In the beginning, back in 1973, man didn’t know about AC/DC or their brand of rock and roll. Driven by charisma and their love for music, AC/DC set out to conquer the world. However, the driving force behind their music at this time was not the hard-hitting guitar licks of Angus and Malcolm; it was the electric voice, clever lyrics, and amazing stage presence of Bon Scott their lead singer.

Bon was not the original AC/DC front man. That honor goes to Dave Evans. Evans was replaced because he wanted AC/DC to be a glam rock band and this didn’t sit well with founders Malcolm and Angus. With Bon at the helm, AC/DC evolved in the six years that he was in the band. Their sound became crisper, the lyrics better, and their live performances became some of the best in music history. AC/DC rose towards the zenith of rock and roll with Bon Scott. They would reach stardom by 1979 with the release of Highway to Hell, but it would be only after the death of Bon that AC/DC would conquer the world.

There isn’t much to say about Powerage. It came between the juggernauts Let There be Rock and Highway to Hell. Therefore, Powerage often gets overlooked. This is unfortunate because it is a strong member of the AC/DC discography. Powerage also introduces a new member to the AC/DC family. This album is the first time we see the semi-classic AC/DC lineup. They made a change in their bass guitarist. They brought in Cliff Williams who is still with the band and said goodbye to Mark Evans. Their lineup was now: Bon Scott (vocals), Angus Young (lead guitar), Malcolm Young (rhythm guitar), Phil Rudd (drums), and Cliff Williams (bass).

Powerage features great song writing and some of the best instrumental rock of any AC/DC album. “Riff Raff”, “Sin City”, “What’s Next to the Moon” and “Gone Shootin” highlights the album and creates an incredible audio experience. “Riff Raff” is a heart pounding song from start to finish. It is followed by “Sin City” which is not as hard as “Riff Raff” but just as well written and fast. Next is “What’s Next to the Moon.” This is one of the best-written AC/DC songs of all time. It is about a man who kills the women he loves because she does not love him anymore. It describes how the police look for him and his final confession. This great block of music concludes with the calmest of the four, “Gone Shootin.” If you want to hear great guitar riffs and a combination of vocal styles, “Gone Shootin” is perfect. It is one of the few bass driven AC/DC songs but it is the ideal way to end the high started by “Riff Raff.”

Either their most or second most underrated album, Powerage gets easily lost between Let There be Rock and Highway to Hell. It’s unfortunate because many fine tracks can be found on this album. All in all, this is a great album from the band that I definitely recommend.

This could be considered a bit of an old review, as I had written this 2 years ago and lost it until recently. Never one to toss away a review, I of course put it on here as some brand new content. Wooo. Without further ado…

Upon watching this movie, I could not hold back my disappointment from nearly start to finish. The biggest issues with The Chronicles of Riddick is that they took a cool villain/anti-hero from a small cult-classic movie and made him a new movie with a monstrous budget, mediocre script, and little familiar for fans of the first movie, “Pitch Black”.

I’ll be honest, I used to think I liked Vin Diesel at the time of Pitch Black. However, times have changed. Movies like “The Fast and the Furious” and “XXX” have made him an overblown action star with questionable role choices and strings of lame one-liners. I thought this movie at the time might stand as a bit of redemption for him, going back to his best character, but it never quite clicks like I hoped it would.

For one thing, “Pitch Black” was a focused movie that didn’t overreach what it was: Sci-Fi Horror. This movie goes for Sci-Fi Action-Adventure Epic, and it just comes off as “XXX” meets “Star Wars” with a dash of “Pitch Black”’s characters. It just never worked for me. For one, so much of the movie is CG that I feel the whole movie might as well have been a CGI move like “Final Fantasy: The Spirits Within”. Instead, everything feels fake and not real. I couldn’t suspend disbelief for a single action sequence in this. It all just felt like a sound stage.

