Champ? Might be time to hang those gloves up.
music
T.W.i.N.S., “Found A Flat”: The Viewfinder
Like the deranged cousin of “Our House”, T.W.i.N.’s debut single “Found A Flat” is hypnotic pop that will stick in your head long after the final note plays itself out. Duo Laurence and Hugo went from composing the gay porn series “Indie Boys” to this and while I can’t say I was previously familiar with their score work, I can say that if it sounds like this it might be worth checking out (Kids, ask your parents first)! One of […]
Skinny Puppy, Weapon: Album Review
At times harkening back to the yesteryear of Skinny Puppy while at other times moving boldly into the future, Weapon is a visceral slab of electronic goodness that is hands down the best album they have released since “reforming”. Probably the most aggressive 21st Century offering from Skinny Puppy as well, Weapon is so in-your-face (And so surprising a release considering HanDover barely came out two years ago) that you’d be wise to invest in concealer to cover up the […]
Guided By Voices, English Little League: Album Review
If the year 2012 conditioned music fans to anything — other than the fact that “Call Me Maybe” is inescapable, and the only way to mount a true offense is to just give into its charms already — it’s the cultural inevitability that is the re-formed mid-’90s lineup of Guided By Voices, and the Pavlovian sense that, every four to six months, GBV will be releasing another record, so pull on your Bee Thousand t-shirt and prepare your mind for […]
Palms, “Patagonia”: The Singles Bar Review
Man, I really wanna like this. I do. I mean, I should like this. Right? Members of Isis and deftones’ own voicebox Chino Moreno in a band together called Palms? It should (in theory, anyway) blow the roof off of shoegaze metal everywhere. The descendents of Neurosis paired with the singer of the undisputed kings of nu-metal (Because they survived and evolved unlike their peers) on paper looks fantastic. The execution, however, is bland. “Patagonia”, the first official release from […]
Iggy and the Stooges, Ready to Die: Album Review
In their initial run, The Stooges crafted an unholy trinity of proto-punk rock. The raw energy of their self-titled debut (1969), Fun House (1970), and Raw Power (1973) are still highly regarded as being among the most influential rock albums of all time. Iggy of course went on to an acclaimed solo career that had its ups and downs throughout the ensuing decades. Following a long string of reunion shows that began in 2003, the original lineup (augmented by Mike […]
Os Mutantes, Fool Metal Jack: Album Review
Consistency is an appealing trait in an album. Versatility is, of course, encouraged, but the best records have a common unifying thread linking one song to the next. Nudge too far in one direction, and your record is disjointed, schizophrenic; too far in the other and it’s staid and unexciting, and some jack-off music critic is tut-tutting your artistic vision. Reformed Brazilian psych-rock band Os Mutantes’s new record, Fool Metal Jack, threatens to careen off the rails several times. Perhaps […]
Fantasia, Side Effects of You: Album Review
One of the most dependable R&B singers in the game returns.
Beyonce & Andre 3000 Cover Amy Winehouse; Amy Rolls Over in Her Grave
Beyonce and Andre 3000 cover Amy Winehouse. The result? Well, just listen.
Frank Turner, Tape Deck Heart: Album Review
If English singer-songwriter Frank Turner’s heart is a tape deck, it’s a severely used one; it warps the tape in your favorite cassette, and everything sounds scratchy and worn, cloaked in a layer of tell-tale hiss. It doesn’t matter, though, because it’s got one of your favorite songs lurking deep within its recesses, and if Guided By Voices have taught us anything, it’s that a great song is a great song, period. Frank Turner’s new album, on the other hand, […]