This is, in a few words, one of the cutest zines that I think I have ever received. While it is specifically for one man, the zine contains the story about how the zinester Andrea met her current boy and the blossoming relationship that they had. Placing one or at the most two different paragraphs on a page, Andrea ensures that each page is not too crowded with text and…
More dates have been added to Crash Romeo’s upcoming U.S. tour with Tub Ring, Driver Side Impact and School Boy Humor. The trek begins April 28 in Tampa, FL and concludes May 1 in Nashville, TN. The New Jersey band is hitting the road in support of their recently released sophomore album, GAVE ME THE CLAP (Trustkill Records). The album was produced by Chris Badami (The Starting Line, The Early…
Senior Discount – S/T / 2008 Self / 5 Tracks / http://www.seniordiscountmusic.com / I guess I forgot to review Senior Discount’s last CD when they sent it over. My apologies. Anyways, the style of music that Senior Discount play is a fast-forward, quick brand of punk music that does not let individuals have a moment to rest. “Ataxia†is a track that will get the pits started and will hammer…
Socratic – Spread The Rumors / 2008 Drive-Thru / 12 Tracks / http://www.myspace.com/socratic / http://www.drivethrurecords.com / Socratic have finally came out with their sequel to “Lunch For The Skyâ€, three years after the album was released. “Boy In A Magazine†is the first single on the disc, and it starts off the album. The fact that Mark Hoppus produced this album comes forth strongly during this introductory track, as the…
Hear Music artist Hilary McRae released her debut album, Through These Walls, on 4/15. With influences including Chicago, Carole King and Fleetwood Mac, the 21 year old singer/songwriter/pianist wrote or co-wrote every song on the record. Hilary drew upon many personal experiences with love and heartbreak to gain inspiration for the album making it a record that everyone can relate to.
Nihil Ex / :20 / 32L / PMB 278, 6523 California Ave Sw, Seattle WA 98136-1833 / I hate when I lose a zine, only to review it later and find that all of the contact information I can verify has been changed. This is the case with the excellent Nihil Ex, done by Maggie in 2003. Nihil Ex is heavily picture-based and artistic, using blank space instead of just…
One of the most beautiful singers ever. Heartbreaking.” – Devendra Banhart “I consider myself one of her biggest fans.” – Josephine Foster Director Richard Linklater discovered her music sometime in the early ’90s and subsequently featured her song “Come Here” in his 1995 film, Before Sunrise,
The Ting Tings – Great DJ / 2008 Red Ink / 3 Tracks / http://www.myspace.com/thetingtings / http://www.columbiarecords.com / The Ting Tings are an act that are still gaining prominence in their native United kingdom, and have not really reached American shores as of yet. “Great DJ†is their third single (after “That’s Not My Name†and “Fruit Machineâ€), and blends together electronic music with a pop singer. The track does…
San Francisco’s melodic death metallers LIGHT THIS CITY have issued the second of four in-studio video updates while the band is recording its fourth record, tentatively scheduled for a fall 2008 release via Prosthetic Records.
Looming Pylon #4 / :25 / $1.00 / 20M / Looming Pylon, PO Box 13647, Rochester, NY 14613 / loomingpylon@yahoo.com /Â Dreams and Christ. Yup. Not quite as preachy as The J Man Times, Looming Pylon shows a few events in the life of a swearing yet devout Christian. Andy comes into this issue saying that each foray into the zine world takes eir a few years, and this divide…
Aware/Columbia recording artist Newton Faulkner has added to his busy summer touring schedule by joining Chicago’s Lollapalooza Festival, slated to perform on Sunday, August 3rd. Faulkner will also be appearing at the Sasquatch! Music Festival at The Gorge Ampitheater in George, WA on May 24, the Bonnaroo Music and Arts Festival in Manchester, TN on June 12th, and the Mile High Festival in Denver, CO on July 19th.
Juniper Lane – Wake From Yourself / 2008 Self / 10 Tracks / http://www.juniperlane.com / http://www.myspace.com/juniperlandband / Juniper Lane has been raising themselves up pretty well on their own. The act has sold over 8,000 copies of their albums, and they have come forth in a very strong way with “Wake From Yourselfâ€, which marks their seventh year as a band. “Impact†is this opening track, and showcases a unique…
The New Scheme #11 / Free / :45 / 56M / New Scheme Publishing Concern, PO Box 7542, Boulder, CO 80306-7542 / Its been a few months since I was able to read a new issue of The New Scheme, and one thing that hit me was that Stuart has gotten eir shit together in the last few issues. The average level of writing is much higher than in the…
More Dates: 4.30- Fox 25 Boston Morning Show – Live TV appearance- Boston 5.1- Great Scott (with the Toothaches) – Boston NY Metro- “Old school bar rock that on its own should win over more than a few jaded listeners” Popmatters- “Be sure to put this little gem on your TAB….This is crazy beautiful driving music. Play it in the car with all the windows down, and watch out for…
            Some 21 years after its release in August 1987, DIESEL AND DUST, the sixth studio album by the beloved Australian band Midnight Oil, continues to burn a trail across the rock wilderness that is as relevant and politically savvy today as the moment it was created. Source of an enduring manifesto of songs that cut across environmental collapse, native human rights, nuclear devastation, and big government, the album…
Whiskeytown – Strangers Almanac Deluxe Edition / 2008 Universal / 39 Tracks / http://www.universalchronicles.com / I must admit, I was too young to really get into Whiskeytown when they were first out. If I recall correctly, I was listening to Marilyn Manson, Deicide and Corrosion of Conformity. This would not have jived well with what Whiskeytown sounded like during this album, calling forth individuals like Uncle Tupelo, The Replacements, and…
Part madrigal, part chamber music, part post-rock, and wholly indescribable, All Together is an early contender for album of the year. Together with co-conspirator/engineer/sometime guitarist Scott Solter, the duo has created a work without analogue or peer, and it marks the beginning of Pattern is Movement as a musical touchstone.
Looks Yellow, Tastes Red #23 / $2 / http://www.livejournal.com/~unclevampire / 4.25 by 8.5 / 32 Pages / Colette, 184 N. Main St, Sunderland, MA 01375 / A very powerful perzine in which Colette talks about eir’s gender identity, as well as the public reaction to figuring out that ey likes boys as well as girls (and yet is appalled with the term bisexual). This different type of thinking about gender…
THE COAL MEN RETURN TO STUDIO TO WORK ON THIRD ALBUM Nashville Roots Rock Band Head Out On Tour Next Month in Advance of New Release Nashville, TN—Nashville based roots rock band The Coal Men are heading into the studio this month to work on their third album, the follow-up to the critically acclaimed 2007 release, Beauty Is a Moment. The band will then set off on tour throughout…
Twin Tigers – Curious Faces / Violet Future / 2008 Self / 6 Tracks / http://www.thetwintigers.com / The dreamy type of pop music that issues forth from the Twin Tigers CD hits on Radiohead, The Pixies, and even the Jesus and Mary Chain. However, instead of merely being a derivate type of band, the act does a tremendous amount of creation of their own sound on this EP. Where the…