The Bug - London Zoo

Jimmy Radway & The Fe Me Time All Stars - Dub I

Mi Ami - Watersports

Wilderness - (k)no(w)here

Wayne Shellabarger + Bill Kelter - Veeps - Profiles In Significance

read this book, too

Anthony Pappalardo + Nathan Nedorostek - Radio Silence: A Selected Visual History of American Hardcore Music

read this book

tip: "Cool Down Your Temper" Last Thursday of every month, at Koko's Cocktails. Reggae music all night. 

Vetiver - Tight Knit

Asobi Seksu - Hush

John Zorn - Filmworks XXIII: El General

Lafayette Afro-Rock Band - Darkest Light: The Best of Lafayette Afro-Rock Band

I Heart Lung - Interoceans

Phosphorescent - To Willie

The Pains of Being Pure at Heart - The Pains of Being Pure at Heart

The Tones - Dreamtalk

The Bee Gees - Odessa

The Grouch & Eligh - Say G&E!

School of Seven Bells - Alpinisms

Sleepy Sun - Embrace

DD/MM/YYYY - Black Square

Alaska in Winter - Holiday

Roman Polanski: Wanted and Desired

Frozen River

Dear Zachary: A Letter to a Son About His Father

Summer Heights High: Season 1

Dario Argento's Four Flies on Grey Velvet

WALL·E

Låt den rätte komma in / Let The Right One In

13 Most Beautiful... Songs for Andy Warhol's Screen Tests

The Subhumans (Canada) - Death Was Too Kind

I first heard the Canadian Subhumans the same way most people my age did--after accidentally downloading them off Napster (pre-9/11), mistaking them for the British band of the same name. Although there are many punk bands that glorify their marginalized status (Pariah, The Exploited, Oi Polloi, etc) The Subhumans (CAN) always stood out. Death Was Too Kind collects the early singles, the self titled EP, and two remixed tracks released previously on the long out of print Pissed Off With Good Reason comp. This record--now without all of the new wavey metallic glitches and etc--might sound a little stripped down to new millenium punx who first heard hits like "Slave To My Dick" on mom's iMac but I'm confident they will relearn to love it.

Black Rainbow - Black Rainbow and We Radiate

Two 7"s, one recording... lots of broke people working together to make the magic happen. Good late 80s/90s East Bay/Mission St. punk.

Rudimentary Peni - No More Pain

They're still good and Nick Blinko still draws the most intense cover art I've ever seen. This is relentless. Honestly, the placement of Pachelbel's Canon in "E" at the end of the album is fitting. Every song is no bullshit, yet not exactly topical or determinate. A pretty good formula (or lack thereof) relying heavily on delivery.

The Ovens - ???

Keep an eye out for this. They are the spokesmen of a generation (which might not be a compliment to either party involved). A pop band (a la Fastbacks, Weezer, Bach) that has the attention span of the Minutemen without sounding like GBV...

Ahousen - Ahousen

Although this came out a while ago, it's still worth mentioning. Sounds like the Soft Machine being assassinated while playing live (apparently at a place called the Penguin House)... the 28 minute "Ophelia" would probably be the post mortem track.

Let The Right One In

Preserve this incredible story as told through the lens of the Swedes before it is destroyed in the remake directed by Matt Reeves (Cloverfield).

tip: If you believe in yourself, eat all your school, stay in milk, drink your teeth, don't do sleep, and get 8 hours of drugs you can get work.

Fennesz - Black Sea

Dryer/Huele/Lindsay - Idea of West

Wild Combination: A Portrait of Arthur Russel

Heima : a film by Sigur Ros

Various Artists - Eccentric Soul: The Outskirts of Deep City

Mayer Hawthorne & The County - Just Ain't Gonna Work Out

I know it's pointless to suggest an item that may no longer available, but I just can't help myself... A novelty item of undeniable appeal! Who could resist this record? With it's semi-compact, crimson transparency, HEART-SHAPE! You put this record on and get lifted away by this modern recording which emulates a classic, late 60's soul joint, complete with that buttery analog sound... If it's humorous (breakup song) lyics don't get you, the nostalgic falsetto harmonies will!

