Beltmann

I don't think "Spirit on the Water" is Dylan's best vocal, but I didn't laugh out loud in this thread until I got to some of your comments. Modern Times strikes me as clearly in the midrange. What's worse? Sugarcoating the fact that it's not among Dylan's best work, or overstating the case merely to project oneself as a "pure" set of ears? Is there any difference? To my mind, your overcooked dismissal of the album as complete shit says more about your need to project yourself as a tastemaker than about the album itself. That kind of calculated, hyperbolic contrarianism is about as "pure

Man, you should write for Pitchfork.

Thanks! That's a killer single. I hope they swing by Milwaukee...

Stars - Set Yourself On Fire

Same here... I've never really understood the tepid response to GBMS. I suppose some of it is a byproduct of the inevitable Jack White backlash.

My entire weekend brightened after the Brewers took the series against the Astros, especially after that horrific collapse on Friday night. Now 11-7, good for first place. And thank God they sent Aquino to the minors today.

Indeed.

Marah - 20,000 Streets Under The Sky

Same here. Although I lost interest a long time ago, I still think Siamese Dream is one of the great albums of its era. I liked Zwan and have a passing interest in this new album. I'm skeptical, but hopeful at the same time. At this point, Corgan's become such an underdog that I'm rooting for him to put out something good again.

Martin / George A. Romero / 1977 Martin appears to be a quiet, introspective twentysomething, but in the opening scene, set on a train, we watch him drug a woman and drink her blood. He's traveling to stay with his cousin, a devout Catholic who is convinced Martin is another in the family's long line of vampires. This is a genuinely original bloodsucker movie, one in which Hollywood conventions are downplayed--Martin is only slightly annoyed by sunlight, and sleeps in a regular bed. Most interesting, though, is the dual psychological doubt: Is Martin simply mentally ill? Is his cousin s

Not long ago I read that she prefaced a recent performance of "Smile" by confessing she has grown tired of the song. Perhaps she's been tossed into the limelight without being prepared for the rigors of touring, interviews, etc.?

You bet. Welcome to VC! If your love for Wilco, your articulate opinions, and your impeccable grammar are any indication, you'll fit right in. As for Wilco fans having adventurous ears, I think your initial assumption was correct. Let me direct you to here.

I'm disappointed that you have chosen to write off an entire community based on the comments of a few members. If you poked around more, you'd notice that SBS has, by and large, been embraced by this community.

Good stuff.

Sounds about right.

One of my former students--otherwise a bright, nice kid--was recently jailed for heroin and forced into a rehab program. His parents were grateful for the arrest and said it was the best possible thing for him.

Like movies, some music is violent, while other music is about violence. (Deciding which is which isn't always simple, though.)

All of this makes me want to revisit Bamboozled, which confronted these same issues--especially the free pass given to toxic hip-hop--some time back. It's flawed, but at the time I thought it was an important movie.

Amy Winehouse - Back To Black

First albums, both on vinyl: I honestly can't remember my first concert, but it was probably some aging doo-wop band--like the Four Tops--that my dad wanted to see. And I probably had a great time.

"Plasticities." Perfect choice, I think.

Yeah, I liked that, too. Reminded me of Funny Games, where the bad guys keep winking at the audience.

I liked the first 20 minutes or so of Planet Terror, but then I grew weary... the experience as a whole never lived up to the highs of a few select fragments or gags. The problem I have with Rodriguez is that while he has boundless enthusiasm for the nuts-and-bolts of filmmaking, he's just not a very strong storyteller. All of Planet Terror is told at precisely the same pitch, and for me that grew repetitive. The fact that he's reviving old junk tropes doesn't forgive it, either, especially in light of how Tarantino, by contrast, skillfully avoided the pitfall of producing juvenile crap whe

Albert Hammond, Jr. - Yours To Keep (2007)