I watched Safe House, a solid action flick starring Denzel Washington (and featuring Rubén Blades) on cable earlier this week. It was little different than dozens of organized crime, complex caper and government conspiracy movies I've enjoyed. I could see how it was going to play out within the first fifteen minutes. I didn't mind. Familiar formulas can provide solace.
I feel much the same way about Twelve Reasons To Die, the new collaboration between Ghostface Killah and Adrian Younge. With amusingly self-referential lyrics and a sound that deliberately evokes Curtis Mayfield's Super Fly and Isaac Hayes' Shaft, it's at least as good as Ghost's
The narrative is… Oh, who am I kidding? This album has my name written all over it- of course I love it. Anyone who shares my affection for the Wu-Tang Clan and early '70s blaxploitation soundtracks will adore Twelve Reasons To Die.
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Scott Miller of Game Theory and the Loud Family has died.
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Jeneé Osterheldt wrote a fine profile of Kerwin Young.
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Steddy P. already knows that I don't like his video for "Vacay".
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My former coworker Glenn Jones sure can play guitar with emotional authority.
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The Haxan Cloak's Excavation is every bit as as good as critics have suggested. RIYL: Tangerine Dream, narcotics, seances.
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Curses! Just when I thought my feelings for the Three O'Clock had been permanently suppressed, a new compilation has revived those undesirable pangs of nostalgia.
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Iggy Pop has jokes.
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Kansas City Click: My official picks are published here.
(Original image by There Stands the Glass.)
