There's something about Hunter S. Thompson that has affected so many people I know in a way not unlike a monumental politician or religious leader. Most of my friends can recount how they first learned of him, the impact he had on their lives and the sadness they felt at his unsurprising self-inflicted passing. For writers in particular, he managed to elevate our field to almost rock-star status in such a way that probably led more than a few to...
I know it's been a while since we've posted a grip of free music, but I hope this gift of freebies is enough to diminish your anger and frustration toward Ground Control in any way. This is a pretty sweet list actually, especially if you're a fan of more than one genre. Two of our favorite hip-hop artists—Common Market and Atmosphere—have resurfaced with new albums, while My Morning Jacket and The Black Angels are giving everyone a taste of what's...
In the realm of indie rock, many bands are regarded as peerless in their approach to music making, but few were so far ahead of their time as Mission of Burma. The band pioneered effects and ideas that rock groups are only now beginning to catch up with and emulate. In addition to cranking their amplifiers up louder than personal safety levels would allow (they wound up going on extended hiatus when guitarist Roger Miller’s tinnitus got so bad that...
José González will be releasing the In Our Nature Remixes EP (Digital Only) on Earth Day, April 22nd via Mute Records. The EP features tracks from the In Our Nature LP, remixed by the likes of Todd Terje, Penchenga Nord, Beatfanatic, and Landberg & Skogehall. What’s more is that on May 6th, González will be releasing a digital single that will include a cover of Massive Attack's massively popular to cover song, “Teardrop” as well as will include the b-side...
It took bassist Eric Avery fourteen years to detox from Jane’s Addiction and compose himself after Deconstruction, but with Help Wanted he has returned whole, hearty and reinvigorated. As it turns out, turning down all those Jane’s reunions was the ideal course; Avery’s new solo album bears no marks of the bassist’s prior work and instead starts fresh to create his own vision. What Avery has always maintained is his affection for such electronic acts as New Order and those...
I have a confession to make. I have Carrie Underwood's "Before He Cheats" on my iPod. I bought it off iTunes. I saw her sing it on Saturday Night Live, and my first reaction was "Oh, American Idol! Puke!" Then, about halfway through, I caught some of the words and quickly fell in love with it. (In case you somehow haven't heard it, she's singing about trashing her boyfriend's pickup while he's in the bar picking up some floozy. It's...
When Weezer released Weezer in 1993, and Weezer in 2001, it’s about time they announced a new album, Weezer on June 24, 2008, on DGC/Interscope. The good thing for us is that this album has a new color, so like a crazy cult, we’ll all refer to this one as “The Red Album.” This is all a big ploy to pay homage to the primary colors since Blue and Green have already been used—let’s hope they don’t release White anytime...
The nature of mainstream pop (call it new rock, punk, alternative, garage or indie, they’re all pop forms) doesn’t leave much space for moodiness. Critical mass for the genre where honestly emotionally distraught acts are concerned is maybe 0.3 percent—including acts like Nine Inch Nails, Radiohead, Depeche Mode and Mike Patton—which means that the track is set and narrow and new bands attempting to break into the club are regularly met with suspicion. You have to pay your dues and,...
It’s not fair for me to write this review. I’ve listened to this album more times than a grown man should. Read: my opinion is very biased. That disclaimer aside, I can see how Attack & Release might pose a few problems for some of the more loyal Black Keys fans, as out go the messy noises of the guitar and drums so prevalent on their first four albums and in comes a more polished, Mississippi blues sound. Taking their...
Entering Slim's and seeing a stage full of synthesizers, sequencers, laptops and robotic cameras, I became very excited. After my metal youth, I discovered and fell in love with electronic music, and although I was much more into industrial, noise and "power electronics," I had—and still do have—a soft spot for ANY music that involves the twiddling of knobs. Having lost touch with Meat Beat Manifesto and what Jack Dangers and his crew have been doing since the Subliminal Sandwich...