Aly Comingore

June 1, 2006

CD: Elefant – Black Magic Show

By Aly Comingore

Rather than churning out an album that you would love to love, or even something that you would love to hate, 80s throwback gurus Elefant have crafted The Black Magic Show - a record that jumps between infectious and inf...

May 25, 2006

Don’t Press Your Luck

By Aly Comingore

It's no real surprise that Lindsay Lohan's latest identity-swapping adventure is cheesy - anyone forced to sit through the trailer could have deduced that much in about 30 seconds.

May 18, 2006

Liars, Burritos and Robots… Oh My

By Aly Comingore

As another year creeps toward its end, we here at Artsweek are feeling a wee bit overwhelmed. With pre-graduation jitters comes a slew of culminating performances, exhibits and screenings that attempt - ever so boldly - ...

May 11, 2006

The Sweet Smell of Freedom?

By Aly Comingore

If the road to freedom truly is long and winding, the characters in "After Innocence" are the quintessential weary travelers. Scheduled snuggly in between last month's Actors' Gang performance of "The Exonerated" and nex...

May 4, 2006

Hot Desert Action

By Marissa Stockham, Aly Comingore, Daniel Haier, Fergal Madigan

There's nothing like two days of nonstop stage-hopping in 95-degree heat to satiate the need for a good live show. Once again, the big money masterminds behind the Coachella Valley Music and Arts Festival spent their wee...

April 27, 2006

Pinback @ The Hub

By Aly Comingore

Rather than dwell on what went wrong with Pinback's Thursday night show in the Hub, I choose to chalk it up to an unappreciative audience and call it a night.

April 20, 2006

Pinback’s “Fortress” of Solitude

By Aly Comingore

Following the release of Pinback's full-length debut, Summer in Abaddon, the almighty twosome of Rob Crow and Zach Smith (formerly known as Armistead Burwell Smith IV) have been thrown aboard the one-way train to indie r...

April 20, 2006

Gang Warfare

By Aly Comingore

Tonight marks the final stop on a nationwide tour for Tim Robbins' prestigious ensemble troupe, the Actors' Gang. Since 2002 the cast has traveled the country with their performance of the true life tales of wrongfully a...

April 13, 2006

L.A. Confidential

By Aly Comingore

It's no wonder so many music fans hate L.A. With its congested freeways, overpriced concert tickets and pretentious, industry-driven scene, the setting seems bleak for anyone trying to make it big (unless, of course, you...

April 13, 2006

The Boy Least Likely To | The Best Party Ever | Too Young To Die Records

By Aly Comingore

While my inner judgmental music critic constantly warns me not to judge a book - or album - by its cover, my inner six-year-old sometimes gets the best of me. Such was the case when I caught sight of the debut full-lengt...

April 7, 2006

Live: KCRW’s A Sounds Eclectic Evening @ Gibson Amphitheatre

By Aly Comingore

Once upon a time, NPR meant droning talk radio, hours of highbrow classical programming and the occasional hour of "world music" aimed at affluent middle-agers. Luckily, this age of pretentiousness has slowly faded into ...

April 7, 2006

Yeah Yeah Yeahs | Show Your Bones | Interscope

By Aly Comingore

“Sometimes I think that I’m bigger than the sound,” bemoans Yeah Yeah Yeahs frontwoman Karen O throughout “Cheated Hearts.” The cut is just one of 11 decidedly personal dialogues that O rela...

March 9, 2006

She Wants Revenge | She Wants Revenge | Geffen

By Aly Comingore

If Interpol is the mainstream musical brain fodder of mopey art students, then She Wants Revenge's self-titled debut acts as the melodramatic junior high schooler's equivalent. This is not to say that She Wants Revenge d...

February 23, 2006

Arctic Monkeys | Whatever People Say I Am, That’s What I’m Not

By Aly Comingore

When a band like Arctic Monkeys comes along, all dirty, loud and English, surrounded by more buzz than a Smashing Pumpkins reunion, one can't help but wonder if the buildup will overshadow the talent, or skill, or sub-pa...

February 16, 2006

Woman Warrior

By Aly Comingore

A literary master of her time, Maxine Hong Kingston has spent her career in search of personal truth and social justice. The author of such canonical Asian-American texts as The Woman Warrior, China Men and 2003's The Fi...

February 16, 2006

Closing Time

By Aly Comingore

There's something heartwarming about Philip Seymour Hoffman, and it isn't just that scruffy teddy bear look he's been sporting as of late. In front of an overflowing theater of friends and fans, Hoffman appeared not only...