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Deniz Tek

Interviews • July 25, 2026

There is a specific kind of velocity associated with the name Deniz Tek. To the aviation world, he was a flight surgeon and a pilot in the cockpit of an F-4 Phantom. To the medical world, he was the calm in the center of the ER trauma ward. But to the global underground of high-energy rock 'n' roll, he is the primary architect of Radio Birdman -- the band that effectively rewrote the Australian musical landscape with a Detroit-born blueprint of "loose tightness." His new solo album, The Beat (released on April 17, 2026 via Wild Honey Records), is a literal collaboration with the past, built upon the final, spontaneous drum tracks of the late Ric Parnell. It is a project that mirrors Tek’s entire career: a balancing act between the precision of the "forensic" mindset and the artist's unchoreographed intuition. Scene Point Blank: How often does unchoreographed intuition take over from precision? Or is life just a balancing act to keep the chaos from sucking you into the void? Deniz Tek: In performances, improvisation without direct thought is usually better than choreography. As a rhythm guitarist, actual precision comes into my playing only in the timing. But it’s not thought out. It’s instinctive. In creating a new piece of art from scratch, it has to start with intuition to have a hope of being worthwhile. Expertise, applied with precision, comes later on, in finishing the piece. Of course, in engineering or aviation, things like that, precision obviously takes precedence. … Read more

Scene Point Blank's Favorites: The Year So Far (July 2026)

Music • July 13, 2026

That's right: we're halfway through 2026 already, although whether that means this year is a glass-half-empty or glass-half-full kind of … Read more

Demos You Want To Check #4

Music / New Kids On The Block • July 7, 2026

The musical landscape is ever changing. New genres are popping up, new hypes burst out of nowhere and die out … Read more

The Bellrays

Interviews • July 6, 2026

A Conversation with Lisa Kekaula (Vocals) and Bob Vennum (Guitar) of The Bellrays For over three decades, The Bellrays -- … Read more

Latest album reviews browse all

Time Thieves

Come Home/If You Survive Extended Edition
Independent (2026)

Time Thieves, of Chicago, IL, bill themselves as power pop in the vein of The Rentals or Fountains of Wayn or Weezer in their bio and they double down on that with the smooth as silk, uplifting melody of "Cover Your Eyes," the first song on their Come Home/If You Survive Extended Edition LP that arrived on my doorstep, literally … Read more

The Mekons

Horror & Horrorble (The Mekons Vs. Tony Maimone In Dub Conference)
Fire Records (2026)

When Horror dropped last year, it was well worth the privileged price of entering the collected world of The Mekons. I was lucky enough to find their first LP—"The Quality Of Mercy Is Not Strnen"—in a thrift store many blood moons ago. This began my foray into the ever-changing world of The Mekons and their many ever-changing forays into the … Read more

Amy Bell

Want Me EP
Warren Records (2026)

Amy Bell is a singer songwriter from Yorkshire, England. A self-taught musician at 21 years old, she has begun to make a name for herself and often plays at charity events and local festivals. Known for her unusual voice, this indie artist released her second EP, titled Want Me, on June 26th, 2026 on Warren Records. This 4 song collection … Read more

House Of All

Inklings
Tiny Global Productions (2026)

Six blokes who survived the Mark E. Smith sausage-squeezing meat grinder, plus a beautiful Blue Orchid for good measure. But if you’re turning up to Inklings expecting some pathetic karaoke penny on the eyes wake, you’re completely barking up the wrong great Deku tree. Not a tribute act. It’s a cash-in-hand inheritance from a filthy-rich uncle… let's call him Uncle … Read more

Additional album reviews

If I Die Today

I Felt Nothing
Independent (2026)

Sometimes post-hardcore stops feeling emotional and just becomes noise for the sake of noise. If I Die Today understands that line better than most bands operating in this space. Their … Read more

Eddy Current Suppression Ring

In Light Of Recent Events
Suppression Records (2026)

Australian Neo-proto-punk garagerockers ECSR released 11 new songs in May without much, if any, fanfare and not as some marketing or PR stunt but because they seem to actually give … Read more

Swell Maps

C21
Tiny Global Productions (2026)

This isn't a hologram dancing, marionette corpse, tap-dancing nostalgia trip. It’s a jagged pill, a necessary taser jolt. Jowe Head-- one of the sole surviving architects of the original Solihull … Read more

Silver Proof

Even If It Hurts
Independent (2026)

