Chris Hardwick's Blog, page 2120

ADULT SWIM’s April Fool Is a New RICK AND MORTY Episode!

“He may have manifested some sort of butt.”

“He can do that?”

This is not a drill! And it’s also not working in every area, so it’s a bit of a crap shoot (ironically, the episode is filled with lots of shooting and some literal crap). But you can see if this works for you by clicking HERE now! It’s also airing on repeat on the network.

We promise we are not April fooling you. The new episode is everything you’d hope, with Nathan Fillion, Seal Team Rick, the return of Puppet Rick and Morty, and lots of butts and farts. It also has a really high body count, and a new plot twist for Birdperson. We’ve no idea how long this will stay up [edit: now we do–it’s midnight ET/PT] and you can’t rewind, but it has been playing on a loop, so if you catch it in the middle, don’t give up.

MINOR SPOILER: We’re still not clear which Rick and Morty are left at the end, but they’re definitely two that can continue adventuring, though Rick says this will be the darkest year of their adventures, and it’s all because McDonald’s no longer makes Mulan-themed Szechuan McNugget sauce…maybe. If the promise of nine more seasons at the end is for real, we’re totally good with that.

Are you ready to squanch? Is this actually a memory that’s so good it must be caused by parasites? Does it matter? And is Shoney’s really as awesome as Rick thinks? (Spoiler: yes). Go watch now if you can, and let us know what you think in comments below or on our Facebook page!

Image: Adult Swim

This Heavy Metal Cover Album of Disney Songs Will Rock Your Mouse Ears off

Disney songs are the music of our childhoods. And now our childhoods are a little more hardcore thanks to Metal Disney, a compilation of heavy metal takes on classic Disney movie tunes that’s just debuted in the US, according to Rolling Stone. The album, brought to life by the “D-Metal Superstars” (that’s “D” for Disney), adds sweet guitar licks and some serious shredding to favorites from The Little Mermaid, Aladdin, The Lion King and more to bring out the Mouse’s darker side.

Although Metal Disney is a recent arrival to these shores, the album has been out for a year in Japan, where it’s climbed almost to the top of the rock/metal charts and the kids’ charts. The idea of tiny Japanese children headbanging and throwing up devil horns to “Under the Sea” is pretty unbeatable.

If you’re still feeling a twinge of skepticism about Metal Disney, think back to the darkness of your most beloved Disney movies. Remember when Scar got ripped to shreds by hyenas, or when Judge Frollo sang an entire song dedicated to how much he hated himself for lusting after a woman? Then there’s the Pleasure Island/donkey transformation scene in Pinocchio that traumatized multiple generations of children. Disney’s always been kind of metal.

Besides, the D-Metal Superstars are veterans of the scene. The lineup includes Rudy Sarzo, who used to play bass for Ozzy Osbourne, and Mike Vescera, John Bruno, and B.J. Zampa: the vocalist, guitarist, and drummer from the band Obsession. When it comes to rocking, Disney is serious.

So what does it sound like when a band from the Texas Chainsaw Massacre III soundtrack and a former bassist for the guy who bit the heads off bats come together for fairytale magic? To answer that, Disney has released an unlisted sample on YouTube, where you can hear the D-Metal Superstars rocking out on the Beauty and the Beast theme song.

What do you think of the D-Metal Superstars? Is there a Disney song you’re hoping to hear them cover? Let us know in the comments!

 

Images: Flickr/Chad Sparkes and Flickr/Ricky Brigante

Figures and Speech: How to Get ROGUE ONE’s Saw Gerrera STAR WARS Figure

Welcome to Figures & Speech, Nerdist’s regular column by, for, and about grown-ups who still play with their toys but might want to know more before they buy. From product reviews to informed editorials, these are most definitely the articles that’ll make you want to strike a pose. Click on all images to enlarge for detail.

Jyn Erso may be the main character of Rogue One: A Star Wars Story, but Saw Gerrera is arguably the most important to the mythology overall, having first appeared in the Clone Wars cartoon as a much younger man, and crossed paths again with the animated universe in Rebels. For many of the characters in Rogue One, their primary stories begin and end with the movie, but Saw’s long career as one of the O.G. Rebels leaves plenty of potential stories with him still possible, in multiple timelines.

