He gets sentenced to be their butler!

R.I.P. "Jon Benjamin Has a Van" (my personal favorite)

Personally, I'm surprised by all the negative feedback on "The Mindy Project" in this comment section (although I haven't been following the weekly TV Club reviews). I watched a few episodes of the show last fall and had stopped by Thanksgiving, having concluded that the show was an unfunny mess. I started watching…

I guess their appearance on SNL tonight will be a watershed moment in
their career. Unfortunately, I really couldn't stand their album. I
don't object to pop music generally, or to pop music being marketed
towards an "indie" audience, but I really loathed their Fleetwood Mac
kind of sound. In contrast, I think that…

Try "Don't Believe the Truth," their 2005 album which is certainly better than "Be Here Now" and in my opinion definitely worthwhile.  Contains two of the best Noel Gallagher-sung tunes I've heard, "The Importance of Being Idle" and "Part of the Queue."

Yes, this exactly.  I essentially interpret it a joke, in which the title track is this extended, enthusiastic introduction to "the one and only Billy Shears."  And then, after all that buildup, lo and behold, it turns out it's just fucking Ringo.

Very good songwriting on this album.  Some of the best pop songs you'll hear this side of the mainstream in 2013.

I agree that it's "half-baked," but do you really think these sound like "soul" songs?  I know that's the word Karen O used to describe the album's sound, but after a couple of listens, I'm having a hard time agreeing with the idea that anything about this is particularly soulful.  Except maybe the presence of the…

Nah, that should have been called "Seventies Hard Rock Revival," if anything, although I think most reviews at the time acknowledged the difference in sound.  Anyway, that album was pretty much a mess.  A couple of the tighter songs are okay, but that's about it.  Way over-hyped as part of the much-hyped "return to…

He's probably talking about how the Black Keys' real commercial breakthrough didn't come until 2010 with the release of Brothers.  I agree that it makes less sense to group them with bands whose breakthrough (and often biggest) albums were released in 2001-03 (Is This It, Room on Fire, White Blood Cells, Elephant,…

How about the Chemistry Set?

It wasn't a very public breakup, but it's apparent that, for whatever reason, things are pretty sour among the Trees, sour enough to preclude a reunion even after all of these years.  If recent interviews of Mark Lanegan are any indication, it seems that he doesn't look back on the Trees' career all that fondly,…

Don't hold your breath for the first and third of those.  Especially the latter, as lead singer Ben McMillan passed away a few years ago.  It would be fantastic to see any of these bands reunited, and I'd be particularly excited to see Love Battery.

The Cloud Nothings album is mostly too emo/pop-punk-leaning for my taste, although "No Future/No Past," "Wasted Days," and "Separation" would make a knockout EP.

The Cloud Nothings album is mostly too emo/pop-punk-leaning for my taste, although "No Future/No Past," "Wasted Days," and "Separation" would make a knockout EP.

Agreed about the need to appreciate it for what it is, although I don't think that "Local
Business" belongs in the top 10.  As much as I love Titus, only three songs — "In a Big City," "In a Small Body," and "Upon Viewing
Oregon's Landscape…" — rank among their best work.  "The Electric
Man" is a great novelty song. …

Agreed about the need to appreciate it for what it is, although I don't think that "Local
Business" belongs in the top 10.  As much as I love Titus, only three songs — "In a Big City," "In a Small Body," and "Upon Viewing
Oregon's Landscape…" — rank among their best work.  "The Electric
Man" is a great novelty song. …

To my surprise, 2012 has produced at least ten knockout albums.  And I haven't even heard the Men's record yet.

To my surprise, 2012 has produced at least ten knockout albums.  And I haven't even heard the Men's record yet.