I listen to a lot of music. No, really. If I’m not catching up on what my dudes recommend with The Indie Inspection and Ska Punk & Other Junk, or doing homework for the Crushed Monocle Podcast, I’ve got my ear to the ground for what’s next. There’s so much music out there that it’s hard to keep a cohesive list. While the podcast is a great way to discuss a few records each month, I feel I’m undercutting some of the other records that got repeated spins. What’s the remedy? This column! This is The Showcase.
Welcome to The Showcase for March 2025!
Hey! March is almost over, and I can’t decide if it showed up like a lion or showed out like a lamb. However, I did read a piece about how Green Day took a dig at Vice President JD Vance at a recent show by changing a lyric in “Jesus of Suburbia.” I guess we’re all supposed to cheer with how hilarious that was. The line in question; “Am I retarded or am I just overjoyed…” was changed to “Am I retarded or am I just JD Vance?.” Now, don’t get me wrong, I’d never pass up an opportunity to dunk on that couch-loving Cabbage Patch doll. But if they took the time to change the lyrics to reflect the modern trash administration, why couldn’t they change the first part of that line to reflect how it’s unacceptable to use ableist language in the year of our Lord 2025?
Speaking of our Lord, have you seen the commercial where Gwen Stefani encourages the viewer to join the prayer app, Hallow, so we can all pray together? This prayer app is worth somewhere between $200 and $300 million dollars. Not to mention, this company spent nearly $7 million on a 30-second spot during this year’s Super Bowl broadcast. I’m not gonna judge Mrs. Stefani for her spiritual convictions. But as a believer myself, any church I’d choose to shill for wouldn’t be worth hundreds of millions of dollars. It would be one worth $0 because the congregation spent the money on feeding the poor and housing the homeless. You know, the stuff Jesus said to do? Then again, I ain’t no Hallow App Girl…
As a disclaimer, The Showcase is about sharing good music, not airing the grievances of former ’90s punk icons.
I could go on all day about how disappointing and all-around lame aging rock stars are as they share their political and spiritual beliefs. Or about how obnoxious they’ve become (looking at you Laura Jane Grace). But these particular instances got me thinking about how tone-deaf Generation X and Elder Millennials really are. For all the liberal-leaning preaching and encouragement they did (which I appreciate), they sure can’t read a room. Are we really surprised that a rich white girl from Orange County grew up and mingled with conservatives? Is it a plot twist that a faux-punk band from the ’90s thinks that making fun of the disabled is okay?
But hey, getting cozy with Jesus grifters and making fun of disabled people are Gwen Stefani and Billie Joe Armstrong’s respective prerogatives. They’re products of their era, and they’re free to do what they want. However, that means we’re free to call them out and hold them accountable. And that’s the thing, isn’t it? Most of us are trying to do better (or should be anyway), so that should include the artists we listen to. At the very least, we need to reevaluate why these old artists are still being shoved down our throats despite not having a listenable body of work in over two decades.
OR we could just choose to listen to better music in general! Where was I? Oh yeah, The Showcase!
Cloakroom – Last Leg of the Human Table
With all the negativity that began this installment of The Showcase, the least I could do would be to start with some positivity. And let me tell you, Last Leg of the Human Table is so perfect, it brings tearw to my eye! Cloakroom has always gone above and beyond shoegaze, post-rock, or whatever genre others choose for them. And with this record, they’ve gone even further. Wall-to-wall guitars, immaculate bass, percussion, I could go on and on about everything I love about this album. But they also add some inspired flavors such as power pop and even alt-country. This is the sound of the band I’ve always wanted to be in.
Museum Of Light – Diviner
Combining elements of shoegaze and doom, Museum Of Light always delivers something unique to both genres. Diviner provides augmented tension between grooves and abrasive beats, but there’s a particular sense of upbeat release toward the second half. I don’t know if I can explain it without listening to it for yourself. Then again, that’s the point of this column, right?
Total Con – Who Needs The Peace Corps?
If you pride yourself on being a fan of legitimate punk rock like me, you probably enjoy anything anti-cop and anti-establishment. This solo project from The Annihilated’s Bobby Cole features no glossy production and absolutely no pandering to a political party. Who Needs The Peace Corps? is an overtly aggressive example of punk in its purest form.
Tremours – Fragments
One of the most astonishing elements of shoegaze is usually how lonely it sounds. Beneath the wall of distorted guitars and static lies this tiny voice murmuring barely audible lines about God knows what. However, Tremours take a slightly different approach. Instead of dense production, Fragments accentuate the sparse and open. The familiar instrumentation remains, but the mixing and mastering elevate the vulnerability, creating a world that’s organic and lived in. This album proves that shoegaze isn’t always about noise.
SaneSun Martyrs – Tinnitus In B
I share a lot of love for the music of the psyche variety here on The Showcase. But to be honest, not a lot of it is really psychedelic, especially when it’s compared to SaneSun Martyrs! The best way I can describe Tinnitus In B is it’s the audio equivalent of a bad trip! Despite its lean track listing of only 6 songs, this EP has enough bizarre psychedelia to last me the rest of the year! It’s a weird listen but oddly comforting. I dunno, maybe I haven’t come down yet.
Young Widows – Power Sucker
I can’t believe it’s been over a decade since the last Young Windows record. It often feels like it’s been much longer. Thankfully with Power Sucker, the band closes that time gap. All the sludge, doom, post-hardcore, and noise are intact like they’ve never left! And it’s a hefty sucker, too, as there’s really enough for 2 records here.
