Album of the Week #3: Modal Soul – Nujabes

2005 This album certainly isn’t bad, but I’ve listened to it about three times through and I can’t get into it. I don’t know what it is. The ingredients are good: well-constructed beats, an eclectic range of influences including jazz, hip-hop, rock and some Latin thrown in there, some solid enough vocal performances from guest...

Album of the Week #2: Graduation – Kanye West

2007 “People talk so much shit about me at barber shops, they forget to get they hair cut,” raps Kanye West on “Everything I Am”. I can’t say I ever forgot to get my hair cut, even if you’d think so judging by the mop I was rocking in my teenage years. But I definitely...

Album of the Week #1: Nancy & Lee – Nancy Sinatra and Lee Hazelwood

1968 My quest to discover a new album every (full) week of this year starts with Nancy & Lee. I've always liked Nancy Sinatra's voice but I was surprised how well Lee Hazelwood's complemented it. The two seem to have real chemistry despite the story that this album came about after Frank Sinatra asked Hazelwood...

Video games are messed up. That’s why I love them

The logic of the real world doesn't apply [to video games] ... In Age of Empires, a strategy game I played endlessly when I was younger, you can set castles ablaze by shooting them with arrows. In The Elder Scrolls, you can cure diseases through prayer.

The Queen’s Gambit: Double Review

After watching Netflix's The Queen's Gambit, Sophie and I found that we had much to discuss - and disagree about. I suggested we put our contrasting views into writing and publish them side-by-side. What follows is the result. Enjoy, and be sure to let us know what you think in the comments below. Alone, but...

Re-watching the “retarded” episode of Family Guy in 2020

Suddenly I was thinking about themes and symbols and social commentary, the kind of stuff academics and film critics get all horny about. I felt this was probably not the proper spirit in which to watch Family Guy but once you become used to analysing everything you can't really turn it off.

Consumerism, Populism and Short-Term Fixes: Why ‘Trash of the Titans’ is The Simpsons’ Most Important Episode

This episode explores, with startling pertinence, the consumerism that drives our cherished national holidays, the seductive power of populism and the dangers of seeking quick fixes to big problems