We do not advocate the purchase of Led Zeppelin’s new Mothership, which is being conveniently released around their reunion gigs and features only 24 songs “handpicked by band members”…that doesn’t include “The Ocean.”
Blech. Don’t you people know that for the cost of a few more CDs you can purchase the entire catalog on iTunes? We’re […]

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Xentrix
Shattered Existence [ORIGINAL RECORDING REMASTERED]
Label: MVD Audio
Xentrix didn’t really break any new ground with their 1989 release Shattered Existence, but they provide some solid metal in the vein of Megadeth and Testament. Like Atrophy, Xentrix features a gruff vocalist, Chris Astley, who barks out fragmentary observations on modern society (circa 1989), but there’s nothing really […]

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Heathen
Victims of Deception [ORIGINAL RECORDING REMASTERED]
Label: MVD Audio
Heathen packs power and skillful playing on their second full-length release, 1991’s Victims of Deception. The songs are long, complex, full of riffing and melodic passages.
Singer David White Godfrey is a technically proficient singer, but his lyrics don’t always fit the music. Sometimes it seems like he’s shoehorning […]

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Great Northern’s Sleepy Eepee is the prequel to the acclaimed full-length Trading Twilight For Daylight. Available on iTunes on Nov. 6 and slated for mass distribution on Eenie Meanie early next year, it’s a definitely “must” download if you’re into the mesmerizing LA sonicisms.
However, “This is a Problem,” which you can stream below, showcases more […]

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Ryan Montbleau Band
Patience on Friday
Label: Blue’s Mountain
Guess who’s playing First Avenue’s 7th St. Entry tonight? Ryan Montbleau, who was last in town on Sept. 28, playing with Martin Sexton.
We have his band’s new disc, Patience on a Friday, sitting here and admittedly haven’t given it enough attention. However, 2006’s debut, One Fine Color, has been […]

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Dropkick Murphys
November 11, 2007
Myth, Maplewood, MN
If you can remember any single aspect of last night’s Dropkick Murphy’s show at Myth, then you most certainly ARE NOT Irish. Nuff said.

(thanks to Tim Dasovich for photos)

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Cirque Du Soleil’s “KÀ”
November 8, 2007
MGM Grand, Las Vegas, NV 
Unlike most Cirque shows, KÀ was created with the Vegas stage in mind. Maybe that’s why the cupholders were big enough to fit a beer glass larger than your head.
Billed as the story of “conflict and love” told through water, earth, air and fire, we’re not […]

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The Forms
The Forms
Label: Rebel Group
Wow, we thought The Forms sounded familiar. We saw them at SXSW and thought their savvy brand of angular rock was good, but their debut album, Icarus, was just so-so.
Enter their new self-titled disc (four years later, mind you), and yes, it’s still very Decemberistsy. However, overall it’s good if […]

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The Blind Shake
Carmel
Label: Learning Curve Records
After partnering with Minneapolis legend Michael Yonkers on a collab called “Carboyhydrates Hydrocarbons,” Minneapolis group The Blind Shake have released their second full-length, Carmel.
Brothers Jim and Mike Blaha and drummer Dave Roper may not be the youngest kids on the scene, but on their second home-produced disc, they’ve got […]

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Brothers Quetico
Folk Art is the New Regular Art
Brothers Quetico’s new disc, Folk Art is the New Regular Art, is a messy masterpiece of indie-folk and avant-garde rock. It’s Black Heart Procession meets Fugazi with morose melodies (title track), instrumental builders (”Thrifter”) and psychoid freakouts (”Above It or in It”).
The Minneapolis band play the Clapperclaw Music […]

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