All high school sit-coms include an obligatory episode in which the Dumb Ass Jock takes a liking to a Studious Suzy and sets out to impress her by showing his “sensitive side.” What follows typically entails said jock making poor … more >

Elysian Fields The Afterlife Vicious Circle If you’ve ever heard Lovage’s Music to Make Love to Your Old Lady By and wanted more of Jennifer Charles without Mike Patton creaming at the sound of his own voice, Elysian Fields may … more >

Clutch ‘Strange Cousins From The West’ Weathermaker Music I hate records like this for two reasons: 1)    They suck. 2)    They appear as such a generic approximation of the genre they’re emulating that it destabilizes your conviction that any record … more >

British D.I.Y. legends Animals & Men have returned from a nearly thirty-year furlough with a self-titled 12″ EP out now on Convulsive Records. It pleases me to inform that they had good cause to do so. The engaging simplicity of … more >

Sunset Rubdown – Dragonslayer Jagjaguwar Reviewed by Chip Norman If Bruce Springsteen is your Stones, and you believe Bono deserves to breathe, you weren’t meant for a musician. Had this fact been imparted upon the sensitive souls who would become … more >

The Smith Westerns – The Smith Westerns HoZac/Bachelor/Rob’s House Reviewed by Chip Norman The Smith Westerns self-titled debut is a promising and not entirely confident first for this Chicago power-pop outfit. In the best moments, The Smith Westerns plays like … more >

I was thirteen years old when I first got stoned- and heard sonic youth. The story goes like this; i was auditioning for a band that my friend Phil was putting together and after embarrassing myself with my horrendous guitar … more >

I could be wrong, but I’m pretty sure that Natasha Khan gets boned by Smurfs. Hobbits, too. And I think that pervert Lancelot used to court her. Again, I could be wrong about all this. But I was listening to … more >

The Mars Volta – Octahedron Universal/Motown Reviewed by Chip Norman The Mars Volta are back with their latest role-playing game, Octahedron. Guitar Center employees and dudes driving Jeep Wranglers are stoked. I, on the other hand, am PISSED that this … more >

Contrary to what NME’s headlines might scream (I imagine NME’s staff run about their office in a perpetual state of hyperbolic excitement; to quote The Dude: That must be exhausting), The Horrors’ new album isn’t some bold artistic statement. Maybe … more >

Rancid – Let The Dominoes Fall Warner Bros. Records (Oy!) Reviewed by Chip Norman Ever wonder what the old creeps in Rancid talk about while getting dressed up in their little costumes? I wager they either quietly weep while avoiding … more >

Jack-O. & the Tennessee Tearjerkers – The Disco Outlaw Goner Records Reviewed by Chip Norman Jack Oblivian (a.k.a Jack Yarber) is back with his Tearjerkers, this time as The Disco Outlaw. I’m not sure what that means, but I do … more >

Superchunk – Leaves In The Gutter Merge Reviewed by Chip Norman Superchunk’s Leaves in The Gutter took seven years to sound like 1994 and the Get Up Kids. I blame the Get Up Kids, but regardless of emo successors, Superchunk … more >

IT’S A HIT! Jay Reatard – “It Ain’t Gonna Save Me” You got a stupid hair cut, Jay Reatard. Real stupid haircut. But this track is good: This too: Wavves – “So Bored” So, Travis heard about another user with … more >

                                                          Intelligence – Fake Surfers/Crepuscule With Pacman In The Red/Born Bad You … more >