Caravan Palace – Chronologic Review

Oh man, where do I even start. Caravan Palace is (was?) one of my favorite bands, but this album doesn’t sound like CP at all. Where their previous album, Robot Face, merely tested the pop/house waters, Chronologic goes all in. It’s a natural next step, I guess, and I can’t fault the band for doubling down on what’s obviously made them more successful. But this shift in tone coupled with the departure of some of the original members means the Caravan Palace of old is long gone. That doesn’t mean the new Caravan Palace and Chronologic are bad, though, just… very different. Like, if I had first listened to any of these songs out of context, I probably wouldn’t be able to guess who it was.

The problem I have with Chronologic is that it sounds too much like everything else now. Every song places huge importance on the lyrics and guest singers, and CP’s usual quirky instrumentals get lost in the background. Take the song “Melancolia.” If you’re not into hip hop, the vocals will probably drive you nuts. But then the brief sax and piano sections are amazing. It’s a really odd intermingling of the best and worst, and I still can’t decide if I like it. That’s how I feel about the whole album. Chronologic is easy listening overall, but nothing sticks with me, nothing sinks its claws into me like CP’s older stuff. It’s a solid B by any other standards. I just normally expect an A+ from these folks.

The Dark Crystal: Age of Resistance – Season 1 Review

Without streaming services like Netflix, would anyone else have even take a chance on a Dark Crystal TV show? A 3D-animated version, maybe, but puppetry is a hard sell. I’ll admit, there were times when the limitations of the puppets were… problematic. Every fight or battle was somewhat anticlimactic, because there’s only so much you can do smashing puppets together. The Skeksis, for instance, are supposed to be intimidating monsters that all other creatures cower before, but their gangly arms and bulky bodies suggest otherwise. You kinda have to envision that everything in this world is “puppety” by nature and Gelflings are as weak as their literal rubber skin lets on.

I say this, though, as someone who really admires and appreciates puppetry and grew up on so many Jim Henson staples. When the characters aren’t fighting, it’s easy to get wrapped up in the visuals and world building. The practical effects and animatronics are top-notch and add some much-needed realness to the fantasy and mythos that computer graphics probably couldn’t have achieved. I know, I know, you can’t make a fantasy world anymore without some computer graphics, and The Dark Crystal isn’t immune. But those moments of modern special effects do more to highlight just how grounded and tangible the puppets feel in comparison.

With all that said, is the story even any good? Truth be told, I haven’t seen the original Dark Crystal movie since I was a kid and don’t remember it that fondly. This being a prequel, though, you don’t have to be a long-time fan to know what’s going on. If anything, movie foreknowledge is a disservice. The world in the Dark Crystal movie is grim. The entire time I was watching the new TV show, I kept thinking, “How can they pull off a happy ending?” The events in Season 1 are interesting and get you really caring about many characters big and small, but I’m worried another season or two will have to undo it all to fit into the larger puzzle.

Better Than Ezra – All Together Now Review

Better Than Ezra is a band I’ve known about for a long time thanks to their contribution on the Schoolhouse Rock! Rocks album, but the rest of their discography escaped me until I stumbled across All Together Now. That’s just as well, because this is the only album I like. I’ve tried giving their earlier work a try but just can’t get into it. I mean, it’s okay but not nearly as catchy. So for long-time Ezra fans, All Together Now may be too much of a departure. I’ve read reviews that confirmed as much. This is probably Ezra’s attempt at mainstream appeal, since the songs here have an obvious pop influence to them. That pop sound is exactly the kind of catchiness they’ve needed, though.

I’ve had the album in rotation for about two months now and still love it. “Insane” is easily my favorite. It’s crazy and upbeat and full of kooky sounds. There’s an underlying sense of goofiness throughout that maybe comes off a little too strong in other songs like “Dollar Sign.” To be fair, that one’s pretty fun, too, but it can feel a bit cringey at times. Other highlights include “Crazy Lucky,” “Gonna Get Better”, and “Diamond in My Pocket.” The only songs that didn’t resonate with me are “Before You,” which hits like a speed bump compared to the rest of the album’s energy. And “Shut Up and Dance” is an odd note to end on, giving up some of the earlier pop qualities in favor of more alternative rock. Maybe that’s a bone the band decided to throw to their older fans. That’s great if it is. But I’m only a fan because of what we have now.

