Posts
DecemberDec 11 Thursday 08
"Brass Ring" by Two Cow Garage
More of the same isn't always a bad thing, especially when more is a new Two Cow Garage album, and the same is gritty, classic rock inspired riffage paired with solid songwriting done in the every man American tradition of Springsteen and Mellencamp. On "Brass Ring," …
"Trouble" by Isobel Campbell and Mark Lanegan
Quite honestly, I could listen to Isobel Campbell and Mark Lanegan sing an album consisting entirely of press releases for the next big thing from NYC, clinical trials of the newest treatments for athlete's foot, or the police blotter from the newspaper of one traffic …
DecemberDec 9 Tuesday 08
"No One's Better Sake" by Little Joy
Like a little version of The Strokes, with drummer Fab Moretti playing the part of Julian Casablancas, Strokes' side project Little Joy, succeeds largely by keeping things simple. Whether it's sleepy-eyed garage rock, golden oldies, or first wave ska, as is the case …
DecemberDec 8 Monday 08
And We're Back With New Music From The Marked Men, Friendly Foes, and The Howlies
Without getting into the nasty green, yellow, and brown details, let's just say I'm well enough to be writing and well enough to be working, but still operating at less than peak performance due to that nasty upper respiratory infection that won't go away. In the coming …
"Lakeside" by BLK JKS
"Lakeside" is the sound of Johannesburg, and Soweto, and South Africa. It's where BLK JKS' members were born, raised, and cut their teeth. It's where they learned how to incorporate the rhythmic, hypnotic sounds of their home land into the often staid structure of …
DecemberDec 5 Friday 08
Upper Respiratory Infection
Upper Respiratory Infection isn't a band, no, it's the result of this virus which has wrecked my head, my lungs, my chest, and my week. I think I'm going to nap some more...
DecemberDec 4 Thursday 08
From the IRCWHQ Newsdesk: K Rock Cleveland Kicks Out the DJs, Becomes Radio 92.3
From The Cleveland Plain Dealer, comes news that 92.3 WKRK, Cleveland's mainstream alternative rock radio station, has rebranded itself as Radio 92.3 and has ditched all their djs with a promise of less talk and more rock.
It's no secret that terrestrial radio has been …
DecemberDec 3 Wednesday 08
Attention Shoppers: Insound and I Rock Cleveland Have a Special Holiday Promotion for You
Look, I know times are tough. I really want to buy Lexuses for everyone on my Christmas list. I've seen the commercials, and how happy a new Lexus makes all the rick folk, but this year I don't think I can afford one Lexus, let alone ten Lexuses. I'm sure you have …
DecemberDec 1 Monday 08
From the IRCWHQ Newsdesk: Coffinberry Readies New Album, Like Bells Sign to Exit Stencil
*Cleveland rockers, Coffinberry, are hard at work on the follow up to 2007's most excellent release, God Dam Dogs. According to DX Ferris at the Cleveland Scene, the new album will feature a more expansive sound than God Dam Dogs', rugged guitar attack. Also of note, …
NovemberNov 26 Wednesday 08
Cleveland Concert Update: November 25th to December 13th
Tonight. Tuesday, November 25th: Marnie Stern, Talk Normal, Mystery of Two, and Marie Corbo @ Beachland Tavern. Electric Six, Local H, Townhouse Suite @ The Grog Shop.
Wednesday, November 26th: This Way Out Anniversary Show with Hot Rails, The Dreadful Yawns, and To Be …
NovemberNov 24 Monday 08
F*cked Up Do Daytrotter
Canadian hardcore/art-core/progressive core/all kinds of core you ain't never dreamed of, band F*cked Up, recently stopped by Daytrotter to lay down an exclusive four song mix. Included in this free download, is a clean and crisp version of "Crooked Head," now with 90% …
"Headin' Inside" by Surf City
Simply put, if you're a fan of the new lo-fi sounds on Siltbreeze, or the new wave of underground punk/pop on In the Red Records, you need Surf City's EP. And when the New Zealand band add in those vintage surf guitars, buckets of boundless energy, and that …
NovemberNov 22 Saturday 08
Moving Pictures: "I Saw the Light" by State Bird
State Bird's video for "I Saw the Light" validates the old adage: Who needs a big budget for a music video when you have big fun. Lasers, scribbles, shirtless dudes jumping and screaming in joy, and a Full House era Olsen Twin plastered on the wall, all add to the …
"Folksong Oblivion" by The Phantom Band
Much like Future of the Left's "Suddenly a Folk Song," The Phantom Band's "Folksong Oblivion" isn't as much of a folk song, as a song with folksy elements interpreted by a band intent on not writing a folk song. The opening, with its loose guitar chords, alternating …
NovemberNov 20 Thursday 08
MF'N Chinese Democracy...
is streaming now at Myspace. Listen at your own peril and/or pleasure.
"Baby Can You Dig Your Man?" by Little Death
With the bite and bounce of the Pixies and the urgency and zeal of early singles by Ash, Little Death's "Baby Can You Dig Your Man?" hits the speakers with forceful conviction. It's got everything a great indie rock song should have: a good sense of dynamics with …
NovemberNov 19 Wednesday 08
"My Thin Sides" by Army Navy
Ever wonder what happened to the dancing dude in The Mighty Mighty Bosstones? You know the guy, the one who served no purpose in the band, but to dance? I think we've found him. It's either him, or a long lost cousin, with the scene stealing performance in Army …
NovemberNov 18 Tuesday 08
From the IRCWHQ Newsdesk: The Black Keys' Dan Auerbach Announces His First Solo Album
From Billboard.com, we have the details behind Dan Auerbach's first solo album. The 14 track Keep it Hid, will be released February 10th on Nonesuch Records and will encompass a wider range of styles than typically found on a Black Keys release. There'll be some …
Deerhunter and Times New Viking Live @ The Grog Shop Cleveland. 11.14.08
I'd be hard pressed to name an artist as genuine, as good natured, and as caring as Deerhunter's Bradford Cox. Before his band's set at the Grog Shop Friday night, he was out in the courtyard in front of the venue, hanging out and talking with fans. During the sound …
NovemberNov 15 Saturday 08
"The Asiatic Capital Vista" by Beaten by Them
Think about it, an Asiatic capital vista. If you're a dumb American like me, you may have trouble naming an Asiatic capital, let alone envisioning what one would like. Still, I want you to stick with that image.
Now, take a listen to the grand, sweeping movements of …