Major League Baseball and its fans have heard it all before. There were sluggers like Mark McGwire, Jose Canseco and most recently Ryan Braun, who captivated audiences nine innings at a time. Then there were the aces. The guys who threw fire out of their arms. I’m talking guys like Roger Clemens (although it’s still up in the air….) and Andy Pettitte who blew away batters one by one. This is what baseball was supposed to be. Monstrous home runs, blinding strikeouts and game winning hits are what we as baseball fans hope to see during the long 162 game … Continued
Music Staff Picks: The Best Releases of April
billy woods – Aethiopes On Aethiopes, billy woods reestablishes his strengths as a storyteller, with help from producer Preservation’s experimentally jazzy beats. By now, woods has cemented himself as one of hip hop’s greatest writers, and his brooding yet clever introspection sounds especially powerful over Preservation’s musical backdropping. Samples of pianos will twinkle across some tracks, and pound discordantly on others, while electric guitars ring and horns blow. By the time the harmonica enters the equation, the beats here are unparalleled. It is an enveloping atmosphere completed by excellent percussion, which moves between hand drums, full kits, and shuffling jangles … Continued
