The beer pours with a very bright copper color. The head that pours from the bomber is fairly substantial and with a slight off-white tone. An initial mouthfeel is fairly substantial and provides imbibers with a slight amount of carbonation; the light bubbly touch allows for a much greater gradient of flavors to be present in the ESB. The nose of the ESB links together hops with a sweet blend…
Young Detective Dee Rise of the Sea Dragon is a 2013 film that works as a predecessor to Detective Dee and the Mystery of the Phantom Flame, and provides fans of the initial film with ample backstory and a plot that is at least as alluring as the first film. Mark Chao (Dee Renjie) and Carina Lau (Wu Zetian) step into their previous role, while the cast is further bolstered…
The Following is one of the hottest shows on TV, looking to reinvigorate the cat-and-mouse, criminal and lawman genre utilizing hints of crime fiction, police procedural, and mystery genres. The absolutely star-studded cast (Kevin Bacon, James Purefoy, Natalie Zea) took to the air early in 2013, and have captured a considerable viewer share throughout its initial 15-episode run. The dynamic that is present between the serial killer Joe Carroll (Purefoy)…
The sweet notes that are presented to imbibers are moderated through the presence of a warming alcohol touch. The 9.1 IBUs of the Abbey Dubbel allow for an absolutely approachable effort that is much more meaty and fulfilling than more hop-heavy efforts. The fruit elements (banana, dark fruit, apricot) provide additional facets to the beer. The bold elements of the beer are refreshed through the presence of tart notes, raisins,…
Can the music that you composed for Cowboys and Indians be enjoyed outside of the setting of the film? Does the context in which one listens to your music change based on how they experience the compositions? I always intend for the scores I write to stand on their own outside of the film. It is usually a challenge since most film scores need to be very subtle and can…
Effervescent without having some of the more dank and earthy notes typically present in the farmhouse ale format, Sneak Attack Saison has a tremendously easy flavor that dissipates quickly. The pour yields a very hazy, straw color with no head or lacing. 6.2% ABV is moderately perfectly by the warmer elements of the beer, while the 38 IBUs provide imbibers with additional complexity to the effort. Hints of pepper, spice,…
2013 proved to be a big year for Chicago five-piece The Orwells who released two EPs, “Other Voices” and “Who Needs You”, performed on Later With Jools Holland and toured on their own and with friends throughout the US and UK, bringing their riotous live show to a growing group of passionate fans. 2014 is set to bring the band even more success, with their US TV debut slated for…
Dr. Clive Brooks is Amberfern, and AquaEssence is a collection of tracks that he has created to elicit the sounds and experiences that one has when they are on a beach. From Avon Beach to the disc’s final track, Calm Waters Home, Amberfern has deftly created a release that will elicit memories of days spent on the boardwalk, playing around a swimming hole, or bobbing around in the ocean. At…
The Enchanted Path is the introductory effort on Day of Life. At four and a quarter minutes, the track still seems to go by like a flash. Each note created by Koch fits perfectly and sets the stage for the rest of the album. While Flowers on the Mountain barely reaches the three minute mark, the track is able to dovetail nicely into Morning Silence. The hopeful feelings that are…
Downpour opens up Daytime Dreamer, and it provides listeners with a tremendously dynamic and uptempo feel. While there are not vocals present, the piano line that Akram lays down provides a considerable amount of narrative. The track taps out at a hair over four minutes and leads into Dancing With the Wind. Dancing With the Wind is a softer and more introspective effort, where Akram delves into the corpus…
Cowboys and Indians is an independent film that benefits considerably through the presence of a set of compositions by Henrik Åstrom (who also created the score for 2011’s Jake and Jasper). While the visual component to the film is stellar and will draw viewers in, Åstrom’s 26 compositions for the film do more than highlight what is being shown on the screen. Rather, Åstrom’s work shines brilliantly on its own.…
Via delle Grazie is the latest effort from the Netherlands’ Red to Violet. Waiting for the Sun is a carefully-crafted piece of indie rock. The band is able to open up into a post-modern type of rock that is influenced by 90s alternative rock (Sean Lennon, Hedley) and the more emotive acts of the 00s (Brand New, Dashboard Confessional). The band’s instrumentation is smart, while they maintain an intensity to…
Jack Kerouac is a difficult author to transfer to the big screen, but Big Sur is a title that imbues the silver screen with the inimitable Kerouac style. The title benefits from accurate scenery, language, and overall zeitgeist captured during the feature. Big Sur focuses on Kerouac’s life in the months immediately following the success of On the Road. Rather than bask in his success, Kerouac attempts…
Rewind This! Is a title that looks to showcase the unique qualities of the history behind video cassettes. While home entertainment has moved past the VHS and DVD formats, there is a specific allure to the era that allowed smaller film companies and those with a passion for film the ability to cheaply and easily get their titles to a wider audience. Rewind This! focuses on interviews with those that…
Starting off the disc with an instrumental track, Surrounded moves into the second track, “Exit Serenade” with an almost Richard O’Brien-esque (think “Little Black Dress”) opening. Allowing their music to act as a second set of vocals during some tracks (“Exit Serenade, Diesel Palace”), Surrounded, specifically with Marten’s vocals, spoken out with the most care, act almost as Dylan-esque ornaments on an incredibly rich song. Moving onto an emo-jam type…
“Always Never Again” starts off with “Born Into The World” , a track that has the unique distinction of mixing Flood-era They Might Be Giants with Chromeo. This, coupled with a lush production and a lack of distorted fuzz, is probably what will hook the most individuals. The fact that organi and inorganic provide such a harmony is something that cannot be denigrated; acoustic guitar and bass work perfectly…
Supermodel Suicide is influenced by the geometrically-taken bands that have found their way to fame in the last few years (The Killers, Franz Ferdinand). In fact, the first track on “Might As Well Just Kill Us Now” “1996” has more than a passing similarity to the latter’s “This Fire”. The same general sound dominates during “The Unheard Testimony of Johnny Danger”, even if the audible comparison to other acts…
The flow is great on the first track on “Stand Up”, but the laid-back backing beat is pretty anemic. It may work well with the flow, but the retro sound is just not working for Superiority Complex. Something more intense and faster tempo would work much better for the act. The introduction for “Stand Up”: is just too much to contain; the layering is a good idea in theory…
20th Adversary of Emptiness contains everything Demilich have ever recorded, starting from Regurgitation of Blood demo (1991) and rounding things off with three songs the band recorded during their brief comeback in 2006. The only Demilich full lenght album Nespithe has been reissued several times over the years in various guises, but always using the inferior 16-bit CD masters and sometimes brickwalled beyond recognition. For this release we dug up…
Give Miami-based producer CEDRIC GERVAIS an old school house piano and some rave synths and he’ll turn it into a massive electro record. The man, back on the Spinnin’ label with “The Look,” his brand new single steeped with old school flavor combined with new jack thumping electro is set for release Friday, January 31. Sample “The Look” now at: https://soundcloud.com/cedricgervais/cedric-gervais-the-look-1 “The Look” comes on the heels of news regarding…