So why wasn’t he part of the initial action figure rollout? I have a theory, but first, here’s the important news: he is available now in a new “Jedha Revolt” four-pack, released to coincide with the movie’s digital download and Blu-ray release. And Hasbro states in its press release that “The Jedha Revolt 4-Pack is the only Hasbro figure pack featuring Forest Whitaker’s character, Saw Gerrera.”

There might be an unsaid “…so far” in there, because with Saw having appeared in three different Star Wars iterations, the odds are strong that he’ll merit a Black Series figure in 6-inch scale eventually.

Saw comes packed with his ally Edrio Two Tubes, whom I don’t think is available elsewhere as yet (though I’m not 100% sure of that–an inquiry to Hasbro PR hasn’t been answered as of publication time), along with the same Jyn Erso figure that comes in every multipack, and an Imperial Hovertank Pilot.

The packaging is reasonably collector-friendly–you’ll have to peel off some tape carefully, but there are no twist ties or reasons to rip the box apart.

Saw features a pretty detailed sculpt, with multiple different colors of plastic utilized. His robot foot is actually a separate part from his leg, but unfortunately that does not equate to ankle-articulation. He’s still a basic five-points figure, as are the others in this set, with cut-joint shoulders and hips, and a highly restricted ball-joint neck.

It’s not all colored plastic: there’s a nice paint app on the back of his cape.

So here’s my suspicion…

Take a look at Jyn in comparison. Basic sculpt, sloppy paint job (parts of her hair are skin-colored, apparently), soft detail…

Now let’s take a good look at Saw’s details again:

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I’m going to guess Saw wound up costing more to make, and not worth selling at a loss for the standard $8-$10 price point. But since Jyn was overproduced, possibly in response to backlash over a perceived lack of Rey (Rey is actually quite easy to find nowadays; maybe grab a few before her next movie makes them hot sellers again), you can throw her in to add value, along with an Imperial army builder, and what the hell, Edrio too.

Edrio even has his inner thighs painted and sculpted, which I did not expect. Along with a dirty wash that makes him look mildly McFarlane-esque. Also, he’s creepy.

And in the end, the price of the set is quite reasonable. Its suggested retail is $24.99, which means that depending how much you usually pay for 3.75-inch Star Wars figures, you’re getting at least one “free.”

Oh, here’s that bad guy:

I don’t fancy his (or her) chances…

Jyn and Edrio come with one gun apiece, while Jyn also has the removable headscarf. Saw has a gun that fits in his holster or his hand, and his staff, which is handy, because as The Force Awakens taught us, training with a staff preps you for the day when somebody suddenly hands you a legacy lightsaber.

Now: Saw may have a detailed face sculpt, but I do have one complaint. It’s recognizably Saw, but not so much recognizable as Forest Whitaker. I mean, if James Earl Jones had played Saw, this exact same headsculpt would still work, am I right? I wish I could have brought my Battlefield Earth action figure of Ker out of storage so we could compare, but I will claim that one is more recognizable as the actor. (Also, in case you’re wondering, the breathing mask is attached to his chest and cannot be placed on his face.)

On a lighter and more random note, toy photography sometimes attracts onlookers. Like this curious critter:

Sorry, Krennic–he never quite got close enough to take out your nemesis.

So how would you all rate this four-pack? I haven’t collected this scale in a while, but the Saw and Edrio figures are quite nice.

Go rogue in comments and feel free to share your thoughts, or hit me up on Twitter @LYTrules.

Images: LYT for Nerdist

 

See What THE MAGICIANS are Up to Next in This Supertease (EXCLUSIVE)

You may be asking yourself right now: how in the heck does Nerdist already have this amazing look at the last 3 episodes of Syfy’s The Magicians that debuted exclusively at their WonderCon panel just moments ago already up on the site?! Well, friends, in a word: magic. Also because we really like you and we want to make you happy!

After being given a key to Fillory and named one of its queens while moderating the panel, our own Alicia Lutes (hey! That’s me writing this post right now! whatta TWIST!) was able to score exclusively disseminating the magical madcap madness that remains. And when we say it’s nuts, we mean it and you should really listen to us because it says a lot, considering the source material.

