Hot Chip:
One Life Stand
Introspective, un-electronic and kinda mopey, Hot Chip has matured their sound into a much more subdued rendition of their previous puppy-dog excitability.
[Luke Winkie]

Fredrik:
Trilogi
Trilogi is the kind of album that goes with winter; it's the kind of album that you listen to deep in the dark of the night.
[Nathan Kamal]

The Album Leaf:
A Chorus of Storytellers
One would hope that the next time the Album Leaf takes three years off between albums to focus on songwriting, the result contains a more substantial story.
[Kyle Wall]

Revisit: Elvis Costello
Spike (Demo Version)
In retrospect the demos hold up much better than their polished album counterparts: their simplicity and sparseness are what make them so fascinating and far superior to the actual album in many respects.
[Eric Dennis]

Concert Review: Wolfmother
Roseland Theater, Portland, OR 11/19/09
[David Harris]

Concert Review: The Rural Alberta Advantage
Off Broadway, St. Louis, MO, 12/9/09
[Eric Dennis]

District 13: Ultimatum
Where the film really betrays its predecessor is in its inexcusable midtempo pacing, which must be attributed to the departure of original director Pierre Morel.
[Danny Djeljosevic]

The Most Dangerous Man in America: Daniel Ellsberg and the Pentagon Papers
There is much to learn from The Most Dangerous Man in America that is still applicable today, or at least until our country ceases beginning conflicts on false pretense.
[David Harris]

Ajami
Directors Shani and Copti themselves are respectively Israeli and Palestinian, and their combined direction and portrayal of day-to-day life and attitudes is nothing short of astonishing.
[Nathan Kamal]

Revisit: Che
Broken into two parts, the first chronicling Guevara's success in Cuba and the second his failure in Bolivia, Che eschews the conventions that water down most biopics to present a verité vision of Guevara in action.
[David Harris]

Year by Year: Bitches, Bastards and Badasses (Part Four)
In this fourth of seven parts, members of our staff put together a list which picks the best baddies from 1939-2009, year by year.

Oeuvre: Richard Linklater
Before Sunrise
Featuring a day where the young Jesse (Ethan Hawke) and Celine (Julie Delpy), two perfect strangers, jump off a train together to stroll the streets of Vienna, Before Sunrise may be one of the few perfect romantic films ever created.
[David Harris]

Outerlands
San Francisco's Outerlands is the Nick Drake of restaurants. Not famously known and artistry one must actively seek out in order to add to their collection and enjoy.
[KayJay]

Broiled Tomatoes with Parmesan Cheese
Don't mess with tradition. Do it mom's way and save a few bucks.
[Lauren Westerfield]

Terroni:
Toronto, ON
The customer-is-always-right knee jerk response is predictable and undoubtedly responsible for the scattered trash reviews of Terroni's service.
[Brady Baker]

R.I.P.: Howard Zinn (1922-2010)
Howard Zinn provided an opportunity to relearn US history from the perspective of the underdog.
[Jessica Bari]

R.I.P.: J.D. Salinger (1919-2010)
When J.D. Salinger died last week at 91, it marked the passing of one of the 20th century's most influential, beloved and fiercely private authors.
[Lukas Sherman]

Revisit: Couples
by John Updike
Couples functions as a prescient indictment of the still incipient sexual revolution, as well as a withering piece of suburban satire.
[Jesse Cataldo]