Language : Plymouth EP

For those not in-the-know, singer and guitarist Omar Afzaal of the New York-based post-punk band Language is a Fort Wayne native, born and bred. He’s been a part of some of the most creative and progressive bands to come out of Fort Wayne in the last 15 years until he moved to the Big Apple […]

Phantom vs Fire : Swim

I’ve been sitting here trying to wrap my brain around the beautiful and mysterious Swim by Phantom vs Fire for a few days now. I’m still struggling to put into words what’s going on here. While it could sit comfortably in the imagined soundtracks genre, I think to label it as such would be doing […]

Dr. Dog : Critical Equation

I can remember driving 5 hours one way to Louisville, Kentucky to see Wilco at Slugger Field back in late summer of 2007. My wife and I were deep into Jeff Tweedy’s world at that point. I’d lost count of all the times we’d seen the Chicago band by then, but what was one more […]

Landing : Bells In New Towns

Connecticut’s Landing are a band that seem to evolve and reshape with every new album. On their 2015 El Paraiso Records debut Third Sight it was a slightly psychedelic, slightly ambient affair with hints of delicate dream pop thrown in for good measure. But the velveteen hushes on that great album were just a fraction […]

Speedy Ortiz : Twerp Verse

I’m not sure I’m smart enough to truly ever get into Speedy Ortiz. I mean, I listen to the Sadie Dupuis-fronted band and I hear really intelligently put together indie pop rock. The guitars are jangly, jagged, and possess angular riffing you’d hear in early Pavement, Archers of Loaf, and Sleater-Kinney. The songs are put […]

Sleep : The Sciences

For the longest time Sleep were more legend than reality. A trio of young California stoners in the late 80s/early 90s that worshiped at the alter of Black Sabbath, fueled by massive amounts of the best bud little money could buy, started a whole new genre of music: stoner metal. Matt Pike, Al Cisneros, and […]

Steve Reich : Pulse/Quartet

Steve Reich is the kind of musical figure that lives within several different worlds. He began in tape experimentations, looping, and sound phasing while making social and political statements in the mid-60s. His piece “Come Out” is a dizzying and hallucinogenic piece of sound manipulation that also served as a voice for the civil rights […]

Stryper : God Damn Evil

It was the summer of 1987 and I was a rebellious teenager. I was looking for all kinds of ways to get into trouble and stick my middle finger up at authority. Staying up till 2am watching The Morton Downy Show, drinking way too many Capri Suns, and dropping Pop Rocks and Coca-Cola like there […]

Communion by Various Artists

Compilation albums are a lot like a mixtape. The best ones are built of different artists and vibes, but when set together in one singular time frame form a truly inspiring listening experience. Compilation albums can be as intimate and involved as that homemade mixtape you made back in high school for a friend. You […]

Happy 4/20, Now Get Some Sleep

As if some bleary-eyed, cosmic stoner wish came true, the Kush Gods have bestowed upon the universe, on this 20th of April 2018, the best possible scenario any stoner/doom fuzz fan could ever hope for: Sleep have dropped a new album into your pipe. Commence smoking it. We’ve heard hints, rumors, and allegations for years […]