Brian and Spencer discuss albums by Sleigh Bells, The National, and The Black Keys, and the novels Matterhorn and A Game of Thrones (Song of Ice & Fire vol 1). Also, the shows they’re keeping busy with this summer (Avatar: The Last Airbender and Daria) and the stupid movies they’re not seeing.

It’s July, it’s hot, there’s not a damn thing on TV or in theaters, and yet we put off our trip to the best ice cream parlor in Los Angeles to bring you a tasty new podcast. Summer party jams? Got ‘em. Page-turning beach reads? Yep. Great TV shows to fill in the dead zone between Breaking Bad and Mad Men? You know it.

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 #10 - I’m Sick of Carrying This Crown

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(Show notes below…)

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Two things that need to stop: imagining 3D is a valid reason to see a movie (or make one, for that matter), and replacing letters in a title with numbers. So please, stand up for good taste by skipping Step Up: 3D and 5inal Destination. For Saw 3D, whose tagline — not title, it turns out — is “The Traps Come Alive”, we shouldn’t even have to tell you not to bother. You’ll be laughing too hard to buy a ticket.

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Sleigh Bells’ delightfully distorted debut, Treats, is out now on N.E.E.T. Recordings. Love it intensely, then set it free. (At least it’ll stay entertaining longer than their promo website.) Though the HARD LA fest they were supposed to play this month was canceled, maybe they’ll have better luck at Pitchfork or HARD NY.

The new album by The National, High Violet, however, is all kinds of soulful goodness that should last you well into autumn. Get it on 4AD or catch them touring for basically the rest of the year.

Don’t count out The Black Keys‘ new album Brothers, either. It’ll sneak up on you, just you wait. Nonesuch Records has the goods and the plentiful tour dates.

Music Breaks:
1. Sleigh Bells - Crown on the Ground
2. The Black Keys - Tighten Up
3. The National - Bloodbuzz Ohio

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For a well-written war story that we’re predicting you’ll be hearing more about come award season, check out Matterhorn: A Novel of the Vietnam War by Karl Marlantes, from Grove/Atlantic.

If you’re up for some of the best fantasy storytelling of this generation, check out the first volume of George R.R. Martin’s massive Song of Ice and Fire series, A Game of Thrones. It’s available from Bantam in mass market paperback for like 8 bucks, and for 800 gripping pages, it’s an excellent summer pick.

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Allow us to reinforce that we in no way recommend seeing the recent movie, but instead going directly back to the excellent Nickelodeon series Avatar: The Last Airbender. They’ve recently released beautiful collectors’ editions of all three seasons, and the full series is available on Netflix Watch Instantly too.

Anyone hesitant to plunge into multiple seasons of a kids’ show should give it a chance; it’s charming and fun, has excellent fight sequences, and actually gets into some pretty adult themes. Try sampling a few great episodes from season one like “Imprisoned”, “Jet”, or “The Storm” to get a sense of how good it can be without getting too far into the main narrative.

And whether or not it brings back flashes of teen awkwardness for everyone else the same way it does for me, it’s good to know that Daria: The Complete Series is finally available on DVD. Sure, the classic 90’s music cues aren’t the same, but thankfully the acerbic wit is all still there.

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As for Lost, what can we really say that hasn’t already been said? Though if you missed our season finale write-up, it may be worth re-visiting now that we’ve all had some time to cool down.