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...
WHO: Brook Pridemore WHAT: Metal is My Only Friend WHY: Brook Pridemore has been at it for quite a while, honing his craft. And just when I think he’s outdone himself, he does it again. Metal is My Only Friend has been out for a couple years now but, as I take calm walks enjoying the Fall weather, its brilliance has finally hit me. This is most definitely an underdog of an album that exceeds all expectations. It’s beautifully crafted,...
Hello there dear readers and welcome to a new edition of our Back to School Guide. We know, it’s been a crazy year, right? For most students, Back to School this year means school from home (at least for the Fall semester), which means now more than ever, it’s important to create the right environment to stimulate those neurons. Like with every year we have some old favorites and some brand new goodies that seem to have come completely out...
As good or remarkable as any band could eventually prove themselves to be, history has proven conclusively that it’s truly rare for any band to arrive that way (see Nirvana, Ween, Wilco, etc. for examples of bands which developed over time) out of the proverbial box. In that regard, The Glands were no exception; when they started, this little band from Georgia was a perfectly average-at-best band, drawing inspiration from punk and college rock. They produced music of a quality...
WHO: New Bomb Turks WHAT: Nightmare Scenario (Diamond Edition) WHY: I know that the New Bomb Turks album everyone drools over is Destroy! Oh Boy!, and sure, that’s a great one, but people seem to forget the magic in Nightmare Scenario. It’s catchier, better crafted, and easier to handle. Oh, it’s also a way better album. The NBT have now rereleased it as a Diamond Edition for its 20th anniversary. If you loved the rawness of the original Nightmare Scenario,...
WHO: Personality Cult WHAT: New Arrows WHY: New Arrows is nothing new but it’s got that sound that I happen to absolutely love. It’s raw, fast, poppy, and full of guitars. I’m not quite sure how Personality Cult mastermind Ben Carr did it, but he figured out a way to distill a buzzpop album down to the essentials. Of course, a good way to do that is to let the Marked Men influence you a bit. You don’t have to...
WHO: Nice Guys WHAT: Self-titled WHY: I’ll gladly say that Nice Guys are the best band in Boston and fight anyone who wants to challenge that. Remember, this isn’t exactly the same band from 5 years ago. They used to stick to the EP format and sounded raw and sloppy as they should being a weedcore band. Nowadays they’re a tight proggy hardcore punk band and have finally bestowed their debut LP on us. It’s punk rock blast, fast, spastic,...