Alternative music, cult films, and pop culture explored through a Gen X lens — with reviews, interviews, and a deep-dive podcast.
Echo and the Bunnymen ‘Meteorites’ Review; Youth produced ‘Meteorites’ is a solid, if unremarkable, group of songs. [rating=4] Echo and the Bunnymen vocalist Ian McCullough remains one of the most immodest frontmen in rock, so when he declares that their new album ‘Meteorites’ is “more edgy than anything I’ve ever done”, you’re allowed an eye roll or […]
ArnoCorps frontman Graf Holzfeuer talks exercise app, European tour and signing to iconic punk label. Most of us like to work out with music; aggressive rock can be an excellent exercise aide, helping us to reach our max with endorphin pumping riffs. But how much more effective could it be, if your favorite bands were not only rocking […]
Listen to new Failure song ‘Come Crashing’; unsung alternative band releases their first new song in 18 years. I recently interviewed Failure frontman Ken Andrews (click here to read), and he hinted that the band would be playing some new material on their summer reunion tour. And now Alternative Nation has broke the news that the […]
Swans ‘To Be Kind’ Review; post-punk veterans follow-up masterwork ‘The Seer’ with similarly epic ‘To Be Kind’, which is sometimes too much of a good thing. [rating=4] With 2012’s ‘The Seer’, noise-rock pioneers Swans did the unthinkable; they made their breakout album 3 decades into their career. They indulged all aspects of their legacy and […]
Buzz Osborne ‘This Machine Kills Artists’ Review: Melvins’ leader unplugged solo album packs plenty of high voltage. [rating=5] When Melvin’s leader Buzz Osborne announced he was making an all acoustic album, he nipped any misconceptions that he was going folksy in the bud: “I have no interest in sounding like a crappy version of James Taylor or […]
Buzz Osborne Interview: Melvins’ frontman goes acoustic, but doesn’t go soft on new album ‘This Machine Kills Artists.’ When one thinks of the Melvins, sludgy, monolithic riffs and seismic percussion immediately come to mind. So it was somewhat surprising to learn that bandleader, guitarist and vocalist Buzz Osborne is releasing an acoustic album, entitled ‘This Machine Kills […]
The Horrors ‘Luminous’ Review: British quintet keep expanding and polishing their retro element into intriguing new shapes. [rating=4] There are few band’s better at mining vintage rock sounds to great effect than British group The Horrors. Each album helps to refine their mix of 60’s psychedelia, 70’s krautrock, 80’s new wave/ goth, and 90’s dream […]
Ken Andrews Interview: Failure frontman discusses band’s reunion, future and his diverse body of work. Failure were one of the great unsung bands of the 90’s. Fusing power-pop, alt-rock, space-rock and more, they were as unclassifiable as they were unforgettable. But lack of exposure, record label pressures, and internal band conflicts led to an early […]
Stream New Horrors Album ‘Luminous’; Listen to ‘Luminous’ in full before it’s May 5th release After hearing the excellent new singles ‘So Know You Know’ and ‘I See You’ Horrors fans have clamored for a chance to hear more off their new album ‘Luminous.’ And now they’re in luck; the band are streaming the entire […]
‘Mad World’ Book Review: New Wave fanatics will eat up all the nostalgic tidbits in ‘Mad World: An Oral History of New Wave Artists and Songs That Defined the 1980s’ [rating=4] Both obsessive and casual 1980’s New Wave fans will have much to enjoy with the new book ‘Mad World’ by 80’s veteran music journalists Lori Majewski and Jonathan […]