Posted on: October 9, 2008 Posted by: James McQuiston Comments: 0

It only took two issues, but Ugly Planet has actually created issue that is from start to finish a tour de force. This time, there is no pretense about what is being covered; this is all politics, all the time. Pieces feature Lydia Lunch, Jello Biafra, and Le Tigre while also featuring (as of now) up and comers like Zion-I, Miscellaneous Flux and Cordero. There is little derivation from the political focus this issue; the only thing that really seems to be something that reduces the issue’s momentum is the majority of the albums that they review, which are not necessarily political. They may be political through some DIY ideal, but there are some albums (The Donnas in particular) that do not fit into this formula. With this political focus, Ugly Planet has single-handedly brought itself into the space between The Nation and The Progressive; it has a tremendous amount of information (like the former) but also has a personal touch (like the latter). The visual is not a high priority in this magazine, as much of the space is simply text; this gives the magazine more in the way of worth and does not detract from the message that is being pandered. With so many major names in politics being covered with this issue, I personally wonder if Ugly Planet can continue to keep up this frantic momentum in future issues; for the movement’s sake, let’s hope they can.

Rating: 7.0/10

[JMcQ]

Ugly Planet #3 / $3.95 / 68M / 1:15 / http://www.uglyplanet.com / [email protected] / Reviewed 31 December 2005

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