Menomena is excellent, and very good live.

"Stephanie Says" is one of my favorite VU non-album tracks. My compliments to your shuffle feature.

Totally fair. I just remember talking to people in the couple years after A Scanner Darkly's release who were put off by the rotoscoping technique, which definitely seemed to be everywhere within a year or two. Figured it was worth warning Simon here in case he falls into that category.

I wouldn't quite give them Green Flash status, but they're great. Love their Hop Ottin' IPA out of a can.

I could contribute to that point if I could get H…sorry. I do know it and quite like it too, but I suspect we may be more into disco than the average fan and therefore more tolerant of that direction.

If you tend to like PKD adaptations, I definitely recommend A Scanner Darkly. Unless you hate rotoscoping (which did become much more ubiquitous after its release).

The reunited original lineup was pretty fucking great live in 2004. My expectations weren't that high, but I thought I should go anyway. Turned out to be fantastic.

I'm going to make myself wildly popular by nominating Kubrick and Lynch. (One extraordinary, underappreciated post-60 film each…although hopefully with more to come from Lynch.)

Ah, good to know - that probably helps to explain some of the criticism I've seen since I first posted. And how anyone has managed to see the versions in the set already.

I finally caught Trafic weeks ago, and wow, it has a lot that's just extraordinary. The ending in particular is stunning. I'll be picking the set up soon (and I look forward to Criterion's usual fine transfer work).

Thanks for this. Wonderful analysis and defense of a film I typically defend as well, just much less artfully. I particularly like the (forgive me) twist to the 9/11 allegory that you posit here.

There's definitely a large (or at least vocal) portion of the Radiohead/Yorke fanbase that can't stand the sound of Eraser/Thief/Limbs, which I think motivated a lot of the "return to form" celebration of In Rainbows. Personally I'm much more interested in Yorke's exploration of the electronic and experimental, as…

If I owned a sled, I definitely would have named it Coded Spoiler.

Counterpoint: As a big Kubrick fan, I think Eyes Wide Shut is in serious contention for his second-best film (as much as I love Barry Lyndon, which is any reasonable person's nomination). It's very distinctive tonally, but I think accepting that yields great things. It remains really exciting to me that Kubrick…

That's always my favorite part of rewatching a Wright film - paying attention to the construction. So amazing. I actually accept some of the criticism of the humor value in the Cornetto Trilogy (I am often amused but rarely laughing while watching), but that has zero impact on my love for them because of Wright. …

I was underwhelmed by Antics (which isn't bad, just…fine) and think they have had diminishing returns since. I don't think you're missing much. Bright Lights is a remarkable record made all the more remarkable by their inability to duplicate it (in my anonymous Internet Opinion).

I think I can confirm this explanation as someone who likes Echoes/pre-Echoes Rapture a lot, and does not care for "No Sex for Ben" much.

If anyone who likes anything else by Banks has NOT read Use of Weapons…oof. Attempt it, people. And that ending, yes.

That first record also combined great hooks with weird structural quirks and arrangement decisions (particularly on the deeper cuts). A really potent mix.

In a very strange way, I kind of envy you.