Everyone loves a homecoming. After signing on with Fat Wreck Chords for the release of Dead FM in 2006 and seeing just how poppy and conventional they could make their caustic blend of street punk and hardcore, Iron Front marks a glorious return for Strike Anywhere to a sound, method of operation and songwriting (in order: harder edged on a smaller label with politics and social concerns at the forefront) that might not qualify as a comfort zone for most,...

As unpredictable as so many rock and pop musicians like to view themselves, truly gifted are the ones that can honestly and truly knock listeners for a loop by utterly altering the course of their musical path and do it in such a way that listeners don't think twice when they're asked to follow along. Bob Dylan caused riots when he went electric; he had won a dedicated following in folk audiences as well as attracting new listeners to the...

Sometimes just the announcement of a release can generate excitement because those that know the connotations of the announcement understand that whatever's coming will be something to behold. Such was the case when Gogol Bordello announced that it would be putting out a new live DVD (the follow-up to 2008's Gogol Bordello Non-Stop) with a companion CD of curiosities this year. Since forming on the Lower East Side of New York in 1999, Gogol Bordello has amassed an enormous and...

While there are some side project efforts that leave even devout fans wondering how well the results are going to turn out, some are going to be great and that fact is no secret to anyone – it's just a no-brainer, and the debut from Mexican Chili Taco Fiesta is one that falls into that latter category. For his step out from his main squeeze, Los Straitjackets, Dan “Daddy-O Grande” Amis assembled a crack team of like-minded musical maniacs including...

Isn't it incredible when an underground band suddenly draws both positive attention and praise? The effect of such an event is always different – some bands don't care and simply continue to plow the path they've set for themselves, and some feel compelled to answer their success by altering their practices to “better reflect” the new level they've achieved – but it's impossible to ignore the new landscape that success opens up. Islands' third album (second for ANTI–) instantly dives...

It's amazing how far punk rock has come over the last thirty-five years. Now, punk bands (most of them anyway) function within a framework of established paradigms using variables in form, subject matter, tone, tempo and timbre to write songs that – while superficially 'original' – closely adhere to well-worm and utilized formulas. Now, there are rules to being in a punk band that just didn't exist thirty-five years ago; now, all you seem to need is a crappy attitude...

It was only fitting that Norway's Apoptygma Berzerk opened up their show at the DNA Lounge with "Starsign," off of their 2006 classic synth pop release Welcome To Earth. The words "It's about time…" have never rung truer. I was beginning to wonder if I would ever have the chance to see Apop live again. After completing their recently released Rocket Science, three of four band members left the band, leaving founder Stephan Groth by himself and on the heels...

Hello readers,

 Here on the 777" column, we are fans of two numbers; 3 and 7. Seeing as this is the third installment of what I'm sure is your favorite column, it only felt right that we should provide something special to mark the occasion. After all, I didn't expect the column to last this long (believe it or not), nor do I expect to have the energy to keep up with seven, so let's enjoy ourselves while we can.

...

How does one critically review the Bible? Who has that kind of audacity? To call one edition better than another could be viewed as the ultimate exercise in examining the minutiae of the typeface and declaring that the mole hill is indeed a mountain but, in the case of The Beatles' catalogue, such criticisms can be met with staggering vitriol. Some people like their tomes of John, Paul, George and Ringo a little more low-fi and view technological “improvements” upon...

It's funny when you think about how much the world has changed since the beginning of the information age. Prior to that point in history – when the scale of the world was reduced from a series of scale centimeters on a map to being measured by the number of mouse clicks it took to get to the other side of the world – while developments and changes in individual scenes and styles continued at the same rate, news of...