Musings on the past and present state of music, film, and pop culture. Get off my lawn.
Blushing ‘Sugarcoat’ Review: Austin quartet channels classic shoegaze and alt-rock through a modern prism on third album. ★★★★ Something interesting happens when American bands gain inspiration from British shoegaze. Groups like Garbage, The Veldt, True Widow, Deafheaven, and The Smashing Pumpkins borrow elements from My Bloody Valentine, Curve, Slowdive, Ride, et al, but with an […]
Episode 44: Royal Thunder’s Mlny Parsonz Talks New Album ‘Rebuilding The Mountain’-SLIS Podcast Royal Thunder are back with Rebuilding The Mountain, their first album in 5 years, out June 16th via Spinefarm. Like past efforts including Wick and Crooked Doors, it sees the group continue their unique marriage of classic rock and 90’s alternative with […]
Simon Bromide ‘Following The Moon’ Review: The Bromides’ frontman strikes out on his own with solo debut album. As one 1/3 of the trio The Bromides, Simon Bromide (real name Simon Berridge) has earned a solid rep for his particular brand of indie rock. But with that group currently on hiatus, he’s venturing on his […]
My Bloody Valentine’s Loveless Turns 30: my recollection of pissing off MVB’s frontman. November 4th marks a significant date in alternative rock history: the 30 anniversary of My Bloody Valentine’s 1991 shoegaze epic Loveless. Click here to see where Loveless ranks on my list of best 1991 albums At this point it’s hard to give any more insight […]
Greg Puciato ‘Child Soldier: Creator of God’ Review: ex-Dillinger Escape Plan powerhouse vocalist explores diverse sonic terrain on solo debut. Greg Puciato has been an artist drawn to extremes, and he’s stated as much in the press release for his debut solo album Child Soldier: Creator of God: “This record is me declaring ultimate freedom. […]
Episode 31: Medicine’s Brad Laner Talks New Covers Album ‘Scarred For Life’-SLIS Podcast: American shoegaze mastermind discusses new covers album, reuniting with his original vocalist, his creative legacy and more. On this week’s podcast my special guest is Brad Laner, best known as the guitarist and songwriter for Medicine, one of the most interesting and […]
Burning House ‘Mirror Song’: UK shoegaze trio fire on all all psychedelic cylinders on new single off forthcoming 2019 album. If you were none the wiser, you’d swear that Mirror Song, the latest release for Burning House, was straight out of the late 80’s/early 90’s–a roaring mix of feedback and careening melody recalling vintage My […]
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 […]
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 […]
Ride ‘Weather Diaries’ Review: shoegaze icon’s dynamic and captivating reunion disc is well worth the wait. [rating=4] One of the most welcome musical resurgences of the past few years is the return of Shoegaze, that curious British-born genre that cultivated a small yet rabid fan base in the early 90’s. And of the most lauded bands […]
