Soulful rock trio Alabama Shakes sound like no time has passed at all after a decade-long break between studio records as they reignite their chemistry as a blockbuster unit.
Continue readingAlabama Shakes’ ‘I Must Be Dreaming’: Two Cent Review
Posted in Album Reviews, Reviews with tags Alabama Shakes, Brittany Howard on 09/09/2026 by Kurt OrzeckInnumerable Forms’ ‘Pain Effulgence’: Two Cent Review
Posted in Album Reviews, Reviews with tags Innumerable Forms on 09/09/2026 by Kurt Orzeck
Doom-curious death-metal delinquents Innumerable Forms may not be the most charming crew you’ll bump into in Boston (not that the majority of Bostonians would qualify in that regard anyway). But as far as this band’s ever-improving tune-age is concerned, the third time’s the charm with Pain Effulgence.
Continue readingBest New Music Videos (August 2026): mr.phylzzz, Amon Amarth, Skyjoggers, Tipa Tipo con Pahua, Sorry, Deceits
Posted in Lists, Videos with tags Amon Amarth, Brother Bird, Current Joys, Deceits, mr.phylzzz, Satanic Planet, Skyjoggers, Sorry, Tipa Tipo con Pahua, Turmion Kätilöt on 09/08/2026 by Kurt OrzeckAlways at least a day late. Never a dollar short.
1. mr.phylzzz’s “Rodeo Clown”
2. Amon Amarth’s “Gjallarhorn”
3. Skyjoggers’ “Ancient Steel”
Jimmy Cicero, Black Marble Collaborator, Checks in Ahead of Boise Show Tonight
Posted in Concert Previews, Interviews with tags Black Marble, Jimmy Cicero on 08/30/2026 by Kurt Orzeck
Lo-fi pop singer/songwriter Jimmy Cicero – who is something of a mystery man, having performing under different aliases over the years – will appear a couple of times in Boise this evening. In addition to playing the keys with headliner Black Marble at The Shrine Social Club, he’ll take the stage earlier in the night as one of the opening acts (along with The Serfs). Expect to hear one or both songs from his recently released 7-inch “I Will Always Love You”/ “On Your Side.”
Hey, Jimmy. How did the first three shows of the tour go? Any highlights and/or lowlights?
Great shows. I wasn’t sure at first how it would play out doing my own set and then playing keys in Black Marble most nights. But it’s been pretty comfortable. Happy to be onboard, double-duty-style.
Will this be your first time playing in Boise?
I played Neurolux many years ago in a different project. This will be my first time playing Boise under my real name.
Continue readingBlack Marble Ready to Descend on Boise
Posted in Concert Previews, Interviews with tags Black Marble on 08/30/2026 by Kurt Orzeck
Hot on the heels of the release of Life in Small Spaces earlier this month, Brooklyn beat-maker Black Marble (a.k.a. Chris Stewart) drops through Boise tonight to present some of his new record and more at Shrine Social Club. We recently caught up with the artist while he was darting from city to city, keeping the excitement going behind the new record that has seen the release of singles “Jim Carol New Year” and “Anything.”
Hiya Chris. I can’t seem to find any indication you’ve played Boise before. Did you decide to come here simply because of routing, or were there other reasons why you chose to grace this city for the first time?
We’re coming for the Idaho style hot dog! Also, my bassist once played there, at an arcade, and they let him sleep there.
Aside from integrating new material, is your set on this tour gonna be different in any other ways than in tours past?
We have new projections that our friend Scott in New York made for us. He made the video for our second single, “Anything,” from our new record.
Continue readingOn Tyranny: Frontman of Canada’s Elephant Stone Says ‘Being an Artist Already Makes You Political’
Posted in Features, Interviews, On Tyranny, On Tyranny with tags authoritarianism, Canada, Elephant Stone, fascism, On Tyranny, trump, tyranny on 08/27/2026 by Kurt Orzeck
“Canada feels more united than I’ve ever seen it.”
–Elephant Stone’s Rishi Dhir
When The Bad Penny caught wind that a band had released a song called “Fascists Killed Yer Rock ‘N’ Roll” as a single, we immediately invited them (Elephant Stone) to participate in our ongoing series On Tyranny, which focuses on how fascism affects artists artistically, emotionally and personally – and lets them set an example for other musicians that it is OK to criticize and protest the government.
Rishi Dhir, leader of the psych-pop squad from Montreal, graciously accepted our offer and answered some questions related to artists and the potential ways in which they interact with authoritarianism. We bring you the interview, which was conducted over email, on the eve of the 20-year-old group’s new album, ASHA, coming out tomorrow via Elephants on Parade in tandem with Little Cloud Records.
