If you’re not one to follow our humble bloglin on a day-to-day basis, let me just say that posts inspired by the 1990′s have been popping up more and more frequently lately. Everything was peace and free love back then, and it seems that summer 2011 marks the precise moment that folks have officially become prepared to relive this wonderful bygone era. Just this past week, we saw both Nirvana and Beavis and Butthead articles grace the digital pages of our fine website. I consider myself a 90′s kid through and through, so I must cop to reveling in this movement. Nostalgia is a strong drug, and I can’t get enough of the stuff!

Anyway, you may have heard that Nickelodeon recently decided to begin airing a chunk of vintage programming each evening, which would focus primarily on shows and toons cultivated throughout the 90′s. The scheduling change was specifically designed to cater to the twenty-somethings who came of age throughout this particular era, and would begin each week night at 12:00 AM. I’m assuming that the savvy programmers over at Nickelodeon HQ also smartly figured this decision might appeal to the weed headz who tend to do their dirty deeds as most weeknights draw to a close. Whatever the case, the entire undertaking probably seemed like a cheap and lucrative business opportunity for the cable channel.

According to a feature published by The Washington Post, “The block began to take shape last summer, when a group of young Nickelodeon interns gave a presentation to Nick executives. They claimed that “Bringing back classic Nickelodeon is a real digital opportunity””. These very same execs must have eventually decided the idea represented more than a shot at gaining some foothold in the viral video game, as we’re currently being presented with a full two hours of this stuff every night. Doug, All That, Kenan and Kel, Clarissa Explains It All, among myriad other programs, will now be beamed straight to your giant flat-screen on a nightly basis for our viewing pleasure.

Entitled The 90′s Are All That, Nickelodeon started airing their new programming block this past Monday, and the results of the experiment are already in. According to a report filed by Vulture, the move was an unmitigated success on all fronts. They claim that “Among viewers 18–34, the demo Teen Nick is targeting in late-night, The 90s attracted ratings roughly 850 percent higher than the channel’s previous time-period average in the midnight-to-2 a.m. block”. Utilizing the tagline “Remember When Life Didn’t Suck” (seriously) to market the new late-night feature, it seems that Nickelodeon may really be onto something here.

If we’re to take the success of this new 90′s-centric marketing ploy as any indication, it seems that there will be more of this type of nostalgia driven programming to be spoken for in the near future. As a youngster who may or may not have bought a green sweater vest at one point, in an attempt to better resemble his favorite cartoon character, I’m sure you can surmise which sort of feelings this 1990′s resurgence has conjured up for me… I’ll probably end up watching the hell out of all this shit.

Kendrick Lamar – Section.80 (2011) [Top Dawg] // Grade: A

I never liked Tribe Called Quest that much. I love some of their songs, but for the most part their jazzy iteration of hip hop, and my young Florida Everglades life had very little in common. So, when I first listened to Kendrick Lamar on O(verly) D(edicated) I just heard a lot of jazzy sounding raps, and moved on. A friend on twitter encouraged me to give him another chance because she said I’d appreciate his lyrics. And I certainly did when I went back and listened through. Kendrick is a talented lyricist, but to a greater degree he’s a fearless citizen. This is protest music. It’s as punk as it gets in 2011. He’s speaking colloquially, and he’s not preaching, but he’s pointing out what’s fucked about this system, and telling us to start thinking about what we need to do to fix our community, and asking us to consider what makes up the lives we lead.

But he’s not all redemption. And I think that is slowly becoming the defining mark of a great rapper. Someone who understands when to turn off the deep meaningful lyrics, and further someone who is able to make it all seem natural transitioning from meaningful to ignorant. Kendrick does a great job of this. But, in a more sophisticated move there is a kind of narrative cohabitation taking place. It’s not quite a narrative arc, because it’s not so heavy-handed. But the narration on the record frames the first half as loosely organized around the theme of women Kendrick’s age, while the second half is organized around the theme of men his age. While some folks might look at this and say that it’s poorly executed, I see it as masterfully done. You can ignore the “concept” and the music doesn’t suffer. To me that’s successful execution.

