In the folk/country genre, there’s a big difference between some indie rockers from Rhode Island playing country and Travis Tritt playing country. Deer Tick consider themselves country, and are probably right by definition; but if you called them a folk band you’d probably be right too. Their new album, Divine Providence, was promised to be unlike any other Deer Tick record. The songwriting remains the same but there are more electric rave-ups and electric organ (played by Halifax’s own Rob...

It's the twentieth anniversary of the release of Achtung Baby, which provides the excuse for this expanded reissue. The reissue also gives critics a chance to, again, assert that this album was a drastic break from U2's past. Well, I disagree. In my opinion, Achtung Baby is actually a return to U2's strengths. To me, the touchstones of the band's career are Boy and War; they're the tightly wound guitar rock staples. Further (and I know I'm mostly alone in...

Solo albums from talented artists can be a dangerous business. Mick Jagger, Scott Weiland, Axl Rose (yes, I consider the recent GNR album in this category) all shine when they're paired up with their talented sidekicks but, when they step out alone to prove how great they are, we're often left wondering what we saw in them. Some readers might say that Ringo Starr would be a better example than Mick, but I'll stand by that statement; I would have...

Marine Dreams' debut album stands as proof that some of the most remarkable albums come from unlikely sources. That's not meant to imply that the band or its patron (Attack In Black bassist) Ian Kehoe aren't deserving of praise for this effort (this album is fantastic, but more on that in a minute), just that with excellent solo records having already come from Attack In Black frontman Daniel Romano and guitarist Spencer Burton, it comes as a surprise to find...

Hey Junky,Awright – ya know what? – this is friggin' great. I ain't lyin' – I got some good, good shit fo' ya dis week, annit's all a li'l different. Dis week, I gotcha some hip hop, some rock, some punk an' some folk; startin' ta soun' a little familiar, don't it? 'At's right bitch, I ben pullin' from all the five points an' bringin' it to ya, ta make it easy on ya – so whadaya say ta dat...

Maybe it's because the passing of Ronnie James Dio last year left the band without a singer, and maybe it's because the Ozzy's last album spent more time trying to be hip than just trying to be Ozzy and flopped, but fans will be thrilled to hear that Ozzy Osbourne has officially announced his return to the ranks of Black Sabbath, regardless of the reasoning. Now, really, this news has been reported before. Beginning in 1992...

There are moments when one must question a sudden surge in productivity from a band, and one of those moments is now. Over the last two years, Welland, Ontario-based, chameleonic rockers Attack In Black released two full length albums and wow-ed critics with their adept musicianship and ability to shift both gears and styles on a dime. The band covered a staggering amount of ground between Years and the Fake Love Songs cassette as well as a split release with...

As has been proven time and again, a single album can never be the only thing which decides a band's worth. Anyone can have a misstep or even do a flat-out creative face plant as the tape rolls, but then get back up, produce something incredible and force critics to eat their words the next time around. A perfect example of a band finding redemption after a pitiful fall lies in Star Fucking Hipsters' new album, From The Dumpster To...

Hey ya beautiful junkies youse,So how ya doin' youse itchy little bastids? I ain't asked in a while, so are ya beginnin' ta git that itchin' feelin'? I c'n smell it oon ya, 'at's fo' shoor, ya hooked some-bitch ya. Good thing ya gotcher ole buddy Donnie 'ere ta take care o' ya wit' anotha big bag o' SWAG. I got a little bit o' everything dis week, an' yer gonna love it! Awright, big things first. I nabbed'ja a...

It’s got to be the Norse blood in me (seriously, I’m a native Californian but, having traced my family genealogy, I have cousins who currently live in Norway) that immediately stirs me up when I hear that a band names their premier self-released EP Viking Funeral. Brooklyn-based Hull are just such a band who've set such a fire in me. Sady, I had never even heard about Hull until three days ago and I’ve been listening to their other two...