Two things I am entirely unabashed about: upping the art I like on here, and reppin’ for Florida. So, whenever I hear about new rappers from Florida, I always get psyched, and I ALWAYS get let down. But not this time, because finally it seems like Metro Zu got it.

I’m still waiting for more info to pour in on these guys, but you could easily spend hours in their Youtube channel. So, while I’m gettin’ to know dudes better, get familiar, cause I’m sure it’s all gonna be coming together rapid from here.

“The Incentive” is about Andy learning how to be the boss and inspire his employees to double their sales. He introduces an incentive program that results in him getting a tattoo. The episode has its moments but overall is pretty stale.

I didn’t watch most of last season. It was not because I had become uninterested in the show or lost faith in it; as a consumer, whether it’s a television show, a movie, or a book, I stick things out until the end (save for the similarly Carell-helmed, Dinner For Schmucks, which to this day is the only movie I’ve walked out of). So it was not because of any dissatisfaction I possessed that I stopped watching the office. No, whatever aired in the fall I saw, but once the spring rolled around I had left the country and therefor could not keep up with the show. It was as simple as that: I no longer was physically able to view the program.

Despite this, I had indeed felt that the quality of the show had waned. I was still very much invested in the characters, and thought higher of the show than many viewers I talked to (two friends of mine), but it was evident that part of the spark of the beginning of the series had diminished as it settled into a comfort familiarity, as is unfortunately the case with many shows. Because of this, when Steve Carell announced that he was leaving I was fully prepared for the show to also announce that it would soon end, or otherwise for the quality to plummet.

As it turned out, neither of these things happened. The show is very much still in production and the quality of this new season thus far is about on par with what I saw of last season. The absence of Carell and the ridiculous, increasingly less-funny antics of Michael Scott gives way for other characters to play bigger roles and carry the comedic bits.

This is all very nice and good, and may in fact lead to the show’s reinvigoration, but as it stands now, I do not want to write recaps and reviews for The Office. Of course I will keep watching it, I’ll do that until the show goes off the air, as should you, if you want, but the level of comedy is currently not interesting enough for me to dissect and study it.

At the end of The Incentive James Spader’s character says something to the effect of “There’s something about an underdog that really inspires the unexceptional.” The Office was just that underdog, taking weird, deadpan humor and giving it to America on primetime television in a way people could understand, subsequently spawning a whole slew of new comedies. Now, however, with the eighth season getting underway, that strange, underdog show has withered away to the old, slow, tired great dane (or some other large dog)  of primetime.

Clicks & Whistles mix Southern rap and UK future bass like a bartender mixes vodka and cranberry juice: easily and with the same intoxicating effect. Fittingly, their latest single “Cranberry Goose,” with its “Grey Goose / Cranberry juice” shout-out and swirling bass attack, is equal parts hip-hop swagger and electronic frenzy.

The Charlotte-based duo, comprised of Jorge Xavier Fernandez (Hey Whore Hey) and Petey Evans (Turbo Petey), is quickly making a name for itself with a trunk-rattling approach to the hottest trends in underground electronic music. Last year’s You Do EP ranged from tropical bass to exotic house jams, just giving a taste of what Clicks & Whistles is capable of.

Cranberry Goose EMB007A by Clicks & Whistles

While their original compositions are on-point, their remixes are next level, especially when it comes to the Dirty South. The duo took Crime Mob’s hood classic “Knuck If You Buck” for a psychedelic synthesizer ride; if this song doesn’t get you pumped up, I suggest a swift and strong adrenaline shot to the heart. Their frenetic remix of AC & Dell’s “Right Now” (the title track on their Mishka-released album) has the same orchestral trap energy.

Want to sip a Cranberry Goose while listening to “Cranberry Goose?” If you’re in DC this weekend, you’re in luck. C&W join Mad Decent’s electro-provocateurs Depressed Buttons and DC’s own demigod of darkness Denman at DC’s famed U Street Music Hall for a night of low-end debauchery that is not to be missed.

Crime Mob – Knuck If You Buck (Clicks & Whistles Bootyleg) by Clicks & Whistles

AC and Dell – Right Now (Clicks & Whistles Remix) by Clicks & Whistles

Mastodon – The Hunter (2011) [Roadrunner] // Grade: D

While I may not be the most austere Mastodon fan, I really tried to listen to their new album, The Hunter with an open mind. After seeing them live countless times and trying to make it through each of their albums, It’s fair to say that they would really have to put out some profound work to get me psyched on a release. Not that every album has to be some perpetually polarizing experience but I have standards, especially when it comes to that “other” genre of doom/sludge metal.

