Roundabout Midnight

For a brief period as the Aughts drew to a close, a Eurodisco splinter cell formed in the southern hemisphere. New Zealand’s Ladyhawke and Australian acts like Van She, Cut Copy, The Presets, and Midnight Juggernauts, all with nurturing from the Modular record label, managed to loosen the Continental stranglehold on blog house and indie dance. Midnight Juggernauts may be first back to the record rack and download queue, but the results on their 2010 album The Crystal Axis might end up pretty far (if you will) down under those of their compatriots. Read more…

By Adam Blyweiss Posted in Reviews Midnight Juggernauts, Modular

But New to No One

DEVO, despite having a dedicated cult following, are known by most people as one of the many one-hit wonders of the 80s. Something for Everybody, their newest record, has been two decades in the making. The first track is entitled “Fresh,” and that is an adequate description.  It’s about as fresh as that day old salad in the fridge. Read more…

By Ryan Hill Posted in Reviews Devo

Nothing New for the ‘Toons

Soundtracks for animated series are typically a joke, with very little time devoted to the typical sets of bangs and whistles of which they are comprised. With JG Thirlwell, however, the man behind Foetus on board for Adult Swim’s “The Venture Bros.,” this was never going to be the case. Read more…

By Tom Gayton Posted in Reviews adult swim, JG Thirlwell, The Venture Bros.

Dayte Night

When you imagine a modern supergroup, it’s more or less a watered-down version of each member’s music blending haphazardly in an attempt to mirror Cream or, dare anyone say, Asia-like success. Gayngs falls into the indie collective category and their debut album, Relayted, boasts quite a brilliant, cohesive throwback to late ’80s soft radio rock. Read more…

By Terence Calacsan Posted in Reviews Bon Iver, Gayngs, Justin Vernon, Ryan Olson

Full-Bodied Soul

In his sixth full-length album, prominent soul artist Anthony Hamilton has showed that he is here to stay in the music industry.  The Point of It All is an exceptional showcase of beautifully written ballads that highlight Hamilton’s ever-talented voice.  Throughout the album, his soulful Southern roots convey a raw sense of emotion and authentic modern blues. Read more…

By Thomas Aguilar Posted in Reviews Anthony Hamilton, R&B, soul, The point of it all

You Sound Very Much Alive, Sir

Dead Confederate have wedged their way into a genre that doesn’t really have many followers or compatriots. Grunge country-rock could come close; maybe heavy alt-country? All kinds of bands come to mind when shooting for comparisons. We know they loved Pink Floyd and most likely Sabbath in their youth, but growing up in Georgia results in a starting point with acoustic guitars and bearded roots rock. My Morning Jacket always comes up and so does Nirvana; lead singer and guitarist Hardy Morris does seem to echo Kurt Cobain at some heavier moments. Yet Dead Confederate seem unconcerned with fitting in and with their sophomore LP, Sugar, they position themselves as pioneers of a new sound. Read more…

By Bill Chenevert Posted in Reviews Dead Confederate.

August 14, 2010: The first date of this year’s Ozzfest tour kicked off in San Bernardino, California, on a hot and dusty day in this small town located just outside of Los Angeles. Kicking off the day was Immune, an unsigned pop-punk band local to L.A. who, along with California Wildebeast, were totally out of place with the rest of the lineup. (Luckily for Ozzfest, those two bands aren’t traveling with them.) Immune started on the second stage promptly at 12:15 P.M., which might as well be 6:00 A.M. in heavy metal time. However, by 12:45 the crowd was already starting to get packed, taking in a typically solid show by Midwestern black metal gods Skeletonwitch. Read more…

By Colette Claire Posted in Reviews, Show Reviews Black Label Society, Black Sabbath, BLS, Drowning pool, Exodus, Goatwhore, Gus G, Halford, Judas Priest, Metal, Mike Fleiss, Ozzfest, Ozzy Osbourne, Rob Dukes, Rob Halford, Sharon Osbourne, Skeletonwitch, The Saviours, Yuto Miyazawa, Zakk Wylde

Fool’s Gold

Shearwater, a band hailing from Austin, Texas, have been making music since 1999.  Now in 2010, it seems like they should stop and rethink their course.  From start to finish, their newly released album The Golden Archipelago sounds like the music is being thrown in a taffy pull.   Almost every song on the album is packed with dramatic piano buildups, predictable synths, fleeting sprinkles of dissonant guitar riffs and overuse of the booming bass drum. But most of all, it’s simply depressing. Read more…

By Lulu Rubens Posted in Reviews Shearwater, The Golden Archipelago

Sweet and Sweat in Equal Measure

Opening with a cough is normally a sign that something is wrong. Perhaps the album wasn’t recorded correctly, or maybe it was just something that was forgotten when the editing was done, but with an album title like Perfume and Piss, a cough is the least of your worries. It is wise to be nervous or hesitant when you see the cover, which looks like a group of geezers trying to either impersonate or relive their hardcore youth. You’ll soon learn, however, that these men are nowhere near their golden years, at least not. GBH have done it once more, giving all our pierced souls something beautifully foul to thrash to. Read more…

By Albert Serna Posted in Reviews GBH, Perfume & Piss

In these last few years marked by economic downturn and technological advances and encroachments, one thing has been the financial saving grace of musicians large and small: concerts. Shrinking profits may be killing records, record labels, and the record industry as we once knew it, but touring—with its merchandise offerings and its potential for fans to witness unique output at every venue—has long been considered an ironclad moneymaker. Then sweet and sultry songstress Sarah McLachlan goes and resurrects Lilith Fair, the female-focused traveling festival she spearheaded in the late 1990s, and all manner of alarms go off. Read more…

By Adam Blyweiss Posted in Show Reviews Beth Orton, Carly Simon, Cat Power, Chairlift, Chan Marshall, Indigo Girls, Jill Hennessy, Lilith Fair, Priscilla Renea, Sara Bareilles, Sarah McLachlan, Selena Gomez, Serena Ryder, Suzanne Vega