reviews

Helena Deland Attempts to Say What Cannot be Said on the Lovely 'Goodnight Summerland'

PUBLISHED Oct 11, 2023

Helena Deland sings about connectivity — to intimate partners, passing images and the world at large — from the vantage point of someone un...

Faith Healer's 'The Hand That Fits the Glove' Reshapes Pop Conventions

PUBLISHED Oct 11, 2023

"I'm so tired of playing the game," deadpans singer Jessica Jalbert on The Hand That Fits the Glove opener "The Game," her voice droning on...

Jamila Woods Bravely Explores the Tributaries of Selfhood on 'Water Made Us'

PUBLISHED Oct 11, 2023

In a her 1995 essay "The Site of Memory,"  Toni Morrisson spoke about the memory of water.  "You know, they straightened out the Mississipp...

gglum Sifts Through the Mess on "SPLAT!"

Exclaim! Staff Picks

PUBLISHED Oct 11, 2023

A title like "SPLAT!" conjures visions of neon goop and cartoonish slapstick, but the latest single from London-based songwriter Ella Smoke...

'The Magic of Make-Believe' Is a Warm Reminder of the Importance of 'Mr. Dressup'

Directed by Robert McCallum

PUBLISHED Oct 10, 2023

On February 14, 1996, Ernie Coombs signed off as Mr. Dressup for the last time. For 30 years, his show, Mr. Dressup, entertained children a...

Earl Sweatshirt and the Alchemist Stretch Out (Just a Little) on 'VOIR DIRE'

Exclaim! Staff Picks

PUBLISHED Oct 10, 2023

The other day, my colleague Calum Slingerland asked me what's the first thing that grabs me when I listen to a new hip-hop album; I respond...

'Totally Killer' Is a Welcome Horror That's Not Scary at All

Directed by Nahnatchka Khan

PUBLISHED Oct 10, 2023

As someone who crams in as many spooky films as possible every October, I have a great appreciation for horror movies that aren't actually...

Yukon Blonde's 'Shuggie' Asks More of Life

PUBLISHED Oct 10, 2023

What does it mean to write in the second person? In literature, it means a great many hefty things, mostly to do with ascription. But in po...