Iron Chic are back with their first new music since their split with Pacer. For some, a couple years isn't long, but waiting for new Iron Chic is like waiting for a ride at Disneyland. As soon as you finish the thrill of one, you're automatically anxious to get in line for another, and the wait is unbearable. No matter if it's 30 minutes or 2 hours. With Spooky Action, they wet your tongue just enough to tide you over for the new album.The first track, "Spooky Action at a Distance," lets you know the band hasn't lost any momentum. They're as catchy as ever. Vocals and lyrics are still tugging at your heartstrings. Lubrano is at the top of his game. "Less Rest for the Restless," is a simpler song that still manages to get you stoked for more. The last track is a cover of The Ramones', "Bonzo Goes to Bitburg." Iron Chic's guitar tone and The Ramones' melody are a match made in heaven. Won't say it's better than the original ('cause it's not), but they give it a little something that gets you listening harder. Read more
It’s hard to go to an EDM festival without seizuring from strobe lights, going deaf from pulsing beats, or popping … Read more
It’s been hard to believe that A Wilhelm Scream’s last full length, Career Suicide, was released in 2007. I’ve seen … Read more
I nearly died one night in the kitchen of Mexican restaurant I was cooking at. When it came time to … Read more
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Concept albums are hardly a new thing but for French band Monolithe and their seventh record, the conceptual aspect has been taken to the next level. Seven songs, exactly seven minutes long, each beginning with the first seven letters of the alphabet in sequence with each letter signalling the tonality of the track that is playing......it all sounds like a heck load of work and the seven people (yep) behind the music have constructed a work that revels in this drama. Taking themes from science fiction and rendering them through the lens of gothic and progressive doom, Monolithe have taken steps from their formative years and moved themselves into much darker territory on this release. New vocalist Rémi Brochard is an aggressive presence and the six members of the band … Read more
There's few artists that have been bent over by their record label more than Hank Williams III. That label was Curb, and they fucked the poor man up down and sideways. That blood contract was finally over with the 2010 release of Rebel Within - an album with potential, but the end result was what felt like an understandably rushed … Read more
Those who have had the pleasure of seeing Shelton Hank Williams III perform live know that the man always gives his audience more than their money's worth. A typical show will be 3 full sets - each approximately 45 minutes to an hour long. The first set is a straight-up country set. Set #2 is often the "hillbilly" set - … Read more
This is weirdo garage punk with some surf and new wave-y parts from Nashville, TN. Hard to tell if Useless Eaters are playing guitars that sound like fucked-up keyboards or if there is a keyboard that drowns out the fucked-up guitars. I honestly could care less because I happen to really like it. Sometimes just being a stupid music fan … Read more
I’d call Caves frantic punk rock, if not for the title track on Betterment actually being a casual acoustic affair. Other than that song, though, the eleven songs on the UK’s band’s latest offering are non-stop energy, complemented by vocal trade-offs, relentless percussion, and a whole lot of screaming. The press sheet drops the term “urgent,” and it’s precisely that, … Read more
Try to imagine that two of the most interesting experimental acts out there not only decided to collaborate for a full album, they also wanted to do that in a 19th century stone church. That is right! Mamiffer, featuring Aaron Turner (of ISIS, Old Man Gloom, House of Low Culture and millions other projects) and Faith Coloccia (of House of … Read more
It seems the term “grunge” is getting thrown around again quite a bit these days when it comes to describing the current crop of buzzy-guitar-based bands. And while the actual definition of the word has always been somewhat confusing, in the 20-odd years it’s existed, it has also become a fairly accurate identifier. It would not be incorrect to use … Read more
After how hard Western Problems hit, it would be hard for Future Virgins to deliver another punch-out of similar quality. Or would it? With a new record, Late Republic on Recess Records, the Chattanooga band has blown my expectations away. The sound this time is a bit cleaner, which lends a pop sensibility to their powerful melodies, but it’s just … Read more
Think long and hard and decide just what it takes for a band to enter your own personal rarified air (sure this personal status can be mutable over time with bands falling out and joining in depending on how quickly your tastes might change); for me it can be as little as one record and can last an entire “Career” … Read more
Somewhere between rock, stoner, sludge and noise, 30,000 Monkies manage to find a point of equilibrium and they are now unleashing their latest EP, Somewhere Over The Painbow. The malice of the Melvins merges with the spirit of Sonic Youth to bring four songs that will leave you stunned. With their furious sound, heavy riffs and relentless groove, this release … Read more
Last year's self titled record from Pinkish Black was a distinctly (un)pleasant surprise from a duo that have been making music together for a substantial length of time. Pinkish Black took the critical world by storm with their debut and the record was, quite rightly, considered a breath of fresh air within the darker confines of the musical spectrum. Pinkish … Read more
It's encouraging that after releasing one of the best records of 2010, Janelle Monáe wasn't rushed into releasing the follow-up album to The ArchAndroid until she was good and ready. Three years have given her and her Wondaland Arts Society time to regroup and evolve and the range and talent of her collaborators this time around reflect the maturity Monáe's … Read more
Worriers are yet another Brooklyn band to note, made up of former members of some higher profile DIY punk bands from the area. Most noteworthy in terms of sound is vocalist Lauren Denitzio, previously of The Measure [SA]. Obviously, her familiar voice and vocal style will bring a number of comparisons, including within this very review, and it should serve … Read more
Each time I write the phrase “garage-punk” I like it less and less. Still, how else to describe a band that blends pop-punk and garage so well? Actually, in recent reviews I’ve taken to simply comparing bands to the Marked Men, which takes us directly to Radioactivity.Radioactivity is Jeff Burke and Mark Ryan, half of Marked Men, joined by Gregory … Read more
No Peace is the debut LP by Charlottesville, NC’s Nö Pöwer. There are subtle elements of garage and psych at play here but it’s primarily raging hardcore punk, with a noticeable emphasis on the noise. It's a primitive and blown-out style of D-beat that’s been injected with a distinctive dose of artiness and then drenched in feedback. Although he’s not … Read more
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