Contributed by Shawn Phase.

What can be said about a band like the Don that hasnt been said by many other reviews or interviews? One of the main points that i feel should be said is that this is a band that has predated many genres and idioms in the past. While “indierock” has run its course in a time where reunion tours of these types of bands is commonplace, and even after ‘mathrock’ as a niche has run thin, Don Caballero prove to every hipster and critic that they have remained true to their sound and what made them unique for over 15 years.

Drummer and original member Damon Che’s style and approach to playing certainly seems as if he has checked his mind at the door and for the first time, approached his kit in terms of each drum being its own instrument, something which from by terms after 5 albums seems almost contrived, but still incredible. Producer Al Sutton who recorded the band’s 1994 maelstrom of genius ‘2′ has done wonders on this gem of a record with his styles, providing clarity in both the nuances of presenting Damon’s drumset to the mix, but also the addition of vocals on a few of the songs as well.

Guitarist Gene Doyle and bassist Jason Jouver’s respected instruments tangle and intersect each other in uncanny ways with dissonance rather than a traditional approach to melody and harmony, especially in songs such as ‘Bulk Eye’, ‘Pour You Into The Rug’, and ‘Lord Krepelka’. These songs may seem like a departure to the traditional Don Caballero sound, but in my opinion, this record only serves far more than the bands last offering ‘World Class Listening Problem’ in an effort to solidify a new era of Don Caballero that is more self-aware and appreciative of the past that it has helped to forge. This record is a great example of what made this band one of the most memorable life shows you may never get the chance to see.

For tour dates, see http://www.myspace.com/doncaballeropgh

Here at Good-Evil, were are proud to announce our first album release on own Good-Evil Records imprint, as part of the Concatenation Records family. And what better way to start our mini-label than with a brand new Xoc album? Xoc, who you may remember as “that dude who covered all of Super Mario World” or that guy who blew you away with his Kirby cover album, has produced one of the most ambitious albums he’s put out to date. Containing 100 video game themes covered in less than 20 mins, this project has been a labor of love for Xoc since 2004.

We’ve collaborated with Jason Vincion at Concatenation Records to bring you this album on a 3″ mini-CD, each lovingly created in the Good-Evil CD production factory (which may or may not be my computer room in my apartment). This is a limited issue release, with only 100 copies being produced.

And while I would never release an album I didn’t absolutely love, I have to say that this album is truly some of Xoc’s best work. It mashes together nearly every type of music he’s done before and dozens of instruments into one rollercoaster of a medley. It’s got slow, lighthearted parts, weird, wacky sections, straight up rock and metal parts, and with 100 themes, it’s pretty impossible to get bored here. If I were reviewing this, it would be a Classic easily. Take a minute to purchase one while you can, they are reasonably priced and worth every penny.

You can order it on the Concatenation Records order page:

XOC – THE BEGINNING OF THE END

Looking back on the days of the NES, one might wonder why a game like Little Samson didn’t break through to the forefront of mainstream games that people are so nostalgic about today. Innovation seems to be deciding factor in which games are successful, and which games fall to the demise of the bargain bin. Well Little Samson is as unique as the most innovative NES games out there, and it is sure not to disappoint.

Little Samson is an action game made by Taitoin the style of Mega Man, yet that’s not to say it’s exclusive to this style, as it incorporates elements from many of the NES classics. The player throughout the game is able to switch between four characters at any time, of which there’s Samson, a well-rounded character with fast shots and the ability to climb walls and ceilings (reminiscent of Ninja Gaiden), a fire-breathing dragon who has the ability to fly by suspending himself midair by holding the jump button, a stone golem who is slow but has a strong short-range punch which can be aimed vertically or horizontally, and a nimble mouse who can jump high and climb on walls and ceilings and the ability to lay bombs.

The game starts out with a level for each of the four characters, after which they meet up to defend the Imperial Forgy from the invasion of Ta-Keed the Prince of Darkness. From here on, the player has the ability to interchange characters at any point, which adds an incredible amount of depth to the game. Strategy comes very much into play as you progress through the levels, as it’s necessary to utilize each characters’ abilities to most efficiently complete the levels and defeat the bosses.

Throughout the levels you will find powerup items, which increase the life bar of the character picking it up. For most situations, Samson seems the best to use for taking out enemies, so it’s advisable to invest the first few powerups on him. Kikira the dragon is great for use in areas with heavy platforming, when that extra time midair can mean the difference between life and death. Gamm the stone golem doesn’t seem to have much use other than occasionally taking out hard to reach enemies and absorbing hits. K.O. the mouse is very useful for taking out enemies that charge at you with bombs. Since the player is able to switch between characters, you may easily switch to a character with full life when one is just about dead.

