After creating three of the greatest records of the early punk years, Wire fractured into various solo projects. As far as I am concerned, A-Z is Wire’s fourth record. It feels like the natural next step after 154. A-Z is filled with more synthesizers and song structures are more abstract and weird. The end result is simply mesmerizing.
New Order always has at least one great track on each of their records (“Regret” in this case). They fill the rest of the CD with some forgettable and boring songs. Stick with greatest hits compilations from this band and ignore everything else.
Thanks to some free mp3 credits from Amazon, this is the first album that I ever purchased as a download! I have to say, I am really liking this release. The Giallos Flame is an English band which models its sound after the synth-laden prog-rock of late 70s/early 80s Italian horror movie soundtracks (Fabio Frizzi and Goblin). I have their first CD and it was good, but, at times it was maybe just a little too jazzy for my tastes. House at the Edge of the Dark is much better. They really lay on the howling analog synths and there is a much more consitent feeling from beginning to end. I can’t wait to hear more from this band.
Incredibly bad film. Horrible acting, dialog and effects. The net result is an incredibly fun, so-bad-it’s-good movie that you have to see with a crowd. Went to the Chicago premiere!
Another modern zombie movie that doesn’t even attempt to be scary. I guess the Hatfields vs. McCoy setup could have been interesting, but the characters are just dull or stupid. Romero wants us to know that WE are the monsters, and has been telling us that rather blandly for the past decade.
Last night I attended the Chicago premiere of James Nguyen’s Birdemic: Shock and Terror and got to shake hands and chat with the director (pictured above… he’s the one with the menacing claws). Birdemic is a movie that has to be seen to be believed. It’s an ultra-no-budget “romantic thriller” filled with tons of cheap digital bird effects, brain piercing eagle screeches, scenes of driving, hilarious dialogue, more driving and lots of, how shall we say, “creative” film editing choices.
Okay, it’s a bad, bad movie. But, I can’t deny that it is incredibly fun to watch—especially with a rowdy midnight movie audience. Much of the film’s charm is the sincerity and enthusiasm of its director, James Nguyen. He seems to be loving the attention he is getting, and, despite the howls of unintentional laughter, Nguyen has the guts to stick to his guns regarding his seriousness his film and its mangled message. I highly encourage everyone to check this film out while it is still in theaters and bring as many friends as you can!
The first full length release from this band is just more of the same. Impotent Killing Joke with a Chris Connelly’s David Bowie wannabe vocals. I like a couple of the songs (Last of the Urgents is quite good) and I am always glad to hear Martin Atkins’ tom-heavy drumming, but, like the EP, this material is just average.
Murder Inc. is basically early 90’s Killing Joke with Chris Connelly singing instead of Jaz Coleman. Without the nervous energy of Coleman the band is just sort of blah. The songs can go on too long and never really seem to go anywhere interesting.
So, 1/3 of Nonagon posts in the Internet forums of Electrical Audio and, as a result, we will be playing at the super-secret underground music festival called the Electrical Audio BBQ (or something like that) on Saturday, June 12th at 1:40pm. We are not supposed to tell anybody about it but I figure no one reads this Web site, so I will promote it here. The address is 3722 W. Chicago Ave. Bring $15 and some raw meat, ear plugs and kevlar, I hear the neighborhood has its share of ruffians wandering the streets.
Mass Effect is another BioWare RPG that I picked up on Steam for five bucks during their holiday sale (along with Jade Empire). This is a fantastic looking game. The Citadel (screen shot above) is an absolutely spectactular environment in which to roam around. This is also one of the first RPGs I have played in which every line of dialogue is voiced—a big help for me and my poor reading skills and short attention span.
The story and the rich universe in which it takes place is top-notch (as far as video games go). The game does a good job in pointing the player in the right direction so I rarely felt like I was lost or didn’t know what to be doing. This means the game can be a bit linear at times, but, as a lazy gamer, I don’t mind that at all.
I don’t think I ever quite got the combat system. I never really felt like my tweaks to the characters really did anything better than just ignoring all the complexity and just shooting everything in sight. My only major complaint with Mass Effect is the horrible inventory management system in which you are forced to trash items you find if your inventory is full. This just doesn’t make any sense. Otherwise, a terrific game and I can’t wait until Mass Effect 2 goes on sale for five dollars.
