Chris DeVille, Stereogum:

Here’s a good bit: Rent out the American Football house, which is now an Airbnb, and write your own album there. Here’s a fun twist on that bit: Use the unique circumstances to execute a surprising aesthetic pivot.

Anamanaguchi, one of the world’s foremost chiptune bands, have announced their new album Anyway today. It’s a rock album with traditional rock instruments — i.e. not the video game music the band made its name on — and they wrote it in the Champaign, IL rental home pictured on the cover of twinkly, jazzy Midwest emo heroes American Football’s 1999 debut album. The house can also be seen on the cover of Anyway. American Football and their label Polyvinyl — which also happens to be Anamanaguchi’s label — now own the house, so securing it for a creative retreat was easy.

The first single, the very very good Weezer-and-or-Ozma influenced “Darcie”, has a video up here. The album, Anyway. releases on August 8th. I can’t wait!

Austin Wood, GamesRadar+:

Video games exist, in large part, because people want fun and interesting ways to spend their time, as is the case with any other form of entertainment.

But there is arguably an especially pertinent connection between the timing of the Switch 2 launch, the general state of the world, and the ethos attached to Nintendo games. “It’s been so long since we’ve had a new console hardware platform,” Piscatella continues. “It’s been years. It’s been a long time, and people are looking for things to kind of get their mind off of what’s going on elsewhere. You can even see it online, just the desire people have to have something to be excited about. I don’t know, maybe it’s just my own perspective, but I just see this palpable desperation, in a sense, of wanting to find something to bring joy.

“And a lot of people are locking on to this, which, good for them.”

Comment above from Mat Piscatella, a long-time video game industry analyst. And I don’t think he’s wrong.

Between the sales announcement being directly impacted by tariffs, to the intent of just pure capital-F Fun™, there’s something transgressive about the Switch 2 right now.

A defiant act of “the world is on fire, so I’m gonna lose myself in some blue shells for a while”.

Is that an inherently positive thing? Probably not. But I’ll be damned if right now, the June 5th release date isn’t one of my more anticipated dates of the year.

I couldn’t tell you when exactly it happened, but at some point in the last few years, I got really into baseball.¹

And I mean really into baseball.

Sure, it helped that the Baltimore Orioles have — after a lengthy downturn — been a top-tier team in baseball², but it’s become an ongoing concern for me. It helps that my wife is into it as well, and I’m pretty sure of the 162+ games last season, we watched or listened to easily 120+ of them.

But what is it about the game that I find so compelling? Why this? Why now?

Besides the obvious thought of sports being my midlife crisis interest³, I think there’s something to be said about the construction around the sport itself.

Baseball isn’t about living and dying on every win or loss. It’s about the long game. It’s about the marathon. When the best are considered such because they have a .500 average, that still means they’re losing half the time. You see players ebb and flow through a lengthy spring, summer and fall of games. They get on a hot streak. They get the yips. Star making seasons can be ended in an instance with an injury, or legends can be made in a moment, with a perfectly timed swing, or an out of this world catch.

For a fan, it’s as lengthy a roller coaster as it can be for the teams themselves.

But at the same time, there’s a community. It’s not about 16 weeks of do-or-die, it’s about digging in, finding your grit, supporting your team, and hoping for the best. It’s about going to the games with family and friends. It’s about having a near-nightly tradition in a time where the world feels more erratic than ever.

2025 is, was, has been, and continues to be a rough year. But almost every day, I can sit down, dig in for two hours and change, and just enjoy the game of baseball.

It also doesn’t hurt that here in Maryland we are blessed with a great commentary duo, with Kevin Brown on play-by-play, and former pitcher Ben McDonald on color. Kevin’s a stats geek, a pop culture nerd, obsessed with ballpark food, and isn’t afraid to talk about Blink 182 during a game that isn’t going so well. Ben’s a seasoned hand, who has been up and down in the game of baseball. He knows what it’s like to win, and what it’s like to lose. And he’s there, like an uncle almost, to delight in the success, but give tough love in the times of strife. For the wrestling nerds reading this, think of them as how Excalibur and Taz play against each other for AEW’s commentary.

I’m now digging deeper, learning more. I know what RISP means. I think I understand ERAs. I have capital-t Thoughts about pitching.

But the important thing is this — for a few hours a day, life slows down, balls get hit, and all is well.

I’m sure none of what I said above is particularly original when it comes to talking about baseball, but the fact is: sharing this with my wife, building friendships with fellow fans, connecting with people in the real world about the O’s in times good and bad — it reminds me the world isn’t entirely awful. And right now, we need more of that.

Perfect? No. But a reminder of just how straightforward and fun these movies were. Barely tied to the “saga”, solid performances from flawed characters. Had a good time.

Also, the score kinda goes hard?

This review may contain spoilers.

Questlove: Here’s my SNL doc with the coolest mashup you’ve ever seen.

Ryan Coogler: Hold my beer.

(Also, Ludwig Goransson did not need to go so hard.)

2D animation, forever and ever.

Just a fun movie — the animation is so dynamic, and the writing sharp.

