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October 28, 2017
Bandcamping: The 5 Best Underground Albums Of October 2017
It’s October, which means that in some parts of the country, people are dangerously close to having to welcome snow back into their lives. To those people, we dedicate the final round of underground Bandcamp albums before the ground turns white.
This week’s Bandcamping picks are sort of a gradient: the first pair of albums live more in the heavy guitar music universe, before we get into instrumental hip-hop, which then transitions into more traditional but still exciting indie rock. Check out this month’s picks below.
5. Yellow Kings by Yellow Kings
Genre: hard rock, post-metal
If you like: Boris
This is the kind of music whose surface can be hard to see past initially, but if you make it beyond the noisy exterior, you’re in for a brutal and worthwhile experience. Propulsive rhythms hold up the wall-of-sound guitars, and if you squint your ears (if that makes sense), you can almost make out some Nirvana and Black Sabbath vibes among the noise.
4. Ball by Ball
Genre: rock, hard rock, psych rock
If you like: Wolfmother
The Swedish group describes themselves as playing “hard rock from Hell,” which would make sense if Hell was a place of punishment for damned souls. It’s hard to feel like you’ve done anything wrong listening to this heavy, psychedelic music, because it sure is a treat.
3. Seventh Drop Progression by Life Form
Seventh Drop Progression by Life Form
Genre: electronic, instrumental hip-hop
If you like: Bonobo
This is made for late at night, no two ways about it. Life Form’s instrumental hip-hop-inspired beats thrive on bass and starlight vibes, both of which are best captured on the head-bobbing opening track “Bear.”
2. As If We Are Sinking by Year of the Wolf
As If We Are Sinking by Year of the Wolf
Genre: indie rock
If you like: Mumford & Sons, Ray LaMontagne
Opening track “Work” says it all: Year Of The Wolf is capable of creating a sense of urgency that lures you all the way through, keeping you delightfully on your seat’s edge as you’re carried through rock- and folk-inspired soundscapes. ‘As If We’re Sinking’ is a fun and dynamic debut album that’s not to be missed.
1. Refrain by Lofty Stills
Genre: indie rock, dream pop, alt country
If you like: Local Natives, Sufjan Stevens
The reverb-drenched sounds of atmospheric keyboards work so well with pedal steel guitar that it’s weird somebody didn’t think of it until now, or at least nobody’s done it like Lofty Stills, the musical project of Seattle’s Luke Culbertson. His airy falsetto floats over instrumentation that draws as much from dream pop as it does country, a combination that you might not think works until you see it beautifully in action here.
Honorable Mention
The Mystic Peephole by Mojo Wizard
Genre: rock, stoner rock, classic metal
If you like: Black Sabbath
That’s all for October, but until next time, let us know in the comments which of these albums were your favorites, what we missed, and what we should look forward to. If you missed out on September, check it out here (and the complete Bandcamping archives are here).
THE LAST JEDI’s Kelly Marie Tran Made a Porg Costume For Halloween
Later this year, Star Wars: The Last Jedi will officially introduce fans to the porgs, the adorable bird-like creatures that inhabit Ahch-To, home of the first Jedi temple and where Luke Skywalker‘s currently hanging his robes. And there’s at least one cast member who isn’t shy about showing her love for porgs: Kelly Marie Tran. She’s portraying Rose Tico in the movie, and for Halloween, Tran and her friend spent a few hours making their own porg costumes before posting the following video clip on Instagram.
A post shared by Kelly Marie Tran (@kellymarietran) on Oct 27, 2017 at 9:22pm PDT
Based on how excited The Last Jedi director Rian Johnson was to run into a handmade porg costume at a recent Nerdoween party, I’m guessing he’s probably thrilled about Tran’s ensemble.
PORG!!!!!! (I am abnormally excited about this) pic.twitter.com/lEiNfXr4YY
— Rian Johnson (@rianjohnson) October 27, 2017
We first spotted this video at Bleeding Cool in a report that also highlighted a few other posts from Tran’s Instagram account. One of the posts that really stood out was Tran using her relative anonymity to go into the Disney Store and try on some of the Resistance costumes that are for sale there.
