Let the Right One In

Unlike the uptight mormon vision of sexually repressed vampires in Twilight, this quietly poignant coming of age film has a touching depiction of first love. It also has a cold, uneasy yet realistic quality (not unlike Silence of the Lambs) with plenty of Vampyric Lore and a blood lust Twilight also lacks. This movie creeps up on you and lingers in your thoughts.

Big Love: The Complete Third Season

The first 2 seasons of Big Love are as near perfect as you can get. It seemed like a religious themed show about polygamy would fall on either side of preachy or exploitation but surprisingly, polygamy adds to the drama 3 fold because the sister wives must work out problems with one another & deal with the bigger picture of huge families and differing beliefs within the community. You can identify with having a "family secret" if not 3 moms. The very best actors & writers on television today pull off campy character driven humor and sensitive family issues with ease. No show since Twin Peaks has had such a great cast of characters (Chloë Sevigny, Bill Paxton, Grace Zabriskie, Harry Dean Stanton, Bruce Dern, Matt Ross). I want to gay marry Bill Henrickson and join these kooky cultists in big love.

Battlestar Galactica: Season 4.0

Televisions Sci-fi Star Wars knock off is rebuilt as a dark drama with political intrigue that parallels the bleak W. Bush era. A post-apocalyptic dystopian society on the run from robotic superiors in search of utopia (Earth). Real world psychological & social problems plague the crew infiltrated by hybrid cylon/human clones. There are no good guys & bad guys. As we delve deeper into this series we see the evil man & his technologies can bring without the morality of reason. Plus it is god damned frakin' fun to watch.

Europa - Criterion Collection

Before Lars von Trier began experimenting with styles and rules of film making, he did the Europa trilogy (The Element of Crime, Epidemic). His flash as director recalls Fritz Lang, Welles or Hitchcock while the abundant creativity is awash in bleak Kafka expressionism. Leopold Kessler is Germany's post-war Zentropa train line sleeping car conductor in 1945. Leopold tries to stay neutral while the allied forces and a German terrorist group battle. Hypnotic and well crafted if not depressing.

Synecdoche, New York

Theater director Caden Cotard (Philip Seymour Hoffman) mounts a new play so much about his real life that it takes him over and becomes his life until it passes him by. Now, is that so hard? I guess for the thousands of critics whose reviews litter the magazines, TV, Newspapers, internet blogs, it was hard to review without a stab at understanding a movie about a man falling apart mentally. It must drive them crazy writing critiques filled with phrases like "defies description" or "overwhelming." You don't have to feel dumb if you see something you don't understand, maybe you aren't suppose to. Like Donnie Darko, this character is seeing things which aren't real and logic slips away here too. My only advice to Charlie Kaufman is to keep the laughs at a steady pace. The first hour is filled with absurdities but as Ceden's life gets more awful the humor vanishes from this antihero movie by the last reel.

tip: Buy now or pay later. Living in poverty my whole life prepared me for the not so great depression. Depression prepared me to have my hopes squashed at every turn. No credit cards, no cell phone and the greedy have assured I'll be one of 1 million homeless scrapping for aluminum cans in your garbage sooner than expected. I call upon the great and powerful Obama and click my heels together...."There's no place like a home."

DJ BABU - Duck Season Vol.3

Dope. Dope. Dope. DJ Babu is one third of LA Hip Hop trailblazers, Dilated Peoples. This is Babu's third release in the Duck Season series and it is pure FIRE!

Q-Tip - Renaissance

Q-Tip is back! This has got to be one of the best albums of the year. I played this record every day for a week straight when it came out. It's solid from start to finish. Rooted in Hip Hop with Jazzy Soul overtones and it's even got some classic Tribe Called Quest'ness to it!

Jake One - White Van Music

Jake One is a Hip Hop producer's producer...This album has mad features from the likes of MF Doom, Black Milk, Slug, Pos(de la soul) and a whole bunch of other cats ripping the mic. This is just some classic trunk rattling, head noddin', speaker bumpin' sh*t! GO GET IT.

tip: If you love to dance you need to check out ANDA! Every 1st Saturday of the month @ Mals Bar.
The dj's there spin Salsa, Cumbia, Afrobeat, Samba, and even Latin House!
Plus a live band every night!

Mals Bar
2331 S. Hill St.
LA,CA 90007
www.myspace.com/andacumbiasalsa

Robbie Basho - Bonn 1st Supreme

Previously unreleased live concert cassette tapes. Stunning display of the unsettled genius' guitar thrum. Back woods inclination, new world wizard. This guy's good.

Terri Lyne Carrington - Structure

She-drum-driven jazz-rock with adroit shredding by Greg Osby, Adam Rogers, Haslip and all'em. Futuristic funky Fritos of fire. Where's this been?

Tower of Power - The Very Best of Tower of Power

In-the-pocket urban ache. Bleating baritone butter-ballads of yearning and yesterdays. Synco-sexy up-north knowledge of living and loving real.

