Okay, I give. Things have been far too cute and nonsensical over in Canada ever since the Unicorns’ 2003 Stateside heyday with the release of Who Will Cut Our Hair When We’re Gone. I didn’t always feel that way. The Unicorns’ album was a piece of sweet and silly pop taffy, but even their disintegration was a joy, because it lead to the formation of Islands and the creation of one of this year’s best records, Return to the Sea. However, while I can …

Back in 2001, there was still mystery left in the Pixies. Frank Black (not, as he seems to call himself now, Charles Thompson) had only just reached the point where he could say the name of his former band out loud; he still hadn’t spoken to his ex-bandmate Kim Deal in almost a decade. Whispers of a reunion were growing louder, sure, but certainly nobody I knew was ready to believe them. And when an article appeared in Mojo that March, it was still …

Yesterday, the Pea Pod staff attacked Clear Channel’s underwater fortress. Aaron took advantage of his diminutive stature by climbing into a heating duct. He crawled through the castle walls until he came upon the secret radio control room, which was filled with guardian robots. Aaron poked his head out of a ceiling vent and coated the robots with molten lead. In the uproar that followed, the rest of us Podders were able to shoot, stab, and knee-face-bash our way to …

I spent the entire month of October 2004 wondering if I had wasted $35 (plus Ticketmaster convenience charges) to see a band better remembered through their records. It’s not as if I assumed the Pixies reunion would be horrible, but for me purchasing a Pixies ticket was more about being able to say, “Well, at least I saw them.” Despite the fact that there were no rumors or reports of the Pixies fighting, there was always the possibility that my show could be the …

Imagine the Pixies. Now, sprinkle in some At the Drive-In. Grind in some Peaches. Throw in the Gossip. And add a dash of VHS or Beta. Now this concoction sounds as if even if it weren’t good, it would still be interesting, right? If you said yes, then at least you’ve got that right: it’s interesting.
Morningwood’s eponymous debut album is a patchwork quilt of vocals and sounds. Frontwoman Chantal Claret howls, screeches, and even sings her way whole-heartedly throughout this 41-minute album. And though …

Dinosaur Jr.
Live at the Blind Pig, Ann Arbor, MI
It was only fifteen years ago when a “special intimate show” by J Mascis, Lou Barlow and Murph – the original and greatest line-up of Dinosaur Jr. – could very well have culminated in onstage fisticuffs. But times have changed, and as demonstrated by J’s fellow U-Mass alumnus Frank Black and the Pixies, the last few years have been kind to the alt-rock reunion set. A cynic might say the price was finally right for Mascis and Barlow to bury their hatchet…but …