The Long Lost - Woebegone

Mysterious 12" single... The Long Lost is actually a duo of LA-based producer Daedelus and his wife Laura Darlington. The original recording is a somber folk ballad which is really lovely... However, throw in two remixes by the infamous FLYING LOTUS and you get overwhelming, melancholy bounce... Pure awesomeness!!!

The Pharcyde - Runnin' (Phillippians RMX)/4 Better Or 4 Worse (DJ Nu-Mark RMX)

Two of the best remixes I've ever heard... Seriously. The first is a remix of "Runnin," a classic Jay Dee (aka J-Dilla) production, which stays true to the original bossa nova sample but gets an updated treatment of glitched-out drum punchiness! Nu-Mark gives his remix of "4 Better Or 4 Worse" a completely new beat. Dare I say it surpasses the original? I do! (Hear it for yourself.)

Blu & Mainframe - Johnson & Jonson

My pick for BEST HIP-HOP ALBUM OF THE YEAR!!! A big claim? Yes, but well warranted and well deserved. Mainframe kills the beats... Blu kills the rhymes... (nuff said).

Madlib - Beat Konducta Vol. 5-6 A tribute to...

A compilation of the latest two Beat Konducta LPs, which were subtitled "The Dil Cosby Suite" & "The Dil Withers Suite." So perhaps from that you can discern who exactly this collection of beats pays tibute to? None other than the late, great J-Dilla. Any admirers of either of these cats will undoubtedly be geeked!

Harmonic 313 - When Machines Exceed Human Intelligence

This release compiles material previously released on two seperate, vinyl-only EPs. Electronic producer Mark Pritchard, under the pseudonymn Harmonic 313, drops instrumental heaterz with a couple vocal collaborations... Phat Kat & Elzhi (of Slum Village) from Detroit get busy on the banger "Battlestar," and Steve Spacek lends his voice on "Falling Away." Pretty cool stuff.

Tekkonkinkreet

This has to be one of my favorites animated films of all time. The cover is deceptively cute... However, this tale is far from wholesome. It's more so a psychological drama concerning two young brothers on the streets an anonymous spread of urban Japan who lose themselves amidst being swept away in a world of territorial rivalries of both familiar and strange origins... A beautiful piece of work.

Kung Fu Panda

"LLLLEGEND tells of a LLLLEGENDARY warrior, whose skills were the stuff of LLLLLLLEGEND!" C'mon, man... You gotta admit this movie's fun. Full of entertaining action sequences and ridiculous lines you'll have difficulty abstaining from everyday speech... Makes me wanna eat noodles whenever I watch it. Pure awesomeness, homie... (Louie-Lou feels me).

tip: Check out the NOD FACTOR every Tuesday @ the Cellar (685 Sutter, Downtown SF) for your weekly fix of classic & below-radar Hip-Hop, Soul, Electronic beats & other funky obscurities (Myspace.com/nodfactorSF). Keep diggin'...

The Hospitals - Hairdryer Peace

Various Artists - Shadow Music of Thailand

Times New Viking - Rip It Off

Rick Ross - Trilla

Various Artists - Cazumbi - African 60's Garage Vol.1

Klaus Schulze & Lisa Gerrard - Farscape

The man of Tangerine Dream (and that means the wonderfulThief soundtrack!) gives us the audio equivalent of a creamsicle on a hot summer day at the beach (which is pretty freakin soothing). Electric soundscapes mixed with Lisa Gerrad's alien/operatic vocals transport you into a luxurious tunnel: you're moving fast, but someone else is driving - so you can sit back and relax.

