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Record Reviews1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 | 0-9| A| B| C| D| E| F| G| H| I| J| K| L| M | | N| O| P| Q| R| S| T| U| V| W| X| Y| Z| Below are some recently posted reviews.  RSS Feed
GOOD LUCK:
Into Lake Griffy: LP
Man, I totally hate it when I get a record to review that’s good, but just not my thing. Good Luck’s Into Lake Griffy is an example of that. Well recorded, very crisp, I guess I’d just call it rock (or maybe “alt rock,” if I could avoid getting my ass kicked for doing so), but it’s got a lot of poppiness to it, so maybe it’s more pop. Kind of reminded me of Ted Leo, although that’s not exactly right. I wasn’t super into the male vocals. I preferred the female vocals or when they sang together. Guitar seemed to be very good—some fret board dynamics in there that reminded me of the guitar playing in bands and by people such as Silian Rail, Manacle, Kaki King, etc. —that kind of style (which seems to be really making a comeback lately). Although, granted, I am being quite broad in that description, and I know very little about guitar playing, so please cut me some slack! Thanks. Some of the songs had rousing choruses that lent themselves towards a folky, punk rock sing-a-long. I can see why people would like it—it has fun parts (particularly “Come Home”) and the lyrics read to me pretty optimistic about living, taking chances, friendships, and other relationships. I think they’re a good band, just not for me. Liked the cover, with its pointillism sky, lacey mountains, and water. Really pretty green vinyl.
–Jennifer Federico (No Idea)
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GONZALES:
Checkmate: CD
Gonzales are full-tilt, hard-rockin’ Spaniards whose blasting tuneage had me enthralled from start to finish. But a burning question remains: are Gonzales a hard rock band with punk rock influence, or is it the other way around? And while I’m at it, why do so many great European bands make me ask this question? This is rock’n’roll done in a way that Americans oftentimes seem to be incapable of pulling off—all the bark and all the bite, but very little of that pretentious “look at me; I’m a cock-rock star” sensibility. Dark and dirty bars, bad smells, and a hurricane of cheap beer would be the appropriate auditory environment for this band, based on what the record holds. I suspect (and hope) Gonzales would agree. Great friggin’ record.
–The Lord Kveldulfr (Chorus Of One, chorusofonerecords.it)
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GONE TO CROATAN:
They: 7”
Bass and drum grind violence with noodly parts. Side A is fast and farty, and the absence of a guitar is felt. The flip side slows down, stretches out, and fucks your mind. Play it loud, for it will truly flip out the squares. And hey, it’s hard not to like a record that features a photo of Jesus with an alien face.
–CT Terry (Eolian)
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GOLDEN TRIANGLE:
Self-titled: 7”
Oh boy, I am into this record. Yay! Fantastic. The strumming of the guitar—so I’d say it’s not only the way it sounds, but the way it seems to be played—reminded me right away of Thee Oh Sees. The music itself is also pretty garage-y, but I think the reason I’m into it is the weirdness factor, which has a lot to do with the vocals. There seems to be a male and a female singer—the female singer, who I understand used to be in Angry Angles with Jay Reatard, sounds to me like some kind of blonde-haired, all-American, corn-fed sweetheart on a break from the Polyphonic Spree to play some dirty rock’n’roll (although I’d wager the mental image does not very well match the reality). What I think is a male singer—it sounds like one, although I’ve learned there are actually two female singers in the band—didn’t really seem to sing as much as he seemed to mumble around in an escaped mental patient kind of way. I felt there was a very Manson family kind of quality to the songs, albeit a very catchy Manson family. Excellent collage on the cover. Love it.
–Jennifer Federico (Rob’s House, robshouserecords.com)
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GOLDEN AGE, THE:
Unlock Yourself: CD
I really feel like this style of melodic hardcore (Strike Anywhere-esque leads and octave chords, loads of gang vocals, etc.) has its sights set on a very particular age group—an age group that I grew out of some time ago. I get the attraction to this kind of thing (and don’t get me wrong, The Golden Age do it very well), but I prefer my hardcore to be a little less, I dunno—accessible, maybe? I’m a hardcore kid through and through, but I need some seething rage and this just comes across as mildly annoyed.
