WHO: Sleaford Mods WHAT: Spare Ribs WHY: Sleaford Mods are perplexingly difficult to describe, especially considering their music is incredibly simple. Is it working-class speaking over simple electronic drum and bass beats? Sure. It’s also angry, honest, and kind of punk rock. It’s also sounds like rapping and is surprisingly catchy. In short, there’s nothing out there like it. You see where I’m going with this? Their latest Spare Ribs has been called their best work and I might just...

The Hold SteadyOpen Door Policy Thank god for this album, folks. Thank GOD! I think I’ve said this before, but the Hold Steady are one of those bands that suffers from Monty Python syndrome, in the sense that it’s good, but the most annoying people in the world will not shut the fuck about it. Have you met a Hold Steady fan? If you’re not sure, then you haven’t. The real Hold Steady fans are annoying as hell. As such,...

WHO: Mikey Erg WHAT: Selftitled WHY: Mikey Erg might best be known for being the go-to drummer for every band on earth and his work in seminal pop punk band The Ergs! but the man has a solo career every bit as interesting. His new self-titled album serves as a back-to-form of sorts from the more experimental stuff he’s been putting out and it’s got all the hard-hitting pop punk hooks, riffs, and girl songs you’d expect from someone with...

A deeper look at the grooves pressed into the JT LP by Steve Earle and The Dukes. The fact is that no parent ever assumes they’ll outlive their children. There’s a security in that knowledge; at a certain point, parents realize that it’s unlikely they’ll accomplish all the things that they hoped to do in their lifetimes (either for themselves or for their progeny – some things will simply be left undone), and so there’s a certain comfort which comes...

Neil Young & Crazy Horse Way Down In The Rust Bucket (Deluxe Edition 4LP/2CD/DVD) (Reprise Records/Warner Music Group/The Other Shoe Productions) It’s hard to express how satisfying the experience of witnessing a “whole show” can be, in reference to said show being on a recorded medium. Really, how many pieces are necessary? Well, in the case of the Deluxe Edition 4LP/2CD/1DVD box set which chronicles the show that Neil Young performed with Crazy Horse in Santa Cruz. CA in 1990,...

A deeper look at the grooves pressed into the Call The Shots EP by Suzi Moon. Listening to Call The Shots – the debut EP by Suzi Moon – there’s no way to deny that listeners will be able to recognize a great similarity to the vocal tone and timbres of Courtney Love, but listeners also won’t be able to deny that the three songs which comprise this EP are more enduring and enjoyable than anything the Hole singer has...

Joe StrummerAssembly It’s strange to think how Joe Strummer’s music is essential, considering his output isn’t exactly large. Or maybe it’s just right and easy to grasp, which is what makes it easier to reckon with. As far as the Clash is concerned, that music is just required listening and everyone should be familiar with it. Yes, all of it, including Cut the Crap. The Clash’s music has withstood the test of time and there are numerous compilations to introduce...

A deeper look at the grooves pressed into the Skin Suit LP by The Bobby Lees. It gets said a lot, but it’s only in the moment when one actually hears the right sound at the right moment that they realize just how powerful it can be. It’s only in the right moment, for example, that a sound can make a listener’s blood boil or their skin crawl – or it can light your brain on fire and completely pervert...

Kent State: Four Dead in Ohioby Derf Backderf Take a really good look at this book and know that to look into Derf Backderf’s Kent State is to look at the real potential in comics. I used to drink the cool-aid just like everyone else and thought that comics meant Batman and Superman, or even worse, just DC or Marvel. But eventually I put on my big boy pants and realized that comics are just a form of expression and...

Acceptance (Southern Reach Series #3)by Jeff VanderMeer The Southern Reach series started out with quite a bang with Annihilation. It was equal parts creepy, compelling, engaging, and suspenseful. It was loaded with interesting characters trying to make sense of a strange situation. That book had me at hello. Then came authority which completely shifted perspective from the internal to the external. Some questions were answered but more were posed. I was a little hesitant about it, but remained on board,...