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2011's 'A Different Compilation' and 2014 Album 'The Way' Are a Fitting Full Stop to Buzzcocks Past
In the conclusion of our survey of the post-reformation career of Buzzcocks, PopMatters looks at the final two discs of Cherry Red Records' comprehensive retrospective box-set.
04 Jun 2020
Music
2006's 'Flat-Pack Philosophy' Saw Buzzcocks Determined to Build Something of Quality
With a four-decade career under their belt, on the sixth disc in the new box-set Sell You Everything, it's heartening to see Buzzcocks refusing to settle for an album that didn't try something new.
03 Jun 2020
Music
On Their 2003 Self-Titled Album, Buzzcocks Donned a Harder Sound and Wore it With Style and Taste
Buzzcocks, the band's fourth album since their return to touring in 1989, changed their sound but retained what made them great in the first place
01 Jun 2020
Music
'Modern' Is the Pinnacle of Post-Comeback Buzzcocks' Records
Presented as part of the new Buzzcocks' box-set, Sell You Everything, Modern showed a band that wasn't interested in just repeating itself or playing to nostalgia.
29 May 2020
Music
Buzzcocks' 1996 Album 'All Set' Sees the Veteran Band Stretching Out and Gaining Confidence
After the straightforward and workmanlike Trade Test Transmissions, Buzzcocks continued to hone their fresh identity in the studio, as exhibited on the All Set reissue contained on the new box-set Sell You Everything.
28 May 2020
Music
Buzzcocks' 1993 Comeback 'Trade Test Transmissions' Showed Punk's Great Survivors' Consistency
PopMatters' appraisal of Buzzcocks continues with the band's proper comeback LP, Trade Test Transmissions, now reissued on Cherry Red Records' new box-set, Sell You Everything.
27 May 2020
Music
'Sell You Everything' Brings to Light Buzzcocks '1991 Demo LP' That Passed Under-the-Radar
Cherry Red Records' new box-set issued in memory of Pete Shelley gathers together the entire post-reunion output of the legendary Buzzcocks. Across the next week, PopMatters explores the set album-by-album. First up is The 1991 Demo LP.
26 May 2020
Music
Diet Cig Hit the Post-College Slump on 'Do You Wonder About Me?'
Diet Cig's Do You Wonder About Me? shows that they're looking to move beyond the sound of their early 20s and into something a bit more serious.
01 May 2020
Music
British Punk Rockers the Violent Hearts Find Salvation on "Porcelain World" (premiere)
"Porcelain World" sees the Violent Hearts distilling their classic punk influences to stunning effect.
29 Apr 2020
Music
Go-Go's Bassist Kathy Valentine Is on the "Write" Track After a Rock-Hard Life
The '80s were a wild and crazy time also filled with troubles, heartbreak and disappointment for Go-Go's bass player-guitarist Kathy Valentine, who covers many of those moments in her intriguing dual project that she discusses in this freewheeling interview.
03 Apr 2020
Love in the Time of Coronavirus
All Kinds of Time: Adam Schlesinger's Pursuit of Pure, Peerless Pop
Adam Schlesinger was a poet laureate of pure pop music. There was never a melody too bright, a lyrical conceit too playfully dumb, or a vibe full of radiation that he would shy away from. His sudden passing from COVID-19 means one of the brightest stars in the power-pop universe has suddenly dimmed.
02 Apr 2020
Music
Ash Compile the Indie-Disco Classics on 'Teenage Wildlife'
Ash harnessed their teenage angst and energy and built a career on it, as you can hear on Teenage Wildlife, a career-spanning, hit-filled compilation album.
12 Mar 2020
Music
Grrrl Gang's 'Here to Stay!' Is a Tremendous Rejection of Cultural Conformity
While Here to Stay! points to their Riot Grrrl and indie-pop influences, Grrrl Gang methodically transcend redundancy to chisel a concrete space for themselves.
03 Mar 2020
Music
Punk's Spanish Love Songs Urge 'Brave Faces Everyone'
Punk rockers Spanish Love Songs know that even on the darkest, desolate morning there's hope in waiting for the sun to come up. Brave Faces Everyone feels like a defining moment for the band.
06 Feb 2020
Music
Green Day Struggle to Survive on 'Father of All'
Green Day's Father of All is too short, superficial, and samey to have any lasting impact.
05 Feb 2020
Music
The Revillos Reprise Their DayGlo Pop-Rock on ​'Compendium of Weird'
A collection of ragged rehearsal recordings, out-takes, and alternate versions that is actually worth the price of admission? The Revillos have pulled it off.
04 Feb 2020
Music
Dune Rats Strike Back with More Grown-up Sound on 'Hurry Up and Wait'
Dune Rats are, without a doubt, a rebel-rousing bunch whose call-outs, curse-outs, and amateurish stunts have earned them mass appeal with an audience just as eager to stick it to the man alongside them.