Juan Manuel Canizares - Noches de Iman y Luna

Stirring outpouring of emotional new-Flamenco fire. These cats have technique to burn. Take the hint.

Jordi Savall/Hesperion XXI - Ostinato

Lovely collection of Medieval and Renaissance strings, elegance of grace and timbre. These players have it in them.

Terry Riley - Shri Camel

Elegant microtonal synth serenades. Echo-y ecstacy muses shadows, color, vibration. Terry works up his best routines ever.

Vince Mendoza - Blauklang

Bubbly-plush big band blues arranged with silky intertwined mod tonality. Vince vests magnificent melancholy. You'll take to it.

Bobo Stenson Trio - Cantado

I love me my piano trios. Bobo and his boys embark on a lovely, delicate pilgrimage of jazz intellect. Sound good? Nuance galore.

June Tabor - Rosa Mundi

June's voice never better, breathing wisdom of time, sensuality and consequence. Alluring neo-classical folk accompaniment. I'll take a case of it.

Dominique Di Piazza Trio - Princess Sita

The Django Mclaughlin on the bass. Charming flights of freak finger flying...keeningly komposed. Drums'n acoustic guitar do the rest, and it delivers.

Peter Gabriel - Up ( Vinyl remaster)

Awe-inspiring pressing of a record I neglected on its release. Deep thought-ed studio diablerie. Crackling currents in the great one's narrative. Pete's creative, huh?

Pharoah Sanders - Live at the East

Spooky, soaring metaphysical sax melodies that Pharaoh finds, shakes loose, crying, laughing...supremely hum-able. Double basses mew, piano palpitates, bells and godess chant. Whoa, Nelly!

Giya Kancheli - Little Imber

Immaculate, placid vocal and instrumental pieces of broad harmonic resonance. Georgian composer Kancheli fusing the ancient future ebb and flow. Quiet confessions indeed.

Fennesz - Black Sea

Blue noise of uppermost relevance. Circuits flogging logic until shimmers loom. Dissonance discovered and ditched. Drone tones but not alone.

Philip Glass - North Star

Rediscovered 1977 gem, his best. Small group studio cyclic stargazing, vox and instrumental incoming. Go back here...the real deal.

Kayhan Kalhour & Brooklyn Rider - Silent City

Kalhour bows the kamancheh, a little Persian fiddle. The string quartet blooms beauty with percussion to boot. Intense and serene, very NOW.

Alexandre Desplat - The Curious Case Of Bejamin Button [Score]

Ambrosial themes take you on a trip. Cinematic, yet in no need of screen. Plush frontal lobe fantasy.

Christina Kubisch - Night Flights

Minimal electronic sound sculpted in the early '80s. Homemade bloop-bleep, glass tubal, voci, trumpeta. Austere exporatory atmospherics ascending.

U. Shrinivas - Samjanitha

Indian electric mandolin virtuoso blows our mind. Mixes east, west, north, south, up and down. Stones turned, ideas blossom, chops aplenty. Psychic and aural incense.

Hector Zazou & Swara - In The House Of Mirrors

Processed east Indian and north African instros. Hector pads the nest of the instruments with nominal noodling. Scrumptious oud loops the somnolent violin. Smoke this.

John Tavener - Piano Music

At once harmonically dense and sparsely regal treks to joy and pain. Big orchestras in one instrument. Angel's flights to within us.

Ishu Kayoko/Singers Three - Go-Go Scat

No, it's scat singing in Japanese from the later mid century, with that A&M Records vibe. Evocative swing with a small-group thing. Go-Go get a copy.

Johann Johannsson - Fordlandia

A collection of heavy heartwrench. Sweeping strings of sad silouette. Dark patterns shine on lighted hope. Affective.

tip: Get a third speaker for your stereo. Hook up the wire to the Left and Right positive speaker terminals of your amplifier or receiver, leaving the other speakers wired in. Place the third speaker at a distance from your stereo speakers. Marvel at all the wonderful reverb-y out-of-phase sound that you never knew was in the recording. Move the speaker around for the best perspective.

Die Meistersiger - Wagner

Goodell

Chandos has given us the long awaited English National Opera live performance of Wagner's Meistersinger (Mastersinger) in English. Conducted by the great Wagnerian Reginald Goodell and with Norman Bailey as Hans Sachs this is a memorable performance of Wagner's comedy masterpiece.

Piano Concertos 1 & 3 - Hiller

Howard Shelly

Hyperion continues their laudable series of neglected Concertos with the Piano Concertos 1 & 3 of Ferdinand Hiller, a once prominent composer and friend of Mendelssohn and Schumnann. Howard Shelley is both pianist and conductor in this recording that has lifted these fine works from obscurity.

Volume 4 - Leroy Anderson

Slatkin

Naxos is continuing their splendid series of orchestral pieces by Leroy Anderson with a fourth volume.(Syncopated Clock, Typewriter). Conductor Leonard Slatkin brings out the wit of the music which in this volume includes Irish Suite, Forgotten Dreams, Blue Tango among others. Noted Broadway singer Kim Kriswell joins the orchestra in the vocal pieces.