Continue readingThe 10 Best Icelandic Metal Bands, According to the Country’s Own Folk-Metal Act Hrafnablót (Exclusive)
Posted in Exclusives, Interviews, Lists with tags Auðn, Dynfari, Fortíð, HAM, Hrafnablot, Misþyrming, Potentiam, Power Paladin, Sólstafir, Skálmöld on 08/27/2026 by Kurt Orzeck
As The Bad Penny tours the world, asking musicians in every country we “visit” to name their top 10 bands – usually of the heavy-music variety – we are consistently surprised by the selflessness and passion with which said musicians vouch for their fellow citizens. Thus far, the most striking example of this reassuring phenomenon – a poignant reminder of the positivity of patriotism versus the nastiness of nationalism – comes in the form of Hrafnablót, a brand-new, self-described “sorcerous” folk‑metal band hailing from Iceland.
Pity the fool who thinks of Iceland as a barren country with a frozen music landscape. Much to the contrary, Iceland has a red-hot metal scene, which most of us in other parts of the world are ignorant about only due to geographical location and a lack of sufficient curiosity about countries other than the one in which they reside. Enlighten yourself with this stunning list of bands masterfully compiled by Þórgnýr Einar Albertsson, bassist and backing vocalist for Hrafnablót.
But before you do, check out Hrafnablót’s recently released video for “Heljarhlíð,” the latest single from their debut album, Guðlaugar Saga, due September 11. Pre-order the tantalizing album on their Bandcamp page … you may very well agree with us that Hrafnablót deserve placement on the very list that Þórgnýr so graciously made for us.
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Iceland’s heavy music scene is relatively small and tight-knit, but pretty varied. The bands below range from early death metal to atmospheric black metal, folk metal and shamelessly colourful power metal. What connects them is that each developed a real identity rather than sounding like a smaller Icelandic version of somebody else.
Sólstafir
Sólstafir’s journey from raw black metal into post-metal and beyond is one of the clearest success stories in Icelandic metal. Records such as Köld, Svartir Sandar and Ótta gave them a sound that became internationally recognizable while being unmistakably Icelandic. Bands from here are constantly described through weather and landscape clichés. With Sólstafir, that language actually makes sense.
Continue readingJohn Carpenter, Cody Carpenter & Daniel Davies’ ‘Cathedral’ Soundtrack: Two Cent Review
Posted in Album Reviews, Reviews with tags Cody Carpenter, Daniel Davies, John Carpenter on 08/27/2026 by Kurt Orzeck
Without the cinematic accompaniment, John Carpenter’s music releases—Lost Themes, Lost Themes II, Lost Themes III: Alive After Death and Lost Themes IV: Noir—are, similar to the band Goblin, or the music David Lynch issued late in his life, sometimes frustrating in that one instinctually wants moving images to accompany them. This time around, Carpenter tries to bridge that gap—the artist is notorious for doing whatever the hell he wants to do, whenever he wants to do it—with Cathedral, the soundtrack to a graphic novel of the same name.
Continue readingExclusive: Slothrust Bring on Second Guitarist, Turning One of L.A.’s Best Rock Bands Into a Foursome
Posted in Exclusives, Interviews, News with tags Annie Hoffman, Leah Wellbaum, Slothrust, Weakened Friends, Will Gorin on 08/26/2026 by Kurt Orzeck
Excitement is building as the release date for the sixth studio album by red-hot Boston rock band Slothrust nears. But there’s some additional news that, while not as seismic as the unveiling of What They Grow in the Garden will be on September 18, band leader Leah Wellbaum (vocals, guitar) exclusively told The Bad Penny that Slothrust is now a foursome.
“We’re both multi-instrumentalists,” Wellbaum said during a video interview on Monday, referring to herself and drummer Will Gorin writing and recording music together in the studio. “He played bass on this last record [2021’s Parallel Timeline]. And it’s been really fun seeing him step into other instrumental roles.
“He’s obviously an incredible drummer and also a really great guitarist,” Wellbaum continued. “It was really fun to see what he would do, what he did on the bass to play with himself and to interact with the music that he was so involved in crafting. And because we both play all the band instruments, it’s fun to be able to explore as a two-piece in that way. That being said, it’s really nice to be able to perform with more people.”
Continue readingMclusky’s ‘My Pain and Sadness Is More Sad and Painful Than Yours (2026 Remaster)’: Two Cent Review
Posted in Album Reviews, Reviews with tags Andrew Falkous, Jon Chapple, Mat Harding, Mclusky on 08/26/2026 by Kurt Orzeck
The theme of mclusky’s first foray into recorded music has remained intact ever since My Pain and Sadness Is More Sad and Painful Than Yours’ initial release. It established that, right out of the gate, drummer Mat Harding, guitarist/vocalist Andrew Falkous and bassist/vocalist Jon Chapple were so sardonic that they must’ve had their tongues pressing against their cheeks throughout the entire record (whether that be of the demos or the studio versions of the songs). To ask whether mclusky were more devoted to late ’90s/early ‘00s sarcasm or social commentary would be the equivalent of calling heads or tails before a soccer game.
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