Can’t say I expected a homage to John Carpenter’s The Thing?

Shout out Ketchup Entertainment.

Back in 2020, superstar comic artist Dan Mora posted a random idea. Mashing up the Batman characters with the style of Japanese tokusatsu, the genre which we in the states know best for Ultraman and Power Rangers.

People were very into it, and it’s hard to blame them.

And some of those people? Pretty well known for comics of their own – Radiant Black’s writer, Kyle Higgins, and Inferno Girl Red artist Erica D’Urso.

They have some history with writing and illustrating toku inspired comics, with Radiant Black borrowing key elements from the genre, and Inferno Girl Red being a spin-off in the same universe, called the Massive-Verse.

It’s taken five years, but DC Comics listened, as revealed this past weekend at the C2E2 Convention…

AIPT:

During the “Kyle Higgins Presents: Radiant Black, The Massive-Verse and More!” panel, Kyle will announce a new DC Elseworlds limited series, Immortal Legend Batman. It features co-writer Mat Groom (Radiant Black, Inferno Girl Red) and art by Dan Mora (Superman, Justice League Unlimited, Batman/Superman: World’s Finest).

“In Immortal Legend Batman, Dan, Mat, Erica, and I are using elements of ‘superhero tokusatsu,’ so readers can expect to see cool and recognizable elements like mech/armor-style transformations, specifically named combat moves, a gradually expanding team, and more,” said writer Higgins.

That’s right, Immortal Legend Batman is the title, and the first issue hits shelves in August 2025. It’s awesome to see a company like DC not be afraid to embrace alternative versions of their characters, and put name creators on the book as well.

Sadly, Mora will be working more on the covers than the interiors, but I know D’Urso is up for the gig.

Massive kudos to whichever editor approved this…more of this, big two, more of this.

I feel like this is a DVD which my friends and I would’ve circulated amongst each other.

Fun enough of a movie, though, man, Jack Quaid is having a tough time with relationships on the big screen this year.

More Amber Midthunder, please.

I really loved the book the movie is based on, Mickey 7, but the tone is very different for this film version. Maybe I would have been more enamored with it without the context, but this didn’t entirely work for me.

Just keep giving me stylish Soderbergh movies with David Holmes scores, and I’ll be happy forever.

Watched on Sunday March 23, 2025.

Watched on Saturday March 15, 2025.

ESPN:

Back inside the Diamond Lounge, Ho pointed out something Silver would never forget.

“If you notice,” he told Silver, “the restaurants in Chinatown are empty.”

Silver paused.

“The Chinese community in the U.S. are quite aware of what’s going on in China – much more than the general public,” Ho said. “And the Chinatown restaurants are a reflection of that. People are scared.”

The two talked for 15 minutes. Silver had already been concerned about the possibility of filling NBA arenas with nearly 20,000 fans, but the unemotional, matter-of-fact tone from Ho was striking. The next morning, on the same day the World Health Organization declared the COVID-19 outbreak a global public health emergency, Silver called Ho and asked whether he would serve as a consultant for the NBA on COVID-19. Ho agreed.

The first, goosebump inducing moment of this amazing oral history of the day the NBA shutdown due to COVID, which was – believe it or not – five years ago today.

Definitely going to be hanging with me today the five years that have passed, what happened in them, and who we are now versus who we were then.

Gematsu:

The timeless RPG Chrono Trigger, which first launched for Super Famicom in 1995, celebrates its 30th anniversary on March 11 in Japan. In a celebration post on its official Twitter account, Square Enix said users can look forward to various developments that go beyond the world of the game throughout the next year.

I admit, I was a latecomer to Chrono Trigger, playing it via emulator some years after its initial release. But, wow. What a game.

It truly is one of the best JRPGs of its era, if not all time.

I’m sure the celebration events hinted to are more likely to be, say, Chrono Trigger concerts, as opposed to a new game or redux version…but, Squeenix, old pal, if you were to HD2D this, like you did with Dragon Quest? Day one. Full price.

Apple Newsroom:

In this quirky action game — an Apple Arcade exclusive — players expand their Katamari by rolling up objects scattered across the earth. Featuring unique and whimsical gameplay, and a captivating soundtrack that blends different genres, the game invites players to energize the king’s “live stream” by rolling their Katamari to create stars. As users advance, comments from in-game fans appear, and the longer they play, the larger their audience grows. By completing the king’s challenges and boosting their subscriber count, players can unlock dynamic new stages.

The proper title of the game is Katamari Damacy Rolling LIVE. The Katamari franchise is one of my all time favorites, and I am incredibly excited to see a new installment.

The question, however, is this: the games have always been, uh, quirky in their controls, and that’s with two proper analog sticks. How’s this going to work via touch?

What a ride. Sophie Thatcher is really becoming one to watch. And somehow, Jack Quaid is both doing a great Superman AND plays a real shithead here.

WHATEVER YOU DO, DO NOT WATCH THE TRAILER. GO IN AS BLIND AS YOU CAN.

Competent, solid filmmaking that sadly never gets to a full boiling point. So close!