Boom Bip & Doseone - Circle

Celebrating the tenth (or eleventh, upon printing) anniversary of this great great album, one that I've enjoyed for all ten years on a monthly basis. If you enjoy either artist's other endeavors (say that five times fast) you owe it to yourself to give a listen.

Heartbeat Detector

The only movie I've seen that can safely be called a "Corporate Holocaust thriller." If Kafka'd written on a laptop, he might've dreamed up something like this. America's favorite European import Mathieu Amalric (Diving Bell and the Butterfly, Christmas Tale, Quantum of Solace) stars in this French film (original title La Question humaine) as a suit and tie cog elected to dig into his company's past, finding (as one might guess) more than he bargained for. Powerful, surprising, alarming, and anything but preachy...truly original! Warning: the ending is not for the faint of heart (no pun intended).

Ken Russell at the BBC

If you like the idea of Ken Russell, but find that his most of his movies are a bit too wacky, frivolous, or just plain cray-zee, then you may enjoy this set which includes the best of what he produced for the BBC before delving into features. These short biopics (usually 70 minutes) about artists and performers (such as pre-Raphaelite painter Dante Rosetti and dancer Isadora Duncan) have all the earmarks of why we like him: innovative visuals, explosive emotions, and Oliver Reed. However, since they were produced quickly for television, Russell can never afford to go too far - creating taut stories that are often more coherent than his later films.

Saxondale-Complete Seasons 1 & 2

Steve Coogan stole my heart as loutish radio personality Alan Partridge in the BBC series I'm Alan Partridge (also highly recommended), and as Tommy Saxondale, retired rock roadie turned suburban exterminator, he's still terrific. Great British satire that's innovative rather than malicious, and every episode is heartwarming in a way that doesn't make you sick.

tip: Illinois native Daniel Knox's dark tenor and piano are: www.danielknox.com

Over the Edge

Out of all the teen rebellion films from the 70's (or in general for that fact), this film does it for me, hands down!!  This film spoke volumes to me as a kid in the 70's, which actually wasn't hard because teenage angst was never really portrayed with much of any real reality...at least in kids' eyes back then. Every generation has a voice & they want that voice heard...when it's not heard, juvenile hell breaks loose, as in this controversial cult classic that was the talk of every school & town when it came out (most especially mine when i was living in Ohio) - so controversial in fact, that it had a limited run in theatres & drive-ins...but was preserved on cable tv with numerous runs on HBO & Cinemax throughout the '80s to solidify its cultish infection with the youths of the eras. this very fine piece of cinema reveals a problem that still plagues our society to this very day:  The "invisible" (and troubled) youth and the price we all pay for it. Culled from a series of actual events that happened in Foster City, California in the early '70s. The story centers on a handful of kids living in a rural suburb named New Granada.  The main character, Carl Willard, has been trying to adjust to New Granada ever since his father moved there, much to no avail. Carl's best friend is Ritchie White (played by Matt Dillon in his debut role) the town rebel.  To sum up Ritchie, I'll give you a quote from the kid himself in the film: "..I'm an outlaw jack!! Them cops wanna' deal with me, they BEST do it on the street." Ritchie's one of them kids we've all came across sometime or another in our youth that you just gravitated to:  the cool bad kid...even though you KNOW the boy's no damn good!...but it's the bad boys everyone wants to be around (it seems). The only place these kids have to hang-out/play is at a local recreation center (remember those, folks?), which makes them an all-too-easy target for New Granada's pesky police officers. Particularly, Officer Doberman (intresting name, eh?), who seems to be on a tireless crusade busting kids left & right & have them spend some time up "on the hill" (i.e. reform school) if need be. The adults are at wits end & the kids are getting restless and it all culminates into one big explosion. Carl develops a crush on a new girl in town, Cory.  She's a spacey, "out there" sort of girl, trying to find her way as well as her voice.  Yet, like Carl, she falls in with the wrong crowd.  A series of events happen, mostly drinkin', druggin', getting into mischief and eventually getting busted by Doberman.  But after Carl and Ritchie's botched "meeting" with the Peppermint Patty-esque local drug dealer at school, Tip, Carl convinces Ritchie to leave New Granada and that's when the REAL drama begins!!  Things happen: Carl's on the lamb, his crush on Cory blossoms into a full love relation (kinda' in that "Jack  and Diane"/"Don't Stop Believing" - sort of vibe) and the school grounds turn into battlegrounds. A kick-ass soundtrack and a film of "hell yeah!!!" proportions! Ooh child, things are gonna' get easier...We hope.