So what’s heading our way? Well, a quick trip to the Underworld, the search for Julia’s Shade, a meeting with a big ol’ dragon with a distaste for fuckin’ millennials, Candis Cayne playing the queen of Fillory’s fairy contingency, a diva-off between said Fairy Queen and Margo (yesssss), the return of Niffin Alice, and SO.MUCH.MORE. (Seriously—we’ve already seen the last three episodes and you’re NOT going to want to miss them.) You’re going to love the last three episodes—almost as much as Eliot loves his polyamorous marriage.

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Are you looking forward to the end of The Magicians‘ sophomore season? Let us know in the comments below!

Featured Image and GIFs: Syfy

Alicia Lutes is the Managing Editor of Nerdist, creator/co-host of Fangirling! and frequent over-user of Twitter.

And if you want more Magicians chatter, check out our interview with the cast:

GAME OF THRONES Re-Throned: “The Watchers on the Wall” (S4, E9)

Winter is coming, but not soon enough. So to help pass the time until season seven of Game of Thrones, we’re doing a weekly re-watch of the series, episode-by-episode, with the knowledge of what’s to come and—therefore—more information about the unrevealed rich history of events that took place long before the story began. Be warned, though: that means this series is full of spoilers for every season, even beyond the episode itself. So if you haven’t watched all of the show yet immediately get on that and then come back and join us for Game of Thrones Re-Throned.

Because the next best thing to watching new episodes is re-watching old ones.

——

Season 4, Episode 9: “The Watchers on the Wall”

Original Air Date: June 8th, 2014

Director: Neil Marshall

Written by: David Benioff and D.B. Weiss

Like all of Game of Thrones other big spectacle episodes–“Blackwater,” “Hardhome,” “Battle of the Bastards”–the most memorable aspect of “The Watchers on the Wall” is the amazing, two-front fight that takes place at Castle Black. I remember being floored by this episode originally, but somehow it’s even better than I remembered. The action sequences and direction by Neil Marshall (who also helmed “Blackwater” in season two) would look incredible in a big budget Hollywood blockbuster, let alone in a single hour of television.

Yet, without the human element at the core of these episodes, the battles would be fun to watch, but emotionally empty. Fortunately “The Watchers on the Wall,” like the other three in the same vein, is full of great, powerful, character-driven moments, including a final one that might point to a very sad but heroic end one day for Jon Snow.

There are so many poignant and heartbreaking scenes throughout it’s not possible to give them each their due, but they deserve to be recognized:

Jon and Sam talk about the women in their lives and the chance the two of them might not live through the night.
Gilly returns to the Wall and Sam swears to never leave her again.
Maester Aemon tells Sam about the woman he once loved and why love is the death of duty.
Sam gives Pyp a pep talk about bravery, but later has to hold Pyp as he dies.

Allister Thorne tells Jon about the burden of leadership.
Jon sends Grenn to defend the gate against a giant, even though he knows Grenn probably won’t survive.
Grenn and five Brothers recite their Night’s Watch vows as Mag the giant charges at them. (Maybe my biggest omission from this list of the show’s saddest moments.)
Jon gives Edd command of the Wall.
Jon holds a dying Ygritte in her arms after Ollie shoots her with an arrow through the heart.
Jon and Sam find the fallen bodies of Grenn and the others, alongside the body of Mag.

It’s an astonishing hour from start to finish, but for those of us trying to look ahead, it’s the final moment that seems most significant now. The episode ends with Jon recognizing that Mance Rayder’s forces are too great to hold off for more than another night or two, making the death of every man of the Night’s Watch, and then the death of everyone in Westeros for a thousand miles, inevitable.

So he tells Sam he is going out beyond the Wall to meet with Mance, where he plans on killing him. Mance is the binding force of the entire wildling army, and Jon believes that without him the hundred clans will begin infighting, which will make them scatter. Jon’s logic is sound, but as Sam points out to him, even if he kills Mance they’ll certainly kill Jon–after they torture him for a few days.

“It’s a bad plan,” Jon says, before asking Sam, “What’s your plan?”

Sam has no other, and while far from perfect, Jon’s offers hope that everyone else at the Wall will be spared, even though it means his certain death.

