Category: Reviews

This is Not a Review of the new Killers Album “Day & Age”

by Administrator, posted in Movies, Music, Reviews

It was going to be, but I realized I could sum it up easily. This album takes everything that was good about music from the 80’s, smooshes it together and sprinkles it in glitter. Just go buy the darn thing, it’s awesome, and let me move onto The Airborne Toxic Event.

The Airborne Toxic Event is based out of Los Angeles, CA so despite the fact that their self-titled album has been out since August it just made its way onto WEQX out here on the east coast. What do they sound like? Remember that really sweet spot that existed in 80’s new wave music when it would overlap with Goth music? (I think there is some hipster name for that specific genre, like dark wave, or Goth wave, or something.) You know, the way you could dance to Joy Division’s “Love Will Tear Us Apart” knowing full well it was sort messed up to do so. Most of their album reminds me of that. Musically the album is cool. They have a full time violinist, which is always good in a rock band. While listening to it I feel certain I could totally bust out my Molly Ringwald 80’s white girl dance, which believe it or not is a good thing.

Lyrically I find myself feeling like The Octopus from the trailer for The Spirit: “What is it with you and women?” This theme is perfectly encapsulated in the ass kicking song “Sometime Around Midnight”. This song sounds less 80’s but has some tortured shouting towards the end, so it breaks even in my book. The hooking up, getting dumped, pining for women thing is pretty obvious, and fairly staple in rock and roll, I just never felt so hit over the head with it before. Adult me finds it a little tiring, but the teenage me (who I’m in close contact with) finds it kind of hot. It’s all angsty and sexy. Sue me – teenage me wins out more often than I’d like.

A quick trip to the internet provides some back story for this album. According to Wikipedia, “The band was formed in 2006 by Mikel Jollett. During a one-week period in March 2006 while working on a novel, Jollett learned that his mother was diagnosed with cancer, and he also experienced a break-up and was diagnosed with genetic Autoimmune disease. Even though the disease encompasses over 70 different disorders, Autoimmune led Jollet to develop 2 cosmetic conditions: Alopecia areata and Vitiligo. Spurred by these events in his personal life, Jollett turned from writing prose to writing songs, and soon realized he was composing an album instead of a novel.”

Well that explains a lot. Try out “Sometime Around Midnight” and see what you think.

If you want to shake your 80’s groove thang….

By the way, I’m hopelessly amused by The Spirit trailers I’ve seen. How about this one? “Somebody get me a tie! And it sure as hell better be red!”

Politics and the Occult

by Administrator, posted in Books, Magic/Occult, Politics, Reviews

I’m given many books and products to review. I’m not swimming in them, but at this point, I’ve had my share of emails from publicists and delightful packages of goodies sent my way. Yet nothing could prepare me for the email I received from Quest Books asking me to review “Politics and the Occult: The Left, the Right, and the Radically Unseen” by Gary Lachman. That’s right music fans, Gary Lachman, also known as Gary Valentine, bassist for the to die for band Blondie. What was this emotion I was experiencing? Could it be giddiness? Yes, I’m embarrassed to say, I was “as happy as a school girl”.

It took awhile to get into the book. Not because it wasn’t engaging, but because I kept sitting there thinking to myself, I’m one person removed from Gary Valentine! How cool am I? Once I finally pushed past the girlish giggles and congratulatory pats on my back, I came to a startling and delightful realization. Lachman has got game. (For the record, I have very little game, just enough to recognize the fact that Lachman has it.) “Politics and the Occult” isn’t pop culture fluff, and it’s not a rehashing of the ever popular Hitler and the occult genre, it’s a fascinating, thoroughly researched, and entertainingly presented look at the subtle influence that occult movements have on societies.


In fact, Lachman himself says in the introduction, “So as not to disappoint a reader who is expecting a different sort of book, I should point out what this book isn’t about, a practice most publishers frown on, but which I feel may be appropriate here. It isn’t, for example, an expose of secret societies whose occult machinations are behind the political movements of today. Nor is it a rummaging through the occult closets of famous politicians in order to uncover some hermetic skeletons. (That Ronald Reagan, for example, employed an astrologer may be an interesting bit of gossip, but it tells us little about the nature of occult politics. Likewise, the fact that Aleister Crowley, probably the most famous magician of modern times, wrote pro-German propaganda during World War I tells us more about Crowley than it does about politics.) It’s also not about any conspiracy to infiltrate earthly governments involving UFOs, although it is true that in 1960, aliens took an interest in US politics and backed a candidate for the presidency. I’ve also not focused on occult politics in the sense of the politics of special interest groups, for instance, how neo-pagans fit into contemporary society or the relationship between wicca and some forms of contemporary feminism. These and no doubt other, equally deserving elements are missing from my study, and I look forward to being enlightened about them by interested readers.”