A post shared by Kelly Marie Tran (@kellymarietran) on Oct 13, 2017 at 12:05am PDT
Tran also seems to be ridiculously excited about The Last Jedi toys, including the action figures of her character from the film. But that is completely understandable. Who among us wouldn’t be smiling when surrounded by new Star Wars toys?
BLERPPPPPPPPPP I HAVE SO MANY FEELINGS!!!! And toys. But mostly feelings!!!!! ❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️
A post shared by Kelly Marie Tran (@kellymarietran) on Oct 12, 2017 at 11:45pm PDT
Star Wars: The Last Jedi will hit theaters on Friday, December 15, and we can’t wait to see Tran’s character in action.
What did you think about Tran’s homemade porg costumes? Let’s discuss in the comment section below!
Images: Lucasfilm
Enjoy more porg cuteness!
Porgs sing the Star Wars theme.
A porg and Totoro mash-up.
Squishy handmade porgs.
Episode 4 Defines STRANGER THINGS 2’s Monsters, Real and Figurative
Stranger Things 2 has been slow to reveal many secrets in its first three episodes, which is why even though the Shadow Monster was introduced early in the premiere, it hasn’t been clear exactly what kind of threat it poses to Hawkins. But episode four, “Will the Wise,” finally brought the monsters of season two into the open. That includes both the real ones the characters will have to face, but also the metaphorical ones that are terrorizing them, the kind that never go away. And its their battles with past traumas which are defining the season.
Superb police officer Chief Hopper pieced together, literally (thanks to Will’s drawings and his mother Joyce’s own impressive sleuthing skills), that those rotten pumpkins were destroyed by the soil itself. (You might say he got to the root of the problem…actually, forget the pun, that’s exactly what he did.) He found that the Upside Down has taken hold in our world, with a series of tunnels and vines spreading like tentacles.
The government, which may or may not be less evil this time, has been burning the main portal, but that hasn’t stopped the dark plane from burrowing down and growing outside the building, up into our world. Much like Will described himself as existing somewhere between the two worlds, the line separating them is disappearing.
In season one the fear was the Demogorgon entering our world, or someone ending up in his, but now the danger is much greater as the barrier between worlds crumbles. The Upside Down itself might consume the real world, and whatever the Shadow Monster is exactly (Will referring to it as “he” made it so much more terrifying), “he” is coming for everyone.
Of course we also found out we aren’t done with Demogorgons (Demorgogii?), because Dustin’s adorable “Dart” really was a tadpole, only instead of a frog, he’s growing into a killer beast. It wasn’t a huge surprise, but it was still a great, natural way to connect this year to season one. There is a chance this time the Demogorgon will prove to be an ally, if Dustin is right and “Dart” trusts him (nougat unites!), but it certainly didn’t seem friendly while eating the family cat.
But the real monster of this episode, and of the entire season, isn’t some creature, it’s the horrors of the past. Yes the Shadow Monster is a literal danger, but it’s also a metaphor for the traumas these characters have experienced, the events and losses that hang over them like a dark cloud.
When Will comes out of his trance and finally opens up to his mother and Hopper about what has been happening to him, he describes the Shadow Monster as a “feeling.” He later says the tunnels he sees are like “old memories in the back of my head.” Those memories are fear and confusion from what happened in season one, which won’t go away. Why did this happen to him? Why won’t it stop? Will he ever be free from this horror? Those emotions/the Shadow Monster are so strong they/it physically manifest and make him cold, because they are feelings devoid of joy and warmth.
The effects of past traumas on the characters are found throughout the entire episode. Hopper and Eleven get into a screaming match after she disobeys his three rules. She doesn’t want him to keep her locked away like papa did, but he doesn’t want to lose her the way he lost his daughter Sara. They are both in pain, and while they find comfort in each other, they need things the other can’t give without risking even more suffering. Their pasts hang over their present–like that giant world eating shadow.