–Dave Williams (Panic)
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GODDAMN GALLOWS, THE:
Gutterbilly Blues, Ghost of the Rails: CD
Slightly above average psychobilly with just enough “roots” in the mix to help ‘em rise a bit above the heap. Really not much of a fan of this style at this point, and neither these albums or their cover of the Mummies’ “Planet of the Apes” help to change that, but I can see how others might appreciate ‘em.
–Jimmy Alvarado (GBC, no address)
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GLUE!:
Self-titled: EP
Glue! hail from Olympia, WA. However, their sound has more in common with Revolution Summer DC bands than it does Sleater-Kinney. I can hear the simple yet solid song writing of Gray Matter as well as the more discordant moments of Rites Of Spring. Contemporary comparisons would be the darker sounds coming from their neighbors to the north in Portland such as The Estranged and a little bit of Harum Scarum’s vocals. I hate to admit it, but I don’t always read a band’s lyrics (assuming they’re provided) because—more often than not—I get bored halfway through. Such was not the case this time. They sure know how to paint a picture of frustration, disappointment, and emptiness in such a manner that I found myself actually paying attention for once. Four songs that I recommend listening to while you’re simultaneously pissed, bored, and drinking.
–Juan Espinosa (Rumbletowne)
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GIRL LOVES DISTORTION:
You Better Run, Your Highness: CD
This album is completely confusing. Its cartoon cover graphics has a Manga-looking action girl figure, which doesn’t fit the personality of the songs. The music is mainly hipster-influenced indie rock that fails extremely short of the cool or listenable. Blah.
–N.L. Dewart (Etxe)
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GENUINE IMITATIONS, THE:
Battle Hill: CD
Indescribable, banging, loose, and musically inept outsider punkness. Vocals that go from annoying to really annoying. The odds of you or anyone liking these songs is not likely. I’d be hard pressed to find a way to sell it to you. But these upstate New Yorkers probably couldn’t care less what you think. They probably don’t care what I think either, yet it’s pretty fucking clear that they like what they’re doing. And, for what it’s worth, I love this shit.
–Craven (AD, no address)
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GATEWAY DISTRICT, THE:
Some Days You Get the Thunder: CD
There’s so much right about this album, from its handwritten lyrics laid down on art by the band members, to great imagery in their songs. “My eyes are too wide for this light. It makes halos around the wine.” That’s a line from their song “Keeps Track of the Time.” But there’s too much juxtaposition to the overall flow of the tracks for me. Going from deep, heartfelt songs to straight-up pop tunes was a little too jarring for my ears. There are a lot of meaningful lyrics here, but it’s put to music that just doesn’t express the emotions of what they are saying.
–N.L. Dewart (It’s Alive)
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FUTURE VIRGINS:
Easiest Years: 7”
There are a few large reasons I don’t consider myself a “music journalist,” even though I’ve spent a huge portion of the past fifteen years constantly writing record reviews. There are two poles that such an individual shoots for. 1.) Latching onto a rising star that they’re hoping will get a lot of sales: all that next-big-thing, voice-of-a-generation bullshit that VH-1/Spin/AP has a boner for. 2.) The writer as self-made superstar through outrageous behavior (at least on paper). And not to make too fine a point of it, a majority of those “music reporter superstars” of yore became beholden to major companies, even beloved Lester. I believe in neither of these approaches because the bands that I champion—ninety-nine percent of them—will never sell more than a couple thousand records at a time. So, when I say that this Future Virgins 7” is in the upper atmosphere of the best DIY punk ever recorded, I say it with intentions to aggrandize or fool no one. A long and fully loaded train of experience is backing me up. So, let those who are in a large, crumbling musical houses with big megaphones propagandize what they may. I’ll be listening to the Future Virgins instead. Over and over and over again, my friend. And there’s no better testament than listening to music that’s so good that it feels as important as a basic human need.
–Todd Taylor (Plan-It-X South)
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FUTURE VIRGINS:
Easiest Years: 7”
Good fucking lord. It’s no secret that this band is capable of amazing things, but this 7” is a piece of work. After seeing them last Fest, it was determined they had to be robot aliens to be that good. This is must-have! And the fact that a gigantic majority of the world has absolutely no access to it is a god damn shame. This is music that’s honest, meaningful, and straight enjoyable to listen to. I’m pretty sure a record hasn’t affected me this much since StrayDogTown.
