Musings on the past and present state of music, film, and pop culture. Get off my lawn.
Depeche Mode ‘Spirit’ Review: electronic music icons get political on bleak new album. [rating=3.5] We are the bigots, we have not evolved/we have no respect, we have lost control. That’s the opening line to Going Backwards, the brooding first track off Depeche Mode’s 14th studio album Spirit. Even for a band known for moodiness, it’s an especially dour […]
30 Best Albums Turning 30 in 2017: The Best Albums of 1987–our list of the greatest releases celebrating 30th anniversaries this year. If you had to choose one year in the Reagan era for the best music, you’d be hard pressed to do better than 1987. Something clicked–the mainstream that had been over saturated with […]
20 Albums Turning 20 in 2017: the best alternative releases of 1997 The alternative rock landscape had changed by the late 90s. Grunge was pretty much dead, no longer considered a viable commercial option for record labels. Nirvana were over, Soundgarden had split and Alice in Chains were hobbled by Layne Staley’s heroin habit. Pearl […]
Electronic music pioneers return with first single off forthcoming album Spirit. Veteran synth pop group Depeche Mode will release their new album Spirit on Columbia Records March 17th. And the band have just released the first single Where’s the Revolution which you can check out via YouTube below: It appears the group foresaw the current […]
The 17 Most Anticipated Rock Albums of 2017: the albums most likely to get your rocks off this year. After a rocky 2016, we’re off to a fresh start to 2017, but most are expecting an unpredictable, bumpy ride with our current state of affairs. Luckily we’re going to have some badass music to get […]
SLIS Holiday Gift Guide: Best 2016 Music Box Sets: our picks for the best alternative, punk, metal and classic rock box sets, reissues, Blu-rays, deluxe vinyl and other music related items that make perfect holiday gifts for music lovers. Hard to believe it but the holiday are almost upon us. And with it comes the […]
Depeche Mode Announce New Album ‘Spirit,’ 2017 Tour: band give details on follow-up to 2013’s Delta Machine. Electronic music pioneers Depeche Mode will release their 14th studio album, entitled Spirit, in spring of 2016. As expected, the group will be touring to support the album, with the first leg taking place in Europe, kicking off […]
Albums revisited: Nitzer Ebb’s Ebbhead at 25: The only way from here is down. By: Peter Marks After years and years of toil out there in the trenches, Bon Harris and Douglas McCarthy hit the prime time with their fourth effort ‘Ebbhead’. While their following album would be given an ironic title by the band and […]
The Black Queen ‘Fever Daydream’ Review: Dillinger Escape Plan frontman indulges his love of gloomy 80’s synth-pop and 90’s ambient textures on electronic project. [rating=5] When I saw Dillinger Escape Plan open for Nine Inch Nails and Soundgarden back in 2014, I could’ve sworn frontman Greg Puciato was rocking a New Order T-shirt. Could the singer […]
Top 21 Best Alternative Rock Compilation Albums: the most essential greatest hits, B-side collection and rarities compilations in alt-rock. This month two classic 1985 compilation albums turn 30: ‘Catching up with Depeche Mode’ (on Nov.11th) and Echo & The Bunnymen’s ‘Songs to Learn and Sing’ (Nov. 15th). That got me thinking: in some cases, greatest hits collections, non-album single comps, and b-side/rarities albums […]
