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Bandcamping: The Best Underground Albums of February

For me personally, February was a month of arm and back workouts via shoveling, thanks to historic amounts of snow being dumped on me and the rest of Maine. Bandcamp had brighter skies, though, as this month’s Bandcamping reflects. We got some good undiscovered tunes this time around, and we are oh so happy to share them with you below.

And for the record, Pat Hull’s Origami Sessions would have led this month’s list, but I’ve become a bit of a superfan since we featured him in this space in July, so it sort of doesn’t seem fair putting him here anymore. (Check out my last.fm play stats if you don’t believe me.) I’m also not huge on featuring repeat artists in Bandcamping; The column is a voyage of discovery for reader and writer both, so I’d rather get as much fresh blood in here as possible. That said, know that should really check out Origami Sessions, because it’s a banger.

5. Business Of Dreams by Business Of Dreams

Business Of Dreams by Business Of Dreams

Genre: indie rock, indie pop, electronic

If you like: DIIV, M83, New Order

Modern ambient punk/indie rock a la Deerhunter and DIIV shares goals with the more reverb-heavy New Wave groups, and Business of Dreams has found the Venn diagram center of those movements. It’s a little old and a little new, and while it may not grab you right out of the starting blocks, it has strong potential as a grower with staying power.

4. Green Valleys by Eastern Souvenirs

Green Valleys by Eastern Souvenirs

Genre: psychedelic pop, indie pop, indie rock

If you like: Animal Collective, Yeasayer

Oh where have all the psychedelic indie pop bands of the early-mid 2000’s gone? They’re still somewhere, we’re sure, but in this moment, Eastern Souvenirs is right here and they’re carrying on that tradition quite nicely.

3. Singles, Vol. 2 by Bachelor

Singles, Vol. 2 by Bachelor

Genre: electropop, new wave, indie pop

If you like: Depeche Mode, OMD, Joy Division

Whereas Business of Dreams is somewhat influenced by the 80s, Bachelor appears to have been ripped directly from the era. Take that to mean what you will, but we think it’s marvelous, like Hot Chip with more restraint.

2. BADLANDS by el palomino

BADLANDS by el palominoGenre: R&B, soul, indie rock

If you like: Wild Beasts, Miguel, Frank Ocean

Did you hear that new Wild Beasts album from this summer? You’re forgiven if you’re a non-UK listener. Check this out, though. We’ll wait… did you like it? Okay cool, you’ll like this too.

1. Come Again EP by Party Nails

Come Again EP by Party NailsGenre: indie pop, pop

If you like: Robyn, Haim

We’ve actually shown love for Party Nails before and were thrilled to see her name pop up in the depths of Bandcamp. Her new EP with packed with accessible and engaging pop that’s gorgeously sung. If you’re getting ready for summer, or need a spring EP to make that transition, this is the stuff to do it to.

Honorable Mentions

CLUB DREAMS® by Barbwalters

Genre: electronic, vaporwave

If you like: Vektroid, Macintosh Plus

Azalea Days by Saw Black

Genre: indie rock, alt country

If you like: Wilco, Modest Mouse

This Time With Feeling by Siren and the Sea

Genre: indie pop, alternative

If you like: Lana Del Rey, Tinashe

Good Friends by T.H.E.

Genre: electronic, experimental

If you like: Pretty much only included because I like the album art.

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

Anne and Christopher Rice Announce Sequel to THE MUMMY: RAMSES THE DAMNED

For the past few months, author Christopher Rice (The Snow Garden) has been hinting that he and his mother, celebrated writer Anne Rice (The Vampire Chronicles, The Lives of the Mayfair Witches), would be working on their first collaboration together, apart from their work together on the upcoming Vampire Chronicles television series. On February 28, the Rices made the announcement that their first book written together will be a sequel to Anne Rice’s 1989 novel The Mummy, or Ramses the Damned, titled Ramses the Damned: The Passion of Cleopatra. The novel is set to hit in November of 2017. You can see the Rice’s Facebook video announcement for the novel down below:

Additionally, Christopher Rice tweeted out how fans can get a manuscript page from the novel when they pre-order it.