What’s left, you may be asking? Lots. A few favorites of mine were the discussion of the link between spiritualism and the women’s rights movement that includes an introduction to Victoria Woodhull, an interesting section about Jung culminating with the his time as “Agent 488” helping the Office of Strategic Services by making psychological assessments of Nazi leaders, and a mind blowing look at the occult movements at work during the French Revolution.

Personally, I plan on reading this book again. This time with a notebook and pen at my side to make note of all the people I want to learn more about and the many books that I’m now chomping at the bit to read. Add to that I now feel compelled to read all the other books Lachman has written that I just learned about, and well, I’m never going to have time to read all those “Hellblazer” comics that are sitting by my sofa.

The Big Bang Theory

by Administrator, posted in Geek Stuff, Products, Reviews, Television

As you can tell from my mention in a previous post, I’m a fan of the television show “The Big Bang Theory”. In my amateur opinion, the back to back airings of “The Big Bang Theory” followed by “How I Met Your Mother” is one of the finest hours of comedy television American audiences have had access to in a very long time. My husband, a fan of unique storytelling techniques favors “How I Met Your Mother” slightly more. On the other hand, being a fan of geeks, I like “The Big Bang Theory” a touch more than “How I Met Your Mother”. However, before I continue let me stress that you shouldn’t really watch one and not the other. As a package set, they cannot be beat. That said, allow me to indulge and share some fun stuff involving “The Big Bang Theory”, including some help with holiday shopping (hint, hint).

The show has a small ensemble of characters: Leonard Leakey Hofstadter, Ph.D., Sheldon Cooper, Ph.D., Howard Wolowitz, M.Eng., Rajesh Koothrappali, Ph.D., and Penny. The show focuses on Leonard and Sheldon, who are super intelligent and roommates, and Penny, the beautiful blond woman who lives across the hall. Penny is supposed to be the everyman, in other words, not a genius like the other characters, but possessing things like social skills and common sense. Of course, she has a halfway decent apartment in California on a waitress’s pay, so I think she’s way smarter than anyone on the show will give her credit for. Here’s a taste of what we’re talking about:

For some more clips you can check out “The Big Bang Theory” on the CBS website or their You Tube Channel. I guarantee, once you watch Sheldon explain the problem with teleportation, or the Superman issue, you’ll be hooked. It’s okay though, because Season One is already out on DVD, so you can enjoy catching up easily.

Now I promised you all some help with the holiday shopping. My friend Greg from the website What Greg Eats emailed me a link to the most clever fan site ever! It’s called Sheldon Shirts. Yes, some very focused fans of the show went through and collected links on where to buy any number of things featured in the show. Obviously, they worked hard to find you links to purchasing many of the amusing t-shirts that Sheldon and Leonard wear in the series, but they also have belt buckles that the playa Howard wears, where to find the Batman cookie jar from the episode “The Bat Jar Conjecture”, and more! Once you get hooked on this show, you will need the Sheldon Shirts website.

Enjoy!

Where Art Meets the Occult: Sacred Art Tarot

by Administrator, posted in Art, Magic/Occult, Products, Reviews

For not actually being a tarot reader, I love tarot decks. Perhaps it’s because tarot decks are generally where quality artwork meets the occult, two things that I can appreciate. Although finding most decks pleasing to the eye and a thing to make my inner occult geek go, oh yeah, I rarely feel inspired by them. You know, like maybe I should turn off “The Big Bang Theory”, get my ever widening butt up off the sofa, and learn me some tarot. The “Rider-Waite Tarot” gets me every time, and now I can add the “Sacred Art Tarot” to the list.

The images used on the cards are great classic works of art primarily of a Christian orientation. Yet the way those images are used invoke a very Western esoteric tradition that I find compelling. The creator of the deck, Andre St. Dryden, does say that the meanings are based on the teachings of Qabalists and occultists with a mixture of the creator’s own beliefs and esoteric decks such as the “Golden Dawn Tarot” and Aleister Crowley’s “Thoth Tarot Deck”.

The “Sacred Art Tarot” is a 78 card deck that comes with an instruction booklet and a custom spread sheet. If your tarot tastes run more towards the occult I highly recommend checking this deck out.

Druid’s Herbal of Sacred Tree Medicine

by Administrator, posted in Books, Reviews

Anyone who read Ellen Evert Hopman’s article on female druids here at The Magical Buffet knows that this isn’t any fly by night Pagan, but a knowledgeable expert on all things Druid. Her book “A Druid’s Herbal of Sacred Tree Medicine” lives up to the high standards I feel she set with her article. Not only is Hopman a Druid priestess extraordinaire, but a master herbalist. She is such a big deal that she serves on the Grey Council and is a professor of Wortcunning at the Grey School of Wizardry. With “A Druid’s Herbal of Sacred Tree Medicine” she combines all her specialties to great effect.

