AltWeeklies Wire
Two Jersey Boys Called Spider Bags Find a New Chance in North Carolinanew
Goodbye Cruel World, Hello Crueler World, the second album by Spider Bags, is a glorious mess. Each of its 10 tracks feels as if it fights from beneath a haze of distortion or gasps for air underneath a tide of tape hiss.
INDY Week |
Grayson Currin |
09-18-2009 |
Profiles & Interviews
Langhorne Slim Comes to Portland and Makes an Excellent Recordnew
Be Set Free is an intoxicating listen, one that frames Langhorne Slim in a brand-new light and plainly makes the case for Scolnick as one of the best American songwriters currently active.
The Portland Mercury |
Ned Lannamann |
09-18-2009 |
Profiles & Interviews
Tags: Be Set Free, Langhorne Slim
Character Witness: Stephen Elliott Talks S&M and '20/20'new
Elliott's new book, The Adderall Diaries, is a brilliantly executed memoir disguised as a true crime book.
The Portland Mercury |
Kevin Sampsell |
09-18-2009 |
Author Profiles & Interviews
'Bored to Death' is Full of Listless Ironynew
Since HBO's genuinely funny Flight of the Conchords is likely gone for good, the network could really use some original programming with a goofy sense of humor. Unfortunately Bored is far too smug and weak-willed to actually be funny, but at least it's sometimes light on its feet and has few pretensions to profundity.
Las Vegas Weekly |
Josh Bell |
09-18-2009 |
TV
'Crude' Dives into the Toxic Battle Between Big Oil and Dying Natives in Ecuadornew
Joe Berlinger's remarkable documentary recounts an infuriating litany of South American exploitation, backroom glad-handing and bureaucratic dead ends that has, among other collateral damages, created a Rhode Island-sized "death zone" of toxic pollution in the middle of the Ecuadorian Amazon.
L.A. Weekly |
Scott Foundas |
09-18-2009 |
Reviews
Dear 'Diary': Sunny Day Real Estate Returnsnew
Judging from the band's beaming comments, this current reunion -- all original members, all old songs -- feels like a sincere gesture, and while it's hard to ignore the nostalgia and historical revisionism of it all, it's just nice to have Sunny Day Real Estate back in our lives.
The Portland Mercury |
Ezra Ace Caraeff |
09-18-2009 |
Profiles & Interviews
The Weathermen's Ticking Time Bombnew
The investigation into a cop killing in the '70s leads to a Chicago law professor involved in the early stages of Barack Obama’s political career.
UFOIA: Paranormal Experts Feel Alienated by Obamanew
Right now, Barack Obama's plate is heaped over with health insurance reform. But just as the US lags behind the rest of the Western world on universal coverage, paranormal truth-seekers say the US also trails Europe when it comes to the release of UFO records.
Santa Fe Reporter |
Dave Maass |
09-17-2009 |
Culture
Social Networking for Foodiesnew
Veggie Trader connects more than 7,000 local growers from all 50 states for all sorts of locavore trading.
Missoula Independent |
Ari Le Vaux |
09-17-2009 |
Food+Drink
The Natural Burial Eco-Trend Reaches Montananew
Every year, traditional burials put an estimated 30 million board feet of casket wood, 1.6 million tons of concrete from burial vaults, more than 800,000 gallons of embalming fluid and 90,000 tons of steel from caskets into the ground. Whatever happened to naturally returning to the earth?
Missoula Independent |
Skylar Browning |
09-17-2009 |
Environment
'Cloudy' Opts for Offbeat Humor and Smart Characterizationnew
At the very least, parents can depend on Cloudy With a Chance of Meatballs to convey vital lessons, like large portions of food can squash you, and monkeys only think about mustaches and Gummi bears.
San Antonio Current |
Cynthia Hawkins |
09-17-2009 |
Reviews
'The Informant!' Takes Soft Approach to Satirenew
Matt Damon packing on layers of doughy flab to play a biochemical whistleblower isn't exactly a formula for comedy gold, but the film is funnier than it has any right to be.
San Antonio Current |
Jeremy Martin |
09-17-2009 |
Reviews
Nukes Mean Mines: Are We Digging a New Toxic Legacy Before the Last One's Filled In?new
The risks involved in uranium mining and processing should be a starting point for any debate about the promise and peril of nuclear power. The aftermath of our last uranium boom still echoes loudly in South Texas.
San Antonio Current |
Greg Harman |
09-17-2009 |
Environment
Mystery Man: Author Tony Hillerman's Legacy Lives Onnew
Hillerman began his career as a journalist for The Santa Fe New Mexican and went on to author more than 30 books, most of which were mystery novels set in New Mexico -- more specifically, Navajo lands. Hillerman died last October at the age of 83.
Santa Fe Reporter |
Charlotte Jusinski |
09-17-2009 |
Books
Michelle Malkin, Our Very Own National Right-Wing Celebritynew
Malkin swept into Barnes & Noble in Colorado Springs last week to sign copies of her latest book: I'd Like to Poke Obama in the Eye with a Barbecue Fork and Then Maybe Dick Cheney and Donald Rumsfeld Will Return and Lead Us Out of This Hell Hole.
Colorado Springs Independent |
Rich Tosches |
09-17-2009 |
Commentary
