Now that the band has managed to keep a consistent schedule of releases and touring for a decade, made an international name for itself and almost singe-handedly reignited interest in Canadian rock outside of domestic borders, it's safe enough to look on Broken Social Scene as an established brand unto itself. That being the case, it's also safe to ask how it happened that the group came into its position at the top of the Canadian New Rock heap. It's...
Having hit the road earlier this year in support of their latest slab of death metal epic-ness, Evisceration Plague, Cannibal Corpse grinded into San Francisco last week and, along with 1349, Skeletonwitch, and Lecherous Nocturne, turned Slim's into a sold out, beer-soaked, metal-infused sweat box. Evidence is provided with the following grip of pictures. Cannibal Corpse photo gallery from Slim's – 5/5/10 After wrapping up the current leg of their tour this weekend in Florida, Cannibal Corpse will head over...
Those that have followed Sage Francis since the emcee first appeared on ANTI– Records with A Healthy Distrust in 2005 will recognize what they're hearing from the moment “Little Houdini” opens LI(F)E – it is the end of a thematic arc. Upon first appearance in 2005, A Healthy Distrust was a work of anger; that anger was impossible to miss in songs like “The Buzz Kill,” “Gunz Yo,” “Ground Control,” “Escape Artist” and lines like, “Once a man, twice a...
While the river of reissues pouring out of the major label music business is only swelling with time, some records just come with a fantastic story that would keep it selling well even if it hadn't been repackaged and re-placed on new release racks; they just have an enduring appeal. Judas Priest's British Steel is that kind of record; over the last couple of years, the members of Judas Priest have begun to re-examine the record at length – last...
There are few things so delicious in pop than a singer that looks like your garden variety pop tart poppet but starts fires in your mind as soon as you hear her because she clearly has no faith in the “power of pop” and so tears it apart to suit her ends and make it her own. Those are the sorts of moments that tend to make critics feel a little funny in the pants and (as was the case...
No fanfare. No fake attempts to elicit enthusiasm from the audience. At Oakland’s Fox Theater, London’s The xx emerged quietly and began to make their presence known with a rich, swirling statement of music. Sounding just as they do on their eponymous debut album, the black-clad trio of Oliver Sim on bass and vocals, Romy Croft on vocals and guitar and Jamie Smith on percussion maintained their understated style as they worked through their all-too-short repertoire. Touring tirelessly across Europe...
The two most classic themes in Country music are heartache and heartbreak. Some naysayers or those that have never listened to Country music will ask what the difference is, but those on the inside know; the difference is all a matter of time. 'Heartbreak' happens in a moment – a series of events comes to a head and when the breaking point comes and a relationship unravels it's done; one person is left alone, heartbroken. Heartache is the lasting hurt...
Anyone who's been paying attention over the last few years had to have seen the possibility of Taylor Hawkins restarting The Coattail Riders coming. Recently, Hawkins has leant his voice to a series of albums including those by Dennis Wilson (where he filled in a missing vocal part), Slash, Queen and a few others as well as stepping up to the mic to sing with Jimmy Page and John Paul Jones at the Foo Fighters' classic show at Wembley Stadium....
Hey there you reprobates,Alright, I'm early – live with it. But I'm gonna make it worth your while, I swear; some things I just can't sit on. Like this monster load o' SWAG for example; this one's a beaut. Can you believe there are folks sending me stuff to put in here now? Works for me, they're taking out some of the leg work for me, and I'm takin' all the rest of it out for you. Howdaya like that...
Those of us that grew up in the Eighties understand just how bizarre a time it was. While the underground was busy brewing many of the bands that would go on to inspire and influence a staggering amount of the music that would come out through the Nineties and early Millennium , things were very different in the mainstream climate. Some portions of the economic sector enjoyed an unprecedented boom and mainstream culture really reflected that; items looked statuesque and...