That’s also why Jonathan and Nancy take such a risk to reveal the truth about Barb to her parents. Most everyone else walked away from season one, except for Nancy’s forgotten friend, who was only at Steve’s house that night because of her. And not only does Nancy have to live with that loss and guilt (which has pushed her away from Steve), she knows Barb’s parents are bankrupting themselves in a hopeless search. Barbara’s death is haunting Nancy, and she can’t move past it.
Eleven’s disappearance haunts Mike the same way. He can’t accept Max into the group because that would be like replacing Eleven. He is just one more victim of the Upside Down who can’t escape its grasp. Even Eleven’s vision of her mom, which brought her to tears (Millie Bobby Brown‘s acting never ceases to amaze me), was a literal shadow.
Even Max, whose past still remains a secret to us, clearly carries pain with her. What did possible racist Billy do that resulted in them living in Hawkins? And what about poor Steve (who has entered Jaime Lannister territory for characters who we once hated but now totally love), who gave up his place as the king of the school only so he could lose Nancy? Didn’t he stand up to the Demogorgon that night, the same way Jonathan did?
The Duffer Brothers said this season wasn’t a traditional follow-up year of television, but rather a sequel to the first, and that’s how it is playing out. Season one was about friendship and family, and about facing the dangers of life together. But this year is proving to be about what happens next. Just because you defeat the monster doesn’t mean the trauma you experienced goes away when it does. It stays with you. It haunts you.
The citizens of Hawkins will have to defeat a literal Shadow Monster, but that’s this year’s plot. The real story being told though is much more interesting, because the actual monsters they are fighting are the figurative ones they might never escape.
Will said those “old memories” are really “now memories,” because the traumas we experience don’t ever leave us. They stay with us like a shadow.
What did you think of this episode? What about the monsters of this season? Share your thoughts with us in the comments below.
Images: Netflix
Catch up on more of Stranger Things 2!
Episode 1 – Stranger Things 2 gets off to a surprisingly somber start.
Episode 2 – Stranger Things characters try to get back to normal.
Episode 3 – What do you do when your bully is a transdimensional being?
Mark Hamill Meets the Joker and Trickster in JUSTICE LEAGUE ACTION
Whenever most comic fans read issues of Batman featuring the Joker, there is usually one voice they hear in their minds, and that voice belongs to Mark Hamill. Since 1992, Hamill has played the iconic villain in animated form to utter perfection. Put that on top of that Luke Skywalker guy he plays and it adds up to a pretty amazing career. Recently, Justice League Action decided to make history and show what would happen when Hamill actually got to meet the Clown Prince of Crime.
Getting into what he thinks is his ride share, Mark is abducted by the Joker and the Trickster in your basic “ransom the famous celebrity for millions” scheme. Makes sense, except for one thing: Why is the Joker teaming with the Trickster? Well, fans of the TV series The Flash (new and old) remember Hamill played the Trickster. This worked out perfectly for Hamill, whose voice acting skills helped play the two villains against each other, leading them right into a trap set by Swamp Thing (Guess who provides Swamp Thing’s voice? Hint: it rhymes with “Shark Mammal”).
This animated short works on multiple levels. We get to see an animated Mark Hamill. We get to hear him perform two of the characters he is known for, as well as a newer one. Then there’s the fun and subtle breaking of the fourth wall. This is yet another example of Hamill absolutely loving what he does.
You can check out more Justice League Action shorts on the DC Kids YouTube channel.
So what do you think? Who did Hamill play best? Joker? Trickster? HIMSELF? Let me know on Twitter @donnielederer or sound off in the comments below.
Images: Warner Brothers Animation
Read more about Mark Hamill!
That time Mark Hamill recognized Sebastian Stan as his son.
Why a young Luke Skywalker film would be a bad idea.
Hamill surprises Adam Scott on Jimmy Kimmel Live!
Museum Shark Tank Prank Teaches Patrons to Never Tap the Glass
Schadenfreude | n. | (scha·den·freu·de) – Pleasure derived from the misfortunes of others.
