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Pop Culture Valentines

I thought I'd take a few minutes to show some love to a few things I've been digging lately...

Chew Vol. 3: Just Desserts - I don't know how long this trade has been sitting in my stack but it's got to be at least six months. I have no good reason why I haven't gotten to it yet and after reading it that goes double. For those who don't know, Chew is the story of Tony Chu, a cibopath who works for the FDA in a future where chicken is illegal after a bird flu epidemic. What's a cibopath, you ask? Someone who can taste where food came from...and who can taste someone's blood to figure out what happened to them. That skill does come into play here. This series is funny and fun and gross and engaging. I will soon be ordering Vol. 4 and won't wait months upon months to read it.

Happy Endings - I jumped into watching this show over Christmas break and I've still probably seen only six or so episodes. That said, I'm becoming a big fan. The six friends on the show (a tried-and-true formula) have their personality quirks but not in an annoying way. The show makes it work, in part because the cast is rock solid and because it's funny. At the end of the day, isn't that what you want from a sitcom?

The Broken West/I Can't Go On I'll Go On - I'm pretty sure I've written about this album on one version of my blog or another before but I reminded myself tonight how much I like it. It came out in 2007 from Merge and I played the hell out of it. Ever since we had to reload iTunes two years ago, however, I don't think I've played it once start to finish and that's a shame. This is power pop at its finest, melodic and muscular with good lyrics. Sadly, the band is no more but Ross Flournoy is still going strong with Apex Manor. I also recommend the first Broken West EP, The Dutchman's Gold, and their second (and final) album, Now Or Heaven.

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