Steve Hackett
Genesis Revisited II
Inside Out (2012)
This (entirely too long) review is part of my coverage of the 2013 Progressive Music Awards, on 3 September. I fully admit, before I even listened to this album, I actively disliked it. For one, musical sequels are rarely as good as the original (as I've mentioned before). For another, it's a covers album--and we at Scene Point Blank are … Read more
Steve Reich
WTC 9/11
Nonesuch (2011)
Steve Reich occupies a weird place in modern music. He's one of the most-respected modern classical composers and right on the cusp of the avant-garde, winning prestigious accolades like a Pulitzer and a Grammy. Yet at the same time, he's something of a rock star in the classical world. He writes pieces that successfully connect with a younger generation of … Read more
Steve Von Till
A Grave is a Grim Horse
Neurot (2008)
For those who do not know who Steve Von Till is, Von Till is a guitarist and vocalist in the seminal outfit Neurosis. And while that band is one of the heaviest bands on the planet, Von Till's solo records are dark, folk-esque experiences which are stark portraits into a different side of the man that produces them. His solo … Read more
Steve Von Till
A Life Unto Itself
Neurot Recordings (2015)
I had always found it amazing how both Scott Kelly and Steve Von Till were able to separate the different musical modes that defined. Obviously at the top of the pyramid, for both guys, stands Neurosis, being the focal point of the experimental mindset. But both Kelly and Von Till had other projects throughout the years that would allow them … Read more
Steven Wilson
Grace For Drowning
Kscope (2011)
It's pretty easy to get inside Steven Wilson's head. It's abundantly clear from his works with Porcupine Tree that the man has a fetish for 1970s era progressive rock à la Pink Floyd, Yes and King Crimson. Sure, Porcupine Tree has also picked up influences from modern extreme metal, but nobody can deny that the roots of Steven Wilson's pet … Read more
Steven Wilson
The Raven that Refused to Sing (And Other Stories)
Kscope (2013)
Though they all claim lineage to the great acts of the 1970s, no modern progressive band can claim that they sound even remotely similar to them. Bands in the modern progressive rock genre (see Transatlantic, Spock's Beard, Coheed and Cambria) tend to sound closer akin to brightly-polished half-metal than the rock of the 70s, with a loudness and clarity that … Read more
Stiff Richards
State Of Mind
Drunken Sailor (2021)
I’m doing my damnedest not to judge this book by its cover, because Stiff Richards is far and away the worst band name I’ve heard in some time.With that out of the way, they say punk is an angry genre. Sometimes that’s in the lyrics, sometimes the shouting, sometimes the overall sonic impression. This is the latter. It’s short and … Read more
Still Crossed
Love and Betrayal
Indecision (2004)
Growing up in Cleveland I was more than spoiled when it came to hardcore bands: Integrity, The Spudmonsters, Committed, Ringworm, and countless others. I always found it odd that I rarely heard of hardcore bands from other cities in Ohio. Those that I did hear about were few and far between, not to mention they usually broke up by the … Read more
STNNNG
Empire Inward
Modern Radio (2013)
When frontman Chris Besinger laments, “I’m howling/ Can you hear me?” at the start of “Ballad of the Drunken Word,” it all comes home. Empire Inward is STNNNG’s fourth full-length and comes as the band celebrates their tenth anniversary. Since 2003 STNNNG has been spitting rage, frustration, and some downright mean-sounding rock’n’roll. At times vocalist Besinger sounds like a lunatic … Read more
STNNNG
The Smoke of My Will
Modern Radio (2010)
It’s been four long years since the last STNNNG album. In that time, though, the band hasn’t wavered from their dynamic and aggressive style of confrontational rock. While original drummer Jeremy Ward may no longer play with them, Twin Cities veteran Ben Ivascu jumped in and, once the band felt comfortable as a unit, they finished up their third full-length: … Read more
STNNNG
Veterans of Pleasure
Modern Radio (2017)
STNNNG have slowed down their output but it doesn’t seem that age is catching up to them. If anything, their anger seems more pronounced than ever. Pronounced “The Stunning,” the band plays aggressive and confrontational rock that punches, kicks and occasionally claws at the listener, with guitar barbs, drum-fronted jabs and bass-driven tumbling. It’s chaotically and meandering, yet artfully crafted … Read more
Stoke Signals
Make Dying Fun
Independent (2024)
Stoke Signals are an emo-punk hybrid. The band bears most of the marks of the midtempo, singalong gruff-vocal punk I enjoy. But with some song structure and lyrical patterns of the far more popular emo-rock style that took off some 20 years ago. And: live by emo, die by emo. It’s a genre that puts the lyrics front and center … Read more
Stone Temple Pilots
Stone Temple Pilots
Atlantic (2018)
Jeff Gutt has a thankless task before him. Some might say impossible, even. He's replacing Scott Weiland, one of the most loved and recognizable frontmen of the last 30 years, who tragically died far too young.He's also replacing Chester Bennington, Weiland's replacement who, after leaving Stone Temple Pilots and returning to Linkin Park, also tragically died far too young.So what … Read more
Stone Temple Pilots with Chester Bennington
High Rise EP
Play Pen LLC (2013)
For those who recall, the first time that Stone Temple Pilots got tired of waiting around for Scott Weiland to turn his shit around was in 1997. The DeLeo brothers and drummer Eric Kretz recruited singer Dave Coutts and Talk Show was born. I saw them play live on the second leg of Foo Fighters' Colour and the Shape tour. … Read more
Stoner Cop
Government Shutdown
Independent (2021)
Sliding down a KY Musk Moonbeam with Merlin firmly tucked into the back pocket. Quantum Leaps of 10 million years thrusting handfuls of melted Reese’s Pieces into your Pac Man gobbling, gobsmacked. gargantuan armchair self-proclaimed expert in all areas that cross your throbbing thrusting Billionaire rocket mindship. Hail the great Zrek! Welcome to the Apocalypse Generation. Get ready to engage … Read more
Stop Breathing
Santa Cruz EP
Independent (2014)
Raging, fast, poignant, and so on; any number of commonly used hardcore band descriptors would be apropos when talking about the sonic onslaught of Oxnard, CA's Stop Breathing. Lead vocalist John Crerar says, “I like to think of us as a cross between RKL and Gorilla Biscuits with a dash of D.R.I.” So there’s that for a frame of reference. … Read more
Stop Talking
Consequences Can Be A M.F.
Scat Boy Records (2022)
You know how every band is a skate punk band? Every band now, right now in 2022, is a skate punk band. Maybe not every band, fine, but most of them. 30-40 year old men with disposable income who can’t fend off the ghost of 90s nostalgia, singing about a simpler time when they didn’t have responsibilities like recycling their … Read more
Storm Corrosion
Self Titled
Roadrunner (2012)
Steven Wilson and Mikael Åkerfeldt are both two musicians I hold in incredibly high esteem. Wilson’s flabbergasting diversity of styles covered with Porcupine Tree or his various solo projects and Åkerfeldt’s amazingly thoughtful and moving compositions with Opeth both continue to astound me no matter how often I listen to them. It should go without saying they are both gifted … Read more