The Foot Fist Way

If you were a kid growing up in the '70s, then you already know how popular martial arts were and the only thing cooler than watching martial arts was actually knowing how to do the moves. So, a plethora of martial arts schools flourished at that time. I personally wanted to learn Kung-Fu, as I've always liked the fluent nature of the art, so, in 1979 my mum took me to a guy who taught Tae Kwon Do. How he hooked her (and myself) in was that he also taught "some Kung-Fu," that was all she wrote!! Signed me up, got my gi (martial arts uniform), my white belt and off I went to learn. As far as the "some Kung-Fu," this guy only taught me some flimsy "crane style" that was pure crap! I never forgot that experience and the people I met and trained with during that experience. This is why The Foot Fist Way rings the humorous reality that it portrays...yeah, these type of people actually exist. 4th degree black belt Fred Simmons (played by Danny McBride), a living swagger of exaggerated confidence - runs a Tae Kwon Do studio in a strip mall in Concord, North Carolina. This studio is his life, his love and if he can have it his way, his legacy. So he's the literal king of his castle there. The immediate first impression one would have of Fred is that he's a macho douchebag so full of himself that he probably wakes up & kisses his hand after the morning yawn, but there's a lot more to Fred than what we first see. The film breaks-down segments by using The Tenets Of Tae Kwon Do: Courtesy, Self Control, Perseverance, Integrity, Indomitable Spirit. We eventually learn that we're actually seeing each character's growth and change with each Tenet. Suzy, Fred's longtime sass-talking wife, rocks Fred overconfident world when she admits she had an affair with her boss (the camera "knock" during that segment was an added nice touch). It is from there that we see Fred go through the motions that weaken his spirit, thus his "power" and eventually changes him...or does it? Fred's wife weaves in-&-out of his life, thus letting us know what kind of woman she REALLY is. Outside of Fred, two of his students are focused on from time-to-time: Julio, a loveable co-instructor-in-training that has to endure all of Fred's commands and "pissy-fits," and Henry, a meek kid who's the constant punching bag of fellow student (and bully), Rick (speaking of Rick, his extremely brief bout with elderly student Marge is hilariously & unshamefully memorable). When Fred's best friend (and 5th degree black belt), Mike McCallister (played by director Jody Hill) enters the picture, things get even wilder and better. Mike, an enigma of a zoned-out warrior-for-hire, had me laughing for the short period he was in the film. One small scene that stood out was when he presented Fred with a CD copy of his band, Sexual Warriors, a somewhat gothic/noise band that blows Fred away. Fred's hero and sole idol is movie star Chuck "The Truck" Wallace, star of the 7 Rings Of Pain trilogy. Chuck is probably the biggest douche out of everyone in the film...'nuff said, 'cause I don't wanna' spill ALL the beans as to why he is such a douchegod. The way the film flows gives a Spinal Tap like vibe to it (the dated look of the film stock they used makes me sort of think that this could even be a period piece, say...from the '80s perhaps?) and the humor comes naturally to McBride, as he plays Fred to the hilt. Everyone in the film actually knows Tae Kwon Do and the procedures they do in the studio/dojo are real, I say this from experience, which only adds to the authenticity of the subject matter. This is actually a feel good film, with some laughably warped parts to it.  Kinda this year's Bad News Bears in a way. By the end you'll KNOW who's "The King Of the Demo," my friend.....KYUNGNEH!!!

