The latest album from Vancouver band Fucked Up delivers a chaotic and complex punk rock sound. Glass Boys is a mix of hardcore punk and indie that is unpolished, but tenacious. But with this hybridization the album suffers from an overall lack of unity — many songs shift from mellow instrumentals to screaming vocals at… Continue reading Fucked Up
Results for "Peter Hemminger"
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Spun: R.E.M.
For many people born during the ’80s, listening to alternative rock was a right of passage. It was during this time the genre exploded in popularity and gathered many fans, whether having been introduced to it by their parents, peers, or discovering it by themselves. R.E.M. are a stalwart in the genre. Over the last… Continue reading Spun: R.E.M.
Spun: R.E.M.
Let’s throw it out there right away: this is two full discs and a DVD of live R.E.M. material. If you don’t like R.E.M., you likely won’t like this. Alright, now that that’s over with, Live at the Olympia in Dublin is a collection of songs recorded during a five-night stand in the summer of… Continue reading Spun: R.E.M.
Spun: The Waking Eyes
The Waking Eyes’ new album, Holding On To Whatever It Is, is about as catchy as the plague. But like one of the deadliest pandemics in history, an infectious nature isn’t always a good thing. Most of the songs have contagious hooks but are painfully static, lacking any progression or instrumental depth. What makes this… Continue reading Spun: The Waking Eyes
Spun: Apostle of Hustle
When a sprawling group of friends named Broken Social Scene released their breakthrough album You Forgot it in People in 2002 the music world went a bit crazy. An absurd amount of praise, expectations and sloppy performances followed the band everywhere they went until their inevitably disappointing follow up. Often overlooked in this hipster maelstrom… Continue reading Spun: Apostle of Hustle
Film Review: Bond is Back
Four decades and twenty-one films in, the Bond series really only had two options: continue along the path of ever-more-desperate celebrity cameos, CGI effects and over the top villainy, or, you know, make something interesting. Wisely, the franchise opted for the latter. With Casino Royale, screenwriter Paul Haggis kept what was working (Judi Dench’s wonderfully… Continue reading Film Review: Bond is Back
Film-Fest Review: Requiem
German filmmaker Hans- Christian Schmid’s Requiem plays like The Exorcist without the demons and projectile vomit. Though inspired by the same events that prompted last year’s Exorcism of Emily Rose, Schmid shuns the Hollywood horror approach, aiming for realism instead, leaving the audience to determine just how much of the devil is in the details.… Continue reading Film-Fest Review: Requiem
Film-Fest Review: Wasabi Tuna
Billed as a campy comedy for all audiences (the press material is oddly eager to point out you don’t have to be gay to like it), Wasabi Tuna is more like a train wreck. One where the train has careened off a cliff and onto an active minefield. And is leaking poison gas. And is… Continue reading Film-Fest Review: Wasabi Tuna
2005: Best in show
By Peter Hemminger, Kyle Francis and Rob Scherf
40-Year-Old VirginThe 40-Year-Old Virgin won’t pick up any Oscar nominations and quite frankly it shouldn’t, but it succeeds admirably at everything it attempts. It is a one joke gross-out sex comedy, a bizarre coming-of-age film, a heartwarming romantic comedy and an affectionate character study all in one. Considering it balances each of those elements without… Continue reading 2005: Best in show
Spun: The Blue Raincoats
Blue Raincoats mastermind Keri Steele seems to be using the project as her audition for the Canadian spotlight. The self-titled debut is an album straining to overcome its singer-songwriter origins, adding punch to its arrangements with electric guitar stabs and floating horn counter-points but in the end it falls shy of greatness.It’s hard to pinpoint… Continue reading Spun: The Blue Raincoats