Album Review: “Queen of the Wave,” Pepe Deluxé

Let me tell you – this album is bizarre.  REALLY bizarre.  it’s a pop-opera based on a crazy novel about Atlantis from the late 1800s, with a style that mixes up hundreds of musical sub-genres in each song.  Each individual element seems too far-fetched to enjoy, but when combined something wonderful and twisted is created.  Speaking of the combined pieces, Pepe Deluxé describe themselves as “an inter-continental orchestra,” but the two “conductors” of this orchestra are…

Read More...

New Black Mountain song – ‘The Hair Song’

As previously reported, the new Black Mountain album , “Wilderness Heart“, will be out on September 14 via Jagjaguwar, and if their first single “Old Fangs” just got you started, here’s yet another new song off the new record, titled “The Hair Song,” which suit your hard riff needs until the release date. [MP3] Black Mountain – The Hair Song

Read More...

[VIDEO] Tame Impala – ‘Solitude is Bliss’

This year’s psychedelic sensation, the Australian three piece psych-pop band Tame Impala, have apparently rose from virtually nowhere, impressing everybody with their druggie beats, busy drums, stoner riffs – a totally narcotic atmosphere, basically. The 2010 MGMT, if you will. I had no idea this band existed until a few weeks ago when I first started reading about them on blogs, but since then I’ve ferociously digested every leak and stream I could find on…

Read More...

Sugar Army: “The Parallels Amongst Ourselves”

Album name: The Parallels Amongst Ourselves Artist name: Sugar Army Genre: Rock Released: July 2009 Label: Shock ZME Rating: 5/10 Website: sugararmy.com/au In The Style Of… Mock The Week! SCENE: A RATHER BARE STUDIO. A CENTRAL DESK IS FLANKED BY TWO LARGE CURVED ONES. A LARGE VIDEO SCREEN IS EMBEDDED IN A SIDE WALL. DRAMATIS PERSONAE BRIAN O’HARA – Good-natured Irish host HANK E. FOIL – Caustic Glaswegian ne’er-do-well MUSCLED COWARD – Cheeky chappy Q….

Read More...

“I’d Like to Know”: A User’s Guide to Getting into the ‘Grass

For those of you who missed the story on Pitchfork yesterday because it was buried underneath a bunch of non-stories about bands like the Neckbeards, the Dirty Projectors, and Swamp Guzzle (I know only one of those bands is real), (very) British rockers Supergrass announced that they’re ending things after seventeen years. Considering how we’re more than a decade removed from John & Kate Averageamerican caring about ‘Britpop’ as it was, it’s not a huge…

Read More...

The Flaming Lips announce summer tour

Tons of fireworks, dead unicorns, super heroes, Canadian Mounties etc.  – you’re likely to find any of those at a Flaming Lips concert, where every town that guests it automatically becomes the international capitol of mind fuck for a whole night. This summer, Wayne Coyne will be leaving his extravagant lair to join the rest of the Flaming gang for a set of gigs around North America and Europe. Trust me, if you haven’t seen…

Read More...

Phantom Family Halo: “Monoliths & These Flowers Never Die”

Album name: Monoliths & These Flowers Never Die Artist name: Phantom Family Halo Genre: Rock Released: October 2009 Label: Crash Avenue ZME Rating: 5/10 Website: myspace.com/thephantomfamilyhalo Um. Phwwwr. Chhhhk. Ahem. It’s not that there are no words to describe the Phantom Family Halo’s recent offering: it’s just hard to string whatever words come to mind into a working sentence. Let us be quite clear: the Phantom Family Halo are a bit mad. Deliberately so, perhaps,…

Read More...

Muse live on Later with Jools Holland – ‘Uprising’ and ‘United States of Eurasia’

The new Muse album, “Resistance,” is out this week, and consequently expect to see the band all over TV and on tour (hopefully!). They’re latest appearance was on Jools Holland’s Later, where they played, accompanied by an orchestra, two feature tracks off the new record, “Uprising” and “United States of Eurasia.” Great show! Muse – Uprising Muse – United States of Eurasia

Read More...

New Arctic Monkeys video: ‘Crying Lightning’

Being both a huge Josh Homme and Arctic Monkeys fan, it’s impossible for me not to love this neo-psychedelia bomb. Adventurous and murky, “Crying Lightning” is a brilliant move forward by the monkeys. Oh, yes, this is gonna be a terribly interesting album – the third in the Arctic Monkeys catalog. Not too interesting of a video for Crying Lightning , though. Just the band, with increasing hair issues (somebody should tell Alex Turner the…

Read More...

Kasabian: ‘West Ryder Pauper Lunatic Asylum’

Album title: West Ryder Pauper Lunatic Asylum Artist name: Kasabian Genre: Rock/Psychedelia Released: 5 June 2009 Label: Columbia ZME Rating: 7/10 Website: kasabian.co.uk When one of rock’s popular young pretenders attempt a concept album inspired by LSD-infused 60s psychedelia in 2009, it is difficult to know whether to commend British exports Kasabian or rip them apart. Upon a first spin of West Ryder Pauper Lunatic Asylum, one thing is for sure – this is not…

Read More...