Al Jarreau's Working on the Night Shift

I'm rounding out the night watching Night Shift for the first time in about... oh, twenty-something years. Not even twenty, had to be twenty-something. Night Shift was originally released in 1982 - I would have been 6 at the time - I don't remember what year I saw this flick on late night WGN Chicago's channel 9 but a lot of it stuck with me. That's how 80's movies were. Part of that is probably just the nostalgia - you know, the first time you see Michael Keaton jump off a second floor balcony in a cave man toga and land flat on his face it stays with you, right? Yeah, but of course there's the fact that my brain was still gathering mad information and formulating future experiences based on what I was perceiving at the time - a lot of deep-seated psychological growth going on that explains the attachment as well. Either way, my boss and I have talked about this movie a couple times and I've been surprised how much I remembered for having seen it once. Surprised despite the fact that I held it in a slightly unexplainable regard ever since...

Alas, I fear that this post has become incoherent because I've now been up for almost 24 hours and have a handful of Sierra Nevada's in me, so why don't I just let my sudden predilection for jabber-jawing take the proverbial dive off the second floor balcony of an $8k a year strip club and let Mr. Jarreau attempt to pull my ass out of the recycler?

What?

Future Primitives

This is the shit. I LOVE the fact that this surf/punk is proliferating at the moment. I heard pretty much this entire record tonight and it is fantastic.

Spider Heart

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Driving home late at night, unseasonably cool air for September in Southern California whipping through the windows as I drive La Brea, dodging double parkers waiting for spots outside trendy bars, swerving to avoid bold or drunken J walkers, tired but buzzing from the electric city wrapped around me. And Spider Hearts is ripping through my speakers and everything is pretty goddamn awesome at the moment.

Future Islands - Long Flight

Just discovered Future Islands, a band that hails from my beloved Baltimore, MD. This song takes me all over the place - something about it evokes some of the Empty Bottle/Thrill Jockey corner of mid/late 90's indie rock (and lo and behold, guess what label two of their last two long-players were on?) and something else evokes Euro synthoids Stereolab. Either way, I love this and aim to hear more. You can check out some stuff on Friends Records bandcamp or just go to the band's website.

Lebanon Hanover

I was just introduced to Lebanon Hanover yesterday via Part Time Punks radio show on Los Angeles' KXLU. Very good, very dark and atmospheric. Their bandcamp is loaded with music that is just perfect for the encroaching season of Autumn.

Take Action Day - Make a Sequel To Dredd!!!

image courtesy of collider.com

Yes, this is a real thing. This coming Wednesday, September 18th is take action for a Dredd sequel day. I explain all about it in the new Thee Comic Column on Joup this week, which you can read right here.

Disappears Cover U2 For AV Club

Disappears cover U2

I really dig Disappears. And I've always really liked New Years Day. This then, is a great combination in my book.

The band really nails it. Notice how they say they don't so much turn it into one of their own as get traditional with it, but as traditional as it is, I would argue that they add some of that smoky, mysterious flavor that makes Disappears' music so unique and compelling.