Obviously, some of the very best content the internet has to offer comes from the unfortunate situations of others. And there’s nearly nothing as satisfying as witnessing someone harmlessly embarrassing themselves in public. Like, say, overreacting to a digital display of a shark tank.
This delightful video clip comes to us via a recent post on Laughing Squid and was taken at the International Spy Museum in Washington, D.C. The shark tank, as you’ve probably already figured out, is a virtual display, and comes with a warning sign about not touching the glass. From a young age we’re taught not to bang on the glass of an aquarium or zoo exhibit and yet, human beings are still the world’s most curious dummies. Tell us not to do something and we’re only going to want to do it more.
After a few apprehensive taps on the glass, the museum patron gains a bit of confidence and taps a bit harder. The installation then switches to an attacking great white shark coming out of nowhere to crack the glass. Not only does the patron jump back in fear but the camera operator — who seemingly knows what’s going to happen — still gets startled.
As terrifying as the shark video is, it doesn’t hold a candle to our favorite broken glass-related prank. A few sections of a glass bridge on the Taihang Mountain in Hebei, China are equipped with screens that “crack” in order to scare the crap out of tourists.
Have you experienced a prank installation like these? Let’s discuss in the comments below!
Image: Sharkdiver68 | Wikimedia Commons
It’s More Practical to Have More Jokes For You…
Kit Harington pranks Rose Leslie with his own severed head
Does Bart Simpson’s megaphone prank really work?
On the set of The Walking Deadpranks get glittery ,
245 Brave Souls Set New Simultaneous-Rope-Jump World Record
It’s difficult enough to gather a dozen friends for a party (although maybe not for this Stranger Things-themed bash), so you have to take a moment to really appreciate the logistical feat that is getting 245 people to jump off a 100-foot-tall bridge while they’re all tied to each other. Plus you probably have to appreciate, you know, all that opportunity for some serious bodily harm. But for a Guinness Book of World Records title, people are apparently more than happy to simultaneously bathe themselves in adrenaline. And also river water.
The world record-breaking stunt took place in Hortolandia, a municipality about 70 miles from Sao Paulo city in Brazil. And in classic Brazilian fashion — or perhaps just classic fútbol fashion — a good portion of the jumpers carried with them super-loud air horns, which they blasted all the way through their parabolic arc. Also, there was a lot of screaming, as you can clearly hear in the video.
If you’re thinking, the physics of what I’m seeing seem odd for bungee jumping, that’s because these 245 people weren’t bungee jumping, they were rope jumping, which involves a nylon rope that progressively slows jumpers as they reach the vertex of their jump (rather than allowing them to bounce up and down). And while that sounds like it may be equally safe, there’s still something odd about having all that momentum without the bungee bounce to absorb it.
“It was a crazy… unique feeling, an unbelievable experience,” one of the jumpers told CBC News. Although maybe not as unique as it may seem, seeing as how 149 people jumped off the same bridge last year in the same way. The multiple attempts also probably signals that this record is going to drop faster than somebody attached to a nylon rope in free fall. Speaking of which, here’s some first-person POV from one of the 245 jumpers:
What do you think about this world record? Would you have participated in this giant human-candy necklace? Give us your thoughts in the comments below!
Images: YouTube / Semlimitevoador rapel
Human Feats that Are Either Brilliant or Crazy
Man wants to cross the globe in a balloon-lifted chair
Game of Thrones set SO MANY people on fire last season
Russian stuntman makes working transformer armed with real guns
October 27, 2017
The Todd Glass Show #321: Colt Cabana
Todd is joined by the amazing Colt Cabana!
Like The Todd Glass Show on Facebook, follow @ToddGlass, Eric Ohlsen, John Brand Wagner, and Lyricist Joe on Twitter, buy his album Thin Pig and buy his book The Todd Glass Situation!
