Cave In’s Planets Of Old: Two Cent Review
Posted in Album Reviews, Reviews with tags Cave In on 12/30/2009 by Kurt OrzeckBest Albums Of 2003
Posted in Lists with tags Calexico, Electric Six, Killing Joke, Mastodon, OutKast, Pleasure Forever, the Mars Volta, the White Stripes, the Who, These Arms Are Snakes on 12/30/2009 by Kurt Orzeck
1. The Mars Volta, De-Loused in the Comatorium(Universal): A perfect hour’s worth of death-defying, acrobatic saga rock by the most ambitious rookie squad in years.
2. Electric Six – Fire (Beggars XL): Novelty and frivolity reach frighteningly infectious heights on this guilty treasure. Blondie would be jealous. Continue reading
Best Albums Of 2000
Posted in Lists with tags At the Drive-In, Blonde Redhead, Bright Eyes, Broadcast, Chicks on Speed, Enon, Grandaddy, Le Tigre, Nirvana, PJ Harvey, Queens of the Stone Age, Quickspace, Sunny Day Real Estate, Sweep the Leg Johnny, the Black Heart Procession, the Brian Jonestown Massacre, the Fucking Champs, the Murder City Devils, Unida, Yo La Tengo on 12/30/2009 by Kurt Orzeck
GOLD
1. Queens of the Stone Age – Rated R (Interscope): Heavyweights in their own right, QOTSA are the closest thing we have to Nirvana right now.
2. PJ Harvey – Stories From the City, Stories From the Sea (Island): If she goes on for as long and as strong as Tina Turner has, I’ll die a happy man. Continue reading
New Releases 6.6.06
Posted in New Releases, New Releases 6.6.06 with tags Amps for Christ, Artimus Pyledriver, Brittany Murphy, Camera Obscura, Cheap Trick, Combichrist, Elevator Action, Elvis Costello, Entombed, Evangelicals, Genghis Tron, Henry Rollins, Ladyhawk, Mojave 3, Neil Halstead, Psapp, Scanners, Scott Walker, Slayer, the Paper Chase, Vanna, Zero 7 on 12/30/2009 by Kurt Orzeck
Finally, the fated 6/6/06 has arrived. But what’s to show for it? Where’s Slayer’s LP, intended for today? Continue reading
Nirvana’s In Utero: Un Vínculo Progresivo Entre Los Mundos Del Rock Mainstream Y Rock Independiente
Posted in Essays, Features with tags Black Sabbath, Courtney Love, Dave Grohl, Dinosaur Jr., Germs, Jimi Hendrix, Krist Novoselic, Kurt Cobain, Nirvana, Ozzy Osbourne, Pat Smear, Pavement, Scream, Sebadoh, Sonic Youth, Steve Albini, the Beatles, the Velvet Underground on 12/30/2009 by Kurt OrzeckEleven years ago, I studied for five months in Santiago, Chile. As part of my education regiment, I chose a class on the history of rock and roll. You might think that’s as much as a cop-out as taking a class in bowling or frisbee golf. But as someone who had mostly shunned classic rock till that point, I actually learned a lot. My teacher was obsessed with Deep Purple and Cream, and explained to us how Ozzy Osbourne was rock’s first psicótico.
I like to think I returned him the favor by teaching him a bit about Nirvana, of whom he wasn’t much aware, in my final paper. The self-generated topic: How Nirvana ushered indie-rock, rougher production values and anti-corporate attitudes into the mainstream with In Utero. El profesor told me I worked harder than any of his Chilean students in the class, and that I nailed the exam (70 out of 70), too.
These days, my Spanish is a bit rusty, so I couldn’t tell you what most of the paper means. But here it is for your archival viewing pleasure. PDFs are included in case the images are too taxing on yer eyes:
David Cross’ ‘I Drink For A Reason’: Loaded With Laughs – And Typos
Posted in Features, What You Readin' For? with tags David Cross on 12/29/2009 by Kurt Orzeck
I’m not going to say much about David Cross’ “I Drink for a Reason,” which came out in August, because no one is capable of escaping the derision of the funniest man alive. Continue reading
Day Job: Cougar
Posted in Day Job, Features, Interviews with tags Cougar on 12/29/2009 by Kurt Orzeck
When David Henzie-Skogen sits down to write a song, it isn’t always for his band, the instru-/experi-mental five-piece Cougar. Sometimes he’s writing songs for kids. Continue reading
From the Vault: Michael Jackson And Kurt Cobain, Suicide Kings?
Posted in Essays, Features with tags Kurt Cobain, Michael Jackson on 09/29/2009 by Kurt Orzeck
With July 4 fast approaching, it seems fair to say that the real fireworks happened eight days ago, when the country lost someone who has quickly become regarded as something of a patron saint. Much to Jon Stewart and Stephen Colbert’s chagrin (see below), the coverage has been ceaseless since that Thursday afternoon, and will almost certainly continue unabated at least until the details of his death finally congeal.
But while it’s hard to flip on the tube and not see an image of Michael Jackson, someone else keeps getting resurrected in my mind.
Zoey Van Goey’s The Cage Was Unlocked All Along: Two Cent Review
Posted in Album Reviews, Reviews with tags Zoey Van Goey on 05/11/2009 by Kurt Orzeck
Artist: Zoey Van Goey
Album: Bangers
Label: Metal Blade
Release date: February 16
To those who regularly suck from the teat of Metal Blade, Bangers is an unusual taste: Label loyalists are bound to think some deviant got his hands on all the copies of the album, crossed out “Tee Pee Records” and wrote in “Metal Blade” instead. Stone(d)-washed with finger-lickin’ riffage and groovy beats, and thoroughly soaked in hard psych, it’s no wonder Barn Burner hail from “Bongtreal, Canada” (as they quip on their MySpace page). The tablet is a solid B-plus effort from start to finish, with frontman K. Keaglesmit earning some extra credit for downright poetic lyrics: “One road takes you higher/ The same road goes nowhere/ In the middle of this island/ Everything makes so much sense,” he sings on “Wizard Island.” Tracks like “Holy Smokes” and “Medium Rare” could not be more aptly named, either – and even the name “Barn Burner” makes you wonder why another metal band didn’t think of it first. The 11 smoldering bangers featured on the record are just about as tight musically, and while Bangers might not become this year’s Gods of the Earth, it’ll at least tide over boogie fans (boogers?) till that new Priestess record drops.
—
Go here for the Bad Penny New Releases Schedule.
Go here for more album reviews.
The Bad Penny (beta) 