band

Am I gonna get beat up if I say that I like Bob Mould’s solo stuff more than Husker Du? Of course, I really like Husker Du, but they’re one of those “reckoning” bands for me. As much as I listen to them, I just can’t seem to get a grip on their music. Every time I put them on, it’s enjoyable, but it just doesn’t stick. It’s almost purposefully uncatchy. Except of course for “Makes No Sense At all.”...

Photos by Zack...

X Smoke & Fiction (Fat Possum Records)Smoke & Fiction was one of the most important records of 2024. How? Let me count the ways. For one it was, just plainly on the surface, a record that did many things and did them well. Compared to both rock and punk music it sounded fresh, yet undeniably familiar. It also managed to be both fun and urgent, and musically it was catchy as hell. Blame that on guitarist Billy Zoom’s rockabilly tendencies...

Seeing a good opener can be a cathartic experience. Sometimes it’s interesting, and you check them out when you go home, but most of the time it’s forgettable. I can count on one hand when an opener has blown me away, and I don’t even need all my fingers. When I caught the last few songs of Die Spitz at an OFF! show years ago all I could think of is how loud it sounded. Then, watching them put their...

WHO: (the) Melvins WHAT: Tarantula Heart WHY: The Melvins “joke” that this is the best album they’ve released ever or in a long time. I don’t know if that’s necessarily true, because I remember Bases Loaded being pretty great. The thing with the Melvins is that they’re constantly putting out good or above average albums. However, I gotta say, there’s something quite special about Tarantula Heart. It’s sludgy, funny, heavy, ambitious, catchy as hell yet still retains the identity of...

A deeper look at the grooves pressed into the Crisis Actor LP by Billy Liar. It feels unlikely on the surface because, like Henry Ford, punks often want to proclaim that, “history is bunk” – but the fact is that some of the permutations of punk rock that have passed through the mainstream are possessed of an undeniably accessible quality. Even on first listen, sometimes there’s just something about the music which is capable of hooking listeners really really hard...

WHO: Snuff WHAT: Come And Have a Go If You Think You’re Rachmaninoff WHY: My love for the band Snuff knows no bounds. They’re one of those bands from my formative punk years that have remained relevant and continued on an interesting path. Speaking of interesting is this album. This time, Snuff have reimagined their old songs in an acoustic more ballady format. The arrangements are elegant and it helps conjure a new-found love for these songs. I’m glad I’m...

WHO: Brutal Youth WHAT: Rebuilding Year WHY: Super fast melodic hardcore reminiscent of Kid Dynamite, you say? Sign me up! In these 29 minutes of sing-along fury, Brutal Youth seem to have figured out a formula of what exactly makes this genre work. The hooks, speed, catchy choruses, down-on-your luck lyrics, and barking vocals are all there. Rebuilding Year just sparks joy in its pure craftsmanship. Brutal Youth came out of nowhere for me, and just might have come out...

A deeper look at the grooves pressed into the Is This What It Feels Like To Feel Like This 12” EP by The Wombats. After having embarked on a career which has seen the band release six full-length albums, one compilation and nine EPs with startlingly minimal popular notice, there’s no way to deny that The Wombats are one of the most tragically underrated bands of all time. Someone, somewhere could go so far as to call the band’s ability...

A deeper look at the grooves pressed into the Choke Cherry Tree LP by Ben Miller Band. The catch, when any band attempts to infuse a time-honored sound and style with new energy and fresh inspiration, is that they often lose sight of all the reasons why and how that form worked in the first place. While the heart and hopes might sound enough, the results often feel as though someone has tried to weld the fins from a ’57...