Musings on the past and present state of music, film, and pop culture. Get off my lawn.
★★★ Well it’s finally here–The Smashing Pumpkins (75%) reunion album Shiny and Oh So Bright, Vol. 1 / LP: No Past. No Future. No Sun, is out this Friday. The Rick Rubin produced affair is a major occasion, marking the first release featuring original drummer Jimmy Chamberlin since 2007’s Zeitgeist, and the first featuring guitarist […]
Rick Rubin Is Producing The Smashing Pumpkins Reunion Album: Billy Corgan reveals involvement of super-producer on forthcoming album. It’s been a verrryyyyy long and winding road towards the reunion of the original Smashing Pumpkins. It’s been teased in drips and drabs for over three years now. But recent weeks have proved that (a) yes, it’s […]
William Patrick Corgan ‘Ogilala’ Review: the artist formerly known as Billy gets minimalist on new Rick Rubin produced LP. [rating=3.5] It hasn’t been easy to be a Billy Corgan fan in recent years (or let’s face it, for longer than that). Whether it’s his blistering critiques on his peers, indulging in conspiracy theories with Alex […]
Albums Revisited: The Cult’s ‘Electric’ Turns 30. a look back at why The Cult’s breakthrough album set the stage for heavy alternative rock and the decline of hair metal. Note: this article was originally published in 2013: it has since been updated. Earlier this week I got a chance to see The Cult at ACL […]
Album Review: Black Sabbath ’13’; Not bad for a bunch of old geezers… [rating=4] It seemed like the new album ‘13‘ from Black Sabbath was a cursed affair, doomed like it’s unlucky number of a title. Tony Iommi was stricken with cancer, Ozzy relapsed, and Drummer Bill Ward quit the band in a huff over money […]
Black Sabbath are allowing fans a chance to stream their new album ‘13‘ on iTunes for free, ahead of its official release next week on June 11th. You can check out the full stream by clicking here. Important: you need to click the ‘view in iTunes‘ button next to the band name to hear the […]
Movie Review: Dave Grohl’s documentary “Sound City”, is a love letter to an iconic music studio and organic musicianship. [rating=5] Alt-rock icon Dave Grohl recounts Nirvana’s recording studio sessions for Nevermind in his new documentary (and directorial début) Sound City. After hearing all the hype about the legendary studio, his first reaction was underwhelming: “The […]
Beastie Boys Adam Yauch Dies at 47 Adam Yauch , the cofounder of the legendary hip-hop act the Beastie Boys, passed away today after losing his struggle with cancer. He was 47. Known better by his stage name MCA, Yauch’s gravelly voice was the icing on the cake for many Beastie’s classics, perfectly […]
