Alternative music, cult films, and pop culture explored through a Gen X lens — with reviews, interviews, and a deep-dive podcast.
Scottish alternative rock icons (and shoegaze progenitors) The Jesus and Mary Chain kick off their North American tour October 19th at San Francisco’s The Fillmore Theater. The tour is in support of the group’s well-received Damage and Joy, their first album since 1998’s Munki. Click here for my Damage and Joy review The group also […]
‘Blade Runner 2049’s’ box office shortcomings are being blamed on a lack of younger viewers and bad marketing. I’m just glad it didn’t suck. If you paid attention to the box office reports last weekend, you would have thought Blade Runner 2049 was a fool’s errand. Sure it’s made over $90 million worldwide so far, […]
Far Out Scenery: The Prescience of Warrior Soul’s ‘Salutations from the Ghetto Nation’ 25 Years Later By Dave Dierksen The goddamn president can go to hell! Imagine being 14 years old in 1991, living in a small, sheltered, conservative town, and hearing those words emerge from your radio. This was my first exposure to the […]
William Patrick Corgan ‘Ogilala’ Review: the artist formerly known as Billy gets minimalist on new Rick Rubin produced LP. [rating=3.5] It hasn’t been easy to be a Billy Corgan fan in recent years (or let’s face it, for longer than that). Whether it’s his blistering critiques on his peers, indulging in conspiracy theories with Alex […]
Spotlights ‘Seismic’ Review: Married Brooklyn rockers craft a brutal yet beautiful noise. [rating=5] Spotlights (aka Brooklyn husband and wife Mario and Sarah Quintero) are a power duo in every sense of the word. On their sophomore album Seismic (out October 6 on Ipecac Recordings), they create a sound so massive, it’s hard to believe it […]
The Church ‘Man Woman Life Death Infinity’ Review: Australian alternative icons offer submerged, hypnotic soundscapes on new album. [rating=5] I guess water is my element. I’ve always marveled at the sea and rivers and rain. It wasn’t conscious at all but on reflection, it definitely is a preoccupation on this record. What that means, I […]
The Darkness ‘Pinewood Smile’ Review: Brit rockers are back with a new album of their quirky brand of arena rock. [rating=4] U.K. rock revivalists The Darkness continue to blaze their own idiosyncratic path on Pinewood Smile, their fifth studio album (out October 6th on Cooking Vinyl), expanding on the diverse strengths of their 2015 effort […]
Albums Revisited: Stone Temple Pilots’ Core Turns 30: Looking back on STP’s blockbuster (yet polarizing) début. “Overnight success” is an often offensive term when describing a band. No group gets it together their first night out. It’s the incubation process that counts, and some bands get an earlier break than others. Stone Temple Pilots were often […]
Albums Revisited: Depeche Mode’s ‘Music For The Masses’ Turns 30: a look back at the album that turned a gloomy cult electronic act into stadium rock gods. Depeche Mode sure took a strange road to stardom. They started off as a synth-pop act, hitting it big with 1981’s Just Can’t Get Enough. But then their primary […]
Concert Review: Depeche Mode at Austin360 Amphitheater: electronic icons thrill the faithful and devoted on a sultry Texas night. [rating=5] It speaks to Depeche Mode’s enduring popularity that even the wide confines of Austin360 seemed barely able to contain their adoring (mostly black-clad) public last night. It was a humid evening, but the group donned […]