July 12, 2006 by George Koroneos
Andrew Bell, the mastermind behind Creatures Inside My Head, released his long-awaited Zliks on an unsuspecting world last night at 1am, East Coast time. Subscribers to Bell’s Dead Meat newsletter were offered first dibs at six sets of Zliks (three large editions and three small editions). According to Bell, “After over two years of production (!!) my ZLIKS vinyl figures are finally here! The boat has landed in sunny California and they should be offloaded and en route to WheatyWheat’s warehouse very shortly.” Read the rest of this entry »
July 12, 2006 by George Koroneos
Rise Against
“The Sufferer and the Witness”
Geffen
Rise Against carry the torch of melodic hardcore that almost expired in 1999 with the advent of cookie-cutter emo crap. They have the passion of Ignite, the styling of Thursday and kick as much ass as Quicksand. Rise Against are what hardcore should be, and it’s wonderful that they are finally receiving some commercial success.
Much like their adrenaline-fueled last effort, “Siren Songs of the Counter Culture,” this record builds steam like a locomotive, blowing its load on some crazy sing-along choruses. “And if strength is born from heartbreak/ Many mountains I could move,” singer Tim Mcllrath cries out on “Drones.” Sure, the lyrics sound like a sob fest, but the music is balls to the wall punk rock, teeming with breakdowns and cascading guitars. Read the rest of this entry »
July 10, 2006 by George Koroneos
The Forecast
“In the Shadows of Two Gunmen”
Victory
The Forecast play emo rock that is uptempo enough to not be boring, but there’s nothing really new here either. “West Coast” features a great exchange between the female and male singers, backed with some cool choir singing, and “And We All Return to Our Roots” is catchy enough to be a Weston cover, but most of the tunes become stale after a bit.
Musically, the band is on point. They rocks enough to not be total pussies, but the vocal range of singer Dustin Addis sounds like it’s stuck in a motion city soundtrack. Seriously, co-singer Shannon Burns is the best thing on this record, and here’s hoping that she gets sick of these losers and starts her own punk band.
Doesn’t Rock l Kinda Rocks l Rocks l Really Rocks
July 10, 2006 by George Koroneos
Best known for his outrageous photography, Adam Wallacavage has jumped off the deep end and invited art lovers into his undersea world of massive sea creatures. The artist has created a series of stunning chandeliers modeled after octopi and suspended high above the Jonathan LeVine Gallery. Each piece is masterfully designed and completely different from one another. On display until July 22, Wallacavage’s Il Lume Della Piovra is not to be missed. He’ll also be signing copies of his book “Monster Size Monsters” from 3 to 6pm that evening. Life In A Bungalo got a quick interview with the man a few weeks into the show. Read the rest of this entry »
July 9, 2006 by George Koroneos
Tara McPherson brought down the house July 6, at the New York Kid Robot location. Hundreds of rabid fans turned the store into a madhouse, tackling employees for the signed/limited prints adorning the walls. People were calling out any piece of work. If it was sold, they just grabbed the one next to it. Everything from original comic art to vintage Tara concert posters were up for grabs at prices ranging from $25 to $500 and up for original art. The highlight of the collection was a masterfully rendered 20″ Dunny that welcomed fans into the store. Read the rest of this entry »
July 7, 2006 by George Koroneos
“Forever Free”
A Sublime Tribute Record
Baseline Music
Whether or not you want to argue the the band’s merits or their place in the punk canon, Sublime left an impression on almost everyone who heard their songs on MTV or saw the band stumble through a performance during their short career.
Baseline has taken it upon itself to cull together a reasonable tribute album featuring largely unknown bands and a spattering of punks from yesteryear. Most of the bands do a good job covering the tunes while spinning their own style into the tunes. Never Heard of It does a solid job with “Same in the End,” while If All Else Fails does a pretty good punked up version of “Wrong Way.” Guttermouth murder April 29, 1992 with Mark’s horrible B-52s impression. Some bands just need to call it quits. They haven’t been cool since “Musical Monkey.” Read the rest of this entry »
July 6, 2006 by George Koroneos
Custom toy designer Wavedog will be featured at the ArtlsZen art show in August. Combining an almost Aztec and tribal style of painting, Wavedog has taken Munnys and Dunnys and just reworked the hell out of them. Handmade head pieces finish off these stunning works of art. Click on the photo for more details and location.
July 3, 2006 by George Koroneos
“I Hate Myself and Want to Die”
Tom Reynolds
Hyperion
Sure everyone knows that “Love Will Tear Us Apart” by Joy Division is a depressing song, but no one sits there and asks himself or herself why it’s so damn dreary. Enter Tom Reynolds. Not only does he analyze one of the saddest tunes of all times, he goes after the entire genre of songs that could drive Miss Misery to suicide.
Reynolds tackles 52 songs with a dry wit and tongue-in-cheek writing style. Sections are broken up bases on song topics (i.e., love songs, drugs, mope songs), and music style ranges from country to metal. For people who just love manic-depressive music, this book will serve as a bible of new tracks to check out. Sure songs like Cash’s “Hurt” and “Last Kiss” (most recently performed by Pearl Jam) are obvious inclusions, but you’ll never be able to listen to Mariah Carey’s “Without You” or “All By Myself” by Celine Dion again without thinking of the massive trauma that befell the songs’ original performers. Read the rest of this entry »
