Forgive the cynicism, but the Celtic punk craze came and went into the good night a couple of years ago. It sounds harsh and the fans remaining will probably threaten to grace my groin with a well-placed soccer place kick for saying it, but with the Dropkick Murphys uncharacteristically silent (as are many of the UK bands, and The Mahones are content making themed compilations these days) and Street Dogs are sticking to street punk, there aren’t a whole lot...

Listening to the radio on any given day this week reveals what fans of the genre have feared was coming for a while: pop punk is dead. Those bands once allied with the genre that are still together have moved on and are now either getting political (like Pennywise and Green Day) or have broken up. It’s not cool to write a good song about a girl anymore apparently. Thank god no one told Lagwagon. Back after three years, the...

There are some things that bands do in the span of their careers that – no matter how you look at it – are simply beyond comprehension. If one looks at it objectively, it happens all the time; outside of the current deluge of major label acts recently ditching their major label distribution deals (including Radiohead, Nine Inch Nails and, most recently, Paul Westerberg) and electing to do it for themselves, about thirty-three years ago Lou Reed confounded both critics...

Have you ever had one of those moments where you have no choice butt to simply stop, stare and marvel at your luck? An example would be driving late on an icy winter night, losing control of your car and doing a 720-degree spin across three lanes of highway only to skid unstruck to a stop on the soft shoulder. And, if that wasn't enough, you then discover that you have a front row seat to witness the same thing...

Before a packed house at the most famous venue in San Francisco and in front of a backdrop bearing his band’s grammatically incorrect moniker, Kele Okereke felt the need to say, “We are Bloc Party,” Maybe he didn’t want anyone to be confused? There’s something amusing about it, when bands do this. I mean, at least he was trying to make it sound like he’s trying to sound humble. Did that make sense? All this humility, and it was only...

O, the third record from Tilly and the Wall, is a throwback to the stomp-along indie rock girl groups of the late '90s and early 2000s. Evoking early Le Tigre, “Cold Cold Water”-era Mirah, and Tracy + The Plastics singles with its girl-girl harmonies, echo-y percussion (actually the amplified tap-dancing of Jamie Williams), and not-quite-intimidating aggression (even when they threaten to “burn this motherfucker down,” it seems more an overflow of exuberance than real anger), O might as well come...

To quote Magnum P.I., “I know what you’re thinking, and you’re right…” other than the obvious point that this is a collection of covers, there’s something incredibly familiar about the material that comprises Have Another Ball. To be fair, I actually had to review this album twice because I thought it was a reissue; I have fond memories of blazing up the highway in a burned out, angelic blue Toyota Tercel to parts unknown with many of these Gimme Gimme-ized...

When I’m forced to watch American Idol, it is always remarkable how simple finding “it” really is. By the time episode three or four rolls around, it’s evident who belongs and who doesn’t. While most singers make you feel some sense of nervousness for them, the real contenders are, in every case, the ones who make their performance seem all so effortless. More than just talent, they have that indefinable glint in their eye—the ones who just have “it.” This...

Ratatat is one of those groups you won’t ever fully appreciate until you experience them at noise deafening levels. Their sound has so much going on with it that listening to one of their albums at a comfortable volume is a little like having protected sex with a pregnant hooker. It’s less risky, but not as fun—a fact I’ve yet to ingrain in my own mind, even after the release of their third studio album (not including their two remix...

Ratatat is one of those groups you won’t ever fully appreciate until you experience them at noise deafening levels. Their sound has so much going on with it that listening to one of their albums at a comfortable volume is a little like having protected sex with a pregnant hooker. It’s less risky, but not as fun—a fact I’ve yet to ingrain in my own mind, even after the release of their third studio album (not including their two remix...