Wall-E totally looks like the robot from "Short Circuit"... minus the cheesy 80's style of course

Originally published in Punk Planet November/December 2006 Thirteen minutes, apparently, is all these guys need to envelope you. This bite-size, three-song offering packs as much of an emotional punch as the lauded Fear Is On Our Side, the full-length platter the Austin quintet released just a handful of months before it. Maybe it’s the sequencing or Paul [...]

Originally published in Punk Planet November/December 2006 This spare, bleak record defines itself not through somber acoustic ruminations or Alex Botten’s breathy whisper of a voice but in how those elements are cut up and filtered through Botten’s prominently featured laptop. (A painted homage to the machine, one’s led to believe, is even featured on the cover.) The [...]

Originally published in Punk Planet November/December 2006 Genres merrily collide on this eclectic and carefully crafted 11-song disc, which marks the 100th release for Bloomington’s Jagjaguwar label. Melancholy jaunts bleed into electronic cut-ups. Frenetic dancehall exercises rub elbows with dissonant pseudo-acoustic ballads. Poppy bridges lead listeners toward a closing requiem fleshed out with spare keyboard/piano motifs and [...]

Originally published in Punk Planet November/December 2006 There’s not much here in terms of volume — three mostly instrumental songs and a pair of 40-odd second interludes — but this unassuming EP may be one of the better debuts you’ll find this year. The Pittsburgh-based trio, like June of 44 and A Minor Forest before it, knows [...]

In my humble opinion, SULLIVAN'S TRAVELS is the Sturges masterpiece, but several of teh others mentioned here are within hailing distance. This piece was a lot of fun, thanks.

Originally published in Punk Planet November/December 2006 Poppy, poppy, poppy, with all the high-in-the-mix vocals, jangly guitar hooks and bouncing bass lines to prove it. While tracks like “Raised By Gays” or “Box Cars (A Long Line Of)” strike their intended targets, it’s a little unclear if the commentary contained in “The New Immigrant Song,” obvious title [...]

Originally published in Punk Planet November/December 2006 This southern Florida quintet feels like it’s aiming to create energetic and densely layered pop-punk but instead ends up churning out that familiar brand of chart-conscious nu-metal (or whatever you’d like to call it) native to your radio dial. Dueling guitarists Ryan Alvarado and Nick Ziros weave together some interesting [...]

Originally published in Punk Planet November/December 2006 Bright and perky, this occasionally keyboard-laden pop-rock outing hits its stride quickly but also feels like it’s repeating itself before nearing the end of its 40-minute running time. Holford’s got a knack for writing quirky acoustic numbers and parts of the full-band exercise “Neon Shining Star” suggest a mid-fi Sufjan [...]

Originally published in Punk Planet November/December 2006 It’s with mixed emotions that listeners may discover the debut 7” from these punky noisemakers is neither psychedelic or horseshit. Go figure. The three-song platter depends less on acid-inspired guitar noodling than it does the clattering lo-fi rumble of early Pavement, Ariel Pink and even Bill Callahan. The result’s inviting, if [...]

I know: I’ve been a bad, bad blogger. I can’t quite explain why, nor can I promise it will get better soon, so let’s just get on to more urgent business. Go see the first installment of Dr. Horrible. Now. I never bought the “Joss Whedon is my Master Now” T-shirt (written in Star Wars font, of [...]

I tried watching this earlier today, but the site was down. It was worth the wait. "It's curtains for you Dr. Horrible. Lacy, gently wafting curtains." Hahahah

Those singing cowboys could really just've came from an unfilmed Monty Python sketch. Wonderful.

17:40 Posh eight-year old in a car: ‘I need to get out of this car right now. RIGHT NOW’. If it wasn’t a criminal offence, I’d smack him. 18:33 Old lady next door cutting her grass. Tells me every time she sees me that she’s nearly blind. Wonder she never cuts the lawnmover cord. 19:15 Head sore. [...]

i am the artist of the 23rd street station in new york. i have been sent a few photos of awaiting passengers posing under the hats, but never one under isadora duncan’s. your photo is surely the most beautiful. i was lucky to find it. many thanks for posting it. all the best with your work. keith

ala, it's not compatible for firefox 3 just yet. it sounds awesome.