Then there’s the fact that it is supposed to be a sequel to “Pitch Black”, but it certainly doesn’t feel like it. It includes the survivors of Pitch Black to keep you familiar but by the end you feel as if their inclusion wasn’t terribly integral to the overall plot. Instead the main story revolves around a race called the Necromongers, who are best described as laidback, non-hive Borg. They assimilate the people on a planet, then destroy the planet, and no one can stop these guys, except….yep, you guessed it, Vin Diesel.

Why he can stop them is never made very clear, something to do with his race of people being able to. Why are how is never explained, he just can. When they attack early, he escapes and they pursue him to a prison where he ends up on a gaping plothole of a planet where it is as hot as the sun one minute and cold as hell the next. Watching that entire scene was cringe-worthy if you used your brain whatsoever. Anyway, finally the Necromongers catch up to him, which leads to the final showdown where Vin faces off against their leader who is supposedly unbeatable. Right… Really, it’s just an excuse for another CGI heavy fight scene leading up to a predictable ending. Lots of flashy fighting, Vin struggles, Vin succeeds. Vin wins, movie over. Yawn.

Let me get to what really bothered me. The Necromongers were introduced early and besides adding some initial confusion, it never is really clear why they are such a bad race and such a bad thing to become. Everyone is afraid to turn into one, but really, you keep your mind, independent thought, etc., so I don’t see what is so bad about them. And that is really annoying when that idea is the crux of the story. Also, like I said, the old characters reintroduced seem like a waste as they come back only to leave the impression of “Oh, well I guess it was cool seeing them” before they disappear or otherwise. Their lack of characterization is disheartening.

The whole movie just suffers from too much CGI, bad scripting, weak dialogue, forgettable characters, and major plotholes. It’s another Vin Diesel movie that asks you to turn your brain off, and to add insult, it really doesn’t feel like a sequel to “Pitch Black” at all. Skip it and play the game based on the franchise instead.

Every legendary band has an album that propels them onto a new plateau of greatness. Deep Purple has Machine Head, Queen has A Night at the Opera, The Clash has London Calling, and The Who has Who’s Next. AC/DC’s career propelling album is Let There Be Rock. With this album AC/DC underwent a bit of a transformation. The songs are still blues driven, but this is the beginning of hard pounding, eardrum thrashing guitar riffs. The brothers Young turn out louder, faster, and rougher sounds then ever before. Additionally, the cover for this album is unique and stands out as one of the best album covers of all time. Showing the band playing a gig atop a rock with light breaking through the clouds and focusing on Angus while fans claw at the rock’s surface like the edge of a stage, is a powerful image. And aside from a few minor weak spots, Let There Be Rock is one hell of a rock and roll album.

Let There Be Rock is a riff extravaganza as well as a lyrical one. Angus and Malcolm play off one another beautifully and play at blistering speeds. “Let There be Rock” is considered the bands lyrical peak. Retelling the story of rock and roll by explaining how the white man had the schmaltz, the black man had the blues, and how they were combined to create rock. The instruments quiet as Bon tells the story of rock but erupt when he shouts, “let there be rock.” It creates a great atmosphere where one can focus on the lyrics and listen to the brief, but accurate, history of rock and roll.

“Whole Lotta Roise”, which tells the story about a fat, old whore that Bon slept with, is a high-energy blast. The lyrics are great and funny to listen too. And once the solo hits, you can picture Angus rolling around in the studio with his legs in the air, then returning to his feet when the pace slows, and finally begins storming about the place when the riff returns to its lightning speed. Many people know this song and it is an AC/DC classic, but the riff often goes over looked as one of the best written or performed.

The fast pace continues on “Problem Child.” This is a gritty and raw rock song that is a blast to listen to. It is another song that describes being an antsy kid. The riff is a sped up version of “Dirty Deeds Done Dirt Cheap” and “T.N.T.”. Now many accuse AC/DC songs of all sounding the same and there are some cases where they do (one noted above), but “Problem Child” is so much faster that you have to really listen to notice a similarity. This is a spectacular song that goes unnoticed far too often. Speaking of similar riffs, “Dog Eat Dog” sounds kind of like Thin Lizzy’s “Jailbreak.” It doesn’t have the same stand out sound as Thin Lizzy but you can hear a similar sound. Also, “Dog Eat Dog” isn’t nearly as good as “Jailbreak.”

