If It's Too Loud...

Photo by George Middlebrooks It's obvious that the upcoming solo album from John Davis was originally meant to be a Superdrag comeback album, and I mean that in the best possible way. The latest single, "Indifferent Stars," is the most laid back of the singles we've heard so far, but it's still a killer rock song. It's a slightly faster than midtempo rocker that is more along the lines of Superdrag's early 00's releases than their 90's albums. "Indifferent Stars" sounds more introspective, but the "Destination Ursa Major" sounding guitar will still insure the ability to rock out to this one. John Davis says of his latest single: "This song went through several arrangements on its way to the album, but there were parts of it that I always liked. 'I guess it's time to let it go, the hate that weighed me down, then disappeared.' I like that line because it refers to a specific thing, this root of bitterness that wr...

The songs from John Davis' upcoming solo album were originally intended to be a Superdrag comeback album, but things didn't work out that way. His latest single, "Take My Brains Out," sounds like it could have been an unreleased song from Head Trip in Every Key . It has that wonderfully fuzzed out sound Superdrag embodied in the 90's, along with some of the catchiest songwriter of the period. "Take My Brains Out" is such a fun rock song with vintage vibes, which makes sense since Davis' music soundtracked some of our favorite 90's memories. John Davis says of his latest single: "Tom (Pappas, from Superdrag) laughed out loud the first time he heard this chorus. It sounds funny, but it strikes at something deeper. Sometimes your own mind can be your worst enemy; it can even try to destroy you! So I guess I was longing for a removable one. Also, the lead guitar always makes me laugh. I've read in several places that if something about a son...

With Superdrag playing reunion shows this week, it's natural to wonder if there will be new music from the band coming out in the future. The answer is kinda? The upcoming John Davis solo album was intended to be and written as a Superdrag album, but the recording was done sporadically and eventually fizzled out. Joining Davis on the new solo project are Stewart Peck (Pegclimber) and his son Henry Peck. The first single, "The Future," sounds like vintage Superdrag. It's a tad more laid back and reserved than their 90's releases, but it stands right up with the classics. There are even some guitar licks that remind me of "Destination Ursa Major." Even though this is a John Davis solo project, Superdrag die hards are going to adore it. John Davis says of his new single: "I guess it sounds extremely pessimistic to say, 'I don't wanna know about the future,' but that's just where I was at the time. Sometimes the “now” is crushing your so...

Photo by Sam Rich I was all set to bring you the latest single from Austin, TX's Gentlemen Rogues. "Do the Resurrection!" is this great slice of alt/indie/emo. It's an anthemic singalong that is like combining The Replacements and Superchunk. It's absolutely a great song, and everyone needs to listen to it. But then I saw the b-side. "Bloody Rudderless (in Ursa Major)" is described as "...  70% Rudderless' by The Lemonheads ,  25% 'Destination Ursa Major' by Superdrag , and  5% 'When You Sleep' by My Bloody Valentine."  "Destination Ursa Major" and "Rudderless" are two of my absolute favorite songs by two bands I truly love. And then you throw My Bloody Valentine in there? It's this bizarre cover mash up medley where the music for one song is sometimes played over the lyrics to another, and then switches around again. For anyone that loves all three of those bands, covers, and mash ups, "Bloody R...

Superdrag's Regretfully Yours  is one of my absolute favorite albums from the 90s. It's such an underrated slice of pure post grunge power pop perfection. I'm pretty sure I read somewhere that Superdrag singer John Davis never liked the album, but if that's true then he's just wrong. Way back in 1996, a then unknown Superdrag opened for Letters to Cleo at Brandeis University. Standing out in the cold behind the venue talking with Letters to Cleo (as one does in their late teens/early 20s), Superdrag played us all a track they had just recorded and wanted us to hear. That song was "Sucked Out." "Sucked Out" shares a special little place in my heart, so it's great to see a newer band giving it the respect it deserves. To kick off their "Covers 2017" project, Gainesville, Florida's Dikembe have chosen "Sucked Out," and given it the respect it deserves. They brought in Carly Commando of Slingshot Dakota to help out on ...

Halloween is by far my favorite holiday. There are no family obligations, you can celebrate pretty much anyway you want (including staying inside and watching movies), it's the one time of the year my fascination with the macabre isn't considered weird, and candy, candy, candy. To celebrate, here is an alternative mix of season appropriate songs. I avoided the completely obvious ones you'll hear at least 10 times today no matter what ("Monster Mash," "Werewolf of London," "Thriller"). Instead, I went with some classic hip hop (Geto Boys, DJ Jazzy Jeff & The Fresh Prince), punk (Ramones, The Dead Milkmen), 80s and 90s favorites (Dinosaur Jr, Letters to Cleo), current favorites (Benjamin Booker, Sallie Ford), and, of course, a smidge of metal. It's longer than our normal mixes, but 31 is 13 backwards, and 2 hours is about as long as trick or treating lasts. Plus, I love Halloween. Enjoy!

For someone who was obsessed with Superdrag since 1996, I was really disappointed by their reunion album, Industry Giants. Somehow, it was just missing something their earlier recordings had, some kind of spark. Happily, that is back with The Lees of Memory, the new project featuring former Superdrag members John Davis and Brandon Fisher. This is their shoegaze project, and it's much more on the My Bloody Valentine side of things than it is The Stratford 4. It somehow merges the drone of shoegaze with the fuzzed out guitars of Superdrag. You can watch the video below. The Lees of Memory's debut album, Sisyphus Says , is due out 9/16 on SideOneDummy Records . You can get some more information on their Bandcamp page.