As a primer for those unfamiliar with the work of CAN, the remastered Anthology is a thoughtful, thoroughly curated document of the group’s myriad eras and incarnations, with particular attention given to late-early period albums Tago Mago (1971), Ege Bamyasi (1972) and Future Days (1973), and for good reason: it was on these three records that CAN crystallized the slippery, sublime funk-concrete that became the hallmark of their best work. The Cologne-based CAN, arguably more successfully than any other group,...

Clinic will release their 5th album, Do It!, on April 8 on Domino Records. The band will then embark on a 20-date tour in support of this release on May 8. Recorded by Clinic in their Liverpool studio and mixed by Jacquire King (Tom Waits, Kings of Leon, Archie Bronson Outfit), the eleven-song collection on Do It! sees Clinic return with an energized and increasingly psych-rock influenced sound. Tracks range from the Henry Flynt and John Denver-laced acoustic "Tomorrow" to...

Following the release of their fifth studio album, The Black And White Album, The Hives (singer Howlin' Pelle Almqvist, drummer Chris Dangerous, bassist Dr. Matt Destruction, guitarists Nicholaus Arson, and Vigilante Carlstroem) are launching a stateside tour to last through the end of this winter. The well-dressed Swedish dance-rockers will begin their trip with stop at LA’s Wiltern, and will continue across the continent including two Canadian stops, Toronto and Montreal, before ending in early March with a show at...

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If there was ever a hint of what’s to come, the free mix tape, Strictly Leakage, that Minneapolis-based hip-hop duo Atmosphere dropped over the holidays was it. Simply called a “party album” by Slug (MC) and Ant (Producer), they released it to cure the winter doldrums and that it did. But it’s probably nothing compared to what their sixth studio album, When Life Gives You Lemons, You Paint That Shit Gold, will sound like. The initial pressing of When Life...

When done properly, the most uproarious of comedies are those based on dark and unhappy circumstances or bleakly ironic images. History is littered with proof that the human condition needs a downside in order to remember where up is; for example, a frowning clown painted monochromatically in blue can bring a bent little smile to the face of someone that sees it, author Daniel Handler has made a fortune from a series of unfortunate events and even Friedrich Nietzsche –...

When a friend of mine emailed me to told me that The Head Cat, a rockabilly "side project" supergroup were going to be playing here in San Francisco, it took me about .0000001 seconds to decide that I was going. I've been a Motorhead fan since I was 15 (24 years), and in my eyes Lemmy can do no wrong. After reading his biography I knew that with The Head Cat he was playing the music that he really loves...

As "The Aging Punk," I feel it is my right, and perhaps even my duty, to go on an occasional "When I was a kid…" rant. You know, "When I was a kid we had to walk five miles in the snow to get good music. Uphill. Both ways." Now, some of you may not think this is fair. That I've had it pretty good as a music fan. And I will admit I've seen some great concerts you never...

Twenty years ago George Harrison, Jeff Lynne, Roy Orbison, Tom Petty and Bob Dylan came together by chance, formed The Travelling Wilburys and inadvertently revitalized the careers of each member involved as, maybe in the spirit of competition, they remembered how to write great songs. Conversely, every time a member of Broken Social Scene splinters off to do another album of their own, those albums get progressively better. Not for nothing the Travelling Wilburys come to mind as Here's To...

Living in Los Angeles for four years now and never attending a show at the House of Blues has to be some sick twist of fate. While scanning the L.A. Weekly a couple of months ago, I decided to put an end to this long-overdue visit to the venue by picking up a few tickets to the Lee Rocker / Social Distortion show on 12-30-07. I saw Lee Rocker about nine years ago in Portland at a small place after...