The final song worth mentioning (although all eight tracks are solid… well almost) is “Hell Ain’t a Bad Place to be.” It has a fantastically heavy riff and it was the first song that got AC/DC in trouble with religious people. It wouldn’t be the last time they had a run in with Christianity, but it’s always fun reminiscing about the first time. The only blemish on Let There be Rock is “Overdose.” It slows down the album and feels out of place. Bon’s voice sounds distorted too. It sounds like his voice over a cello being played with a leather strap. It’s not the best but it has its upside. It’s slow because it is a blues song. It’s a good blues song it just shouldn’t be on this album.

If you enjoy fast, raw, and loud rock you should purchase Let There Be Rock. It is the rawest AC/DC album out there. The part that stands out the most is how every song begins with a “click” sound. As if someone turned on the power or scraped a fingernail against a guitar when they pick it up. So if you want to hear some relentless, reckless, and historic rock find yourself a copy of Let There Be Rock and enjoy.

Things started out with a BANG in 1976 when AC/DC’s first American album was released, High Voltage. I mention that this is their first U.S. album because the band already released a different version of High Voltage and T.N.T. in Australia and Britain. The High Voltage I will review is the U.S. release that combines the two previous albums and adds some new songs. Every song on High Voltage is either about women, rock, or living wild. Standard topics for AC/DC, and they make this a fine album for any rock collection.

On the rock side we have “It’s a Long Way to the Top (If you Wanna Rock ‘N’ Roll),” “High Voltage,” and “Rock ‘N’ Roll Singer.” It’s a Long Way to the Top” and Rock ‘N’ Roll Singer” are the two beginning songs. Both tracks begin with a similar guitar intro that builds as a second guitar, bass, and drums are introduced. Finally, the wailing voice of Bon Scott completes the AC/DC experience. “It’s a Long Way to the Top” acts like the epic piece of this album. It represents AC/DC’s emergence from struggling as an early band to becoming a recognizable and legitimate band. This track is also one of the more diverse AC/DC songs because it incorporates bagpipes. Regardless of your feelings towards bagpipes, they sound excellent and embrace the Scottish heritage of the Young brothers and Scott. “Rock ‘N’ Roll Singer” is a little slower than “It’s a Long Way to the Top” but it is a perfect follow up song. Detailing Scott’s desire to be a singer since he was born, “Rock ‘N’ Roll Singer” is a well written song that speaks of not wanting to work 9 to 5, having your name in lights, and not following moral standards. “High Voltage” also profiles the rock lifestyle. It is about the rush of performing live and the energy that you get from being on stage in front of people. “It’s a Long Way” and “Rock ‘N’ Roll Singer” provide a great one-two punch for beginning High Voltage while “High Voltage” wonderfully concludes the album and brings it full circle.

On to something AC/DC has never been shy of, women. “Little Lover”, “The Jack”, “She’s Got Balls”, and “Can I Sit Next to you Girl” are the four songs about women. “The Jack” is one of the best-written AC/DC songs of all time. The song’s title refers to Gonorrhea and chronicles one woman who sleeps around. It is a clever song that uses poker terms as euphemisms to describe her whoring ways. “Little Lover” and “Can I Sit Next to you Girl” are about picking up (or trying to pick up) women. “Can I Sit Next to you Girl” is an attempt to pick up a girl until her boy friend shows up, and “Little Lover” is about meeting a girl back stage after a gig. Okay songs but nothing special. “She’s Got Balls” is about Bon’s wife. This is another okay song. All Bon does is sing about how she is lady like but is assertive when she needs to be. Asides from “The Jack”, these songs are forgettable.

