Bloodshot Bill So Fed Up (Goner Records) The moment I first saw Bloodshot Bill will forever be burned into both my eyeballs and my memory. It was at the Middle East in Cambridge while waiting for the Jon Spencer Blues Explosion to go on. And here comes this guy, wearing a robe, hair slicked back, armed with nothing but a guitar, bass drum and hi hat. What followed was thirty minutes of raging thunder honky tonk country music powered by...
A deeper look at the grooves pressed into the Jealous Butcher reissue of the Meaningless LP by Jon Brion. Sometimes, as good as a record might be, it just cannot buy a break. Take the Jealous Butcher reissue of Jon Brion’s Meaningless LP, for example; even a cursory listen effortlessly illustrates the album’s power pop perfection but, released as it was alongside albums like Gorillaz’ self-titled debut, Ani DiFranco’a Revelling/Reckoning, Sum 41’s All Killer, No Filler and Exciter by Depeche...
A deeper look at the grooves pressed into the Burn All The Ships LP by Headstones. Since returning in 2013 with Love + Fury, the Headstones have illustrated that they can orchestrate a comeback with greater competence than most other bands. Over the last twelve years, the band has come back in a manner similar to how Hard Core Logo did in Bruce MacDonald’s mock/rockumentary before stripping their sound to bare bones, picking up acoustic instruments and revisiting their early...
Lilith’s Army Doll LP (Criminal Records) A deeper look at the grooves pressed into the Doll LP by Lilith’s Army. While the claim that, as a musical form, Riot Grrl has evolved over time is an easy one to make (Sleater-Kinney has taken their sound and inspiration in several directions, and L7 has mutated a couple of times too), Lilith’s Army joyfully proves that remaining exactly where the music was thirty-five years ago – deep within a rough and ready...
Pearl Jam Dark Matter Whoa! Did we miss this one? I can’t imagine! I saw this record on my shelf and was sure we had reviewed it, but I can’t find it in the archives! Is it there and I missed it? Did we never review it? Does this mean I might re-review it? Possibly! Much to your enjoyment and my enjoyment (because I enjoy reviewing good records). Yeah, it’s a shame because this is a damn fine record. Pearl...
Lou Reed Metal Machine Music There’s this Venture Brothers episode where they make fun of Andy Warhol’s Factory collective. I got what they were parodying and just felt like it was a tribute them. What do I know about art, anyway? Then I heard the audio commentary from the creators and them skewering both Warhol and his minions. It was incredibly gratifying to know that there were other (smarter) people out there who thought both Warhol and...
Thelonious Monk Live at the It Club Record Store Day Exclusive I remember distinctly talking about Jazz with one of my professors in graduate school. This was years ago when I was an even bigger idiot than I am today. But, I was smart about music. I wanted to branch out. Jazz was, and remains, a mystery to me. But as a punk rocker (a good one that welcomed a wide range of music), I wanted to learn more. I...
WHO: Aesop Rock WHAT: Black Hole Superette WHY: Because, despite being big Aesop Rock fans, we slept on his previous record ITS. Fool me once. Black Hole Superette has the same slick production and personal elements Aes is known for. Full of personality, serious topics, humor, and slice of life stories (who is John-something?), this album just further proves that the best rap music happens not in the mean stream. I didn’t even know they were called “superettes.” Listen to...
Lambrini Girls Who Let the Dogs Out? I’ve been holding off on reviewing this record because I’ve been thinking about it a lot the past couple months. There’s a lot of buzz around this band right now and rightfully so. Their music has the best elements of punk rock: it’s socially and politically conscious and has a sense of urgency to it. It’s also confrontational and has guts, which I love. People love comparisons, and why not? Why not try...
The Brian Jonestown Massacre “Makes Me Great” b/w “Out Of Body” 10” (A Records) A deeper look at the grooves pressed into the “Makes Me Great” b/w “Out Of Body” 10” single by The Brian Jonestown Massacre. Since beginning to self-release their records twenty years ago, Brian Jonestown Massacre has unilaterally chosen to not only take control of their output, they’ve occasionally proven that they’re not above getting very, very self indulgent in service of their muse. That often means...