Okay, so you've surely heard of Recover by now; the Austin band has been heralded many times over as the great white hope of driving emotional rock. They even parlayed all of that positive word-of-mouth into a sweet gig opening up for Bad Religion this past spring. So, if you're one of those people that still hasn't given Recover a listen, you're asking yourself...is it worth all the hype? Pretty much, yeah. Rodeo and Picasso is a full-tilt manic emo-hardcore assault on the senses, with melody to boot. You've got your hardcore breakdowns, your complex emo riffs, your shout-along parts, your catchy vocal hooks, and it's all melded together with a seamlessness that appears almost too easy. That is, until you realize that most other bands can't ever get it right when they attempt something like this. The disc almost captures the essence of Recover's incendiary live shows, and "almost" is about as close as you want to get in that regard, unless you want to set your stereo on fire and put your head through the wall while you listen to it. I mean that in the most complimentary way, of course. (MHo)
(Fueled By Ramen Records -- P.O. Box 12563, Gainesville, FL. 32604; http://www.fueledbyramen.com/; Recover -- http://www.killrecover.com/)

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Rescue
Volume Plus Volume

Rescue play an enjoyable blend of aggressive post-rock in the vein of Braid and Thrice. This is a great-sounding record produced by Mark Haines (Rainer Maria, Hey Mercedes, Braid) full of chunky riffs, intricate starts and stops, time signatures, passionate vocals, and musicianship. Songs like "Your Energy Entertains Me" remind me of The Appleseed Cast and Pele, and at other times I think of At the Drive In, Cursive and the Get Up Kids. I'm starting to wonder how I ever missed this band, because I really enjoy this album. It's rocking, challenging and powerful. Everything rock and roll should be. Get this record! (KM)
(Dead Droid Records -- P.O. Box 68061, Grand Rapids, MI. 49516; info@deaddroidrecords.com; http://www.deaddroidrecords.com/; Rescue -- http://www.rescuedotcom.com/)

Right Direction
Bury The Hatchet

As I write this, I realize that Right Direction has broken up, and after much thoughtful soul-searching, I have to say...that's no big loss. The only reason I really listened to this album a second time was for kitsch appeal, the same kind you get from listening to those Monster Madness compilations. Not because Right Direction is kin to Kix or Danger Danger, necessarily, but because the material (which is mostly like '80s hardcore, with occasional Earth Crisis-type leanings) reminds you of a time long past when the songs might've actually been relevant. As it is now, with bands like Waterdown, Coalesce and the like pushing at the boundaries of hardcore, material like this pales in comparison. When Right Direction actually make an attempt to be different (the ill-advised ska breaks in "He's My Friend," for example), it's the musical equivalent of jumping the shark. Here's to hoping that the musicians involved can make something of the breakup and actually challenge us with their new projects. (MHo)
(Victory Records -- 346 N. Justine, Suite 504, Chicago, IL. 60607; http://www.victoryrecords.com/; Right Direction -- http://www.right-direction.nl/)

There's an awful lot of music out there that falls into a nebulous middle ground of acceptable competence, where the tweaking of just one or two facets of production, performance or songwriting can mean the difference between a record to which you'd never give a second thought and one that you can't wait to hear again. Nothing's really wrong with River City High Won't Turn Down, but there's only so long a guy can wait for it to become even slightly more than the sum of its parts. The Virginia band toys with punk but doesn't hew to it like purists, which is fair enough, but their stabs at melody aren't helped by a singer who comes across like a less gritty Dicky Barrett, and their attempt at mixing things up with "Hello November A.M.," the almost-closing country version of the closing punky-poppy "Hello November F.M.," seems like more of a stunt (and thus a time-waster) than an actual product of inspiration. (MH)
(Big Wheel Recreation -- 3607 Seneca Ave., Los Angeles, CA. 90039; http://www.bigwheelrec.com/; Doghouse Records -- P.O. Box 8946, Toledo, OH. 43623; http://www.doghouserecords.com/; River City High -- http://www.rivercityhigh.com/)

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Run Devil Run
Sinking Deeper

If the Rollins Band were actually comprised of East Coast hardcore vets instead of jazzbos and blues rockers, Hank's musical output would probably sound a lot like Run Devil Run. Said hardcore vets would, of course, be members of In Cold Blood, Spudmonsters, and Brother's Keeper. Run Devil Run is a side project of these guys, and together they come up with a pretty good disc of old-school metallic hardcore in the vein of Agnostic Front and Bad Brains. They apparently all share Krishna consciousness, as well, as this is a constant theme in the songs. This makes for a nice counterpoint to the heavy proceedings, as most of the lyrics are very positive, dealing with self-realization and the like. Run Devil Run also do a pretty good cover of Gorilla Biscuits' "Stand Still." If your definition of hardcore is not a bunch of white guys rapping over bad metal about how their parents didn't raise their allowance, then check this CD out. (MHo)
(Victory Records -- 346 N. Justine, Suite 504, Chicago, IL. 60607; http://www.victoryrecords.com/; Run Devil Run -- http://www.rundevilrun.4mg.com/)