Tag: spectrum review

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Spectrum Check

Dan Seeger

The first thing I had go up on the site this week was a book review. Embarrassingly enough, this was something I could have and should have written months ago. Yes, that’s months. There was just always other material that was more pressing and it stayed simmering on the back burner until the bottom of the pan was covered with a crusty blackness as impenetrable as concrete. Needless to type, I’ve been very reluctant to sign up for further book reviews. Movie reviews, though…I’m all over that. This week I got the chance to review the new documentary from Errol … Continue reading Spectrum Check

Film, MusicLeave a comment

Spectrum Check

Dan Seeger

Oh, the French. My first piece for Spectrum Culture this week was a review of the new film from director Catherine Breillat, who’s been playing around with classic fairy tales of late. This time, it’s the tale of Sleeping Beauty that she transforms, merging it with at least one other fable. Naturally, there’s some gratuitousness topless bathing in it. I also turned in a record review that was a little late, but not as shamefully late as the book review I recently sent it. That hasn’t run yet. I’ll sheepishly share that story when it does. Continue reading Spectrum Check

Film, MusicLeave a comment

Spectrum Check

Dan Seeger

Just a couple things from me went up this week. I reviewed the new album from Memory Tapes, which was very strong. It’s actually one of those albums that makes wish I had a radio shift since most of the songs on it would be perfect to drop in the middle of a set to enliven it. I also tapped out another very positive review, this time for the movie Terri, which contains what I think is John C. Reilly’s best performance to date. Strangely, I wasn’t supposed to receive this movie. The promotional folks said they weren’t sending out … Continue reading Spectrum Check

Film, MusicLeave a comment

Spectrum Check

Dan Seeger

This week, I was all over the site, beginning with a movie review of a offbeat new documentary about, at least in part, the collision between man and nature in the American south. It’s a movie built on so much abstraction that it was a challenge to write about. It was also tough to write about the new New York Times documentary, though for different reasons. It’s a fairly straightforward work and picking out what does and doesn’t work with it was correspondingly straightforward. However, I have such an investment in trumpeting the continued valued of traditional mass media, that … Continue reading Spectrum Check

Books, MusicLeave a comment

Spectrum Check

Dan Seeger

I didn’t have much up on the Spectrum Culture site this week, which seemed weirdly appropriated since I was preoccupied for most of the days. There was no corollary between the two–most things that would have posted this week would have been written before my chores pulled me away from the laptop–but it was sort of nice for the cyber-version of me to be fairly absent in all respects simultaneously. The one full-length effort of mine was a reviews of the new album from White Denim. The pull quote they used what the review was up on the main page … Continue reading Spectrum Check

Film, MusicLeave a comment

Spectrum Check

Dan Seeger

This week, I contributed to our List Inconsequential feature on badass album covers by writing about the Sonic Youth album that includes their fierce collaboration with Chuck D and, even better, helped make possible their eventual, inadvertent and unbelievably cool collaboration with Christina Aguilera. I also wrote about the latest album from the Felice Brothers, one of way too many bands with the word “Brothers” in their name that emerged at roughly the same time. The new record was pretty good, though, even if it made me think anew about (and do fresh research on) the Creepiest Place on EarthTM. … Continue reading Spectrum Check

Film, MusicLeave a comment

Spectrum Check

Dan Seeger

The first thing I had up this week was a review of the new album from Vetiver. I had a rough time finding a way into the piece, but I must admit that I like the Wes Anderson reference in the middle of it. On the movie front, I reviewed the African film Viva Riva! The title of that film has been affixed to our fridge with a magnet for weeks now. We read a rave review in Hollywood Reporter and tore out the headline to make sure I wouldn’t forget about when the chance to review it arose. I … Continue reading Spectrum Check

Everything ElseLeave a comment

Spectrum Check

Dan Seeger

Though I was largely absent last week, I had a few things stockpiled for use at Spectrum Culture, largely because I’m way behind on my CD reviews. In fact, I’m still trying to catch up on all that. I provided a lukewarm assessment of the latest Steve Earle album and an even less enthused consideration of the new outing from the Wave Pictures. The Earle record was assigned to me, but the latter was my own damn fault. I asked for it. Which brings me to the new movie review I wrote for this week. Without getting too deep into … Continue reading Spectrum Check

Film, MusicLeave a comment

Spectrum Check

Dan Seeger

This week, I finally starting working on the backlog of record reviews I need to work through by offering up an assessment of the new album by the U.K. band Let’s Wrestle. It was one of those tricky instances of having to write about something when my primary reaction to it is “Eh, it’s okay.” What’s actually harder is writing about a film that’s terrific. Invariably, I feel like my words are inadequate. Lu Chuan’s new movie is tough, uncompromising and beautifully made. I am pleased that I wrote the review without ever using the word “epic.” That was intentional. … Continue reading Spectrum Check

Film, MusicLeave a comment

Spectrum Check

Dan Seeger

This week I took my first crack at the Revisit feature over on the music side of things, which proved to be far more difficult for me. I initially thought I’d write about R.E.M.’s Out of Time this year stands as the twentieth anniversary of its release and, despite being a major success, it seems to be one of the forgotten albums by the band. I thought it would be interesting to give it a fresh listen, separated from the saturation play it experienced at my college radio station upon release. I may still try writing that piece at some … Continue reading Spectrum Check