Revolver
has teamed with the Used for an exclusive, limited-edition 2LP Bone and Ultra-Clear Pinwheel With Maroon Splatter vinyl variant of their 2002 debut album The Used
The Used s 2002 self-titled debut is about addiction, depression and heartbreak and the messiness of dealing with all of those circumstances at once. Lyrically, the platinum-certified emo classic is a personal, squeamishly intense gut punch, and musically it s just as gnarly: sinewy post-hardcore guitar leads, visceral metalcore screams and an artfully exaggerated take on the pained singing style of Nineties emo bands like Sunny Day Real Estate and Texas Is the Reason.
In 2020, the record sounds just as dark and intense as it did at the turn of the millennium, but frontman Bert McCracken is in a much different spot. The 38-year-old is on a Zoom call with
Image from Vicarious Visions
With the release of
Tony Hawk’s Pro Skater 1 + 2 in September, we asked Brisbane punks DZ Deathrays – who themselves are featured on the video game’s soundtrack with ‘IN-TO-IT’ – to tell us four of the game’s songs that stand out to them.
Lead guitarist and backing vocalist Lachlan Ewbank and drummer Simon Ridley provided their faves, dropping a few classics and a hit from 2018.
Lachlan Ewbank
Viagra Boys – ‘Slow Learner’
Mainly picked this one because of the big driving bassline but really fell in love with it when that saxophone solo hits. It has the perfect tempo to skate around to. It reminds me of Devo (one of my favourite bands) which of course is a good thing.
21 crap jokes about rock music to replace the crap jokes in your Christmas cracker
Bored of the same laboured snow and penguin puns in your Christmas crackers? Here are 21 (somehow worse) gags about rock music and seasonal cheer. Joke Writer: Mike Rampton
Considering how much of Christmas involves a) A chunky dude in big boots with a huge beard, b) candles, and c) general excess, it’s strange that it isn’t seen as more metal. Bringing a tree into your house is pagan as
fuck.
One festive tradition that is really close to being metal – in that it involves a bit of casual pyro – is the Christmas cracker. It just needs the pyro upping a bit (Christmas exploders would be a lot better), the crowns replaced with something a bit more badass and the jokes worked on. Christmas cracker jokes being shit is, of course, important: they can’t be
The Year In Ska & Ska-Punk: Albums, EPs & Singles not to miss from 2020
Ska never went away, but there s more widespread interest for the genre right now than there has been in a while. Nostalgia tends to move in 20-ish year cycles and it s been about two decades since ska s last peak in popularity died down, enough time has passed for the unfair stigma to fade away, and the anti-racism aspect of ska hits hard after four years of having Trump as a president. But it s not just timing; there s an increasingly strong network of bands working hard to show that ska is alive and well, and those bands are making
In April 2021, Clash books will release Aaron Carnes
In Defense of Ska. The book is an astounding piece of music history. The book explores the history of ska, ruminates on modern ska, and takes, deep, deep, deep dives into obscure ska factoids. Via hundreds and hundreds of interviews with musicians, Carnes weaves the stories involving the big name hitters (Less than Jake, Reel Big Fish, Fishbone) with the medium size ska-champs (Skankin Pickle, MU330, Bomb the music Inudustry!), with the forgotten bands that only Carnes knows. Carnes himself played in the post two-tone/pre-3rd wave band Flat Planet, Roadied for Skankin Pickle, and also worked at Asian Man Records.