Brian and Spencer discuss The Damned United, new albums by The New Pornographers, Broken Bells, Titus Andronicus, and seeing Pavement live. Plus, the friendship-crippling online game Neptune’s Pride and the questionable behavior of Steve Jobs.

Okay, so we haven’t been doing one per month like we’d hoped, but here we are again at last. Despite the delays, we still have some solid new recommendations for you. A super-nerdy online strategy game, a British soccer movie that thankfully minimizes the soccer, a few killer new albums from old and new favorites, and a cracking good Spanish mystery novel.

As usual, write in with comments or questions on anything we discuss here or you’d want us to discuss next time, and we’ll try to read and respond to them on the next episode. Either in the comments section below or via email, we love getting feedback. If you like listening (or even if you don’t), don’t be afraid to leave a review in the iTunes store either.

Download The Under Culture Podcast #9 - I Promise, There Won’t Be Any Soccer

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(Show notes below…)

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To be fair, iPads may be the perfect solution for some people. Steve Jobs’s harsh words on Adobe’s Flash do seem a bit excessive though.

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If you’re a fan of games like Risk or Diplomacy, and are prepared to undergo a fair amount of stress and potential strain on your social life, do check out the outer space strategy game Neptune’s Pride. It may be a bit maddening, but it’s also sort of brilliant.

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This month’s podcast title is totally true. Though it is about the trials and tribulations of a football manager in the UK, there is almost no soccer in The Damned United, and it is an excellent film. It’s out now on DVD, and worth the time even for non-sports fans.

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The New Pornographers new album, Together, is out now on Matador Records, and they’re doing lots of touring this summer. Truly one of the greats.

We may not have agreed on the Broken Bells self-titled album (out now from Sony), but you’ve got to give them credit for trying something new, and that single is still pretty fantastic. You can catch them on tour this month too.

The Monitor by Titus Andronicus may not be everyone’s cup of tea, but it sure does have energy. Unfortunately they’re off touring Europe right now, but you can get their album from XL Recordings or check out their extensive blog. The story of their run-in with the Vice crowd is worth checking out.

Pavement is playing live shows again. There is nothing not awesome about that, so check out their tour schedule and don’t miss the chance you never got when you were too young and/or lame to see them in their heyday.

Music Breaks:
1. Broken Bells - The High Road
2. Titus Andronicus - A More Perfect Union
3. The New Pornographers - Your Hands (Together)
4. Pavement - In The Mouth a Desert

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If you like books, mysteries, coming of age stories or slight touches of fantasy, Carlos Ruiz Zafon takes all those things and spins them into an excellent page-turner with The Shadow of the Wind.

If you’re sick of reading about the quagmires we’re stuck in today, why not check out the critically acclaimed Matterhorn: A Novel of the Vietnam War by Karl Marlantes. We might discuss it on our next podcast, and you could join in.

If you’re looking for something lighter and of the tough-as-nails dude kicking ass variety, the new Jack Reacher novel, 61 Hours, comes out this month as well.