Mindhunter – Season 2 Review

When I watched the first season of Mindhunter, it was with zero expectation or knowledge about what it was other than it had to do with serial killers. It took several episodes to hook me, too many honestly. Once it hit its stride, it became quite compelling. With the second season, we hit the ground running with it starting right where the last season left off. The dynamics between the main characters become more fleshed out and believable. Each of them has a unique and valuable point of view that showcases their individual intelligence and fallibility. I  related to all of them even when they take their turn to be assholes. Oddly enough, Tench was my favorite character this season. The supporting cast all does a great job, as well. I really want to see more of Barney, Greg, and Nance.

The real reason to watch is for the incredibly fascinating (I’ve no idea how accurate) portrayals of the serial killers. We meet some well-knowns like Manson and Son of Sam and lesser-knowns that have equally interesting scenes like the Candy Man’s accomplice. The second season spends a lot of time in Atlanta searching for the Atlanta Monster. This makes the second half of the season drag, but it gives us time to digest Tench’s personal life and boy does he have some shit to deal with. We’re still only teased with BTK and at the rate they’re going, at least one more season before that becomes the focus. If Mindhunter keeps doing what it doing though, I’ll be there.

My Time at Portia Review

It’s been a while since I’ve lost myself to a farming game (ahem, Stardew Valley), but here we go again. My Time at Portia isn’t your typical farming game, though. While it has the same inheritance storyline, friendship system, and mining/fishing mechanics of any Harvest Moon title, Portia is much more about crafting and building than farming. That means you’ll spend a good chunk of each day hunting down the materials you need to shove into your various crafting machines, then waiting for said machines to spit out boards or bars that can eventually become a crane or bridge or water tank. Is it tedious? Well… yeah, sometimes. But completing these tasks to open up more of the world can be very rewarding.

The 3D perspective definitely makes for a more engrossing environment that begs to be explored. If you’ve had your fill of Stardew Valley and other 2D farming sims, still give Portia a try. Running around a 3D town has a much different feel to it. Unfortunately for me, I’ve been experiencing Portia on the Switch, where glitches and graphical hiccups abound. That hasn’t stopped me from sinking over 50 hours into the game, though. I gave up on Stardew Valley at the 50-hour mark, simply because I’d seen everything I wanted to see in that game. But in Portia, there are still areas yet uncovered and dungeons yet explored. It’s a huge game that paces its story missions just right to keep you busy without feeling overwhelmed.

The Boys – Season 1 Review

I watched the boys and thought it was great. I’ve let it sit for a week to really gather my thoughts on it, and I just don’t have much negative to say. The acting, the writing, the casting, the quality of the special effects, were all great. My favorite part is the meta-commentary and awareness of hero worship in the movie industry. In this world, not only are all the super heroes real, they also star in their very own VCU (Vought Cinematic Universe). The people of The Boys universe are every bit as obsessed and tired of super hero franchises as we are (more so in Butcher’s case), but the heroes aren’t just actors. It was interesting and it is kind of a sick burn on our reality when you think about it. Even as someone who has watched almost every super hero movie (most multiple times), I too enjoy entertainment that isn’t about paying attention to overwrought plot lines and locations/abilities of OmniMcguffins.

The setting of The Boys feels very current and deals with many of the political issues we face right now. The push for fascism disguised as safety is a very old tale, but one that feels more relevant to me now than ever. The main superhero’s name is Homelander, I mean, it’s pretty on the nose. I really enjoyed the hell out of the series, and it takes on themes of sexual assault, elite class, corporate control, and even what is and isn’t “right” are pretty ageless. There is even a scene that shows racism is only as deep as the money.  The show continued to surprise to the end, and I loved not knowing what was going to happen. I also think everyone was cast really well. It’s my favorite Karl Urban role since Dredd and Elisabeth Shue just acts the hell out her scenes. In fact, all the main actors all have good chemistry in their scenes and its a compliment that other than Urban and Simon Pegg, I couldn’t immediately place any of the cast in other things I had seen. Being able to watch a show this well-done without the baggage of a Hemsworth, Johannsen, or Affleck, meant I could just pay attention to the show. A real ensemble effort instead of one actor doing all the heavy lifting.  The Boys won’t change your life, but it is refreshing and I’m eager for season 2.