If u preorder RAMSES THE DAMNED: THE PASSION OF CLEOPATRA and email yr receipt to ramsesnovel@gmail.com, you’ll get a signed manuscript page

— Christopher Rice (@chrisricewriter) March 1, 2017

For longtime fans of Anne Rice, this news has been a long time coming. The original Mummy novel ended with the teaser statement “The Adventures of Ramses the Damned Shall Continue,” but no book ever followed, as Rice focused more on continuing the adventures of the Vampire Lestat and the Mayfair Witches, as well as several ghost novels and a few Christian-themed books. The Mummy did get a comic book adaptation back in the ’90s, as a 12-part comic book series from publisher Millennium Comics, which featured some very evocative cover art.

At one point, James Cameron bought the rights to the novel to make a movie version, but for one reason or another it never happened (probably because of confusion with Universal’s own series of Mummy movies starring Brendan Fraser). In the video announcement above, the Rices hinted that there may be a TV mini-series future for Ramses and company before too long, so that’s something else Rice fans may possibly have to look forward to.

Are you excited to see the adventures of Ramses continue? Let us know down below in the comments.

Images: Universal Studios, Millennium Comics

New ALIEN COVENANT Trailer Reveals Its Creatures

Okay, Fox…NOW I’m excited to see Alien Covenant. You’ve got me hooked.

The xenomorph(s) running amok in a confined space was a formula the original “quadrilogy” (tetralogy if we’re being sticklers) did to perfection, but to take the series further, it needs to open up. Here we see them unleashed on a Prometheus-like planet that has obviously been seeded by either the Engineers or David the robot’s severed head, with crops suitable for human consumption… or so we think.

Add to that the premise that this crew is all comprised of couples, and you’re dealing with even more reluctance to lock people in fatal airlocks or shoot them when they start chest-bursting. But mostly, you’re dealing with aliens, and there appear to be at least two types–a pigment-free, pale dog-like alien that moves extremely fast, and a “Big Chap” who’s a lot like the classic design, but considerably more agile now that he/she/it doesn’t have to be portrayed by a man-in-a-suit at all times.

How Noomi Rapace, the aforementioned David head, and the Engineers will figure into all this is anybody’s guess, but we do know they are involved somehow. Whatever this new trailer does in fact reveal, it is not yet giving up all the secrets. Except one: you can take the humor out of Danny McBride, but you’ll have to pry that cowboy hat from his cold, dead cranium. Which odds are about 50-50 in favor of happening, based on what we see here.

Are you ready for more Alien action? Chew on the footage above and burst out a comment below!

Image: 20th Century Fox

INHUMANS Casts HELL ON WHEELS’ Anson Mount as Black Bolt

Despite lobbying hard for the role for several years now, it looks like Vin Diesel will not be playing Black Bolt in the upcoming Inhumans television series after all. Instead, Deadline is reporting that Hell on Wheels star Anson Mount has been cast as the King of the secret hidden society of Attilan in the new eight-episode ABC series, which will get an IMAX debut on Labor Day weekend of this year. In the comics, Blackagar Boltagon (yes, that’s his full name) has such a powerful voice, it can level buildings, so he only speaks if someone really has it coming.

According to Marvel, Inhumans will explore “the never-before-told epic adventure of the royal family including Black Bolt, the enigmatic, commanding King of the Inhumans, with a voice so powerful that the slightest whisper can destroy a city.” Mount joins recently cast Iwan Rheon (Game of Thrones), who will play Black Bolt’s brother, Maximus. Casting announcements for the rest of the Royal Family, including Medusa, Crystal, Gorgon, and Karnak should be forthcoming soon, as the series is set to go before the cameras very soon in Hawaii.

In a statement from Marvel’s head of TV Jeph Loeb, he said “Anson loves the challenge of playing a character who will only communicate silently. His enthusiasm mixed with his imposing, almost regal persona made it easy to see why he is our Black Bolt.” Series showrunner Scott Buck added “Black Bolt is a character whose deep complexity must be conveyed without uttering a single word, and I’m very excited to have Anson on board to bring him to life.”

