Welcome to Value Added, a semi-monthly column named after one of the most despicable phrases in the English language. Expect capsule reviews of assorted culture I’ve been consuming, that is not necessarily timely, but is worthy of attention:

Podcast: Tank Riot
Hailing from “Tropical Madison, WI,” as they announce at the beginning of each show, Tank Riot is best described as a “geek podcast”, but without the self-satisfied smarminess that pervades many such podcasts. The three hosts are undoubtedly geeky, but have a wide array of interests: history, politics, film, technology, and yes, geek culture. Each episode focuses on a single topic or historical figure–think the History Channel as hosted by three drunk smart-asses from Madison. It’s consistently engaging stuff, and the hosts’ lack of guile is refreshing–even the prehistoric site design harkens back to a more idealistic vision of podcasting, one that was both entertaining and educational, before it was over-run by self-styled SEO experts and wannabe comedians. They’ve been at it for four years, so there’s a lot of gems in the archives, but I’d recommend starting with the Henry Kissinger, Rod Serling, or Nicola Tesla episodes. The affectionately skeptical series on conspiracy theories is a must-hear as well.

Book: Wormwood, Nevada
Though it’s being marketed as a science fiction novel, David Oppengaard’s second novel Wormwood, Nevada is more cosmically existential than fantastic. The story centers around Tyler and Anna Mayfield, a midwest couple whose newlywed glow is fading. They move to the small Nevada town of Wormwood and come face-to-face with the desolate state’s eccentric culture, from alien cultists to meth addicts. When a meteor crashes in town, the population scrambles for meaning, with some townspeople considering the meteor to be potential tourist bait, others as a sign of the end of the world. It’s a story of small-town Americana, loneliness, coming to terms with adulthood, and in a very broad sense, the inscruitability of the universe. While it’s clearly the work of a young author learning his voice, Oppegaard’s language is lyrical when called for, and the world is completely enveloping.

Movies: “For All Mankind”
This 1989 documentary of the moon landings is a refreshing counterpoint to the current documentary style, in which even PBS docs overuse gimmicks and quick cuts. There are no such gimmicks in “For All Mankind”: told entirely through stock footage and interview clips, there’s almost a zen-like quality to this collection of rarely-seen footage taken from the moon lander. There’s an affecting desolation to the the lingering footage of the moon’s surface (scored by an ambient Brian Eno soundtrack.) It would be hard to bankroll a languidly-paced documentary like this now, which is a shame–it’s meditative, beautiful work. It’s available to watch on streaming Netflix.

Music : Sleigh Bells
Described by a friend as the sound of a head exploding, blog-buzz band Sleigh Bells have hit upon one of the most unique sounds I’ve heard in a long time: alarm-siren guitars, lo-fi buzz, and blue-eyed R&B refrains compete for attention in the din, as if My Bloody Valentine’s Kevin Shields had been tasked with remixing a Nelly Furtado single. It’s an delirious cacophony, forcing the listener to wonder where all that sounds are coming from. Remarkably, it’s only a duo, guitarist Derek Miller and vocalist Alexis Krauss. The band has yet to release a full-length album. There’s no way of knowing whether the gimmick will hold up over an album, much less a career, but it’s rare and refreshing to hear something that sounds so exhilaratingly new.