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Cate Le Bon recommended Faust IV by Faust in Music (curated)

 
Faust IV by Faust
Faust IV by Faust
1973 | Experimental, Rock
9.0 (2 Ratings)
Album Favorite

"This is probably my absolute favourite record ever made. I remember driving to my friend's house and he put 'The Sad Skinhead' on I remember thinking, ""What the hell was that?"" When he said it was Faust, I had heard of them but had no idea what they sounded like. I remember going off and trying to 'find' the band on my own – I wanted to discover them for myself and not have people tell me which was the best record, or which were the best songs to listen to. I wanted to go off and discover Faust for myself. It was when I listened to Faust IV from beginning to end that I was absolutely blown away. It's playful, it's beautiful, it's exciting – it starts with a 10-minute Krautrock song and then goes into this weird, all-over-the-place song which has no rules. And I love that. The conviction of it is tongue-in-cheek in places, which I am almost jealous of - it even ends with a song called 'It's A Bit Of A Pain'! For me it has the best attitude of any album I have heard. Also, I must mention the extraordinary sound of everything – the placement of all the little weird guitar parts. It's almost like you can close your eyes and pinpoint where everything is coming in. There is so much I love about the record but its attitude is the most prevalent thing. I hope it has seeped into my music. It's what I try go for when I am in the studio – to try and record in as short amount of time, so that I can achieve a sense of spontaneity. I cannot achieve that during lengthy recording sessions – it would iron all of that stuff out. For me, recording really quickly means you can keep some of that playful attitude that I so love on this record."

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My One and Only Jimmy Boy by The Girlfriends
My One and Only Jimmy Boy by The Girlfriends
1963 | Singer-Songwriter
(0 Ratings)
Album Favorite

"One of my Mum’s favourite bands is Bread, who I can’t stand, I just don’t like them at all, but as a redeeming feature their singer David Gates wrote and produced ‘My One and Only Jimmy Boy.’ “One of the main types of records I collect are 60s’ girl groups. It’s far from a group of kids in a parent’s garage starting a band, these are more manufactured studio projects, but they do give me a similar feeling. The expression in these songs have influenced me artistically. That romantic sentiment has always interested me, even in the way of how unrealistic it is. That appeals to me in music. “I’ve always connected to girl groups. When I was about eight years old, I found a cassette called Sounds of the 60s Volume 2 under my parents’ stereo. I heard The Ronettes ‘Be My Baby’ for the first time and I almost felt guilty for liking it because I felt like it was ‘girl music’, but there was something about it that I really loved. That sound, it always has such power to me, it really made me feel strong emotions. There’s something about the naivety and the longing and the emotion expressed that I love. “So I got this cassette and at eight years old, at the end of term, we all had to bring in a song that we liked. I brought ‘Be My Baby’ in and I remember this girl laughing at me and saying ‘Faris has brought in a girls’ song!’ “But I still started collecting girl group music. For a genre that only existed for about seven years, from about 1958 to 1965, there were so many records released and so many weird ones – it was a time in the pop charts of total freedom, expression and experimentation. There’s a clash of the pure, almost sickly sweet melodies with some really weird production ideas thrown in. That’s why I loved it."

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Caribou recommended 6 6 6 by Aphrodite's Child in Music (curated)

 
6 6 6 by Aphrodite's Child
6 6 6 by Aphrodite's Child
1971 | Psychedelic, Rock
6.3 (3 Ratings)
Album Favorite

"""This would've been in my top five for sure - it's a big, big record for me. It's incredible on so many levels. If you want a record that illustrates what music can do in a very different sense, this is it. It's progressive and weird, but it shows you can make a concept album that isn't awful. I grew up in this little town called Dundas in Ontario - actually, I lived outside it, but all my friends lived in town. And this record is like a mythical record in Dundas, because one of my friends found a copy of it in the middle of the road - just lying there - and he brought it home. I wasn't doing any drugs at that point, but it was around that time my friends were smoking weed and doing mushrooms and whatever, so finding a beat-up copy of this record and putting it on it was like: ""HOLY SHIT!!!"" I still can't really listen to that track that's just an infinity symbol - I find it uncomfortable. And then there's 'The Four Horsemen' - that's like the Dundas theme as far as I'm concerned. It captures something of the eccentric spirit of this weird place that I grew up in. At the time that I found out about this record, the only reason I knew about Vangelis was because of the Chariots Of Fire theme, which was pretty terrible or definitely naff. But I love introducing people to this record because it's so far away from what they think Vangelis or Demis Roussos would do, even if you know the Blade Runner soundtrack. It's so far removed from anything that either of those guys was involved in. The music on there is so diverse; each track is completely different. Leading up to the release of the new album I was doing a DJ mix, and because of doing this feature there are now two tracks from this record on that mix! I'd forgotten how fucking good all these tracks are."""

