WHO: OPEN CITY WHAT: SELF-TITLED WHY: There’s so much that Open City gets right on their debut. A solid foundation featuring members of Paint it Black, Kid Dynamite, and Ted Leo. Compliment it with Rachel Rubino (Worriers) and her blown out distorted vocals and the whole sound of Open City fits together perfectly. The results are intense, melodic, and threatening. Philly hardcore is being too good to us. Stream the album...

The MAXX: Maxximized, Volume 5-7 by Sam Kieth, William Messner-Loebs The Maxx has to be, hands down, one of the most underrated comics of all time. Throughout the course of the series, Sam Kieth managed to take the tired familiar scenario of superhero/supervillain fighting for the honor of a lady and turn it into a complex, fantastical, psychological and very personal story. The Maxx started off as one thing and ended up as something entirely different. The first four books in...

A deeper look at the grooves pressed into the They Call It Justice 7” by The 45 Adapters. It might sound a little strange at first, but the 45 Adapters and their new 7”, “They Call It Justice,” are coming at the perfect moment in history for the band’s brand of Oi to really get over with audiences. Why? First, a pretty significant portion of the world’s population is good and pissed off with the political climate in the United...

A deeper look at the grooves pressed into the Record Store Day 2017-issued 2×7” set by Alice In Chains. Over the last few years in particular, Record Store Day has really seemed to cater to a “collectible” market over a market wherein fan interest is the focus. That has proven to be a little frustrating; because of it, record stores get glutted by people one day a yearhoping to score something they can resell – not necessarily something they can...