How does Hopman accomplish this? Glad you asked. It’s quite clever really. She uses the Ogham Tree Alphabet as a touchstone to discuss specific herbal associations, Celtic history, and practical applications, such as herbal treatments and rituals. Ogham is an early medieval alphabet used primarily to represent the Old Irish language. By using the Ogham as a guide, Hopman leads the reader through a wealth of information, even including Native American healing methods for indications of how ancient Europeans may have used these trees for healing.

“A Druid’s Herbal” opens with an incredibly informative introduction, which then leads into the examination of each letter of the Ogham Tree Alphabet. The second part of the book explores the Druidic arts. This makes the book more than just an herbal, but a how to guide to Druidism. Follow it up with some handy pronunciation guides and you’re set to go.

I would suggest this book to anyone interested in Celtic history and mythology, herbalism, and/or Pagan religious practices. In other words, most everyone.

Ball of Whacks

by Administrator, posted in Products, Reviews

This is the coolest thing I’ve ever touched,” I said. My husband responds with, “I think I may be insulted.” “No, see?” I ask as I toss him Roger von Oech’s Ball of Whacks. After a moment with the Ball, he agreed with me.

What is the Ball of Whacks? At its most impressive and enlightened, it’s a tool to help inspire creative thinking. For a knucklehead like me, it is the greatest fidgety widget of all time. That’s right, better than a Slinky. It’s comprised of 30 magnetic blocks that can be arranged into many different shapes.

It comes with a 96-page booklet that is loaded with different exercises you can do with the Ball of Whacks. Like most creativity inspiring exercises, the ones in the book seem silly and I will readily admit I did not try or use a single one of them. Who has time for that anyway when you’re busy fidgeting that Ball obsessively? Yes, my husband and I have already battled for control of the Ball of Whacks. Since I’m the one writing this article, you know who won.

Now, I had several of my friends play with the Ball of Whacks, and despite the fact that my husband and I are certain it’s the greatest fidget of all time, they remained unconvinced. So it begs the question, what is your favorite thing to fidget with? You know my answer, what’s yours? And keep it G Rated…yeah, I’m talking to you, yes you. You know who you are.

My Daily Affirmation

by Administrator, posted in Products, Reviews

My rep at U.S. Games Systems recently sent me a care package of goodies to look over, and one assumes to write about. She included a box of Daily Affirmations, “just for fun.”

What arrived is a fun and attractive oval box labeled “Daily Affirmations”. Inside there are 365 oval cards with quotes gathered from poets, philosophers, statesmen, celebrities and spiritual leaders, as well as common wisdom. Every morning since the box’s arrival I’ve had my husband and I draw a card to read. By now, my husband cringes as he hears the distinctive sound of me shaking the box so we can randomly select cards. (Helpful tip, 5:30 A.M. is maybe not the best time to receive an affirmation.)

With the holiday season in mind, these seem like they’re designed for all-purpose gift giving. And if affirmations aren’t your thing, U.S. Games has “Daily Quips” (which includes proverbs from around the world, and classic quotes from Lucille Ball, George Burns, George Carlin, Mark Twain, Lily Tomlin, and many others) and “Daily Strategies” (which provide 365 cards to inspire leadership and motivate successful thinking). See what I mean, really something for everyone.

In closing I want to say “Making the best of ourselves is the reason we were born, but it requires patience and perseverance,” which is attributed to Sarah Ban Breathnach, and more importantly, is my affirmation for today.

Ancient Feminine Wisdom of Goddesses and Heroines Divination Deck

by Administrator, posted in Mythology, Products, Reviews

I’ve always had a good relationship with U.S. Games, one of the go to places for tarot decks, but I just got a new contact there and she sent me a box of goodies to go through and I plan to steadily share it all with The Magical Buffet’s readers!

First up, Ancient Feminine Wisdom of Goddesses and Heroines Divination Deck by Kay Steventon and Brian Clark. This isn’t a traditional tarot deck, hence it being called divination deck.

This is a 78-card deck that’s a veritable who’s who of Greek mythology. I’m not going to lie, I had to bust out my “Bullfinch’s Mythology” for some of the ladies depicted. The deck also comes with an instruction booklet and a spread sheet to help you use the deck for divinatory readings. I could imagine someone using it as a daily quickie reading, much the way you’re encouraged to use the I Ching. Every morning wake up, shuffle, and draw a card to see some portents of what’s to come in your day. Thanks to the attractive art, I also could easily see a Game Master using this deck as a prop for any role-playing games that deals with ancient Greek mythology.

