The singer-songwriter gig is a hard one. You have to be the center of attention, captivating your audience from start to finish. Yes, Frank Turner plays with a backing band (The Sleeping Souls), but the focus is always on Turner, be it on stage or on a 14 song LP. And he’s willing to put it all out there. Many of the topics on this record are built on that feeling of having all eyes on you, balanced with the challenges and blowback it sometimes receives. I’m painting with broad strokes, but the record as a whole is about finding self-confidence as you face life’s problem: big and small, personal and political. It’s about fighting for yourself and coming out ahead, standing tall as if you’re undefeated. It’s ultimately singer-songwriter style or rock-folk, with electric instrumentation and a strong punk ethos. Throughout you’ll get an anti-authority tone, communal vibes and singalong choruses. It’s pretty blunt on tunes like the pub stomper “Never Mind The Back Problems,” the less than subtle “I’ve returned to being an angry man” theme in “No Thank You For The Music” or the almost folk-oi structure of “The Leaders.” Turner’s background in the punk scene leaves … Read more
Breathe In Breathe Out. Wheezing is often heard as a whistling sound primarily while breathing out but can also be … Read more
Do you take your punk with saxophone? Do you like post-angular guitars and rhythmic, near-spoken vocals? If so, Uranium Club … Read more
I spent a good part of the late ‘90s annoyed at the abundance of Ramonescore. I’ll stand by my word: … Read more
I find Totally Slow a hard band to categorize. Their brand of melodic, hard punk is familiar and comforting -- … Read more
City Of Death is the third album from Polish noise makers Steamachine. Having dabbled in a few metal styles over … Read more
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If you're not familiar with the name Jeremy Enigk, I have only one conclusion: you've been living under a rock for quite some time. Enigk is best known as the frontman for Sunny Day Real Estate - a band whose reputation should precede themselves - and The Fire Theft - an offshoot project of Sunny Day Real Estate. In addition to those acclaimed projects, he has recorded a fair amount of material on his own, most notably his debut solo effort, Return of the Frog Queen. And after a ten year wait, we have his second solo offering, World Waits. "A New Beginning" is an operatic opening to Word Waits. The song is very much a declaration of a triumphant return, even if Enigk never did leave the world of … Read more
The opening track on Somehow, We Are Here is a statement. Yes, Faulty Cognitions is a punk band with members of Low Culture, Shang-A-Lang, Nocturnal Prose,and more. Yes, this shares a lot of commonalities, but it’s also a new band with a new sound. The band humbly says they were going for an early, jangly R.E.M. vibe but self-confess that it has more of a Replacements thing going on … Read more
Jim Mroz is no stranger to the darkest dungeons of the human mind. These locked doors of the psyche are a common destination for his project Lussuria, through which Mroz has quietly amassed an impeccable discography. And so another immersive chapter of harrowing music sprouts forth with Under Crumbled Stairs, with Lussuria extending their phantom limbs to touch upon numerous sonic … Read more
When Pearl Jam dropped Gigaton in 2020 - a mere two weeks after the world shut down, there was a lot of fear and uncertainty about what track we were on as a society, and even as a species. We clung to whatever north star could guide us through those dark times. So it really says something that still, four long years … Read more
The first song on this album is named “Nirvana.” It’s a fitting nod to an obvious influence, though a Mudhoney reference might honestly be more apt. Going into this record, based solely on the lead single (“Nuff Said), I was expecting more of a brash, garage-punk sound with Dog Date. My first impressions weren’t totally off base, but add a big dose … Read more
Some bands are visual, yeah? You need to see them live, in person, to truly experience them. You need to see the costumes, the theatrics, the flashing lights and, yes, the sweat running down their faces. Spiritual Cramp are like this, but, uh, not? Not the costumes, not the theatrics, not the flashing lights (I’ll stay mum about the sweat). But you … Read more
Justin Pearson. The only person who you could hear Mike Patton say “Goddamn, that guy’s in a lot of bands”. And it’s true. The list of groups Pearson has been a part of reads longer than his lyric sheets. But within the myriad of music the man has released, Planet B is somewhat of an anomaly. There are synths. There … Read more
They’re calling Vial indie-punk on the press releases I’m seeing. That’s probably as fair a description as any, as the DIY punk band covers a lot of sonic ground. What’s impressive is that on burnout, their second record, that varied sound all feels unified. The 10 songs here go from indie rock to angry punk to grungy to bouncy but, however … Read more
What I enjoy most about the Jesus and Mary Chain is arguably also their biggest flaw. The band’s slacker energy meets wall of feedback with a surprisingly melodic twist has always worked for me, but it kind of blurs together after a while. It’s kind of rainy day music – hence the classic “Happy When It Rains” off 1987’s Darklands. The … Read more
Since the demise of Sonic Youth in 2011, Kim Gordon has stayed active through multiple outlets, through all of which she has rejuvenated her experimental outlook. Alongside Bill Nace in Body / Head, they have explored the no-wave aesthetic in its full glory, through minimalism and noise. But, it is also her solo project that has found Gordon at her finest. Her debut … Read more
Somehow I never reviewed Viva Belgrado before, even though I have followed them since their debut album Flores, Carne. Somehow I was always a bit late to the show and thought: ok, this time I am too late, but next time I will catch this release on time! Well, the band just released their fourth full length and guess what? I found out … Read more
DWNKILL are a band born of the monotony of the Covid pandemic which gave the band plenty of time to write, rehearse and perfect their sound. Hailing from Houston, Texas, DWNKILL are the brain child of identical twin brothers, Jesse (vocals) and Josh (drums) Rodriguez. Recruiting childhood friends Connor Clements (guitar) and Dylan McEwan (bass) their line up was complete … Read more
Since the 2010 release of her debut album, The Grime and The Glow, Chelsea Wolfe has steadily become one of the prominent figures in the dark intersection between gothic, doom, and folk. Not only has she amassed a discography without any true blemishes, but she has also transcended to other genres (in her collaboration with Converge in Bloodmoon: I) but also to other mediums … Read more
Sweat hit the ground running with their debut, working up a lather on Gotta Give It Up. Two years later, the California trio is back and they still seem plenty angry. Their second LP, Love Child may have a charming title but it has just as much fire as their debut. It follows a similar style while showing more nuance and growth. The … Read more
With the billion or so punk subgenres and comeback cycles, it’s interesting to me that more bands aren’t playing this style of Crimpshrine-inspired East Bay punk. Popstar by Bad Idols is crunchy yet melodic. It’s generally pop-structured but with gruff and deeply personal lyrics. Let’s just say the word “I” is prevalent throughout this 12-song record. I’ll also add that I’m a big … Read more
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