Mickey Leigh’s Mutated Music
Variants of Vibe
Wicked Cool Records (2022)
Hey Mickey you're so fine, You’re so fine you blow my mind Hey Mickey, Hey Mickey. “Do You remember lying in bed/ With the covers pulled up over your head/Radio Playing so no one can see”-Ramones I do remember getting my first cheap transistor army green radio and picking up on a local AM station that played the oldies/ goldies. … Read more
Microwaves
Contagion Heuristic
Crucial Blast (2006)
I don't think I've ever heard an album come from this far out in left field and still come together flawlessly. The general consensus seems to be that you can either have a totally bizarre album or a catchy, cohesive album, but you can't have both. But Pittsburgh, PA's Microwaves is living proof that they don't have to be mutually … Read more
Middian
Age Eternal
Metal Blade (2007)
I can think of very few albums I have ever purchased, listened to once, and sold back to the store. Generally, I am a pretty forgiving guy and I can find something worth listening to on a disc. However, YOB just was not my cup of tea. I don't know what it was, but after I listened to the latest … Read more
Middle Distance Runner
Middle Distance Runner
Independent (2007)
Dabbling coolly with grit of the 'the' band sound while borrowing ruminants of Brit rock's pop sensibility, Middle Distance Runner offer up something with the potential for a real fan based success. Hinting at better things throughout the six-track effort, the five-piece uses the formulaic idea of songwriting based around guitar/synth hooks layered with a full and strong rhythm section. … Read more
Midpoint
Shutup, That's Why
2nd Best (2003)
Incredibly boring pop punk. While I do not like pop punk all that much, I know when it is done the right way and these guys have managed to fail their final exam. To study up, I suggest they listen to Osker - Idle Will Kill on repeat for the next 6 months, hit the studio, and try again. I … Read more
Midpoint
Shutup, That's Why
2nd Best (2003)
I was bored the whole time. Most of the muscles in my face have ceased all ability to move. This is one of the most generic, boring, derivative albums I have ever heard. Regular ol' pop-punk, except with a pretty bad vocalist. The band would take the step up on the ladder to being terrible if they got rid of … Read more
Midpoint
Shutup, That's Why
2nd Best (2003)
Obviously the trend of pop punk has not stopped yet, which is evident by recent releases like this. It's formulaic, with squeaky clean guitar riffs and "uplifting" vocals that are whiney as all hell. There is even a breakdown thrown in here and there, which seems to be the new element in this music. In "Non Stop Lying You" at … Read more
Mike "McBeardo" McPadden
Heavy Metal Movies
Independent (2014)
According to Mike "McBeardo" McPadden's Heavy Metal Movies, Stanley Kubrick's 1968 film 2001: A Space Odyssey"profoundly influenced" a yet-to-be-named Black Sabbath. Fifty pages later on in the book, and the reader learns about the night in 1969 in Birmingham, England when Ozzy Osbourne, Geezer Butler, Tony Iommi and Bill Ward were getting ready to take the stage as blues rock … Read more
Mike Hale
Lives Like Mine
Suburban Home (2009)
In the Red frontman Mike Hale recently made the decision to be a musician full-time and he's been very busy at work considering that his solo record, Lives Like Mine, was recorded only two weeks after In the Red's second album was released. One would think that the album may have been rushed and the quality of the songs may … Read more
Mike Patton
A Perfect Place
Ipecac (2008)
It's been no secret that for quite some time now, Mike Patton has wanted to broaden his ever-widening horizons into the world of film scoring. Now, with Ipecac's 100th release, we now have the first film score composed by Mike Patton, and it's a doozy. A Perfect Place is a twenty-five minute black-and-white icy-cool neo-noir film directed by Derrick Scocchera … Read more
Mike Patton
From The Film and Inspired By the Book The Solitude of Prime Numbers (La Solitudine Dei Numeri Primi)
Ipecac (2012)
It's not much of a secret that Mike Patton is an odd fellow. Incredibly talented and carrying a relatively large fan base but, odd nonetheless. In the years since the demise of Faith No More and Mr. Bungle along with the extended downtime of his other bands (Tomahawk and Fantomas) he has managed to make a name for himself by … Read more
Mike Schiff
The History of Metal and Horror
Independent (2022)
The History of Metal and Horror is an extensive dip into a world where two defining genres of audio and visual come together so perfectly it's difficult to imagine one without the other. Music and film have had a long and happy marriage and both play a big parts in each others existence . Rom Coms and pop music, action … Read more
Mikey Erg
Love At Leeds
Don Giovanni (2022)
Sometimes I dread writing about an artist for the fourth or fifth time. What new thing can I say? Fortunately, Mikey Erg isn’t just prolific -- he mixes it up, a lot. Last time around, I opined that the last two tracks seems to show a new direction and I’m going to argue that ‘90s rock-influenced tone is exactly where … Read more
Mikey Erg
Mikey Erg
Rad Girlfriend Records (2021)
Mikey Erg deserves an honorary degree from somebody. The projects he fronts all have a healing, therapeutic quality, which is something we all need as the calendar flips.Billed as a “return to punk” after doing solo singer-with-a-guitar thing, the self-titled record is a statement that begins with its Clash nod cover. It’s loud and direct. It’s personal in that unique … Read more
Mikey Erg
Tentative Decisions
Don Giovanni (2016)
It took all of three seconds into Tentative Decisions, about 10 seconds before his unmistakable voice, to ID the record as being made by Mikey Erg. Drummer/guitarist/vocalist in bands ranging including but definitely not limited to The Ergs!, The Dopamines, Worriers, The Slow Death, and so many more. Erg’s work has long been built on a pop-punk foundation, emotional indecision … Read more
Miles Away
Rewind, Repeat...
6131 (2007)
If you were to listen to the latest offering from Miles Away, Rewind, Repeat , and yet knew nothing of the band, the last place that you would guess they were from would be Australia. If anything, you would have come up with either the Pacific Northwest or Boston. And while both are logical guesses based on the style of … Read more
Militarie Gun
All Roads Lead to the Gun
Alternatives Label (2021)
Southern California’s Militarie Gun is a newcomer with extensive experience in the field of hardcore punk. Multi-instrumentalist Ian Shelton started this project alone early in the pandemic, later recruiting four others to accompany his sing-scream vocals: guitarist Nick Cogan (Drug Church), guitarist William Acuña, drummer Vince Nguyen (Modern Color), and bassist Max Epstein. They released two EPs this year: All … Read more
Mind Eraser
Glacial Reign
Painkiller (2006)
I will put this simply. There are too many powerviolence bands. You can find more Myspace pages with Infest and No Comment under their influences than were ever records pressed from either band. I've realized this is a pretty egregious style of music (kind of like moshcoreââ¬Â¦which these kids call stupid and neandrathalic). So who out there is stopping the … Read more
