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...

Analog Man is like getting a letter from an old high school pal. He's the guy that you used to party hard with and, deep down, he's still the same clown he's always been – but he has also settled down now, and so has more than one facet to his personality that he can exercise when the time is right. The familiarity is a great comfort, even as his new life sounds like, well, like kind of a bore....

DIIV is a solo project turned full-time endeavor, fronted by former Beach Fossils guitarist Zachary Cole Smith. When he sauntered on stage at Lee's Palace during North By Northeast Music Conference, this young man looked like a homeless, youthful Kurt Cobain draped in an extra large sweatshirt with Malibu stamped in yellow across the front. He looked like you could take a nap on him. His pants were baggy and too short (a possible homage to Stone Roses attire) and...

Red Hot Chili Peppers announced today they would unveil 18 previously unreleased sides from the I'm With You sessions.  Each of the songs will be available worldwide both digitally and on vinyl, with two sides per seven-inch. The first pair of sides – "Strange Man" on the A-side and "Long Progression" on the B-side – will be released on August 14, 2012.  The second pair of sides – "Magpies" and "Victorian Machinery" – will be released on September 11, 2012....