Pay the piper

I've been listening to the Pillows' PIED PIPER a lot this week. You have to understand... when this album was first released last summer, I was mired in a pretty severe case of Pillows burnout. I love the band, but they have released a new album like clockwork almost every year since 1997. And their last three, while solid, had been so similar to one another that, well, I guess I just felt like I didn't need another one. So when PIED PIPER finally rolled around... I completely skipped over it.

A mistake, as it turns out, because it's the Pillow's best work in years. It's no more a departure from band's standard Pixies-esque rock stylings than any of their other last several albums, but this time around, the songs are all a little bit catchier, a little bit more ambitious, and a lot more interesting. I'm particularly fond of Tokyo Zombie, a brief but multi-part instrumental track in the middle of the album, but there's plenty of other fun stuff on there. If you're a fan of the band, it's definitely worth checking out... and if you've never heard of them before, it's a pretty solid introduction to their work.

- Sam Logan

Slippin'

Were you worried that this story was completely frivolous? Well, good news! It's actually just mostly frivolous. (The perfect amount, in my opinion!)

Starslip undergoes a sort of soft relaunch today, complete with a keen new art direction. I was lucky enough to get a peek at some of the new character designs awhile back, and have been impatiently awaiting their arrival ever since. Kris has really grown as an artist over the last few years, and I'm really excited to see the more full, more expressive style of his recent projects finally work its way into Starslip. It's a great comic, and if you are not on the bandwagon... then get on the bandwagon.

Sam Logan

The old switcheroo

Next week: our story takes a surprising turn! (And no, Conscience Cat and Dr Crab do not switch places.) Will another familiar-yet-long-absent face be turning up? Will they be accompanied by astounding levels of danger and intrigue? Or is this all just a completely transparent attempt to hype you up for no particular reason?

FIND OUT ON MONDAY!

Sam Logan