While he doesn’t want to admit it for fear of jinxing the whole thing and watching it go down the tubes, singer/guitarist Jesse Elliott knows that something is about to happen to his band, These United States. He doesn’t know what, but anyone who speaks with him knows he can feel it coming; something’s going to happen. “Something about this record – God – where do I start,” beams the singer breathlessly. “I mean, with each one we’ve made, every...
While he doesn't want to admit it for fear of jinxing the whole thing and watching it go down the tubes, singer/guitarist Jesse Elliott knows that something is about to happen to his band, These United States. He doesn't know what, but anyone who speaks with him knows he can feel it coming; something's going to happen. “Something about this record – God – where do I start,” beams the singer breathlessly. “I mean, with each one we've made, every...
After an illuminating and enlightening reissue endeavor undertaken in 2010 which saw The Jon Spencer Blues Explosion get heavy again in their re-examinations of albums like Now I Got Worry, Orange, Acme and Extra Width, the band has elected to go in the polar opposite direction for Meat And Bone – their newest effort and first offering of new material in eight years. "We still have that psychic glue that allows us to create music together,” says Spencer boldly of...
Is there any band with as distinctive a sound as Rush? They are instantly recognizable. And it's not just Geddy Lee's vocals, unique as they are. Every member contributes, often at the same time, because the identifying characteristic of Rush is how they fill every available bit of space with sound. It is amazing how much noise they produce for just a trio, and those of us who have seen the band live that the music they make doesn't sound...
While nothing the band has done during its eighteen-year career has ever gone totally unnoticed, there's no doubt that 2012 has been a red letter year for Useless ID. The going got good early on the calendar when the Haifa, Israel-based band released Symptoms – their seventh album and first for Fat Wreck Chords – to thunderous applause and appreciation but, even better, that interest hasn't waned since; Useless ID launched on a touring regimen that saw the band hitting...
Out of left field comes an Austrailian duo circa 2011. You may know them from “Antidote” or “Internet Friends,” and those are the songs that you should really stick to when it comes to Rob Swire and Gareth McGrillen’s work. These two gentlemen have worked with some large names like Swedish House Mafia, Skrillex and Nero. Their second release as Knife Party, Rage Valley, dishes out four tracks; the same number as was on the free EP they released in...
UK sisters Colette and Hannah Thurlow, a.k.a. 2:54, already had a tall order to fill when they appeared on the radar as one of this year’s breakthrough buzz bands. Getting featured as one of the must-see acts by NXNE itself when the festival boasted about 650 groups on the bill this year is saying something all on its own – so it was odd that 2:54 were the 9:00pm opening slot at the Lee's Palace showcase. The house was full...
Every year, more stuff piggybacks onto NXNE weekend. Whether it’s more shitty corporate booths blocking sight lines at Dundas Square (which is why doing a show review for Flaming Lips proved to be impossible), or invite-only parties that have nothing to do with music. This year if you RSVP’d to Jansport knapsack’s Bonfire sessions, you were rewarded with a trip to Toronto Island to drink for free while the Smith Westerns played. It sounded like a pretty good deal, so...
Anybody who has ever seen The White Stripes live knows that, as big a fan as any concertgoer might be, te band's live shows leave a pretty significant amount to be desired. No matter how hard the band tries, their shortcomings seem to be inescapable; Jack White's voice can be incredibly pitchy onstage and, if he's feeling the audience enough to really start playing hard, it doesn't take long for the guitarist to throttle his instrument out of tune which...
Without meaning to get a little bias brewing in readers from the start, I have to admit that it's tough for me to get excited at the prospect of a reformed Stone Temple Pilots. True, I've never been much of a fan (I really liked two albums – Purple and Tiny Music – Songs From The Vatican Gift Shop – but then went back to scoffing at the band and its fans as I had when Core came out in...