Super Inframan

Out of the immense filmography of the legendary chinese Kung Fu film company, Shaw Brothers,The Super Inframan has GOT to be at the top (or next to the top) of their list of martial art oddities. This one's for all those patrons who fanatically shop at Kid Robot, Giant Robot and stores of the like, as well as those who are just into the monster suitmation films/shows of the era.  If you don't know about this film, then you're in the "Phantom Zone," as far as i'm concerned, because this is essential viewing for fans of anything even remotely similar to this. Strange and unexplained disasters are happening on Earth and it turns out to be the sinister doings of the evil 10 million year old Dragon Princess. Her goal is to own the Earth and make all of its citizens her slaves. The Princess summons numerous creatures/mutants to aid her in her destructive goal, all of which have the ability to grow to gigantic size and do equally gigantic trouble/destruction. Rayma, a member of a special forces team, is offered to be a part of a bizarre project that would turn him into a superbeing with special powers called Inframan and stop the evil Princess. What follows is a mixture of martial arts, sci-fi and monster mayhem of the highest cheesy order - but works great in such a film as this. Power Rangers be damned!! Anyone who was into Mighty Morphin Power Rangers will be fully, grade A retarded with this film!!  This predates ALL that stuff, and while we're at it, check out Ultraman, Spectreman, The Space Giants, and the ultra-rare japanese Spider-Man show:  Yep, you heard right, kids, in 1978/79 there was a Spider-Man show in japan that was S-I-C-K!!!! Track it down and check it out. If you dig all the mesuggahness that goes on in this film, which was actually normal for a lot of japanese superhero shows of the early/mid '70s. Lots of somersaults, lots of jumpin' around, lots of explosions - a whole lot of escapist fun to be had for anyone who maintains the kid inside of them. I also recommend checking out the original, undubbed version of this film...more to be had here.  A wild ride of a film.

The Cruise

I'm a New York guy (Brooklyn and The Village to be exact). New York City abounds with intrestingly twisted spirits and enigmas alike that seem to co-relate in double harmony. Timothy "Speed" Levitch I would consider as both a beautifully twisted spirit and loveable enigma all rolled-up in one. Tim likes to cruise New York and loves to show the wonders of what the city has to offer both in history and beauty.   Really, what this film's about is beauty, growth, understanding and poetry. Levitch is the star & New York is the muse - or is it the other way around? The camera angles, coupled with the grainy black and white film stock and Levitch's stream-of-conciousness poetic rantings really brings out the striking gritty and fluent artistry that is New York, a most lovely city. Levitch struggles daily with his job at Grey Line Tours, as he's feeling their corporate anti-cruise noose tightening around his pro-cruising neck. He's in a constant cruise of the city - but it is really of self-understanding. Richard Linkletter was so moved and inspired by Levitch after watching this film that he made his cult hit, Waking Life, which Levitch was also in. When Timothy explains the terracotta of a building, he exudes so much passion in his description one feels his kindred connection to the city...apart from laughing a little bit at his physical expression. The most intense (& humorous) sequence in the film is when Levitch airs out some personal laundry on the Brooklyn Bridge. When he speaks about his trials with his mother, he speaks with a magma-tipped tongue!!  We really see the rage that seethes within him...as well as the love. The viewer actually learns a lot about New York from this film. It is very intresting knowing the people who've passed through this great city over the decades/centuries. Levitch has a brain the size of the city to memorize as much has he has about it. I've had the surprise and pleasure of actually meeting Timothy at, of all places, the Pee Wee Herman in-store here last year. He was with his girlfriend (yes! he has a girlfriend) and was a very charming man (put on a Smiths album, folks). Really great film about a great person in a great city.