31 Jan 2020
Music
Brits in Hot Weather #20: Sea Girls, Redfield, Peaness, Natty Wylah, False Heads
This week features smart indie rock from Sea Girls, kaleidoscopic house from Redfield, fizzing indie pop-punk from Peaness, neo-soul-tinged hip-hop from Natty Wylah, and a full-on, monolithic rocker from False Heads.
31 Jan 2020
Music
Beach Slang Hit a Wall on 'Deadbeat Bang of Heartbreak City'
On Deadbeat Bang of Heartbreak City, James Alex's (Beach Slang) homage to his heroes sounds exhausted.
16 Jan 2020
Music
Comet Gain Make Their Most Punk Record Ever with 'Fireraisers Forever!'
Like most of the world right now, the members of Comet Gain seem to have a knot in their stomach that they're trying to break loose. As such, they've created their most punk effort yet with Fireraisers Forever!
03 Dec 2019
Music
Get Married Seek Purpose With "Adam West" (premiere)
Pop-punk's Get Married recently released Songs For the Sleepless, and the video for "Adam West" puts the band's sturdy blue-collar punk sound on full display.
18 Nov 2019
Music
Donaher's Pledge of Love and Fidelity "Before Anyone Else" Has Edge (premiere)
Love songs don't have to be sad or overly sentimental. Sometimes they can make their case and be clear-eyed about it as pop-punk's Donaher prove on "Before Anyone Else".
03 Oct 2019
Reviews
LIFE Are Sardonic and Raw on 'A Picture of Good Health'
Hull, UK punk rockers, LIFE offer stripped down sound and creative arrangements that make A Picture of Good Health a compelling second album.
17 Sep 2019
Music
Dude York's 'Falling' Is a Candid, Pop-Fueled Ode to Falling in Love
Despite being compared to bands from the '90s, Dude York prove they can carry the indie torch of Generation X, but with their own unique and updated sound.
23 Aug 2019
Music
Talay Confronts Getting Ghosted on "I Want U 2 Call" (premiere)
On "I Want U 2 Call", former folkie turned rocker Talay offers up a slice of visceral power pop to confront the emotions of being ghosted and the travails of modern dating life.
22 Aug 2019
Music
Tiny Stills Take on Odd Robot's "Schadenfreude" on New Split EP (premiere)
Power pop bands Tiny Stills and Odd Robot cover each other's songs, offer up new, original material on upcoming set. And, yep, there are kittens involved.
Jedd Beaudoin
21 Aug 2019
Music
18th & Addison Bemoan "Leeches" in New Video (premiere)
Punk and pop energy collide in the new infectious single "Leeches" from New Jersey duo 18th & Addison.
Jedd Beaudoin
17 Jul 2019
Music
Bleached Sneak Up on You with Their Brand of Power Pop
Bleached's Don't You Think You've Had Enough? is a summer record with big sing-along power pop songs that deliver.
15 Jul 2019
Music
Taking Back Sunday Revisit Their 2011 Self-Titled Release in New Album-By-Album Video (premiere)
Taking Back Sunday continue to celebrate 20 years together throughout 2019 with their recent compilation, Twenty, tour dates stretching into autumn, and a video series about each of their albums.
Jedd Beaudoin
28 Jun 2019
Music
Otoboke Beaver Is Loud, Fast, and Fun on 'Itekoma Hits'
Otoboke Beaver's songs run the punk gamut from raging hardcore to bouncy pop-punk and hit most of the points in between on Itekoma Hits.
10 Jun 2019
Music
Tacocat Blesses This Mess
Seattle's Tacocat returns with This Mess Is a Place, a stellar new album in which the band confronts existential crisis and embraces widescreen guitar-based pop.
29 May 2019
Music
Pop-Punkers the Dollyrots Get Celebratory With New Single, "Everything" (premiere)
Making music doesn't mean you have to grow up and growing up doesn't mean you have to stop making music. Punk outfit the Dollyrots remind us of this with their latest single "Everything".
07 May 2019
Music
PUP's 'Morbid Stuff' Revels in the Cynicism and Self-Doubt of Modern Living
Morbid Stuff is the sound of Vancouver-based band PUP forging rousing, anthemic punk from the most jagged rocks mined from the depths of frontman Stefan Babcock's psyche.
11 Apr 2019
Music
No Win Shows Off Big Hooks and Big Guitars on 'Downey'
If you can tell the difference between indie rock, power pop, and pop punk you will likely enjoy No Win's Downey.
04 Apr 2019
Music
The Happys Showcase Their High-Energy Rock 'n' Roll on "Cut the Rope" (premiere)
Recovery, rebuilding, reclaiming and the fight for personal independence at the core of the energetic new single "Cut the Rope" from Bay Area quartet, the Happys.
27 Mar 2019
Music
Doing a Good Thing For Other People: An Interview with SWMRS
Bay Area political punk band, SWMRS talk about changing their name, recording in conference rooms, and committing to social justice as a rock band.
12 Mar 2019
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