I’ll openly group The Hunter with Opeth’s newest album, Heritage, under the label of “I don’t give a shit.” While that may be harsh, I’ve tried to like both bands and the genre they helped form many times and while the rest of the world seems to be sucking off The Hunter like it’s the best shit since medicinal marijuana, I am not convinced. Not in the least. Even though Crack the Skye formed a distinct schism in Mastodon’s fanbase, I will say that I erred on the side of liking their earlier work. It was absent of, oh, what’s that word? Oh yeah, pretension.

Ironic huh? So here we are, sitting in front of The Hunter, with it’s killer album art and 13 tracks hiding behind a package so finely produced in under an hour. Where do we begin? Each of the tracks come in around 3 minutes, typical of any sort of radio friendly music. They’re precise and undoubtedly predictable, almost formulaic. With names like “Curl of the Burl,” you know what to expect: heavy rock sure to get your redneck uncle stoked on rock again.

And maybe that’s why I dislike their new direction. They are no longer the sludge/stoner rock act they used to be. The Hunter is a rock and roll production and there’s no other way to describe it. Mastodon used to be synonymous with bands like Cathedral and Sleep or Sabbath. Their fans used to be the type that appreciated their old and more aggro days. Gone are the heavy and crushing sounds and the gnarly vocals packed their bags long ago. Mastodon is gone. They’re washed up. They’ve left for greener fields (read: money) and more radio friendly music. Like the album art implies, this cow has three mouths to feed and the old sound ain’t raking in the grass so to speak.

We are entering the teeth of the Albatross, my friends. October is nigh, and with that comes the beginning of the super boner jam that is the Fall/Winter gaming schedule. Game after game shall be released, fucking your wallet and titillating your tits. The most double-edged of swords as you moan in glory and horror.

This is Press Start!, the weekly column where we – you, me, and that guy in the corner in the sweat pants – talk about the happenings in the gaming world. My list is out of order, not reflective of the impact, and most importantly: not proof read.

Let’s dance.

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#1: Fan Makes ‘Twin Peaks’ Atari 2600 Game.
I haven’t watched Twin Peaks. Doesn’t that make me such a scrub? One of those things where I know I’ll like it and I totally want to get into it but for one reason or another I haven’t taken the dive. Most similar to this in my life is my creepy obsession with wondering what it’d be like to inject saline into my testicles. Ever since Warren Ellis’ Crooked Little Vein I sometimes pat my crotch lovingly and imagine walking around with elephantitis for a couple of hours. The balls! How they hang.

Anyways back to this game.

Created by indie developer Jak Locke, the game is free to download for PC and Mac. For fans of the show or for those of us who rub our sadly not-swollen testicles contemplating enjoying the game and series it seems like the most dopest of endeavors.

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#2: 3D Gaming’s Popularity Is Low. Finally Sense.
The Nintendo 3DS was a fucking dumb idea from the get-go. Nintendo tried to ride the (perhaps nonexistent) wave of 3D popularity, parlaying it into an entire console. Overpriced and under loved. They’re stapling another analog stick onto the side of it and are rubbing their testicles not with imagined love like myself, but with the knowledge consumers are aiming for their low-hanging fruit.

There’s a report with some hilarious statistics. From owners of the 3DS, 28% said the 3D detracted. 13% played with it off.  This is in contrast to a mere 22% who thought the THIRD DIMENSION enhanced the gameplay. They probably also loved the shit out of CD-i and thought the Jaguar was going to make a solid run.

Burn, Nintendo 3Ds!, burn! I shall dance on your slightly nauseating from the burning plastic ashes!

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Argentinian sibling directors Adrián and Ramiro García Bogliano like to put women in crummy apartments and threaten their lives. In Adrián’s 2010 thriller Cold Sweat, a woman is abducted and covered in nitro glycerin. In their follow-up, Penumbra, the lead woman has the shittiest luck. You sort of want her to fail though. See, Marga (Cristina Bondo) is a huge bitch – that cutthroat kind of bitchiness you have to possess to be a high-powered lawyer like Marga is. She’s not above tasering homeless people who ask her for change or letting cashiers know how beneath her they are. Marga’s bitchiness is especially boiling over because she’s in Argentina, a country she sees as the godforsaken toilet of the world.