You might think it is a stupid and poorly thought out plan by Jon, or that it’s the only way to stop Mance, but there is no arguing that it is brave. Jon doesn’t have to be the one to do something like this, he isn’t Lord Commander yet, he’s just a steward despised by half of his fellow brothers. But with Alliser Thorne hurt, Janos Slynt literally hiding during the battle, and no one else to take charge, there is a leadership void, and Jon is the only one who steps up to answer it. Jon recognizes the need for a leader, but more importantly he recognizes the need for someone to put an end to this threat, even if the cost is his own life.

So off he goes beyond the Wall, leaving his closest friend Sam behind once more to wonder if Jon will ever return. We know he won’t die, but it’s remarkable to watch Jon march off to sacrifice himself to save others. More importantly it could indicate Jon’s ultimate fate one day.

Jon sent his friend Grenn off to certain death during one battle, and was willing to stop an army of 100,000 wildlings with his own life, so what might he be willing to do when an army of the dead marches on the Wall? Who or what else will he sacrifice when facing the greatest threat ever?

No one else knows the danger of the White Walkers more than Jon Snow, and no one else, not even the most fearless and brave like Daenerys, has been willing to risk his or her life in the name of duty and others quite like he has. Why would we expect anything less of Jon when the great war comes?

This is George R.R. Martin, so we’re not guaranteed anyone will be standing at series’ end other than some blue-eyed demons, but if the living do defeat the dead we know it will come at the expense of some our favorite characters. At the top of that list is a man who has shown he is willing to pay the ultimate price.

Jon marched off to meet with Mance with no intention of returning; he was willing to die to save countless others. We shouldn’t expect anything less from him when he has to save the entire world.

What do you think of this episode? What about the future for Jon Snow? We’ll be watching our comments section below for your thoughts.

Images: HBO

5 Things You Have to See to Believe at WonderCon

Home Geekonomics is a series that features the best in geeky home decor, food and DIY. Each week will focus on a specific fandom and highlight the best of geek for your home and everyday life.

This weekend WonderCon returns to Anaheim and if you’ve never been to a comic convention, WonderCon is the perfect way to get your feet wet into the world of cons. Although smaller than its sister San Diego Comic-Con, WonderCon holds it’s own with 900 exhibitors and over 200 hours of amazing programming. Warning: once you step inside you’ll be hooked—convention life can be addictive.

As you walk the floor you may be overwhelmed by all the sights and sounds, but I’m here to assure you that you’re not hallucinating: that really was a T-Rex dressed like Wolverine. If you think that’s something, take a look at a few things you have to see to believe at this year’s WonderCon.

Real Life Bob’s Burgers Booth

Strap on your pink rabbit ear hats! Bob’s Burgers is a reality. Okay, there are no actual burgers being served here but the Toddland store has done an excellent job of recreating the Belcher’s family business. Their booth is filled with Bob’s Burgers merch, from shirts, to keychains, to Louise hats. If you’re like me you’ll find yourself blocking the walkway just to stare at the constantly changing menu board showcasing the Burger of the Day. Find Toddland at booth 2042.

#StarWars hologram vinyl on display at Disney Music Emporium #WonderCon booth 1437 pic.twitter.com/t28KXGsOvR

— justJENN (@justjenn) March 31, 2017

Star Wars Hologram Vinyl

Last year Disney released special Star Wars: The Force Awakens vinyls that featured hand-etched holographic images of a Millennium Falcon and a TIE Fighter. If you thought you were missing out because you don’t own a record player, now’s your chance to catch a glimpse of this futuristic phenomenon in person. Disney Music Emporium has the disc on display and it’s as incredible as you’d expect, especially with John Williams’ spectacular score playing in the background. See the magic for yourself at Disney Music Emporium booth 1437.

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Instagram Worthy Cosplay

The once underground hobby of cosplay has slowly become mainstream and cons are where cosplayers get to show off all their hard work. While you’ll see some cosplay on the con floor, the real show is outside, where camera crews and instagrammers take photos of all their favorite outfits. Head out of the Anaheim Convention Center lobby into the Grand Plaza and you’ll find a living gallery of cosplayers of all ages. This stunning hand-crafted Xena: Warrior Princess Princess by Bernadette Bentley is just one of the many ways that cosplayers put their own creative spin on their favorite characters.

