Half a Split Review: Lords of Beacon House

By Jeff McCarthy LORDS OF BEACON HOUSE are a San Pedro, California trio who play 70’s psych rock with a proto-metal heft to it.  The material enclosed at the link below is from the forthcoming split album with bro band Great Electric Quest (to drop via Glory Or Death Records on 6/16/17). It’s also the… Continue reading Half a Split Review: Lords of Beacon House

You Can’t Tell Me What to Do: An Interview with The D.O.O.D.

Hailing from Sarasota, Florida, The Distinguished Order of Disobedience (also known as The D.O.O.D.) will embark on an East Coast tour this month that brings them to Connecticut not once but twice.  In anticipation, we emailed the band some questions about their new EP, their stage show, and one member’s hometown connection.  Here’s what singer… Continue reading You Can’t Tell Me What to Do: An Interview with The D.O.O.D.

Album Review: Electric Ray and The Shockers’ California Torpedo

Proving the universality of music, Austrian band Electric Ray and The Shockers has released a slice of punky surf rock that sounds like it was hewn from San Diego’s Sunset Cliffs.  California Torpedo is funky and irreverent enough to stand out in a familiar genre.  Check out their video for “T.R.O.U.B.L.E.”: If the balloon-bathroom-acid-trip doesn’t sell… Continue reading Album Review: Electric Ray and The Shockers’ California Torpedo

EP Review: Downward Spiral

My buddy Marco G has been sending Alternative Control albums to review for a couple years, and Downward Spiral’s self-titled debut EP is my favorite so far.  It builds on the musical ideas from his previous group Stikpin and the production is radio-ready. Marco plays guitar in the current incarnation, joined by Stikpin vocalist Chris… Continue reading EP Review: Downward Spiral

Album Review: Verena von Horsten’s Alien Angel Super Death

In her new album Alien Angel Super Death, solo artist and multi-instrumentalist Verena von Horsten tackles the difficult topic of her brother’s suicide.  The ten synth-rock tracks are dark but still strangely catchy — especially for such a depressing topic.  “Fire” and “The Believer” will definitely be stuck in your head. Working out of New York… Continue reading Album Review: Verena von Horsten’s Alien Angel Super Death

Album Review: Talia’s Thugs They Look Like Angels

Thugs They Look Like Angels by French rock trio Talia has some serious 90s nostalgia.  The 2015 album is heavily influenced by grunge bands such as Nirvana and Hole.  Peppy riffs belie dark subject matter, like in the song “American Bride”: Talia opened for Soul Asylum in Los Angeles this summer, and they’ll be opening for… Continue reading Album Review: Talia’s Thugs They Look Like Angels

TOM’S TOTALLY BIASED FAVORITE ALBUMS OF 2016

Musical taste is very subjective. What can be one person’s trash is another person’s treasure. My list is no different. These are the albums that I enjoyed the most in this past year. Once again, it skews more toward “rock” orientated releases, but that’s just my preference. I like what I like. Sometimes I wish… Continue reading TOM’S TOTALLY BIASED FAVORITE ALBUMS OF 2016