P / P Book Review: Annihilation by Jeff Vandermeer

Written By: Emily Ballaine

book1

A pristine wilderness. An environmental disaster zone. Both phrases describe the mysterious Area X that is the centerpiece of Jeff Vandermeer’s excellent new novel Annihilation, a psychological thriller that rejects the notion that a story must either be science fiction or literary fiction.

While the first expedition into Area X returned with tales of an unspoiled landscape free of human contamination, the succeeding expeditions all ended in suicide, murder, or disease. It is with this contradictory history of death and beauty hovering in the background that we are introduced to the members of the eleventh expedition, known only by their respective occupations: a psychologist, a surveyor, an anthropologist, and our narrator, a biologist. Annihilation deals as much with each character’s competing feelings of revulsion and fascination with Area X as it does with the complicated group dynamic that arises when one is unable to detect the other member’s real motivations. Continue reading

P / P Album Review: Void Boys – Starfish Single

Written By: Skyler Warren

starfish

A comfortable, calming feeling can be achieved while sitting at the beach at night and watching the moon reflect off the waves. San Francisco’s Void Boys capture that feeling in their recent release, Starfish Single.

A mix of pop-punk, surf-rock and a little grunge are heard throughout the two track single released on March 14th through Pretty Penny Records. Coming out of San Francisco, the sound is refreshing because it doesn’t stick to the weird, noisy, pseudo-psychedelic garage-rock that the city’s music community has become known for in the last decade. Instead, Void Boys reaches back to a different part of the early 2000s, the more alternative rock side. Linear song structure and a dynamic that is easy to follow for the listener takes control of the album. Each part of each song allows enough time for foot tapping. Their songs are catchy and well structured, while not coming off as too jumpy. Continue reading

P / P Featured Web Series: The Louise Log

Written By: Jordannah Elizabeth llog The Louise Log is a very clever and funny web series that has returned for a 3rd season after a myriad of changes. The creator of the series, Anne Flournoy spoke about the evolution of the cast, and how the show had to go through a metamorphosis of sorts after experiencing the high of completing a successful crowd funding campaign that earned the show $22,000 to produce the new season:

Continue reading

P / P: Short Story – Lunar activity is for the loons

Written By: Hunter Stroope

loon

Cussing sweet memories into a viral state. Plaguing the love of the earth with an idea of selfish unity. Is it just one? Or separate ones? Lets get it together and find out.

Two loves, intermingle and strangle one another with fervor and skin. “Keep it quiet. I cant here my own heart beat,” they repeat to one another. Tasting the life-giving venom of one another’s salvation glands, it goes in right and speaks its piece, rocking in unison to the earthquake, and wondering on what other earth could this time be so perfect… Continue reading

P / P Album Review: Amatus – Broken Compass

Written By: Lauren Espina

atmus

For her debut EP, Amatus channels her weathered soul into a fiery amalgam of trip-hop, pop and neo soul. With a history littered with violence but also colored with creation, she has risen out of the South Side of Chicago as an artist who can truly call herself alternative. Leaving pre-constructed molds of female artists behind, she cultivated the ruins and inspirations of her life into her own soul sound, with her smokey vocals at the forefront of every tune. Continue reading

P / P Short Stories: Eden Over-Seasoned

Written By: Hunter Stroope

eden1

Married to the nature, she was born, Alice Ramploma and appeared careless, yet still uncertain of what to make of her day, she would stay afloat in thought.

Today was fair, the weather admitted the path towards most all activities, and her mind had a firm grasp, and body a firm construction, capable of fulfilling most anything. A spotted lark flew by and had shown the way to an opening through overhanging branches she’d never seen. Continue reading

P / P Interview: Stones Throw Records’ Peanut Butter Wolf

Written By: Jordannah Elizabeth

pbw

Peanut Butter Wolf is a legend. He was kind enough to talk to us at Publik / Private about his career and the new documentary, Our Vinyl Weighs A Ton. I personally screened this penetrating and historically dense film that followed Chris Manak (Peanut Butter Wolf) from childhood to the birth of his eclectic and deeply necessary record label, Stones Throw Records to giving his viewers and fans a look into his life, roster and career in the present day. Continue reading