picture features plenty of nail-biting tennis matches, too, for the true tennis aficionado.

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