All you Goddess worshippers, yeah, I’m talking to you! This is the deck for you!

How I Spent My Summer

by Administrator, posted in Music, Reviews

Buying lots and lots of music! For those of you who haven’t been following along, this summer has been music buying chaos for me. Now that the summer is winding down, and the leaves here in New York are starting to change colors, let’s try to make some sense out of all that I’ve listened to.

It all started back at the very end of April, when both the latest Madonna and Robyn CDs released, and it ends with the new Glen Campbell album I just reviewed. Let’s go to the list, shall we?

April: Madonna “Hard Candy”, Robyn “Robyn”
May: Cyndi Lauper “Bring Ya to the Brink”, Duffy “Rockferry”
June: NERD “Seeing Sounds”
July: Nas “Untitled”, The Ting Tings “We Started Nothing”
August: Sa Dingding “Alive”, Glen Campbell “Meet Glen Campbell”

Obviously I liked all these albums. I only write about stuff I like when it comes to music. Also, I wrote reviews for all of these, so there is no need to rehash those opinions here. Let’s kick a little compare and contrast though, shall we?

Battle of 80s divas, Madonna verses Cyndi Lauper. Cyndi Lauper wins hands down. Both albums are designed to make you dance, but Madonna stuck to safer grounds with top hip hop and R&B producers, where as Lauper’s album makes you wanted to move just as much, but it took risks, such as dipping into Swedish pop and utilizing interesting and unusual sounds.

Want to unwind? Duffy verses Sa Dingding. It may seem odd to compare the two, but both albums are rich and atmospheric. Ladies, go with Duffy for introspection, listen to Sa Dingding to provide a soothing soundtrack for yoga or picturesque drives.

Waving your hands in the air, Nas verses NERD. Sonically NERD’s album is impressive. It’s a mix and match of sounds that ultimately come together with foot tapping, booty shaking, fist pumping results. Unfortunately for NERD, Nas has them beat lyrically, and the album boasts its own fantastic music. The Nas CD reigns supreme for me…I suspect it will be a long time before another hip hop album will impress me as much as this one did.

Did you just buy that? The Tings Tings verses Glen Campbell. Both albums were unknown quantities when purchased, both were entertaining. Obviously it’s hard to compare the chick 80s sound of The Ting Tings with the country reinterpretations of Glen Campbell. What they have in common…they were both inexpensive to purchase….and that’s it.

The album I’m still listening to…Robyn. That Robyn CD is the winner of the summer. I bought it at the end of April and it is still in my car for regular listens. Stuck in traffic? Listen to Robyn. Speeding down the highway? Listen to Robyn. Getting pumped up to go to a party? Listen to Robyn. Cleaning the apartment? Listen to Robyn because I loaded it onto my computer. There is no occasion when listening to the Robyn CD is a bad idea, except maybe when trying to get some sleep!

This has been a great summer for music and I’m sad to see it go. For once I don’t have a music review just sitting in my computer waiting to share with you guys. Hopefully with the upcoming holiday season there will be some new, exciting music releases for us to talk about. Until then, keep your ears open!

Meet Glen Campbell

by Administrator, posted in Music, Reviews

Yeah, I said Glen Campbell, you got a problem with that? The next time I talk music it will be my summer music buying wrap up, but this little oddity snuck in during August, so I figured, better add it to my lost summer of music purchases.

The buzz about the new Glen Campbell is that it’s an album of covers. That’s part of the appeal. Of course, “Meet Glen Campbell” should not be compared to any of the Johnny Cash “American Recordings” albums; that would be sort of like comparing, I don’t know, something super bad ass, with something not quite so. The Cash covers were revelations, these covers, just can’t hold up to them.

That said, there is a lot to love about this CD. Campbell’s producer took a handful of songs that were originally small, intimate, and pared down, and handed them over to get the big, bold, 60’s/70’s Glen Campbell treatment. Many people are all a buzz over the cover of Green Day’s song “Good Riddance (Time of Your Life)”. Personally, I’m a freak in the fact that I have never been a fan of this song. Save it for high school dances, and teen television dramas, is what I say. Campbell didn’t manage to change my opinion. On the other hand, I also have never been too fond of the Travis song “Sing”, but in Campbell’s hands I find this to be my favorite track on the album. My other big favorite is his cover of Tom Petty’s “Walls”.

In my opinion, it’s time more people met Glen Campbell, and this is a pretty accessible way to do that.

“Sing”, this is a live performance and in my opinion not as good as the album version, but it will give you an idea as to what I’m talking about.