Month: August 2026

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One Album A Week #7

Dido, No Angel
Cheeky/Arista, 1999

1. Here With Me
2. Hunter
3. Don’t Think Of Me
4. My Lover’s Gone
5. All You Want
6. Thank You
7. Honestly OK
8. Slide
9. Isobel
10. I’m No Angel
11. My Life
12. Take My Hand (Bonus Track)

Dido - Here with Me (Official Video)

“Here With Me”

It is to my own shame that I have waited an unforgivable TWENTY-SEVEN YEARS to give this album a proper listen. It’s not like I wasn’t aware of it. You can’t have been alive in Western society for as long as I have and not have heard “Here With Me” and “Thank You.” They are unavoidable. Hell, “Thank You” is on repeat in my car, on a playlist that I put together myself. I’ve seen this album cover a thousand times. Now that I’ve heard the album in its entirety, it honestly feels shameful that I haven’t dipped into this sooner. There really is no excuse.

Dido - My Lover's Gone (Official Audio)

“My Lover’s Gone”

This collection of music is so well written, so expertly recorded, and so flawlessly performed that it’s difficult to wrap my head around the fact that this is a debut album. Listening to this, I can’t help but compare this to how it must have felt in 1969, putting Led Zeppelin I or Crosby, Stills & Nash on the turntable for the first time and hearing songs that were brand new, but so well made they sound like they’ve been distilled and perfected by a thousand singers over a hundred years. And while it may sound odd to lump No Angel in with guitar heavy classic rock, they all have one extraordinarily important thing in common: the songs on these albums are instant classics.

Dido - Thank You (Official Video)

“Thank You”

I know that during the course of this year I am eventually going to cross paths with an album that is truly a chore to get through. I haven’t experienced that yet, but I believe with No Angel I have experienced the opposite. This is so well crafted that the end of the album came as a slight shock. It’s not that the end is abrupt, it’s just that I wanted more. I found myself looking at the extra tracks on the Japanese release and the various special editions and wishing I had those versions. And that’s the mark of an excellent artist. They make you immediately want more of what they have to offer. And I definitely want more of this.

“Honestly OK”

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One Album A Week #6

Rachel Taylor Brown, Susan Storm’s Ugly Sister And Other Saints And Superheroes
Cutthroat Pop, 2009

1. Susan Storm’s Ugly Sister
2. Ambush Bug/Reduviidae
3. Lonely Galactus, The World Eater
4. Bruce Wayne’s Bastard Son
5. Zoe Of Rome
6. Teresa Benedicta Also Edith Stein
7. St. Fina
8. Giovanni Bernardone (St. Francis)

lonely galactus (rachel taylor brown)

As I go along in this experiment/experience/whatever, I find myself more and more interested in checking out female artists. My tastes have always tended toward hard rock and metal, which are dominated by male groups. As such, I have surprisingly limited first hand experience of solo female artists. I’d never heard of Rachel Taylor Brown before, but I cam across this CD and was intrigued by the artwork and title. And I’m glad I stopped to check it out, because this is a worthy addition to my collection.

Rachel Taylor Brown--Bruce Wayne's Bastard Son

This album is not for everyone. It’s indie and alternative, and is packed with all the strangeness those two labels often provide. But there’s a catchiness here, and if you’re a fan of quirky music I think you’ll like this, or at least parts of it.

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One Album A Week #5

various artists, Real Genius Special Edition Soundtrack
Geek Records, 2020

1. Carmen McCrae, “You Took Advantage Of Me”
2. Tonio K, “The Tuff Do What?”
3. Y & T, “Summertime Girls”
4. The System, “The Pleasure Seekers”
5. The Call, “The Walls Came Down (Single Version)”
6. The Comsat Angels, “I’m Falling”
7. Bryan Adams, “One Night Love Affair”
8. Don Henley, “All She Wants To Do Is Dance”
9. Chaz Jankel, “Number One”
10. Paul Hyde & The Payolas, “You’re The Only Love”
11. The Textones, “Standing In Line”
12. Tears For Fears, “Everybody Wants To Rule The World”

Bonus Tracks
13. The System, “The Pleasure Seekers (Long Vocal Version)”
14. The System, “The Pleasure Seekers (Dub Mix)”
15. The Comsat Angels, “I’m Falling (Extended Version)”
16. Chaz Jankel, “Number One (Manhattan Mix)”
17. Tears For Fears, “Everybody Wants To Rule The World (Urban Mix)”

The Walls Came Down (Single Version)

The Call, “The Walls Came Down (Single Version)”

Before we get into this, let’s just get this out in the open: this is not an officially licensed album. There was never an official soundtrack released for Real Genius. This is a high-quality bootleg compiled by Geek Records, which is probably not even a real label. This was 100% illegal for them to sell, and anyone who knows this and still purchases this album is willingly participating in music piracy. But I’m going to review it because I am such a person, and I willingly bought this album with full knowledge that it was full of pirated songs. And you know what? It’s fucking awesome.

