Cass McCombs – Humor Risk

Known for taking anarchy to his own terms, Cass McCombs’ newest album Humor Risk is the storytelling after the storm. His lyrically driven style ascends with an airy, streamlined musicality to reveal the artist in a state of well-found retrospect. In comparison to McCombs earlier 2011 release, Wit’s End, the album takes a rosier disposition: the dusty strums of “Robin Egg Blue” or the moveable rhythms in “The Same Thing”. Slow haunts of tracks like “Every Man His Chimera” and “Mariah” provide a detached dose of tragic narrative. A collection of songs that, perhaps, takes McCombs to a more mainstream terrain, Humor Risk is an honest rendering by a voice comparable to some of music history’s best storytellers.

- Laura Phillips

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BLACKBOARDS IN PORN

Some bored/asexual people in cyberspace decided to evaluate the mathematics on the ever-present blackboards we all ignore while watching the classic “professor” scenario throughout the history of pornography. Turns out that certain pornographers go the extra mile and work out high level calculus to bring authenticity to a scene. We can’t wait for the spin-off Is There Actually Sausage On That Pizza?

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MACHO MEN

NewVillager is reaching to blend their brand from the pop world into the art world and back again.

Historically, this rarely sits well with music critics, and is ignored by art critics. Tell this to NewVillager and they’ll ignore you; not because they’re deflecting criticism, but because they’re too busy sitting under their emblematic wigwam, plotting their next extravagant display. As evidenced by seeing fans in homemade t-shirts while the band is on tour supporting Metronomy, NewVillager mean a tonne to the special few, and in the end isn’t cult status more satisfying than fame?

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THIS MONTH: Ernold Sane

Ernold Sane is a happy person, he just has little to no patience for humans. He will break a nose to defend his friends, but will look the other way if you’re beating a child and possibly give you words of encouragement.

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TENNESSEE ROSE

When you’re a touring musician, you have to accept that some nights are going to be worse than others. Such was the case for Caitlin Rose and her band when they showed up in Vancouver on Oct. 8 on tour with Americana icon, Justin Townes Earle, at the Rio Theatre.

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Christmas movies are an institution. They’ve been teaching us the true meaning of Christmas for decades. One thing they’ve never been good at, however, is teaching us realistic limits of the human body. Of course this isn’t limited to movies about the holidays; clearly I know that Indiana Jones should have died in that fridge.* However, for some reason, Christmas movies are the most egregious offenders for portraying the human body as nigh invincible in late-December.

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FILMDRUNK

Last issue we had Vince Mancini of Filmdrunk.com go over what he anticipated to be some of the best and worst movies of the year. For those of you who are just joining us, Filmdrunk is a movie blog with a healthy dose of Steven Segal photoshops and dogs wearing party hats.   – Kellen Powell

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WELCOME TO THE PTERODOME

Apparently in the dinosaur “scene” there’s no such creature as a “pterodactyl.” Paleontologists prefer the term “pterosaur” to described the various species of prehistoric winged reptiles. In the Brooklyn rock scene however, Pterodactyl is very real.

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TAYLOR MADE

What makes someone an artist? Totally a cheesy question, right? But honestly, if you’re willing to forget the bullshit and just think about that, what is it that makes someone an artist? When have you “made it” as a painter? It’s not an easy question to answer.

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THE BURDZ AND THE KEYZ

The only other thug I know who got expelled from elementary school is my cousin Andrea. She got busted for bullying some of the girls in her kindergarten class, which brings me to Toronto, ahem, Markham-based hip-hop producer, Burd & Keyz. Burd, real name Andrew Liburd, was persuaded to abandon elementary school while he was still in Grade 7, along with co-conspirator and childhood friend, Durty Keyz. It speaks volumes about an education system which systemically abandons it students, uprooting and displacing them into foreign environments. Hell, my cousin never did recover, nor did she learn to leave her snubnose back at the crib.

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WHEN THE LEVY BREAKS

You know that whole, “Dude, what if the red I’m seeing isn’t the same red you’re seeing?” conversation you have? It’s actually a completely valid, sober thought too. If you think about it, everything you see is just what your brain decides is important out of a few flickers of light, and since everybody’s a unique and beautiful snowflake, it’s pretty likely that we’re all living in our own personal realities (some more than others).
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POP-O-MATIC

Eleven nights into their first touring experience I met with the band before their final Canadian show. We talked Mitch Easter, discussed “urban nut” –whatever the fuck that means – brushed upon purchasing pornography, and delved into the band’s tongue-in-cheek fantasies of working with one Brian Setzer, during which I learned to keep personal observations to myself and enjoy the aloof idiosyncrasies of a young band.

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The holidays are a special time, so we are giving away a special prize; a hand crafted piece from designer, Molly Spittal. With an affinity for leather and heavy fabrics, Molly has grown her label, The Stowe, from her signature hand crafted belts, to totes and backpacks. Each one is made by hand and is one of a kind. The piece that we are giving away is her Roll-Top Rucksack and was inspired by the functional Dry-Sac that is used by kayakers. All of her pieces are made with 100% natural leather, natural cotton and brass hardware.

Comment below to enter.

THIS BRIGHT FLASH

A film can tell a story effectively because of its use of audio and visuals. For a musician to pull off a work that fully emotes that of the silver screen, the artist must connect to its audience based on the quality of the journey. For M83’s Anthony Gonzalez, this is the case with his albums, part of a body of work that feels cinematic in its truest essence.

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CLAUDE CARDENAS – Photographer

Claude is a filmmaker and photographer that reluctantly calls the Central Valley of California his home. He shot photos of Kids On A Crime Spree for this issue. He has been an active supporter of the independent music scene since 2001 and has produced his own video zine entitled Pop Song Romance for nearly 10 years. More information about Claude can be found at his tumblr site.

[allthegirlsieverloved.tumblr.com]
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THIS MONTH: Skullbeard and Dr. Ian Super

Traveling back in time, Skullbeard and Dr. Ian Super engaged in 3D chess around the primordial ooze that was to become Man.  Finding no solace in the game, they decided that they would instead bless the readers of ION with more stunningly accurate horoscopes. Through consultation with stars and scrolls they give you this gift.

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