Posted about 3 months ago by Newandapproved Group

Unlike much of his corpse-paint wearing brethren Malefic of the ambient black metal band Xasthur dons his horrific black-and-white face as a statement of despair not aggression. Theatrical, he is of the same creed as The Cure's Robert Smith and Alice Cooper or Hollywood's The Crow and Heath Ledger'...

Posted about 7 months ago by Newandapproved Group

Made up with costume and intrigue Bat for Lashes' Natasha Khan seems less of a rock star than a wood nymph. With Mother Earth whimsy and an entrancing voice, the 29-year-old Brighton, UK, songstress entangles an ancient mysticism in her songs that sets her apart from fellow electro femme fatals of t...

Posted about 8 months ago by Newandapproved Group

To dine at the table of the Heavy Metal Gods, one must traverse a treacherous trail of fire and brimstone, braving blizzards of ice, sadistic spirits and menacing monsters along the journey. It's gnarly. And after about a month on the road, the tour bus starts to stink like something awful, the part...

Posted about 8 months ago by Newandapproved Group

It's not a bad gig Dan Boeckner has going. Between co-fronting the Sub Pop star outfit Wolf Parade and then Handsome Furs with his wife, Alexei Perry, the man from Montreal has a full plate of projects to keep him creatively fulfilled and adventurous. While Wolf Parade is a four-piece with an expan...

Posted about 8 months ago by Newandapproved Group

New and Approved bands fresh from South by Southwest featuring Crocodiles, Rolo Tomassi, and Po Po.  With more than 1,800 acts playing at the weeklong South by Southwest Festival in Austin, TX, sorting through the meat show of bands is a daunting task. While big name acts like Metallica and Kanye W...

Posted about 8 months ago by Newandapproved Group

As one of rock's most revered bands, Cursive is one that may be survived with a legacy superior to its modern day fame. Born from Omaha, NE, in the mid-'90s and nursed on a supportive scene of musical colleagues, friends and friends including Bright Eyes and the Faint, Cursive's notoriety for liquo...

Posted about 9 months ago by Newandapproved Group

The old cliche goes something like, sugar and spice and everything nice, that's what little girls are made of. But considering The Coathangers from Atlanta, a tattoo-clad girl group that more closely resembles the Fabulous Stains than the Shangri Las, such a saying suddenly seems beyond trite and d...

Posted about 9 months ago by Newandapproved Group

For a grand geeked-out punk-rock and roll love affair one need look no further than Brooklyn's Matt and Kim, a boyfriend/girlfriend party rock duo with a knack for poppy singles and bringing the party. Since forming in 2004 after meeting while attending Brooklyn's Pratt Institute, Matt Johnson and K...

Posted about 9 months ago by Newandapproved Group

With The Thermals' fourth full-length release, Now We Can See, on the horizon for an April 7 release on Kill Rock Stars, one thing has become clear for this neo-punk three-piece from Portland, OR: The Thermals are a band marching at it's own pace. Birthed from that Northwest scene -- which has of la...

Posted about 9 months ago by Newandapproved Group

The lo-fi rock and roll freak-out known as Wavves has experienced a relatively quick lift in success since mastermind Nathan Williams, 22, began his noise-punk noodling in early 2008. Picking up his moniker from a wariness he has towards water after a drunken mishap that nearly left him dead and dr...