The Automatik

In a 1997 interview, Sloan’s Chris Murphy jokingly apprised each member of the band:

It kind of becomes like, Andrew is the brooding one, Patrick is the metalhead-slash-sensitive guy, I’m the wall-to-wall bridges guy with no choruses, and Jay’s the cute, heart-wrenching, adorable one.

Although they’ve never succumbed to these stereotypes, Sloan’s last two albums have stumbled in an attempt to evolve and come to terms with the debt owed to their influences, as well as the indie rock crowd that made them unlikely heroes. It’s been easy to see where they were coming from, but figuring out where they were headed was a challenge.

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Everyone knows about Beverly Hills Cop, Top Gun, and Ghostbusters. But what of all the other great movies released during that decade? Here are eight movies that I consider mandatory viewing. (Besides, I never liked Top Gun anyway.)
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Any discussion of 80s music will undoubtedly include names like Madonna, Duran Duran, Michael Jackson, Prince, U2, Public Enemy, and Guns ‘n’ Roses, as well as one hit wonders and less mainstream bands; the decade was, after all, the genesis of “alternative music.” One band not frequently mentioned, however, is the Cocteau Twins, probably because they don’t sound stereotypically 80s. Although the 80s were the decade of the music video and the Cocteau Twins did make them, they were never a true “video band.” Nor were videos even necessary to appreciate their music; it is impossible not to be inundated with fantastical mental images when listening to them. The incredible album art, designed by 23 Envelope, certainly helped in that capacity. Read more