–Daryl Gussin (Plan-It-X South)
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FRESH MEAT:
Leather Daddy: EP
The cover of this record, which is a photo of a man covered head to toe in leather, including the mask, looks like something you would find stashed way at the back of some 7” record bin that’s located in the far back corner of some out of the way record shop. At least, this is the sort of stuff I’m always hoping to find. Plus the record is called Leather Daddy. Right there alone, you know this is something you want to hear. The music is bent and noisy with twittering feedback all over the songs. The vocals have almost no emotion, or at least they sound detached and far away. The pumping bass lines work the songs into your mind, playing almost endlessly on that mental i-pod of yours, and disturbing your sleep. Not to mention, the whole thing sounds like it was recorded in a storm cellar with no sound proofing. In short, this is some cool stuff! The crying at the beginning of “Problem Fixer” is the obvious indication one is in for a good record. Sometimes I think to myself that today’s punk rock lacks vision, is all cookie cutter, is playing it safe with their black clothes covered in patches of bands from a millennium ago with dirt bags grunting clichés into a microphone, then I hear bands like this here Fresh Meat that knock me out of my cynical haze. Would be nice if they take this show on the road and head west. West, where the land meets the sea, and all your dreams come true.
–Matt Average (Fashionable Idiots, fashionableidiots.com)
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FRANCIS HAROLD AND THE HOLOGRAMS:
Mirror of Fear: 7”
Bloody-naked-tied-upside-down-hanging-from-a-tree-guy-wearing-a-pig-mask on the cover—check. Must be HoZac Records release. I pretty much like or love everything on this label, purveyors of extreme bands, and Francis fits right in—not super fast, or too noisy, or particularly arty, but a fucked up combination of all those things in very palatable droning way. Francis is from Bisbee, AZ, a strange-ass and cool lost oasis, so no wonder the band sounds like a toothless cousin to TV Ghost or Functional Blackouts. Mysteriously refreshing, like a spray of new car fragrance in your mouth.
–Speedway Randy (HoZac)
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FILTH:
Live the Chaos: 7” EP
Here’s the latest repressing of this sacrosanct 7”. This time, it is on Silver Sprocket (formerly? Springman), but the covers appear to be left over from Life Is Abuse (since the Life Is Abuse info lays where the Lookout! info once did). Though the covers might be old, the plates are new and the vinyl is transparent mucus green. I feel different about this than I when I first heard it. When I first heard this EP, I had the thought that the instrumentation was a bit slow for the vocal style. I have no idea why. Anyhow, I didn’t exactly get Filth the first time around. Cheaper Than the Beer (Blatz), on the other hand, I took to instantly. I picked up the majestic Shit Split on CD because of Blatz, but I fell in love with Filth. Whatever I thought was wrong with the four songs from this EP went out the window. In short, the songs rage. The songs are simple and repetitive in structure, the vocals are screeched; nothing too out of the ordinary. But when Filth does it, it works fucking perfectly. You get the Zen-ish “Today’s Lesson”; the stay-punk credo “Lust for Glory”; a story of young love and loss in “Hate”; and the anxiety-ridden wrath of making decisions about destruction from a post-apocalyptic mindset in “Freedom,” all on one hallowed piece of vinyl. Just go get this now!
–Vincent Battilana (Silver Sprocket, silversprocket.net)
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FEUDS, THE:
Square Go?: CD-R
The Feuds are a Scottish punk/rock band a la The Black Keys or the Ramones. Each member even takes the last name Feud. And, like the Ramones, it’s catchy and a pleasant enough listen, but, unlike the Ramones, it didn’t cause me to want to sing any of their songs at karaoke. (I always dedicate “The KKK Took My Baby Away” to Black Nationalist Marcus Garvey.)
–Kurt Morris (myspace.com/thefeudsvstheworld)
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FAST BOYS:
Rock N Roll Trash: CD
This album has fourteen songs that clock in at less than thirty-two minutes. This reminds me a lot of The Stitches but with Guitar Hero-sounding solos. There’s a fun cover of The Damned’s “New Rose” on the CD. All the music is as straightforward as it gets. It’s just good, old-fashioned, assaulting punk rock here.