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The Slumber Party Massacre (1982)
The Slumber Party Massacre (1982)
1982 | Horror
This film has a slumber party and it also has a massacre. In that respect, The Slumber Party Massacre does exactly what is says on the tin, but actually has more to it underneath it's trashy exterior.
It may very well be another 80s slasher following in the wake of Friday the 13th, but a few things make it stick out above some of the rest.
The short 77 minute runtime means that the plot steams along at a snappy pace. The expected killer chase scenes are genuinely tense. The characters are all fairly realistic. All good stuff.

Its important to note that this film was directed by Amy Holden Jones, and written by Rita Mae Brown. The presence of two females in these usually male dominated roles is certainly noteworthy, especially in the 80s. As a result, we have female characters who aren't afraid to fight back, and who don't rely on men to save them. There's not even an obvious Final Girl candidate, any one of the main cast could have filled that role. It's refreshing to see.
However, TSPM is produced by Roger Corman, which would go someway in explaining the excessive nudity, and why the finished product is far different to what Rita Mae Brown had initially envisioned.

The practical effects are fairly minimal, but what we do get is pretty good, and there's some semi decent gore dished out by Russ Thorn, this movies antagonist. He's obviously not a patch on slasher icons such as Jason or Freddy, but he's still a weird enough dude to make his mark on the genre. (Not quite as weird as the dude who hunts snails though, what the fuck was that all about)

The Slumber Party Massacre is a straight shooting horror that may have a cheap look, but it's fun for the most part, and has some memorable slasher moments.
  
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Dianne Robbins (1738 KP) rated We Drink and We Know Things in Podcasts

Oct 18, 2020 (Updated Oct 26, 2020)  
We Drink and We Know Things
We Drink and We Know Things
Comedy, News & Politics, Society & Culture
10
10.0 (1 Ratings)
Podcast Rating
The hosts: Andrea and Tom. (6 more)
The variety of topics.
Keeps my interests throughout.
The humor.
The coolness factor.
Not over-produced or over-commercialized.
Homegrown in Kentucky
Tom has a little bit of a potty mouth sometimes so if that offends you, hide your kids and be prepared to clutch your pearls. (0 more)
Doused in alcohol and lit with knowledge.
I am an avid podcast listener. We're talking up to 12 hours a day, sometimes more, so I'm always looking for something good to feed my ears. I heard a We Drink and We Know Things promo on one of the podcasts in my usual rotation and was so taken by the hosts' personalities and rapport that I paused my usual podcast and went to WDAWKT and immediately dove into their latest podcast. It was so much fun, so interesting, and intriguing that I had to hear more! So for the next three days, I binged their podcast.

To say it's delightful may seem weird to some, considering the topics they cover, but nonetheless, it's true. It made me very happy to hear that they are from my home state of Kentucky because we have such interesting stories from here that need to be told, though that is not the focus of the podcast. Married hosts, Andrea and Tom, are charming, funny, authentic, and real, and their thirst for knowledge cannot be quenched. For that, I am grateful as it means they will never run out of material for their podcast and I'll get to listen to them every week.

Some of the topics they've covered are true crime, ghosts, haunted locations, paranormal, aliens, UFOs, cryptids, urban legends, conspiracies, weird science, strange historical events, and more, and regular episodes Florida Man Friday, Let's Not Meet stories, and Creepypastas.

I have several paranormal stories to share with them so maybe one day, you'll hear my story on one of their episodes.

If these kinds of topics interest you, give this podcast a try. I think you'll like it.
  
Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2 (2017)
Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2 (2017)
2017 | Action, Comedy, Sci-Fi
Characterization (2 more)
Plot
Sets/CGI
The humor feels a bit forced (0 more)
Great, but not as good as the first
Don't get me wrong, I love this film. And Baby Groot, can't forget him. But as good as this film was on it's own, it doesn't quite live up to the original.

The first had such an easy, unself-conscious joy to it. The jokes flowed and felt organic. And that's still mostly the case here. But there are several spots, especially with Drax and Nebula, where the humor feels forced. Drax and Nebula's characters both feel a touch 'off', overall.


On the other hand, Peter and his relationships are written very well. Yondu's arc and character growth are amazing. The rest of the plot is strong and the stunts and CGI are awesome.


Personally, my favorite part was the resolution at the end and Peter's realization. So emotional, heart-warming and in-character, without being sappy or weird.
  
Supergods: Our World in the Age of the Superhero
Supergods: Our World in the Age of the Superhero
Grant Morrison | 2012 | Philosophy, Psychology & Social Sciences
8
8.0 (1 Ratings)
Book Rating
Great history of the comic book superhero (1 more)
Interesting insights and analysis
Magical self autobiographical history of the superhero.
If you're a fan of Grant Morrison'writing or just interested in the history of superheroes then this is a fascinating read. Be warned it gets into some pretty weird territory in terms of the autobiographical side of things, delving into the world of psychedelic chaos magic - take it with a pinch of salt if you will, or dismiss it as the writings of a deranged mad man, but you can't dismiss Morrison's influence on the comic book scene (he's definitely one of the triumvirate of superstars, along side Alan Moore and Neil Gaimen, whose work deserves much more credit than he gets in the mainstream imo) - it's really interesting to know the headspace he was in when coming up with a lot of his ground breaking ideas. Interesting for anyone interested in the creative process.
  
When Lightning Strikes (1-800-Where-R-You, #1)
When Lightning Strikes (1-800-Where-R-You, #1)
Jenny Carroll | 2003 | Fiction & Poetry
8
8.7 (3 Ratings)
Book Rating
I hate Meg Cabot. she is a terrible writer. she doesn't write sentinces, she writes fragments and then puts more fragments at the end to clear up what was perfectly clear in the first place. she leaves out things that are important. she doesn't describe stuff. her prose stinks. how on EARTH she became a best selling and popular author, i have no idea.

<b>but. </b>

i read the first book of her series here, "When Lightning Strikes," and seriously had to read the others. i still haven't read the last book, my library doesn't have it in right now, but this book got me hooked to a story that was written by (excuse me) a sucky writer. it was wild, weird, crazy, funny, and had some very creative twists in it. great story.

now if only she could learn to write. sentinces, i mean. (<-- example of what she does. i swear i don't write like that normally.)
  
Isle of Dogs (2018)
Isle of Dogs (2018)
2018 | Adventure, Animation
8
7.8 (39 Ratings)
Movie Rating
Brilliantly done
I'll be honest, except for Grand Budapest I'm not a massive fan of Wes Anderson. So I wasn't particularly bothered about this, and even more so after seeing the trailer when it was first released at the cinema - it just looked a little too weird. However I'm pleased to say that this was a surprisingly good film.

The best thing about this film is the execution. The stop motion is absolutely superb and truly flawless, it's beautiful to see stop motion made like this. And the voice cast too are brilliant. Unlike a lot of animated films, the entire cast fits perfectly and there aren't any voices that don't fit. The plot itself is interesting, dark and definitely not a kids film. It's also surprisingly funny in parts. Some of this gets a little "talky" at times and despite the short run time, the film feels a lot longer than it actually is. But it's still worth a watch for the stop motion alone.
  
Show all 3 comments.
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Leah (: (569 KP) Feb 5, 2019

I may watch this film now, I only ever heard radio adverts for it which was very confusing, then watched one trailer and was unsure but I’m tempted to give it a go now (:

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Ross (3284 KP) Feb 7, 2019

I watched some of it with the kids but had to go and start cooking dinner so missed the last half hour or so. If you enjoyed it, I heartily recommend you check Fantastic Mr Fox out: same animation studio and an equally stellar cast of big name voices.