Musings on the past and present state of music, film, and pop culture. Get off my lawn.
Concert Review: Mr. Bungle at Emo’s, Austin: rock’s favorite oddballs return to ATX for the first time since 1999, with assistance from Scott Ian and Dave Lombardo. ★★★★★ It’s been over 24 years since Mr. Bungle, the weirdest band in rock, played Austin (I was at that show. Good times). Given that the band disbanded […]
Blushing ‘Sugarcoat’ Review: Austin quartet channels classic shoegaze and alt-rock through a modern prism on third album. ★★★★ Something interesting happens when American bands gain inspiration from British shoegaze. Groups like Garbage, The Veldt, True Widow, Deafheaven, and The Smashing Pumpkins borrow elements from My Bloody Valentine, Curve, Slowdive, Ride, et al, but with an […]
John Carpenter’s ‘Lost Themes IV: Noir’ Review: Carpenter and Sons take inspiration from classic Hollywood on new album of moody instrumentals. ★★★★★ John Carpenter is one of cinema’s most unique filmmakers. A director who scored most of his own films, he understands the importance of sonic architecture in conveying mood and atmosphere for his horror, […]
Australian post-rockers reach new heights on latest release. sleepmakeswaves may not be a household post-rock name like Mogwai, Godspeed You Black Emperor, Sigur Ros, or Explosions In The Sky, but that hasn’t stopped them from gaining a small but loyal fanbase in their native Australia (where they have been nominated for ARIA and AIR awards). […]
The Melvins ‘Tarantula Heart’ Review: experimental metal pioneers go back to double drumming while exploring new sonic pathways. The Melvins are the metal band that never sleeps. Since forming in the late 80s, the sludge icons have pumped out 27 studio albums, setting a high bar for quantity and quality. Ever the musical mad scientists, […]
The Church ‘Eros Zeta and the Perfumed Guitars’ Review: companion piece expands on Aussie rockers 2023 concept album ‘The Hypnogogue’. Last year Aussie alternative psych rockers The Church released their 26th studio album The Hypnogogue. It was a hallmark for the band in two respects: it was their first album featuring only one original member […]
The Jesus and Mary Chain ‘Glasgow Eyes’ Review: The Reid brothers celebrate their 40th anniversary on engaging new album. The Jesus and Mary Chain, featuring the brotherly duo nucleus of Jim and William Reid, are now shoegaze and post-punk elder statesmen. They survived horrific infighting in the late 90’s, which hastened a breakup, only to […]
The Dandy Warhols ‘Rockmaker’ Review: Portland collective delivers their most rocking albums in years, featuring unexpected musical guest appearances. Over their 30-year career, Portland, Oregon’s The Dandy Warhols have been impossible to pigeonhole: a tad too Anglophile to fit into the U.S. rock scene, yet too aggressive and rough around the edges to defy their […]
Albums Revisited: The Cult’s Dreamtime (40th Anniversary Vinyl Reissue): in honor of Beggar’s Basement reissue, we look back at The Cult’s propulsive post-punk debut album four decades on. The Cult are celebrating their 40th anniversary in style. In late 2023 they reunited as Death Cult, the moniker they used in the early 80’s before shortening […]
Concert Review: Tool at Moody Center, Austin: L.A. prog-metal icons show their enduring power over potent set. “Be present.” That was the mantra and conditional agreement that Tool frontman Maynard James Keenan requested from the rabid Austin crowd that gathered at Moody Center Wednesday evening marking their first Austin appearance since pre-pandemic 2020. The crotchety […]