“Live Wire” and “T.N.T.” round out High Voltage. These two entrees are great songs. Both are about being young and rambunctious. Other than “It’s a Long Way to the Top”, “Live Wire” is the stand out instrumental piece on this album. The bass helps drive this song and the guitar work is top notch. The pace of “Live Wire” slows down and picks up at just the right times. Now we go from an underrated song to an overrated one. The familiar chanting of “Oi” begins “T.N.T.”. This song is about a man returning to a town he once terrorized and promising to revisit to his old ways. “T.N.T.” is a good rock song, but at best it is the third best song on this album. Compared to what can be found on this album it is overrated; however, it is still a fun song to listen to.

The songs about rock are great, the songs about women okay, and the songs about living wild are okay. AC/DC hit the U.S. pretty well for a first album. I am surprised about some of the song choices they made considering “Live Wire” is mostly made up of songs released in Europe and Australia. Regardless, if you enjoy AC/DC this is one album you should buy. It showcases their early hits and lets you sample the roots of a great band.

When I first heard of this CD, I must admit, I had never heard of a single band featured, not even The Hanky Panky Champs. This, according to my friend, was an outrage and he sent me a couple of songs by them. I was still not really impressed, and had no idea what to expect from Power Up!. So, after some days it came in the mail and I popped it in. The Fucking Champs’ Zelda started playing and here’s what i think:

It absolutely sucked.

Yes, this was not a good cover at all, unoriginal and boringly played. I could not figure out what the fuss was about this band, and I quickly skipped to the next halfway through. Ghost N’ Goblins came on by some band called Cripple Camp:

Absolutely sucked again.

So far two songs have been bad, let’s hope the 3rd really picks up, Bad Dudes:

…and it actually somewhat did. It is sluggishly played and a tad boring, but at least it’s somewhat catchy.

So onto the next then, Tetris? I love Tetris, you can’t screw that up, right? Oh wait, apparently you can if you are Animal Style. Let’s take the NSF track, add a really boring drum beat, and then add really annoying SFX all over the place.

Contraband is next on, and it’s a good song and cover, by far the best on the CD so far.

Rerun is up next with a Mega Man 2 Bubbleman cover and it has the most annoying sound to it I have ever heard, and still so boring. What’s with these bands? It’s like they never played the games and have no idea what to do with the songs.

Next up is a piano medley of Marble Madness, which, though okay, sounds a little off. He’s no Kareshi, that’s for sure.

WOW River City Ransom is next?! My favorite Kunio game, this must be good because I’m so biased!

…No it’s actually so awful that I’m mailing anthrax to the band now.

Rush ‘n Attack, as usual with the stuff that is tolerable on this CD, is just so boring. It’s not bad at all, but goat did a 5000000 times better job on this same material.

“Metroid, Aka The Lovers Of Samus Aran” actually beat out Bubble Man’s annoyingness… The clipping is so bad that I can’t even finish the track.

Then Metal Man from Mega Man 2 comes on…dunno what the hell it’s supposed to be, it sounds like a broken cellphone.

Castlevania must have been recorded inside the artist’s mom’s asshole, cause it’s grainy, noisy and stinks.

And finally the CD is finished with Zelda, which the CD also started with. It never really goes anywhere, and the pace is the same through the whole song. There’s nothing interesting here at all, it’s just so boring.

The back of the CD states “Power Up! is like nothing you’ve ever experienced before!” Well i have actually experienced really mediocre CD’s before so I’m not sure what this guy is sucking on at night. It seems the people behind this CD had no real knowledge of the cover community and just got together some indie bands, slapped on some well-known games and ‘voilà’. No one really did justice to the source material, no one had any original song choice, and it all is very dull and unoriginal. If this was done by someone who had some knowledge of the vgm scene, it would easily be great since housethegrate, virt and other well known names in the community would probably had been featured, but instead it’s just a collection of shitty indie bands who have no idea what to do with the material.

What a beautiful day outside! And what better way to get it started than with the new released from classic chiptune artist, nullsleep. It’s been a while since nullsleep has released anything into the chiptune scene, but given that he is an old schooler (unofficially had the first release on 8bitpeoples) it’s good to see him back on the scene.

nullsleep delivers catchy power pop dance beats in a fresh 5 song, 18 minutes EP with just enough variation to keep heads bobbing and ears interested. If you are looking for light hearted dance pop (”Her Lazer Light Eyes”), more adventurous, glitchy hard beats (”Dirty ROM Dance Mix”), 80’s inspired, anthemic, pogo dance inducing melodies (”On Target”), galloping, tempo and mood shifting blasts (”Destination Tomorrow [Gameboy Version]“), or uplifting, intertwining melodies (”Ballistic Picnic”), then look no further!

