TOP PICK
Marvel Ultimate Alliance 2
(Activision)
The best thing about this videogame (for pretty much every console)
is that no superhero in the Marvel universe is too obscure. Are you a
Penance fan? He’s here. What about Songbird? She’s here too. The
gameplay is a lot like the original Alliance: You and up to
three pals load up heroes with powers and kick ass through various
maps. We call dibs on Spidey!
CD
Beastie Boys: Hello Nasty
(Capitol/EMI)
The last of 2009’s deluxe remastered Beasties CDs adds a bonus disc
— filled with B-sides, remixes and live cuts — to the 1998
album. But the real thrill here is the beefed-up sound: Funky and
spacey noises buzz in and out of songs like “Intergalactic” and “Body
Movin’,” making Nasty the most aurally adventurous Beasties
record since Paul’s Boutique.
DVD
Jack Johnson En Concert
(Brushfire)
This document of Johnson’s 2008 European tour doesn’t offer too many
surprises: The likable singer-songwriter hangs around with fans before
a show, surfs during the day and talks about love. Mostly, though, he
performs his laid-back songs onstage for a bunch of French, German and
British people, who sing along to almost every word.
DVD
Anvil! The Story of Anvil
(VH1)
This funny, poignant and occasionally rockin’ movie tells the story
of a real-life Spinal Tap — old-school Canadian metalheads who
never quite hit the big time. Fans like Lars Ulrich and Slash talk up
the band’s influence (Anvil’s best-known album is called Metal on
Metal), but it’s the guys’ own stories that’ll leave you
cheering.
CD
Sliimy: Paint Your Face
(Perezcious/Warner Bros.)
The first artist signed to Internet gossip jackass Perez Hilton’s
record label is every bit as gay as Hilton. But this 20-year-old
Frenchman isn’t nearly as annoying, loading his debut with rinky-dink
synths and bubbly singalong pop. His ballads really don’t go anywhere,
but the springy melodies are more fun than drawing dicks on celebrity
faces.
This article appears in Nov 11-17, 2009.