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"Ringleader of the Tormentors" by Morrissey

"Ringleader of the Tormentors" by Morrissey

When you consider that it took Morrissey seven years to make You Are The Quarry, his much praised comeback after 1997's widely panned Maladjusted, it's quite a surprise that the Mozzer has decided to make such a quick follow-up. What's even more astonishing is all the changes that have come about so... [More]

Written By: Kyle England
"Zboneman On Top of the Scene" by 38 Special In Concert

"Zboneman On Top of the Scene" by 38 Special In Concert

My friend once scored with a 38 year-old MILF. Right after this happened we all started calling her by the nickname 38 Special and started listening to the band for smart-ass ironic reasons. But for some reason the southern rock tunes just stayed with us through the years. This leaves at the point I... [More]

Written By: Tyson Cantrell
"Black Magic Show" by Elefant

"Black Magic Show" by Elefant

Elefant's Black Magic Show may either be blessed or cursed. It will be blessed if enough people realize that their 2003 Release Sunlight Makes Me Paranoid came along a year before the flood of bands who fell into the general Gang-of-Four/Cure/Joy Division retro-ranks. And thus instead of being perci... [More]

Written By: The Boneman
"Young For Eternity" by The Subways

"Young For Eternity" by The Subways

It's a funny thing about the Subways, the first time I heard them I was driving around Vegas, just sort of listening to them out of the corner of my ear, and I remember thinking they were a fun but pretty uninspired garage act - maybe a poor man's Hives or White Stripes. All the same it made for goo... [More]

Written By: The Boneman
"A Blessing and a Curse" by Drive-By Truckers

"A Blessing and a Curse" by Drive-By Truckers

Southern-Rock Gods Drive-By Truckers new album A Blessing and A Curse couldn't be more aptly titled. Considering that a new album from Hood and company is obviously a blessing, but also a curse, since trying to make a follow-up to their 2004 masterwork The Dirty South (#1 that year on my list) would... [More]

Written By: Kyle England
"Magnificent City" by Aceyalone

"Magnificent City" by Aceyalone

On paper, Magnificent City should have been a knockout. Freestyle Fellowship member Aceyalone collaborating with top-notch beat maker RJD2 over an entire full-length album? This had the all the promise of an instant Hip-Hop classic in the vein of super pairings like Madvillain or Dangerdoom.... [More]

Written By: Kyle England
"Cantrell Loose in Luciferland" by Alkaline Steve-O

"Cantrell Loose in Luciferland" by Alkaline Steve-O

Well first off the trip started out late since we were waiting for a certain bro to get to my house. I didn't even want to go, but there was this extra ticket so I did, thinking it might be eventful, and oh, little did I know what would be in store. We arrived in Satanville with cloudy brains and a... [More]

Written By: Tyson Cantrell
"Death By Sexy" by Eagles of Death Metal

"Death By Sexy" by Eagles of Death Metal

The chief reason that I loved Eagles of Death Metal 2004 debut album Peace Love & Death Metal so much is that they didn't take an ounce of themselves seriously. Singer Jesse "The Devil" Hughes and drummer Josh Homme (more famous for his singing and guitar work with Desert Sessions and Queens of the... [More]

Written By: Kyle England
"Show Your Bones" by Yeah Yeah Yeahs

"Show Your Bones" by Yeah Yeah Yeahs

One of the more hotly anticipated Alternative-Rock records of 2006, the Yeah Yeah Yeah's sophomore full-length Show Your Bones doesn't disappoint, unless you're the kind of person that was hoping to get Fever To Tell all over again. Even before this album came out though, you couldn't ignore the sig... [More]

Written By: Kyle England
"Bring It Back" by Mates Of State

"Bring It Back" by Mates Of State

To me, Mates of State have always been one of those bands that are instantly likeable, but have never been all that essential. That is until the release of this brand new record. Bring It Back finds husband and wife duo (yes, they are really husband and wife) Jason Hammel (drums, vox) and Kori Gard... [More]

Written By: Kyle England
"An Army of Shapes Between Wars" by Action Action

"An Army of Shapes Between Wars" by Action Action

Holy shit folks it's dance fever sweeping the country? Once again the eccentric Marc Kluepfel and his Action Action ensemble return to remake the 80's with even more obnoxious sounding synth slams and more nasal crooning than ever before. But where there was a harsh blast of grainy shit on Don't Cut... [More]

Written By: Tyson Cantrell
"The Fast Rise and Fall of the South" by Kingsbury Manx

"The Fast Rise and Fall of the South" by Kingsbury Manx

Kingsbury Manx are aliens having taken up human form in North Carolina, close but far enough away from Langley so as not to arouse suspicion. Their decision to pose as a rock band may prove to be their undoing as an intergalactic menace, but overall their failure is our good fortune. Posing as a roc... [More]

Written By: The Boneman
"Born Again In The U.S.A." by Loose Fur

"Born Again In The U.S.A." by Loose Fur

It's amazing that with Wilco's tour schedule and release of their recent double live album that Jeff Tweedy, drummer Glenn Kotche and producer/honorary member Jim O'Rourke had any free time whatsoever to pay a visit to their Loose Fur side project. Released back in 2003, the first Loose Fur affair w... [More]

Written By: Kyle England
"Supernature" by Goldfrapp

"Supernature" by Goldfrapp

When Alison Goldfrapp and Will Gregory started out in 2000 with their debut Felt Mountain, it was a stellar record even though the duo came into the Portishead, Tricky and Black Box Recorder world of trip-hop a little too late. Fast forward to 2003 and their follow-up Black Cherry was as far a depar... [More]

Written By: Kyle England
"Youth" by Matisyahu

"Youth" by Matisyahu

Former Phishead/druggie high school dropout Mathew Miller admits himself into a hippie-ish drug treatment center, gets clean, undergoes a conversion to Hasidic Judaism and changes his name to Matisyahu. If that weren't likely enough, Matisyahu is now burning up the pop charts with his religious bran... [More]

Written By: Kyle England