The Paper Chase -- God Bless Your Black Heart
I know I shouldn't fall into the trap of believing that a song somebody's written has to be absolutely true and real (I mean, Johnny Cash never went to Folsom, and yet he still wrote about it, right?), but it's difficult not to be somewhat afraid of The Paper Chase after listening to their new full-length, God Bless Your Black Heart. Songwriter and frontman John Congleton (who also plays guitars, organs, and synths and does the samples and programming) sounds like one fucked-up little bunny, and if he's as strange and death-obssessed as his lyrics seem to suggest, I think I'd watch my step around him if we ever met... [more]

The Cure -- Three Imaginary Boys
This expanded edition of The Cure's 1979 debut Three Imaginary Boys includes two discs of songs that show why The Cure has been able to remain relevant for the past 25 years. Songs like "10:15 Saturday Night," "Accuracy," and "Grinding Halt" are early pop-punk gems, while "Fire in Cairo" and "Three Imaginary Boys" are early indicators of songs the band would release later in their career... [more]

Solarized -- Driven
I used to know this guy in college by the name of Scott, who lived down the hall from me in my dorm. We had pretty much nothing in common -- he was a mechanical engineer, ex-military, a bit older -- but he exuded genial frat-guy bonhomie. It seemed like we'd only ever run into each other in the communal bathroom/shower area, and as we both went about our respective routines, we would mainly talk about music. I was somewhat surprised to learn, after a bit of parleying, that Scott spent his summers playing in a band... [more]

Helmet -- Size Matters
After a seven-year absence (only six if you count the Aftertaste tour), Helmet has once again reared its loud, ugly head. The power-metal brainchild that frontman/guitarist Page Hamilton started in the early '90s has pretty much influenced just about every loud "new metal" act heard on the radio today, so it's high time that the original gangsta came back and showed those mark-ass bands how to do it right. Size Matters pretty much picks up where 1997's Aftertaste left off -- although the players on the field have changed... [more]

The High Violets -- 44 Down
I love the throwback to the early-'90s-era British rock. Refusing to let the style die an untimely death, The High Violets are definitely at the top of the new "shoegazer" pack. Perfectly crafted, yet somehow still raw at the proper moments, 44 Down is a blissful extension of what bands like Ride and Lush started, yet The High Violets' music doesn't sound like an out-of-date carbon copy of their counterparts'. Instead, they have taken their influences one step further and created an otherworldly-sounding album that would make Kevin Shields jealous... [more]

David Dondero -- Live at The Hemlock
I've read some reviews of David Dondero recently from a lot of respected indie music mags, and I'm surprised how many of them compare him to Conor Oberst, basically all but saying that he's copping that sound. The truth here, though, is that Dondero was playing his style of bare-all blues rock long before Oberst. Winona's ex even confessed in Spin that he grew up listening to Sunbrain (Dondero's band between 93-96) and that he owes his sound to Dondero and not the reverse. C'mon kids -- keep it real?... [more]

Pram -- Dark Island
One of the things I love about rock music is how a band can become a genre unto themselves. Such is the case with Birmingham, England's Pram. Once lumped in with the post-rockers, they've continued to pursue their own idiosyncratic vision over the course of six albums, unperturbed by buzz or the currents of scenes, leaving other more formulaic bands to wither and die on the dried vines of conformity and staleness. What other band has a singer like Rosie Cuckston, who can evoke worlds with her warm, yet not traditionally skilled, voice?... [more]

Walking Concert -- Run to Be Born
Okay, yeah; I admit it, just like every other post-hardcore fanboy -- I would absolutely LOVE to see Quicksand reunite (again). And I'm sure that my extreme love for that band has definitely had a hand in driving me to check out everything that Walter Schreifels does musically, from Moondog to World's Fastest Car to Rival Schools...and now, to Walking Concert. If you were put off by Walt's poppier work in Rival Schools (which still sounded a bit like Quicksand, truth be told), then you won't like Walking Concert either -- Run to Be Born is pretty much Walter showcasing his talent as a songwriter with pure, simple pop songs and little to no distortion... [more]

Jon Chinn -- I Can't Believe You Live Like That
I've never heard of Jon Chinn 'til now, although from his bio, it certainly seems like I should've. He's been doing his thing for more than a decade now with Midwestern indie-popsters Pretty Mighty Mighty, and on top of that, he runs Columbus's Workbook Studio, where such artists as Tiara, The Velveteens, RJD2, New Bomb Turks, and The Bassholes have recorded. He's apparently a pretty notable figure in the Midwest indie scene, but me being down here in Texas, well...what can I say? We can't all be Greil Marcus, folks... [more]