The part of Black Bolt was always going to be an acting challenge for anyone who took on the role, simply because the part is going to have to be played all with looks and glances, which can be quite a challenge if the actor isn’t up to the task. This might be perfect casting though, as in the comics, Black Bolt has always been illustrated as having a very imposing jawline. I think with Anson Mount in the role, we have casting coup, because Anson… that’s some jawline you’ve got there sir.

Are you excited about Marvel’s choice for the Inhuman king? Let us know down below in the comments.

Images: Marvel Comics / AMC

Let’s talk about another upcoming Marvel TV series!

Is There a Secret Green Lantern Character in JUSTICE LEAGUE?

If the 2011 Green Lantern film had been a blockbuster hit, then chances are good that Ryan Reynolds‘ Hal Jordan would have been headlining the Justice League movie later this year. But we don’t live in that reality, so Zack Snyder’s Justice League is noticeably ring free…or is it? A report has emerged that Justice League may have a Green Lantern after all. But who could it be? In brightest day, in blackest night, no evil shall escape our sight on today’s Nerdist News!

Join guest host, and the Green Lantern of sector 2112, Amy Vorpahl, as she uses her pure emerald willpower to cut through the latest round of rumors. This latest tidbit came from The Wrap’s Umberto Gonzalez during a Periscope session. According to Gonzalez, the latest word is that there may be a Green Lantern in Justice League, but it would be someone with “a funny sounding name” that he can’t remember. So, we’re definitely thinking that rules out Hal Jordan, John Stewart, Guy Gardner, Kyle Rayner, Jessica Cruz, and Simon Baz. Gonzalez added that fan favorite GL, Kilowog is also off the table for this film.

“Funny sounding name” really doesn’t rule many characters out, since the Green Lantern Corps is filled with intergalactic aliens like G’Nort, Tomar-Re, Isamot Kol, Sodam Yat, and others whose names look like something you could buy at Bed Bath & Beyond. For our money, there’s really only one character it could be: Abin Sur. That’s the Green Lantern who was charged with protecting Earth and the rest of the planets in sector 2814 long before Hal Jordan came along. And if we’re right, then Justice League could even be a prologue for the upcoming Green Lantern Corps movie in 2020.

Who do you think should be the Green Lantern in Justice League? Let’s discuss in the comment section below!

This STAR WARS-Inspired Snowboarding Suit Is Pure Luke Skywalker

Remember in The Empire Strikes Back when Luke emerges from his crashed snowspeeder during the Battle of Hoth? This may have been a lost detail in the intensity of the moment, but remember how crisp and nice his orange suit looked atop a white snow canvas? Remind yourself with the photo above if your memory is hazy.

Reddit user and Star Wars fan HaNDiCaPZaCH surely noticed, which is why he recently hit the slopes in an extremely impressive recreation of Luke’s snowspeeder suit. He posted a photo of himself in his custom snowboarding gear, the components of which he said we either found or made over the course of the past four and a half years. Check it out, it looks great:

If you Star Wars obsessives want to nitpick about minor details—and you’re Star Wars obsessives, so we’d expect nothing less—the black straps on the suit should actually be gray, since black straps are worn by X-Wing pilots, as Reddit user Raelshark pointed out. We also can’t tell how screen-accurate his boots are, but we’re also going to leave the guy alone because this looks amazing. Most of the other details are pretty spot on, from the helmet to the belt to the white vest… it looks good and is a worthy fan tribute, is what we’re saying.

We’d be thrilled to see this on the mountain, and that begs the question: Have any of you ever seen any other Star Wars-inspired winter gear out there in the world? Let us know in the comments, because we can’t get enough.

Featured image: Lucasfilm

LEGO Will Honor Women of NASA in Newest Set

Forget a big time Hollywood movie, you know you are finally starting to receive the level of recognition your greatness deserves when LEGO announces they will honor you with your very own collection. This is just what the company will do when they release a new set that pays tribute to the women of NASA, including one of the women at the heart of the movie Hidden Figures.

The newest collection from the company (that we first learned about at Gizmodo) is a fan-designed LEGO Ideas submission from science editor and writer Maia Weinstock. Her proposal to recognize women in STEM professions by honoring some of the most influential women to ever work at NASA got the 10,000 votes needed for it to be formally considered by the toy company. Now LEGO has announced her design will officially go into production after passing the review board.

