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 […]

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 […]

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 […]

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 a slick sheen and bloodless professionalism with much of his […]

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. Mxyzptlk of indie […]

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 […]

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 […]

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 of pop has always been equally trashed, which is […]