‘The Velvet Underground’ Film and the Exploding Lou Reed Inevitable
Todd Haynes’ audiovisual blast delves into the creative combat that birthed America’s first great avant-garde rock ‘n’ roll band, the Velvet Underground.
proto-punk
‘Velvet Underground’ Soundtrack Could Use More Idiosyncratic Curation
The soundtrack for Todd Haynes’ new documentary on Velvet Underground contains unimpeachable music but fails to offer a cohesive argument about the iconic band.
Sundance 2021: Edgar Wright’s Quirky ‘The Sparks Brothers’
Using collage, clay animation, and 2D anime-style art with traditional archival footage and modern black-and-white interviews, Edgar Wright tries to capture the Sparks as a "Hollywood" band with an obsession for European visual art.
The 10 Spookiest Lou Reed Songs
From graphic depictions of violence and death to ominous and grating musical atmospheres, Lou Reed created numerous frightening tunes.
‘Johnny Thunders & Wayne Kramer’s Gang War!’ Is a Time Capsule and a Car Crash
Punk rockers Johnny Thunders and Wayne Kramer exist on a continuum of wild-eyed, angle-headed anarchists—a continuum filled with poets and artists and guitar-pickers, living and dead, who show us how to resist The Man.
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The Stooges Kick Against the Pricks All the Way Down Into Their Grave
Cherry Red's new box set finds Iggy Pop and the Stooges on their final death trip, falling apart for audiences between September 1973 and February 1974.
Magick Mountain Are Having a Party But Is the Audience Invited?
Garage rockers Magick Mountain debut with Weird Feelings, an album big on fuzz but light on hooks.
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Counterbalance 25: Television – ‘Marquee Moon’
Television’s 1977 masterpiece Marquee Moon is the 25th Greatest Album of All Time, but is it too “too too” to put a finger on? Counterbalance sees it all backward.
Counterbalance 19: Patti Smith -‘Horses’
One of the most critically-acclaimed debuts in rock history, Patti Smith’s Horses is a whirlwind of poetry and proto-punk rock. Counterbalance takes Horses for a ride -- go Rimbaud and go Johnny go!
Pere Ubu ‘Comes Alive’ on Their New, Live Album
David Thomas guides another version of Pere Ubu through a selection of material from their early years, dusting off the "hits" and throwing new light on some forgotten gems.
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Counterbalance No. 16: David Bowie – ‘The Rise and Fall of Ziggy Stardust and the Spiders from Mars’
Up next for the Counterbalance series is David Bowie’s The Rise and Fall of Ziggy Stardust and the Spiders from Mars. Press your space face close to mine!