Whispers – Rock Steady

Maroon 5 – If I never See Your Face Again (Swizz Beats Remix)

Janet Jackson – Pleasure Principle

Phoenix – If I Ever Feel Better

ABC – The Look of Love

This is what Vice had to say in their Global Trend Report about Italian chicks… they forgot about how much they LOVE Mishka!

He’s Our You

There were some technical difficulties at the Salem Theater last night, so I missed the first few minutes. Someone told me I missed young Sayid killing a chicken or torturing a rooster…something like that. After some threats of arson, the theater manager got her shit together and the screen came to life as Sayid was chasing some fool named Andropow through the streets of Moscow. During this  foot chase, as the credits that run for the first ten minutes of every episode are still materializing, William Sanderson‘s name pops up and so does something in my Levis. I fucking love Will Sanderson. In case you’ve been living in a hatch your whole life (couldn’t resist), Sanderson’s a legendary character actor who has been in a ton of dope shit: Blade Runner, Last Man Standing, Deadwood, Batman: The Animated Series, The Client, and currently has a stint on True Blood. He was super creepo (and borderline goofy) as Oldham, Dharma’s resident psychopath who lives in a tipi and listens to old jazz on a Victrola. His IMDB page only has him down for this episode, which sucks because I could seriously watch a whole series about this dude. Check out the video greeting on Sanderson’s official page, he seems like a dude I could shake hands with.

I’m a huge fan of Sayid so I was excited for a Sayid-centric episode, but I found this episode less entertaining than last week’s five star gem. On the other hand, this was one of the biggest “Ho Shit!” endings in recent Lost history. Did anyone see that coming? Earlier in the episode, during an off-island flashback, Ben says to Sayid, “You’re capable of doing things others are not.” Pretty ironic, eh?

Sawyer/LaFleur’s line “Since when did we start acting like them?” is a very very good question. Is the Island having an influence on those undercover in Dharma? Despite his knowledge of The Purge and the fate of Dharma, Sawyer does remark that he likes his new life. And Juliette was genuinely disappointed when she remarks, “It’s over, isn’t it?”

Now, I doubt that Lil Ben is dead. If he is, he’s sure to be resurrected by the Island somehow or Jack or Juliette are going to patch the tyke up (please let Jack do it; awkward). According to the show’s (loose) rules, it’s impossible for Ben to die as a kid if it’ll affect the future. This means that Future Ben already knows Sayid before the crash, is enabling his off-island assassination habit, knowing fully well he shoots him in the future/past. Ben, you’re the best.

Is it just me, or does Spike Jonze’s big screen adaptation of Where the Wild Things Are seem like it will be the best movie made from a kids book/comicbook/toy line?

We’re back with another online exclusive for all of you out there. A favorite of all of the club goers and nite-owls, the white on white glow mop is sure to draw attention in all the dark situations you embark on.

Be sure to charge it up in the light before you run into the shadows for the maximum glow effects and see the results.

Limited numbers available as usual, so act now or be left in the dark (literally).

Junior Boys – Begone Dull Care (2009) [Domino] // Grade: A

And so the reinvention of Junior Boys continues onward. While the opening moments of Parallel Lines may evoke memories of Depeche Mode’s Black Celebration, Begone Dull Care is a step away from the frigid Synth-pop that dominated So This Is Goodbye into some warmth. These would-be saviors of Synth-Pop have expanded their scope & vision to include all of Pop by squeezing out and albums worth of 80′s AM friendly Electro-Funk/Soul from their synthesizers that would make Hall & Oates jealous.

While this sort of undertaking by a modern band can and will usually lead to some unfortunate results (See: Hot Chip), In this instance like Chromeo and Phoenix before them, the Junior Boys not only find a sense of comfort but excel at this sort of new romanticism.

While opening tracks “Parallel Lines” & “Work” at times recall the seductive cool of So This Is Goodbye, they’re simply a familiar appetizer & drink before you get to the meat of this album.  On “Bits & Pieces” Junior Boys channel the new wave funk of ABC, while “Sneak a Picture” sees them find their inner George Michael. The closing 6 tracks are an extended journey infusing New Romantic, New Wave & Electro-Funk/Soul into the sort of AOR Pop Juggernaut whose time and place has unfortunately come and gone. However on Begone Dull Care, with each play we can reminisce and let it live again.

Heartwarming! Might be old news to some/most of you, but after seeing the shit video clip from some idiot’s talk show, I looked up this article and found out that it pays to love your job.

The Reader’s Digest Version: Nervous about his first day of school, a young Thai boy climbed out onto a third-story ledge and wouldn’t come down. After failing to coax the boy back inside as a normal firefighter, one of the dudes went back to the firehouse to get his Spider-Man costume and was finally able to get the kid to show some love. Pretty cute.

I was digging through my comic book boxes for things I had not read in long while and came across some old Wolverine comics. Despite haveing a few of the issues, I don’t think I ever really read Larry Hama and Mark Texeira’s run on Wolverine. Wow, was I surprised!

I’ve always been a fan of Hama’s. His G.I. Joe run was simply outstanding. Using his own experiences in Vietnam he was able to inject realism, depth and authenticity into a para-military group based on a bunch of action figures. Hama’s back stories and character development is what made G.I. Joe much more than simply action figures to so many of us as kids.

Hama brought all of that same goodness to Wolverine, giving the ol’ Canuckle head a distinctive voice without relying on the usual “Bub” and “SNIKT!” gimmicks. Hama and Texeira’s run paints the picture of a man worn out but not yet beaten, trying to figure who he was, is and coming to terms with his nature.

Texeira in my opinion is one of the definitive artists to ever have drawn Wolverine. His rough hand style, use of cross hatching and motion lines not only make the book’s action seem that much more frantic, but capture the rough, rugged and raw essence that is Wolverine. His ability to depict facial expressions are second to none, filling every character with darkness, emotion and a secret to hide.

While I was only 10 years old when these issues of Wolverine came out so I’m curious as to how Larry Hama and Mark Texeira’s work was received by fans at the time of  their release. Does any one remember reading this run of Wolverine when it was released in 1993?

For anyone interested in picking up Hama and Texeira’s run on Wolverine, you can get it in it’s entirety in the Essential Wolverine Vol. 3 TPB by Marvel

1990s – Kicks (2009) [Rough Trade] // Grade: F

I forgot 1990s existed… well not the decade since I’m living full on in my own personal revival, but the band. Their 2005 debut Cookies was lighthearted fluff that was an altogether forgettable version of Franz Ferdinand, hence why I enjoyed it in passing and quickly forgot it even existed.

Kicks on the other hand is the sort of album I’m now embarrassed is even in my iTunes library. I’ve been sitting here for 30 minutes trying to express just what it is about this album that leaves such a bad taste in my mouth and I think I’ve finally come up with it… Kicks is to Brittpop what Old Navy and/or Sketchers are to fashion. Hopefully I won’t need to elaborate beyond that!

Moved by President Obama’s call to action, “Work To Do” is a collection of works on brick walls, wood, glass, the ceiling, the floor and doors and even hanging on the walls, all created by the best of NYC’s street artists.

The official opening reception is Thursday, March 26, 6 – 9PM with Africa Bambaataa & Soul Sonic Force performing live; the show will run through April 16.

Please RSVP: rsvp112@gmail.com
112 Greene Street Studio
(112 Greene, Lower Level btw Prince and Spring)

*Lamour Supreme & Twerps! have a collab piece in the show, but Royce refused to put us on the flyer, press, etc. He said we weren’t Street enough. He’s a jerk. But we still <3 him!