Comparing an artists newest record to previous efforts can be, as the kids say, a bit sus. On the one hand, you tend to discount what came before depending on how the new effort fares so the trick is to do so in a way that flatters what preceded. Also, you don’t want to put a nail in the coffin of a band’s burgeoning career. Like, if this is the greatest album ever then they can only go down from there, right??? In other words: Slippery slope! Especially when we say that Hard Copy is the best VR Sex record to date.
[Read more…]Cold Gawd Tap Into Some Pure ’90’s Alt Rawk Magic With A Modern Twist On God Get Me The Fuck Out Of Here
Nothing quite pulls at ye olde heartstrings like some great throwback ’90’s Alt-Rawk. We’re not talking Grunge, which ran parallel to the burgeoning Alternative scene of the ’90’s, we’re talking the Sugar’s of the world and the Hum’s with walls of sound and fuzzy guitar sounds and vocals that seemingly float on air and a kind of magic that Cold Gawd has seemingly masterfully brought into the present for a new generation with God Get Me The Fuck Out Of Here.
[Read more…]Death Bells Fly The Post-Punk Freak Flag Proudly On Stunning Third Outing Between Here & Everywhere
Post-whatever is our jam, okay? Sure, we tend to lean toward the heavier here but the music that made us who we are will forever be that mid-’80’s/early ’90’s Industrial and Post-Rock noise. So it always causes our black heart to flutter whenever we discover a current artist that’s proudly flying the freak flag of old in the here and now. Like Death Bells who have a stunning new record out soon on Dais Records.
[Read more…]SPICE Avoid The Sophomore Slump, Skip Straight To Legendary Status With Viv
It’s not even fair to call Viv, SPICE’s sophomore effort, a more mature record because this Los Angeles-based band made up of veterans of the industry sounded like seasoned pros on the their debut as is. So what is Viv? Boss level SPICE? A new evolution? Well, however you want to describe this ten track affair there’s no denying that it’s a powerful collection of poignant Alt and on par with the upward trajectory that SPICE has been traveling since debuting on the scene just a few short years back.
[Read more…]VR SEX Continue With The Cool On Sophomore Post-Rawk Trek Rough Dimension
2022 is producing a LOT, and we mean A LOT, of unexpected surprise rekkids in our regular wheelhouse of favorites. We had some hopes that this band called Drab Majesty might be back with a new record (And they just might with a recently announced support slot with AFI happening in the fall) but are completely content with the unexpected news of the sophomore outing from sorta similarly sounding VR SEX.
[Read more…]SPICE Up The Alt Ante On Brilliant 7″ A Better Treatment
After experiencing the dismal new Dune firsthand I have concluded that the only spice needed in my life should come from Penzeys’s or from the Los Angeles-based outfit that we’re talking about in this post you’re currently reading. You read that right, folks! I didn’t like the new Dune! No, wait. The only SPICE being mentioned in these pages from now on concerns the killer band who put out one of our most favorite records of 2020 and who has an equally killer new EP slated for release soon.
[Read more…]SPICE Capture Lightning In A Bottle, Create A Modern Alternative Classic On Self-Titled Debut
Sure, there will be more and have been some massive albums from some huge artists in 2020 but, looking at my current tally for favorites of the year, I truly believe that this is the year of the underdog. Like SPICE.
[Read more…]Tempers Go Dark And Dreamy On Modern Electronica Masterpiece Private Life
Tempers produce the kinds of earworms that you WANT to have stuck in your head for all time. For me, it was “Further” off 2017’s Fundamental Fantasy which initially hooked me and, without trepidation, I continually welcome any and all new music from the New York-based duo bringing us to this point in time and the imminent release of Private Life, their third full-length of dreamy dark Electro.
[Read more…]Drab Majesty Pull Light From The Dark On Tribute 7″ Oak Wood
You ever have a song that completely pushes you over the edge of REALLY wanting to shell out some dough to go to a show? Let me rephrase that: Do you ever find yourself hearing a song that compels you to buy tickets to a show by an artist that you’ll ALREADY be seeing in the same week in a different state/venue? Once you hear the latest by Drab Majesty, I’m sure you’ll agree with my current feels as well. [Read more…]
Drab Majesty Go Darker With The Demonstration
With a distinct sound soaked in Goth and New Wave, Drab Majesty’s latest album also benefits from subtle odes to bands like Bauhaus, Sisters of Mercy, Siouxsie & The Banshees, Gene Loves Jezebel, and Psychedelic Furs. While that impressive list of comparable legendary scene bands should be enough to pique interest, it’s the strength of Drab Majesty’s own songs that will make sure you stick around for more. [Read more…]