Cake or Death #5 / :20 / 20L / $1 / Cake or Death, 917 Creamery Rd, Newtown, PA 18940 / http://cakeofdeath.cjb.net /Â This issue is the perfect example of what would happen when a bunch of high schoolers would get together and mesh all the oh-my-god desires with a strong style of writing and a great sense of humor. CoD is like the early issues of Glendale Boulevard or…
Fat Wreck is helping the music fan out by giving you a FREE ONLINE COMPILATION with tons of unreleased songs and a HUGE $5 CD SALE FOR THE ENTIRE MONTH OF DECEMBER! Don’t forget to download the podcast of the online compilation to hear a special message from our Hasidic head honcho Fat Mike and his secular sidekick, Father Floyd. Shalom!!!
Michael Hurley – Ancestral Swamp / 2007 Gnomonsong / 11 Tracks / http://www.snockonews.net / http://www.gnomonsong.com / Michael Hurley is one of the most storied folk musicians that is still around today. Songs of eir have been covered by bands such as Cat Power (“Sweedeedee†and Troubled Waterâ€) and the Violent Femmes (“Werewolfâ€).  In the years since ey released eir first album “First Songâ€, ey has been prolific – “Ancestral Swamp 
JOURNEY–Neal Schon (guitar), Jonathan Cain (keyboards), Ross Valory (bass), Deen Castronovo (drums)–is proud to introduce fans all over the world to their new lead singer, Arnel Pineda (“pin-eh-da”). He replaces Jeff Scott Soto, who parted ways with the band earlier this year after stepping in for Steve Augeri, who had to leave the band in 2006 for medical reasons.
Burn In Hell, Buddy #4 / :30 / 40M / Burn In Hell, Buddy has always been an excellent zine, and the stylistic change into somewhat of a journal-entry zine is done with care. In this issue, the main story arc revolves around VK and Kelly’s trip down south to Georgia, where they meet up with a band of youths that are camping. The entire experience feels surreal, as the…
Scream Club Tried and true favorites of the Olympia, WA scene, Scream Club found their way to me via my lovely ladies of Team Gina. Pioneers of what they term “Queer Electro Sex Hop Hip Pop Punk Rock Glam Rap,” Cindy Wonderful and Sarah Adorable spread their messages of heartbreak, frustration, love, politics, drunk dialing, girl gangs and international adventures globally. Tight lyrics, killer hooks, unstoppable beats, mhmm.
Geffen Records superstar and hit-making songwriter Mary J. Blige, is set to follow-up the most successful album of her career, the triple platinum “The Breakthrough,” with her eighth (8th) studio CD “Growing Pains” on Tuesday, December 18th, one week before Christmas. “Growing Pains” includes her top ten single “Just Fine” which has become an instant favorite on radio enjoyed by over 20 million listeners. “Just Fine” is in heavy rotation…
Van Morrison – Still On Top: The Greatest Hits / 2007 Hip-O / 21 Tracks / http://www.vanmorrison.co.uk / http://www.hip-o.com / There have been a number of greatest hits albums put out covering some stages of Van Morrison’s career, but there never has been one that has had a complete grasp on eir career. I first was introduced to the “Greatest Hits†aspect of Van Morrison through the release of the…
On the wake of announcing its music licensing agreement with ESPN a few weeks ago, Duck Down Records continues attacking the Cable TV programming world by inking a deal with the History Channel’s “Gangland Seriesâ€. In addition the label has signed a deal with YOUTUBE, joining their exclusive list of partnered clients, which will include their very own Duck Down Records channel.
Burn In Hell, Buddy #3 / Fourth-Sized / 16 Pages / Trade / Lupine Ladies Press, PO Box 543, Accokeek MD 20607 As many people have read my reviews of the first two issues of Burn In Hell, Buddy, I’m not really sure what to say about this zine that I haven’t already said. Done in the same geometric cut and paste style of the first two issues, this issue…
Explosive, Oakland, CA quartet SAVIOURS will unleash its sophomore full-length album Into Abaddon on January 22, 2008 via NYC’s Kemado Records. Episode two of an in-depth, behind-the-scenes look at the making of the band’s new record has been posted online by Ground Control Magazine.
V/A – Change / 2007 Sub City / 38 Tracks / http://www.hopelessrecords.com / http://www.subcity.net / SubCity Records is an imprint of Hopeless Records. They have been creating samplers for about a decade now (give or take a year), and their funds have went to a number of good causes (anti-suicide charities, and they now have a more general mission – “to have an impact that goes beyond musicâ€. Change! is…
Why is it such a big deal that the Toadies are back? The band rose to fame in the 90’s when their debut album, Rubberneck, went platinum on the strength of two smash singles “Possum Kingdom†and “Tyler.†It then took a long seven years for their follow up album, Hell Below/Stars Above to be released. Shortly thereafter, bassist Lisa Umbarger quit the band. The remaining members played a few…
(The Incredibly True Adventures of a Kid and His Starship) #2 : The Reactionary Issue / Fourth-Sized / 16 Pages / Trade / Lupine Ladies Press, PO Box 543, Accokeek MD 20607 Jamez’ zines are always just so interesting that I feel that I am just babbling on for about 250 words or so just extolling ey’s virtues. But, if you go through all the layers, there is some actual…
Detroit post-punk trio SSM [Szymanski, Shettler, Morris] will be touring with the Von Bondies in January. The band has new album titled “Break Your Arm For Evolution” coming out on Alive after the holidays. Here is a link to a free MP3 download :
Teenage Bottlerocket! They have a new song posted on their myspace page called “Warning Device” . Greetings my fellow commie pinkos! I’ve been waiting for this day for a couple of years now. More like a brand new song from Red Scare’s flagship band, Teenage Bottlerocket. The song is called “In The Basement” and it comes from their upcoming LP, “Warning Device”, which is out January 8th. Happy days are…
Serena Ryder – Told You In A Whispered Song / 2007 Atlantic / 5 Tracks / http://www.serenaryder.com / http://www.atlanticrecords.com / For a while before looking it up, I was confusing Serena Ryder with Sarina Paris. Both are Canadians, but there’s quite a few years difference between the ending of Paris’ popular musical career and the beginning of Ryder’s popular phase. The tracks on “Told You In A Whispered Song†provide…
Wu-Tang Clan released 8 Diagrams, their eagerly awaited reunion album on December 11th, on Steve Rifkind’s revived Loud Records label through Universal Records in conjunction with SRC & Wu Music Group, marking a reunion between the legendary hip-hop group and the pioneering rap entrepreneur. The first single, “The Heart Gently Weeps†is an interpolation of George Harrison’s classic Beatles song, “While My Guitar Gently Weeps,†Harrison’s son Dhani Harrison, Erykah…
“The Sex Issue” – Really, the title does better about telling a potential reader about what this issue of the zine is about than any job I could do. Still, the story is about Vermicious Knid’s adventures with outdoor sex and his partner Kelly. The politics of circumstance strike Vermicious Knid badly both times, as the sex is interrupted both times to amusing factors. Now, I’m too much of a…
New Single Follows Three Consecutive Hits as Timbaland Joins Pop Royalty on Australian Charts With #1 and #2 Hits The shock of Timbaland Presents: Shock Value has turned to awe after spinning off three consecutive #1 hits. Set to be the fourth is “Scream” featuring Keri Hilson and Nicole Scherzinger.