via//chicago

np: "All Over Again" - Jay Reatard

For those of us not lucky enough to have been able to track down all of Jay Reatard's various 7-inches over the past several years, the folks over at In the Red have put together one hell of a package for us. Singles 06-07 compiles 17 tracks pulled from Jay's various non-album releases from those two titular years. Even more fun is the second disc, a DVD that pulls together four different live performances from roughly the same time period. If you weren't hip to last year's fantastic Blood Visions, or even if you were, this is a great place to catch up on one of Memphis' greatest garage rock exports. This makes me really anxious to hear his upcoming material on Matador.

Seems that the fine folks over at Metal Edge have finally updated their website, so you can now check out some of my recent reviews without trudging down to your local newsstand. Although I highly suggest you do so anyway, as Metal Edge as a whole has really impressed me lately with lots of fine coverage. Of special note this issue is a fine piece on Paganfest by Adrien Begrand (Basement Galaxy) and a feature on the top 25 nu-metal albums (really, the entire genre didn't suck). So if you are so inclined, wander off and read my quick thoughts on some recent metal releases. Toby Driver's latest Kayo Dot album has a few decent moments, but takes far too long to really get exciting. Israel's Distorted offers an interesting take on gothic-tinged metal, but it all feels a bit too safe for my liking. But if you want to read what I thought of Mericless Death, Coldworker, or Power Quest - you'll have to pick up the August 2008 issue in person.

As a sidenote, I want to point out that something got lost between when my Kayo Dot review got submitted and when it was printed. That first sentence should read: "Since disbanding the beloved maudlin of the Well...". I'm guessing my choice of using the band's lack of capitalization in the "maudlin" led to some confusion. Anyway, I do know that Toby Driver's band was "maudlin of the Well" and not "the Well".