ADELINE HOTEL WHODUNNIT RUINATION RECORDS When artists pick up monikers, these may be telling signs, and yet, they may not be. Brooklyn’s Dan Knishkowy goes under one – Adeline Hotel, and based on his latest album Whodunnit, that [...]
BIG SHARE PRINTED PICTURES INDEPENDENT Some just might remember Bent By Elephants, a collaborative musical effort that produced some interesting music from 2009 to 2015. Part of that effort were Chesley Walsh & Luke Fowlie, the [...]
ALICE IN CHAINS BLACK GIVES WAY TO BLUE (15th ANNIVERSARY EDITION) CRAFT RECORDINGS Originally released in 2009, Black Gives Way To Blue stands as Alice In Chains’ seminal return following the passing of original vocalist Layne Staley in 2002. [...]
THE ASTEROID NO. 4 SEVERAL SHAPES OF SOLAR FLARES CLUB AC30/LITTLE CLOUD RECORDS As nostalgic as Several Shapes Of Solar Flares is, it’s difficult to create such music without the listener straying too far from the sounds and voices that placed [...]
FUR TRADER WHOSE DREAM IS THIS INDEPENDENT It has become a sort of a tradition for artists to pick more than one role in the creation of their art, and in this case, music. So, it might come as no surprise thar Los Angeles singer/songwriter [...]
VARIOUS ARTISTS WHY DON’T YOU SMILE NOW: LOU REED AT PICKWICK RECORDS 1964-65 LIGHT IN THE ATTIC RECORDS Back in the sixties Pickwick Records were supposed to be a budget version of the then-dominating songwriter powerhouse that was New [...]
BLITZ VEGA NORTHERN GENTLEMAN FUTURESONIC RECORDS/CEN/THE ORCHARD On May 19, 2023, the world lost Andy Rourke. He was a remarkably talented bass player and DJ. He was also working with KAV (Kav Sandu, the former guitarist for Happy Mondays) in a [...]
HALCYON PHASE CRITICAL MISUNDERSTANDINGS ON THE PRECIPICE INDEPENDENT Critical Misunderstandings On The Precipice the second full-length studio album from Halcyon Phase. It has been a while since we heard from Frank Smith and Phillip Victor [...]
THE SLACKERS WHAT WE GONNA DO NOW? / PICK AND CHOOSE PIRATES PRESS RECORDS It is often said that less is more, and in this case, The Slackers prove that they do not need a lengthy album to show off their talents, for they do so strictly in the [...]
KAT VON D MY SIDE OF THE MOUNTAIN KAT VON D Stumbling across Kat Von D’s My Side of the Mountain, I was perplexed with what was on offer: “Kat Von D’s signature blend of disco goth, heavily influenced by synthwave, new wave, post-punk, and other [...]
CLINIC STARS ONLY HINTING KRANKY RECORDS There’s always a specific feel to artists releasing their music through Kranky Records, but also a very individual take on that specific feel. There’s no exception to that ‘rule’ [...]
SEETHER THE SURFACE SEEMS SO FAR FANTASY RECORDS With their newest album, The Surface Seems So Far, Seether proves that rock is not dead. It is hard rock at its finest and loudest. The Surface Seems So Far is one of, if not the heaviest, album [...]
LEA THOMAS COSMOS FOREVER TRIPLE DOLPHIN RECORDS Dream pop in any shape and form has become a bit of a jaded (sub) genre these days if it is handled by the artists that only go through the motions and simply use it as an empty musical shell. [...]
TOMMY BOLIN GREAT GYPSY SOUL CLEOPATRA RECORDS Tommy Bolin was an incredible guitarist. He was diverse and could play many different styles with many different bands. He is best known as a member of Zephyr, The James Gang and Deep Purple (1975 [...]
AFTERIMAGE FACES TO HIDE INDEPENDENT PROJECT RECORDS Throughout rock history, there are a number of bands that existed for a very short time but have an almost mythical reputation. Afterimage is one such band. The original line-up of Los [...]
SUNSET RUBDOWN ALWAYS HAPPY TO EXPLODE PRONOUNCED KROOG It is said that the body replenishes itself every seven years, cells being reborn and in turn a sort of rebirth, and while this doesn’t hold true in that you’re literally a new [...]
ULNA GAZEBO INDEPENDENT Is there anything wrong when the music of a certain artist/band seems to follow in the footsteps of another? Not really, particularly if it is the footsteps of a great one, like in this case, late great Eliot Smith, and [...]
THE BLACK PACIFIC HERE COMES OUR WAVE DINE ALONE RECORDS The Black Pacific, a Jim Lindberg (Pennywise) side project, delights in classic Californian skate punk style with Here Comes Our Wave on Dine Alone Records. This punk subgenre, all the [...]
DAVE GUY RUBY BIG CROWN RECORDS Perhaps best known as the trumpet player for Menahan Street Band, Sharon Jones & The Dap-Kings, and The Roots, Dave Guy has released his debut solo album, Ruby. The incredibly lean 12-song collection feels as [...]
CHANCE PEÑA EVER-SHIFTING, CONTINUAL BLOSSOMING ONErpm It is hard to believe that Ever-Shifting, Continual Blossoming is the debut album for Chance Peña. The album is overflowing with confidence and strong songs. He may have gotten his start [...]
PORCHES SHIRT EXPLODING IN SOUND RECORDS/DOMINO RECORDS Shirt serves as a brutal self-introspection in the form of an indie rock album equipped with piercing grunge tones and an eerie production style brought to you by Aaron Maine of Porches. [...]
COIN I’M NOT AFRAID OF MUSIC ANYMORE 10K PROJECTS Confidence is often referred to as a facade, and COIN’s newest album, I’m Not Afraid Of Music Anymore, hints at the vulnerability of the songs in this collection and how there is strength [...]
DEAR ROUGE LONESOME HIGH PHEROMONE RECORDINGS/CADENCE RECORDS Dear Rouge consists of husband-and-wife team of Drew and Danielle McTaggart. In the past 10 years they have established themselves as one of the best Canadian alternative rock bands [...]
PRINCE FAR I CRY TUFF CHANTS ON U ON-U SOUND Subtitled “Prince Far I At On-U Sound 1978 – 1984”, that may be as much as the reggae DJ’s fans need to know before they buy this. But if you’re not in that small select band (no pun intended), [...]
