Morat

While it might easily be argued that record companies are a thing of the past in these days of Spotify, YouTube and all, the fact that they still exist seems to suggest otherwise. They are a necessary evil. Well, evil if you're one of those bands who are constantly blaming your woes on them, perhaps forgetting that you signed to them in the first place, and presumably had the foresight to read what you were signing....

If music be the food of love, play on. So said a fella named Shakespeare back in 1601. And while rock & roll wouldn't be invented for about another 350 years, he may well have been on to something. After all, who doesn't like a little music to get them in the mood? And there are literally thousands of tunes from which to choose, from the hopelessly romantic to the delightfully dirty. Today, however, we take a look at some bands that don't just have the occasional ode to amour but entire discographies dedicated to deviance — the pioneers of perversion....

It may be a much overused adage, but the fact remains that no news is indeed good news. Imagine a day without all those miserable headlines about death and destruction. No wars, no mass shootings, no fires or disasters, no corrupt politicians. Imagine all the people... Oh wait, John Lennon did that and it didn't turn out too well, so it looks like we're stuck with it....

It's been almost a year since marijuana laws were changed in the state of California — on Jan. 1, 2018 — to allow for its recreational use, and the downfall of mankind has failed to materialize. Well, perhaps not failed, but any descent into madness has certainly got nothing to do with whether or not one needs a doctor's certificate to buy a bag of weed....

It's no secret that the fair state of California has been the inspiration for a ridiculous number of classic tunes, from The Mamas & the Papas’ sublime "California Dreaming" to the Dead Kennedys’ fiercely political "California Uber Alles." Hell, some bands seem to have made entire careers out of singing about California (we're looking at you, Chili Peppers)....

Whatever your preference, there's a road built just for you, and whatever your choice of cycle, there's a song to go with it, too. It seems like ever since motorcycles were invented there's been somebody singing about them....

While there is some incredibly complicated math suggesting infinite possibilities, there are basically just 12 notes in music. Twelve! Think about that for a second. Doubtless you own more than 12 albums, each containing at least 12 songs, all of them conveying different emotions, all of them unique in their own way. It really is astonishing....

When Slayer announced, earlier this year, that they were calling it a day and that they would play just one more world tour, there was, as you might expect, much wailing and gnashing of teeth. This is, after all, the end of an era, another classic band gone, albeit one who have the common sense to bow out on a high note, rather than embarrass everyone by dragging on for the sake of nostalgia (and money)....