The only surprising thing about R.E.M’s sophomore full length getting the deluxe double disc treatment is that it took so long. Long considered one of the best efforts from one of the most influential bands to come out of the 80’s, the rerelease come 25 years after it was first issued. A college radio station staple then and even now, “Reckoning†finds the band gaining confidence. The lyrics are a…
It’s clear just a few pages into it, that Poisoned Heart, Vera Ramone King’s memoir of her time with Ramone’s bassist Dee Dee, was not easy to write. The book comes off as part therapy, part twisted love letter to the clearly disturbed rocker. King, who met and fell in love with the punk rocker in 1977, just before the band helped introduce punk rock to the world. Her relationship…
Some bands just know how to leave you wanting more. It’s been five very long years since Nashville-based psychedelic indie rockers The Features released their major label debut, the grossly underrated “Exhibit Aâ€. The band is finally back with the second act, and it was well worth the wait. “Some Kind of Salvation†is brimming with the same combination of sunny harmonies, 60’s psychedelic organ and Motown horns that made…
Like wearing a cowboy hat with a Sex Pistols t-shirt, the Von Ehrics have no problem mixing dirty country with a little punk rock. The Dallas-based trio thankfully sounds like nothing else being played right now. On Loaded, their third effort and first for Wisconsin indie Crustacean Records, the band is at their best so far in their admittedly short career. Loud, fast guitars and drums serve as the perfect…
After six seasons, you know where you stand with the often polarizing duo of Penn & Teller and their sacred cow tipping Showtime series Bull Shit! For those easily offended and potentially horrified for the group’s crass, profanity-laced, straight-to-the-point documentaries… well change the channel. For those with an open mind however, the series is entertainingly addictive and season six, now on DVD, is no different. John B. Moorewww.neufutur.com
It would be easy to write off Great White as just another way past its prime hair metal band trying desperately to relive the 80’s. But Great White, like Tesla and a handful of others who got caught up in the atrocious metal scene 20 years ago, had actual talent and some great songs to back up their bluster. John B. Moorewww.neufutur.com
The premise is funny enough that it’s amazing someone hasn’t thought about committing it to film before. A struggling metal band at night plays kid’s parties during the day to pay the bills. The best part about it is that it’s based on a real band. IFC picked up this original and surprisingly addictive half-hour TV series. John B. Moorewww.neufutur.com
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). John B. Moorewww.neufutur.com
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. John B. Moorewww.neufutur.com
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. John B. Moorewww.neufutur.com
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. John B. Moorewww.neufutur.com
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. John B. Moorewww.neufutur.com
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€). John B. Moorewww.neufutur.com
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. John…
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! John B. Moorewww.neufutur.com
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). John B. Moorewww.neufutur.com