Kendrick’s execution carries over to the selection of beats flawlessly. There is a clear thread running through this patchwork of very different sounds. The beats range from soft plodding Rhodes tunes, to epic RZA-chorused riding music. Kendrick is a very capable rapper too, so it’s not a surprise that he really flexes on each of the beats too. That flexing ranges from laying back and taking it easy on the beat to double-timing it in, through, over, under, and around the beat. And I’d say that kind of always already comfortable approach marks the record on a whole. It seems that no matter which moment you might find him in across this rather diverse record, his composure is equally comfortable. Kendrick just seems like a dude who is playing the long game, and I look forward to seeing where his career goes.

“Can’t detour when you at war with your city”

The Chain Swangaz are back with this new teaser clip for “Freaky Muthafuckaz“, this time with a little help from comedian and parody-rapper Andy Milonakis. The beat is straight ’90s Hip Hop, the type that Mobb Deep, or maybe Mac Dre would go over, and the rhymes are straight ridiculous, the type that are about chili dogs, Craigslist, and Stalone’s Rocky (sex jokes). The full Chain Swangaz EP, Extended Package, drops in September. More sex jokes for sure. Bump this.

This evening, I quickly wanted to touch on a subject that’s very near and dear to my heart. As a youngster, I fancied myself as somewhat of a Kung Fu film enthusiast, but generally stuck to the lighter Asian fare of Jackie Chan flicks. Considering I was a middle school-aged dork at the time, and barely had a dial-up modem at my disposal, hardcore Karate shit was generally pretty hard to run across. Basically, I was out of luck if I wanted to see anything that couldn’t be found nestled within the modest action section of my local Movies Plus. Suffice it to say that I watched BloodSport more often than would be advisable.

Around the time of my Kung Fu discontent, Comedy Central had just been picked up by the local cable provider which catered to my home town. While the network was mostly screening that horrible game show Make Me Laugh at the time, you could potentially catch a solid SNL re-run every so often if you were lucky. I think they were screening The Gods Must Be Crazy quite a bit back then too. Anyway, The Daily Show with Craig Kilborn had just premiered as well, and I thought it was pretty awful on the whole. I perceived Kilborn as an arrogant turd since his days anchoring Sports Center, and really had no interest in watching him crack wise on current events or hit on actresses.

One portion of his show that I did enjoy, however, was the 10 or 20 seconds prior to him asking his guest an arbitrary 5 questions every night, in which they would loop some clip of a giant Asian fellow smashing another guy’s head to oblivion. The clip was both super stupid, and totally outrageous, but I was kind of obsessed with the thing. Sooner or later I was able to track down the name of the film from which the excerpt was lifted, and even locate a copy of the entire film at a newly open Blockbuster franchise that had popped up around my house. Essentially, the stars had aligned, and had granted me the opportunity to watch one of the dumbest things ever laid to celluloid.

The movie in question is entitled Riki-Oh: The Story of Ricky, was released in 1991, and could best be described as containing elements of Mortal Kombat, Cool Hand Luke and Big Trouble in Little China. Really though, the thing is mostly just horrible. The Story of Ricky outlines the journey of a fellow named (you guessed it) Ricky, who is crazy good at fighting, and possesses an unwavering moral compass. I should also mention that Ricky has the power to maim the jerks he fights with a single strike, punching the flesh off human bones with the greatest of ease. The movie makes an effort to explain how our hero obtained this super power at one point, but the back story is basically erroneous for the most part.

Anyway, Ricky is thrown into the slammer at the outset of the film, and decides, for one reason or another, to take down the four criminal bosses who control each of the four wings of the prison. The plot is straightforward enough, but the special effects end up taking center stage here, as the amount of gore that is shoved down the viewer’s throat is truly remarkable. All the exploding appendages and organs may not appear totally life-like throughout, but I get the sense that the folks behind Riki-Oh were never striving to pound out a piece of Kelly Reichardt-esqu Neorealism.

