Likely the bastard child of The Replacements and Cheap Trick, New Jersey’s Dipsomaniacs play boozy bar rock and power pop stripped of any pretention. On Social Crutch, their sixth full length, there are few surprises, but that’s not exactly a bad thing. Sure the sound is a little closer to power pop than the garage rock most associate with the band, but the group’s central themes of booze, partying and…
Stephenie Meyer’s fawned-over vampire soap opera Twilight may have been stealing all the press this Spring, but HBO’s True Blood is hands down the far more interesting vampire saga. The first season, told over 12 episodes, comes off like a cross between Twin Peaks and Six Feet Under (whose creator, Alan Ball, also happens to be the man behind True Blood).
Fanboys is just as much an homage to writer/director Kevin Smith as it is to Star Wars, the Holy Grail the characters are chasing throughout the movie. Set in 1998, the movie centers on a group of post-high school friends, still obsessed with Star Wars and working in a comic book store (kind of like every other character in a Smith movie). A friend is dying of cancer and likely…
Tinted Windows’ debut is getting here just in time. Every pop-punk/emo band that was too late to jump onto that bandwagon as it was heading out of town, is now calling itself a power pop band, despite not knowing their Cheap Trick from Their Raspberries. With Tinted Windows, there’s finally a stellar super group with the perfect pedigree (including a member of Cheap Trick) to remind the kids exactly what…
Cancelled after only seven episodes, The Dana Carvey Show, which ran on ABC in 1996, is probably best remembered for its supporting cast, which included Steve Carrell, Stephen Colbert and Saturday Night Live/Conan O’Brien fav Robert Smigel.
Ever wondered exactly which Haagan Dazs Henry Rollins used to work at in D.C.? Or, how about what San Francisco collective local punk rockers can visit to take classes on underwear making? Neither have I, but thank God Leslie Simon has. In what has got to be the best guide book on punk rock… well ever, rock journalist Simon answers a slew of questions never asked about punk rock and…
Depeche Mode, one of Britain’s best known synth bands, has been slammed by fans and critics for abandoning the sound that made them one of the few late 80’s/early 90’s bands that managed to be both cool enough for the hipsters and accepted by the broader public.
Coming off like a British version of Sex and The City, without the obsessive comments about shoes, Pulling does a far better job of appealing to members of both sexes. The first season of the show, originally aired in the UK in 2006, is finally making it to the U.S. via DVD.
Though The Casting Out is led by former BoySetsFire singer Nathan Gray, don’t expect this new outfit to sound anything remotely like the post hardcore band he used to front. On the band’s debut, Go Crazy! Throw Fireworks!, the angry guitars and angsty bellows have been replaced by a more pop/punk sound and a few song-along choruses.
Though not as prolific as sometime tour mate Willie Nelson, Bob Dylan has yet to show no sign of slowing down anytime soon. On his 33rd record, Together Through Life, Dylan has clearly gone back to the old Sun and Chess Recordings for inspiration and the result is fantastic for long time Dylan devotees (another obvious influence is Dylan’s Sirius/XM radio show “Theme Time Radio Hourâ€).
As bassist and front man for Australian rockers The Church, Steve Kilbey has had a hand in turning out some of the more influential psychedelic pop songs of the late 80’s/early 90’s alternative scene. On his latest solo offering, his sixth, however Kilbey is running out of steam. The Aussie rocker known for penning classics like “Under the Milky Way†and “Metropolis,†simply sounds conflicted with this uneven record.
A cappella is not supposed to sound this good. The vocals-only genre exists solely for our amusement and ridicule, right? Andy, the dork from The Office was in a college a cappella group, so it’s gotta be uncool, right? Ben Folds may have finally made the oft maligned musical form hip with the release of Ben Folds Presents: University A Cappella!
If you’ve yet to hear about the British sitcom The IT Crowd, just wait about a year. It’s only a matter of time before one of the networks here snatches up the rights to this series and tries to repurpose it for American audiences, only to cancel it after two episodes (NBC had originally planned to run it last year, but the show has yet to air).
Proving loud and beautiful can coexist, Missouri’s Life & Times has been able to live up to the hype surrounding their 2003 EP. The trio, including former Shiner founder Allen Epley, manage to sound a lot bigger than just three guys. Tragic Boogie, the group’s latest full length, though not perfect, is still a solid step in the right direction. With its swirling guitars and light industrial feel (Think My…
Cincinnati’s favorite sons, 500 Miles To Memphis, obviously have their share of Willie and Waylon CDs in constant rotation on their tour bus. Probably best described as country punk, the band blends the noise and energy of Social Distortion with the song writing of the Highwaymen.
If Billy Bragg, God forbid, decided to finally put his guitar back in his case and call it a day, rest assured Damion Suomi would be ready to pick up the slack. Playing the role of folksy, rock-tinged singer songwriter, Florida-based Suomi has turned in a fantastic debut. Comprised of just 10 songs, there is little filler on the self-titled record and plenty to leave the listener wanting more. Songs…
None of the arguments put forth by Glenn Greenwald in his latest rant against the Right, “Great American Hypocrites,†is going to come as a shock to anyone who has ever made a donation to MoveOn.org. But, that’s not to say it’s not highly entertaining read full of great argument starters.
On the surface, the concept behind HBO’s drama In Treatment doesn’t seem to elicit the same excitement as say a show about Jersey mobsters or Hollywood hangers on, but given a chance the series is remarkably addictive. Adapted from a popular Israeli TV series, Gabriel Byrne plays Paul, a psychologist with his own emotional and family problems.
Six records into his career, Eric Elbogen (aka Say Hi) has just turned in his best album in an already respectably solid cannon. Oohs & Aahs is insanely catchy, from start to finish. Up until a couple of years ago, the band once known as Say Hi to Your Mom, used a home PC to record their lo-fi, indie pop albums.
Those looking to Ronen Kauffman’s book “New Brunswick, New Jersey, Goodbye,†hoping to find a definitive history of New Jersey’s storied hardcore and punk rock scene are better served looking elsewhere. There are mentions and anecdotes of a slew of bands from the mid-90’s scene like the Bouncing Souls, Lifetime, The Degenerics and Endeavor, but the main focus is one man’s discovery and ultimately his passion for the world of…
