There are some people who believe I should be mad that Ministry decided to come out of retirement after I made the trek to Chicago for some of their final U.S. shows in 2008. In all honesty, when the final notes of “End Of Days” rang out on 2007’s The Last Sucker, I was heartbroken knowing I would never hear another note of new Ministry music. That said, the announcement late last year that Al Jourgensen had reactivated Ministry for […]
Album Reviews
Spin Cycle: Crosses’ “EP 2”
So in August of last year, with low to slow-building (sounds like BBQ, doesn’t it?) fanfare, the music world was introduced to Crosses. Described initially as a witch-house (throw a couple Crucifix symbols around and call it a gimmick for marketing lovers) and featuring a pretty heady mix of both 80’s nu-wave with White Pony and Saturday Night Wrist-esque Deftones atmospherics; EP1 was unleashed as a free low-grade download to would-be listeners. Featuring the duo of Chino Moreno (of Deftones, […]
Spin Cycle: Metallica – Beyond Magnetic
Three years. That’s how long it’s been since Metallica released Death Magnetic (which was their first studio LP in six years, following the universally-hated St. Anger). Three years since Metallica released what is arguably their best collection of songs since And Justice For All. Three years since fans and critics alike balked at the horrendous mix full of clipping and compression. Three years since Death Magnetic made the sound of a golden nugget of kickass dropped into a toilet. Three. Freaking. Years. And […]
Spin Cycle: Lana Del Rey’s “Born To Die”
In the world of pop culture, everyone wants a story to go behind the face. With a face like Lana Del Rey’s (born Elizabeth Grant) there’s generally going to be a lot of questions along the lines of “who’s that girl?” and “What’s her story?” For those not familiar with the short story – the kid grew up in upstate NY and was shipped off to boarding school at 15 after getting involved with drugs and alcohol, is a daughter […]
Spin Cycle: Seal’s “Soul 2”
Seal is back with “Soul 2” a follow up to his successful collection of R&B covers. How do these remakes fare when compared to the originals? We investigate.
Spin Cycle: Joseph Arthur’s “Redemption City”
Joseph Arthur is a prolific mad genius. Like contemporaries Ryan Adams and Robert Pollard, Arthur is a man who simply can’t seem to help making music. He once described songs that made up the four EPs he released in 2008 as “strange animals in a cosmic cage begging for release”; he released an album a scant seven months ago; and now, seemingly out of nowhere, he’s dumped Redemption City on his devoted fanbase as a free digital download, and surprisingly to […]
Spin Cycle: Little Barrie’s “King Of The Waves”
Album Reviews / Indie Rock / music / New Releases / Pop Music / Release Dates / rock music / Spin Cycle
’60’s psychedelia mixed with The Von Bondies and a hint of Social Distortion fronted by the current guitarist of Primal Scream? That’s Little Barrie for ya in a nutshell. On King Of The Waves, the band effortlessly mesh surf rock with the indie garage aesthetic to create and album that has roots in the past but steadily moves headfirst into the future. Produced by Edwyn Collins (Yes, THAT Edwyn Collins) at his studio, Little Barrie’s third album travels to contemporary […]
Spin Cycle: Julien-K’s “We’re Here With You”
We’re Here With You, the sophomore record from Julien-K, exudes sexiness. It’s an electro-rock hybrid that is lightyears beyond the work that J-K members Ryan Shuck and Amir Derakh did while they were in Orgy. It’s futuristic yet firmly planted in New Wave. Simply put, it’s amazing. If band’s took this long between their first and second albums (Almost 3 years in this case) and the end result was something akin to We’re Here With You, I’d forgive them for […]
Spin Cycle: Nada Surf’s “The Stars are Indifferent to Astronomy”
It’s still hard to believe it has now been 18 years since Nada Surf’s “Popular” graced the airwaves. In fact, since 2002 (i.e. the last 10 years) the band has done quite well at establishing themselves as one of the finest indie pop rock acts for your money. Let Go is a stand-alone defining moment in their career – from the opening chords of “Blizzard of ‘77” we began to hear what separated Nada Surf from their pop rock leaning […]
Metal Monday Volume 54 (1.23.12)
I am a casual Lacuna Coil fan. I’ve been into them since they broke with Comalies (Like everyone else for the most part…) and have quietly picked up every album since. I don’t listen to them on a regular basis and I’ve only seen them once mostly because they happened to be opening for Stone Sour. I also love the fact that frontwoman Cristina Scabbia and Slipknot/Stone Sour shredder Jim Root are still an item. But I digress. A lot…. […]
Spin Cycle: Craig Finn’s “Clear Heart Full Eyes”
Craig Finn’s new solo album is out tomorrow. Does it measure up to the standard set by The Hold Steady’s catalog?