Alternative music, cult films, and pop culture explored through a Gen X lens — with reviews, interviews, and a deep-dive podcast.
Cat Dowling ‘Animals’ Review: Irish indie artist’s latest release offers a layered and empathetic look at romance and relationships. Irish chanteuse Cat Dowling’s latest album Animals opens with the title track, and its winning mix of surreal lyrics, urgent verse and beatific chorus is a microcosm of the material contained within. The new album, produced […]
SLIS Podcast Episode 42-Albums Revisited: U2’s ‘Achtung Baby’ Turns 30: we look back on the album that reinvented U2 for the 90’s on its 30th anniversary. 30 years ago this Thursday, U2 released Achtung Baby, the 1991 opus that helped them roar back to relevance after being sidelined by the commercial and critical disappointment of […]
The Darkness ‘Motorheart’ Review: UK glam rockers bring simple pleasures to complex times on first album since 2019’s ‘Easter is Cancelled.’ We didn’t wanna make a lockdown album. In the beginning of that thing, there was a lot of lockdown music coming out, and it was music that was influenced and informed by the experience […]
November Music Roundup Playlist: a playlist of new tunes from veteran and emerging artists to provide your fall soundtrack. As we’ve just scraped by Halloween and enter the third month of autumn, moods rise and fall depending on the weather and depending on where you are located. Also, in this age of Covid-19, it ultimately also depends […]
Monolord ‘Your Time To Shine’ Review: Swede stoner rock trio bring the goods on new Relapse Records release. The last we heard from Swedish rockers Monolord, was their 2019 effort No Comfort, an album which in title and scope pre-dated pandemic anxiety through its unique mix of brutality and inner reflection. The trio are back […]
My Bloody Valentine’s Loveless Turns 30: my recollection of pissing off MVB’s frontman. November 4th marks a significant date in alternative rock history: the 30 anniversary of My Bloody Valentine’s 1991 shoegaze epic Loveless. Click here to see where Loveless ranks on my list of best 1991 albums At this point it’s hard to give any more insight […]
Happy Halloween: Top 20 Scariest Rock Songs: the creepiest tracks of all time-from metal, goth, and more. Whether you’re trying to plan a Halloween Party, or just enjoy being creeped out all on your lonesome, music can be just as terrifying as a horror film. Even in its early days, rock music has always enjoyed a good scare, […]
Book Reviews: Downtown Bookworks’ DC Super Heroes Fall Releases: new slate of books teaches kindness, diversity and the ABC’s. With school back in session, getting little ones comfortable with reading and learning life lessons is paramount, and if they also happen to be fans of DC Super Heroes, Downtown Bookworks has a whole host of […]
John Carpenter ‘Halloween Kills’ Original Motion Picture Soundtrack Review: John Carpenter and family reconvene for soundtrack to David Gordon Green’s follow-up to 2018 reboot of slasher classic. John Carpenter may not be in the filmmaking business anymore, but he’s keeping busy with his composing duties. Earlier this year he released Lost Themes III: Alive After […]
The Melvins ‘Five Legged Dog’ Review: sludge metal legends release mammoth 36 song, 4-LP collection of acoustic renditions of classic tracks, deep cuts, and covers. If there’s one sonic characteristic synonymous with the sound of the Melvins, it’s distortion. Big, syrupy, gelatinous overdriven riffs that emanate like lava, buttressed by relentless drumming and guitarist/singer Buzz […]