I was going to rank my favorite fights from the film in ascending order awesomeness, but I tend to love each one as much as the last. There’s simply no way I could Sophie’s choice these brawls even if I tried. They all mean too much to me. Riki-Oh provided one of those transcendent experiences as a kid, where a piece of art, film or music makes the leap from appearing as one the dumbest things ever, to eliciting some crazy fandom. I’ve heard folks describes similar experiences while listening to The Ramones eponymous debut, and I can understand that. The violence here might at first be off-putting for some, but I’m sure you’ll be applauding each splintered bone and exposed intestine by the time the credits roll on Ricky.

If you’re in Chicago, you know Мишка is down with CULT, the monthly party thrown by residents Teen Witch and Baby Bamboo. When the DJs promise everything from “juke, bitch tracks and acid to drone, UK funky and tribal house,” what’s not to like?

For this month’s Ghost Beach edition, CULT hosts Joakim (France) and Top8 DJs (NYC). A powerhouse in the electronic music scene for over a decade, Joakim’s eclectic taste is a perfect fit for the genre-busting night. This Thursday, keep your Kool Aid at home and revel in the underground with CULT.

Thursday July 28th, 10pm – 4am
Berlin Nightclub
954 W. Belmont Ave.
Chicago, IL
RSVP For Free Entry
21+ to Enter

Brilliant Colors – Again and Again (2011) [Slumberland] // Grade: C-

It’s hard to believe that the ever-expanding dreamgazer crash pad Slumberland Records formed all the way back in 1989 and that their complete, (near) 150-title discography is now longer in number than the infamous C86 tape release that influenced them to start in the first place. Peacocking their label’s shades proudly, San Francisco’s Brilliant Colors return with Again and Again, their second album that follows a pair of singles and a split since they dropped their 2009 debut Introducing. The band’s 10-song welcoming party was spunky and carefree, letting out whispers of punk and classic female-driven [reverb] pop and as enjoyable as the album felt, I imagined the band were poised to hit the studio in search of a classic, buffed-out, haze-free shine more akin to something like what Bethany Best Coast was doing.

Not so with Again and Again. The trio keeps things as uniform and straightforward as they can and though it’s yearning and cute, the 12-song affair comes off (at times) even more uninspired and faceless than their introduction did. Second song “How Much Longer” is a lulling bore that sounds nothing more than singer/guitarist Jess Scott standing in front of a microphone and letting whatever out over a bed of jangle. A bit better, “Back to the Tricks” has a mid-song time change, more pace and a certain guitar spice about it. As a whole, no one song here screams for true standout status and concurrently no one song sulks as a disappointment; the entire thing is just there, lulling me along for 28 minutes. Again produced by Alex Yusimov, Brilliant Colors wear their citations proudly making sure that all the appropriate bands — Talulah Gosh, The Pastels, The Vaselines, Black Tambourine, etc. — are again showcased.

I might be coming off a bit harsh. The record doesn’t enthrall me; there’s no real personality or dynamic component that sets it out, but, I can’t certainly call “Again and Again” an unenjoyable listen. By channeling certain moments in music that have consistently been nibbled on and breadcrumbed since the 80s, Brilliant Colors have made a record that exists to capture only your partial attention for certain moments; background music, BBQs, or the beach are all proper venues for this light, breezy hunk.

To usher in the recent opening of one of Мишка’s proudest new stockists, St. Louis based store Swedlife is hosting an in-store appearance from the one and only Stalley. Not only are we proud to boast Stalley as extended family, we are extremely happy for all the recent success that Stalley’s hard work has been experiencing. The newest member of Rick Ross’ Maybach Music Group, Stalley is moving in only one direction: UP!

After paying his dues, he is now being mentored by arguably the hottest rapper in the game right now. And for Swedlife, started by two recent local college graduates Seth & Lucas, this is a great opportunity to host an amazing talent amongst 2 talented men starting their own business venture.

Мишка represents that DIY, independent school of thought top to bottom and this in store is an extension of that through all involved. So if you’re in the St. Louis area Friday July 29th from 7:00pm – 8:00pm, Swedlife will be the pre-party jump off. Lookout for other special goodies offered by the Swedlife folks and look out for our Fall 11 collection hitting Swedlife’s shelves soon.

