Even without considering the band’s landmark collaboration with Merzbow, Full of Hell embodies boundary-pushing insanity like few others. As the quartet has built on its combination of power electronics, grindcore and black metal, the caustic chaos has yielded mixed results with regard to cohesion. Having recently signed with Relapse…

More than 40 years before he won a Grammy for 2002’s Jamaican E.T., Jamaican-Swiss legend Lee “Scratch” Perry invented dub music. His unmistakable sound has taken him on an illustrious artistic, political and spiritual journey over the course of 68 albums by himself and with The Upsetters. Besides mentoring Bob…

Following 2017’s This Old Dog and 2014’s landmark album Salad Days, Canadian singer-songwriter Mac DeMarco continued to elaborate on his established qualities. Folky guitar and introspective lyricism have come to define his self-proclaimed “jizz jazz,” but Mac DeMarco always provides a fresh twist to push beyond his previous works. On…

Bad Religion, “Age of Unreason.” By all accounts, L.A.’s Bad Religion was ground zero for the Tony Hawk disciples with a taste for harmonized vocals over D-beat and power chords. The band’s 1982 debut, How Could Hell Be Any Worse?, became the blueprint for ‘90s skate punk, and subsequent releases…

Post-punk revivalists Editors achieved a remarkable mix of experimental techno and power pop on 2018’s Violence, thanks in part to the contribution fellow English artist Blanck Mass. The sonic explorations delved much deeper with the producer unspooling the band’s sound in his signature fashion. The Blanck Mass Sessions maintain the spirit of the songs…

Rock has never been particularly welcoming to women. Perhaps owing to the rampant sexism of the past, fans frequently associate rock’s excesses with testosterone-frenzied toxic masculinity. From Janis Joplin and Suzi Quatro, to Joan Jett and The Runaways, women rockers fought off unwanted advances, harassment and condescension decades before the #MeToo…

It didn’t take long for Frank Carter & The Rattlesnakes to look beyond the ferocity of their 2015 debut Blossom. Carter and his guitar-slinging partner in crime Dean Richardson branched out with conscious lyricism and diversified songwriting on 2017’s Modern Ruin. Where that album used severity to serve more melody,…

Alecia Beth Moore’s ability to juggle badass, reflective and dancey vibes has made her a shining star in modern pop as P!nk. She’s assertive and strong but maintains convincing vulnerability. Following 2017’s chart topper Beautiful Trauma, P!nk brings her revealing lyricism and firecracker attitude to Hurts 2B Human. P!nk looks…

With 28 albums to their name over a career spanning decades, Ohio’s Guided By Voices are themselves guided by the industrious creativity of Robert Pollard. His incredible work ethic and unmistakable songwriting have earned the band a hallowed reputation within lo-fi rock. He’s hell-bent on pushing the pace, considering…

The surviving members of The Cranberries faced a moral dilemma in the months following the unexpected death of frontwoman Dolores O’Riordan in January 2018. The band had already written and demoed the 11 songs that ultimately became In The End. Knowing that the album’s skeleton had energized O’Riordan, guitarist Noel Hogan,…