Titus Andronicus Return with Spook-tacular New "Home Alone On Halloween" EP from A Productive Cough Sessions (Merge Records +@)

Alright, ladies & germs - now, first and foremost, I don't generally post press statements in full, but this one was, honestly, just too good to pass up: "With Home Alone on Halloween, noted Rock band Titus Andronicus celebrate the spookiest of the seasons by staring into the abyss and confronting the bone-chilling terror, which lies at the haunted heart of our human experience. Bearing the justly feared catalog number "MRG666," the 12-inch EP spans 31 minutes and features three tracks recorded concurrently with the group's most recent full-length, A Productive Cough, offering an Autumnal tableau of dread and decay to complement its LP companion's Springtime visions of re-birth and new possibilities." Essentially, beloved Brooklyn-based Alternative/Hardcore/Punk/Folk quintet, Titus Andronicus (or +@ for short) have returned with their latest seasonally-appropriate offering titled Home Alone On Halloween. +@ kick off the particularly ghoulish affair with a slight re-work on "Home Alone" from their latest long-player, A Productive Cough, now, fittingly dubbed "Home Alone (On Halloween.)"

Home Alone On Halloween EP features a slightly more beefed up version of Titus Andronicus featuring "century" members Liam Benson, R.J. Gordon, Alexander Molini, Patrick Stickles, and Chris Wilson, as well as Cary Kehayan, Kevin S. McMahon, Matt "Money" Miller, Jane Scarpantoni, and Rick Steff. Matt "Money" Miller takes the lead, in lieu of frontman Patrick Stickles, on EP opener "Home Alone (On Halloween)" which, in my humble opinion, give The Misfits' festive mainstay, "Halloween," a run for its discount candy-buying money. It's an absolute bone-crusher of a composition that spans nearly 10 minutes and comes complete with seasonally-appropriate "BOO's," wails, and ghoulish sound effects. Next up is a Stickles-led cover of Bob Dylan's "Only a Hobo," which he originally recorded in 1963 and has appeared, in various forms, on The Bootleg Series, Vol 1-3: Rare & Unreleased 1961-1991, The Bootleg Series, Vol 9: The Witmark Demos: 1962-1964 (2010,) and 2013's Another Self-Portrait (1969-1971): The Bootleg Series, Vol. 10.

Last, but not least on Titus Andronicus' festive frolic is "A Letter Home;" a 17-minute multi-movement opus spanning a multitude of musical genres, styles, and deliveries that echoes +@'s 2015 5-act Punk Rock Opera, The Most Lamentable Tragedy AKA TMLT. Boston's B87FM posted this rather chilling statement attributed to Titus Andronicus frontman and mastermind, Patrick Stickles: "Death is not scary. Everyone has to die, but not everyone gets to die surrounded by love with the satisfaction of a life well-lived. What frightens me, far more than ghouls or goblins, is knowing that I may yet face the former without the comfort of the latter. When it comes to that of which nightmares are made, a Werewolf popping out of the bushes is nothing next to a life without love, when it is too late to turn back." Titus Andronicus' Home Alone On Halloween EP is currently available to purchase in a limited edition run of 12-inch vinyl on "seasonally-appropriate pumpkin-orange vinyl" from Merge Records, as well as digitally from your preferred streaming platform.

"Let Me Shine for You:" Lindsay Lohan for Playboy (Winter 2011-12 Leak)

Lindsay Lohan essentially embodies exactly "What NOT to Do In Hollywood :" Fame, fortune, success... sex, drugs & Rock "N" Roll . Within a fairly short period of time, Lohan somehow managed to obtain a plentiful helping of POWER @ a very young age. This gradual rise-downfall was captured on film; Between 1998-2010, she portrayed a wide array of roles across the silver screen in movies including: Mean Girls, Bobby , Herbie Fully Loaded , Georgia Rule, Machete , and Freaky Friday . Between rapid-paced film shoots, Lindsay Lohan also found time to record 2 Pop Rock albums for Casablanca , Speak (2004) and A Litter More Personal-Raw (2005). Needless to say, Lindsay Lohan has gotten roped up in a lot of troubles and woes with the law over the last 3-5 years... a vicious cycle of drugs, arrest, court, rehab, "daddy issues," jail time [Repeat]. That's the pure basics of it - But Google that shit for additional info, if necessary. Towards the end of

[W]reckless, Topless American Youth: Lana del Rey - "Born 2 Die" (Britney Spears Birthday 30)

Lana del Rey [Lizzy Grant] effectively became 2011's "It Girl" with the release of her phenomenal debut single, "Video Games" (Stranger) . Like many struggling singer-songwriters, Grant has been signed, dropped, and significantly changed her public image since bursting onto the scene (2009). With that said, it can be assumed that Lana del Rey has collected just as many "haters" as she has avid supporters. To be perfectly honest, the only other artist I can think of that made this much commotion... garnered so much wide-spread buzz/hate and critical acclaim -- right out of the gates -- with just one track is Britney Spears . And maybe in this post- Mike musical era, that's the true synthesis of Pop Culture: Britney Lynn Spears . After months of repeated teasing and speculation, Lana del Rey 's major label debut, Born 2 Die will [finally] be released this coming Jan. 30-31, 2012. Pitchfork reports that it will feature "Off to The Ra

Liberty Bell Cracked In 1/2: Ween - "Freedom of '76" (Gene Ween's Final Send-Off)

Chocolate & Cheese (1994) was one of the first albums I bought with my own money. I was in some sort of BMG Music Club , where you'd buy 5 CD's and then get 10 for "FREE." It was all sent through mail order and you picked the titles from some special booklet. I'm almost positive that Chocolate & Cheese's side boob-baring album cover was what initially drew me in... mind you, I was 12-15 and the zany Ween logo/middle finger CD graphic really didn't hurt either. Honestly, I forget how I really felt about it @ the time, but a few years later, my older cousin Josh told me that Ween were this BIG college "jam band." CKY did some sort pf 93.3 radio takeover to promote their new album and played "Freedom of '76" late that night on air. Needless to say, I re-visited Chocolate & Cheese @ about 20-something this go 'round and I fucking loved it! Ween were really weird, yet talented... almost too talented. I can vaguel

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