Okay, here’s the history lesson for the totally clueless: John Lennon—along with The Beatles—didn’t so much revolutionize pop music as streamline it into a series of memorable ground rules that were easy for anyone to apply. They’re...
If superfluous memory serves me correct, I believe I lost my virginity listening to Scream, Dracula, Scream by Rocket From The Crypt. Thirteen years after the release of that monumental album, I found myself at the Mercury Lounge, near the famous Katz's Deli (where...
I'll be the first to admit that I had always kind of taken Rush for granted. When a band has been around over 35 years, it's easy to say, "Oh, Rush will be touring again, I'll catch them next time.” Well, after saying that to myself year after...
There is no punk band currently working that is so strikingly unique as The Matches. Last time out, the band shocked listeners when it turned the genre upside down, shook it violently and handed their audience a slightly fractured and very abstract group of songs to...
No Age are for the people. When it comes to playing free intimate performances for their fans, the shows come a plenty and usually they’re in the most interesting of places (e.g., a vegan grocery store, the Los Angeles River). Prior to the release of their...
The Constantines have, to date, built a career upon the idea that making solid and enduringly interesting music is possible, even if the only changes made on an album-to-album basis are a series of small alterations that ultimately renovate the face of their music....
After introducing themselves with a couple of songs off of last year’s Red Carpet Massacre, the best synth-pop band to ever grace the planet, Duran Duran, woke even the most casual fans up at the Sleep Train Pavilion on Friday with “Hungry Like The...
I first heard DJ/producer, Osborne, when I got my hands on the oh-so-experimental album from Ghostly International, Idol Tryouts: Ghostly International, Vol. 1. I owned a ton of Ghostly/Spectral 12-inches up to that point, but it was mostly Matthew Dear, Solvent and...
With two EPs under their belt, it was only a matter of time before the ever-touring Canadian foursome Tokyo Police Club officially issued a full-length debut—even if “full-length” means 28 minutes. On Elephant Shell the indie rockers punctuate short...
Do you like The Doors? I don’t. I pretty much hate them. In fact, probably the thing I like the most about them is how mad some people get when you say you don’t like them. Like, really mad. I guess it doesn’t happen as much now that I am older, but...