The sprawling two-disc set from this long-running noise/experimental hip-hop project is clearly drawn from sounds that Mike Schleipfer has been collecting since the last Bill Picket’s release. Not really comparable to any other music, except for maybe the output of the Revolting Cocks and Warlock Pinchers gone even more zany,…
One of the most influential bands of the past thirty years, the Melvins are well known for their sludgy punk-rock sound, which formed the arc of records like Houdini and Stoner Witch in the ’90s. With nineteen full-length albums, numerous collaborations — including a record with Lustmord — and a…
George Lewis Jr. grew up in Florida but moved to Boston before forming his punk-funk cabaret outfit Mad Man Films. That band split after releasing two albums, and Lewis moved to Brooklyn, where he started writing songs on his own under the name Twin Shadow. The project’s debut album, 2010’s…
Chris McGarry grew up near the banks of the upper Mississippi; it was in this environment that his parents first exposed him to classic country and gospel music. But like many people who grew up in the ’90s in middle America, he got into Nirvana and then dabbled in jam…
Why? was one of the flagship bands of the nascent Anticon imprint ten years ago. Like its labelmates, the outfit was expanding and pushing the boundaries of what hip-hop was and where it could go. But Why? in particular has blurred the line between hip-hop and experimental pop music in…
HANK 3 @ BOULDER THEATER | 9/04/12 Hank 3 outlasted most of his audience last night at the Boulder Theater. Exceeding even the expectations he himself set, he played more than the three and a half hours he said he’s playing on this tour. By the time he launched into…
See also: Hank 3 at Boulder Theatre, 9/4/12 Hank 3 has one of the most unimpeachable country music pedigrees of anyone alive: His grandfather is the late Hank Williams Sr., one of the pioneers of both country and rock and roll, and his farther is Hank Williams Jr. To his…
SUMMERGRIND FESTIVAL @ GOTHIC THEATRE | 9/1/12 The final performance on the outdoor stage was moved inside the Gothic Theatre — presumably due to volume complaints — which pushed the night’s lineup back an hour, but this did nothing to dampen the enthusiasm for Leftöver Crack. Early in the set,…
THE DONT’S AND BE CAREFULS @ HI-DIVE | 8/31/12 The Don’ts and Be Carefuls have never been ones to skimp on their emotional generosity on stage. So in that regard, this final performance was not that much different from the band’s already high standard. But it was just a notch…
Dwarves are one of the most notorious punk bands of all time. In a time when punk rock has become a kind of brand rather than an authentic lifestyle, Dwarves are always dependable to show what the real thing looks, feels and sounds like. With a reputation for dangerously raucous…
IAMTHESHOTGUN formed in 2007 when guitarist Bryan Pelle met Kareem Hendricks through an ad for bandmates. The two bonded over a mutual love of the melodic death-metal band Dead to Fall, and subsequently struck up a musical partnership that has endured numerous lineup changes. The band didn’t have a bassist…
One of the great charms of Matt Sage’s musical output is that he has a real gift for seeking out, exposing and transforming his personal frustrations into song. On “Properties,” part of this new release from Sage project Kick Majestic, it feels like he is defiantly crying out for respite…
This EP isn’t a collection of murder ballads so much as one of tales of misfortune collected from grandparents who grew up during and after the Great Depression in the West. “Brother Ely” is the tale of a pious figure who comes to town, doomed to sing his praise to…
Starting out in Chicago as the Suburban Nightmare, the Dwarves quickly ditched their early hardcore sound for something less narrow. The band subsequently cultivated a perverse sense of humor and a stage show worthy of GG Allin, and the members played out under such pseudonyms as HeWhoCannotBeNamed and Blag Dalia…
Named after a legendary school for pickpockets, School of Seven Bells came together when Benjamin Curtis met the Deheza twins, Alejandra and Claudia, of On!Air!Library!, while his old band, Secret Machines, was on tour opening for Interpol in 2007. The trio struck up a friendship and musical partnership, which has…
Talk All Night (due at Glob on Saturday, September 1) changed its name from the Clever Deadly, but the band’s members stuck with developing their core sound, which is focused on weaving together threads of electro/dream pop, downtempo, glitch and the kind of moody, atmospheric post-punk that some might call…
See also: King Tuff at Moe’s Original BBQ, 8/28/12 King Tuff is the latest project of Kyle Thomas, who has been seen in the psych-folk band Feathers, the garage-punk outfit Happy Birthday, and the doom band Witch, with J. Mascis. With King Tuff, Thomas has written a pretty diverse array…
See also: Purity Ring at Larimer Lounge, 8/29 Purity Ring came together when Megan James and Corin Roddick started writing electronic songs together after having served as touring members of experimental pop band Born Gold. Rather than rushing to put out material, this duo has spent the last couple of…
See also: – Profile: The Knew never really set out to find success – The Knew (CD release) at the Lion’s Lair, 8/24-8/25 – The Knew at Wax Trax with the Outfit, 8/24 The Knew has been kicking around Denver for roughly eight years, having played its first show on…
REFUSED @ OGDEN THEATRE | 8.22.12 From the very beginning, we knew we were in for something special when we saw the name of the band spelled out in giant, translucent white letters as members of the band were taking stage. Before the curtain dropped, a low ambient swell coursed…
The Blue Rider, which formed nearly a year ago, was initially the brainchild of Mark Shusterman, Rett Rogers and Scott Beck before they brought in Alex Eschen to add his guitar wizardry to the mix. Shusterman is probably best known for his tenure in Constellations and Widowers. With the Blue…
Was this album recorded in a hidden corridor beneath a subway somewhere? Probably not, but that’s the vibe on these songs. Like excerpts from a bootleg of a private crime-jazz/noise show for Mustapha Mond, “Alucard of Seven Suns” sounds like it very well could have come about from a secret…
