THE MENZINGERS are difficult to dislike. Believe me, I tried. Upon first listening to Chamberlain Waits, I was underwhelmed by the band’s attempt to mix modern pop melodies, with scrappy punk roots. But after a few listens, I came around. If you haven’t heard them already, THE MENZINGERS take the gruffness of HOT WATER MUSIC [...]

If BRAND NEW crammed their debut album with dance beats and noise, it would sound something like SETTLE’s At Home We Are Tourists. SETTLE melds big hooks and guitar distortion with techno keyboard riffs, and chaotic static bursts. There’s some real talent on SETTLE’s Epitaph debut, but it’s marred by an overkill of parts and [...]

Those crazy, noisy popsters ANIMAL COLLECTIVE put on a really weird set on Letterman last Thursday. The music wasn’t more strange than usual, but the group hired a blueman-type dance team to twirl and jump around behind the band’s tunes. The band played “Summertime Clothes” off of their newest album Merriweather Post Pavilion. How awesome would it be if one of the blue men removed their mask, and underneath the freaky costume was Tobias Funke? Now that would be something to post about!

SPINAL TAP has now been on this planet 25 years. Audiences viewing the Mockumentary a quarter century ago were awed by the now infamous stone henge; they were intimidated by the massive cucumber in the bassist’s pants, and lulled by the beautiful words “Talk about mud flaps / My girls got ‘em.” Well, the guys in the fake band are not about to let this anniversary come and go quickly. SPINAL TAP is reuniting, and releasing a new album due for release next month. It’s titled Back From the Dead, and if you purchase the album, you get an hour-long DVD of the “band members” commenting on the sure-to-be hilarious tracks. Check out NME’s write-up on the project here. – What’s next, a tour? If SPINAL TAP isn’t careful, they might become a real band… James

I keep hearing the word haunting in reference to ST. VINCENT’s sophomore album Actor, and I agree with most everyone that it is an apt adjective to describe Annie Clark’s solo work. Actor emanates eery beauty, interrupted by stark bursts of noise, and further darkened by Clark’s disturbing lyrics. It’s a complex album thematically and [...]

Since THE SHINS scored a number 2 spot on the billboard charts with Wincing the Night Away, news has been scarce on the Albuquerque band’s front. Well, when it rains it pours. According to Pitchforkmedia, THE SHINS have parted ways with both their drummer and keyboardist. On top of the line-up shift, the remanding members are working on a new album. The album will be released on SHINS front-man’s own label Aural Apothecary.

The post below explains how BAD BRAINS are rad enough to inspire the likes of Buddhist Gurus in Los Angeles. So when I stumbled on upon these clips from a BAD BRAINS documentary, despite the fact that they were released back in January, I couldn’t help but post the video. Check out this teaser from a film on legendary D.C. punkers BAD BRAINS: Head on over to the film’s Myspace page for a closer look at the project.

There is an interesting piece in the LA Times about a Buddhist and his love for punk rock. According to the article, Noah Levine leads a group he coins “Dharma Punx,” which mixes radical notions from hardcore and punk with the practice of mediation. Levine isn’t just trying to reach out to punk rock youth as a gimic. According to Levine, both practices share an anti-establishment ethos based on dissatisfaction with the direction of society. How cool would it be to become aware of your breathing in the presence of a leader wearing a BAD BRAINS t-shirt? You can check out that article here.