Symphony #7 - Bruckner

Bruno Walter

Testament has issued a broadcast recording of Bruckner's Seventh Symphony conducted by the great Bruno Walter and the New York Philharmonic from a December 1954 broadcast in excellent mono sound. Walter recorded the work later on but this interpertation is much more vigorous. Also included is Gluck's "IIphiginie in Aulide Overture" new to Walter's discography.

Fantasia Contrappuntisitica - Busoni

Milne

Pianist Hamish Milne on Hyperion takes on Ferruccio Busoni's incredibly difficult Fantasia Contappuntistica which is Busoni's attemt to complete Bach's unfinished "Art of the Fugue." Challenging and fasinating listening.

Tobacco - Fucked Up Friends

This is one-half of Black Moth Super Rainbow and more than doubley brilliant!!! Druggy dreamy psych-pop.

Xela - In Bocca al Lupo

Murcof - The Versailles Sessions

Deerhunter - Microcastle / Weird Era Continued

Ursula Bogner - Recordings 1969-1988

Reuber - Sudpol

(if ur into Cluster, Rother & Mobius or Conrad Schnitzler)

MRR-ADM - untitled 10" EP

(limited to 1000 pieces) - sickest drums you've ever heard

Max Richter - 24 Postcards in Full Colour

Brown Wing Overdrive - ESP Organism

this is a weird album by 3 New York weirdos. I love weirdos!!!

John Cale & Terry Riley - Church Of Anthrax

Robert Fripp & Brian Eno - No Pussyfooting

2CD Re-release - droney ambience, great for meditation or fine-slicing garlic.

Robbie Basho - Bonn Ist Supreme

steel string acoustic guitar + ragas are good for you.

Various Artists - One Kiss Can Lead To Another: Girl Group Sounds - Lost and Found

Persephone let me borrow this (i miss you girl). It always puts me in a good mood. Shake off your mortal worries and lace up your rollerskates.

The Dark Knight (Blu Ray)

Battlestar Galactica - Season 4.0

and it's not cause Lucy Lawless is in it

Joan Baez - Day After Tomorrow

Bruce Springsteen - Working on a Dream

and it's not just because I love him. i love this album.

Grace Jones - Hurricane

as of this writing it is import only

Neil Young - Sugar Mountain - Live

Henry Clay People - For Cheap Or For Free

Raucous, (somehow hilarious) swaggering Stones-ish rock fronted by the charismatically geeky younger brother of Stephen Malkmus. They're getting bigger and better - get in on the ground floor and see them on their national tour in February and March!

The Spires - Look!

This will be nearly impossible to find - it's a homemade CD-R. But I bet if you transact with The Spires via MySpace they will gladly mail you some of their releases, including this latest EP, which is reminiscent of The Velvet Underground but a bit more upbeat, a bit more domestic. Also check to see if they're playing near you - they live just north of L.A.!

The Nerves - One Way Ticket

Great, tight songs with the right amount of bite. Side two gives an interesting perspective with demos and live recordings. Paul Collins is now playing music with members of the power pop group The Records. Awesome!

Milk 'N' Cookies - Milk 'N' Cookies

An obscure Pansy Rock record gets the royal reissue treatment!

Fools Gold - Surprise Hotel b/w Night Dancing

This is the funnest live band in Los Angeles. Don't bring your shoes! Here's Luke from Fools Gold: "Our influences are all over the place! But if you are looking for specific countries I'd say, to name a few: Ethiopia, Eritrea, Niger, Mali, South Africa...and of course the USA and UK! I don't know how best to categorize it but we typically fall into the world music/afropop genres. Though many more words come to mind: dance, soul, punk, tropical..."

The Cramps - I suggest any of their albums

R.I.P. Lux Interior 1948-2009.

The Cramps are one of very few bands that changed me forever. The sleazy guitar, hootin' & hollerin' will always put a smile on your face and an extra beat in your heart. The Cramps gave you honest passion in every album. I am very grateful to have their music in my life.

Quick Tip: Check out the album Songs The Cramps Taught Us. A collection of songs they compiled to let you hear the music that they grew up on. (Note: Do not confuse with their other album Songs The Lord Taught Us.)

Otis Redding - Very Best Of...(or any of his albums)

I love love love his love songs.

Delta Spirit - Ode To Sunshine

If Indie 103 was still on the air all of Los Angeles would be singing along to the Delta Spirit!

Zeitgeist

Slumdog Millionaire

This movie blew me away. It's my new favorite. The main character is nothing short of "all heart."

Religulous

Bill Maher is the smartest man I know. He takes the touchy subject of religion and questions it in the most awkward and funny way. If you agree with the movie or not, you will still laugh!

Defiance

A true, remarkable story of 2 Jewish brothers who help save their people from the Nazis by hiding out in a forest for many, many years.