One of my favorite quotes is by singer and songwriter Macklemore. “It’s up to you to turn the pen into a machete and make sure that every beat that you meet gets killed.” I try to live by this line. It’s a perfect representation of what every author, filmmaker, singer, and songwriter strives for. A
by Bob Freville I had largely given up on Punk ever since pop-punk acts like Avril Lavigne and Good Charlotte co-opted the label and bastardized it. But every now and again, I come across an artist that puts things right and calls out the many wrongs of the genre. In recent years, acts like The
by Ben Arzate The Buggles are the quintessential “one hit wonder” band, to the point that they’re less recognized by their name and more by “the guys that did ‘Video Killed the Radio Star.’” Their biggest claim to fame is that their music video was the first one to air on MTV. However, they couldn’t
by JL Mayne Have you ever seen anyone who has had a severe stroke? Part of their brain starts dying. They lie there, staring at you, wondering what in the hell is going on inside of their head. Part of them tries to talk to you, but all that comes out is a jumble of
Now that we’ve recently revisited nu metal, it seems like a list about so-called “classical” music is in order. I mean, it just makes sense, right? Okay, maybe not, but I’ve been wanting to do this one for a while. Let me explain. It’s pretty much a commonplace to say “the Internet changed everything.” Having
Ah, nu metal. Who can forget it? That’s back when everyone shopped at Hot Topic and wore jeans that could easily hide the smaller members of your immediate family. I swear it’s true kids, just google “Jncos.” The nu metal heyday may have been before your time, late millennials, but it was truly one of
By Bob Freville The following review originally appeared in Kotori Magazine on June 19th of 2009. It is included here as part of our retro weekend series. “Gasoline, saccharine/I got no reason for the state I’m in/But I know what I am/They know what they are/So let me be.” So go the opening lyrics to
By Bob Freville In 1997 I was fishing through a used CD bin at my local record store when I came across an album with song titles like “Homage to the Ramones,” “This May Sound Kind of Weird” and “Children of the Corn Nuts.” As a lifelong Ramones fanatic and fat little weirdo, I was
Welcome to SMM’s first year-end “Best Albums” list! There’s been a lot of great music this year, and it’s been a tough pick. Keep in mind that on SMM, we’re focused on the weird and experimental side of things, and this “Best Albums” list is no exception. I hope you enjoy, and leave a comment
By Ben Arzate Read Part I Here Dedicated to Hardy Fox 1945 – 2018 Despite the premature demise of their American Composers Series project and the death of their good friend and long-time collaborator Snakefinger, the Residents continued to work on new projects. In 1988, the Residents released what is, in my opinion, their best
