The Jesus Lizard Return With the Uncompromising ‘Rack’
Rack is another thrilling chapter from the Jesus Lizard, one of the most significant noise bands ever and whom many groups claim as a heavy influence.
noise rock
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Jawbox Discuss ‘For Your Own Special Sweetheart’ at 30
Jawbox’s major label debut is their most beloved album, a perfect marriage of songwriting and production that sounds as thrilling today as it did 30 years ago.
Steve Albini’s Black Swan Song: Shellac’s ‘To All Trains’
Shellac’s To All Trains is as compelling as anything they ever produced and a swan song. In Steve Albini’s case, the swan must surely be big, angry, and black.
Why Steve Albini Mattered So Much to Music
The death of artist and recording engineer Steve Albini leaves popular music bereft of one of its staunchest defenders against corporatized greed and conformity.
Melvins’ ‘Tarantula Heart’ Marks Their Strange Trip
Melvins are masters of their craft, still able to make songs that stand with their finest work precisely because they’re never trying to recapture that past.
Pissed Jeans Laugh at the Absurdity of Life on ‘Half Divorced’
On their first album in seven years, Allentown, PA’s Pissed Jeans return with a short, savage, scathing and often hilarious takedown of the modern world.
Rid of Me’s ‘Access to the Lonely’ Is More Than Hardcore
Rid of Me’s Access to the Lonely is one of the essential hardcore records of the past few months, but it cannot be contained by one genre.
‘Walls Have Ears’ Captures Sonic Youth’s Abrasive Adolescence
Drawn from recordings of UK shows in 1985, Walls Have Ears is a wild, unvarnished listen that gets back to the difficult, defiant essence of Sonic Youth.
‘In Utero (30th Anniversary Super Deluxe)’ Re-Canonizes Nirvana’s Best Album
Nirvana’s In Utero is both an acknowledgment of the deleterious impact of fame and a real-time endeavor to use that fame to beneficial ends.
Gold Dime Make a Torrent of Beautiful Noise on ‘No More Blue Skies’
Gold Dime’s No More Blue Skies can be loud, fast, and urgent but will also disarm you and create a deeply unsettling atmosphere. It’s well worth the wait.
Sprain Aim For a Masterpiece on ‘The Lamb As Effigy’
Sprain’s aim at a masterpiece finds an exhaustive, immersive, and ambitious work of post-rock, noise, and poetry that intellectuals will lust after.
Upper Wilds Ponder the Enormity of the Cosmos with ‘Jupiter’
Alt-rock trio Upper Wilds’ energy and enthusiasm are seemingly endless, and like the universe, they take great pains to explore and chronicle on Jupiter.