The chiptune scene has been bustling with great releases from newer artists, and it’s great to see a fantastic release from one of the older members of the scene.

*DISCLAIMER: Matt Jones is an avowed Judd Apatow/Seth Rogen fan.*

My most anticipated movie of 2007 finally arrived June 1. Knocked Up is the comedy event of the summer, from the guy who brought you The 40-Year-Old Virgin. Judd Apatow has made a living in the recent past on writing raunchy yet heartfelt comedies, whether they be TV shows that get cancelled too soon (Freaks and Geeks, Undeclared) or the aforementioned 40YOV. Seth Rogen was a scene stealer in all of those, from winning 87 dollars in quarters (F&G) to the guy talking about a girl and a horse (40YOV). This time, he is the scene, as the movie revolves around a young, non-aspiring guy who somehow plants the seed in one hot as hell TV producer (Katherine Hiegl).

So, let’s get the plot out of the way, even though I kinda just did. Heigl’s character is moving up in the world of television and as the movie starts, she is living with her sister (Leslie Mann, Apatow’s real life wife) and brother in law (Paul Rudd, always awesome) and their two kids. She is given a promotion to be on camera talent, and to celebrate, she goes out to a bar. Rogen’s character is living with his stoner friends (Jonah Hill, Jason Segel, Martin Starr, and Jay Baruchel, all former Apatow TV show/movie alums) and his life revolves around getting high and starting a porn site where they tell you when a famous actress gets naked. They meet, somehow get together, shack up for the night, and then it all ends kinda sourly, like it would in real life. Except this time, the bitch gets preggers. After deciding that she will not get an abortion, the movie goes on as Rogen and Heigl decide that they could at least give a relationship a shot for the baby. There are ups and downs, pot is smoked, pink eye goes around, and mushrooms are consumed. All in all, normal stuff.

Nah, seriously, it does chronicle their tumultuous relationship very well, and actually has some really, really awkward moments, which is good because it shows that these aren’t just simply comedic templates but people with real feelings and real goals and ambitions. The characters that tend to be underdeveloped are (sadly) Rogen’s roommates, for they get about 20 minutes total air time. I HOPE to GOD they have a ton of deleted footage, because a lot of the funniest moments come when these guys are on the screen. And for those of us who have been Apatow fans, when the group of friends are out there together, it’s like you’re just sitting on the couch with them, watching them be naturally funny.

What’s pretty amazing is that the movie is really long, but doesn’t really feel like it is too long. It comes close at times, and I can think of things they should have edited out of the movie, but at no point do you ever think “Man, will this movie ever end?” The comic timing and beats stay strong throughout, and everyone gets their proper time to be funny.

The four characters who actually get serious are Rogen, Heigl, Mann and Rudd. They all have their funny moments, especially when Rudd and Rogen go to Vegas and do shrooms, but they also get serious at times. Mann and Rudd’s relationship in the movie is the source of most of the awkwardness, as you see not just an Everybody Loves Raymond kind of marriage, but one that really scares the shit out of Rogen and Heigl, hindering their possible progress at cementing a relationship of their own. Not being anywhere near close to marriage myself, I still understood many of the fears and hopes the young couple had, so I can only imagine how close to home it is for those who have been in a very serious relationship.

Being that this is a comedy, the most important part is that the characters are likeable and the comedy is strong. They most certainly are and it most certainly is. But the biggest question, of course, is whether this movie is better than 40YOV, which was my movie of 2005 along with Batman Begins. My answer is…not quite.

