Alternative music, cult films, and pop culture explored through a Gen X lens — with reviews, interviews, and a deep-dive podcast.
The Church ‘The Hypnogogue’ Review: Australian alternative legends emerge with revamped lineup on triumphant new concept album. ‘The Hypnogogue’ is the most prog rock thing we have ever done and also we’ve never had a concept album before. So sayeth Steve Kilbey, the vocalist/bassist/founder of The Church regarding their new album The Hypnogogue, (February 24, […]
Concert Review: The London Suede and Manic Street Preachers at ACL Live: UK double-bill transcends Britpop nostalgia in Austin. The crowd that gathered at ACL Live for the co-headlining tour of The London Suede and the Manic Street Preachers were a rare breed: middle-aged Anglophiles who went gaga for the Britpop scene of the mid-90’s, […]
Dead Cross ‘Dead Cross II’ Review: Hardcore supergroup fronted by Mike Patton overcome tragedy and strife on triumphant sophomore release. After Dead Cross’s critically acclaimed 2017 self-titled debut, the future looked bright for the hardcore supergroup featuring vocalist Mike Patton, bassist Justin Pearson, guitarist Michael Crain and drummer Dave Lombardo. Then all hell broke loose: […]
Book Reviews: ‘DC Super Heroes: Super Hero Origin Stories’ and ‘DC Super Heroes: Little Library’-Downtown Bookworks latest publications bring big comic book action to little readers. With the holidays fast approaching, parents are on the hunt for the must-have gifts this season. And for those with kids who love superheroes, Downtown Bookworks has the perfect […]
John Carpenter, Cody Carpenter and Daniel Davies: ‘Halloween Ends’ Soundtrack Review: Carpenter and sons wrap up the latest Michael Myers trilogy in foreboding synth-driven style. Arriving almost exactly a year later, Halloween Ends completes director David Gordon Greene’s reinterpretation of the Michael Myers saga, a horror franchise that is now in its 44th year. And […]
‘Lost Highway’ 4K UHD + Blu-Ray [Criterion Collection] Review: David Lynch’s 1997 neo-noir freakout gets a definitive release. Even by David Lynch’s surrealist standards, ‘Lost Highway’ was a confounding puzzle that was as mesmerizing as it was maddening. The Neo-noir was born from a screenplay Lynch wrote with author Barry Gifford (the two had previously […]
The Cult ‘Under The Midnight Sun’ Review: veteran UK rockers honor their past and explore their future on new album. “Forget what you know.” That murmured line from ‘Mirror,’ kicks off The Cult’s new album ‘Under The Midnight Sun‘, their first album since 2016’s ‘Hidden City‘. And in many ways that lyric encapsulates the 8-song […]
Concert Review: The Cult at Stubb’s, Austin. UK alt-rock veterans return to Austin for blistering set. There was a sense of legacy surrounding The Cult’s performance this past Sunday at Stubb’s Amphitheater. After a strong-set from doom metal outfit King Woman, the pre-show music was chock full of the post-punk acts The Cult emerged with in […]
SLIS Podcast Episode 43: The Toadies’ Mark Reznicek Talks ‘Rubberneck’ 25th Anniversary Tour, New EP ‘Damn You All To Hell’, and More The Toadies have been a Texas music staple ever since the hit the scene in 1989, with their unique mix of alternative rock with a Southern twist. They broke through to the masses […]
Concert Review: Roxy Music at Moody Center, Austin: Inimitable genre-straddling outfit celebrate 50 years together with stellar retrospective set. It takes a special kind of alchemy to keep a band together, let alone one that makes it to the five-decade mark. But Roxy Music has always been a special band: part art project, part glam […]