Heavy-hearted in the Midwest since 2011
When I was 18 oldies rock and roll were bands like the Beatles, the Stones, the Kinks, and surf music. Those bands seemed light years away from what I was listening to. Soundgarden, Smashing Pumpkins, NIN, Garbage, etc…they were the future. The British Invasion and the Beach Boys were the past. Well fast forward 30 […]
Read More Kills Birds : Crave10 years ago the French-Canadian filmmaking trio RKSS released their film, Turbo Kid. An ode to 80s post-apocalyptic B-movies, it was a fun nod to movies like Metalstorm, Steel Dawn, and Mad Max but with the light-heartedness of BMX Bandits, Explorers, and E.T. Over the top gore that was more ridiculous than offensive, and a […]
Read More Le Matos : Turbo Kid Original Game SoundtrackChicago-based multi-instrumentalist, composer, and improviser Macie Stewart has had a hand in quite a few amazing tracks over the last five years. Whether working with Makaya McCraven, Japanese Breakfast, Tweedy, Mannequin Pussy or SZA, Stewart adds her unique and singular musical voice to whatever she’s collaborating on. She mainly works with piano, prepared piano, violin, […]
Read More Macie Stewart : When The Distance Is BlueLush were one of the big ones in terms of late 80s/early 90s shoegaze bands. Along with Ride, Chapterhouse, Slowdive, Swervedriver and My Bloody Valentine, Lush established their hazy, dreamy, and ghostly sound through delayed guitars, ghostly vocals, and guitarist/singer Miki Berenyi’s delivery. Berenyi’s vocals were clear, but always just a bit under the mix, […]
Read More Miki Berenyi Trio : TriplaMichelle Zauner has had a pretty busy decade. Releasing her debut album Psychopomp with Japanese Breakfast(which also includes Craig Hendrix, Deven Craige, and Peter Bradley) in 2016. Then a gradual climb into indie rock royalty with follow-up albums Soft Sounds From Another Planet(2017) and Jubilee(2021), Zauner and Japanese Breakfast became a band to watch and […]
Read More Japanese Breakfast : For Melancholy Brunettes(& Sad Women)There’s not too many of the classic 80s Sunset Strip rock bands left making music that sounds even remotely close to what they sounded like back in the neon decade. Have you seen any current clips of Mötley Crüe? How about Ratt? Or Dokken? Quiet Riot, anyone? Time, booze, and narcotics have not been kind […]
Read More L.A. Guns : Leopard SkinIt is always reason to celebrate when a new Fir Cone Children album is imminent. The dreampunk/shoegaze/post-punk project from Vlimmer mastermind and Blackjack Illuminist Records founder Alexander Donat has all the bite and angst of his main gig in Darkwave Vlimmer, but there’s a palpable joy in Fir Cone Children. Even the fastest, heaviest songs […]
Read More Fir Cone Children Returns With ‘Gearshifting’, Out 4/18; Listen To Dreamy New Single “Perfect Trade”What do you get when you combine the mythos of Nosferatu, delta blues, garage rock, and psychedelic folk? Well you get what Irish musician/songwriter Roscó Flanagan is cooking up. Roscó Flanagan love the blues. He pulls inspiration and influence from the greats like Howlin’ Wolf and Fred McDowell; as well as 60s blues/psych freak Captain […]
Read More Renfield Sings The Blues : Roscó Flanagan’s “Renfield’s Blues”It seemed that 15 years ago the music industry was in a bit of an evolving state. We were leaving the 2000s and its thoughtful run of bands with “Bear” in their names and heading into the 2010s with a feeling of indifferent aloofness. Looking for new sounds, new vibes, and a need to find […]
Read More Sleigh Bells : Bunky Becky Birthday BoyI grew up in the early days of indoor malls, neon buzz, and Cannon Films. Dual cassette players, VCRs, and arcades were the technology I worshipped. If a movie didn’t have at least a part III or IV it wasn’t worth the trouble. Microwave cakes, hi-top Reeboks, and t-shirts enshrined with Alf, The A-Team, and […]
Read More Set Adrift On Memory Tapes 80s Bliss