Once you’re able to determine at which points to utilize each character, you should find yourself blazing through the levels, as the combined life of all four characters gives you many chances to get hit, making the game a bit on the easier side. The difficulty is perhaps the only real downfall to the game, though the gameplay experience overall makes up for it with pure fun. In spite of this, when you die you will be sent to the very beginning of the level. That’s right, no checkpoints unless you make it to the boss, though with limited lives, you’ll be sent to the beginning of the level, much like Mega Man.

The music in the game is played in a unique way, as each character you switch to has their own theme. This can get repetitive if you focus on one character for too long. Nothing too special or bad about the music in the game, though it’s rather fitting for each characters’ themes.

So if you’re looking for a solid 8-bit action game made by one of NES’ most reputable developers that has plenty of levels and one of the most unique designs that the NES has to offer, then you are in for a real treat. The game’s rarity in this case indeed justifies the price, as Little Samson is one of the best games on the NES, and certainly one of Taito’s top creations.

I think at this point, you would have to deem the “Compilation of Final Fantasy VII” project a middling disappointment. Dirge of Cerberus was a generic action game, Advent Children was a beautiful looking movie that had a near incomprehensible plot and an overload of action sequences, and Before Crisis was never released in America. Crisis Core, however, even after all the delays, stands out as a fantastic prequel, and a great game all by itself. (more…)

Note: If you have never play Final Fantasy IV be forewarned that the following contains spoilers.

Dear reader, are you still debating whether to snag the latest Squeenix remake? Are you doubting whether it’s worth plunging into the world of Final Fantasy IV yet again? Wasn’t the GBA release with its additional material enough already? Well, if you aren’t completely fed up with remakes and rehashes, read on for a look at Final Fantasy IV DS. (more…)

Contributed by Jeremy Stoltzfus.

Okay. I’m going to try to write a coherent review of this book without prattling on like a school girl about how omg good this book is – but no promises. I’m also going to try to keep it spoiler free since I’m assuming not many other people have read it. So, let’s start with the premise: The narrator wakes up on the floor of his bedroom with no memory of who he is or how he got there. His only indication is a note from himself telling him to go immediately to somebody named Doctor Randle who apparently holds the answers to all of his questions. From there he embarks on an epic journey to regain his identity. Sound familiar? Probably, it’s not a very unique premise, but this actually ends up working in this book’s favor since reader expectations are pretty low when the plot takes a turn for the AWESOME.

The name “Raw Shark Texts” is actually a play on the words “Rorschach Test”, which is basically the ink blob test (Doc shows you a blob of ink and asks you what you think it looks like (The correct answer to which is always, of course, “a penis.”)). This book definitely delivers on the name, too, as everybody who reads it is likely to pull something different out of it. It would be impossible to label this book as any one genre since it is as much a romance novel as it is science fiction or an action packed thriller. It transcends genre by mashing every existing genre into one amorphous ink blob of un-genre. Even the plot is completely left open to interpretation. Its ambiguity makes it a very interesting read, but it is also its biggest flaw.

This book ends up being a patchwork of mediocre attempts at many different genres. If you go into this expecting a strong entry in any one single genre, then you’re likely to walk away fairly disappointed. Where this book shines is how seamlessly it combines them all together. It’s versatile enough to stay interesting throughout, but not so erratic as to alienate the reader. But most importantly this book has charm, dammit, and lots of it. The main character is a very relatable, laid back sort of character. The romance between him and the love interest in this book is so natural and convincing that you will find yourself completely infatuated with her by the end of the book (that goes for you ladies, too). The author also does some great House-Of-Leaves-esque typography stuff that really adds a lot to the presentation.

Overall, I am going to give this a Great instead of Classic, just because it’s hard to pin down exactly what it is about the book that makes it so good. You can count on two things, though: Once you start reading this one, you won’t be able to put it down – and the ending will invoke some pretty strong emotions in even the most stone cold readers.

I started watching the X-Files some time around the second or third season, and from then on, I followed the show devoutly until the end of its run. For me and some others here on this site, the show was pretty much essential watching every week. I remember watching the first movie in theaters, buying the soundtracks, picking up the games, etc. However, the show began to sputter a little towards the end, and aside from an excellent finale, the show really had just run its course. However, after seeing teasers for a new X-Files movie, I began to get irrationally excited again, perhaps to rekindle those teenage halcyon days when this show was on top of the world. (more…)