torche - torche

Torche: Torche (2005)

I’m sure there were other bands purveying the sludge pop vibe before Torche; hell, you could say that Floor, the band founded by Torche’s Steve Brooks and Juan Montoya were already setting the groundwork for what Torche, the eponymous debut would crash out of the gate with. But it was my first dalliance with this kind of heaviness, one sheathed in a sparkling pop veneer, made more striking by the rainbows adorning the molten volcano on the cover art. Things would get even more melodic and catchy on subsequent releases, but I started here in that glorious year where extreme metal became a touchstone for me (again); let let’s take a moment and wrap up the work week with why this works (alliteration for the win).

Continue reading “Torche: Torche (2005)”
black sabbath - steel city blues

Black Sabbath: Steel City Blues (1978)

First off: Rest in Peace, Ozzy Osbourne. You can argue until you’re blue in the face the face, but in the end there is no argument: the man was the personification of heavy metal. No one sounded like him, and no one lived the metal life quite like he did. Even as a doddering family man on reality TV, he still managed to embody spirit and fire that ignited an entire movement more than 50 years ago on February 13th, 1970 when the first Black Sabbath album enveloped the world in its darkened wings. After a night spinning all my favorite records from the man, it was inevitable I would get an entry in today, but I wanted to write about something different, so let’s look at the end of an era. Steel City Blues was recorded live in Pittsburgh in 1978, just as they were recording Never Say Die! A year later he’d be fired, but listening to this live broadcast all I hear is a band still capable of fire and passion.

Continue reading “Black Sabbath: Steel City Blues (1978)”
web web - plexus plexus

Web Web: Plexus Plexus (2025)

We’re going to slip back for a bit into shorter reviews, particularly when it comes to bands like the German improvisational collective Web Web. I had no idea what I was in for, but based on the single line description for their latest album Plexus Plexus on LaserCD (a lot of my blind purchases stem from perusing the New Arrivals and Restocks section and just seeing what catches my eye), I had to check it out. “More psychedelic, sometimes more krauty”, you say? Responding to this singular duck call I grabbed it, and the result is a fine, groovy set of tunes, taking inspiration from a number of different sources and stirring them into a sauce that’s tasty if not exactly essential. But like a good sauce you can pretty much pair it with anything.

Continue reading “Web Web: Plexus Plexus (2025)”
hedvig mollestad trio - bees in the bonnet

Hedvig Mollestad Trio: Bees In The Bonnet (2025)

As recently as two weeks ago I had never heard of guitarist Hedvig Mollestad Thomassen, or the Hedvig Mollestad Trio. Now here I am with Bees in the Bonnet, and it’s one of my favorite records of the year. With albums stretching and blurring the lines between all manner of heavy rock, jazz, classical and experimental noise (I dove deep after falling for this), her latest might be the most “accessible” entryway to her work while simultaneously offering up exactly what makes her such a force in the guitar world. Trio telepathy reins supreme in this mix of six tunes, so let’s do the thing, shall we?

Continue reading “Hedvig Mollestad Trio: Bees In The Bonnet (2025)”
lambrini girls - who let the dogs out

Lambrini Girls: Who Let The Dogs Out (2025)

Don’t be put off by the label on the cover. Yes, Who Let The Dogs Out, the debut from UK punk outfit Lambrini Girls is, in fact, “Party Music For Gay, Angry Sluts”. At its bass throbbing heart though this is pissed off punk and post-punk executed with dance floor precision that resonates for anyone who’s had enough of where we are culturally, politically, and/or religiously. Or if you simply want to slam your head around and dance like it’s the end of the world. Lambrini Girls are angry, but they make sure they’re angry to a propulsive beat you can shake to, that’s for sure.

Continue reading “Lambrini Girls: Who Let The Dogs Out (2025)”
bruford - one of a kind

Bruford: One Of A Kind (1979)

Somehow reading about and buying a lot of those Three Blind Mice and East Wind releases led me from Japanese jazz fusion over to what the rest of the world was doing with fusion. I decided to start filling gaps in my knowledge and collection with Bruford, the solo group project led by former Yes and King Crimson drummer Bill Bruford. One Of A Kind is his second solo album, moving the murderer’s row of talent he assembled for his debut into an actual group unit, including Allan Holdsworth on guitar, Dave Stewart on keyboards, and Jeff Berlin on bass. Yeah, it’s kind of U.K. Pt. II with this being where Bruford and Holdworth ended up after leaving that supergroup, but make no mistake about the genre: this is pure jazz fusion rather than any attempt at prog rock or pop.

Continue reading “Bruford: One Of A Kind (1979)”