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07.02.05 by Widge @ 4:43 am  After I discovered UNKLE through their first album, Psyence Fiction, and realized I dug the living hell out of them, it was natural to go look for more of the same. DJ Shadow was where I stopped first, seeing as how he's half of UNKLE, and this album was no slouch. And not just because the man makes excellent use of samples from the movie Prince of Darkness. Check out "The Number Song" and see if you don't think it kicks ass. This "Deluxe Edition" comes with a second disc, filled with fourteen various alternate versions, remixes, unreleased tracks and live bits. A lot of reissues don't warrant a re-purchase, but in this case I'm saying go for it. This hit last month from Island Records. Categorized as: Headsup and Music
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06.17.05 by Doc @ 1:20 am  
Here in the HQ, we've been fans of Clutch for a long time. "A Shogun Named Marcus"-long. As a fan, it's never been much wonder that the band didn't hit it big or draw some sort of huge mainstream appeal. Neil Fallon's staccato growl and barking mad lyrical stylings were not the sort of thing that radio likes to hear. And despite the popular advance of acts like Korn, there's only so much chunky hard rock guitar that most people can stand. Add to this a stack of album releases that got essentially zero publicity in any of the major outlets, and you have the recipe for a true underground sensation, not an MTV favorite. When three years passed between Pure Rock Fury and last year's Blast Tyrant, I began to fear that the band was beginning the inexorable slide towards oblivion. Delays between releases, distraction by side projects, and ultimately, no more Clutch. It was all the more painful a suspicion for the level of sheer badassness that Blast Tyrant brought. It showed the band was, if anything, getting even better as time went on (though I still feel nothing has quite equalled their eponymous second album, a record that makes a mockery of the idea that all bands suffer a "sophomore slump"). Imagine my surprise to find out they were releasing yet another album, hot on the heels of Tyrant. I figured I was going to wait at least two years before another one, and if things went sour, that one would be a greatest hits collection and the last release. Categorized as: Music and Reviews
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06.10.05 by Widge @ 11:38 pm  Well, this is without a doubt my favorite product of the (obviously disturbed) mind of James Kochalka. Though he's most famous for his Sketchbook Diaries, where he logs his daily activities (such as trying to pick up a cat with chopsticks--my personal favorite), who knew that he was a rock star? Well, kinda. James Kochalka Superstar is sorta like what would happen if you took The Polyphonic Spree and They Might Be Giants, subtracted about sixty-three people from the total band-members you'd then have, then ran them through an industrial press. Afterwards, they'd decide to sing songs about their "dink" and a frog trying to catch airplanes with its tongue. Oh, and monkeys. Oh, and it comes with a bonus DVD as well. Jesus, I can't stop listening to this crazy shit. Send help. Please. Categorized as: Headsup and Music
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06.10.05 by Widge @ 3:53 am  The only thing better than an album is an album with bonus features. We're suckers for bonus features. And here, Columbia/Legacy will smack out on June 14th (June 20th in the UK, apparently) a new two-disc version of Janis Joplin's Pearl. You get the original ten tracks, including "Me and Bobby McGee" and "Get It While You Can," plus six bonus tracks. The second disc is the real bonus fun, though, with live tracks from Joplin's tour in Canada. In addition to the previously released and mind-destroying "Ball and Chain" and six other live bits (which I believe were on a previous not-quite-as-special release of the album), you get six additional unreleased live tracks. Ah, we love us some Janis. Nobody screeches holes in the sky like she does. Categorized as: Headsup and Music
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05.19.05 by Rob Levy @ 3:19 am 
Label: Revelation Records I know what you’re thinking "Not another dancy, art punk band! When will it stop?" Well it’s okay to be dubious, after all: the sound has been co-opted and catchphrased to death and overpackaged to unsuspecting hipsters to such a point that you just want to throw your hands up and be done with it all. Yes, there are hundreds of bands that sound like The Rapture these days and one should be on alert. The sound of thumpy percussion, searing guitars and bouncy keys has indeed been overused, overexposed and to a certain extent misrepresented. In the case of Temper Temper, though, one has pause for joy. On their self-titled new release this Milwaukee band capably combines the aesthetics of punk rock with the sleaziness of glam and the frenetic energy of angular art rock to create a sound that is deeper, louder and broader than many other bands within the genre. Throughout the album Temper Temper bully and assault you in the same way that PIL did on their first few records. They sneer, snarl and flail violently from track to track, leaving the listener lost in a swirling storm of crushing loudness and range. The opener "Trust Me" sounds like Gary Numan jamming with T-Rex. "Terror Tongue & Cheek" takes a Nine Inch Nails harmony and bends it with Devo-esque rapid-fire keyboards. "Trainwreck Flare," "Delicate Pimp" and "Sexy Little Cuts" all take the swagger of the Strokes, the power of Black Flag and intensity of The Rapture and stir it up with punchy vocals and grungier guitars. Although Temper Temper isn’t fooling anybody or doing anything new and different, they are a band that flat out likes to rock. They have all the raw ingredients needed to become a massive arena band. Where Temper Temper falls short lyrically is more than made up with their raw energy. TT’s edgy vocals and sheer loudness Order it from Amazon! (US)(UK)(CAN) Categorized as: Music and Reviews
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