Community's fourth season has come and gone, and as much as it pains me to say it, I had hoped it was the end for the show. However, Community has been renewed for a fifth season — bringing it a little closer to the fabled “six seasons and a movie” — which puts me in the frustrating position of saying that, after having slogged through a largely lackluster and uninspired fourth season, I just want the show to be put out of its misery. In fact, if I could pull an Inspector Spacetime, I’d travel back and stop the fourth season before it even began.

When was the last time a show so effectively and thoroughly undermined so much of what made it great? How did it come to this? For its first three seasons, Community was one of the most unique, bizarre, and consistently funny TV shows I’d seen in a long time. It was never a huge ratings success, but it was a critical darling with a devoted cult following. The show took its basic storyline — a group of misfits enroll in a local community college and form a study group — and wove in some of the cleverest and geekiest pop culture references this side of Spaced, some pretty inventive production techniques, and some surprisingly affecting character development.

So, again, how did it come to this? I have several theories…

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Last month, The Colonel Mustard Amateur Attic Theatre Company announced their epic theatrical spectacle for the summer of 2013: Jurassic Park: The Musical: 3D. As you might recall, the original Jurassic Park: The Musical was put on in 2009, and was one of the first Mustard musical extravaganzas (laying the template for subsequent pieces like Dr. Quinn: The Musical and Gods of the Prairie). It became quite the viral hit, garnering attention on “VH1's Best Week Ever”, Dave Barry, and The Vulture (to name a few).

In August 2013, the Mustard crew will be revisiting their early sensation. Jurassic Park: The Musical is being rebuilt from the ground up, with a new script and score, and will feature some pretty ambitious ideas concerning its presentation in “3D”. I’d say more, but then the Colonel would probably sic a couple of velociraptors on me, and we all know what they do to their prey. (And speaking of velociraptors, the Mustard is currently hosting an open call for dinosaur actors.)

In order to help fund Jurassic Park: The Musical: 3D, as well as its other artistic ventures, the Colonel Mustard is participating in “Give To Lincoln Day” on May 16, during which people can make donations to Lincoln, NE charities. If you like ambitious low-budget community theatre projects, or if you just happen to like dinosaurs (or at least, people dressed up in silly dinosaur costumes), then the Mustard could certainly use your help.

I’m actually kind of glad that this Star Trek/Transformers crossover toy (courtesy of deviantART member Unicron9) didn’t come out when I was 12. I don’t think my young mind could’ve survived this much awesome hitting it all at once.

Don Peris, the primary guitarist and arranger for the dreamy folk-pop act The Innocence Mission, has just released a new solo album. Titled The Old Century, it’s another lovely showcase for Peris’ understated yet graceful and evocative guitar-work. Listen to the album’s opening track, “ElectroStar” below.

The Old Century is currently available from Jemez Mountain Records and can be purchased/streamed from The Innocence Mission’s Bandcamp page.

Longtime readers will know that I’m a huge fan of lovesliescrushing, the “beautiful noise” duo of Scott Cortez and Melissa Arpin Duimstra, and have been for many years. Thankfully, the duo have been pretty active in recent years, releasing new music and re-issuing older releases, and the last few months are no different.

“Ghost Colored Halo”

Last week, lovesliescrushing released Ghost Colored Halo on Projekt Records, a revised and expanded version of a self-titled EP by the same name from 2011 (my review). The album was recorded live in one take, without any overdubs, and as such, is one of the rawer releases in the lovesliescrushing discography, though it still creates the same hallucinatory effect that one has come to expect from the duo.

There are some differences between the Projekt release and the self-released EP, though. For example, “The Wounds That Won’t Heal” is now “The Tiger Hunts Alone” and the title track has been transformed from an eight-minute bliss-out session into something more solemn and ominous where Cortez’ guitar conjures up church bells and funeral processions.

New Album

The duo announced earlier this year that Ghost Colored Halo would actually be a “sister” release to their next release, an as-yet-untitled double album that will be released this summer.

Wavertone Archives

Finally, the band’s Wavertone label has released some older material via the Wavertone Bandcamp page. This includes Glissceule (one of my fave lovesliescrushing releases, my review), Shiny Tiny Stars (which features some of the band’s earliest recordings), and various side projects (like the more beat-oriented Polykroma and Transient Stellar).

It’s May and warmer days should be well under way by now, but Lincoln has been beset by weather that seems better-suited for January (e.g., freezing rain, sleet). And the next few days look to be more of the same. I have no doubt that I’d enjoy Lockets’ “Surrender” any time of the year, but its winsomely nostalgic blend of ‘80s-esque guitars and synths is even more welcome in light of my city’s rather dreary weather.

The Philadelphia duet’s sound is just the sort of thing you want to listen to with the top down while cruising the streets or heading to/from a summer party with all of your friends — or at least while dreaming about it. And in light of our recent freezing weather, that’ll have to suffice.

You can also purchase the song here. Via Sounds Better With Reverb.

A quick round-up of everything I’ve written for Christ and Pop Culture in the last few weeks.

“The Great Need For Wisdom In International Adoptions” (April 25, 2013)
“International adoption is something that must be pursued and practiced with great wisdom, lest our efforts to help the fatherless cause them more harm than good.”

“Surprise, Your Favorite Band is a Christian Band! Now What?” (April 18, 2013)
“There are times when I think that an artist’s spiritual beliefs should be considered secondary to the quality of their art.”

“Can We Learn From Kids and Their Toys?” (March 28, 2013)
“Galimberti’s photos are a helpful reminder that I need to be thoughtful about the toys and other possessions that I give my children because I want them to be thoughtful about their material goods.”

“‘Donglegate’ Makes Me Want To Destroy the Internet” (March 26, 2013)
“There are times when I want to burn the Internet to the ground and throw the ashes onto a trash heap — and last week was one of those times.”

“Finding Nobility in the Middle of Wartime” (March 18, 2013)
“The history of war contains examples of enemies putting aside their differences, if only for a brief moment, and showing each other honor, dignity, and mercy.”

“Could You Survive Alone With Your Spouse For A Year?” (March 7, 2013)
“What Bjelke and Shapiro model for each other is a relationship based on mutual respect, admiration, and kindness, as well as shared goals.”

Earlier today, Lincoln was beset with a doozy of a spring rainstorm, and as such, it seemed fitting to give Wayside and Woodland Recordings’ Spring 2013 sampler a spin or three (or four). The 8-track compilation is pretty eclectic in terms of style, ranging from Epic45’s gloriously apocalyptic “Defeat” to the swirling electronics of Field Harmonics (an Epic45 side project), from Component#4’s Trembling Blue Stars-esque tale of marital dischord to July Skies’ trademark brand of pastoral nostalgia. But it’s all uniformly lovely stuff, and perfect listening material for rainy April days.

Spring 2013 is available as a free download. Or, listen to it below.