July Wrap-Up: New Editor & New Features
This month we received sad and sudden news: former assistant editor Tom Bevis would be leaving us to deliver a series of lectures at his alma mater, Providence College. With heavy hearts, we bid goodbye to the bearded poet laureate and, in the wake of this vacancy, moved forward with our new assistant editor, Andy Ferguson.
Phantom Boy
Unapologetically original, decidedly strange, and crosshatched with wiry animations that slink, bob, and slither, directors Alain Gagnol and Jean-Loup Felicioli create a charcoal version of New York City that breathes Parisian sensibilities into the mouths, exhaust pipes, and window slats of a very American metropolis.
Elzhi’s ‘Lead Poison’ Is Clever, Lyrical
Musically, Elzhi has aged well. His spacey soundscapes—akin to Zion I or Kid Cudi—make this album versatile. The synth-based beats conjure up feelings of both melancholy and joy.
Star Trek: Beyond
The cinematography is gorgeous, the special effects are what you would expect from a Trek film: slightly behind the curve of what other sci-fi franchises come up with, but enjoyable nonetheless.
How To Make Sure Your Hairstylist Doesn’t Hate You
Ok, I know what you’re thinking: “Not all clients are bad!! I’m one of the good ones!!! I need a haircut so my ex wife Karen will love me again!!” Use this handy checklist to make sure your hairstylist doesn’t secretly want to tear your hair out.
‘Bing Bong’ a Dark Horse for Song of Year
Seattle’s The Fools came out of nowhere (I’m not sure if that’s true or not, since we have strict budgetary constraints that only allow us enough money for occasional interview artwork and Birthday Cake Pop Tarts) to deliver one of the best songs – if not the best song – of the year.
Tacocat, The Regrettes, Soft Lions @ Soda Bar
Last night’s Soda Bar show was a mosaic of rad guitar riffs, plumes of primary colors, and carbonated verve.
Equals
Hard, white surfaces shimmer like hot concrete in 90 degree heat. Streams of workers funnel, instinctively, into emotionless lines, like ant colonies to a melted popsicle stick.
Microbe and Gasoline
A few of his contemporaries – Spike Jonze and Jean-Pierre Jeunet, in particular – have similar compasses, but nobody rattles the paint cans quite like Gondry does.
Finding Dory
With “Finding Dory,” Pixar has made an enjoyable movie yet again. It would be easy to make a fish with short-term memory loss a one-note character. Fortunately, the titular Pacific Blue Tang (voiced by the always enjoyable Ellen DeGeneres) is not.