Here’s why: In 40 Year Old Virgin, it was centered on Steve Carrell’s character and the story followed him and him alone. In Knocked Up, it feels like you have two main veins of plot going on, both Rogen’s character and Heigl’s character. At times, there is one strong story, but it kind of comes together then branches out and repeats. What that ends up doing is forcing you to choose what storyline you care more about, and clearly, I cared more about Rogen’s and his buddies’s storyline. Not that Heigl’s storyline was weak or anything, but I came in caring and knowing more about the guys. This, along with the fact that I think there were more funny situations in 40YOV rather than simply normal situations with funny dialogue that both had, puts 40YOV above Knocked Up.

But this is not a knock on Knocked Up. (Wow, what a bad joke.) It is still far and away the funniest movie I’ve seen this year, right up there with 300 as the best movie I’ve seen this year, and a definite must see for any fans of good comedy. I’m only going to give this a Great for the theatrical run, but with more comedy gold on the DVD, this one could creep up to a Classic easily.

It’s been almost 3 years since we’ve last heard from Pig Destroyer, the Virginia based grind/death/thrash/punk/etc. metal trio (which include guitar, drums, and vocals) that has always taken their music to the most brutal of extremities. When they released “Terrifyer” back in 04′, it was considered to be a masterpiece, with over 20 relentless tracks that never let you take a breather, even for a second. This band is always about hitting hard and moving on, sometimes with songs as short as 20 seconds. After the long wait, they recently added another member to the group (as a provider for noise and samplers), and have just released Phantom Limb. For those accustomed to their style, it could take a bit of getting used to. (more…)

When you first get this album, there’s certain remarkable things about it. The album cover and art looks like it could follow up any of their first 3 albums without anyone thinking there’s a 20 year gap. The first track enters with a fuzzed out guitar lick that could just as easily be from 1989. The sound is bizarrely the same nearly 20 years later. While this could easily be a thing to criticize, considering that Dinosaur Jr had a nasty disbanding with Lou Barlow after Bug, and J. Mascis took the name and the band in more mainstream directions, it really is remarkable that by reforming the band now, there’s just this sound that the band emits that’s unmistakable.

The nebulous feel of this album is truly what makes it so good. It could easily fit in the 80’s output, and if you take out the songs Barlow sings on, this could be one of the 90’s post-Barlow albums and not many would question that either. It’s a testament to some strong songwriting by the band and simply learning from the past 20 years of fighting and moving on. As much as this is a great new album from a pioneer of indie and alternative rock, it is also a celebration of why they were good to start with. As always, the lyrics scream a certain lazy stoner vibe to them, but still manage to be poignant and touching at times thanks to the power of the music behind it (”I Got Lost” just feels emotional, from the minimal, somber instrumentation, to J.’s fragile falsetto). Additionally, having Barlow back presents itself obviously in the two songs he sings on (”Lightning Bulb” being my favorite) but his bass playing is also a welcome return and I think really gives the album the feel of the original three releases. And as always, J. Mascis freely inserts some indulgent, amazing guitar solos in songs like “Pick Me Up” and “We’re Not Alone” which you can’t help but smile and feel good about. There’s a certain emotion and happy vibe from his solos that you just can’t quite feel from other artists out there, almost like a feeling of freedom and release when he plays them.

Another thing that makes this album great is that unlike a lot of reunion albums, the album never really drops off. There isn’t one good iconic single and a bunch of middling crap from guys who have lost their touch. These are still amazing musicians who have buried the hatchet and released what I dare say is the most consistent album of their catalog of Dinosaur Jr albums. Every album under the name Dinosaur Jr has its great songs, but this is the first one I can easily say from start to finish is just solid, entertaining, and a complete album. There’s some rocking songs, some smaller, more intimate songs, some Barlow songs that add more depth, and a slow song here and there. It is more than any reunion album is expected to be, and the fact that it really never misses a beat from what people consider the heyday of the band is what makes this album even better.

It is, no doubt, an amazing reunion album of an highly influential band, but more importantly to me, it is just an amazing album. Fun to listen to the whole way through and has appeal to casual crowds, Dinosaur Jr fans of any era, and even hard to impress hipsters. I would feel like I was cheating Beyond if I gave it any less than a classic.