J-Live is a rapper that I always enjoy listening to. His style has very little fanfare. In the case of Around The Sun the album cover is simply a photo of his face. It was released in April this yearRead more…
Buck 65 – Neverlove
Neverlove is Buck 65’s much touted divorce album. I talked briefly about Neverlove on my last post where I talked about the other release Buck release on the same day titled Laundromat Boogie. Compared to Laundromat Boogie there is aRead more…
Joyce Manor – Never Hungover Again
For their third album, the quartet from Torrance, California have progressed without the sacrifice of the charm that made them so endearing in the first place. 10 quick blasts of punchy, hooky melodic punk that induces loud sing-a-longs and raucous pogoing,Read more…
Abandoned Pools – Somnambulist
Abandoned Pools is the project of Tommy Walter, either best known as the former bassist of Eels (circa 1996-1997) or the guy who wrote the theme songs for Clone High. Walter has bounced around over the past fifteen years orRead more…
No Joy – Wait To Pleasure
The shoegaze revival thing can feel really played out at times. There seems to be no shortage of bands willing to adopt the pattern of layering waves of distortion over barely decipherable vocals oohing and aahing. It can be hardRead more…
HSY – S/T
HSY’s self-titled EP is a dissonant, grumbling mass of noise. The production values are on the lo-fi end of the spectrum and the howling, atonal vocals sound like they were recorded inside a tunnel. It’s a throwback sound. An uglier,Read more…
In Flames – Siren Charms
This shouldn’t be such a big deal. Anyone who is stunned by In Flames’s seemingly sudden shift to easily-digestible alt-metal hasn’t been playing very close attention. This has been a long time coming. In Flames, renowned for originating the GothenburgRead more…
Buck 65 – Laundromat Boogie
Buck 65 is a musician that can never be accused of always doing the same thing. Over his career Buck has thrown quite a few knuckle balls to loyal fans. The difference between his folky almost country 2004 release Talkin’Read more…
The Verve Pipe – Overboard
The Verve Pipe (not to be confused with that other band The Verve) formed in 1992 when Brian Vander Ark of Johnny With An Eye and Donny Brown of Water 4 the Pool decided to join forces and bring theirRead more…
U2 – Songs of Innocence
I took the opportunity to visit myself fifteen years ago. Here’s a transcript of our chat. Old Jon: Hi younger Jon! I’m you from the future! Younger Jon: Wow, that’s incredible! What’s the future like? OJ: Things are different now.Read more…