No Second Troy, Narcotic
“Thank you, Coldplay.”
“You’re welcome, No Second Troy”…
The Monocles, The Monocles
First off, I’ve got to give Houston garage-rockers The Monocles credit for knowing which the absolutely perfect song to start with. While all of the band’s brand-new 7″ is good, A-side “Out of Your Mind” is downright excellent, a door-kicking blast of streetwise rawk…
The Menzingers, A Lesson in the Abuse of Information Technology
With a name that sounds like they should be either a ska band or a messy/chaotic noise band, on A Lesson in the Abuse of Information Technology Scranton’s Menzingers instead manage to craft a decent little chunk of bright Bay Area-style pop-punk…
Jennifer Gentle, The Midnight Room
I recently caught Jennifer Gentle live at the Proletariat. They sound nothing like their albums, and this is maybe a good thing. Radiohead does this, as well, with arrangements for live shows that differ substantially from their recorded music…
The Goods, Makin’ the Sound
The Goods claim to be “post-grunge,” and I’ll be damned if Makin’ the Sound isn’t all that far off. There’s the sound, sure — the band resembles its grunge-y forebears in that the band members seem preoccupied with taking pretty melodies and dragging ’em through the mud(honey?)…
Aiden, Conviction
Back when I first heard Seattle quintet Aiden’s much-lauded debut, Our Gang’s Dark Oath, I had pretty high hopes. “Finally,” I thought, “maybe somebody can convincingly combine all that emo-modern-rock stuff with the kind of old-school gothiness the four ‘subversive’ kids who went to my high school…
American Steel, Destroy Their Future
Okay, so this is a little weird. Here you’ve got a band called American Steel, but almost every damn comparison I can come up with is to bands from the now-former British Empire. Like I said, weird. Large chunks of Destroy Their Future remind me strongly of oft-overlooked pseudo-punks New Model Army…
State of Ohio, State of Ohio
This CD made me want to punch myself in the face. There’s nothing in this little piece of plastic that remotely resembles anything new. I’ve heard this speak/yell aggro-punk stuff before in countless previous bands — Hot Water Music, Jawbreaker, etc…
Shangoband, Keep It Real
Shangoband is a reggae group from Washington, DC. You’d think that being in Washington would give them no end of inspiration for songs, but unfortunately, inspiration can only take you so far. There are a few inspired moments on the record, but overall, it’s lacking…
Qui, Love’s Miracle
For their second album, Qui were ballsy enough to ask David Yow to join the band. They must have been extremely excited when he agreed — Yow’s such a strong presence that it couldn’t not change the band. Bandmates Paul Christensen and Matt Cronk may be afraid of being overshadowed by Yow…
illuminea, Out of Our Mouths
On Out of Our Mouths, Philly’s illuminea come off like three different bands all kind of playing in one room, like a bunch of friends who each have their own musical ideas and who’re all talented enough to play off one another’s songs…
The Cringe, Tipping Point
Oh, baby, this is one hot smoking turd of an album. First of all, the press release for this “rock and roll” band touts the lead singer’s (John Cusimano’s) credentials as being “husband of talk show host Rachael Ray”…
The Anthem Sound, The Anthem Sound
Meh. That’s been my response whenever I had this album playing. I listened to this a couple times on my way to work the past few weeks and, honestly, nothing stands out here. Good production and all, but nothing new. It’s basically a mix of No Knife and Static Prevails-era Jimmy Eat World…
Sherwood, A Different Light
Try as I might, I can’t dislike these guys. I’ve gotten a little tired of this whole style lately, just because it seems like every other damn disc I pick up does this same kind of Jimmy Eat World-style emo-pop — impassioned, sensitive-guy vocals, crystalline harmonies, and roaring rawk…
Recoil, subHuman
The album art for subHuman, the latest album from ex-Depeche Mode man Alan Wilder’s Recoil “project” after a six-year hiatus, is about as ill-suited to the music as it could possibly be. I mean, what are listeners supposed to expect when they see the blank, sleek parts of fashion mannequins…
Gordon B. Isnor, Creatures All Tonight
Remember that one episode of Alf when Lynn got dumped by her rocker boyfriend or something, so Alf wrote her a song called “Out of This World” and they made a faux-music video to go along with it? Well, that has nothing to do with Canadian Gordon B. Isnor’s Creatures All Tonight…
Elcifasu, Supracenter Evidence of Palms
At first, the music on Elcifasu’s album Supracenter Evidence of Palms sounds like an electronic composition. But when you listen to it, it sounds like much less than that. The band uses lots of electronically processed instruments and vocals and other sounds…
Between the Buried and Me, Colors
Back in the day, I can remember waging fierce debates over what was and wasn’t metal. Each of my friends had their favorites, naturally, and we all went back and forth over tempos, vocal styles, guitars, songwriting, the whole mess, and classifying some bands as being “real” metal…
Plot Against Rachel, Plot Against Rachel
Having had an extremely prominent ex by the name of Rachael (just in case you’re keeping score), I have to admit to some initial disappointment: despite the catchy name, the CD you (presumably) hold in your hot little hands does not detail…
Allene Rohrer, Synergism
Synergism, by Allene Rohrer, is a folkish record that rocks. It’s got more energy than you’d normally expect from a folk record, and the drummer rocks, which is something you don’t hear that often in folk music. But the songs are still basically folk songs…
I Am The Pilot, Crashing Into Consciousness
