13. James Wan In a close race with fellow horror geek Guillermo Del Toro, Wan wins out, if only because he’s made three amazing examples of movie macabre — Saw, The Conjuring, and Insidious — and ended up jumpstarting three… Read More
Joe Wong had arrived at what felt like a crossroads. He’d been making music, both as a touring drummer and as a film and television composer for 20 years. In 2012, Wong moved west from Milwaukee to Los Angeles, but… Read More
Canadian singer-songwriter Helena Deland titled her first full-length release Someone New, and I daresay this will be true for most listeners. Deland’s smaller projects had created a buzz in the indie world. She and her music have been the subject… Read More
“I’m not gonna beg / Won’t beg for you anymore.” Those are the opening lines on “The Tell”, the first song on CF Watkins’ new album, Babygirl. It’s an affirmation of empowerment and sets up this striking new album with… Read More
Floodlights are a fresh-faced, coed group from Melbourne, Australia who make music that sounds exactly like one might expect from a fresh-faced, coed Australian indie rock group. At one point in indie history, bands might have flinched at being described… Read More
“And imperfect men, possessing superhuman material power, are not a reassuring prospect.” — Marshall McLuhan, The Mechanical Bride (1951) No One Is Coming to Save Us From Ourselves I keep thinking about that moment in J. R. R. Tolkien’s The… Read More
At several points on Small World, the debut album from Gamblers, the Long Island-based indie-pop outfit, wears the sunny disposition of the Beach Boys on its collective sleeve, as jangly guitars automatically conjure up images of summer, sand, and surf.… Read More
Bishakh Som’s graphic memoir, Spellbound, is an innovative and captivating tale, an attractively drawn and brightly hued memoir which disguises some big ideas beneath its seemingly prosaic surface. Spellbound’s magic is its subtle beauty; its endearing framing of the everyday.… Read More
Peter Frampton has certainly lived the life of a rock star to the fullest. With so many ups and downs, experiences that ranged from Rocky Mountain sky-high to bottom-of-the-barrel low while meeting fascinating, legendary musicians and unusual characters along the… Read More
Creative visionary and the beautiful lady D’Lemor recently announced the release of her official debut single, “Shine,” a song off her upcoming debut album, Your Lens of Love. The single is as beautiful as the songstress is while the theme… Read More