Come on, who honestly out there doesn’t like Shout Out Louds. Even the heaviest of metalheads would have to admit that these Swedish indiepopers know their stuff…well maybe not metalheads… In any case, in honor of their sophomore full length Our Ill...
Billy Corgan must be pissed. The Pumpkin’s new album is receiving bleh reviews as it falls from the charts and, to add insult to injury, Corgan’s “triumphant” return is being stifled once again by none other than his old adversary, 90s rocker,...
It’s no surprise that a songwriter as legendary and prolific as Frank Black, aka Black Francis, aka Charles Thompson, needed to put out a greatest hits record. Undeniably one of the hardest working and original musicians on earth, the man is a songwriting...
(Last month I explained how the punk rock explosion of the late 70s shaped my musical taste for years to come. It wasn't just that I developed a liking for loud, aggressive music, although that did happen. The early days of punk were notable for a broad...
If UNKLE had some master plan to lure me into listening to their latest album War Stories by packaging the promo in a sweet cardboard envelope with images of monochromatic Joshua trees and skeletons on the cover, it worked. Let’s face it, it gets pretty old...
“It is only just begun/…don’t forget to close your eyes” singer/songwriter Rose Kemp advises and comforts in the opening track, “Little One” – a fair, and thoughtful, warning to the listeners not knowing what is fast...
When I first spoke with Lou Barlow, it was under very different circumstances than the second time around. The last week of February in 2003 found the singer, songwriter and bassist contemplating what was to happen next as, with the record of the moment, The New Folk...
It is possible to compare the recording studio to a painter’s canvas—both are tools used to record and preserve the artist’s ideas, tendencies, and, well, art. The main difference, though, is that musicians rarely own a studio whereas a painter...
For all of those worried that all their favorite Independent bands were slowly selling out their sound for fancy cars and soundtrack deals (I’m looking in your direction The Shins); rest assured: Indie-Pop is alive and well, particularly in the hands of Philly...
The minute I received the Kemado Records compilation Invaders, released early last year, a song blasted in my ears that made me feel like it was 1987 again, when metal actually meant something. The first notes of “Circle of Servants Bodies” is metal at its...