Some pop punk records feel made for playlists and algorithms. They’re polished into oblivion, emotionally vague, and afraid to get messy. Silver Proof clearly didn’t get that memo. The Buffalo … Read more

Lice (Aesop Rock & Homeboy Sandman)

Vol. 4: Miami Lice
Rhymesayers (2026)

This EP released kind of suddenly, back in March, right before a bunch of stuff hit the fan in my life outside of SPB. Which means the EP felt sudden, … Read more

Various Artists

There Is No Sun - A Tribute To Jay Reatard
Sonic Church (2026)

The late, great Jay Reatard was a prolific master of rock n roll gems. Whether it be with his earlier budget-punk act of his namesake, Reatards, his synth-punk projects Lost … Read more

The Dwarves

Jenkem
Greedy, MVD (2026)

The Dwarves first cut me off on my path with their 1986 garage-rock debut, Horror Stories, on Voxx Records. Been a fan since. Over the forty years they've been around, … Read more

David J

Tracks From the Attic Revisited
Independent Project Records (2026)

Sometimes musical circles take decades to close. Just ask Fleur De Lys and their catchy cover of The Who’s '60s freakbeat rarity, "Circles." For those of us digging through dusty … Read more

News headlines browse all

1-800-MIKEY is now a Goner

Posted in Records on July 25, 2026

Syndey, AU bedroom pop rock project 1-800-MIKEY returns, sharing "Me and My Only" from a forthcoming third album. Goner Records will release said full record on Sept. 4. 1-800-MIKEY is led by Michael Barker in a lo-fi project built on a garage-punk foundation. Besides solo, Barker also performs with Gee … Read more

Harrison Gordon's Hopeless Bliss

Posted in Records on July 25, 2026

Earlier this year, Illinois punk band Harrison Gordon announced they had joined Hopeless Records. Now we get an update with an official release, Bliss, to come out on Sept. 4. … Read more

Bug Facer faces humanity's fate

Posted in Bands on July 25, 2026

Bug Facer has announced a forthcomign digital double single: "Nuclear Bounty Hunter / Beggar's Last Words," out August 21 via Warren Records. Described as "experimental doom punks from East Yorkshire, … Read more

Topdown LP and comp track

Posted in Records on July 25, 2026

Topdown, a post-hardcore band from Austin, just released new album called The Earth & All Its Pavement, their second full-length release, on July 16 on digital formats. It will be … Read more

Eep-Oop! present Choices

Posted in Records on July 25, 2026

Seattle, WA band Eep-Oop! has a new record on the way, Choices, to release via Mom's Basement Records in the near future, though no release date has been shared at … Read more

Newly Sentient Being from Swans

Posted in Records on July 24, 2026

October 2 is the release date for Newly Sentient Being, a new live recording from Swans. The live performance, recorded in Berlin, is from the final show of the band's … Read more

Teenage Fanclub after Nothing Lasts Forever

Posted in Records on July 23, 2026

Do Not Dare To Dream, a new Teenage Fanclub album, will come out on Oct. 9 on Merge Records. It's album no. 13 from the long-runnig indie/power pop band and … Read more

More news browse all

Xtinguish The Code and The Conflict

Posted in Videos on July 23, 2026

Follow the release of Step To My World (2021) and … Read more

Pain of Truth is upon us

Posted in Records on July 22, 2026

Long Island, NY hardcore band Pain of Truth is back, … Read more

Avaeken with Stephen O'Malley

Posted in Records on July 21, 2026

Created as part of the Wish You Were Here exhibition … Read more

Mike D adds more live dates

Posted in Tours on July 21, 2026

Beastie Boy Mike D has announced new tour dates as … Read more

Enter The Dark with Chelsea Wolfe

Posted in Records on July 21, 2026

Chelsea Wolfe announced her upcoming ninth studio album, titled The … Read more

J Holmes (FVRMN) with a solo benefit

Posted in Records on July 19, 2026

J Holmes, also of FVRMN, has announced a new 8-stong … Read more

Team Tightwire and Canadian Rifle

Posted in Records on July 18, 2026

We're a little late to the party, but Tightwire and … Read more

Mike Huguenor's side-scrolling record

Posted in Records on July 18, 2026

Guitarist Mike Huguenor, who released Surfing the Web With the … Read more

The Mutiny "Anthem"

Posted in Bands on July 18, 2026

Mutiny, a skacore band featuring Efrem Schulz (Death By Stereo) … Read more

Glory2 Cold Gawd

Posted in Records on July 18, 2026

Cold Gawd rises again, announcing the Glory2 EP, out on … Read more