The 10 Best Irish Bands, According to Alt-Pop-Addicted Electronic Producer Phenom Vaticanjail (Exclusive)

Posted in Interviews, Lists with tags , , , , , , , , , on 09/12/2026 by Kurt Orzeck

(Alert for those allergic to sarcasm: Copious amounts of it are laced throughout the next paragraph or two.)

Latin-Irish electro-pop musician and music-sampling absurdist wasn’t born in a Vatican jail – or her current home city of Dublin, for that matter. Rather, the artist producer was birthed in Chile, a country whose best artists we recently ran down in the last installment – courtesy of heavy garage-rock band Niño Nuclear – of our massively popular, Grammy Award-winning series unofficially and succinctly referred to as The Best Bands in the World, as Decided by Musicians Who Live in the Same Places From Where the Bands on the Top 10 Lists Originate and, for the Most Part, Still Reside. (If you haven’t already noticed from The Bad Penny‘s ardent abstention from most social media – save YouTube – we’re really good at marketing.)

All that’s stated above provides a seamless segue into the next edition in our still-fresh series. Through it, we hope to “visit” as many countries as we can, and listen to native artists themselves rather than Spotify as to what we should be pumping into our ear holes.

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Mastodon’s Nine Studio LPs and Two Live Releases, Ranked (With Full Album Streams and Best Songs Noted)

Posted in Discographies, Lists with tags , , , , on 09/11/2026 by Kurt Orzeck

1. Crack the Skye (2009)

Top three songs: “Oblivion,” “Crack the Skye,” “The Last Baron”

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Doppelgängers: Shiv Mehra of Deafheaven and Eric Wareheim of Tim and Eric

Posted in Doppelgängers, Features with tags , , , on 09/11/2026 by Kurt Orzeck

More doppelgängers here.

Pixies’ ‘Bossanova (2026 Remaster)’: Two Cent Review

Posted in Album Reviews, Reviews with tags , , , , on 09/11/2026 by Kurt Orzeck

There’s arguably no Pixies record that could have benefited more from a masterful manicure, which is so well-executed from start to finish that it’s impossible to forget that you’re not listening to the original version. “Rock Music,” which once sounded limp, now lives up to its name as a sub-two-minute banger. This time around, “Velouria” sounds like a fantastical space odyssey presaging the interstellar obsession that Frank Black lacquered over his solo works years later. The brilliance of Dave Lovering’s frenetic drum rolls are crystallized on “Allison” and “Is She Weird,” the latter of which also brings Joey Santiago’s guitar playing and Kim Deal’s bass into shiver-inducing focus.

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As Tribute Gig Looms, Kurt Baker Salutes Jon Spencer, Slade, Lenny Kaye for Strengthening His Musical Chops

Posted in Concert Previews, Interviews with tags , , , , , , , on 09/11/2026 by Kurt Orzeck

Most musicians namecheck their heroes from time to time, out of common courtesy. Others cover their songs to drive the point home that their influence was instrumental in the development of their careers. Still more go the extra mile by immortalizing those cover songs on their studio albums or as staples in their concert set lists.

Power-pop throwback artist Kurt Baker – whose motto is “Have a good time all the time,” a line that should call Spinal Tap to your mind – is taking reverence and respect for his elders the extra mile. Make that two extra miles. Or three, even.

Last month, the likable singer/songwriter from New York saw his previously out-of-print Got It Covered compilation of tribute songs to Blondie, Elvis Costello, Nick Lowe and others re-released in remastered vinyl and digital form, courtesy of Oglio Entertainment. Earlier this month, he paid another salute, this time to Slade and their song “When Fantasy Calls,” on the B-side to his Wicked Cool Records digital single, “Wonder Woman.”

Completing his trifecta of tributes, Baker will take his salutes from wax to stage when he heads up the Beauty Bar 30th Anniversary Bash in New York on Sunday. At the event staged by Little Steven’s Underground Garage., he’ll perform alongside the likes of more of his heroes, including Jon Spencer, Daddy Long Legs and Lenny Kaye.

The Bad Penny recently caught up with Baker to pick his brain about what made the other aforementioned musicians so impactful on his own career.

Slade

“Slade have always represented a lot of what I love about rock ’n’ roll,” Baker says. “Big hooks, loud guitars, tons of personality and songs that are just fun to listen to. They could be heavy and raw, but underneath all of that, they were an incredible pop band. That combination definitely connects to what I’ve always tried to do with power pop: You want the melody and the chorus, but you also want it to sound like a band plugging in and making some noise. I recently covered ‘When Fantasy Calls,’ which is a bit of a deeper Slade cut, and that song really shows another side of what made them so great. Once you dig beyond the huge hits, there are so many great melodies and songs in their catalog.”

