reviews

Full disclosure: I love Paul Verhoeven’s movies. I’m a fan of RoboCop, Total Recall, Starship Troopers...and, yes, even Showgirls. (Stay tuned for more about Showgirls later in this series.) These movies may not be cinematic masterpieces, but they are entertaining, escapist fun. So when I decided to give Basic Instinct a try, I was actually looking forward to it. I expected to enjoy it, even if only in a campy sense.

Oh, how wrong I was.

The covers of Mr. Gnome’s discography convey something sinister and dark, with evil-looking rabbit figures in apocalyptic landscapes, and even their name conjures something mystical and unknown. But their music is neither dark, sinister, nor mystical. It is, however, complex and captivating, and Madness in Miniature (El Marko) their new album released last week, is worthy of deep and multiple listens, and one of the best releases I've heard this year.

Social Life (Last Bummer Records), Making Friendz' first album channeling punk, '80s pop, and R&B through a lo-fi filter, is a great time whether you're sharing it with your crush de jour or or having a lone sing-along pining sesh in your bedroom. With lyrics like "Don't want to hurt nobody/just want to touch your body" ("Situation") and "Don't make me cry, I just want to be inside you" ("Don't Make Me Cry"), Tami Hart's songs are less about love and more about friends with benefits, and her beats are sharp but have a sloppy fuzziness that adds to the party appeal. This isn't cold, electronic-driven pop, Hart's inflections (and goofy flourishes from the 80s--cheesy synth takes on a new sincerity when it's about getting in someone's pants) give it warmth and personality that brings together dancefloor fun and hardcore longing.

Buke & Gass (featured on our Action podcast) aren't your average duo from Brooklyn. For one, they have almost the same name (Arone Dyer and Aron Sanchez). For two, they traded in their ukulele and guitar for a buke and a gass.

The new record from Sharon Jones and the Dap-Kings is less than one month away. I Learned It the Hard Way is their first full-length since the record-breaking (but by no means debut) album 100 Days, 100 Nights which catapulted Sharon Jones and the Dap-Kings into indie stardom. And their latest proves their musical momentum is just as strong as ever. Due April 6th (Jones' birthday), it's another solid album of songs that sounds decades-old but for some reason feels anything but anachronistic, and is equally fit for a cocktail party as your headphones. Stream the title track, "I Learned It the Hard Way" after the jump!

It's like The View, only they don't record their show in a bathroom.

Welcome back to another episode of Bitch Popaganda! Listen in as Kjerstin and Kelsey review the decade in feminist pop culture. Listen right here or download the episode by subscribing to Bitch Radio on iTunes or visiting our page at archive.org.

Leave your feedback and get links to the Bitch faves after the jump!

Besides shooting Infomania at Current.com, writing and pitching a screenplay, contributing to the Post and Tribune, Sarah Haskins still manages to find time to curl up with a good read. Here Sarah indulges me by recommending books for quite the assortment of characters.

Download here Read on for links to some good reads!

Seeing as their last full-length Mountain Battles took six years to come out (when you gotta tour with the Pixies, you gotta tour with the Pixies), it's nice to see the Breeders aren't slowing down any time soon! Fate to Fatal, the four track vinyl, is limited edition, so get your listening on in while the listening's good! Read on for a mini review, the title-track's video, and Kim and Kelley Deal in the (non-recording) studio!

Last night, Annalee and I saw Swedish darling Lykke Li at the Hawthorne Theater here in Portland. The show included a kazoo solo, a megaphone, and covers of both Lil Wayne and Tribe Called Quest songs. Read on for more!

Last night, a couple of us lucky Bitch ladies got the chance to go to the sold-out-for-weeks Broken Social Scene show here in Portland. It makes sense, right? They're a collective, just like we are! Read on for our notes and some sweet video clips, after the jump.