We Are the Clashby Mark Andersen, Ralph Heibutzki My love of the Clash runs deep. So deep that it extends to Cut the Crap. The problem here is that Cut the Crap is not a great album, but I like it, warts and all. It’s truly perplexing to think how a band who’s made such meaningful music could have such a misfire. People refer to Cut the Crap era Clash as Clash Mark 2, as a way to dismiss the...

The Napa Boys “Water! My favorite!” Would it be too deep if I told you Napa Boys is a love letter to movies? Look it up and see if you can find anyone who actually talks about the plot. Mostly, people just called it one big inside joke. I knew I was going to watch it because I’m a Doughboys fan and a Mike Mitchell fan, but with this cast I knew to also brace myself. A movie’s plot isn’t...

WHO: The Arrivals WHAT: Payload WHY: Any new Arrivals album is reason to celebrate. Especially one that took this long to make. This band has always put out the most mature version of this kind of pop punk and I think they might have outgrown me. Payload is a mature and nuanced album, with hooks that take a while to grow. Maybe too long. I feel like I’ve been reckoning with this album. Something tells me I love Payload, that...

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It’s not easy making friends. At least that’s the case for me now. I think about that a lot, because I consider myself an extrovert. Maybe, I’m a total asshole and I just don’t know it? Maybe it’s because I live in Boston or because people I know keep moving away. Also, I’m in my forties with a family. Who knows? But yeah, making friends in this city hasn’t been easy. One person I DID meet in Boston is Kurt....

WHO: Jon Spencer WHAT: Songs of Personal Loss and Protest WHY: With his new backing band, Jon Spencer has injected some youth and vigor into his already-explosive musical style. His first full album with this lineup has the energy and humor of the old Blues Explosion but brought up to date. Spencer sticks to the garage while giving a callback to the style of old blues and R&B singers with a cheeky commentary on the issues of today. You won’t...

Boogie Nights Allow me to coin a terrible phrase. Paul Thomas Anderson is a “written-in” artist for me. Anything he does, I think, is worth watching. The opposite of course, being the “written-off” artist whose work I’ll actively avoid. Like, say, Christopher Nolan. It’s nothing personal, it’s just that some people’s work I feel like I can connect with more. I just reviewed One Battle After Another and found it kind of lackluster, but still somewhat interesting. How does...

Nomadby Neil Gibbons, Rob Gibbons, and Steve Coogan I don’t know how exactly I became such an Alan Partridge fan. I like Steve Coogan and especially his Trip series with Rob Brydon. I guess I just had a thirst for more Coogan and Alan Partridge was a deep well to drink from. The more I drank, the more I enjoyed it and the more I kept drinking. Sure, a fan would watch the TV shows, the specials, and maybe even...

WHO: Jeff Tweedy WHAT: Twilight Override WHY: Can Jeff Tweedy be stopped? He’s a song-making machine. Last year he put out a fantastic collection of songs as a 3XLP (even though it “only” clocks in at 1 hour and 51 minutes, meaning it fits on TWO CDs, thankyouverymuch). Sure, he’s gone the “quiet” route these days and is afraid of rocking, but the quality of Twilight Override is remarkable, and with killer tracks like Parking Lot, Feel Free, and Stray...

The Cramps are one of the most important American rock and roll bands of all time. No one could blend cheese and sleaze quite like they could and their influence is felt all throughout music. If some band or someone cannot appreciate the Cramps’ music to some extent, they’re not worth being associated with. Unfortunately, the band left us prematurely with the passing of vocalist Lux Interior, and after having stayed dormant for some years, their record label Vengeance seems...