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New Releases 9.11.26: Fluisteraars, Locust, Green Lung, Frogs, Shudder to Think, Pixies, Der Weg einer Freiheit

Posted in Lists, New Releases, Videos with tags , , , , , , , , , on 09/11/2026 by Kurt Orzeck

Jhené Aiko – Westside Whimsy (ALLEL/Artclub/Def Jam)
Angela Autumn – Believer (Gar Hole)
George Benson – Inspiration: Tribute to Nat King Cole expanded reissue (Candid)
Beth Cameron – The World. Oh. No. (Submissive Grin)
Cartilage – Operating Altar (Everlasting Spew)
Chrome Sparks – Ball of Light (Chrome Sounds/ AWAL)
CoreLeoni – Generection (Reigning Phoenix Music)
Damn Truth – s/t (Deluxe Gatefold Edition)
Der Weg einer Freiheit – Innern (instrumental version) (Season of Mist)
• Der Weg Einer Freiheit’s ‘Innern’: Two Cent Review
Dreadnought – Wars of Spirit // Wards of Light (Vesperian/ Metal Blade)

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Pet Sounds #92: Left Arm Tan’s Best Friend Is Goose … the Dog

Posted in Features, Interviews, Pet Sounds with tags , on 09/10/2026 by Kurt Orzeck

Seasoned musician Daniel Hines launched his band Left Arm Tan (RIYL Calexico, the Jayhawks) in Fort Worth, Texas, in 2010 with relatively modest ambitions. The charming alt-rock crew also includes Brian Lee (lead vocals, piano, guitar); Mark Belding (horns, steel guitar, guitars, harmonies); Jeff Scroggins (bass, harmonies); Shawn Light (guitars, mandolin, keys, harmonies); and Tim Manders (drums, harmonies).

Hines underwent a series of surgeries last year but also wrote a gobsmacking 57 songs, breathing new life into his band, which had split for a short period. The resulting record, When Tigers Smoked (which means “once upon a time” in Korean, and was produced by Old 97’s and Damnwells collaborator Salim Nourallah), comes out October 9.

Arguably even trustier than Hines’ band, though, is his Australian Shepherd, Goose, who entered Hines’ life during COVID and just turned 6 years old. Enjoy our exchange with Hines and, of course, the pics of him and his pooch (yes, we know you well, dear readers).

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Atlanta Natives Mastodon Sing ‘Take Me Out to the Ballgame’ at Hometown Park

Posted in Videos with tags , on 09/10/2026 by Kurt Orzeck

Call it, ump: Twenty-six years into their career, Mastodon have finally hit for the cycle.

On Tyranny: Fascist Resurgence Spurred Austrian Anti-Capitalist Anarcho-Punks Desolat’s Fiery Return

Posted in Features, Interviews, On Tyranny, On Tyranny, Videos with tags , , , , , , on 09/10/2026 by Kurt Orzeck

“The last five years … had an emotional impact, which motivated me … to do a more political album again,” Desolat vocalist/guitarist Alfred Satani told The Bad Penny earlier today as part of our ongoing On Tyranny series.

Satani further noted that he found making the noise/hardcore/sludge trio’s upcoming October 16 release, People as Idiots & Idiots as Leaders (Reptilian Records), to be “cathartic” as he grapples with the grim reality and prepares for even more dire days ahead.

“I fear the future for my children, because of … environmental topics … and current politics and right wing politics, which totally ignore this thing. I can be even worried for myself, because I hope I live for a few years longer. “It can become pretty rough quite soon,” Satani reveals.

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On Tyranny: Queer NYC Pop Musician Danny Blu on Art as a Vehicle for Empathizing With Trans Community

Posted in Features, Interviews, On Tyranny, On Tyranny, Videos with tags , , , , , , on 09/09/2026 by Kurt Orzeck

A day after the release of his new single “Faithless,” and with his album “Type Volume I” on the horizon for an October 13 release, dark pop and industrial noise aficionado Danny Blu joins The Bad Penny‘s On Tyranny series for a candid conversation about the inextricability of his work fighting for LGBTQ+ rights and his unique musical creations.

The theatrical, New York City-based artist – who also works in the nonprofit world to protect LGBTQ+ individuals from the nonstop assault by MAGA and other malevolent forces that have latched onto American society like Alien face-huggers – is quickly making a name for himself as a prominent defender of marginalized individuals.

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