Synthpop outfit Future Islands celebrate 20 years together by propping up their lesser known material, affirming the value of these cutting-room-floor songs that the band knew they had all along.
Continue readingArchive for the Reviews Category
Future Islands’ ‘From a Hole in the Floor to a Fountain of Youth’: Two Cent Review
Posted in Album Reviews, Reviews with tags Future Islands on 06/01/2026 by Kurt OrzeckKilling Joke Album Review by Yours Truly Featured in Treble’s ’50 Best Post-Punk LPs of 21st Century’ Feature
Posted in Album Reviews, Reviews with tags Andy Gill, Dave Grohl, Jaz Coleman, Killing Joke, post-punk on 05/27/2026 by Kurt Orzeck
Killing Joke released a self-titled album in 2003 that drew much well-deserved attention for featuring Dave Grohl behind the kit. But that’s not the only reason it stands as one of the 50 best post-punk records of the 21st century.
Continue readingWeird Nightmare’s ‘Hoopla’: Two Cent Review
Posted in Album Reviews, Reviews with tags Alex Edkins, metz, Weird Nightmare on 05/25/2026 by Kurt Orzeck
Amid an ongoing hiatus by his primary band, post-grunge noisemakers Metz, Alex Edkins spends Hoopla staying laser-focused on addressing the emotional roller coaster that is a failing romantic relationship, the breakup itself and where exes then find themselves. The result is a Weird Nightmare record far more honest, direct and intimate.
Continue readingWinston Hightower’s ‘100 Acre Wood’: Two Cent Review
Posted in Album Reviews, Reviews with tags Winston Hightower on 05/12/2026 by Kurt Orzeck
The 14 songs featured on Columbus, Ohio, native Winston Hightower’s second album, 100 Acre Wood, may be as short as the ones on its lo-fi predecessor, but they’re far more fleshed out with catchier and on-point rock music. Read my FLOOD review here.
Failure’s ‘Location Lost’: Two Cent Review
Posted in Album Reviews, Reviews with tags Failure, Ken Andrews on 05/04/2026 by Kurt Orzeck
Failure’s fourth post-reunion LP avoids trends in favor of songs that penetrate the heart—it’s as if the spacey grunge trio have finally found the magic they’ve had in themselves from the start. Read my FLOOD review.
A Place to Bury Strangers’ ‘Rare and Deadly’: Two Cent Review
Posted in Album Reviews, Reviews with tags a place to bury strangers on 04/09/2026 by Kurt Orzeck
It’s futile to source the origins of each song contained on Rare and Deadly, a collection of songs by A Place to Bury Strangers. Some are demos, some are B-sides, and others are incomplete tunes and sketches of songs that were never realized. What’s more important is that Rare and Deadly—unlike haphazardly assembled comps that are often released to fulfill an artist’s contractual obligation—captures the spirit of A Place to Bury Strangers in a way that is ingenious as the band itself. Read my full review on Treble.
Witch Ripper’s ‘Through the Hourglass’: Two Cent Review
Posted in Album Reviews, Reviews with tags Magnetic Eye, Witch Ripper on 04/07/2026 by Kurt Orzeck
Witch Ripper’s kindred spirits – Mastodon, High on Fire and Baroness, to name a few – have done quite well for themselves thanks in part to keeping their creative juices flowing at practically all times. But by taking a slow-cooker approach instead, Seattle’s Witch Ripper have deftly avoided pitfalls like getting overexposed or even overplayed, and they’ve instead siphoned that time into developing a coherent and well-considered sound. Look no further than their new album, Through the Hourglass, which comes out Friday via Magnetic Eye Records. Read my full review via Veil of Sound.
Filth Is Eternal’s ‘Impossible World’: Two Cent Review
Posted in Album Reviews, Reviews with tags Filth Is Eternl on 04/07/2026 by Kurt Orzeck
Vibrant, dexterous, and unrelentingly compelling, Seattle hardcore-punks Filth Is Eternal demonstrate on their newest album, Impossible World, that they’ve matured into a band adept at writing songs just two minutes in length. Read my full review courtesy of FLOOD.
José González’s ‘Against the Dying of the Light’: Two Cent Review
Posted in Album Reviews, Reviews with tags José González, Junip on 04/06/2026 by Kurt Orzeck
With his fifth album, Swedish songwriter José González considers his deepest of existential queries while maintaining the effervescent, seductive sound that’s the strongest through line in his career. Read my full review courtesy of FLOOD.
From the Vault: The Faint Take the Troubadour in Hollywood, 10.4.01
Posted in Concert Reviews, Reviews with tags The Faint, Troubadour on 04/05/2026 by Kurt Orzeck
On a weeknight in West Hollywood, relative newcomers The Faint from Omaha, Nebraska, took the famed Troubadour by storm, inspiring the crowd to hop onstage and dance along with the band for their final number. It was, well, so not Hollywood for dozens of uninhibited souls to make the daring move and take concert interaction to the next level. And as tour attendance had faltered in the previous weeks following 9/11, even more delight was had in seeing the spectacle.
Read my full review, originally published in October 2001 in Campus Circle, here.
The Bad Penny (beta) 