The spirit of the collection is to honor women working in all fields of science, technology, engineering, and math, and the five people in the set all contributed to important NASA missions over the years, and it includes:

 Katherine Johnson, Mathematician and Space Scientist: “best known for calculating and verifying trajectories for the Mercury and Apollo programs–including the Apollo 11 mission that first landed humans on the moon.” She was portrayed by Taraji P. Henson in Hidden Figures and was recently honored with an appearance at this year’s Academy Awards.

Margaret Hamilton, Computer Scientist: “developed the on-board flight software for the Apollo missions to the moon” and “is known for popularizing the modern concept of software.”

Nancy Grace Roman, Astronomer: “one of the first female executives at NASA” and known “as the “Mother of Hubble” for her role in planning the Hubble Space Telescope, she also developed NASA’s astronomy research program.”

Sally Ride, Astronaut, Physicist, and Educator: “the first American woman in space in 1983,” she also “founded an educational company focusing on encouraging children–especially girls–to pursue the sciences” after she retired.


Mae Jemison, Astronaut, Physician, and Entrepreneur: “the first African-American woman in space in 1992” who after retiring “established a company that develops new technologies and encourages students in the sciences.”

While these images give us an idea of what the set might look like, LEGO says that they are “still working out the final product design, pricing and availability for the Women of NASA set,” and to keep an eye out in late 2017 or early 2018 for specifics on the collection.

The uplifting and inspiring Hidden Figures was one of our favorite movies of 2016, and Katherine Johnson’s appearance at the Oscars was our favorite moment of the entire show, so we’ll definitely be on the lookout for when the Women of NASA set comes to stores.

A LEGO set might seem like a small symbol, but it lets a whole new generation of girls–and boys–know that the word “scientist” is gender neutral, just like playing with LEGOs.

How else could LEGO honor the women of STEM? Which female scientists would you want to see included? Help us build some great suggestions in our comments section below.

Images: LEGO Ideas/Maia Weinstock

The Writers Panel #319: Christine Lennon/Bob Daily

Superior Donuts co-creator Bob Daily talks about finding new material with every show, from his earliest days on Frasier to Desperate Housewives, The Odd Couple, and more, what he’s learned from rooms he’s worked in, how to write good characters, and more.

But first, Christine Lennon discusses The Drifter, her first novel after twenty years as a journalist. Lennon talks about her process, the serial killer on her college campus that inspired the story of friendship, and more. The Drifter is available now via Amazon or your local bookstore!

Follow @BenBlacker and Like the show on Facebook!

SUPERGIRL Recap: Homecoming

Warning: This post contains spoilers for Supergirl . Proceed with caution if you aren’t caught up yet.

This week’s episode of Supergirl felt a little more focused, which is a relief after how all over the place this season has felt. During “Homecoming”, a familiar face returned, bickering commenced, and it was revealed that there’s more than meets the eye to Mon-El. So much more, in fact, that it’ll likely rock the romantic boat he’s finally in with Kara. As always, there’s a lot to get through, so let’s get to it.

Last night’s episode found our favorite alien couple already playing house in the wake of their first kiss (which happened at the end of the previous episode). Soon after finding himself alone in the morning, Mon-El was joined by Kara, hot off the heels of saving the day, and grabbing a bouquet for her new honey. Mon-El didn’t want the fun to end and asked Kara if she’d take the day off to stay in with him. But as Kara pointed out, they have work to do at the DEO.

With that, the duo headed off to the DEO, but not before Kara asked Mon-El to keep their budding relationship on the DL. Of course, despite hesitantly agreeing to be silent, Mon-El broke the news to the rest of the crew. Nobody really looked surprised; J’onn made a quip about them needing to pay a visit to HR, and that was that. That is, until a Cadmus alert pulled Supergirl and Martian Manhunter away from the office. After taking on the Cadmus minions, they found Kara’s father, Jeremiah Danvers, in one of the trucks.

