My first encounter with the Tape Op universe happened when I picked up a magazine that was laying around Mike Pack’s studio, Revolution Sounds, in Chattanooga, TN. This was twenty-plus years ago. Listening to LANDLORD track “More Trouble” on Beneath the Wheel, and being frustrated that they didn’t do the ending phrase twice. I was […]
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Helsinki powerhouse YLEISET SYYT returns with nine tracks of hardcore of the highest order, which comes as no surprise considering the band features members of FORESEEN and KOHTI TUHOA. This isn’t a run-of-the-mill punk record, and while influences can be fairly easily cherry-picked, YLEISET SYYT plays with so much style and has enough catchy riffs […]
Read full "Saitte Mitä Halusitte 12″" review
An overall fantastic album out of Stockholm, Sweden that anyone who digs Sarah, K, or Slumberland Records will surely be fond of immediately. The diversity of sounds may cause a kneejerk read of a lack of cohesion, but by the time the listener is deep into album centerpiece “Imposter,” that thought will have become a […]
Read full "Peak Bleak LP" review
The album art had me thinking this was going to be some weird Italian metal album, but I was pleasantly surprised as it was not at all what l expected. This is Mexican Oi!, no bones about it. And while the first track didn’t initially do much for me, the chord change around 2:52 made […]
Read full "Torre de Marfil cassette" reviewOn this week’s MRR Radio, Jennifer plays some new gems!
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Last Night at the Lusty: Remembering San Francisco’s First Unionized Strip Club is a fascinating expose of North Beach’s most notorious haunt. Filled with shocking twists and urban legends (but are they?), Janelle Blarg’s most recent comic also highlights the risks, the racism, and the management’s reluctance to address many of the employee’s workplace concerns. […]
Read full "Last Night at the Lusty: Remembering San Francisco’s First Unionized Strip Club" review
While working on the Murray Bowles photo book, I found myself in an early ’80s Bay Area punk frenzy, gobbling up old photo books, zines, and newsprint rags of the day, and digging into internet rabbit holes left and right. Along the way I came across this gem, self-published in 2021, which I immediately needed […]
Read full "Alternative Voices: 1980’s Punk San Francisco" review
Far from any major cities and never a convenient spot on a touring route, the seemingly sedate neighbouring seaside towns of Falmouth and Penryn are an unlikely setting for a growing punk scene. However, over a long period of time, a local punk community has thankfully become a regular presence here. Cover photo: Dee Loraine […]
Read full "No End in View: A Falmouth & Penryn Scene Report" Article
Alrighty, here it is—the fourth and final installment of our YETTs. Here are parts one, two, and three, if you missed those. Also, be sure to scroll all the way down to see our Top Ten 2025 YETTs! D. Gregory D. Gregory has been a reviewer for Maximum Rocknroll since 2024. He has been culturally […]
Read full "2025 Year End Top Tens, Part Four" Year-End Top Ten