Category Archives: Reviews

What’s His Signature?

Posted on November 7, 2011 by jnagle4

Freak of the Week at Ram\’s Head Live In 1999, Butch Walker’s power pop band, The Marvelous 3, scored a top five hit with “Freak of the Week,” a song about an indie band getting a taste of fame. … Continue reading →

Posted in Butch Walker, Essays | Tagged Black Widows, Butch Walker, Drinking With Strangers, Freak of the Week, Let's Go Out Tonights, Letters, Marvelous Three, Ram's Head Live, The Spade | Leave a comment

Sebastian Bach: Kicking and Screaming

Posted on October 17, 2011 by jnagle4

Sebastian Bach is one of heavy metal’s great interpreters. Dave “The Snake” Sabo and Rachael Bolan were good songwriters, and Skid Row would have probably been successful with another singer, but Bach took their songs and shaped them into … Continue reading →

Posted in Music, Reviews | Tagged Bring Em Bach Alive, heavy metal, Johnny Cromatic, Kicking and Screaming, Last Hard Men, Monkey Business, Sebastian Bach, Skid Row | Leave a comment

Elvis is Back! (50th Anniversary Edition)

Posted on September 19, 2011 by jnagle4

The career of Elvis Presley is usually broken into two arcs. The first is Young Elvis, the greasy haired hillbilly with a dangerous sneer and gyrating pelvis. The second is Gilded Elvis, the overweight drug addict in a white … Continue reading →

Posted in Music, Reviews | Tagged Are You Lonesome Tonight?, Elvis is Back, Elvis Presley, GI Blues, John Lennon, Music, pop music, RCA, Reviews, Rock n' Roll | Leave a comment

The Gaslight Anthem: American Slang

Posted on July 7, 2010 by jnagle4

“We were always waiting for something to happen.” -The Gaslight Anthem, “Great Expectations” Something has happened. The Gaslight Anthem has gone from a promising young rock band to the Next Big Thing. They have gone from playing small clubs … Continue reading →

Posted in Music, Reviews | Tagged Alex Levine, Alex Rosamilia, American Slang, Benny Horowitz, Brian Fallon, Gaslight Anthem, New Jersey, Queen of North Chelsea, Rolling Stone, SideOneDummy, The Boxer | Leave a comment

Sleigh Bells 7/1/2010

Posted on July 6, 2010 by jnagle4

I wasn’t surprised when Sleigh Bells sold out The Ottobar. The Ottobar is the hippest rock club in Baltimore, and Sleigh Bells is generating a ton of critical buzz. In this case, the critical buzz is warranted because they made … Continue reading →

Posted in Music, Reviews | Tagged Alexis Klauss, Crown on the Ground, Derek Miller, Infinity Guitars, Kids, lo-fi, noise pop, Ottobar, Sleigh Bells, Treats | Leave a comment

Insubordination Fest: Day 2

Posted on June 30, 2010 by jnagle4

When I woke up on Saturday morning, it took me a while to process the day ahead. Eleven hours at Sonar. I took a deep breath, rubbed the sleep out of my eyes and rolled out of bed. I was … Continue reading →

Posted in Essays, Music, Reviews | Tagged Beatnik Termites, Blacklist Royals, Deep Sleep, Insubordination Fest, Insubordination Records, Less Than Jake, pop punk, Smoking Popes, Sonar | Leave a comment

Insubordination Fest 2010: Day One

Posted on June 29, 2010 by jnagle4

The kids moved from room to room like swarms of locusts. When a band finished their set, they would move on. Some went to the main room to hear Kepi Goulie, others moved to the lounge for Protagonist. Others were … Continue reading →

Posted in Music, Reviews | Tagged American Steel, Fear of Lipstick, Insubordination Fest 2010, Insubordination Records, Noise By Numbers, Old Wives, pop punk, power pop, Ramones, Sonar, The Queers, Toxic Pop | Leave a comment

Christina Aguilera: Bionic

Posted on June 9, 2010 by jnagle4

When Christina Aguilera released her debut album a decade ago, she was branded as a big-voiced Britney Spears clone. She did everything she could to break out of that box, transforming herself into a durrty girl and a torch singer. … Continue reading →

Posted in Music, Reviews | Tagged Bionic, Christina Aguilera, Elastic, glam, Lady Gaga, Not Myself Tonight, pop, Sex For Breakfast | Leave a comment

Godsmack: The Oracle

Posted on June 2, 2010 by jnagle4

Nearly a decade after the fall of nu-metal, Godsmack stands triumphant. Korn is on the nostalgia circuit and Limp Bizkit can’t decide if they want to be a band or not. Godsmack has their second number one album. They remain … Continue reading →

Posted in Music, Reviews | Tagged Cryin Like a Bitch, Godsmack, Metallica, nu-metal, Saints and Sinners, Sully Erna, The Oracle, What If, Whatever, Wicca | Leave a comment

Sleigh Bells: Treats

Posted on May 18, 2010 by jnagle4

Treats is not a record for coming down on a Sunday morning. It’s a rager. It’s a club at 3 AM, packed with beautiful people and cigarette smoke. It’s snorting lines of cocaine and chasing it down with shot after … Continue reading →

Posted in Music, Reviews | Tagged Alexis Krauss, Crown on the Ground, Derek Miller, Harrison Bergeron, Infinity Guitars, noise pop, Sleigh Bells, Tell Em, Treats | Leave a comment