Musings on the past and present state of music, film, and pop culture. Get off my lawn.
19 Most Anticipated Alternative Rock and Metal Albums of 2019: its shaping up to be a potentially amazing year for rock fans. Hello folks and a belated happy New Year! 2019 is off and running, and for those hoping for some rocking new tunes during our current, crazy times, all signs point to a truly great […]
Episode 9: 30 Albums Turning 30 In 2018: The Best Albums of 1988-SLIS Podcast: celebrating the best alternative and metal albums turning 30 this year. For anyone who has followed my blog for a while, you’re used to reading my best-of lists by year (including 1987, 1991, 1992, 1997 and, most recently, 1998). They’re always […]
Ministry ‘AmeriKKKant’ Review: Al Jourgensen wages musical war against Donald Trump on band’s most unusual album to date. [rating=3] Al Jourgensen’s creativity has always thrived during Republican presidencies. It’s his muse, fueling all the best albums from his industrial juggernaut Ministry. The band’s 1992 magnum opus Psalm 69 pilloried George HW Bush’s singular term, and […]
SLIS’s 15 Most Anticipated Rock Albums of 2018: the alternative and metal releases we can’t for this year. Did you survive 2017? Well 2018 is probably gonna be just as crazy, so we need some new tunes to power though it. Luckily there’s a host of upcoming alternative and metal albums we’re excited about hearing […]
Swans: ‘The Great Annihilator’ (Deluxe Edition) Review: underrated 1995 album gets deluxe remastered double-vinyl reissue. [rating=5] To say NYC noise rock legends SWANS have had a unique career trajectory is an understatement. Whereas most bands that formed in the 80s subsist by playing their back catalogue on the nostalgia circuit, Swans have become more popular than […]
Ministry ‘Trax! Rarities’ Review: Compilation of rare Ministry recordings from their 1980’s Wax Trax! era. [rating=4] Though most fans of industrial metal pioneers Ministry associate them with the sonic assault that brought them notoriety in the late 80’s and early 90’s, there’s a subset of listeners who pine for a return to the early 80’s synth-pop […]
20 Years Ago Danzig Made A Techno Album For Disney’s Record Label: remembering Blackacidevil, Glenn Danzig’s lost industrial techno album. When Glenn Danzig parted ways with his “classic lineup” in 1995 (guitarist John Christ, bassist Eerie Von and drummer Chuck Biscuits), it wasn’t on the best of terms. He would also jump ship from Rick Rubin’s American […]
Moby & The Void Pacific Choir ‘These Systems Are Failing’ Review: techno pioneer revisits the aggressive sonic approach of underrated 1996 album Animal Rights. [rating=4] Earlier this year, Moby released Long Ambients 1: Calm. Sleep, a dreamy effort (offered as a free download) which saw a return to his ambient electronic roots that begin as far as […]
Alan Vega R.I.P: how the late musician influenced punk, New Wave, electronic music, alternative rock and more. We’ve lost a lot of musical legends in 2016. And last night was no different: Alan Vega, one half of proto-punk/synth duo Suicide passed away in his sleep at the age of 78. While the ethereal crooner was never a household […]
MGT ‘Volumes’ Review: journeyman guitarist Mark Gemini Thwaite shows off his multi-faceted chops on album featuring notable alt-rock collaborators. [rating=4] Mark Gemini Thwaite may not be a household name. But if you’re a fan of industrial, Goth and alternative rock, you’ve more than likely heard his work at some point. Over his varied career, the guitarist […]
