Author: Bill Adams
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Single Mothers – Negative Qualities
It might sound weird to those who don’t know the band (yet) but, with their debut full-length album Negative Qualities, Single Mothers have proven they’re THE SINGLE GREATEST NEW HOPE for hardcore punk. Over the last few years, the rise of bands like Fucked Up and Trash Talk coupled with the decline of groups including…
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David Bowie – Sue (Or in a Season of Crime) / ‘Tis A Pity She Was A Whore 10″ single
The arc that David Bowie‘s career has appeared to take over the last forty-seven years has been a truly unique one, when you think about it. It could be hypothesized that being a Bowie fan is very, very similar in nature to being a heroin addict: the first hit you took was good – so…
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The Flaming Lips – With A Little Help From My Fwends
The problem with trying to critically review anything from The Beatles’ songbook is that many potential listeners are going to flay it apart as they listen very closely for flaws – any flaw at all. A lot of that has to do with The Beatles’ standing in pop culture and musical reputation; their songbook is…
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Tinkerbelles – Fine Asses EP
It has been a very, very long time since a new record forced my mind to expand so quickly that it made my eyes blur, but that’s exactly what Tinkerbelles‘ debut 7-inch – the Fine Asses EP – did to me. The first time I put it on and stylus touched vinyl, the record just…
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Electric Würms – Musik, die Schwer zu Twerk
After a certain point in a band’s career, it must get difficult to summon the excitement of making music the same way they always have. Think about it – after a while, it must get hard to feel as though you’re pushing the creative envelope while also trying to appease your fan-base and not alienate…
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Smashing Pumpkins – Adore (vinyl reissue)
The moment I laid eyes on the copy of the vinyl reissue of Adore which arrived on my doorstep, I stopped what I was doing and took a moment to absorb and enjoy the image on the cover. It is very captivating; while the original image which introduced Adore to fans in 1998 was a…
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Nick Oliveri goes it alone. With help.
In music, as is the case in life, sometimes it’s important to strike out on your own – if only to see what you’re capable of. The uncertainty of such a daring break away from the known and the safety associated with it makes the rewards that much sweeter when they come; not for nothing…
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Die Mannequin – Neon Zero
It’s been five years now since Die Mannequin smashed listeners over the head with their debut full-length album, Fino + Bleed, but one look at what’s gone down in that time proves that it was a long damned five years. In that time, singer Care Failure became Joe Dick II (sort of) in Hard Core…
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Coheed and Cambria – In Keeping Secrets of Silent Earth: 3
Sometimes there’s just no question or doubt that, when it was originally made, an album wasn’t intended to appear on a particular format. A perfect example can be found in the vinyl reissue of Coheed and Cambria‘s sophomore album, In Keeping Secrets of Silent Earth: 3. While the sound is great, even the most devoted fans…
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Hunters – Hands on Fire
From the very first time I heard Hunters‘ debut full length album, I was in love. The grainy, gritty street-punk-meets-grunge mixture produced by the band touched every single pleasure center in my brain. Derek Watson’s guitar growled just the right way and Izzy Almeida’s vocals smoothed the hardened, angry burrs in my mind with a…