Each Halloween we indulge ourselves in our worst fears. Maybe it's ghouls and demons or gore and violence. One of the most disturbing settings for horror has less to do with the paranormal – insane asylums. It's a combination of the fright of our own minds can conjure up as well as the fear of bein…
If there's one rule about horror movies, it's that you always leave enough of a loose end for a sequel, regardless of whether or not it ever happens. Sure enough, that's exactly what the master of horror and suspense cinema John Carpenter did on his first solo LP outing. Lost Themes, an album compr…
2013 may not be starting off with much musical gusto, but that doesn't mean there aren't some interesting new releases to be found in stores this week. Among a small handful is the latest release from Broadcast. No, it's not exactly a new album but rather a soundtrack begun before the untimely deat…
Danger Mouse, a.k.a. Brian Joseph Burton, and The Shins' James Mercer have united once again under the name Broken Bells. They've shared their video for their dazzling new track "Holding on for Life". The visual features actress Kate Mara (American Horror Story, House of Cards) and Anton Yelchin (…
Danish psych-pop band Mew returned this year with their sixth full-length, +/-, and today they share a fantastical video for the track "Making Friends." Frontman Jonas Bjerre told Under the Radar, "The video is inspired by copper lithographs, imaginary friends, and Italian horror movie posters fro…
Man alive, is it a good time to be the 80s or what? We have Stranger Things still tearing up the Netflix ratings, and the show's soundtracking band S U R V I V E on a world tour behind their new album (you can catch them at Crocodile 10/12). Death Waltz and Mondo are introducing a new generation to…
This week, Sacred Bones invites a second filmmaker into their musical midst. Much like his label predecessor David Lynch, John Carpenter has influenced numerous generations across every genre with both his films and his music. Afrika Bambaataa sampled the Assault on Precinct 13 soundtrack on "Bamba…
Ty Segall is like the American Horror Story of rock 'n' roll. The now-LA based maniacal, musical polymath constantly reinvents while rotating a cast of characters around a shifting approach to one theme: to rock the living shit out of you. Though his latest album - and what we can assume to be just…
Ben Harper has defined the sweet spot between reggae and American folk for over two decades now. It's hard for an artist to survive that long while maintaining relevance and staying true to the original sound that hooked listeners long ago while evolving and while shifting and growing - but after r…
All of the reviews of Diane Coffee's second album, Everybody's A Good Dog, touch on one unanimously agreed upon point: that Foxygen touring drummer Shaun Fleming has created a historically self-aware album that wears its influences loudly and proudly. The reference points cut through clearly: 70's …
Decibel Festival's Optical showcases serve to remove the notion that electronic music is simply made for dancing. Instead, they present an array of musicians who specialize in everything from neo-classical to drone to ambient to horror soundtracks. For its 10th anniversary, Decibel brought back bel…
As audiences are prone to reflect the shows they are attending, the Decibel Festival crowd at Demdike Stare and Andy Stott was filled with the more experimental seeking fans, those in all black or all white, eyes wide, hair cut expressively in abstract shapes. Demdike Stare, a.k.a. Miles Whittaker,…
Last year, Zola Jesus returned to the scene with a new look, a new label, and new vastness that she's never shown off before. Taiga, her first LP on Mute, puts Nika on a new plane of existence, much more natural and much stronger than she's ever presented herself to be before. And with it, she has …
Holy shit, Say Hi knows how to get the party started on a Friday night at 9PM! I honestly think I saw more empty drink cups and shot glasses lining the Barboza shelf of subwoofers tonight than I’ve ever seen at their weekly Saturday night dance gigs. In a city on a hill where we show the Rocky Horr…
Andrew W.K. is a brilliant capitalist. Need proof? Here's one: he's still a cultural zeitgeist even now in 2015. Generations have come to Andrew through a stunning variety of mediums. You may know him from his now-classic 2001 party soundtrack to end all party soundtracks I Get Wet, or from his con…