She’s there for business reasons and also to sell an apartment she recently inherited. The realtor she was supposed to meet at the building is late, which doesn’t help Marga’s mood. When he finally does show up, there’s something off about him. Marga doesn’t like his vibes and hopes to wrap this inconvenience quickly, but the realtor swears that there’s a wealthy party interested in the apartment – and he wants to pay rent a year in advance. Marga’s ears perk up like a dog hearing its master arrive home. So she decides to wait for the wealthy man, but as more of the realtor’s co-workers show up, Marga wonders if the rich man actually exists. And what’s that noise in the kitchen closet? And why is everyone talking about an eclipse?

Cristina Bondo was an excellent choice as Margo. She carries herself like an authentic bitch – from her tone of voice to her facial expressions to how she carries herself. Berta Muñiz plays Jorge, the sketchy realtor. He flip flops from doofy man-child to absolutely terrifying. It’s an awesome performance to watch. The rest of the cast is great as well.

Just like he did in Cold Sweat, the Boglianos takes a simple premise then expertly weaves it into an incredibly suspenseful, twisting tale. The unnerving tension builds up with equal parts comedy and dread until it fucking explodes in a climax that hits you like a brick to the skull. There are no real characters to root for. Even when things can’t get any worse for Marga (see pic below) she’s still a bitch. The homeless guy is a dick. And the realtor and his crew, well, I don’t want to spoil anything about those fools. The film builds up suspense in a similar way as House of the Devil, meaning some people may complain that “nothing is happening.” Those people can shut up right now. Penumbra is a funny, thrilling mystery and entertaining as hell. Don’t sleep when this drops on demand!

The evening before its premiere at Fantastic Fest, IFC purchased the rights to Penumbra. Expect a VOD release some time in the future.

Now this is a Мишка inspired tattoo we can really get behind! Columbus Ohio’s Carl Decaire sent in photos of his recently finished sleeve which include not only our “Engineered to Destroy” tag line but even a fantastic take on our old Shriner Death Adder bear. There’s also some Mars Attacks and what I think is Krang (?) all up in there as well.

The sleeve was done by the super talented Dave Tevenal out of Grandview, Ohio. If you’re ever in the area and looking to get some ink done, you know where to go mopsters.

Babe Rainbow – Endless Path EP (2011) [Warp] // Grade: A-

The first rule of Babe Rainbow: Whatever you expect, you’re probably not going to get it. Whether it’s ambient original tracks, screwed mixtapes, schizo remixes or creeped-out videos, Vancouver producer Cameron Reed is constantly pushing the boundaries of experimentation and emotional response. Latest EP Endless Path sidesteps the murky chill of last year’s Shaved in favor of a warmer, crisper electronic vibe; and though the end result is no less ominous, Reed’s wandered through a new set of shadows to get there.

Think of these tracks like disconnected pieces in one anomalous whole. The cascading strings and wonky jitter of a song like “It’s All Happening” have little to do, on the surface, with the sunlit beats of “Set Loose” (originally intended for Lil B) or fogged-forest echo of “Chains”, but they manage to complete each other in all the abstraction. Rather than stand static in a singular moment, Reed seems to be taking us on a tour through his headspace; here, watery and encompassing hip-hop. There, an abandoned warehouse.

But most notable about Endless Path (and everything Babe Rainbow, for that matter) is Reed’s impeccable way with production and sound design. Even at its darkest, the EP is needle-point precise; not a sound exists that doesn’t undeniably contribute to the song’s point of view. And if the intent isn’t always clear — is this an interlude? a beat exploration? — the emotion is set in steel. You’ll feel something listening to Endless Path. But it’s probably the direct opposite of what you thought you would.

Come Truise – Brokendate

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Big Baby Gandhi – Girls Used to Diss Me

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The Band In Heaven – Sleazy Dreams

Have you been keeping watch? Grime DJ/producer Spooky is constantly dropping free tracks and remixes, perfect for fans of grime, dubstep, and bass music of all kinds. Now he’s back with some more jams — you can cop his second Bag of Myths EP now.

The highlight is his remix of “Nicole’s Groove” by Phaze One. Spooky speeds things up and adds some edgy bass to the formerly-mellow two-step classic. Similarly, he trims the fat on grime killers from Skepta, D.O.K., and Rude Kid, amping up the urgency. Rounding out Bag of Myths 2 are Neon Beats’ bootleg smash “Afghan Cherryade” and a pulsating jam called “Winston’s Gash” by Mossmade Beatz.

Take this opportunity to grab Spooky’s first Bag of Myths EP, as well, which includes a hyperactive refix of Doctor P’s massive “Sweet Shop.” The appropriately-titled “Sugar Overdose Refix” chops up the beat and skitters with brain melting intensity.