May 29th, 2019 | by Stephen Slaybaugh | published in Features | Leave A Comment »
Born in 2014 as a continuation of sorts of the ideas singer Dan Boeckner was exploring in the Handsome Furs, Operators has developed its own set of aesthetics and a sound as distinctive as any of Boeckner’s other previous projects (Wolf Parade, Divine Fits). While Operators rely on a largely electronic palette, there is nevertheless no shortage of human emotion in what they create. As …
January 18th, 2019 | by Staff | published in Features | Leave A Comment »
1. Parquet Courts, Wide Awake! (Rough Trade Records)
2. Beach House, 7 (Sub Pop)
3. Snail Mail, Lush (Matador Records)
4. Soccer Mommy, Clean (Fat Possum Records)
5. Joyce Manor, Million Dollars to Kill Me (Epitaph Records)
6. The Armed, Only Love (Throatruiner Records)
7. Infant Island, Infant Island (Middle-Man Records)
8. The Beths, Future Me Hates Me (Carpark Records)
9. Gulfer, Dog …
January 15th, 2019 | by Staff | published in Features | 1 Comment »
#10It started out as a gimmick prompted by a politically incorrect dare. Manuel Gagneux, a musician of mixed race and Swiss-American citizenship, asked the notorious 4chan message board what genres he should mash up. He took the uncouth suggestion of black metal and “n*gger music” as a challenge and under the moniker of Zeal & Ardor became …
June 4th, 2018 | by Brian O'Neill | published in Features | Leave A Comment »
Blueprint, a.k.a. Printmatic, a.k.a. Albert Shepard, wears more hats than he has names. He emerged from Columbus, Ohio in the late ‘90s to create some of the most enduring underground hip-hop albums of the first decade of the new millennium as a producer with Greenhouse Effect, as a rapper with Soul Position (a partnership with RJD2), and also as a solo artist with 10 albums …
January 26th, 2018 | by Staff | published in Features | Leave A Comment »
1. Run the Jewels, Run the Jewels 3 (self-released)
2. Kendrick Lamar, Damn (Interscope Records)
3. Björk, Utopia (One Little Indian Records)
4. LCD Soundsystem, American Dream (DFA Records/Columbia Records)
5. St. Vincent, Masseduction (Loma Vista Recordings)
6. Julianna Hatfield, Pussycat (American Laundromat Records)
7. Sinkane, Life & Livin’ It, (City Slang)
8. Syd, Fin (Columbia Records)
9. Rapsody, Lailia’s Wisdom…
January 22nd, 2018 | by Brian O'Neill | published in Features | Leave A Comment »
A quick look at the geopolitical landscape in 2017 shows that things were not exactly tranquil. It was similarly a time of discontent for the dark arts. The very soul of the genre was debated more fiercely than ever before and often parallel to global events. The nebulous Antifa was not just the liberal boogieman for followers of Fox News, but also readers of Metal …
January 19th, 2018 | by Staff | published in Features | Leave A Comment »
#10Though officially released in 2016 on RPM, this two-disc set collecting a remarkably broad range of female-driven UK DIY acts saw a vinyl reissue in 2017. While the majority of the bands collected here may not be household names to anyone but ardent collectors of British indie music, the likes of …
January 16th, 2018 | by Staff | published in Features | 1 Comment »
Last year I began our annual look-back succinctly with “Fuck 2016.” But if only I knew. In many ways, 2017 was worse. For one, it was a full year of President Shit-for-Brains in the White House, during which we had Nazis openly marching in the streets and far too many people voting for a pedophile for senate. (One bright spot was that he didn’t win.) …
June 27th, 2017 | by Stephen Slaybaugh | published in Features | Leave A Comment »
While Bauhaus has enjoyed the cult following that comes with being seen as goth figureheads and Love and Rockets the spoils that go along with a Top 10 hit (“So Alive”), despite having what has become a fixture of alternative club nights the world over (“Go!”), Tones on Tail has never enjoyed the degree of notoriety as the bands that preceded and followed it. Formed …
May 5th, 2017 | by Kevin J. Ellliott | published in Features | 1 Comment »
Oakland, California’s Rays are a fairly typical indie band. They look the part, play the part, run around with other bands who do the same, and get loads of redundant comparisons to the Flying Nun and C-86 jangle pop that undoubtedly clogs their record collections. But it’s the way the quartet—Eva Hannan on bass, Troy Hewitt on guitar, Stanley Martinez on guitar, and Alexa Pantalone …