Chuck Berry Chuck Dualtone Records Anyone who picks up an electric guitar and plays power chords, whether they know it or not, are saluting the original rock guitar hero, Chuck Berry. The twelve-year-old plugging away in his room may think he’s emulating the Ramones but the [...]
Mac DeMarco This Old Dog Captured Tracks Nearly two years since his last release, Mac DeMarco returns with a collection of 13 songs, which may surprise some of his longtime fans. Known to many for his zany persona and onstage presence, This Old Dog, his latest release, seems [...]
THE VELVET UNDERGROUND & NICO: 50th ANNIVERSARY In 1964 a young songwriter from Long Island named Lou Reed was working as a staff writer for an exploitation record label named Pickwick. Reed’s job was fairly simple, to write catchy pop tunes about “hip” subjects. Cars, [...]
Soundgarden Ultramega OK (Expanded Reissue) Sub Pop Ultramega OK, originally released in 1988 on Greg Ginn’s legendary SST record label, was somewhat of a disappointment to the legendary alt-rockers who spawned it. Despite the album earning a Grammy nomination for Best Metal [...]
King Gizzard & The Lizard Wizard Flying Microtonal Banana ATO Records When a band seamlessly genre hops as much as King Gizzard does, it’s hard for one to categorize them. This is part of their allure. Since their formation seven years ago, they’ve dabbled in Garage Punk, [...]
The Grateful Dead The Grateful Dead: 50th Anniversary Deluxe Edition Rhino Records The Grateful Dead’s self-titled debut never really got the credit it deserves. Even the band was quick to dismiss it following its release, as many of the final tracks that made the cut were [...]
THE DOORS – 50th ANNIVERSARY The story of The Doors is almost as mystical as their music. It is one of fate and legend. It begins on Venice Beach in the summer 1965. UCLA film graduate, Ray Manzerek, is contemplating his future whilst sitting crossed legged on warm Los [...]
The Doors London Fog 1966 Rhino Records Nearly every band from the ‘60s and ‘70s has put out a compilation of unreleased material. Normally, it’s hard to see this as anything more than a cash grab from old bands with nothing new to offer the public. While the Doors have [...]
Neil Young Peace Trail Warner Music Canada/Reprise Neil Young returns with his 37th studio album and second new release this year, Peace Trail. Throughout the 10 songs we hear Neil characteristically protesting – this time he specifically targets the media, smart [...]
THE ROLLING STONES TOP 10 ALBUMS With The Rolling Stones’ upcoming release Blue & Lonesome, the bands first studio album in over a decade, we’ve decided to celebrate this momentous occasion by ranking the bands’ top ten studio albums. 10. Goats Head Soup (1973) The Stones’ [...]
The Rolling Stones Blue & Lonesome Universal Music Canada After more than a decade without releasing a studio album, The Rolling Stones have made an interesting move. Blue & Lonesome is a full-length cover album and not including their 1964 self-titled EP, is something [...]
NEVERMIND TURNS 25 As the 1980s came to an end, popular music hadn’t changed all that much. In the first few years of the ’90s, Synthpop, New Jack Swing and Hair Metal still dominated the airwaves and MTV. However, in the fall 1991 a trio from Aberdeen, Washington would change [...]
of Montreal Innocence Reaches Polyvinyl Records For the past 20 years, of Montreal has dabbled in every almost every genre imaginable, from Indie Pop to Glam Rock to R&B and even Country Rock. On their latest album, Innocence Reaches, we see the band combine nearly all of [...]
RANKING THE RED HOT CHILI PEPPERS: WORST TO BEST Over the course of 33 years the Red Hot Chili Peppers have produced a total 11 studio albums. Some are downright classics, adored by critics and fans alike. Some are just okay; they might have six or seven good tracks but the [...]
Red Hot Chili Peppers The Getaway Warner Music Group After a five-year wait, the Red Hot Chili Peppers are back with their 11th studio album, The Getaway. The title says it all about this one as the band is changing musical direction, getting away from their old sound and [...]
Various Artists A Tribute To Pet Sounds The Reverberation Appreciation Society Before the Levitation Festival in Austin, Texas was cancelled, it was set to feature a performance by legendary Beach Boy, Brian Wilson in honor of the 50th anniversary of the universally acclaimed [...]
PET SOUNDS 50th ANNIVERSARY A RETROSPECTIVE LOOK AT THE ICONIC BEACH BOYS ALBUM Prior to 1966, The Beach Boys were still seen as a ‘boy-band.’ Though their songs had slowly matured over the past four years, no one would have expected them to produce something as prolific as [...]
Mo Troper Beloved Good Cheer Records When you hear the term “singer-songwriter” one generally thinks of a lone folk guitarist, sometimes accompanying him/herself with a harmonica hung around their neck, singing weighty songs set to three or four chords. This stereotype is true [...]
King Gizzard And The Lizard Wizard Nonagon Infinity ATO Records For the last few years, King Gizzard And the Lizard Wizard have been expanding their sound past the lo-fi sound they made their name with. In 2015 they released two outstanding LPs: Quarters and Paper Mâché Dream [...]
EMBRACING THE ANTI-HYPOCRISY AN INTERVIEW WITH MO TROPER The Portland, Oregon based singer-songwriter, Mo Troper, makes pop songs. Why? Because he likes them. Born in Los Angeles in 1991, he moved between Los Angeles and Portland frequently during his childhood, before [...]
