A live album by a band that’s been missing from radio for a good two decades is usually a bad sign. A gimmicky half acoustic, half plugged in record is even more ominous. But Philadelphia’s once-favorite sons have managed to pull of the difficult, putting out a nostalgia record that is just as good, if not better than anything they have done before. The first disc was recorded live in…
There are certain liberties authors are granted. Only David Mamet can get away with stringing together seemingly unrelated explicatives into believable dialogue the way he does; only Stephen King can make Maine seem like the third circle of Hell; and only Joe Lansdale, Texas born and bred, can get away with the often goofy quotes his duo Hap Collins and Leonard Pine spout off on just about every other page…
The only really disappointing thing about Let Go, The Silent Year’s latest EP is the length. At six songs, the band’s latest is an appropriate follow up to last year’s decent full length The Globe, managing to eclipse those songs both musically and lyrically. The group delivers unpretentious indie pop in the vein of What Made Milwaukee Famous and Vampire Weekend (without the goofy prep school kid attitude). The album…
With each different bottle of the stuff we get, I feel that we here at NeuFutur find a new variety of rum. This time, Gosling (Castle Brands) has provided us with a black rum, which I personally thought was significantly different than dark rum. Turns out, it’s just another term for that version of the spirit.
“So Much Better†is a song that ties together rock and alternative music in a way that touches upon the work of Edwyn McCain, The Eagles, and even early (“A Boy Named Gooâ€-era Goo Goo Dolls). The production of “So Much Better†is important due to the openness that it allows. Each instrument is able to shine, while there is a warmth to the compositions here that will make it…
There’s something about acoustic guitars that draws former punk rockers like moths to a flame. Frank Turner, former member of Million Dead, unplugged after his band dissolved about three years ago and decided to go the route of Billy Bragg, writing lyrically smart, occasionally politically-tinged folk rock songs. On Love Ire & Song, his second full length (he’s also released a couple of EPs and a new LP is just…
Jamiroquai’s perfects at Montreux is impressive on all fronts. First off, for those that may be new to Jamiroquai’s music beyond their (few; “Virtual Insanity†heading them up) hits in America, there are a number of new tracks to sink ones teeth into. For those that wish to see a pre-Dynamite version of the act, this performance seems to give 1999’s “Synkronized†and 2001’s “A Funk Odyssey†much more in…
I know that before receiving “Ride Onâ€, I was knowledgeable about some of Bo Diddley’s work but had no clue exactly how detailed and expansive the set of eir works truly was during this period. To put this in perspective, Hip-O Select is already on the third volume of their Diddley releases, and they are only three years out from Diddley’s debut release (1958’s eponymous album). Considering that Diddley was…
The Hairdresser’s Husband (Le mari de la coiffeuse) is a 1990 film by Patrice Leconte, whom individuals may know as the director of 1978’s Les Bronzés, 1985’s Les Spécialistes and 1989’s Monsieur Hire. Leconte is interesting because of the wide array of genres in which ey works; the aforementioned Les Bronzés is a comedy, 1996’s Ridicule is a period piece, and The Hairdresser’s Husband showcases Leconte’s ability to go beyond…
The Mathilde Liqueur Orange X.O may seem to some to be yet another triple sec on the market, but I feel that the spirit is much more similar to a Grand Marnier than a Combier. Of course, the orange flavor is the focal point of the spirit, but I feel that the taste is much more nuanced than that. While the nose is based off of the orange base of…
Harvard Beats Yale 29-29 is a film detailing the events of a late-sixties football game that is played between two long-standing rivals. The game was important for reasons beyond the rivalry, as both teams had achieved an undefeated season up to that point of the year. Yale’s quarterback, Brian Dowling (who had not lost a game for a number of years), had ran up a considerable lead over the entire…
I have a feeling that after all is said and done, that Active Life: Extreme Challenge will be enjoyed by all ages, despite the fact that the character design, color scheme, and overall action seems to skew a little bit towards the younger set. This is because each of the mini-games that are present here are fun as all get out, while the control scheme approximates as close to reality…
After some shaky starts to the wine section of the alcohol review category, I find that my own experiences with wines in the last few months have been overwhelmingly positive. Given a chance with the 2008 Fetzer Riesling, I am pleased to report that this string of positive experience has continued. The first thing that I can say about the Fetzer Riesling is that the darker bottle is beyond brilliant;…
I would venture that there are not many weeks where The Waterboy is not shown on some cable channel. The fact that is has stuck around television rotation for so many years after it was first released to theaters (1998) showcases that, despite the simplisticity of the title, that is an overall solid film. Whether it be Adam Sandler as the titular role, Kathy Bates (Drew Carey Show) as Mama,…
It’s amazing this book ever made it to print. Music writer Barney Hoskyns was shut out at just about every attempt to interview anyone who was even remotely close to the notoriously media shy Tom Waits. In fact, the end of the book comes with a collection of often humorous e-mail transcripts from a slew of Waits’ friends, collaborators and associates explaining why they would not be able to answer…
The last time that we had a grape vodka in the NeuFutur Headquarters, it was Ciroc. We have not had too much in the way of experience with this variety of vodkas, but feel that UVIX is a great first review of this fresh interpretation of vodka. The presentation of the bottle is nice enough, with a frosted bottle and cork providing a little more in the way of class…
Few comedians are really able to go forth and really keep their material fresh over the period that Jim Breuer has. I must admit that I was not too familiar with eir work pre-SNL, but there has been some serious evolution of Breuer’s style over the course of about fifteen years. The great thing about this special is that it seems as if Comedy Central, the audience, and Breuer eirself…
With just seven songs, the Black Whales manage to make a damn fine introduction to the world. With influences that are as varied as The Clash, The Beach Boys, Talking Heads and The Kinks, Origins manages to incorporate a myriad of influences while still sounding starkly original.
For those that have not had a Hurricane in the past, it is (obviously) an alcoholic drink, made with light and dark rum, simple syrup and a ton of different juices (a complete list includes passion fruit, orange, grenadine, and lime juice). The Southern Comfort iteration of this drink hovers at about 30 proof, uses whiskey instead of rum, and is one of the latest flavors in the Cocktail line…
It’s been a little bit since we have had a chance to review SLUG, but the issue comes through with shining colors. Of course, there are a number of different advertisements for largely Salt Lake City-based events, but the vast majority of content in this issue deals with a healthy mix of skating, music, movies, and local culture.