// Category Archive for: Issues

Je Suis Margot Tenenbaum: Confessions of a Secret Cigarette Fiend

By Emily C.

Welcome to Cigarette Fiends Anonymous. My name is Emily C., and I am a secret smoker.
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The Sepia Tint of Doom: Worst Ideas for Rock Photography

By Emily C.

5. The band wearing way too much leather

Whenever a vulnerable, slightly introverted band wants you to KNOW that they, in fact, mean business and are hardcore as all hell, they are encouraged to bust out the leather jackets and surly looks. The worst offender of this trend is one of my favorite bands, Depeche Mode. In the early 1980s they wore a little bit of leather, but generally their image was that of sensitive synth-poppers who did sweet songs like “See You” and “Just Can’t Get Enough.” Around 1984, their music took a darker turn into the world of bondage and domination (while still remaining its optimistic poppiness—see “Master and Servant”), and all this leather began to appear in their press photographs. By 1990, when Violator exploded into mass popularity, the band really wanted people to know that yes, they were actually total badasses, and would cut you up with a switchblade outside of whatever local Goth club you were hanging out at. Above is one example of Depeche Mode’s leather-induced surliness.

Notice the one member who is not wearing leather, and who therefore was NOT a team player.
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Commanding Cobra: An Interview With Cobra Commander

Interviewed by Megashaun

After recently finding a blog written by Cobra Commander in which he laments many of his boring day-to-day activities, I thought he would make an interesting interview subject. Getting in touch with him wasn’t as easy as I had hoped. The email address listed on his blog seemed to be to an unattended mailbox. My first attempt at communication with him went something like this:
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Shiny Around the Edges, Holy Roller

By J Howell

Denton, Texas’ Shiny Around the Edges, a band described by the Dallas Observer as “somewhere between Low and Swans,” are a little hard to explain.
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The Sweet, Action: The Sweet Anthology

Disc One: By Hanna

Glam Rock fans can be divided into two groups: the ones who think The Sweet were not actually glam because glam is an intelligent genre, and the ones who think The Sweet were the best Glam Rock band because they seemed to be in it for the money only.
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Not Your Mother’s Biopic: Gus Van Sant’s Milk

By Maureen

“My name is Harvey Milk, and I am here to recruit you.” At many of his public appearances, the late politician uttered these words. They’re also my words, because I am also here to recruit you . . . to see the film version of Milk’s life, directed by Gus Van Sant.
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Weep, Never Ever

By Less Lee Moore

5. Weep is completely without marketing savvy and has no idea how to “make-it”. Therefore: your love of Weep will never be sullied. You can always enjoy your hip status of loving an underground band.
—From the Weep Manifesto

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Peter Project, S/T

By Megashaun

His MySpace page may label him as “Disney-core” but don’t think this means he’s as whack as the Fresh Prince. Peter Project’s compositions are the closest thing to old-school hip hop without jumping into a DeLorean and going back to the early 80s.
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1 Top Class Manager—The Notebooks of Rob Gretton: Q & A With Lesley Gilbert

By Emily Carney

A review of 1 Top Class Manager can be found here.

“[Journalist] Paul Morley’s line of questioning was about a new underground forming outside the system – how do you see the role of the band? . . . Personally I would rather adopt a different role with regards to everything. . . ”
An excerpt from Rob Gretton’s notebooks, circa 1978

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Sebastien Grainger & The Mountains, S/T

By Less Lee Moore

Listening to these songs on Sebastien Grainger’s MySpace page and hearing them on CD is like the difference between reading about eating a crème caramel and actually eating one. Granted, the MySpace music player doesn’t have the greatest sound quality, but that does not adequately explain it. There’s something more, something that makes this album better than the sum of its parts.
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