FILM REVIEW: VIDEODROME (1983)

Videodrome delivers on all cylinders as far as I'm concerned. Creepy, surreal "venereal horror," from the master writer/director David Cronenberg, starring James Woods and the beautiful Deborah Harry, who's naked in the movie several times I might add. Just as a fair warning, the movie is very, very strange and features some (lots) of torture sequences, including some things with needles and skin that aren't for the squeamish. I think Andy Warhol put it best when he said that Videodrome was "A Clockwork Orange of the 1980s." Can't disagree with that, there's some genuinely awesome sequences in the movie, and some very memorable quotes. The directing and photography are superb.

Like I said before, the movie is very surreal, but the plot manages to stays pretty taut throughout, and the acting is just about as solid as you could expect from a sci-fi horror flick from 1983, with James Woods naturally being the best actor of the bunch. The movie does stand up very well over time, especially considering its time period and what it's about. I throughly enjoyed this, has a very John Carpenter type feel to it, if you enjoyed movies like The Thing or The Fog (1980) then check out Videodrome.

8/10

ALBUM REVIEW: WEEDEATER - God Luck and Goodspeed (2007)

Just like Leaf Hound, Weedeater brings the smoke-filled riffs in plenty, to go along with killer vocals that sound as if they're coming straight from a bong-ravaged throat. Driving the album are super distorted sludgy guitars a la Dopesmoker era Sleep, Bongzilla, or Electric Wizard. It isn't all heavy, though, with the folk/country-esque piece "Alone," and the chill piano outro "Willow." Lyrics are mostly lighthearted here, as you'd expect, Weedeater are probably one of the least pretentious bands around. God Luck and Goodspeed is sickly stoner sludge done just right.

Weedeater sounds exactly how I thought they would, and this of course isn't a bad thing. If you enjoy this type of music, this is a must-have, and to its credit it does bring some new things to the table in a bit of an oversaturated genre. Trust me, you don't need to be on the sticky icky to enjoy Weedeater, as I've never smoked a bowl in my whole life and I still adore this genre of music as a whole. Simple, smooth and destructive at the same time, beautiful!

8/10

ALBUM REVIEW: BATTLES - Mirrored (2007)

Just for fair warning, this isn't a metal album. Battles are an experimental rock band, pretty much the only rock-type on legendary IDM label Warp Records, and I think they live up to the expectations of Warp well enough. Consider that they're driven by their drums and guitar like a regular rock outfit, but that isn't to say that there's no electronic elements involved. Their songs float through giddily with upbeat synth effects intertwining with the guitar riffs and excellent Marc Bolan-esque drums. There isn't much vocal work to be found, but what there is reminds me of something like My Bloody Valentine on helium and sped up, I honestly can't tell if it's a male or female singer without looking it up. Some songs like "Ddiamondd" recall a Lightning Bolt like noise and nonsensical, fast vox to go with whistling and random effects like change jingling on the ground.

My personal favorite on the record is "Leyendecker," with it's slow, pounding stomp-beat courtesy drummer John Stainer and the two tracks of whimsical, processed humming for vocals. It wouldn't be too surprising to hear this one end up a hit in clubs, not that I know anything about them. In the end, Battles crank out some groovy, swinging robot rock, almost as if somebody took a run-of-the-mill stoner jam band, made them into cyborgs, dropped them some LSD, and locked them in a recording studio.

8/10