Wearable Ewok Heads

You’re either in the love them or hate them camp when it comes to Endor’s furry natives. One thing’s for sure, Emerald Moon’s wall of wearable Ewok heads is certainly a sight to behold on the con floor. These handmade masks are incredibly realistic and come in a variety of favorite Ewoks. Whether you’re a Wicket or Chief Chirpa, there’s an Ewok for every personality. Sure you can wear this for a costume party but I say if you’re going to invest in a piece of art like this, why not just wear it to the office? Make every day Ewok day at work. Check out all the Ewok heads at Emerald Moon booth 1944.

Shhhh, @kj_apa, don’t tell anyone about our secret Fight Club, okay? What happens at #Wondercon, stays @WonderCon. #Riverdale @CW_Riverdale pic.twitter.com/OxV1aVzy8r

— Nerdist (@nerdist) March 31, 2017

Shining Stars

If you want to see your favorite celebrities and hear their war stories, WonderCon is the place to do it. While fans camp out for days at San Diego Comic-Con, the intimacy of WonderCon makes the panel lines much more manageable and it’s fairly easy to snag a seat. The big screen makes every seat a great one and there’s always the opportunity to go up to the mic and ask the stars your burning questions. Just make it a good one for the audience’s sake. Make sure to check out Nerdist instagram stories for even more enjoyable face time with your favorites like these fun Boomerangs with the cast of Riverdale.

Heading to WonderCon this weekend? Let us know in the comments what you’re looking forward to seeing and tag @nerdist and @justjenn on twitter to share your con experience!

Images: Jenn Fujikawa

The Best Fake Nerd News We Saw This April Fool’s

Today reminds us, as always, that the best April Fool’s jokes may tip their hat quite obviously, but are mostly genuinely funny rather than just a cheap fakeout. Since, traditionally, the foolin’ around is supposed to stop at noon, we’re taking a moment here to round up some of the best…and we’ll keep updating as we find more.

Naturally, we went all-in on the fun with a little switcheroo. Part one is above; part two below:

Elsewhere on the web…

 

 

Berkeley Breathed and Bill Watterson announced the merger of Bloom County and Calvin and Hobbes, even going so far as to draw an entire strip that’s just as amazing as you’d hope, and announce it on a fake New York Times page.

I can’t believe this is finally happening! See the exclusive trailer at Star Wars celebration! #lilkylo pic.twitter.com/osGWxXXzPK

— brian kesinger (@briankesinger) April 1, 2017

Speaking of Calvin and Hobbes, you’d watch that, right?

 

 

ThinkGeek, of course, had their usual array of fake products that, if history tells us anything, may in some cases become real eventually, like the Tentacuddle Wrap (featured image, above). Unfortunately, they’re not likely to make these VHS copies of the misremembered, didn’t-actually-exist cult classic Shazam into an actual movie. College Humor, however, recreated a scene:

 

 

 

We’d actually buy this Mezco action figure that they sent out a fake press release for. But toy technology isn’t at that level…yet.

No, I’m not running for Congress. Happy 4/1!

But Jon Ossoff is on 4/18. Help him win at https://t.co/ctCcRiYcdL. Let’s flip Congress in ’18 pic.twitter.com/41uj6l3yt7

— George Takei (@GeorgeTakei) April 1, 2017

 

No, George Takei is not actually running for office to unseat Devin Nunes.

 

ICYMI: McDonald’s leaps into movie biz with McDonaldland shared universe. First up: Hamburglar, starring Johnny Depp https://t.co/ZWhmCCzG39 pic.twitter.com/j7Qnx6XcGM

— Jim Vejvoda (@JimVejvoda) April 1, 2017

IGN’s Jim Vejvoda Tweeted out an all-too-believable scoop.

 

Google‘s looking to conquer your garden…



…not to mention a new kind of virtual reality, and even Mars. And that’s in addition to unleashing Ms. Pac-Man onto Google Maps.

 

 

Hulu created “Hu” for the short-attention span viewer.