THE COMSAT ANGELS - I'm Falling (1985)

The Comsat Angels, “I’m Falling”

I recently caught Real Genius on TV, and, having never particularly paid attention to the music, I was struck by how good most of it was, and how obscure. There are a couple of hits, but mostly songs and bands that I don’t recall. And that’s a shame, because there’s a lot of really good New Wave to be had here.

Bryan Adams, “One Night Love Affair”

Another thing that surprised me is how well this movie holds up. I know this isn’t a movie review, but like most good sci-fi, Real Genius posits the existence of just one fantastical plot device and shows how that plot device might shape the lives of those impacted by its existence. In Real Genius, that plot device is the invention of a five megawatt military laser. The most powerful publicly acknowledged laser system currently in active service in the US military is the Mk 5 Mod 0 HELIOS sixty kilowatt laser, and we only have one of those. Forty-one years later, the idea of a five megawatt continuous beam laser as seen in this movie is still firmly in the realm of science fiction. Everything else about the movie, though, feels absolutely plausible. It doesn’t come across as goofy slapstick. If it did, it almost certainly would have disappeared into obscurity long ago. What it feels like is an extremely rare breed of movie: a scientifically grounded, coming of age, college campus sci-fi comedy. Hell, it might be the only one.

Chaz Jankel - Number One (HD Upscale Remastered Video) (1985)

Chaz Jankel, “Number One”

With all that in mind, it seems fitting that the soundtrack would be likewise unique. I wasn’t particularly thrilled with the bonus remixes. The Tears For Fears remix in particular was a big disappointment. But the main selections are fantastic. I don’t give a damn about the legality of this disc. I wholeheartedly recommend this album to anyone who is a fan of New Wave, 1980s movies, or obscure pop. I assure you it will not disappoint.

Tears For Fears - Everybody Wants To Rule The World (Official Music Video)

Tears For Fears, “Everybody Wants To Rule The World”

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What is this thing?

Can anyone tell me what this is? I haven’t written a lot lately because I’ve been working on something. Something kind of big that I think you all will really enjoy. But until that’s ready to publish, I need to know if anyone out there can identify this thing.

I found it on the ground at a gas station, and I’ve never seen anything like it. It’s black. It’s plastic. It’s got an awesome shape. And I’d really like to know where I can get a bunch more of them. Any ideas?

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One Album A Week #4

R.E.M., Lifes Rich Pageant
I.R.S., 1986

Dinner Side
1. Begin The Begin
2. These Days
3. Fall On Me
4. Cuyahoga
5. Hyena
6. Underneath The Bunker

Supper Side
1. The Flowers Of Guatemala
2. I Believe
3. What If We Give It Away?
4. Just A Touch
5. Swan Swan H
6. Superman

“Cuyahoga”

I didn’t expect to like this album. There’s enough of R.E.M.’s signature experimental alt-rock weirdness to remind you who you’re listening to – skip ahead to “Swan Swan H” if you don’t believe. But to my surprise, it’s all built on a solid foundation of legitimate rock ‘n’ roll. Most of R.E.M.’s early stuff is a miss for me, but this is a damned good album, start to finish. I think this would be well received even among listeners who are not fans of R.E.M. in particular. This whole thing was an extremely pleasant surprise, but the standout song is “Superman.” Anyone who had heard R.E.M.’s cover of “Draggin’ The Line” knows they can remake a hippy song like few other bands. They cover “Superman” with equal skill. What an incredible track. Buy this album.

Underneath The Bunker

“Underneath The Bunker”

The Flowers Of Guatemala

“The Flowers Of Guatemala”

R.E.M. - I Believe (Official Lyric Video) - VOTE 2024

“I Believe”

“Superman”

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Chris reviews The Transformers: The Movie

Way back in 2006, I wrote a GINORMOUS article reviewing The Transformers: The Movie and the twentieth anniversary DVDs thereof. Mind you, this article was preceded by two lead-in articles, and followed by a slew of additional information the other Sci-Fi Guys and myself posted in the comments. This is it… all of it, anachronisms intact where appropriate. Plus a bunch of new material regarding what’s happened with this movie over the last twenty years. Click the pic to light our darkest hour. ‘Til all are one!

Continue reading “Chris reviews The Transformers: The Movie”