When United Nations dropped their self-titled effort a couple of years back, it literally happened right out of the blue. Here was this bombshell, this vitriolic slab of emo-violence that turned out to be much more than it initially led on. I’ve been a Thursday fan for longer than I can remember, so when a …
The first time I saw Japandroids was during the summer of 2009. A hot sweaty night found me impatiently waiting for the Vancouver duo at the El Mocambo, a Toronto staple for independent music. Hot off the release of their debut full-length Post-Nothing, one of my favourite releases of the year, it is needless to …
On June 25th, 1959, Charles Starkweather was executed in Lincoln, Nebraska. At the age of 20, the young Starkweather had already murdered eleven people on a two-month spree with his girlfriend as they traveled across the United States of America. Without glamourizing the events surrounding the killing spree, it is safe to conclude that a …
2010 is shaping up to become a year of returns and satiation after long waits. Periphery just dropped their long-overdue self-titled effort and I recently got a chance to listen to another hotly anticipated release by Toronto’s premiere independent music institution. It’s been five years since indie stalwarts Broken Social Scene put out their self-titled …
All’s Quiet – Like Vultures Fuck it. This album is FUN. After the ambient calm of “The Division,” “Directionary” hits the listener in the face with its southern-fried hardcore. Picture Maylene and the Sons of Disaster or He Is Legend and you’ve got this, and the rest of the album, pretty well mapped out. Throw …
We all set about to discover ourselves. Upon inspection of our endless introspection, it is likely we all search. From the lowliest cells to the firing nodes in our brains, our entire being seeks a place where it can settle, comfortable and content. Everyone goes through phases. We experiment with drugs and alcohol, we adopt …
1. Discordance Axis – The Inalienable Dreamless Grindcore redefined. It’s difficult to get into Discordance Axis because it’s so brazenly intense yet subtle. The music itself is, yes, for the most part discordant, but its shifting and bassless dynamics create an atmosphere. Jon Chang’s high shrieks and low growls emit some of the most beautiful …
Ah, Top Ten lists. Will there ever be a more difficult process in the realm of criticizing music? 2009 has brought with it many achievements and many unexpected surprises in the world of organized sound. Picking out a top ten was tough, but this year might just be the best year of music this decade has experienced. I wholly look forward to enjoying every one of these releases for years to come. Let’s hope you do too!
Savannah, Georgians Kylesa are reissuing their awesome Static Tensions in a deluxe, wooden box with a lot of cool extras on 20-Buck Spin. From the website: “The Kylesa Wooden Box Set is imminent. We will most likely begin taking orders on them sometime next week. More news will follow before that time. Until then here’s …
Eighty-seven years ago, German director F.W. Murnau unleashed the most horrifically realistic vampire film of all time: Nosferatu. Taking its cues from Bram Stoker‘s Dracula (ripping it off is probably the best term), the film’s menacing antagonist “Count Orlock” burned its image into the minds of impressionable kids and provided the moniker to one of …