 

It’s OFFICIAL! I’m rebooting Back to the Future with an amazing all-female cast! #MarieMcFly #BTTF18! Thanks, Bob Z., for believing in me.

— Paul Feig (@paulfeig) April 1, 2017

 

Paul Feig wants to induce more panic attacks in GhostBros.

 

 

The Smithsonian reported live unicorns in the wild.

 

Eden Studios announced a Zoolander role-playing game.

 

 

Injustice 2 teased a certain “activation.”

 

Dunkin Donuts teased that “Vanilla Nut Taps,” as featured on Saturday Night Live, would be for sale today.

 

 

The new Angry Birds game looks familiar.

Netflix Live looked at first like it was misssing the point, then delivered a 50-minute Will Arnett video that’s probably only going to be up for one day.

Del Taco’s gag is, in real life, something we’ve heard people actually do by choice.

Some interesting news today… pic.twitter.com/1GcHcAes4t

— Bruce Campbell (@GroovyBruce) April 2, 2017

Bruce Campbell as Cable?

New Episode of RICK AND MORTY airing NOW thru MIDNIGHT (ET/PT) and ONLINE at https://t.co/BhAmA6Q4wH. pic.twitter.com/PwQX7WJQhW

— Rick (((and Morty))) (@RickandMorty) April 2, 2017

And of course Rick and Morty basically won the day.

It’s not a prank per se, but we’d be remiss not to include this:

In Honor of April Fools Day There will Be No Pity for Fools Today! No pity!

— Mr. T (@MrT) April 1, 2017

What April Fool’s jokes have we missed that you’ve loved? Comment below or hit us up on Facebook and we’ll add them to the thread!

(Blake Rodgers, Jenn Fujikawa, and Nerdist readers Amanda Arendale Sykes, Marie Gandara, Maximillian de Winter, Shauna Reynolds, and Richard Brister contributed tips to this post)

Images: Thinkgeek, Hulu, Berkeley Breathed/Facebook, Mezco Toyz, Rankin-Bass, Paramount, Warner Bros. Interactive, Dunkin Donuts

Cosplay Friday #205 – STAR WARS REBELS, VOLTRON: LEGENDARY DEFENDER, and More

Philip Ng, a.k.a. Knightmare6, is a skilled editor, videographer, and photographer. He shoots commercially but also spends time at conventions around New York City and the northeast capturing cosplayers. He attended the recent Katsucon in February and shot portraits of cosplayers wearing armor, princess dresses, and everything in between. This Star Wars Rebels Seventh Sister costume was at the convention:

Seventh Sister (Star Wars Rebels) | Cosplayed by Myratheon Cosplay

When you shoot at a convention, I feel like it’s always a trick to find places to take pictures that aren’t in front of the exhibit hall and don’t have garish convention center carpet as a background. Philip has a knack for finding unconventional (get it?!) angles and spots when he takes photos, so cosplayers and all their hard work are shown in the best light.

Stroll on down to the gallery for more of Philip’s cosplay photography. You’ll discover costumes inspired by Voltron: Legendary Defender, League of Legends, and more. Then, to catch all of his photos, follow him on Facebook and visit his website.

Do you cosplay or take photographs of cosplayers? Then I want to see your work so we can talk about highlighting your creations in a future Cosplay Friday gallery. If you’re interested, please get in touch with me at alratcliffe@yahoo.com and send photos you’d like me to feature—the more high-res the photos, the etter. Be sure to provide credits for the cosplayers or photographers for each image because giving credit is good manners—bonus points if you include links to relevant Facebook pages or websites. Though I wish I knew all the nerdy franchises, I don’t, so please let me know who or what is being cosplayed.

Images: Knightmare6

Bandcamping: The Best Underground Albums of March

You might not see the underground, but it never sleeps. Every day, somebody out there is uploading something they worked on for months or years onto Bandcamp. There is definitely a minority of these releases that stand out above the rest, and the good news is that we think we found a few of them. As we do in Bandcamping, we’ve rounded up our favorites, ranked ’em up real quick, and present them to you now.

