Another week, another themed list at Rotten Tomatoes! This time, we ran down the best-reviewed comic book adaptations, from worst to first, and again, I did writeups for the top 20. To take a look, click on the image below:
And now for the links…
John at Lost in the ’80s takes a look at some of Alan Parsons’ less successful Projects, then serves up some rare INXS;
Mike at Down With Snark out Captain Video!s Captain Video!;
Robert at Mulberry Panda 96 explores the subtly shaded masterpiece that is Positive K’s “I Got a Man”;
Homeland Stupidity examines the terrorist threat posed by the homeless, then discusses the Real ID Act;
Jason goes on a Pablo Cruise, then talks about my mom’s babysitter;
Jeff Vrabel points the way to your long-awaited superhero debut, then gets sucked into joining Facebook;
JB at The Hits Just Keep on Comin’ pays tribute to Huey Lewis and The News;
Kurt at Kurt’s Krap writes his own goddamn Night Ranger guide;
John at You Must Be From Away serves up another fine Midweek Mixtape;
AM, Then FM calls attention to one of the finest albums I’ve heard all year;
Malchus adds another wonderful installment to his Basement Songs series;
…and Idolator heralds the return of Personics (sort of).
Finally, here’s what I’m reviewing over at Bullz-Eye these days:
Ry Cooder’s My Name is Buddy:
(”Cooder can certainly be forgiven for retracing his musical footsteps; not only are these arrangements appropriate for the album’s Dust Bowl ballads and worker’s laments, but he’s already more than proven himself capable of doing whatever the hell he wants, and Buddy strikes more of a comfortable groove than a dull rut. But why he felt it necessary to handcuff his message to an anthropomorphic fable is truly a mystery.”)
Peter Himmelman’s My Green Kite:
(”A dizzyingly colorful blend, full of sly musical touches that parents will be able to appreciate, alongside lyrics that successfully walk the fine line between endearingly whimsical and gratingly sweet.”)
Kelly Sweet’s We are One:
(”Sweet’s talented, no doubt, and these songs are very well assembled, for what they are Á¢€” kudos to producer Mark Portmann for drafting guitarists Tim Pierce and Dean Parks Á¢€” but at the end of the day, she tends to come across, more than anything else, like Celine Dion without the hard vocal edges and leathery, batlike skin.”)
Martin Sexton’s Seeds:
(”Some songs, and some characters, are sharper than others, but there really isn’t a bum track in the bunch Á¢€” apart from being the high point of Sexton’s recording career thus far, it’s one of the most thoroughly entertaining collections of so-called “roots music” to surface all year, or even longer, really; albums blessed with this much open-hearted, open-throated wonder simply don’t come along very often.”)
Chris Whitley and Jeff Lang’s Dislocation Blues:
(”On his own, Whitley was apt to spend a lot of time doodling in the margins of melody and song structure; here, however, Lang acts as a tether and a foil, providing Whitley with a response to his ghostly call. Guitar fans Á¢€” particularly those of the National and lap variety Á¢€” will find a feast worth savoring here.”)
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