It’s a little chilling when you realize that there aren’t many alt-rock bands that crossed the MTV Unplugged stage that aren’t missing a member or are completely defunct now (Nirvana and Soul Asylum come to mind), but revisiting Alice In Chains’ set eleven years after the show happened is particularly gut-wrenching for those familiar with Layne Staley’s story. Unplugged was the first show that AIC had done in three years at that time and, while the performance was fantastic, it’s...
A few months ago, a friend asked me what new music he should check out and when I mentioned Tokyo Police Club to him, he said, “No seriously, what should I be listening to?” One amazing baseline later and TPC has my friend and the indie music world buzzing about their sound. Of course, these boys from Newmarket, Ontario, went ahead and sprinkled in some other talent-laden chords throughout last year’s debut, A Lesson In Crime. Now, the Canadian outfit...
On December 4, Capitol/Priority will reissue N.W.A.’s Straight Outta Compton on CD, vinyl and digital download. In addition to the gangsta’ rap classic, the reissue will also come with five bonus tracks including a number of new versions from the likes of Snoop Dogg, WC and Mack 10. So for anyone that has yet to experience the awesomeness of Straight Outta Compton here’s a new chance to enjoy this west coast original. The reissue track listing includes:1 Straight Outta Compton2...
Polysics. Just the discordant name conjures up feelings of frenzy and riot. On a blustery October evening, the Japanese quartet of Polysics brought to this western coast a piece of the east in a splitting battery of synth pop and noise that left the venue reeling in sweat-drenched shock. Arriving too late to catch any of the opening acts, I climbed to the top mezzanine at the Troubadour and placed myself quietly on the bleachers in anticipation of the harried...
There's something to be said for Nada Surf. Not too many bands in recent memory have been certified one-hit-wonders (the threesome even appeared on MTV's Buzz Bin compilation) who escaped oblivion to put out relevant, even essential albums, like 2003's Let Go. So the news that Barsuk will be putting out the band's new album Lucky on Feb. 5th will make us sit up and take notice. For those who can't wait until '08, Nada Surf is teasing us with...
Along with Patti Smith’s Horses and The Ramones’ self-titled debut album, The Voidoids’ Blank Generation rounds out the holy trinity of American punk albums that defined the parameters and aesthetics for what would follow in both the punk and alt-rock genres since the release of those albums and continue to exert influence to this day except that Blank Generation is very much the dark horse of the lot. While Horses plays like a direct guide for every female songstress with...
The one good thing about a Cat Power album is the CD or mp3 can’t get up and storm out of your apartment or yell at you for not having the sound levels set up to her liking. On that note, Matador released details on her next album, which is a follow-up to a covers record from 2006 called The Greatest. The nest one, which doesn’t have to called, Greatest-er or something, is cleverly titled Jukebox. It’s set to be...
Perhaps because they’d heard somewhere that The Butthole Surfers were once called subversive because they’d signed to a major label twelve years ago and had since signed on to another smaller label that still had major-sized distribution (Surfdog and Universal respectively), in the last five years Ween has hopped between three of the big four record companies. Now allied with Universal, Ween’s newest offering is only really a walnut color; fans will notice that tracks including “Friends,” “Learnin’ To...
Adult Swim, the late-night sister network of Cartoon Network which showcases animation and live action for adults, announced a 12-stop college tour beginning October 29 with two of the country's top rock acts, And You Will Know Us By the Trail of Dead… and Dethklok. All shows will be free for students and ticket information can be obtained at adultswimpresents.com. And You Will Know Us by the Trail of Dead.. is currently comprised of three core members: Conrad Keely, Jason...
In The Unbearable Lightness of Being, Milan Kundera explains the daunting feeling of vertigo. He describes it as the bending of two extremes, paradoxes merging together and evoking the sense of collapse in a world of seemingly stable constructions. Of course in the realm of indie rock, the sensation of vertigo—and its consequences—aren't so drastic. What does it mean when the esteemed quartet, Sonic Youth, does an in-store performance at the Urban Outfitters on the notorious (-ly commercial) stretch of...