Lee’s Obligatory Best-Of-2015-So-Far List
Yeah, I’d say 2015 has been a good year so far – learned how to code, pissed off a bunch of vapers on Twitter, landed a staff position on Drowned in Sound, helped produce another magazine, and bonded with friends a whole bunch. I get in a funk from time to time – a long […]
Refused – Freedom (Epitaph)
Whatever [Joseph] Conrad’s problems were, you might say he is now safely dead. Quite true. Unfortunately his heart of darkness plagues us still. Which is why an offensive and deplorable book can be described by a serious scholar as “among the half dozen greatest short novels in the English language.” And why it is today […]
Spray Paint – Punters on a Barge (Homeless)
So. Wanna feel the ground squirm under your feet like a thousand worms? Wanna feel your mind melt ever so slowly into tie-dye colored goop? Wanna feel NOTHING? Punters On A Barge by Spray Paint GOD FUCK. Think the sheer metal alien attack of Chrome, fused with steamrolling kraut beats, and Flipper’s absolute denial of […]
Girlpool – Before The World Was Big (Wichita Recordings)
How is a girl supposed to “mature”, anyway? Or, for that matter, how does a band “mature” after rocketing to fame with a tape about sex and female desire? Girlpool did that rare thing that not all bands do (*coughJoannaGruesomecough*) – they figured out what the press wanted them to be, and thus became something […]
Frog – Kind of Blah (Audio Antihero)
Oh, god. Help me, words. Help me convey what a blessing Frog is. The moment the guitars trickle in on “All Dogs to Heaven”, I am transported. The warm twang that rings throughout the LP sounds woody, tangible, distinctly not modern. I think about “Ventura Highway”, and I try to remember when that sandy southwestern […]
SOTD #697 – Public Likes Pills
OH HI THERE. What have I been up to lately, you ask? Oh, nothing, really. No, I’m not hiding a knife behind my back. And no, I swear, I haven’t been cheating on you. Honest. In fact, I can assure you that I’ve never wanted to fuck anyone. No need to. Haven’t you read Ballard? […]
Viet Cong – Viet Cong (Jagjaguwar)
I am nothing. I’ve figured that out lately. See, I used to wear colors, but now I wake up in the morning and I think, “fuck, I don’t deserve that shit.” Black it is, then. Friends? Ha. Don’t make me laugh. I mean, yeah, my roommate and I get along. Most of the time. But […]
Jimmy Whispers – Summer In Pain (Moniker)
I’m not out to shoot down folks that wanna sing with their synths. It’s not in me to be cruel. I have to imagine Jimmy. Would he sit in the corner of the club after his gigs, afraid to talk to anyone lest his tongue locks up at the worst time? Is he a chatty […]
Bouquet – In A Dream EP (Ulrike / Folktale)
I’ve been bitter lately. It comes and goes, like the ghost limp that jumps between legs. There is this weight in the air, a nagging fear that’s set in with the humid breath left by the rains. In two months, I may not be here. I may be. But if I go, I’ll leave the […]
Father John Misty – “I Love You, Honeybear”: A Line-By-Line Analysis
Morning, everyone. So last week, we touched on poetry in songwriting. Well, before we dive into that discussion, I thought we’d have a little fun and analyze a modern example. How many of you have heard I Love You, Honeybear by Father John Misty? You guys are giggling – I assume you guys talked about […]