The D.L. Chronicles:The Complete First Season

Ever since J.L King released the highly controversial, tell-all book On the Down Low back in 2004, exposing the age-old practice of black men having sex with men while trying to pass as straight in daily life, the term "D.L." has surfaced as a new slanguage in American diction. Honestly, gay education in the black community is nil - couple that with SERIOUS religious overtones that we're brought-up with since birth & you have what you have today...a whole helluvalot of confusion in our society about homosexuality/bi-sexuality. This series on the gay exclusive cable network, Here!, explores this subject more visually & slightly more dynamically with four fictionalized men & their bouts with their conflicted lifestyles, all narrated by a journalist examining the issue-at-hand. ALL D.L. men live with secrets....secrets that they don't really want to keep, they would much rather come out & live the life they were truly meant to live, but in this society - & ESPECIALLY the black community - they live under a "don't ask, don't tell" policy. the first reviewed is Wes Thomas - a banker whose wife's troublesome & wisecracking brother, Trent, is staying at their house until he can find a job & get back on his feet. Wes has some issues with Trent...but Trent's cruising eye is focused on Wes pretty intensely. One night, Wes has an argument with his wife, then storms off to get drunk in his studio & that provides the perfect opportunity for Trent to express his feelings for Wes. Yes, things happen & now Wes learns new things about himself - but also panics wondering if his wife will find out about what happened. Next is Robert Hall - a talent agent who's taking care of his teenage daughter, Rhonda, but slowly begins to build a romantic relationship with Austin, who manages a health supplement store with his HIGHLY annoying employee. Robert trys to keep his relationship a secret from Rhonda, until she by-chance catches them kissing - that's when things get difficult, as the relationship is severely strained by Rhonda trying to find out the truth about her dad. "Boo" - THIS one, to me, was the most hard-hitting of all of them....& the most true-to-form as to the reality of all this. Boo is a thuggish brotha' from the hood who runs around having sex with men(on the D.L., of course) & women while posing a front like he's the "alphamale player", but secretly struggles with his sexuality & lifestyle. Jessie Washington - the neighborhood "fag" - is the only person in the story not afraid to be himself (& there's a Jessie Washington in EVERY hood!! whether you wish to believe it or not)...but it's definitely not easy being black AND gay in the hood (...& out the hood)...hence, the hardships of Boo & all men who walk the shadowy path of being D.L.. Boo's constantly arguing with his triflin' girlfriend, Kiesha, who, in turn, kicks him out her apartment - forcing him to live with his mother...who matter-of-factly can't understand why homosexuals act the way they do...yet, another weight in Boo's conflicted life. Many people have dirt under their nails in this, but when Boo learns a shocking fact about someone, it breaks him down & wakes him up...or does it? The only thing I have to say to Boo & just about everyone in there (outside of Jessie) is: www.gmhc.org...'nuff said. what price "keepin' it real?" Last is Mark Watts, who's just coming out with his partner Dontay - & all goes seemingly well...until Mark's "favorite cousin," the homophobic Turrell suddenly shows up on their front door, fresh from getting kicked out of his girl's crib in L.A. & needs a place to crash while he tries to find a job. Mark reluctantly agrees to let Turrell stay - but doesn't want him to know Dontay & himself are a gay couple...or gay, period, so he somehow convinces Dontay to play straight until Turrell leaves...which doesn't sit well with Dontay, understandably. As the days go by, Turrell's spastic, anti-gay nature strains the relationship to the point of detriment...but there's a surprise to be had by all in the end. I have to give righteous kudos' to my fellow black queen, Donnell (Jazz/House Music blacktress at the store) for hippin' me to this series. I hope to see more films & shows pertaining to subjects like this, as we all need to educate ourselves on ourselves & each other, 'cause all of us got a stinkrose in our garden...oooooohhhkkkkkkaaaaaaaayyyyyyyyyyyy.

tip: ...Did I ever tell you the time I had pizza & a Slurpee with Sun Ra & Evel Knievel while collaborating on a painting with Jean-Michel Basquiat right after I was a road manager for Kraftwerk?.. NO?.... Well then remind me to tell you sometime... Pretty intresting story.