If you dig this kind of modern screamo, guitar-driven, hook-laden rock, I Am The Pilot’s first album, Crashing Into Consciousness, is strong, if typical of the genre: well-executed, great-sounding, hooks galore. But what sounds like typical mid-2000’s rock on first listen…
T. Hallenbeck, Doubting Thomas
You ever have one of those moments where you look at the person next to you, speechless, and with a “…the hell?” look on your face? Well, that’s my exact reaction to hearing Doubting Thomas, by T. Hallenbeck. I’ll admit it — I am a “Rennie,” a Renaissance Festival devotee…
Grails, Burning Off Impurities
On Burning Off Impurities, their fourth full-length release, the reticent Portland quartet Grails take post-rock to its logical extension, removing the rock from their music almost entirely in favor of a loose assemblage of folk sounds backed by a conventional drumset…
Emmure, Goodbye To The Gallows
Teenaged-boy angst is nothing new; heck, it’s been sung about for as long as there’ve been instruments, I’m sure. With Goodbye To The Gallows, though, it sure feels like Emmure’s put somewhat of a new spin on the idea. For one thing, I’m pretty sure I’ve never heard songs of bitter recrimination and youthful agony…
Avagami, Metagami
Avagami doesn’t play typical rock — few bands put keyboards in the foreground as much as these guys do. This Chicago duo doesn’t even use a bass on their debut album, Metagami. And the only “real” instrument here is a saxophone…
Josh Small, Tall
Here’s the thing: I loathe country (well, most of it, anyway), but ever since my friend Ben got me listening to it in college, I like bluegrass. While the lines between the two often blur, admittedly, this probably partly explains why I find myself liking Richmond, Virginia-dweller Josh Small’s new album…
Massimo, Massimo
This little five-track disc seems to encapsulate the previous year of Michael Massimo’s life. According to the press release, he set his own car on fire with himself inside. I do not know how that is even possible outside of a Jackass video, but anyway…
Hollywood Black, Two Thousand Years Of Progress
Hollywood Black is a Christian rock band, although reading their interviews and listening to their lyrics might lead one to believe they conflicted about their faith. Is their first album Two Thousand Years Of Progress meant to be ironic, or a warning, or is it really meant to be introspective?…
Raze to Ashes, Raze to Ashes
I can’t help but feel a little bad for Raze to Ashes. They’re clearly trying to get you to bang your head and shake your first in the air with this 4-song EP, but it’s just not going to happen. Sure, the band is technically proficient, but they lack even an ounce of creativity or originality…
X27, Antilove
Anyone starting a listen of X27’s Antilove at the logical place, the beginning, could be forgiven for underestimating the Brooklyn trio, as opener “Da-Na-Do” is the worst song on the album by a long shot. The band spends a lot of time walking the razor’s edge…
Tiny Vipers, Hands Across the Void
Tiny Vipers is the nom de plume of Jesy Fortino, a singer-songwriter from Seattle. Hands Across the Void is her first full-length album, the focus of which is on her voice and acoustic guitar, but that doesn’t mean it’s folk music…
Slider, Fame! Fame! Fame!
Something about Slider just doesn’t sit right with me. Maybe it’s the “post-grunge” phenomenon — they remind me a lot of bands like Fuel, Oleander, 12 Stones, or Our Lady Peace. For the most part, that’s not necessarily a good thing…
Seven Storey Mountain, At the Poles
It’s a shame these guys — okay, “guy”; apparently there used to be an actual band, but on At the Poles, Seven Storey Mountain is Lance Lammers playing pretty much everything — have gotten lumped the past in with that whole emo school…
Rustler, Phonetic Whips
Yeah, I just can’t seem to escape it lately — metal’s come back into my musical world, and in somewhat of a major way. It’s like slipping back into any addiction, I suppose: you promise yourself that it’ll definitely only be this one thing…
June, Make It Blur
Don’t you just hate Fallout Boy? The way they prance around like they started a scene or something. Their overproduced music, their annoying fan base, their god-awful music videos. Fallout Boy is the sad product of dying trends and a mix-up of poorly-made emo slop…
Mick Harvey, Two of Diamonds
Mick Harvey, the once partner of Mr. Nick Cave, was the second half of Australian noiseniks, The Birthday Party. Two of Diamonds, the latest release from Mr. Harvey, is a long way from those Birthday Party days. Yeah, there’s a musical maturity…
Bear Claw, Slow Speed: Deep Owls
Bear Claw is a Chicago-area band that uses two basses instead of the standard guitar and bass lineup. This gives them a different kind of sound. However, they usually use one of the basses like a guitar (including the distortion pedal), so it’s not quite as different as you might expect. Their sound borrows a […]
The Basement, Illicit Hugs and Playground Thugs
You’d think with an album title like Illicit Hugs and Playground Hugs, you’d get rock songs about bar fights or running from the cops. Instead, The Basement gives us alt-country fare with vague songs about our women and our melancholy, boring lives….
Bad Brains, Build a Nation
I challenge anyone to put Bad Brains’ Rock for Light and I Against I next to Metallica’s Kill ‘Em All and Ride the Lightning, and then explain why the latter are megastars and the former spent the better part of 25 years in near-obscurity…
Patton Oswalt, Werewolves and Lollipops
I have a really hard time writing about comedy. It’s not that I don’t enjoy it, but just that it’s not my “area,” so to speak. I’m a music guy, not a comedy guy, and believe it or not, there are rules to both — and if you don’t know the rules to something…
