Jason Heller

Druglords Of The Avenues New Drugs When Swingin’ Utters first started cranking out records in the early ’90s, they were the kind of band you could imagine running across in some crappy warehouse or punk-rock pub. But soon after, that, Fat Wreck Chords record deals, high-profile tours and a shift toward roof-raising anthems jumped the Utters to a bigger stage. Druglords ...

The Casualties Resistance It’s telling that the Casualties are touring behind their new full-length, Resistance as the opening act for GWAR. Since forming more than 20 years ago, the New York City outfit have always felt like a Saturday-morning-cartoon caricature of vintage punk—in other words, the overblown, spiky-haired stereotype of punkers plucked straight from your grandma’s bad dreams. Acc

Soul Control Bore Core EP Like a horse carcass hurled off a skyscraper, Soul Control’s bloody, guts-smeared post-hardcore works best when it’s blurring by at terminal velocity. That’s not to say the Rhode Island crew aren’t good at any speed; on past releases like 2009’s (vaguely Refused-esque) Cycles and last year’s (far more Refused-esque) Get Out Now, there’s an undertow of churning menace th

Jimmy Cliff Rebirth Jimmy Cliff is not a likely candidate for the American Recordings-style, late-career comeback. Since his 1970s heyday—most notably with the game-changing soundtrack of The Harder They Come—the singer has maintained his status as one of reggae’s most dependable artists. But there’s been ...

The Flaming Lips The Flaming Lips And Heady Fwends As if the word “Fwends” wasn’t enough of an indication, the first song on The Flaming Lips And Heady Fwends—“2012 (You Must Be Upgraded)—hints that the album is going to fall squarely on the Lips’ impish side. Impish and annoying. Like the Mr. Mxyzpt ...

Sigur Rós Valtari As if symbolic of their space-filled music, Iceland’s Sigur Rós took a four-year break between their last studio album and the new Valtari. During that time, frontman Jónsi made a solo disc, The band released a couple stopgaps and a volcano near Eyjafjallajökull erupted numerous times, unleashing a massive cloud of ash that blanketed Iceland throughout the autumn of 2010. If Va

Racebannon Six Sik Sisters Racebannon are no strangers to the concept album. Most notably, their 2002 punk opera Satan’s Kickin’ Yr Dick In showed that Indiana’s noisiest could also be its artiest—and evilest. The title of Racebannon’s new full-length, Six Sik Sisters, is a clue that they haven’t lost their devilish tickle. Instead of another opera, though, ...

Torche/Part Chimp Split EP Torche covering three Guided By Voices songs: It’s only weird until you think about it for a second. As heavy as Torche get—which is comparable to a collapsed star—they’ve always had a ticklish spot where pop music is concerned. Granted, GBV’s vision ...

Pianos Become The Teeth The Lack Long After Pianos Become The Teeth’s last album, Old Pride, was aptly named. But where that disc celebrated the bygone era of ’90s screamo, Pianos’ new full-length, The Lack Long After, savagely forges ahead. As raw and messy ...

Ghost Thrower …Has A One That Got Away EP During Therefore I Am’s brief but blazing existence, guitarist Travis Alexander helped build a brick wall of defensive belligerence. On Get Miserable, the debut EP by his new group Ghost Thrower, he started dismantling that wall. On the band’ ...

ÆGES Roaches EP The intro to “Roaches”—the title track of ÆGES’ two-song debut EP—feels like a salvo of rabies injections to the gut. Then the needling feedback and dissonance stop, and the melody starts. Featuring an all-star lineup that includ ...

Craig Wedren Wand Like a serpent wrapped around a candy cane, Craig Wedren’s slithery voice knows how to insinuate itself into pop music in sick, unsavory ways. Granted, his best-known project, Shudder To Think, turned rock hooks into theses on deconstruction. But ...

Kasabian Velociraptor! Kasabian have been topping charts and grabbing awards in their native England since their self-titled debut dropped in 2004, but they’ve also managed to snag a decent cult following among stateside Anglophiles along the way. The ...

Brent Hinds Presents Without A Face + West End Motel Calling Fiend Without A Face + West End Motel—a side-band doubleheader from Mastodon frontman Brent Hinds—a vanity project might be a little harsh. After all, Hinds’ unearthly growl has never been vain. But there’s a du ...

Black God Black God EP Much the same way that Drive Like Jehu were reconstituted—sort of—as Hot Snakes, three-fourths of Louisville’s hardcore powerhouse Black Cross have reunited as Black God. (The band’s name even seems to be a mashup of Black Cross and By The Grace Of God, one of singer Rob Pennington’s former outfits.) But that isn’t the only sim ...

Joe Lally Why Should I Get Used To It Since Fugazi went on hiatus eight years ago, bassist Joe Lally has recorded with all kinds of luminaries—including former Red Hot Chili Peppers guitarist John Frusciante and members of Frodus—in a variety of projects. But his le ...

Franz Nicolay Luck And Courage   There aren't too many rules for being a decent singer-songwriter, but here's one: Your voice has to be compelling. It doesn't have to begood, exactly, but it does have to hook ears and serve as some sort of sympathetic vehicle for lyrics and melody. On that level, ... Read More ...

Bottomless Pit Blood Under The Bridge In an interview taped for the upcoming documentary Couldn't You Wait: The Story of Silkworm, Pavement's Stephen Malkmus talks about how Silkworm—despite having respectable (if criminally overlooked) runs on indie giants like Matador and Touch And Go—never seemed to be remotely motivated by careerism. When Silkworm drum ...

Git Some Loose Control Git Some have long been pigeonholed as "that ex-Planes Mistaken For Stars band." But the truth is, Git Some existed before guitarist Chuck French and bassist Neil Keener joined the final incarnation of Planes—and accordingly, Git Some are their own beast entirely. Jittery, disco ...

Various Artists Broken Hearts & Dirty Windows: Songs Of John Prine Releasing a tribute album to yourself on your own label might seem a bit narcissistic, but anyone who knows veteran folkie John Prine can vouch for the man's integrity. Lu ...