Don’t be fooled by “Welcome to the Black Parade,” the first — and rather lengthy — single off My Chemical Romance’s third disc. The entirety of The Black Parade, although obviously ambitious in its influences and concept, doesn’t ape Freddie Mercury. In fact, most of the record just sounds like…
If the first thing that comes to mind when you read the word “Scotland” is haggis-gnawing, lager-swilling soccer hooligans, listening to the rapid-fire tracks on Entomology will make you think again. Dubbed “The Sound of Young Scotland,” bands like Orange Juice, Aztec Camera, and Josef K ruled Britannia for a…
Culminating a decade of spiritually searching dance music and blistering punk rock, Moby made, arguably, the last great album of the 20th century with Play, a brilliant amalgam of old gospel samples and new studio wizardry. At a time when electronica’s trendiness was ending, Play gave the throbbingly impersonal genre…
The Rolling Stones and Alice Cooper? Can a classic rock bill even get any better than that? The Stones, of course, are still amazing live, still able to invest a song they’ve done no fewer than a billion times — from “(I Can’t Get No) Satisfaction” to “Jumpin’ Jack Flash”…
Few bands have made the trashy side of rock ‘n’ roll feel dirtier or more inviting than The Cramps, a psychobilly force of nature with a Ph.D. in EC comics, drive-in movies, striptease sexuality, and the fuzz-guitar genius of Nuggets. With Lux Interior channeling Elvis as the undead, G-string-wearing host…
It’s tempting to talk about guitarist Adrian Belew only in terms of the company he has kept throughout the past 30 years. He’s been a sideman for Zappa and Bowie, was integral in King Crimson v2.0, and played on the best records the Talking Heads, Paul Simon, and Nine Inch…
If you’re gonna have an organ player in your group and call yourselves Oh My God, you could be mistaken for a Christian rock band. So indie trio OMG has this clarification on its MySpace page: “This Chicago rock band is not affiliated with God or Satan (though the band…
Remember Candy Land? You know, that ultra-vibrant and ultra-enjoyable confection-laced board game that dominated your childhood and sent you on a jubilant journey traipsing through such realms as the Peppermint Stick Forest or the Molasses Swamp? This weekend’s Kandieland III rave on Saturday, November 4, at the Starlight Room, 16731…
“My house is like a crash pad for aging punk rockers,” Keith Jackson tells me over the phone one day. But not just any old aging punk rockers. The singer/guitarist for local punk band Glass Heroes has hung out with some of the most legendary names in the genre, including…
Go ahead, call them a “novelty act.” This nine-member group from NYC is asking for it with songs like “Nipples” (with eloquent lyrics like “Na-uh-na-uh-na-uh-nipples”). But once you’ve heard “Connecticut’s for Fucking,” the leadoff track to JHC&tFHotA’s debut album, there’s no denying this band’s snarky brilliance. The song’s ridiculously catchy…
Bodhisattva’s 20-minute, three-track EP Magnetar may not appeal to those who are prone to popping headache pills whenever they hear time signatures other than the common 4/4. The ambient jazz-metal-indie fusion duo, consisting of guitarist Justin Cory and drummer Shane Sittig, gives followers of wacko bands like Primus, Mr. Bungle,…
Let’s face it — on paper, a band that plays classically influenced operatic rock like a new-world Bonnie Tyler or Meat Loaf has about as good a chance of hitting it big as the next Pussycat Dolls (Lord, don’t get us started). That is, unless said band has the jet…
Damon Gough makes the same album every time, only more so. Recording under the name Badly Drawn Boy, Gough came to prominence with The Hour of Bewilderbeast, the sort of lush, overly ambitious debut that promises a career filled with even higher peaks. And while nothing he’s made since has…
This is typically when Beck would hit you with a change-up — dim the lights, warm the milk, and go quietly into the darkness to follow the party-rock high jinks of Guero with an album more in keeping with his introspective side. And Nigel Godrich did produce Beck’s two most…
“When we quit, indie rock will die,” Robert Pollard famously boasted about the breakup of his long-running band Guided By Voices. That was 2004, and no matter your feelings about the scrawny, albino art form, you have to admit the sucker hasn’t quite kicked the bucket just yet. Neither has…
Phoenix may not be known for a huge Eurobeat scene, but that hasn’t stopped the cool kiddies of The Kohl Heart from blazing a snotty trail of New Wavery through the cookie-cutter communities of the Valley of the Sun. Formerly known as XOXOXO, the band — singer Rachel Taylor, bass…
Lindsey Buckingham has always admired Brian Wilson, but beyond their shared studio perfectionism and reliably good pop instincts, their other great similarity is their strangeness. The former member of Fleetwood Mac thankfully didn’t have to suffer the emotional problems his hero has faced, but a look back at Buckingham’s oeuvre…
It’s been a while since White Pony established the Deftones as nü-metal’s answer to Radiohead, embracing moody, operatic grandeur without abandoning the muscle or the shriek. But after retreating a bit from the edge on the more conventionally heavy Deftones, they’re back to exploring their artsier side with a vengeance…
American fans may have left this early-’80s Canadian postpunk originator for dead, but the band’s cult in Europe hasn’t waned, and it remains hallowed up north. NoMeansNo still tours annually in Europe, but it’s been nearly six years since the band released a record. So maybe it’s the nonexistent expectations,…
If you’ve been wondering why all the cool obscure vinyl from places like Eastside Records and Tracks in Wax has disappeared lately, chances are these platters have found their way into the collections of Djentrification and Peso One. Don’t worry, they ain’t hoarding all the wacky wax from you charlatans…
Pet Shop Boys Yes, they’re still around. For more than 20 years, Neil Tennant and Chris Lowe have managed to do to dance-pop what Steely Dan did to jazz-pop — bend it on its ear, and turn a shallow pleasure into a bastion of intelligence, satire and true heart. Pet…
Who needs TV when I’ve got T. Rex?” Not local glam/’70s rock throwback band Crash Street Kids, who sing the legendary line from the David Bowie-penned “All the Young Dudes” with a sincerity that saves them from the “poseur” label. On a recent Friday night, I’m watching CSK play, along…
