Reviews of albums, films, concerts, and more from the Bay Area Music and Movie Nerds
American cinema and television thoroughly covers the events leading up to someone’s arrest, trial and conviction or exoneration. But what happens after prison, when the convicted must return to their community, and face an entirely different kind of trial? Continue reading “Film Feature: SFFILM 2021 Festival Spotlight #3 — “Home” Review”
Oh, that Superbad, that super, super, somewhat bad 2007 film that spawned, or launched, or squirted out a thousand imitators. Well, maybe ten or so, but it sure feels like a thousand. Supercool, the subject of this review, and an entry in the 2021 San Francisco International Film Festival, is a tag-along that desperately, and I mean desperately, wants to get into the big kids’ party. It’s the lonely, undersexed, over-analyzed teen with a gawky face, messy hair, and a loopy gait who spends all night looking for the party, only to find it’s been broken up by the cops. Continue reading “Film Feature: SFFILM 2021 Festival Spotlight #2 — “Supercool” Review”
One the list of things you don’t know you needed- Kyp Malone of NYC art-rock legends TV On The Radio is in a psych-jazz band with John Dwyer of OSees and Dwyer-verse players Tom Dolas and Brad Caulkin. They are called Various Artists and their debut album is called Moon-Drenched. Or maybe this is just the band Bent Arcana’s second record? Either way, this track of a fierce piece of brain-melting fuckery that’s also 12 1/2 minutes of pure energy. Do you need something to help you focus on spreadsheets or cleaning the bathroom? This is it. Looking to get lost in your own head? This is also it. Just looking for guitar and sax fury? Yup! This is it. The one thing “The War Clock” doesn’t sound like to me is actual war… The song is “happy” exciting, not “scary” exciting. You may interpret it as you wish.
“The War Clock” can be played loud off Bandcamp and a full length, Moon-Drenched, is coming to this world on May 28th.
The writer, director, actor, and veteran Samuel Fuller is said to have remarked that the only way to make a truly realistic war film is to fill a theater full of patrons, then have soldiers shoot at them from behind the screen. No matter how realistic, a war film is still a film.
Continue reading “Film Feature: SFFILM 2021 Festival Spotlight #1 — Strawberry Mansion Review”
Some weeks, I find a song that immediately inspires me to write about it. I find a clear and vivid emotional connection, and can easily articulate it. Other weeks, I go through emails and press releases, and a song just jumps out at me, and I don’t really know how to describe it. “Sad Girl Party” by CYBERST3PH is one of those. After hours of listening to new music from all across the spectrum, this song just *hit.* It filled me with that burst of serotonin that comes from hearing a song that just makes you happy. It has all the heart and sincerity of Diet Cig, but a shine to it that usually doesn’t work for a song like this, but just plain does.
“Sad Girl Party” is available in all the usual places, and be sure to follow CYBERST3PH on Instagram, Twitter, and Spotify to stay in the loop on new music.
Sorry about all caps, but things are starting to look like this whole pandemic thing might really have an end date. For the first time since March of 2020, today saw full-fledged, all-new, legit tour dates getting released for later this year. Not “rescheduled from 2020 to keep these dates on a calendar and hope they actually can happen” tour dates. Not “virtual tour” tour dates. Not “limited capacity / social distancing in the venue” tour dates. Full cap, legit tours. From artists that seem to have been taking the pandemic seriously from the get-go! Continue reading “WHOA! BULLY AND JULIEN BAKER HAVE NEW TOUR DATES (not together, sadly)!!!!”
Spinning Platters presents “How Did I Get Here?” is available almost everywhere you enjoy podcasts. You can find us and subscribe here!
One of my favorite video tropes is the “female murdering their male partner” trope. Kesha gave us a great one in 2019 with “Raising Hell.” The Dixie Chicks’ “Earl” stands as a classic. And now Elizabeth Nistico, under her aptly named alter-ego Revenge Wife, brings us “Manifest.” This is a thrilling tale of love gone awry, and, quite honestly, this music video might be the best movie I’ve seen all year. (I also have a two-year-old that is trapped at home with me due to the pandemic, and when that kid is asleep, I’m either running this blog, working, or trying to make sure the house doesn’t fall to pieces, so there’s not a lot of time for movie watching. 3 minutes and 12 seconds IS my free time) The song itself is some hyperpop brilliance, and I’m really excited about all of this madness ending so I can enjoy this genre live.
“Manifest” is the second single off Revenge Wife’s forthcoming EP Background Songs For Your Boring Life, Part 1. The release date is still TBA, but you can keep up with Nistico on Instagram and Twitch!
Fans of Breaking Bad and Better Call Saul know that Bob Odenkirk has a terrific wry, deadpan presence. If you’ve ever wondered what Breaking Bad might have been like had Odenkirk been cast as Walter White instead of Saul Goodman, you may want to check out the new action thriller Nobody.
It’s been a long time since we’ve given you a hometown single of the week. A lot of that is due to, well, not going to shows and getting blown away by someone new live. Instead, we need to get blown away in our headphones, which is exactly what Susan Darvishi did. “Polaroid” is a big, classic new wave song, in the vein of Human League. The synths are warm and lovely, not cold like a lot of dance music suffers from. And the best part is the lyrics- we have a real story with a beginning, middle, and end that takes you on a night out. She actually brings you to a space where we can see our friends, meet new people, dance, and live life like we haven’t been able to in over a year at this point. It’s the perfect COVIDversary track, and, in its own way, is helping me remember that there is an end, and we will get to that place again.
You can find “Polaroid” and the rest of her excellent catalog in all the usual places! Rumor has it a full length will be dropping before the year is out!
