Category: Reviews
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by Michael McCarthy I recently posted part one of 18 Albums That Made Me, which was inspired by the my9albums thing that has been going around on social media where you can select nine album covers of the sounds that made you and make a collage to share. As with the first part of my…
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Back in the fall of 1996, I published an article called “20 Reasons to Hate Metallica” in Ant: The Only Cool Magazine That Bites, a hard-rock and metal zine I edited and published during the mid-’90s. Much to my surprise, Nikki Sixx of Mötley Crüe and Sebastian Bach, formerly of Skid Row, both loved the…
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by Michael McCarthy Following her recent signing to Frontiers Music Srl, veteran guitarist/vocalist Lita Ford has just unleashed her bloody good new single “Dracula,” just in time for Halloween. The track was produced by Gary Hoey, mixed by Max Norman, and was performed by Lita, Gary Hoey and Bobby Rock on drums. Hoey previously produced…
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by Michael McCarthy Israeli singer-songwriter, composer, and multimedia artist Jasmin Stone has spent years creating music that defies easy categorization. In addition to releasing her own albums, she’s composed music for films, television, and theater, written songs for other performers, published poetry, and created imaginative music videos. Her influences range from Portishead and Saint Etienne…
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by Michael McCarthy I’ve been a fan of Nicotine Dolls since their debut album, An Attempt at Romantic, which I enjoyed quite a bit. But after listening to their new self-titled album, I have to agree with something frontman Sam Cieri said during our recent interview: This feels like the first true Nicotine Dolls record.…
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by Michael McCarthy Dan Reed has never been an artist who’s content to stay in one musical lane. From the infectious blend of funk, rock, and soul that made the Dan Reed Network such a distinctive band to his more introspective solo material, he’s spent decades exploring different sounds and following his creative instincts wherever…
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by Michael McCarthy There was a time when I loved watching movies. I went to the cinema regularly, collected DVDs and Blu-rays, and eagerly anticipated new releases. I was even a film critic for various magazines and e-zines. These days? I probably watch one or two movies a month, if that. And it isn’t because…
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by Michael McCarthy It’s been nearly a decade since Tyketto released their previous studio album, but the wait for Closer to the Sun has certainly paid off. The band’s sixth studio album reached number one on the UK Rock & Metal Albums Chart, and frontman Danny Vaughn says the band is enjoying one of its…
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by Michael McCarthy We recently featured Nicotine Dolls’ single “Here to California” as a song of the day on Love is Pop, and it’s a great tune. But their new single, “Gimme Sympathy,” is even better. It’s a much heavier, almost grimy hard rock song that kicks your ass from start to finish. Sam Cieri’s…
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by Michael McCarthy By now, I’m sure you’ve seen the “9 albums” thing going around on social media. There’s a website called My 9 Albums where you can make an image showing nine album covers. It’s supposed to represent the nine albums that made you who you are, so to speak. For some people, that…
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by Michael McCarthy First of all, I don’t mind telling you that I’m not a particularly big Keith Urban fan. In fact, I’m generally not a big fan of modern country music. To my ears, much of it sounds more like country pop than actual country music, and something about that has always put me…
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by Michael McCarthy Today one of the year’s best singer-songwriter pop albums has been unleashed upon the world: Catie Turner’s intoxicating Blue Alchemy. And to celebrate the album’s release, Catie has just released a rather fun new video for her song “Girls’ Girl,” a collaboration with her former roommate Sophie Holohan. It’s an irresistible earworm…
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by Michael McCarthy It’s a particularly good time to be a K-drama fan. I’m currently watching four new Korean dramas, and each one happens to star an actor or actress I’ve been a fan of for several years: Kim Yoo-jung in 100 Days of Deception, Kim Ji-won in Doctor X: Mafia in White, Song Kang…
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by Michael McCarthy Ben Affleck has directed another winner with Animals, a tense new Netflix thriller in which he also stars and shares a writing credit with Connor O. McIntyre and Billy Ray. From its opening scenes to its final moments, Animals keeps tightening the screws, continually forcing its characters to make decisions where there…
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by Michael McCarthy Montréal-based singer, songwriter, and producer SUUNCAAT makes some of the most intriguing and unconventional pop music I’ve heard lately. Her songs tend to be electronic, experimental, and filled with unexpected sounds, but they’re also catchy enough to get stuck in your head for days. While her music has been described as hyperpop,…
