You might know Marcellus Hall from his days fronting stellar NYC bands Railroad Jerk and White Hassle or from his awesome illustration work (which has been features in the likes of The New Yorker, the New York Times and MAGNET). Hall returns February 22 with The First Line, his debut for the Glacial Pace label, which is owned by Modest Mouse’s Isaac Brock. The 13-track album—recorded with bassist Damon Smith, keyboardist Matt Martin and drummer Mike Shapiro—also includes a 44-page booklet that features artwork done by Hall. We are proud to premiere The First Line‘s title (and opening) track today on magnetmagazine.com.
“The First Line” (download): https://magnetmagazine.com/audio/TheFirstLine.mp3
Nothing did more to further the cause of Alternative Nation-building than 120 Minutes, MTV’s Sunday-night video showcase of non-mainstream acts. For nearly two decades, the program spanned musical eras from ’80s college rock to ’00s indie, with grunge, Britpop, punk, industrial, electronica and more in between. MAGNET raids the vaults to resurrect our 120 favorite and unjustly forgotten videos from the show’s classic era.
#42: Bad Religion “American Jesus”
Is there a Bad Religion tell-all/unauthorized biography yet? Frontman and evolutionary biologist Greg Graffin did get a book published last year, but something tells us it’s light on the drama endured by his long-running punk band and more about, well, evolutionary biology. A lot of that drama had to do with guitarist Brett Gurewitz’s substance abuse, recovery and—somewhere in the middle of all that—his impressive empire of indie record labels (Epitaph, Anti- and Fat Possum among them). Bad Religion played loud, fast and erudite punk rock; Graffin’s penchant for putting big words and ideas into song either sent you scurrying for a dictionary or scrambling to change the radio station. We suppose that 1993 major-label debut Recipe For Hate was Bad Religion’s shot at mainstream success, but all the band’s records pretty much sound the same. “American Jesus” isn’t the group’s best track—it’s just one of the only ones with an embeddable video on YouTube, and it’s got the added distinction of featuring Eddie Vedder as guest vocalist.
British trio White Lies—guitarist/vocalist Harry McVeigh, bassist Charles Cave and drummer Jack Lawrence-Brown—just released Ritual (Geffen/Fiction), which follows up To Lose My Life…, the band’s commercially successful 2009 debut. The 10-track sophomore LP was co-produced by Alan Moulder (Depeche Mode, Killers) and was written over a five-week period when White Lies wasn’t crisscrossing the globe in support of its first album. Though McVeigh, Cave and Lawrence-Brown are all barely old enough to drink legally in the U.S., the threesome has been playing together as a band since their mid-teens, first as Fear Of Flying, which released two singles produced by Stephen Street (Smiths, Blur), and then under the White Lies moniker. The trio will be guest editing magnetmagazine.com all week. Read our brand new Q&A with them.
Lawrence-Brown: Along with music, I am inclined to believe that cookery is the shared passion of all three of White Lies members. There is nothing better than the satisfaction of eating something that you have spent some time making. Due to my fairly novice status in the kitchen, the preparation usually takes an excessive amount of time compared to the actual consumption of the finished product. I hope to improve my preparation-to-consumption ratio as my skills in the kitchen improve. Part of the fun in cooking for White Lies (or myself at least) is that it is something that can only be performed whilst off the road, so it has a really strong connection with relaxation and “home.” I also associate it with time spent with my friends who I don’t see for several weeks/months at a time whilst touring. Washing up after cooking a big meal is still a massive pain in the arse, though. Must buy a dishwasher. Currently enjoying the recipes of Yotam Ottolenghi (lots of good veggie and Middle Eastern cuisine) and always, always, alwaysGordon Ramsay. He may be a bit of a bastard, but he can cook.
You might know Marcellus Hall from his days fronting stellar NYC bands Railroad Jerk and White Hassle or from his awesome illustration work (which has been features in the likes of The New Yorker, the New York Times and MAGNET). Hall returns February 22 with The First Line, his debut for the Glacial Pace label, which is owned by Modest Mouse’s Isaac Brock. The 13-track album—recorded with bassist Damon Smith, keyboardist Matt Martin and drummer Mike Shapiro—also includes a 44-page booklet that features artwork done by Hall. We are proud to premiere The First Line‘s title (and opening) track today on magnetmagazine.com.
British trio 