Review: A 12" split meeting of the minds between two equally iconic alt rock punk-lifers, this EP brings together Gainesville, Florida's Hot Water Music and New York City's Quicksand (brainchild of Gorilla Biscuits hardcore hero and Rival Schools emo-grunge auteur Walter Schreifels), covering each other's classic tracks with renditions of 'Fazer' from the Quicksand 1993 debut LP Slip and 'Free Radio Gainesville' off of Hot Water Music's 1999 third full-length No Division. Filling out the tracklist are the unreleased 'Supercollider' which marks the first new cut of Quicksand material since 2021's Distant Populations, and the b-side 'Undertow', originally recorded during sessions from Hot Water Music's latest 2024 LP Vows. With simple cover art featuring Hot Water Music's Chuck Ragan on one side, and Quicksand's Alan Cage on the other, it perfectly summarises this playful, mutual celebration of one another's work, some new, some old, all great.
Review: Q Lazzarus was always going to be a good fit for the cult synth and cold wave crew, Dark Entries, and so it proves here with this overdue debut. Diane Luckey was born in 1960 in New Jersey and created her iconic moniker while living in NYC's East Village. Her breakout moment came after meeting director Jonathan Demme during a 1986 snowstorm; he was captivated by her demo playing in her taxi. Their encounter led to the unforgettable inclusion of 'Goodbye Horses' in Silence of the Lambs. Despite its cult status, Luckey and collaborator William Garvey remained largely overlooked but surely that will change now as they offer up five unreleased tracks that have been newly mixed from original master tapes.
Review: QUAL is the solo project of William Maybelline from Lebanon Hanover, and one known for its "meaner, darker, and nastier" persona. The name qual means pain in German and since the 2015 debut Sable, the moniker has delved into dark, minimal synth, old-school EBM, and industrial electronics using analogue equipment. Following the 2021 LP Tenebris in Lux and the 2022 remix album Re-Animate, he now returns with Techsick featuring three new tracks and a Sarin remix. Highlights include the metal-influenced 'Dancing in Hell,' the familiar minimalist 'Techsick,' and the dual-sided 'Funeral Fashion,' blending classic EBM with a techno remix. The first 12" vinyl edition is limited to 500 copies so move fast.
Review: This posthumous release offers a fascinating glimpse into the life and music of an enigmatic artist whose haunting voice and unique sound impressed listeners in the late 80s and early 90s. The collection brings together a treasure trove of previously unreleased tracks recorded between 1985 and 1995, showcasing the artist's diverse range that spans new wave, synth-pop and even house music. Each song is infused with her distinctive, smoky vocals, delivering a powerful emotional punch whether it's a haunting ballad or a danceable groove. The album demonstrates the artist's ability to transcend genres, with some tracks offering an updated, new-wave twist on her most iconic hit, while others dive into experimental soundscapes that reflect her creative depth. The compilation is a poignant reminder of her brief but impactful career, as well as the mystery that surrounded her life after her rise to fame. Accompanying the release is a documentary that delves into the artist's journeyifrom her early days as a taxi driver to her rise to cult status, followed by her disappearance from the music scene. This music, long hidden away, offers a powerful reflection on a life marked by both brilliance and tragedy, providing fans and newcomers alike with a chance to experience the full breadth of her artistic legacy. This version is available on 'summertime' green vinyl.
How To Handle A Rope (A Lesson In The Lariat) (3:33)
Mexicola (4:55)
Hispanic Impressions (2:47)
You Can't Quit Me Baby (6:35)
These Aren't The Droids You're Looking For (3:07)
Give The Mule What He Wants (3:12)
Spiders & Vinegaroons (6:23)
I Was A Teenage Hand Model (4:59)
Review: The band's self-titled debut in 1998 showcased Josh Homme's evolving sound, marrying stoner-rock roots with melodic hooks and quirky guitar work. Tracks like 'Regular John' and 'Avon' demonstrate Homme's emergence as a distinct vocalist, while bonus tracks like 'The Bronze' and 'Spiders and Vinegaroons' seamlessly integrate into the album's sequence, enhancing the overall listening experience. This remastered reissue provides a more accurate reflection of Queens of the Stone Age's evolution from their Desert Sessions experiments to their later best-selling albums. While their debut may not have foretold their platinum future, it remains a vital document of the band's early sound and a testament to their enduring influence on the rock landscape.
Review: Queens of the Stone Age frontman Joshua Homme has had some tough time sin the run up to this one - his private life has made it to the music press pages and he has had tough custodial battles with ex-wives, as well as his own cancer diagnosis and losing some people close to him, including former Queens man Mark Lanegan. All that is channeled into this record which is unforgiving and at times surprisingly edgy place to be. Even in the sonically softer moments, for example 'Straight Jacket Fitting', there's a brooding moodiness recalling the heyday of unplugged grunge.
Review: It's been a rough old ride leading up to In Times New Roman for Queens of the Stone Age frontman Joshua Homme. Private life very much splashed across the front pages (of the music press, at least) amid custodial battles with ex-wives, cancer diagnoses and surgery, the loss of several close friends, including former Queens and latterly solo legend Mark Lanegan. As such we can understand why this latest album is an unforgiving and at times surprisingly edgy place to be.
It's been a while since the Seattle, Washington hard rockers allowed themselves to go this hard, and reveal so much about themselves. For the most part, In Times is their heaviest sounding outing in more than 15 years, essentially since Era Vulgaris dropped. Even in the sonically softer moments, for example 'Straight Jacket Fitting', there's a brooding moodiness recalling the heyday of unplugged grunge. Simply put, they clearly had a lot that needed to be let out, and that's exactly what they've done.
Review: If anybody thought QOTSA's previous offering '...Like Clockwork' indicated a band trying out new ideas, they're making far greater leaps this time around. Die-hard fans might be a little confused by the enlistment of Mark Ronson as the album's producer, perhaps even more so by the strong influence on Josh Homme of Ronson's ubiquitous 2014 hit 'Uptown Funk'. The outcome of this surprising collaboration proves to be a heady blend of the band's usual desert-rock sleaze and a crisp, infectious and floor-filling sound. This is an album to move to, and this new direction of dancefloor focus makes the blistering fuzzbox riffs and contortion-inducing solos sound even more cool and confident than ever.
Review: If anybody thought QOTSA's previous offering '...Like Clockwork' indicated a band trying out new ideas, they're making far greater leaps this time around. Die-hard fans might be a little confused by the enlistment of Mark Ronson as the album's producer, perhaps even more so by the strong influence on Josh Homme of Ronson's ubiquitous 2014 hit 'Uptown Funk'. The outcome of this surprising collaboration proves to be a heady blend of the band's usual desert-rock sleaze and a crisp, infectious and floor-filling sound. This is an album to move to, and this new direction of dancefloor focus makes the blistering fuzzbox riffs and contortion-inducing solos sound even more cool and confident than ever.
Review: Portland, Oregon's Graham Jonson urges our hurries once more with Heard That Noise, an anemological study in ascendant post-rock and psych. Jonson crafts intimate, zigzagging and west windy songs, ploughing the grey, sludgy boundaries of folk, pop, and noise. Following a subtle tangent from SoundCloud renown to 2021's The Long and Short Of It, he now follows that record up through a desultory reflection on breakups, memory, and creative rediscovery; Phil Elverum, Dijon and Nick Drake glance through the sonic cloud cover as ancestral muses, while the record blends warmth and discordance, where sweet ballads unravel into distortion; serene moments jolted by sonic "jump scares."
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