Almost everyone (except Mon) was over the moon about Mr. Danvers’ miraculous return. As expected, when Mon-El voiced his concern about how easy it was to save Jeremiah, and that it probably meant something was up, Kara and the team shrugged it off, but Jeremiah admitted that there was something going on after all. According to him, Cadmus was transporting a nuclear fission bomb with the intent of detonating it and blaming it on the aliens.

The mysterious bomb, and fact that Jeremiah was the only one capable of stopping it, added to Mon-El’s suspicions about Mr. Danvers’ true intentions. When he brought it up again during Jeremiah’s welcome home party, Kara told him to hit the road. As Jeremiah was escorting Mon-El out, he served up a juicy threat: he knows who Mon-El really is, and doubts Kara would like the truth. Oooh, finally–a mysterious nugget about Mon-El has revealed itself. What are his true intentions, and how do they connect to Kara? Hopefully we find out soon.

Until then, however, this episode was dedicated to figuring out what Jeremiah was up to. After keeping an eye on him (per Mon-El’s request), Winn discovered that Jeremiah used his brand new DEO keycard to access the server room so he could hack the file system. When questioned about it, Jeremiah explained that he was only trying to get caught up on what he missed. While this discovery finally put Kara on the skepticism train, Alex was still certain that her father should be trusted.

Before understanding their father’s true intentions, Alex and Kara received word that Cadmus was moving the bomb, and reported to the scene. Unfortunately, the alert was merely a distraction. Back at the DEO, J’onn followed Jeremiah and found him hacking into the server’s file system. When he confronted him, Danvers overpowered J’onn and got away. Luckily, Winn was able to locate him with the tracking device he’d planted on him earlier.

When Alex and Kara found Jeremiah meeting with Lillian Luthor and Hank Henshaw, the girls were split; Alex went after her father, while Kara raced to stop a fatal train crash from happening. While her super sister was busy mending train tracks, Alex had an emotional encounter with her dad. After explaining that he did it all for her, Jeremiah gave Alex an ultimatum. Either she let him go, or shoot him to bring him in. She obviously chose the former and he escaped.

Realizing their father’s betrayal ripped Maggie and Kara’s respective hearts right out of their chests. Both girls sat in a pool of tears at home, but thankfully had their significant others to lean on. Amidst the tender moments, Kara received terrible news: Jeremiah stole the alien registry.

What does Cadmus want with the registry? Find out next week!

Images: The CW

Watch Boston Dynamics’ Groovy Robot Dance Its Way into Your Heart

When the tech-minded folks of Boston Dynamics aren’t busy knocking their robotic creations over, making robot chihuahuas, or pulling machines straight from our nightmares, they’re bringing some absolutely stunning practical robots into the real world. Case in point is the research company’s latest robot, a 6’6″, 10-jointed automaton named Handle that can lift 100lbs with ease. Okay, maybe those stats aren’t all that impressive in and of themselves; even I, a puny human, can compete with them. But what sets Handle apart from many other modern robots isn’t its immense size or impressive strength, but rather its graceful motion, fluid navigation of complicated environments, and downright dominating dance moves. (It’s got me beat on all those fronts.)

Here are the stats on the latest robot, Handle, courtesy of Boston Dynamics‘ newly released video:

Handle is a research robot that stands 6.5 ft tall, travels at 9 mph and jumps 4 feet vertically. It uses electric power to operate both electric and hydraulic actuators, with a range of about 15 miles on one battery charge. Handle uses many of the same dynamics, balance and mobile manipulation principles found in the quadruped and biped robots we build, but with only about 10 actuated joints, it is significantly less complex. Wheels are efficient on flat surfaces while legs can go almost anywhere: by combining wheels and legs Handle can have the best of both worlds.

Some folks in the video’s comment section are quick to jump to a nightmare vision of an army of Handles all outfitted with automatic weapons. I much prefer The Verge‘s take on humanity’s future alongside these highly advanced robots. They envision a world in which these graceful golems entertain us with their synchronized ice skating routines. Now isn’t that a lovely thought?

Would you like to dance with Handle in the pale moonlight, or would you rather resign this robot to the scrap heap? Let us know in the comments!

Images: Boston Dynamics