Guided By Voices – Universe Room
Do I really need to explain a Guided By Voices record to you? If you’re familiar with this legendary band, you already know their schtick. If for some reason you’ve been in a coma for the last 40 years, you could probably listen to this album (or any of their other 467 albums), and you’ll be up to speed. Then again, listening to anything Bob Pollard is involved in feels like breathing for me.
Headsplitters – Curse Of Life
Somewhere between hardcore and thrash lies Headsplitters. As the cover art promises, Curse Of Life is a gnarly exercise of fuzzy noise with the right amount of aggression and disarray. It’s the soundtrack to a free-for-all knife fight in the sewers of NYC and about as satisfying as a bare-knuckle sucker punch. Just keep the lights off, because it sure is ugly!
Bambara – Birthmarks
We all miss David Lynch, yeah? Well, there’s always the southern gothic storytelling of Bambara! For their 5th album, they traded most of their swampiness and Nick Cave meets Cinemax aesthetics for a stronger emphasis on slicker production. However, Birthmarks doesn’t compromise any of the group’s signature sleaze. This collection of industrial-flavored cinematic vignettes will keep you glued to your seat for its entire slim runtime of 36 minutes!
Bob Mould – Here We Go Crazy
Be it Husker Du, Sugar, or his countless solo albums, Bob Mould has been a harbinger of rock n’ roll for over 40 years. Needless to say, he has perfected the rock record. With Here We Go Crazy, Mould didn’t reinvent the wheel, but he isn’t going through the motions either. If anything, he performs with the urgency and youthful vigor of dudes in the game half his age.
Nite – Cult of the Serpent Sun
You knew The Showcase was gonna have at least one metal record, right? A supergroup made of members of High Spirits, Dawnbringer, and Satan’s Wrath, Nite is the most fun you’ll have with death metal tropes. The vocals are ghoulish. and the lyric subject matter is your run-of-the-mill ’80s throwback. However, the band holds my attention because the music is made with such an honest devotion. The Iron Maiden meets Merciful Fate influences come fast and furious, so fire up the Trans Am, dust the moths out of your battle vest, and enjoy a classic heavy metal album!
Savage Master – Dark & Dangerous
If you’ve kept up with The Showcase this past year, you already know my affinity for what your religious aunts and uncles call evil music. Savage Master keeps alive those simpler times of Satanic Panic. Dark & Dangerous features the camp of Danzig, the gusto of Dokken, and the allure of Dio. Along with stellar musicianship and vocal craft, this record is extremely well-produced and performed. God knows I’ll always love this stuff!
Star 99 – Gaman
I’ve reached the age where nostalgia doesn’t mean much to me. I look at the adult lives of the friends I grew up with, and while they seem happy, I sense some sort of longing in their eyes. But as someone who didn’t get married, start a family, and chose to slog through my 30s into my 40s, I’ll be the first to tell them they aren’t missing much. It’s this sense of sardonic humor that makes Gaman such an incredible album. Although I hear influences including Dinosaur Jr, That Dog! and Letters To Cleo, it’s clear Star 99 are not defined by sugary hooks. It’s the bitter sarcasm and jaded wisdom that’s fueling this strong contender for album of the year.
Warbringer – Wrath and Ruin
Formed in 2004 during the beginning of the first thrash revival, Warbringer has always brought a little extra to the genre. Be it elements of black and death metal, their core sound has always been on the gnarlier side of the genre. Wrath and Ruin continues that tradition but with even more experimentation, especially in various tempos and moods. Sure, there’s a single moody track, but the rest is played at break-neck speed.
Vein Blue – Dandelion
When I covered Vein Blue in the August 2024 installment of The Showcase, I loved the heartbreaking aura of that particular release. However, Dandelion is the polar opposite. Gone are the blue feelings of breaking up, and they’re replaced by a bright hopefulness that feels almost dreamlike. This EP is a light, airy listen that’s a perfect cure for post-winter exhaustion.
Ritchot Textiles – ii
Post-rock can be a lot of things, but you rarely hear it being called groovy. But thanks to a constant beat and bass guitar as the lead instrument, ii makes me want to dance more than anything. Think of it Nine Inch Nails meets Tame Impala but without either the edge lord or hipster baggage.
The Unfit – Disconnected LP
The Unfit are a self-proclaimed group of “nobodies” who occasionally put out music. But said music is raw, ugly, honest, and most importantly, authentic. Made up of previously digital-only releases, Disconnected LP is everything those olds never were or ever will be. The best part? The Unfit probably doesn’t even care and isn’t even trying. This isn’t some group of ’90s has-beens flying on private jets. This is the real deal. Moreover, this isn’t just a review for The Showcase. It’s a full-on endorsement of legit punk.
Soundwire – Collider
Modern shoegaze with a Brit-pop flair from musicians who helped create the genre. Read my full review here.
Downward – LP2
For their 2nd album, Downward trades post-rock noise for Midwestern emo. Read my full review here.
Pat and The Pissers – How It’s Done
Hardcore punk from Indianapolis, IN of all places. Read my full review here.
Sacrifice – Volume Six
A legacy act proves that Canada’s thrash scene is just as important as the Bay area. Read my full review here.
Bonnie Trash – Mourning You
Bonnie Trash uncovers the finality of death and the beauty in grief. Read my full review here.