Afghan Whigs on Letterman

Watch The Afghan Whigs perform "Matamoros" on Letterman!

Bob Mould on Conan

Watch Bob Mould perform "I Don't Know You" on Conan!

QUICK SPINS

 

Fucked Up – Glass Boys

The Canadian punks fire back with an amazingly beautiful and brutally chaotic new album that takes everything that you love about this band and gives more. Glass Boys may not be as ambitious as their Zodiac series or their brilliant 2011 record, David Comes to Life, but it does the job and does it with flying colors. Glass Boys is a look at social life in the social media age, it is an observation of what is wrong with us as a society and that instead of being alive we need to start living.

FINAL GRADE: A

SZA – Z

Last month we picked SZA as our Rising Artist and her latest, Z, proves why. Z is minimalist R&B, Europop, hip-hop, and New Wave rolled into a fantastic E.P. that makes us beg for her to release a full length soon!

FINAL GRADE: A-

Kylie Minogue – Kiss Me Once

The Australian pop goddess returned to dancefloors this spring with her 12^th studio album and did not disappoint. Kiss Me Once is Ms. Minogue doing what she does best, just letting the beat captivate her audience while she puts her vocal power on another set of great pop tunes.

FINAL GRADE: B+

Bob Mould – Beauty & Ruin

The iconic Husker Du and Sugar frontman returns with his 11^th studio album and like a fine wine, Mould keeps getting better with age.

FINAL GRADE: B+

7Seconds – Leave a Light On

The news came rattling in like a shockwave that 7Seconds were going to release their first album in nine years and the legendary punks to do let fans down. While it has been a long wait, 7Seconds have not lost their fierce touch. Maybe a few years away from the studio together did them some good and they could recharge their internal batteries and creative juices and just burn through and burn down their audience like they did in their heyday.

FINAL GRADE: B+

Chromeo – White Women

The Canadian dance duo storm back with another party starting album that hears them doing nothing too diverse than what they have given us in the past, nonetheless, it still is superfun record to play. The beauty of Chromeo is that you always know what you are getting yourself into.

FINAL GRADE: B+

Jack White – Lazaratto

Jack White returns with his second solo album and instead of being “Just another Jack White” record, he actually pushes himself as a guitarist and goes beyond blues. Incorporating psychedelica, metal, punk, and garage riffs, the man who saved rock and roll seems to be saving himself with his latest solo venture.

FINAL GRADE: B+

Little Dragon – Nabuma Rubberband

Sweden’s Little Dragon come back with their fourth album and like their fellow countrymen they know how to make a great pop record, yet, Little Dragon make pop on their terms. It is whimsical, more playful, and less serious than others but is not frivolous in their delivery.

FINAL GRADE: B

Howler – World of Joy

Minneapolis’ Brit-influenced rockers Howler came back with their second record two years after releasing their awesome, America Give Up. Their latest, World of Joy, is a total 180 in both style and sound. It is much more polished, positive, and profound.

FINAL GRADE: B

The Menzingers -  Rented World

Pennsylvania punks The Menzingers fire back with their fourth studio album and still bring their combination of abrasive punk and classic rock and roll together. This is a band that should be far bigger than they actually are and Rented World is another reason why.

FINAL GRADE: B

Pixies – Indie Cindy

When we said we wanted a new Pixies record, we didn’t mean just a compilation of E.P.’s that didn’t feature the original line-up. Then again, a Pixies record is better than no Pixies record, right?

FINAL GRADE: B-

Michael Jackson – Xscape

When it was announced that their would be ANOTHER posthumous MJ record, we rolled our eyes and wanted to dislike whatever his family and estate were putting out. The thing is, Xscape is actually not a bad record it is just put out for all the bad reasons. It makes us miss the King of Pop’s style, singing swagger, and j’hamon.

FINAL GRADE: B-

Fu Manchu - Gigantoid

The SoCal stoner punks return with another record for fans to add to the growing collection of Fu Manchu''s long history.

FINAL GRADE: C+

The Faint – Doom Abuse

It has been six years since The Faint released a new album and their latest, Doom Abuse, feels like it took them eight days to put together. It is a disjointed, chaotic, and sloppy return.

FINAL GRADE: C

The Ghost of a Saber Tooth Tiger – Midnight Sun

The long awaited debut from John Lennon’s kin, Sean’s band finally arrives and it is a trip on the magical mystery tour. The album is an electronic and psychedelic journey into the mind of Lennon, who at times, writes and sings like his late father, and at other points sounds like his mother. Midnight Sun is not a record you digest right away, it takes a bit to get into.

FINAL GRADE: C

Tune-Yards – Nikki Nack

Tune-Yards return with their third record and it’s playful and childish sound takes on adult themes that, at often times, makes the music sound disjointed and uncoordinated.

FINAL GRADE: C

Soundgarden on Fallon

To celebrate the reissue of their classic 1994 album, Superunknown, watch Soundgarden perform on The Tonight Show!

Twin Shadow on Conan

Watch Twin Shadow perform his new single, "To the Top" on Conan!

