always listening
Last week I wrote about Swervedriver’s new single “Deep Wound.” I should’ve known SIANspheric wouldn’t be far behind with a 7″ of their own in “The Owl”. (SIANspheric and Swervedriver frontman Adam Franklin shared a double-EP compilation back in 2003).Read more…
It’s pretty common practice for a band to release a covers record. But a record of knock-offs? Amon Amarth included “Under the Influence” as a bonus disc to their album “Deceiver of the Gods.” It was intended as an homageRead more…
Over the weekend I did a surprising amount crate digging. I had a little break from the city and spent a couple of days checking out some small towns in south western Ontario. I had no intention of looking forRead more…
If you’ve been checking my posts on Plastic and Wax you’d be forgiven for thinking I only listen to hip hop. Another favorite sound of mine I going to describe as downtempo electronic folk. I listen to quite a fewRead more…
Remember when ska was popular again in the 90’s for about three months? It seemed like you couldn’t swing a dead fish without smacking into a ska cover of some popular song. A couple come to mind: Reel Big Fish’sRead more…
You’ve got to admire Bit Brigade’s painstaking attention to detail. With “Ninja Band,” they’ve recorded note-for-note covers of the soundtracks from the NES Ninja Gaiden games. Tecmo’s series of side-scrollers were notorious for two things: their brutal difficulty and theirRead more…
The Guelph Oracle Noah 23 is back with a new album titled Light Years. It was released July 23rd and is a collaboration with producer David Klopek. Noah describes this album as abstract throwback boom bap. After two excellent albumsRead more…
I spend a lot of time browsing record stores. While the majority of the human population has turned to buying/streaming/stealing their music digitally, there are still those who prefer to buy their music on vinyl. I am not part ofRead more…
My introduction to chiptune-powered outfit Anamanaguchi came many years ago when the gamer-centric (and immensely influential) website Penny-Arcade linked to their “Power Supply” EP. I was immediately hooked by this band creating original music using what sounded like an oldRead more…
The last release of new material from psych/shoegaze band Swervedriver was all the way back in 1998 with “99th Dream”. A decade and a half later they’ve resurfaced with a new single in “Deep Wound”. Though it hasn’t been completelyRead more…