It was somewhere on 34th Street, in the midst of Chinatown, when the rickshaw finally tipped over. It had been careening on for some time, the driver had been going far too fast, an unbelievable accusation, but true, and its lurching, jumping wooden frame could no longer stay upright in its current condition. The passengers,…
My Life With The Thrill Kill Kult Golden Pillz: the luna remixes (Sleazebox/Underground Inc.) We all know that Thrill Kill Kult isn’t the most “industrial” band anymore. They’ve been toying with more techno and dance sounds over the years, from the disco of “Sexplosion!” to the straight-up ’50’s kitsch of “Hit & Run Holiday”. But…
The Chaos Engine Escape Ferocity (Wasp Factory Recordings) The greatest flaw in logic regarding music is that every band must be new, fresh, original, and brilliant. This is a fallacy. Clichés in music are almost unavoidable; a good band makes you forget about those clichés while you’re listening to their music. The Chaos Engine is…
Unit:187 Capital Punishment (C.O.P. Int’l.) After a long hiatus and band restructuring, Unit:187 has returned. Those familiar with their previous 21st Circuitry releases, especially “Loaded”, will find more of the same here, only in a more refined form. Unit:187, now only John Morgan and Tod Law, is in a finer form than they’ve ever been…
Various artists Notes From Thee Real Underground: Volume III (Underground Inc.) Compilations are a hard sell… It’s all a matter of economy for the most part. The sad fact is that most content on compilations just isn’t very good and you will likely have a hard time justifying a $14 CD purchase for 1 to…
The outside of the Jablonski house, a small ranch-style domicile, was lit with Christmas cheer. Glowing plastic Santa’s and snowmen lined the yard, lights hung from every tree, and a small manger scene stood next to the street. The Christmas shrine was only punctuated by the small wooden garden gnomes casually placed throughout the yard,…
SMP Terminal (Underground Inc.) Don’t get me wrong… I like SMP a lot. I mean, “Terminal” was, for me, the best album of 2000. Unfortunately, this is not “Terminal”. This is, in fact, a “Jason Bazinet’s greatest hits” album, collecting songs from “Terminal” and “Ultimatum”, as well as new tracks, “Acid Drop” and “Analogue Assassins”,…
In the seemingly endless span of existence since life peeked its sneering head into our universe, things have happened. Great things, with great battles and feuds, so legendary that they will always exist in the cultural memory of those who witness them. And so, too, it is with those thoughtless and impulsive beasts, who by…
Old Johnny Watson was sitting on the curb, hand outstretched, as the businessman in the Armani suit walked by. “Hey, buddy, could you spare a dime for a fella that’s down on his luck?” The man sneered and averted his gaze. “Sorry, I’ve got nothing…” Johnny had been there, on that curb, for four…
“Thanks for your time, Dr. Hutchins.” Marty shuffled through the papers in his bag. The doctor glanced up from the notebook that he was looking through, sliding his glasses down to look at Marty. “It’s no problem at all, son. There’s not enough time in the day for me to talk about myself and my…