clipping., “Dead Channel Sky” Dead Channel Sky, the fifth album by hip-hop trio clipping., is really great. But first, a history lesson; please bear with me. Dead Channel Sky Clipping Sub Pop, March 14 9/10 Get the album on Amazon Music. Cyberpunk is a subgenre of science fiction that’s…

Nell Smith and Wayne Coyne of the Flaming Lips, courtesy Blake Studdard/Atria Creative. Momma and the Ting Tings slow things down, the Gully Boys and Raue bring the rock back, Kurt Deimer brings us a new classic and Nell Smith wows with her first and final album. Momma, “Bottle…

Apocalyptica performs at Palace of Fine Arts in San Francisco on Feb. 27, 2025. Onome Uyovbievbo/STAFF. SAN FRANCISCO — When Apocalyptica formed in 1993 in Helsinki, Finland, it was as a Metallica cover band. Its first album was Apocalyptica Plays Metallica by Four Cellos. Its second also had some…

Alien Weaponry, courtesy. This is a rock-heavy week with Alien Weaponry’s Māori metal, James and the Cold Gun and Lucie Sue with songs that evoke the ’90s, Air Drawn Dagger defying genres, Madison Violett making a sterling debut and The Velveteers bringing the good parts of disco back. Lucie…

Björk performs at Chase Center in San Francisco on Feb. 5, 2022. Courtesy Santiago Felipe. In case you missed the glorious few hours Friday morning when it was a thing, Facebook (I’m not calling the company Meta, and you can’t make me) made a chatbot in such an insensitive…

Kendrick Lamar performs during Outside Lands Music Festival in Golden Gate Park in San Francisco on Aug. 11, 2023. Let’s start with the standard history lesson for those of you just joining us: In 2018 I completed a quest to list my top five (or so) songs for every…

Composite image. Original photo of My Chemical Romance by Onome Uyovbievbo/STAFF. Traditionally during this time of year, I either write about the best (2020, 2022) or worst (2019, 2021) of Christmas music. I had a whole pattern going but I didn’t write one last year so I find myself…

Elliot James Reay, courtesy Em Cole. This week we’ve got a ’50s flashback from Elliott James Reay, a ’70s flashback from Robert Jon & the Wreck, ’90s flashbacks from Peter Landi and Blood Lemon, and some sounds without precedent from Nico Vega and Lambrini Girls. Lambrini Girls, “Love” —…

Kraftwerk performs at Bill Graham Civic Auditorium in San Francisco, on July 6, 2022. The band is slated to play Coachella next spring. There’s a post making the rounds on Bluesky that shows the Coachella lineup and says, “Your real age is 70 minus the number of musicians you…

The publisher makes a new best friend on a recent trip to Alaska while running from all of his problems. Don’t worry, I’m not writing about the state of the country yet. I don’t have it in me. There’ll be plenty of time to rant and lament, but not…