Op-Ed: Why STRANGER THINGS 2 Deserves Much Better Than A Binge Watch
Unless you called in sick today or are a career insomniac, it’s unlikely you finished streaming the insanely anticipated second season of Stranger Things. But, like me, you probably started to watch last night, and tried to power through until your eyes protested and you drifted off to the Upside Down. Now, the first full day after the show’s release, seeing only part of the new season feels like harboring part of a secret that could also be used against you at any moment. This is a uniquely crappy position for a TV fan, but it’s not your fault. It’s Netflix’s.
Let’s begin with the release schedule. For a show that has so diligently leaned into meme culture and campaigned on social media, Netflix fumbled by releasing its most hyped show ever at such an inconvenient time. If you are on the West Coast, you maybe stayed up past your bedtime to sneak a few episodes at 12 a.m., but if you’re a fan on the East Coast, the 3 a.m. release time would have made you sleep well through your alarm the next day. Why not release at 12 a.m. EST and 9 p.m. PST to at least give the other half of your audience a chance to chime in? It’s hard to start a conversation if half of your domestic audience is asleep.
The binge-watch, of course, is Netflix’s signature, paradigm-shifting method–their digital coup that has scared many traditional cable networks shitless. It is hard to argue against the flexibility that this method offers a consumer who doesn’t want to schedule weekly appointments for TV, but this method doesn’t take into account the opportunity for top-tier success or demand: people want to be part of a cultural conversation right away. The binge release makes sense to cultivate an audience for a new show; less so for the second season of a hugely popular show. If Netflix is replacing one form of appointment television with another, then who really stands to benefit?
More importantly though, the joy of a show like Stranger Things should come from communal detective work and no-holds-barred fan theories. Since the show mines endless ‘80s references (for better or worse), there is sprawling lore to unpack in a more deliberate way. But rather than patiently dusting off clues with friends, viewers spend their initial time simply slogging through nine episodes, and then keeping relatively quiet for fear of spoiling anyone that might not be as far. The binge release stifles conversation by turning what should be a communal moment into an isolating race to the finish.
The binge release turns what should be a communal moment into an isolating race to the finish.
If the release schedule was weekly, fans could engage with the show in a more thoughtful way, and Netflix would have a much longer, consistent marketing opportunity to make the case for next year’s Emmys. Though scientific studies have pointed out that binge-watching stymies enjoyment and memory of the experience, it mostly feels intuitive to TV audiences at this point. Half the reason shows like Lost, True Detective (season one, obviously), and Rick and Morty are the phenomenons they are is that fans have time to celebrate, theorize about, and grapple with each episode on a weekly basis, creating a much deeper mythology than the shows create for themselves. It’s more sustainable and vastly more rewarding for the viewer. I understand that Netflix is catering to a younger audience whose viewing patterns differ from mine, but young Rick and Morty fans still stormed every McDonald’s across the country for a show with a weekly release schedule.
Instead, this season of Stranger Things is theoretically already over. My older brother couldn’t sleep last night and is now done with the entire second installment of a cult phenomenon. But what is the payoff for that kind of dedicated binging? He can’t really talk to anyone about it yet. He’s probably already watching something else.
Stranger Things is the first time Netflix truly has something transcendent on their hands, so why squander it with the same arbitrary rules that also applied to cancelled shows like Bloodline and Hemlock Grove? Rabid fandom would ultimately outweigh any backlash for modifying the typical binge timetable. Release two or three episodes at a time on a weekly basis to simulate the binge-watching experience, while giving fans time to watch and dive headfirst into each episode with each other.
Stranger Things is the company’s only show that can compete culturally with HBO’s Game of Thrones or AMC’s The Walking Dead, so they have a unique opportunity to do something truly different. Netflix has already broken the rules of television once, but it’s time to bend the rules again.
