A deeper look at the grooves pressed into the “Best Of The Best” b/w “45” seven inch single by Roadside Bombs. It’s pretty uncommon for a punk band to publicly praise a music journalist (not that it never happens, just that it doesn’t happen regularly) so when Roadside Bombs doesn’t just praise a critic, they put his face on the A-side of a single and publicly promote him as being “The Best of The Best,” it begs attention.The critic in...

A deeper look at the grooves pressed into the Tales From The Megaplex LP by Count Vaseline. It might seem difficult to understand for those who have never heard his music before, but Stefan “Count Vaseline” Murphy is the definition of “timeless, ageless hipster cool” and he proves it on his third album, Tales From The Megaplex. Throughout the album’s eight cuts (seven originals and one Ween cover), Murphy deadpans and comically monotones his way along against a backdrop of...

A deeper look at the grooves pressed into the Locust Abortion Technician EP by the Butthole Surfers. At first glance, it’s hard not to smirk a little at the design, intention and construct of the Locust Abortion Technician EP. It’s a very unmistakably “Surfers” release; the group has chosen to break their decade-long silence with a celebration of the thirtieth anniversary of their Locust Abortion Technician album and, to mark the occasion, they’ve reissued (roughly) thirty percent of the album...

A deeper look at the grooves pressed into the Five Minutes To Live 12” EP by JoeCephus and the George Jonestown Massacre. It might not sound like it makes sense on the surface, but a convincing case could be made for the most genuine tribute albums being those which rely on deep cuts from the celebrated artist’s catalogue. How else would the songs get collected together that way if not because the artists involved weren’t undying fans themselves? Such an...

A deeper look at the grooves pressed into the “Wake Up” 7” single by The Complicators. Now that punk rock has gone around the block a few times and collected little generic influences like a lint brush, it’s understandable how some fans may be hard-pressed to recognize it anymore. That’s why a release like The Complicators’ “Wake Up” 7” is so refreshing though; it grunts, it grinds and it stomps but, most importantly, it sticks to the core tenets that...

Hot Water Music Exister   I remember first hearing Hot Water Music and being immediately transfixed. It was on one of those Punk-O-Rama compilations that used to be all the rage back in the day. Say what you will about them, but they often helped spark interest in bands you never heard of. Hot Water Music was definitely one of these bands. And once your interest was peaked, you realized there’s much more to Hot Water Music than meets the...

A deeper look at the grooves pressed into the Monstervision LP by Round Eye. Since first appearing as the “band on the other side of a split album with Libyan Hit Squad” a couple of years ago , Round Eye has always been upfront regarding its’ affinity for vinyl releases, but...

A deeper look at the grooves pressed into Harrington Saints’ “Red State” 7” single. It’s not uncommon for punk bands to tackle political subject matter, but it is unusual to hear the language of Republican politics appear in a punk song. That’s what makes the title track from Harrington Saints’ newest 7”, “Red State,” so compelling; while the song itself is not actually “red,”it utilizes the language as a discussion point in order to uncover the politics and psychology of...

A deeper look at the grooves pressed into the “Goodbye Love” LP by Dirty Fences. After taking four years to let their sound season with the help of regular touring and new releases (it’s really easy to chart the development Dirty Fences has undergone between their debut album, Too High To Kross, and their sophomore effort, Full Tramp), there’s no question in listening to “Goodbye Love” that the band has arrived and are ready to take over the world. This...

The Good Earth by Pearl S. Buck, Nick Bertozzi It’s comic books like these that I love writing about. Partly because it helps fuel the fire of the flame I’m stoking about how mainstream superhero comics are now irrelevant. Also, because The Good Earth is a fantastic book that I want to tell everyone about. Yes, I know it was a novel long before it was a comic book, so hold your horses. Instead of dealing with flying capes and...