Month: November 2011
Top 5: Mr. Gnome
It’s hard to believe this album is the product of a duo rather than a full band, but having seen them live, I can testify that Cleveland-based singer/guitarist Nicole Barille and drummer/pianist Sam Meister are the only two musicians behind mr. Gnome—and with a box of pedals and a heap of talent, they’ve figured out how to execute their layered chaos on the road … read more
Top 5: The No-Nation Orchestra
The No-Nation Orchestra originally began as a solo project for Stephen Chai, demoing songs in his bedroom and copiously rewriting lyrics until finally (after several years) the work was ready to be introduced to friends Josh Dickson, Weston Wulle and Mike Sasich. The core members of No-Nation formed, and the four began spending time in Sasich’s recording studio polishing their own version of an afrobeat sound. The end result is The No-Nation Orchestra’s More More More EP. … read more
Top 5: PJ Harvey
I spent weeks buried behind my headphones listening to Harvey’s every word within the horrifyingly beautiful socio-political battle she created. When I came up for air, I had two words to describe this piece of work: bloody brilliant. Studying the anti-war poems of Harold Pinter and dedicating two years perfecting her writing of the lyrics, she paints disturbingly vivid images of conflict, war, death and grief over a backdrop of buoyant folk-pop melodies. … read more
Top 5: Satan’s Host
After twenty-four years away from the group, original vocalist Leviathan Thisiren (aka Harry Conklin of Jag Panzer) rejoined Satan’s Host in 2010, which spawned an album filled with the best evil and nasty heavy-metal ferocity released this year. The combination of black/thrash/death metal with a classic heavy metal-styled vocalist pushed Satan’s Host out of the realm of mediocrity and into the realm of pure awesome evil metal. … read more
Top 5: Spindrift
When Spindrift played Urban in November 2010, they opted to play a set of songs off of their then-unreleased album, Classic Soundtracks Vol. 1. The songs seemed moodier and spookier than their earlier work, but just as sexy. When the albums was released, my initial impressions of what I had heard were confirmed. Spindrift’s Classic Soundtracks unfolds much like the name suggests it would—a soundtrack to some long-forgotten, dusty spaghetti western. … read more
Top 5: Wugazi
I hate mash-ups. I hate DJs. I hate dance music in general and the culture that surrounds it. However, I love Fugazi and I love the Wu-Tang Clan. Wugazi was made specifically for people just like me. … read more
Top 5: Yuck
You’d be hard-pressed to find a review of Yuck’s self-titled debut in which the reviewer doesn’t mention the band’s admiration for ’90s indie rock. Fine. I just did it. But dwelling on Yuck’s meticulous sound doesn’t fully explain why this record was so beloved this year. After all, it’s not like they are the only ones who’ve been copping Dinosaur, Jr’s sound lately. … read more
Suedehead: The Rhythm and The Groove
Formed just over a year ago, Southern California’s soul-pop pushers Suedehead are all about positivity … and dancing. “Our only real goal is to be productive and try and play good music,” says vocalist/guitarist Davey Warsop. “That’s what gets us off. That’s what matters.” If the band’s first three vinyl EPs—released on their own International Soul Rebel Society imprint—are any indication, they are certainly living up to Warsop’s stated goal. … read more
Black Unicorn Confidential: An Interview with Voltaire
One of the most beloved artists in the goth scene over the last two decades has been the unusual, Cuban-born Voltaire. With his first club hit, “When You’re Evil,” from 1998’s The Devil’s Bris, goths got something they desperately needed: an artist with a sense of humor. Voltaire’s wickedly biting humor conveyed something that few artists had managed at the time: He was comfortable enough with his goth cred that he could make fun of it. … read more
Game Grid: Utah’s Arcade Exclusive
Upon walking into Game Grid Arcade’s tight phalanx of flickering arcade screens, I felt like I had stepped into the past. Somewhere between the background music and “Game Over” screens, there was a nostalgic reminder of a time when the arcade was still in vogue. “To me, arcades provide a different sort of tactile experience, a physical experience,” says Adam Pratt, who opened the doors to Game Grid in 2008. “In an arcade, you almost feel like you’re sitting in a racing machine of some kind. Or a tank.” … read more