Quick News

Fans of prog-rock legends King Crimson can rejoice, the band have announced they will be reuniting and touring this summer.

After releasing the trailer for Sonic Highways, his HBO documentary series, Dave Grohl confirmed in a press release that the new Foo Fighters record will arrive in November. Grohl said, "I've pulled up the family tree of American music and exposed its roots to find inspiration for the next Foo Fighters album." The record is still untitled.

The Ting Tings confirmed they are working on their third album and it will be out this fall.

Pennywise will release their new album, Yesterdays, next month. The record will feature OG singer Jim Lindberg back on vocals.

Giving their first interview in over a decade, Pulp sat down with NME to discuss their upcoming documentary, legacy, and possible future. Band member Steve Mackey spoke about the possibility of a new record, saying, "I know you're not going to believe this but we honestly haven't talked about it." Member Candida Doyle added, "We're just not that kind of band. If you step back into that environment where you want to release records, then all these complications step up."

It has been revealed in a court case between Beastie Boys and Monster Energy Drink that the influential New York group promised late member Adam "MCA" Yauch, they would not make any more music after he passed. Member Mike D said in court, "We have not been able to tour since MCA, Adam Yauch, died. We can't make new music."

Medical records have confirmed that Gwar front man Dave Brockie aka Oderus Urungus died of a heroin overdose in March.

Led Zeppelin's Jimmy Page has confirmed that he will release his autobiography, Jimmy Page by Jimmy Page, in October.

Tennis have announced that their new album, Ritual in Repeat, will arrive in September. Take a look at the tracklisting below:
01 Night Vision
02 Never Work for Free
03 Needle and a Knife
04 I’m Callin’
05 Bad Girls
06 Timothy
07 Viv Without the N
08 Wounded Heart
09 This Isn’t My Song
10 Solar on the Rise
11 Meter & Line

Dave Grohl's HBO Series 'Sonic Highways' Trailer

This fall, HBO will air the Dave Grohl-directed series, Sonic Highways, which features his band, Foo Fighters recording in some of America's most landmark recording studios. The series will air this fall, take a look at the teaser trailer above.

Rising Artist: Twin Peaks

Last month before we caught Eagulls at Mercury Lounge, a rising Chicago band opened the night at Mercury Lounge and blew us away, that band was Twin Peaks. The band, who look like they are hardly over 16, yet, all just turned 20, bring a perfect sense of garage rock and pop-punk to their wild sound. With enough energy to make the creatures of Red Bull look exhausted, Twin Peaks are a band that will certainly be taking the American music scene by storm. In August, the band will release their debut, Wild Onion, which will build on the sound they crafted with their acclaimed EP, Flavor, that came out last year. If you are a fan of Blink-182, The Front Bottoms, The Strokes, and The Libertines, this a band you must checkout. Get on them now, by the time their debut arrives, you can say you heard about them here first.

Underrated Classic: Wings - 'London Town'

It is known that after The Beatles ended, Paul McCartney took-off even further into his musical popularity thanks to his band Wings. While Wings will always get a few eye rolls and chuckles and will never be as important as The Beatles were, for what they were worth, they did release some great albums and singles. In 1978, they released one of their best, London Town. The record, which took longer than expected to arrive due to the departure of two band members, the birth of Linda and Paul's son, James. The record saw Wings as a trio for the first time in five years and after all of the delays and hiccups that went into making London Town, it became a slight success but over time, it has faded in popularity and pushed under the rug. Sessions for the album began in the Virgin Islands, ironic considering the album's title, and eventually finished in England. The record had a few pop hits like "Girlfriend," and "With A Little Luck," but also a darker and moody album for a band that started crafting it in a tropical climate. Thanks to songs like "I've Had Enough," "I'm Carrying," and "Don't Let It Bring You Down," the record felt like a cathartic expression for Paul and Linda. London Town was the record that saw the end massive commercial success of Wings for quite a while and thanks to the arrival of punk, the record only pushed a million copies, which in those days was sub-par, even for a former Beatle. After the release of the record, the band split from Capitol Records, which was Paul's home since his start with The Beatles and was eventually reissued in 1993 but nothing has been done since. While Wings, again, will always be looked on as Macca's other band, London Town is still worth a listen.

Movie of the Month: The Harder They Come

While the summer always brings on many speakers blasting reggae music, one of the biggest modules for that genre to be brought to the masses, especially in America was the 1972 film, The Harder They Come, staring the one and only Jimmy Cliff. The film, a crime-drama, follows Cliff's character as he goes from drug dealer to recording star in Jamaica. While it is regarded as one of the most important films to come from the Caribbean, the film's soundtrack may be more famous than the movie itself and propelled Cliff into an international star thanks to his performance and the singles, "The Harder They Come" and "You Can Get It If You Really Want." The Harder They Come is a fantastic film that shows both the beauty and brutal sides of Jamaica and the business of the music industry outside of America or England. Still after all of these years, the film stands the test of time and captivates fans, old and new, who watch it. While it is summer everyday in Jamaica, this is a fantastic seasonal film that will make you want to hit the beach and beyond.