Be sure to check out Stalley’s brand new video for “Pound” off Lincoln Way Nights: Intelligent Trunk Music which we *cough cough* presented. Download that shit right now if you’re among the few who have yet to.

Friday July 29th,7-8pm
Swedlife
6378 Delmar Blvd.
St. Louis, MO

Allow me to preface my review of the comic world’s patriotic poster child by acknowledging that I’m a little late on the uptake, seeing as the film hit theaters earlier this week and every self-proclaimed movie critic in the free world has been coming out of the woodwork laying down equal amounts of positive and negative feedback. I am no Roger Ebert and I certainly don’t claim to be an authority on what good or bad film is but I sat through the picture so I’ll make like an umpire and call it as I see it.

I haven’t been the biggest supporter of the comic book property search and seizure that’s been going on in Hollywood. The industry cats have milked the tit of Marvel and DC for some time now showing no signs of stopping or slowing down. We’ve had movie adaptations of The Green Hornet, Green Lantern, and Thor come out just in the first half of this year and now we can add Captain America: The First Avenger to the dogpile. Directed by Joe Johnston, the man behind the camera for Jurassic Park III, The Rocketeer, Jumanji, and others, this menial Avengers film, the fifth thus far, didn’t do much for me with the property although it looked pretty.

Here’s the breakdown, Captain America is as grossly jingoistic as comic books ever got, as if the square-jawed, man of steel Clark Kent was too subtle a message. Steve Rogers, Captain America, is a hulking beast of a man adorned in a costume that could only have been sewn by the delicate fingers of Betsy Ross. He’s the 50 states packed into one body but you get the picture. I was never too keen on superheroes, growing up, it was in fact, their arch-nemeses that intrigued me and the Captain had one of the best. His name is Red Skull, a towering mass of nefarious Nazism and the polar opposite of everything this country stands for and commander of a criminal organization of well-trained footsoldiers, HYDRA.

So, the movie, Rogers is a scrawny shrimp of a man played by Chris Evans, well actually his face was, oddly enough, superimposed on an entirely computer-generated body. It dawned on me, hastily enough, that there was something up with Evans and he looked more like a circus freak with impossibly disproportionate features than an actor who took his role to the next level. Set in Brooklyn during the ’40s, wartime for this great land, Rogers has always dreamt of serving his country and fighting for freedom and liberty and all the good stuff that makes being an American better than everything else.

Rogers’ is denied entry because of his frail build and laundry list of prior conditions but his more brawny cohort is waved into the service with the stamp of a paper. At the World’s Fair, Rogers tries again to sign up at a recruitment annex, granted access to the army by a mysterious doctor with a terrible German accent, Stanley Tucci as Dr. Abraham Erskine. The good doctor sees his potential and Steve Rogers ends up in a military division lead by Colonel Phillips otherwise known as Tommy Lee Jones. After all the movies he’s done, I still can’t break the association with Men In Black and with each phrase he only further embodies Agent K for me.

Meanwhile our villain, who doesn’t look himself just yet, is plundering some Teutonic treasure from the grips of an old Nordic man. The energy, said to be the power of the gods meaning Odin, is stolen by Johann Schmidt alias Red Skull, Hugo Weaving, and his gang o’ Nazis. He’s a megalomaniac with his heart set on destroying all the major U.S. cities, what else is new, overtaking Hitler himself in his plans for world domination. He uses an elaborate laboratory built by a lackey scientist to control and manipulate the ageless energy into a weapons system that vaporizes his enemies with a burst of plasma.

Back to Cap’n, he’s got a love interest, played by Hayley Atwell, and furthermore he’s been elected by the doctor and colonel to take part in an experimental serum injection, that will turn him from zero to hero. Some pointless dialogue occurs, all of the dialogue feels forced in like an afterthought, when in reality all the audiences really needed was a few grunts from the costumed crusader, directly proceeding on to the delivery of an Aryan ass-kicking. They strap him into an upright metal coffin, jack’m up with blue liquid, and a shining light transforms him into the smug, strapping Evans we all know but don’t exactly care for. For all I know, he could’ve been digitally transferred onto this body too.

