Many critics have opined that Lloyd’s “New Quartet”, with Jason Moran, Reuben Rogers and Eric Harland may be the best of all his groups. The quartet’s previous release in this line-up, the live-recorded Rabo de Nube, met with across-the-board approval and was voted #1 album of the year in both the Critics and Readers Polls of JazzTimes. The Quartet has toured extensively since the September release of Mirror both in…
Taptivate recently decided to get into the social network scene with their recent release, “Friends.” Taptivate made a bold claim, to integrate the four corners of the social networking world, and make it easier to keep up with your friends from wherever their data hails. At first I was very interested in this App, but then I realized something very crucial; I don’t have that many friends. Oh well. The…
Redux, by its definition, is a thing that gets brought back, or experiences a resurgence, today on the short list is a review of an I’ve reviewed before, but not exactly. Tell you what I mean: awesome note, by Brid, came out for the iPhone quite some time ago, and I looked out unto the AppSphere, and found that it was good. Now I’m coming off like I think I’m…
Deborah Voigt has been wowing critics and fans alike with her turn as Puccini’s quintessential New World heroine in the Metropolitan Opera’s centenary staging of La fanciulla del West (The Girl of the Golden West). The New Year soon brings another anniversary production, when Voigt embodies Puccini’s Gold Rush girl again at Lyric Opera of Chicago (Jan 22 – Feb 21). Of a December Met performance as the pistol-packing, poker-playing…
Venezuelan blackened death metal act NOCTIS IMPERIUM have recently released a video for the song “Unus In Nihil” from their Abyss Records debut Nihil. Nihil was released in August of 2010 and is currently available through Abyss Records and features Nick Barker (ex-DIMMU BORGIR, ex-CRADLE OF FILTH, et al.) on drums. For more information, please visit: www.myspace.com/noctisimperium or www.officialabyssrecords.com “Unus In Nihil” video: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ThvJAp1PaqE
A month or so ago I was also asked to review Ponk, a puzzle game that has some roots in common with the likes of tetris, Dr. Mario, and bust-a-move. The game is a simple and addictive one. The game has a container into which different colored orbs fall, or if you use the now outdated Halloween theme, they could look like cool emoticon balls. The name of the game…
Tap Disc Review By Jesse Hayges Legal Radiation gave me a code to review their title “Tap Disc” a couple months ago, and I’ve been playing it heavily since I received it, but due to the nature of being a student, school work become more important than reviews. For this I apologize, however, much to my delight, after a recent update, a lot of my previous issues with the game…
Gun Star Heroes Review By Jesse Hayges Sega has re-released the classic genesis game Gun Star Heroes for the iOS platform. This game is a game a few friends of mine were so excited to see it appear in the Wii downloadable games center. They loved this game, and after playing it for a few weeks, I can see why. In this classic side scrolling shooter, we see some of…
As an avid fan of both Apple, and the iPhone/iPad, I feel honored to report something shocking. I would first like to take moment and express some thoughts. I am a fan of gaming on the iPhone, and now gaming on the iPad, and some recent games being a shining example of what a gaming company can really do with the iOS platform, I feel that the iOS platform is…
Hard to believe, but 1971 was not a good year for Lou Reed, Iggy Pop and David Bowie, three of the most influential rockers to come out of that decade. The doc Sacred Triangle does a decent job of telling the story of how the trio of rockers nearly fizzled out at the beginning of the decade and how all managed to collaborate in various forms leading to great (and…
Few know this, but I try to work out every day. I was lucky enough to catch an episode of Circus during its original airing on PBS, and was hooked. This 3-DVD set captures the entirety of the series, with a MSRP ($35) that allows viewers to cheaply get their 6 hour fix. While the allure of going to a circus has declined for many with the advent of life-like…
This is the story of an app that dared to be better than all the rest. This app, though just a game, dreamed to be the brightest star in the AppStore galaxy. Filled with tales of epic triumph and bloodthirsty battles, this story promises to be unlike any other. I of course am referring to the journey tale of “Infinity Blade”. This game is the first of its kind to…
Humorist David Sedaris manages to fill in the animal characters in his latest collection of short stories with more color and facets than many fiction writers devote to their human characters. Despite being a series of short stories being told by animals, Squirrel Seeks Chipmunk is actually pretty much what you’ve come to expect from Sedaris, via his New Yorker essays, NPR stories and collection of autobiographical writings. Filled with…
Rounding out what has been an unprecedented year in the band’s decade of existence, FLATFOOT 56 are gearing up to once again hit the road, adding some weight to a few of the season’s best tickets. First, Flatfoot will join with STREET DOGS for the fifth annual “Wreck The Halls” tour. The eight-night run begins Dec 8th, 2010 in Houston, TX, and includes an already sold out show in Boston,…
Two Gallants was one of my favorite bands of the last decade. Stick them up alongside Lucero and Latterman, and you’d have a hell of a concert. For whatever reason, Tyson (Vogel) from the band has attempted to have lightening hit twice. This is because ey has just released “Devotionals”, a full-length from a side project of the same name. The disc begins with “Toil and Joy”, a track that…
For the life of me, I cannot think of too many bands from the New Orleans area. I can think of even less in the way of bands that really project so much of the New Orleans sound as Haarp. From “The Filth”’s first track, “The Rise, The Fall” all the way out to the later reaches of the album (in missives like “Minutia” and “The Fall, The Rise”), there…
There are a number of individuals that make their bread and butter playing music that do not really excite me. While this list may include some of rock’s greatest axe men (and women), suffice it to say that Eric Johnson is not one of those individuals. Most casual fans will know Johnson for 1990’s “Cliffs of Dover”, but the simple truth is that ey has had a tremendous career. Up…
It has been a few years since the last Spice Girls reunion, so it only makes sense that each of the constituent members have to find a way to make their bread and butter. What makes the most sense out of these ventures has to be what Mel B is doing. Riding on the crazy of Dance Dance Revolution types of games, ey has put eir name on “Get Fit”,…
Seven CDs worth of material is absolutely amazing, and this fact becomes more amazing when individuals realize that the quality of these recordings does not slack at any point. The main discs comprise their original albums, with a number of live or otherwise demo tracks taking residence at the end of the disc. This means that the first disc provides listeners with 2005’s compilation “The Glasgow School” while adding on…
There once was a time where linking oneself to the Daily Show meant that you had serious comedy chops. As the different elements to the show have grown up and have otherwise moved on, it seems that this claim has gradually lost its power. However, a Daily Show-laden cast for Cooper’s Christmas seems to make this the best period comedy since Hot Tub Time Machine. TDS members Samantha Bee and…