Cats Are The Best: The Motion Picture

Hell of a movie. Incredible performances, but the cinematographer did (heh) the lord’s work here.

12 Angry Men, meet 138 Grumpy Cardinals.

Could’ve been 5 stars for the opening montage alone.

Only gets dropped because you KNOW that there are so many more stories than what they could feature in 2hrs and change.

Perhaps a bit shaggy, but still quite enjoyable.

Love the classic film homages, and that we got to get another adventure with these two is a real joy. A nice, handmade treat.

Me: I hate how Ghostbusters: Afterlife treated proton packs like they were these key objects from history, to be worshipped in hushed tones…

Also Me: when Fred Durst put the red cap on in Y2K, I felt that.

Ethan Millman, Rolling Stone:

One huge difference separates the two songs: a cover of “Uncontrollable Urge” soundtracks the comedy clip show Rob Dyrdek’s Ridiculousness, which can play on MTV for as much as 14 hours in a 24-hour period, nearly every day of the week. (At its peak in 2020, it played an astonishing 113 hours out of MTV’s entire 168-hour lineup, according to Variety) Over the past decade, through 42 seasons, 1,545 episodes and countless reruns airing every 30 minutes, the performance royalties on that song net Mothersbaugh around $1 million per year, according to an estimate from his wife and manager Anita Greenspan.

“I’ve written so many other songs for films and television shows,” Mothersbaugh, who’s composed the themes for Pee-wee’s Playhouse and Rugrats alongside multiple Wes Anderson films, tells Rolling Stone. “I would’ve been shocked [years ago] if you told me this is the one that would become this prime source of income.”

Absolutely fascinating article about the long tail value to musicians of the simple TV theme song.

Makes me wonder how much the guy from Seinfeld’s making from his mouth noises and bass playing.

Also: goddamn does MTV show a lot of Ridiculousness. I get it, it’s one of the perfect Hotel Room TV shows.

Earlier this evening, I was in my car, my music library on shuffle as it usually is, when a favorite I’ve not heard in some time came on — “Welcome Home” by Coheed and Cambria.

The song’s a jam and a half, so I was enjoying it, but it reminded me of an inflection point in my fandom of them — which lead to a bunch of other thoughts, so you’re getting a blog post out of it.

Coheed and Cambria, for those unawares, is a New Jersey based rock band who came of age in the early 00’s. With a unique sound that mixed prog rock and post-hardcore, they were catnip for a twenty something me. Now, add the fact that the lyrics were inspired by a sci-fi story being written by lead singer Claudio Sanchez, you have the makings of something for devoted fandom.

What was the story? Who were the characters? How did each song fit in? It was something to discuss with friends, debate over the internet, and made each album an event.

And then…alongside the release of some one-off comics in 2004 and 2005, and then a very lengthy series called The Amory Wars from 2007 to 2024…we found out what the story really was. And — for me, at least — it never worked or satisfied on the level of the versions of the story which spiraled in my head as I listened to their music.

Knowing — in turn — ruined the possibility.

And I see this pattern a lot in our current franchise based era of entertainment.

One of the coolest elements of the first John Wick movie were the glimpses of a mysterious world of hitmen. Antiquated coins, tattooed phone receptionists, protected hotels…you saw the tip of an iceberg, and it added to the tapestry of the film overall. These were lights shining just beyond the frame, something intriguing but out of focus.

In the three movies since — good films, yes — each installment has brought more clarity to the world of hitmen…and, I’d argue, has become more blasé. We now know how things work. We have logic to apply to random sequences, versus just going with the confidence of the filmmakers to let you connect the dots.

Solo: A Star Wars Story was, from the jump, a somewhat cursed film — telling the story of Han Solo prior to A New Hope. Like X-Men Origins: Wolverine before it, it said to the world, “You want to know about his jacket, right? The LORE of jacket, right?” And it all became less special. And lest you think this was a Disney-era issue — didn’t the Clone Wars sound a lot more interesting when Obi-Wan made a tossed off mention of it in conversation with Luke, versus knowing it was a conflict between Robots and Clones, and those Clones who somehow became Boba Fett, and I guess Yoda was there too, and the clones were ordered by the Jedi for some reason and…

Yeah. Not knowing was better than knowing.

This last weekend, I watched Anora, a great movie with an incredible performance at its core, which — without spoiling — has an ending which could be read many different ways…and it doesn’t tell you how. And the director, he isn’t talking.

Could you imagine what Lost In Translation would have been if Sofia Coppola told us all what Bill Murray’s character whispered into Scarlett Johansson’s ear? Instead, the ambiguity has meant decades of discussion and theory.

I’m not going to come out and say “not knowing things is better”, because I wholeheartedly believe that knowledge is power, and ignorance is foolish.

But I will say, when it comes to creative works — no, I don’t need to know how these things happened. I don’t need to know all the rules of the world. Let me make the connections. Let our imaginations roam.

What a fucking ride.

also: what if the “cast where one character is the same, but everyone else is muppets” meme, but instead “movie’s the same, but Ivan’s there, too.”