Starting today, I am going to be counting down my 100 favorite things, and writing articles describing what I like about them. I am doing this for a few reasons. There are a lot of things I love but have not had much of a chance to opine about; I love massive countdowns; and I…
I’ve been listening to Relient K since the end of 2002, and since then they’ve evolved into one of the most interesting and thoughtful pop-rock bands in the business. They’re one of my all-time favorites: From the catchy throwaways to the moving reflections to the sweeping epics, Relient K has covered a lot of ground…
The Way Way Back (2013) – 3½ stars (out of 4) The Kings of Summer (2013) – 3 stars (out of 4) I watched two coming-of-age-themed movies this weekend that had enough interesting compare-and-contrast elements between them that I decided I wanted to write a quick article here reviewing them.
Pop is the most widely beloved, enduring, and profitable form of music in the age of recording studios. Probably because of this, it doesn’t get a lot of respect from hipsters, which makes it easy to find online music hubs filled with nothing but loathing and pity for the millions blasting Top 40 on the…
This is the first in a hopefully-recurring feature where the writers of Earn This will choose some genre or theme, collectively pick twenty or so of their favorite songs under that umbrella, and write a few words about each song. If we’re motivated, we’ll even embed a Spotify playlist. For our first entry, Dan and…
Rating: 2.5 stars (out of 5) I’ve listened to this album about a dozen times through (my favorite tracks more than double that), and I still can’t quite parse Relient K’s vision for their seventh album. And I think that’s the problem with Collapsible Lung: when you scratch away the surface, there is no vibrant, amber…
In college, I learned how to play Settlers of Catan and loved it. A few years later, I got Dominion and Ticket to Ride. From there, my board game collection (and addiction) quickly expanded. We have a shelf stocked full of games of many sizes and varieties. Hardly a week goes by where my wife…
This is part of the Everything Music Survey series The Usual Suspects — Boring Desert Island Discs I Still Love: The Beatles – A Hard Day’s Night The Beatles – Revolver The Beatles – Rubber Soul Big Star – #1 Record/Radio City Billy Joel – The Stranger Billy Joel – 52nd Street Billy Joel – Glass Houses…
Are you a connoisseur of bad movies? Do you appreciate “the creepy, the strange, and the poorly and cheaply produced?” Looking for an overview of films so inessential or poorly curated that their copyright has lapsed? If you live in Northern Virginia, you need look no further than your local television channel. Beginning this spring, you…
The AV Club is one of my favorite sites on the web. I love many of their features (as I’ve noted in the past, the New Cult Canon column by Scott Tobias was what directly inspired me to recruit Grant and get this site going). Probably my least favorite recurring feature on the site is…