WHO: Liquid Death/Various Artists WHAT: Greatest Hates Vol. 2 WHY: A silly concept album that has no business being this good. Because casual searches online can’t seem to shed any light on whether there’s anything special about this product, I’m comfortable saying Liquid Death is just water. Canned water that looks punk rock. As Liquid Death’s website itself says, it’s completely unnecessary. And so, Twitter has a lot of opinions on why this a dumb product. That was expected. What...
WHO: Nick Cave & Warren Ellis WHAT: Carnage WHY: Nick Cave has the distinct pleasure of getting better with age. Immense tragedy is hit his life over the years and, though it all, the man (with the assistance of his collaborator Warren Ellis) has produced some of the most introspective, heartbreaking, and powerful music of his career. Their latest effort Carnage fits in perfectly with that trend. It’s haunting, profound, honest, and simmers to a boil. It’s a record that...
WHO: Czarface & MF DOOM WHAT: Super What? WHY: I don’ think there’s a supergroup quite like Czarface and MF DOOM. Maybe the greatest and most underrated MC of all time unfortunately passed away last year (or did he?) and the only good that can come of it is that people would start appreciating his work more. His last collab with Czarface, released posthumously, is both a blessing and a curse. A blessing because it’s some of the most interesting...
WHO: Sleaford Mods WHAT: Spare Ribs WHY: Sleaford Mods are perplexingly difficult to describe, especially considering their music is incredibly simple. Is it working-class speaking over simple electronic drum and bass beats? Sure. It’s also angry, honest, and kind of punk rock. It’s also sounds like rapping and is surprisingly catchy. In short, there’s nothing out there like it. You see where I’m going with this? Their latest Spare Ribs has been called their best work and I might just...
WHO: Mikey Erg WHAT: Selftitled WHY: Mikey Erg might best be known for being the go-to drummer for every band on earth and his work in seminal pop punk band The Ergs! but the man has a solo career every bit as interesting. His new self-titled album serves as a back-to-form of sorts from the more experimental stuff he’s been putting out and it’s got all the hard-hitting pop punk hooks, riffs, and girl songs you’d expect from someone with...
For fear of overstating a tired point, it goes without saying that 2020 was a year unlike any other. Even if one were to overlook the obvious reasons why 2020 successfully put the “eek” in “unique,” any audiophile could tell you that this year was completely unlike any other; innumerable album releases were delayed or just flat-out cancelled...
What a year it’s been. No matter how it impacted you, it hit music, movies, and TV pretty hard too. Bands couldn’t tour, movies couldn’t be released in theatres, and TV shows stopped taping. That said, there were some great highlights that, although they came to our attention a little late in the year, we think were true gems that everyone should check out. And like every year, we seem to have the best recommendations out of any website. Glad...
To say this has been a strange year would be an understatement, so it’s no surprise we want to do a little extra this Holiday season. And you can’t have a Holiday season without the Ground Control Holiday Buyer’s Guide. Like every year, we are bringing you some classics that are tried and true and some newcomers to keep things nice and fresh. These gifts range from high to low end, so you have a good range to pick from....
A deeper look at the grooves pressed into the 2LP, black and blue pressing of (MIA) by The Germs. There’s a certain perfect irony about the fact that, upon opening my vinyl copy of The Germs’ (MIA) reissue , I found that the sticker on the C-side of the album was mangled and torn in a manner which, while it was recognizable,...
WHO: Jon Snodgrass WHAT: Tace WHY: Yes, there’s a lot of overlap between Jon Snodgrass and the ALL/Descendents universe, but what makes Tace such an important album is that it’s the strongest material Snodgrass has put out in quite a while. Tace is a straight up rock/punk album with a wide range of guests, and punk rock who’s who, contributing instrumental help. It sounds exactly as one would imagine with Snodgrass’ experience: like ALL/Descendents with a south drawl. The only...