Blink 182’s Take Off Your Pants and Jacket is Not a Sell Out

by Stevie Sanchez If you’re one of those music lovers who dig fun, funky, feel-good music and likes to have their serving of green humor as well, then you would like Blink 182’s Take Off Your Pants and Jacket album. This is their fourth studio album, released on June 12, 2001. Following the success of Enema of the State and The Mark, Tom, and Travis Show, the American pop-punk band has once again hit gold with this record. It has spawned hit singles like The Rock Show, First Date, and Sta

Three Killer Vinyl EPs by the Hussy
The Hussy like short songs. They keep it simple, just volcanic, distorted guitar and drums, punk beats and blistering garage-inflected tunes. Both guitarist Bobby and drummer Heather sing. Sometimes they take turns, sometimes they do it together. It’s catchy, anthemic, fun stuff. If what they’re doing in the studio is any indication – a lot of this sounds completely live – their shows ought to be killer. And they have three records out on vinyl, something that more bands like this ought to be d

New Found Glory’s Don’t You (Forget About Me) Cover Is A Breath of Hip and Youthful Air
New Found Glory’s cover album From the Screen to Your Stereo Part II included a version of the 1980’s hit song Don’t You (Forget About Me). The song, which was made theme of the movie The Breakfast Club, was originally recorded by the new wave band Simple Minds.

Music Review: The Phenomenal Handclap Band - The Phenomenal Handclap Band
The Phenomenal Handclap Band is more appropriate at 4:20 than at midnight.

Music Review: Kimi Djabate - Karam
An infectious quality to the music that gradually encourages you to move to the music.

Music Review: To Be Like Jesus (Sovereign Grace Music)
Finding children’s worship music that has biblical depth and musical excellence can be a challenge. That is one reason why I was excited to learn about the new CD for kids from Sovereign Grace Music. To Be Like Jesus contains 12 worship songs about the fruits of the Spirit. The album is inspired by Galatians 5:22-23, “The fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control; against such things there is no law.” You can listen to sa

The Strange Boys
The Echo - Los Angeles Live Review: 6/30/09 *** The Strange Boys have the youthful, wide-eyed good looks of a pop punk band, although once you start listening to their music, they are anything but twee and PG-rated. Jangly guitars, classic garage rock structures and scratchy vocals quickly make way for the kind of whiskey-fueled, devil-may-care nonchalance that bands like the Black Lips have popularized in recent years. By the time the band arrived on stage, the front row—previously occupi

Music Review: Mary Halvorson & Jessica Pavone - Thin Air
They have a secret.

This Ain’t Twitter
I heard a radio piece today about a music reviewer who tweets his reviews. Yes, he compresses his musings into haiku-like dispatches of 140 characters. It’s intriguing, though not enough to make me want to join yet another social networking site. Still, there’s something to the short-form review, particularly when one’s desk (I didn’t say my desk, I said one’s desk - stop pointing fingers) is weighed down by a multitude of new releases clamoring for attention. So herewith, the first (only