Around this point I feel like they’ve wasted enough time prepping this guy for manhood when his pre-hero history could’ve been covered with a ten or fifteen minute flashback. Now he’s Captain America but not nearly ready to fight anybody, his launching pad to success takes the shape of a traveling show for soldiers of which he is the face, a dancing monkey that he, himself, realizes and detests. Sick of the propaganda machine, selling war bonds to “put a bullet in the barrel of the best guy’s gun”, and being heckled for his outfit, a rough mock-up of his signature attire, he decides to go on to bigger and better things, maybe some superhero stuff, I don’t know, guess we’ll have to wait another half an hour and find out.

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Chicago duo, The Hood Internet, is back with their latest genre-defying mash-up mix, Trillwave 2. Combining emcees such as Lupe Fiasco, Raekwon, and Lil’ B, with the likes of Com Truise, Cults, and Toro Y Moi, this mix is perfect for those end-of-summer barbecues and erupting-hydrant parties. The mix is drenched with summer time fun, ripping your favorite emcees away from their traditional hip hop backgrounds and throwing ‘em in the pool with some iced tea and some indie rock and chillwave.

If you’re still not up on Hood Internet yet, the guys responsible for “The Best Mash-Ups This Side of the Web,” check them out in our Bloglin profile piece. ABX and STV SLV, the duo behind The Hood, have been killing it for the last few years using digital alchemy to blend today’s hottest hip hop, rap, indie, and R&B. And Trillwave 2 is no exception; this mix slaps.

Hit up our Мишка Soundcloud to download Trillwave 2 for FREE, and if you have yet to, make sure you get the original Trillwave also. Get this right now, because knowing you like I do, you’re gonna wanna download this mix to play in your car, at the park, and anywhere else you dare to play your music. Also, catch The Hood Internet this Saturday, July 30, at the Mad Decent 2011 Block Party! It’s free, it’s all ages, it’s at South Street Seaport Pier 17 in Manhattan. What more could you want?

The Hood Internet – Trillwave 2 by Мишка Bloglin

Check out the full tracklist for Trillwave 2 after the jump. Trillwave: Swag.

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Another week, another batch of Near Mint Madness. The comic book column where I give a cursory glance at release lists and tell you what I’m interested in. I encourage you to share your own most desired of picks, cause I have poor taste, a limited attention span, and I’m always looking to try something new.

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Captain America and Bucky #620
Marvel is trying so hard, SO HARD, to get everyone who goes to see their funny books turned silver screen experiences into the comic book stores afterwards. They’ve leveraged the Thor and Captain America movies into the seriously convoluted Fear Itself. Not only that, they’ve restarted Captain America with a new #1 issue. Dur! Joe Mouthbreather can totally figure out what title to buy after he goes and stares at them there Chris Evans’ glorious glutes for two hours. Why, it’s a #1 issue. Then they went and took what was previously Captain America and turned it into Captain America and Bucky. A mysterious comic book that somehow is numbered after the original Cap line. Captain America and Bucky! Starting at issue #620.

Yep. I don’t know man. But hey there, Bucky is in the Captain America movie!, so let’s get him in there. Never mind the fact that in the movie he’s a grizzled friend of Steve’s. They’re going full-tilt creepy pedo-friend.

My bitterness bleeds today, the scabs refusing to form. Captain America was going swimmingly with Bucky as Captain America, with sensible numbering. But oh shit!, new movie coming out. Let’s rejigger everything for the crowds that aren’t going to turn out.

If you can get past that, it’s still Ed Brubaker, being complimented by Chris Samnee and his excellent artwork. Hint: I can work it out, but it’s going to be with a couple muffled groans. In fact, I may even intentionally crease my own copy. Fuck you, resale value.

Also Dropping From Marvel is FF #7, which continues my Hickman love fest. Glory be his name. There’s also a big Spider-Man event starting, in case you weren’t sated with Fear Itself and Flashpoint. Amazing Spider-Man #666 is the beginning of Spider Island! which I think means that everyone in Manhattan gets Spider-Man’s powers. I’m not making this up. But oh shit seriously, grab Uncanny X-Force #12. Rick Remender brings the perfect balance of hyper-violence, witty repartee and homosuperior.

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