Musings on the past and present state of music, film, and pop culture. Get off my lawn.
Concert Review: The London Suede and Manic Street Preachers at ACL Live: UK double-bill transcends Britpop nostalgia in Austin. The crowd that gathered at ACL Live for the co-headlining tour of The London Suede and the Manic Street Preachers were a rare breed: middle-aged Anglophiles who went gaga for the Britpop scene of the mid-90’s, […]
SLIS’s 18 Best Albums of 2018: celebrating the best in rock, metal, alternative, electronica and alternative hip-hop amidst a chaotic year. We’re just a few weeks away from saying goodbye to 2018. It was a year that rattled nerves, tested our mettle, and raised questions about where we’re heading. Luckily we had a great soundtrack […]
Episode 11: 25 Albums Turning 25 In 2018: The Best Albums of 1993-SLIS Podcast: celebrating a watershed year for alternative music. Following on the heels of our podcast episode ranking the best albums from 1988, co-host Chris Logan and I decided to tackle all the best albums turning 25 this year. To do so, we […]
The Horrors ‘V’ Review [rating=4] The Horrors have evolved more distinctly than perhaps any other 21st century band. They started off as horror punks (2007’s Strange House), then went into mad scientist mode, offering a mix of goth, shoegaze, and Britpop on releases like 2009’s Primary Colours and 2011’s Skying that wowed critics and cultivated a devoted following. […]
SLIS’s 16 Best Rock Songs of 2016: the greatest songs got us through a tragic, brutal and bewildering year. Last week we released our list of the best albums of 2016: the discs that soothed and excited us during a very stressful year. But we can’t leave out best rock songs either. The individual sonic […]
SLIS’s 16 Best Albums of 2016: The best alternative, metal, and electronic releases of a brutal year. Good grief 2016 may go down in history as one of the most depressing and exhausting years ever. It was politically soul-sucking, full of heartbreak, including a ton of musical greats who we lost along the way. Luckily, […]
Suede ‘Night Thoughts’ Review: Britpop pioneers craft their most ambitious album since Dog Man Star. [rating=4] The last time Suede made a lofty concept album with a full-blown orchestra was 1994’s Dog Man Star. An ambitious fever dream that retrofitted glam, prog and psychedelia with a Britpop sheen, it was a deliciously overwrought affair that went somewhat […]
Primavera Sound 2016 Lineup Announced: Barcelona held festival continues to astound with impressive roster-headliners include Radiohead, Sigur Ros and LCD Soundsystem. Primavera Sound announced their official 2016 lineup today, and as in past years, they continue to wow with a stellar array of talent. Headliners this year include Radiohead, the newly reunited LCD Soundsystem, and Sigur […]
20 Most Anticipated Rock Albums of 2016: the must have rock releases of the New Year. 2016 has arrived, and it brings with it a year full of hotly anticipated new rock albums, from veteran and contemporary alternative and metal acts. Here’s our list of the 20 releases that have us excited the most about […]
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 […]