Featured Image: Netflix
What We Think of STRANGER THINGS 2 So Far
Ep 1: Stranger Things 2’s premiere begins on a surprisingly somber note
Ep 2: Every character tries to get back to normal in the new season
SHAZAM! Movie to Star CHUCK’s Zachary Levi
Almost as soon as a superhero movie gets announced, the prospect of finding out what Hollywood star or unknown commodity will get the chance to become said hero or villain. While we know Brie Larson is playing Marvel Studios’ Captain Marvel for her eponymous film, we didn’t know who would play the DC Comics version of the character in the proposed Shazam! movie, one of the many DC movies in development. The nearest we had is the assertion Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson would be playing Black Adam in a solo film. Now however, THR has the news that former Chuck star Zachary Levi has been cast as the lead in Shazam!.
Levi starred in the NBC series Chuck from 2007-2012 and also provided the voice of Flynn in the 2010 Disney animated film Tangled which is a million times better than Frozen despite what every child says. While Levi is no stranger to the superhero film landscape–he portrayed Fandral, one of the Asgardian Warriors Three, in 2013’s Thor: The Dark World. This is easily the most high-profile role in Levi’s career. Lights Out and Annabelle: Creation director David F. Sandberg is lined up to direct the project under Warner Bros’ New Line banner which itself is a fairly bold move for a character aimed generally at younger readers.
Shazam! is one of the oldest titles in superhero comics, debuting as part of Fawcett Comics in 1939 before the title and character were acquired by DC Comics in 1972. In the comics, Billy Batson is a child who can become an adult superhero by uttering the word “Shazam!”—a magic word consisting of the initials of many mythical heroes (Solomon, Hercules, Atlas, Zeus, Achilles, and Mercury), the powers of whom all get mixed to create Captain Marvel. Whether the movie Shazam! will include the name “Captain Marvel” at all or if they’ll drop it because of Marvel Studios’ film is yet to be determined.
What do you think about Zachary Levi playing Captain Marvel in Shazam!? Let us know in the comments below!
Image:
Kyle Anderson is the Associate Editor for Nerdist and an avowed DC Comics fanboy. Follow him on Twitter!
More for you comics lovers!
How Wonder Woman‘s ending might retcon Batman v Superman !
Hellboy unleashes his inner demon in latest Injustice 2 trailer!
The cast of the latest Thor movie tries to define Ragnarok !
World’s First Robotic Citizen Trolls Elon Musk at Press Conference
We may not live in a Blade Runner-like future where robots and AI can pass as humans, but we are rapidly catching up to a world that comes close. This week, Hanson Robotics’ “Sophia” robot/AI was the first machine to be granted citizenship by the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia — the first robot to officially receive a nationality of any kind.
Via Al Arabiya English, Sophia was given her citizenship as a symbolic way to promote Neom, a futuristic megacity that is being planned by Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman. Neom currently sounds like a sci-fi pipe dream — a cutting edge hub of scientific advancement and clean energy where artificial intelligence and robots are integrated into daily life on scale never attempted. But with money and time, who’s to say that it won’t succeed?
I mean, she’s already trolling Elon Musk:
Our @andrewrsorkin, interviewing “Sophia” the robot, of Hanson Robotics:@CNBC @elonmusk pic.twitter.com/Dzw8jS5YSB
— Carl Quintanilla (@carlquintanilla) October 25, 2017
Sophia herself (if a robot can have a gender), is also a far cry from the artificially intelligent androids that we’ve seen in films and television shows for decades. She can imitate human gestures and interactions while holding limited conversations. However, without radical advancement, she could never truly be mistaken for a human nor be mistaken for sentient. Sophia is simply an early, hairless step towards a possible robotic future. But we ask you: would you really trust a robot that so casually jokes about dominating the human race?
As Gizmodo points out, Sophia the robot now has more rights in Saudi Arabia than the real women who live there. If Saudi Arabia is attempting to create a better future for robots and technology, we would hope that its residents receive equal measure and attention as well. Utopia still eludes us.
How do you feel about Sophia’s new rights as a citizen? Try not to destroy humanity in the comment section below.
Images: Hanson Robotics/Future Investment Initiative
Head Deeper Into the Uncanny Valley
We finally got the world’s first giant robot duel
Japanese therapeutic cat robot has no head, legs
Elon Musk-backed OpenAI destroys DOTA pro
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