If It's Too Loud...

Workforce first formed in Boston way back in 1988 after the break up of James Straight's previous band, Doppler Effect. After releasing two albums of 80s heavy electronic music, the band went into hiatus in 1996 after the release of Come Out!  They got together to play a show in 2010, and have slowly started working on some new material. Workforce have always been at their best when they skewer American culture. One of their new songs, "Hollywood Lips," is a perfect example, mocking Hollywood's obsession with a cartoonish version of perfection only achieved through plastic surgery. Rather than trying to update their sound to a more "hip" version of today's electronica, this is pure vintage Workforce. This could easily be a lost recording from 1988, and I mean that as the most sincere compliment. You can listen to "Hollywood Lips" below. They are promising a new album this year. For some more information, check them out on Soundcloud and ...

If you're a reader of this blog, you'll probably want to start listening to The Alternative with Chris Atwood. Airing on Boston area radio station WATD , it is "classic rock for the MTV generation," featuring a mix of 70s punk, 80s new wave, and 90s brit-pop. Recent shows have featured interviews with Peter Hook and The Hold Steady. If you're not in the immediate Boston area, it's also available in podcast format .  For a compilation, Chris Atwood didn't just release a greatest hits package of some old favorites. Instead, he's released an album filled with current bands with some of the same aesthetics of those classic favorites. It hearkens back to the days of great indie compilations where you first heard some of your favorite bands. The albums starts with James Stevenson of Gene Loves Jezebel, The Cult, and Gen X. From there you get James Straight and the Wide Stance with their glammed up rockabilly Alice Cooper sound. The New Frustrations ar...