Show Review

Rage rap's half-life, Pittsburgh's racism, Gen-X fogies: Kim Gordon's show spurred these 10 thoughts

The Sonic Youth co-founder brought her rage rap-influenced music to Pittsburgh, a city where young rap fans are rarely allowed to rage.

Chasing Fridays

Chasing Fridays: Candy, Spirit of the Beehive, Midwife, and more

I review a hardcore album that caught me off guard, and then dig into new singles from two of my faves. Plus, a couple deeper recs.

Interview

"Some people don't want to offend the eradicators:" Ekko Astral's Jael Holzman on leaving congressional media, journalism's failures, and resisting the "political band" tag

The former Axios reporter censures Congressional journalism's entrenched transphobia, and then reveals how her own band's music is a direct response to the horrors she witnessed on Capitol Hill.

Paid-members only

Review

My favorite and least favorite music of 2024 (so far)

22 blurbs on music I love, and [?] blurbs on music I never want to hear again.

Media Mail

Media Mail: Widescreen post-metal, sci-fi ambient, unearthed post-punk, and more

The column where I review any vinyl, CDs, and cassettes anyone sends me.

Review

Bring Me the Horizon's 'POST HUMAN: NeX GEn' is sometimes brilliant, often bumbling

The metalcore titans' long-awaited new album soars at a scale only they could achieve. However, its magnitude can be awe-inspiring one moment and cumbersome the next.

Chasing Fridays

Chasing Fridays: Twikipedia, Candy Apple, Horse Jumper of Love

A full-length review of one of 2024's best albums, my take on some great hardcore, and a futile attempt to finally enjoy that slowcore band.

Paid-members only

Interview

"Your whole family's going down": A blunt talk with Spiritbox singer Courtney LaPlante

One of metal's biggest figures gets honest about the genre's "identity crisis," the value of criticism, "shitty music" on Octane radio, right-wing metalcore assholes, Charli XCX, and much more.

Chasing Fridays

Chasing Fridays: Draag, Belong, Torture live, and more

I review some of 2024's hottest shoegaze releases, report on seeing the fastest-rising band in extreme music, and recap an awesome hardcore show.

Review

Flipping through Spotify's 'Shoegaze Now' playlist: the good, the mid, and the terrible

Like it or not, this Spotify playlist is one of the main drivers of shoegaze's current moment. I spent an afternoon listening to its contents and reacting to what I heard.

Chasing Fridays

Chasing Fridays: Camila Cabello, Blushing, Trail of Lies, and more

My thoughts on Tryhardi XCX, Syracuse hardcore's heavyweights, some shoegaze I initially dismissed, and more.

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Interview

To be at ease: A long talk with Whirr guitarist Nick Bassett

In his first — and final — honest interview, the shoegaze musician goes deep on his and Whirr's history, addresses the band's controversies head-on, and muses about their future.

Chasing Fridays

Chasing Fridays: 100 songs I like and 13 blurbs

In this special edition of my Friday column I reveal a huge playlist of songs I love, and then write about a handful of 'em.

Show Review

42 thoughts on my first Guided By Voices show

GBV played 42 songs in Pittsburgh — so I cooked up that many thoughts on what I saw, heard, and felt.

Chasing Fridays

Chasing Fridays: Still House Plants, Wisp, Ekko Astral live, and more

Reviews of new art-rock, shoegaze, and rap albums, and some hardcore/post-punk gig recaps.

Review

On Sematary, Artemas, 6arelyhuman, and liking artists I think I should hate

From raver-scene trash to hauntaholic bliss, these are artists I enjoy so much that they make me question my own taste.

Chasing Fridays

5 shows in 4 days: Mannequin Pussy, George Clanton, All 4 All, more

This week's Chasing Fridays column is exclusively dedicated to the boatload of live music I saw over the last seven days.

Chasing Fridays

Chasing Fridays: Cindy Lee, Balmora, Jeff Rosenstock live, and more

*Velvet Underground voice* Friiiday morning. Yep, it's another one of those, and I'm here with this week's Chasing Fridays roundup. This week, I listened to a bunch of new metalcore (the good kind, don't worry), some indie-rock courtesy of A Country Western,

Chasing Fridays

Chasing Fridays: Camila Cabello, Xcelerate, LDB Fest, and more

My thoughts on the pop (flop?) song of the week, some hot new hardcore recs, and my experience at a Louisville hardcore fest.

Show Review

I Saw The Armed for What They Are

The post-modernist hardcore troupe played Pittsburgh. It made me feel some type of way.

Show Review

10 thoughts on my first Joyce Manor show (Feat. Shawn Cooke)

Shawn and I travelled to West Virginia to see the indie-punk maestros in a sold-out 250-cap room.

My Listening Week

My Listening Week: The Goin' Nowheres, Fountains of Wayne, a Worm show, and more

Some thoughts on power-pop, a longer album review, and a recap of a blood-gulping metal gig.

Media Mail

Media Mail: Sweet twee, mod-synth melancholia, gnashing metalcore, and more

The column where I review any vinyl, CD's, and cassettes people send me.

My Listening Week

My Listening Week: Mannequin Pussy, A Country Western, TAGABOW & 7 more

Thoughts on Philly shoegaze's best, some slowcore newcomers, some hardcore old-timers, and a lot more.

Media Mail

Media Mail: Scorching hardcore, psych-y indie, bonkers Christmas tunes and more

I said I'd review any physical media anybody sent me. Here's the latest batch.