Alternative music, cult films, and pop culture explored through a Gen X lens — with reviews, interviews, and a deep-dive podcast.
Concert Review: Nick Cave Gets Confessional at ACL Moody Theatre–Aussie alternative icon brings empathy and humor to intimate Austin, TX performance. It takes a mighty big musical presence to compete against this year’s ACL festival. But Nick Cave pulled off this hat trick with a two night residency for his Conversations tour. But with a […]
Monolord ‘No Comfort’ Review: Swedish stoner rock trio mix big riffs with heartache on latest release. Monolord haven’t been around very long, but they have made their presence known with four albums, an EP and a pair of ten-inch singles released in just six years. This brisk pace has shown the group growing and refining […]
Tool ‘Fear Inoculum’ Review: At long last, the 13 years-in-the-works “new” Tool album has arrived. Was it worth the wait? “If I had to ‘psychology 101’ [it], I would have to say, ‘Well, yeah, that’s why it would take 13 years to write something, because you’re paranoid that it’s not gonna be the best that […]
Classic crooner Bryan Ferry celebrates Roxy Music’s RRHOF Induction by honoring his iconic roots. With their induction in the 2019 Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, British glam rockers/sophistipop pioneers Roxy Music, and their frontman Bryan Ferry have finally received their full American due. And Ferry is celebrating his former band’s legacy on his current […]
Episode 29: ‘Body Melt’-Smells Like Cinematic Sadness Podcast On this week’s installment of the long-delayed follow-up to our ’Smells Like Cinematic Sadness‘ series, co-host Damon Shell and I look back at ‘Body Melt,’ a 1994 Ozploitation horror cheapie about dietary supplements with very unfortunate side effects. A very odd and at-times off-putting exercise into the […]
Book Review: ‘DC Super Hero Science’: latest Downtown Bookworks release exposes kids to science with the help of some super hero ambassadors. Downtown Bookworks have released a slew of wonderful children’s books featuring DC Comics finest super heroes offering learning lessons on a bevy of topics that help teach important concepts to growing minds. And […]
Episode 28: Remembering The Late Rutger Hauer-SLIS Podcast: co-host Damon Shell and I look back at one of the most enigmatic actors of the 80s and beyond. Dutch actor Rutger Hauer passed away last month at the age of 75, and for 80’s and 90’s cult movie lovers, it was a huge loss. Kids from […]
Miami metallers Torche have carved their own unique path through the metal landscapes for over 14 years now, distilling their love for a disparate array of rock sub-genres into their own unique sonic stew. On their latest release, Admission (July 12, Relapse Records), the band continue to chart their own course, refusing to bow to […]
Baroness ‘Gold and Grey’ Review: southern act sheds its metal skin in exchange of emotive anthems and experimental textures. Baroness have slowly made an arc from a band associated with Southern sludge metal to something more vast and harder to define. Beginning with 2012’s double album Yellow and Green, they’ve embraced elements of 90s alternative […]
Blu-Ray Review: ‘Blue Velvet’ [Criterion Collection]: Criterion releases the definitive edition of David Lynch’s classic surreal neo-noir. THE FILM: Among many David Lynch obsessives, Blue Velvet was their entry point into his dreamy oeuvre. It was his first exploration into his obsession with the dark underbelly under polite American society, striking a chord that remains […]