Alternative music, cult films, and pop culture explored through a Gen X lens — with reviews, interviews, and a deep-dive podcast.
Brant Bjork Talks New Solo Album ‘Tao of The Devil’: desert rocker discusses his latest sizzling disc in our exclusive interview. One of the pioneers of desert rock and stoner metal, Brant Bjork has been involved with some of the most preeminent bands of the genre, including Kyuss (the Godfathers of the scene), Fu Manchu, and Vista […]
True Widow ‘Avvolgere’ Review: Texas Stonegazers craft their finest effort to date. [rating=5] Dallas, TX’s True Widow are experts at creating a sound that’s not easy to define…so much so that they came up with their own genre: stonegaze, splitting the difference between stoner rock and shoegaze. And while their new album Avvolgere (out 9/23 via Relapse Records) […]
Interstelar ‘Resin’ Review: Los Angeles based rockers offer a deep dish of stoner rock goodness. [rating=5] L.A. based act Interstelar have bashed out their own brand of stoner rock since the mid-00’s, gaining some buzz with their 2011 EP On Black Waves. And on their latest album Resin, the group shows a refinement and evolution in sound […]
Blu-Ray Review: ‘Cat People’ [Criterion Collection]: classic horror film gets a beautiful HD release. One of the most striking cinematic examples of less is more is Jacques Tourneur’s 1942 horror classic Cat People (released on Blu-ray September 20th via Criterion). A film that plays upon the anxieties that pop up in a new romantic relationship, it […]
The Mission ‘Another Fall From Grace’ Review: influential Goth rockers make their finest album since their 80’s heyday. [rating=5] “This album is the lost link between The Sisters Of Mercy’s First And Last And Always and The Mission’s God’s Own Medicine.” That bold statement comes from The Mission’s frontman Wayne Hussey, regarding the band’s new album Another Fall From […]
Albums Revisited: Nirvana’s ‘Nevermind’ Turns 25: celebrating Nirvana’s generation defining album on its 25th anniversary. I’ll never forget the fall of 1991. I had recently transferred to a new college. It was out-of-state and I didn’t know a soul. It was terrifying, but also liberating: I was far away from my folks and anyone who […]
Blu-Ray Review: ‘Blood Simple’ [Criterion Collection]: The Coen Brothers début film still packs a cold-hearted punch in this excellent Blu-ray edition. Before the Coen Brothers became a cottage industry of cult classic cinema of the quirky, neo-noir and black comedy variety, they made a small film called Blood Simple. Shot on a shoestring budget in and around […]
Albums Revisited: Guns N’ Roses ‘Use Your Illusion’ Turns 25: a reappraisal of Guns N’ Roses overstuffed 1991 albums on their 25th anniversary. We live in a time when everyone’s a critic. Mix tapes are now playlists. Fan fiction doesn’t live on the Internet fringes anymore. And fight as I might to stave off the elements of […]
Omar Rodriguez-Lopez ‘Umbrella Mistress’ Review: ORL’s solo deluge continues with this pleasing dash of psychedelia. [rating=4] We’re now five releases into Omar Rodriguez-Lopez’s massive twelve album excavation of previously unreleased solo material, and its been a wild and quirky ride thus far. From the esoteric electronica of Sworn Virgins, the somber acoustic Corazones, the bright indie-pop of […]
Nick Cave and The Bad Seeds ‘Skeleton Tree’ Review: a dark yet beautiful reflection on tragedy as only Nick Cave could produce. [rating=5] Last year Nick Cave went through what any parent fears the most: the loss of a child. This happened in the midst of recording Skeleton Tree, his latest album with veteran outfit […]