Monthly Archives: September 2005

REVIEWS: No-Shadow Kick – Spatializing Sound in the Time Domain (2005)

Posted on September 12, 2005 by Tom

Listeners are likely to decide by the very first song whether they love or hate Northampton’s No-Shadow Kick (according to the EP’s cover, now “The” No-Shadow Kick): the lead singer has an intense low nasal yowl, which works well with the mischievous lyrics and turbulent guitars. Those who enjoy the voices of Frank Black (Pixies) or Peter Garrett (Midnight Oil) will likely be charmed; others may find frontman Tom Pappalardo’s singing style a turn-off. At seven songs, one of which … Read the rest →

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Failure, Incompetence (comic retrospective, 2005)

Posted on September 11, 2005 by Tom

FAILURE, INCOMPETENCE is a collection of unpublished comics & stories spanning the last decade. Jam-packed with fantastic mediocrity. Sixty pages of immense time-killing. Hated by many, loved by few. After having spent so much time working on various attempts at comic strips, comic books, short stories, and illustrations, it was really depressing to me when I realized how few people had ever actually seen ‘em. So in late 2004, I decided to start “cleaning out” my proverbial “closet” of old … Read the rest →

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REVIEWS: Failure, Incompetence (2005)

Posted on September 10, 2005 by Tom

Tom refers to this as “a collection/retrospective of the last ten wasted years of my artistic life (ha).” Well, he’s full of wilderness muffin mix, for rather it’s a collection of zany gag cartoons and longer pieces, all in a booklet that’s strangely reassuring to hold. Several pages show the influence of Chris Ware’s jolly despair, mostly in the bits featuring a sad sack who looks like a cross between Sluggo and Ware’s gloomy potato man. Recommended: four pages adapting … Read the rest →

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