5. Floodgate EP by Estuarie

Floodgate EP by Estuarie

Genre: indie rock, indie pop

If you like: Local Natives, Young the Giant

The band cites this EP as being influenced by Local Natives, and boy are they right. The velvety vocal melodies and melancholic optimism of the music is out in full force. Sure, they sound a heck of a lot like Local Natives, but guess what? Local Natives is great, and this EP is pretty good too.

4. Bad Baby EP by RVCHL

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Bad Baby EP by RVCHL

Genre: pop, alternative

If you like: Lana Del Rey, AlunaGeorge

A lot of contemporary pop music seems to have a dark R&B-influenced edge to it nowadays, and RVCHL has that vibe nailed. That’s especially true on the title track, which showcases her vocal range and ability to create memorable melodies in under three minutes.

3. It Is The Nature Of Dreams To End by Reeder

It Is The Nature Of Dreams To End by Reeder

Genre: classical, ambient

If you like: 19th century composers, film scores, Nils Frahm

This is the first album of classical music featured in Bandcamping. Without a word, Reeder (real name Dan Branch) creates narrative music that has as much emotion impact as you’ll allow it. It’s a collection that can enhance any rainy day mood if you let it.

2. Big Blue by Gold Star

Big Blue by Gold Star

Genre: indie rock, alternative rock, Americana

If you like: Ryan Adams, Wilco, Hootie and the Blowfish

Remember the ’90s, when songs like Semisonic’s “Closing Time” and Gin Blossoms’ “Hey Jealousy” could be radio hits? That’s the era Gold Star hearkens back to, and the group’s latest album carries the torch also held by contemporaries like Ryan Adams and Wilco. It’s simple rock for its own sake, not trying to be too grand for counter-intuitive reasons. It stands out because it’s easy, and that doesn’t make it any less fun.

1. Jenna by Jesse & the Revelator

Jenna by Jesse & the Revelator

Genre: folk, acoustic

If you like: Neil Young, early My Morning Jacket, Ray LaMontagne

It’s acoustic and permeated by lo-fi hiss, but Jenna is anything but contrived. Think My Morning Jacket’s first couple albums: it’s minimal, and it just feels oh so very real, like the only motives are to sound nice and tell a good story. The appeal of this record is due in part to its simplicity, in part to its narrative (about the murder of a 12-year-old named Jenna Kerzces), and in part to the heart that ties those elements together.

Honorable Mentions

The Invisible Man by Kemet the Phantom

Genre: hip-hop

If you like: Kendrick Lamar, The Roots

In the woods by Nine Eight Central

Genre: indie rock, shoegaze

If you like: Warpaint, Daughter

That’s all for March, 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 February, check it out here (and the complete Bandcamping archives are here).

Watch a Bumper Car Go 100 mph for a World Record

Mad engineer Colin Furze, who’s responsible for genuinely insane mechanical build projects such as this limb-threatening hoverbike and this 360-degree three-story head rush of a swing, recently teamed up with BBC Worldwide for a #duhsponsoredvideo project that ended up delivering a 100-mph bumper car driven to a new world record by Top Gear’s The Stig.

Furze goes into the nuts and bolts of the project in two previous videos, where the blood, sweat, and tiny plastic hands that went into the build can be seen. Seriously, there were tiny plastic hands.

The bumper car, Furze notes, is a “600cc monster” and “is the work of hours of shed time working out how to squeeze a sports bike and [some] wheels into a dodgem shell without making a death trap.” The 600cc engine has 100 horsepower, and comes from a motorcycle. The “dodgem shell” comes from a 1960s dodgem, which is the name for a bumper car in the UK and also the name we should be using here, because that is awesome. The result of the new bits in the old shell is a speed demon that was able to rocket 107 mph in one direction and then 93 mph in the other for an average of just over 100 mph. Especially impressive, considering the dodgem used to look like the Bubonic plague in vehicle form.

During the speed runs, The Stig, who is known as the completely silent, completely deadpan ace driver used to set speed records on Top Gear, is classic Stig. Meaning a total jerk who has no fear of high speeds, or having his knees way too close to his collar bones in a moving vehicle. Although it is only Furze who seems to be willing to ride these death traps without a helmet on and some say… that’s utter insanity.

What do you think about this 100 mph dodgem-and-Stig speed run? Let us know below!

Images: colinfurze