SALON: R.E.M.’s “Chronic Town” EP at 40: An underground rock release full of mystery and magic
By ANNIE ZALESKI n August 24, 1982, R.E.M. released their debut EP, “Chronic Town.” Even today, it’s difficult to categorize the five-song release: Bookended by the ringing, yearning “Wolves, Lower” and the rhythm-heavy “Stumble,” the EP turned underground rock on its head, adding equal parts delicacy and tenacity to the music. “Chronic Town” … turned underground rock on its head, […]
VICE: We Watched Gogol Bordello Play a Secret Gig in Ukraine
By Nate Pommer UKRAINE – This was a secret set with a difference: The venue was a sun-roasted slab of pavement; the “stage” was decked out with sandbags and camo netting; the backing band were all military; most of the audience wore body armour; the location of the gig itself strictly classified. But this was the backdrop […]
AMERICAN SONGWRITER: Alicia Blue Plunges Deep Inside Jane’s Addiction 1987 Ballad “Jane Says”
BY TINA BENITEZ-EVES Jane Bainter did have an abusive, drug-dealing boyfriend named Sergio—he treats me like a ragdoll. Early housemate and muse of Jane’s Addiction, and namesake of the band, Bainter was trying to quit heroin—I’m gonna kick tomorrow—she did wear wigs, dreamed of one day getting to Spain, and inspired one of the band’s biggest […]
ATWOOD MAGAZINE: “I WANT TO CREATE MAGIC”: IMAAD WASIF UNVEILS HIS INTIMATE, SOOTHING & REGENERATIVE ALBUM, ‘SO LONG MR. FEAR’
by Mitch Mosk for fans of Father John Misty, John Lennon, Sufjan Stevens ‘So Long Mr. Fear’ is as much about love for the child within me, to the child in anyone that yearns to be free. I’m just so sick of being crippled by fear in so many parts of my life and wanted to […]
HOLLYWOOD LIFE: Queen Kwong Shares How New Album ‘Couples Only’ Is About Validating Emotions
By: Jason Brow August 10, 2022 1:30PM EDT From the dark and industrial-tinted opening notes of “I Know Who You Are,” it’s clear that Queen Kwong‘s new album comes from a place that’s intensely personal and equally powerful. Throughout eleven tracks, Queen Kwong (née Carré Kwong Callaway) unleashes a visceral howl of pain, rage, grief, sorrow, and […]
UNDER THE RADAR: R.E.M. Chronic Town (40th Anniversary Reissue) I.R.S./UMe
Aug 24, 2022 By Mark Moody It’s a sobering thought to consider that all of the surviving college radio disc jockeys of the early ’80s are a heck of a lot closer to their initial Medicare enrollment than they are to the release of R.E.M.’s debut EP. Chronic Town celebrates its 40th anniversary today (it was originally released on […]
THE VINYL DISTRICT: Graded on a Curve: R.E.M., “Chronic Town”
It was nearly four decades ago to the day that R.E.M. released their debut EP “Chronic Town,” a crucial step in the evolution of the biggest act the US college rock era ever produced. It is a trim five-song effort bursting with energy and the jangle that would soon come to define the band’s ’80s work, and for a […]
GOLDMINE MAGAZINE: Imaad Wasif “So Long Mr. Fear” (Sonic Ritual)
Cloistered inside the atmospheric So Long Mr. Fear, a quiet monastery of enthralling indie-folk intimacy, Imaad Wasif has the place to himself. Its droning corridors lined with soft reverb, maps of Wasif’s labyrinthine acoustic guitar figures on its walls, his sixth solo album is a deeply introspective and poetic study of subconscious anxiety, obsession, and dread. […]
CONSEQUENCE OF SOUND: AQUA Announce 25th Anniversary Reissue of Debut Album Aquarium
Glenn Rowley July 29, 2022 | 2:27pm ET Get ready to be happy boys and girls, because Aqua have announced a 25th anniversary reissue of their debut album, Aquarium, out September 9th via Universal Music Denmark. The reissue will be available in digital and vinyl formats. The latter will come in either hot pink or white vinyl along with […]
GRIMY GOODS: IMAAD WASIF Releases Lush and Ephemeral New Album ‘SO LONG MR. FEAR’
Building a pathway to get through the coronavirus pandemic, guitarist and songwriter Imaad Wasif’s new album, So Long Mr. Fear — out now via Sonic Ritual — is a beautiful, ephemeral burst of light; a beacon of hope and desire in a sea of confusion. Soft, with a touch of nostalgia, the album shines lyrically, with minimal production and warm, resonating […]