Sad Songs, Car Rides, and Man-Made Lakes

When I was little I went to my grandma’s house quite often with my mom. Mostly I remember the trips before I was in school and the ones we’d take during the summer breaks. I loved going over to my grandma Ruthie’s house. She lived on Manitou Lake in Rochester, Indiana. It was usually a […]

Graham Reznick’s “Robophasia”

So there I was, just minding my own business at work on a typically lousy Monday afternoon. Phone ringing, people barking, product piling up, and management no help like always. It seemed as if this Monday wasn’t going to be any different than the hundreds that came before it. But then, out of the blue, […]

Deep Space Meditations(The Dresden Codex)

In space they can’t hear you scream. Well who’s they, and why would they be close enough to hear you scream? In space, the desolation is overwhelming, especially on a 10-year run into an exploration program that is sure to deteriorate my muscles and re-write my DNA enough that by the time my feet can […]

A Few Words On Justin Sweatt(and the independent artist)

There’s some of us out here in the world that may have had dreams of being a full-time artist, part-time employee. You know, the kind of artist that says the hell with “getting a real job”, as your factory-working uncle tells you at the family reunion each year. Or the weird truck driver that lingers […]

Voodoo Psych : Revisiting Psicomagia

The first album I ever bought from the Danish record label El Paraiso was the debut album from skronky psych jammers Psicomagia. They were a collaboration between bands Astra and Radio Moscow, two prolific bands in their own right. With Psicomagia they combined the groovy psych escapism of Radio Moscow’s buzzing sound and Astra’s booming […]

My Lifestyle Determines My Deathstyle

When Metallica’s St. Anger came out the hoopla around it was pretty overwhelming, which once everyone had heard it reversed to underwhelming. “Trendy”, “no solos”, “that snare sound” were a just a few of the many things that were mentioned as part of the overall indictment of the long gestating, long drawn out, post-rehab, post-therapy, […]

Earthless : Black Heaven

I think one of the worst things that can happen as a fan of a metal band is when that band softens their sound. There’s really nothing more disappointing than when your favorite metal band drop the rough edges and darker vibes for a slick production, bluesy riffs, and bloody ballads. Metallica comes to mind […]

Preoccupations : New Material

I’ve been known to feel a bit down from time to time. I can be a bit hard on myself when I feel I’m not doing enough or trying hard enough in this crazy thing called life. But I don’t think I’ve ever been clinically depressed. I carry my share of anxiety and self-imposed guilt, […]

Yo La Tengo : There’s a Riot Going On

I got into Yo La Tengo pretty late. Like my first record experience with them was 2009s Popular Songs. I don’t know what took me so long to jump into the Ira Kaplan, Georgia Hubley, and James McNew world, but as soon as the the nearly 16-minute album closer “And the Glitter Is Gone” ended […]

Carlton Melton : Mind Minerals

Carlton Melton write and create on another level. They seem to reside not outside in the elements, but somewhere deep inside. They make a kind of subconscious psychedelia. The sound of blood rushing from your body to your brain, or the whooshing you occasionally get inside your ear as if air is escaping your skull, […]

Complex Distractions