WHO: Brook Pridemore WHAT: Metal is My Only Friend WHY: Brook Pridemore has been at it for quite a while, honing his craft. And just when I think he’s outdone himself, he does it again. Metal is My Only Friend has been out for a couple years now but, as I take calm walks enjoying the Fall weather, its brilliance has finally hit me. This is most definitely an underdog of an album that exceeds all expectations. It’s beautifully crafted,...

A deeper look at the grooves pressed into the “Base Rage on the Front Page” (12” 3D printed single) by Noi!se. 2020 has been a very good year for Noi!se. This year, the band has already released two singles (the “Base Rage on the Front Page” single is the third – the 3D printed “Lost” 12” singleand the very orange “Price We Pay” 7” preceded it), but now the band has returned again with the single best of the lot,...

The Complete Mausby Art Spiegelman Maus is one of those comics that has to be reckoned with sooner or later if you’re a comics fan. I know I put it off longer than I should have, and I thank having this book on my shelf taunting me for years for finally motivating me to read it. This book is simply a marvel for what it does.I pray that comics are getting the backlash they’ve deserved for years, and for which...

A deeper look at the grooves pressed into the “Blue” 7” by The Slackers. Within the context of political discourse, it has not been uncommon to see songs appear which promote one side of the proverbial aisle or the other (some musicians have based careers on it, in fact), but it has been a while since such an event occurred (at least, to this critic’s recollection). Because nature abhors a vacuum however, The Slackers have surfaced from their recent reissue...

A deeper look at the grooves pressed into the All Are Welcome LP by Lenny Lashley’s Gang Of One. After the events which have taken place in the United States over the last four years or so, one would have to ask if the album title and the image which adorns the cover of Lenny Lashley’s All Are Welcome LP is indicative of the singer’s sense of humor. That will get listeners to give the album a try on the...

The Full Counts The fact of the matter (as inconvenient as it may be) is that not every record is a work of genius and not every band is made up of earthbound gods; sometimes the band is a job for those in it, and the music they make simply makes the bandmembers and their fans happy. That claim is not made as an indictment of those aforementioned bands, the music they’ve made or their fans – it’s just a...

Round EyeCulture Shock Treatment(Paper + Plastick Records) Fuck this year. 2020 has proven to be the most disappointing annum in many regards but, perhaps most importantly (at least within the goings on for this website), 2020 has gone down as the year which stalled the releases of an impressive number of albums, completely halted all touring routes through North America and diverted attention from most of the things people take pleasure in – and seen it be refocused on despicable...

Hiroshimaby John Hersey John Hersey’s Hiroshima has been on my to-read list for over a decade. Ever since I read Howard Zinn’s recommendation of it, I made a note of it. Shame on me that it took so long. Hiroshima is written is simple terms, is only 150 pages, and packs a wallop. Everyone should read it. Hiroshima recounts the story of six survivors of the atomic bomb. Six people of different backgrounds and prospects, all complete unprepared to deal...

A deeper look at the grooves pressed into the Floor It! 2LP by the Texas Gentlemen. It’s funny to think about how much the Texas Gentlemen have changed since first appearing with the release of Texas Jelly in 2018. Just two years ago, the Texas Gents arrived sporting the tightest sound but it was coupled with a design which let the album’s shape develop as it played. The end results turned out to be a mercurial work of art which...

A deeper look at the grooves pressed into Naked Giants’ The Shadow LP. While it’s not terribly uncommon for a band to make great creative changes in their sound and style unexpectedly throughout their career, the knowledge that such events can happen still doesn’t exactly explain the arc that Naked Giants have taken which ultimately brought the band to The Shadow – the group’s second full-length album for New West Records (third for the label). When the band started (in...