MUSIC: Grandaddy Release First New Music In A Decade

Grandaddy reformed in 2012, but they haven't released any new music since 2006 (not including a Christmas song with Band of Horses). This silence has ended today with the release of two new fantastic songs, "Way We Won't" and "Clear Your History". Listen to both of the classic-sounding tracks below.

NEWS/MUSIC: American Football Are Actually, No Joke, Releasing A Second Album

Legendary emo band, American Football, have announced a second album, 17 years after their first and only album. The album will once again be self-titled and be released October 21 on Polyvinyl. The first single, "I’ve Been So Lost For So Long", is linked up above. It's different than their previous material, but after a couple of listens, I'm loving the hell out of it.

Tracklist:

1. Where Are We Now?
2. My Instincts Are the Enemy
3. Home Is Where the Haunt Is
4. Born to Lose
5. I’ve Been So Lost for So Long
6. Give Me the Gun
7. I Need a Drink (or Two or Three)
8. Desire Gets in the Way
9. Everyone Is Dressed Up

REVIEW: Trans Day Of Revenge by G.L.O.S.S

In a time where governments are passing laws that prevent people from using the bathroom of their gender identity and gunmen are shooting up LBGT+ spaces, G.L.O.S.S.'s music is essential. Their music attacks the hatred that trans people face every day with anger and brutality. With their latest EP, the band continues and improves their assault against the powers that try to hold them down and shows the world why they might be the most important band around today.

For the whole of this five minute EP, the band is on the attack and never lets up. The production on this record is much cleaner than on their 2015 demo, but none of the rawness felt on their debut is lost on this new project. This record doesn't attempt to change the sound of hardcore punk, rather, they manage to be fresh and lively using a sound that so many bands have beaten into the ground. It is no small task to sound as interesting as G.L.O.S.S. do after more than thirty years of hardcore music.

This would be a great album if the lyrics were mediocre, but Sadie Switchblade is a trenchant and robust vocalist. Not content to just talk about trans issues, which they do superbly well, the band embraces intersectionality and talk about race. Some of the most powerful lyrics on the release are about the struggles people of color have to face, sometimes on top of being trans. The lyrics and vocals carry gravitas like few other bands out there.

Whirr's transphobic tweets, as awful as they were, did the great thing of bringing G.L.O.S.S.'s powerful sound onto the masses. G.L.O.S.S.'s music is essential listening for anyone, whether they're an ally like me or someone who feels disenfranchised because of a system that has failed them. I've chosen to not give this EP a numerical score because it is barely music, it is a force of nature that demands your full attention without any remorse.

NEWS: Glenn Danzig Finally Reunites With The Misfits

In the category of "news that I never thought I would write", Danzig is playing with the Misfits at both Riot Fest dates (September 2-4 in Denver and September 16-18 in Chicago). Danzig hasn't played with the band in over thirty years and the split was less than amicable, so this is pretty crazy. Danzig will be joined by Jerry Only and Doyle Wolfgang von Frankenstein at what will sure to be two very interesting shows.

MUSIC/VIDEO: Radiohead Finally Release New Single!

After months of teasing and hype, Radiohead have finally released their newest song, titled "Burn The Witch", after erasing their social media presence yesterday. The amazing string-heavy song is backed by an eerie stop-motion video. Check it out above and I will update you when Radiohead makes an album announcement.

REVIEW: Eraser Stargazer by Guerilla Toss

What if David Byrne had been obsessively listening to The Contortions while writing Remain in Light? On Eraser Stargazer, Guerilla Toss try to answer that question. To some, no-wave and dance-punk might not seem like things that should be mixed, but their tendencies towards irregular time signatures and grooves make them an interesting match. Guerilla Toss definitely succeed in combining the styles, but the question is that combination any good? For the most part, that answer is yes, but sometimes there are moments of identity crisis where the band can't decide between the two genres and the result is unfocused and muddy.

The album is precariously balanced between grating and groovy and it’s honestly sometimes hard to tell which is being achieved at any given moment. “Multibeast TV” avoids this dichotomy by sounding like a Death Grips track through a booming and slick bass, but they quickly abandon this sound for the rest of the album. The next track “Diamond Girls” was chosen as the single and for good reason; it is one of the most accessible songs on the album with a fantastic groove. “Grass Shack” shows off some of the less likeable aspects of this album with a bizarre synth that sounds like it’s from a forgotten Gamecube game. This track is also just too long for it’s own good, clocking in at almost seven minutes. Luckily, all of the other tracks are two minutes shorter than “Grass Shack” and they’re better for it. All of the tracks after the somewhat repetitive and underwhelming “Color Picture” are a return to form for the band. The intro to the song “Perfume” is much more restrained than the rest of the album and it makes  it much easier to appreciate the crazy parts more. The spoken word vocals on “Doll Face On The Calico Highway” don’t really work, but they are quickly forgotten under the beautiful barrage of other sounds.

Eraser Stargazer’s album cover is very emblematic of the sound; it is colorful, weird, twisted, funny in an odd sort of way, and kind of gross. The band has some very good ideas up it’s sleeve, but they sometimes get lost in just how much is going on during each song. If Guerilla Toss were to consolidate and focus their sound just a bit more, they could explore these chaotic soundscapes with much more grace and ease, but in the meantime, they’re a hell of a lot of fun to listen to.

★★★★★★★☆☆☆

NEWS/MUSIC: John Congleton Announces Solo Record, Releases Single

John Congleton, the producer of many, many great albums and also the frontman of the great Paper Chase, has announced a solo album as John Congleton and the Nighty Nite. The album will called Until The Horror Goes and is being released March 4th on Fat Possum. Check out the electric new single below, called "Until It Goes".