–N.L. Dewart (Zodiac Killer)
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ERGS!, THE:
The Ben Kweller EP: 12”EP
I realize the delusion of such a thing, but I still do it. Whenever I drive down to San Pedro, I really hope for a statue of The Minutemen to greet me as the 110 turns into Gaffey. The times I’ve been to New Jersey, I half-expected Ergs! songs playing over the train terminal’s loud speakers, to have the guys’ disembodied heads on taxi ads, claiming “Welcome to the GardenState!” It’s just because the music, to me, is rooted in that sense of place, that it’s wishful thinking that people in their own hometown would realize feats of true musical heroism. But I’m a realist, and the only monuments likely to built for the Ergs! will be these little vinyl disks, which hold up much better in the long run than the smaller shiny disk format this EP was originally released on several years back. The Ergs! are dead; just reconfirmed with Mikey when I saw Psyched To Die. Long live the Ergs!
–Todd Taylor (Freedom School)
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EMPTY GRAVE:
Abandoned: LP
Oh my God. What kind of alternate universe did this band come from? Who the fuck are these guys? Whatever smoking, other-worldly elixir they’ve managed to imbibe, it’s apparently given em near-magical powers and the ability to channel everything that was cool and potent about ‘80s punk. I mean, I’m gonna drop some names here, okay? And let it be known that Abandoned is, in all seriousness, when taken purely as sonic artifact and without any of the nostalgic connections inherent in such name dropping, nearly or just as good as the following bands and records: Attitude Adjustment’s American Paranoia. Cryptic Slaughter’s Convicted. Christ On Parade’s The Mind Is a Terrible Thing. Are you getting me yet? Seamless and awesome and raw and totally unpretentious. If the album runs the risk of sounding dated, fuck it—personally, I could not give a flying shit if you wear your influences on your sleeve, as long as you bring something solid to the table. And I’m telling you, Empty Grave perfectly capture the audible equivalent of the bad old days: two terms under Reagan, Cold War terror, us versus them. Then they condense it onto one 45 rpm LP beautifully entrenched in punk rock from, say, 1986. Then they resoundingly kick you in the ass with it, over and over again. It takes a lot for me to give a glowing review, but I’ll say this: if you care at all for straight-forward 1980s punk rock, I just cannot recommend this enough. Worth seeking out.
–Keith Rosson (Absent)
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FARMS IN TROUBLE:
The Gas Station Soundtrack: CD
Some serious Guided By Voices worship going on here. There are certainly worse bands to copy, but I wish this was GBV worship of the “we used a 4-track to record these great rock songs while we were drunk” variety and not the “this is such a copy that I had to check the liner notes to make sure Bob Pollard wasn’t involved in some way with this record” school.
–Ryan Horky (Activities, Activitiesrecordings.com)
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EVIXXION:
Strategic Cancellations: CD
Crushing metal along the lines of bands like Kylesa and early Neurosis only slower, allowing for the heaviness to dominate. There are no ambient breaks or acoustic guitar interludes. This is all systems go, pummeling, and no where near being pleasant. Vocal chords are shredded, leaving the listener to wonder if there are polyps forming in this man’s throat. The wall of guitar is never-ending. The low end rumbles. Despite the humorous artwork on the cover, and the fake T-shirt ads in the lyric sheet, this music is definitely not light hearted. It’s dark, and with an air of hopelessness.
–Matt Average (Peterwalkee, peterwalkeerecords.com)
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EVAPORATORS, THE / ANDREW W.K.:
A Wild Pair: Split: 7”
White vinyl, sweet comics, sing-along choruses and electronic-infused powerpop rock tunes…Need I say more? Damn happy to add this fun split to my collection.
–N.L. Dewart (Nardwuar)
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ELEKTROLUX:
Self-titled: LP
I like this, although I have a hard time putting my finger on exactly what genre of music it is. A French band from Marseille, they sing in English and have short and interesting lyrics, to wit, “The Boy Aside”: “& if I was Christ myself I wouldn’t start any religion but stay home all day long eating food as praised in the TV commercials.” Fantastic! The singer has a nice, deep voice, robust and appealing. On the first song on the second side, it almost reminds me a little of Mr. Jim Thirwell (also known as Clint Ruin, Foetus, etc.). They go through a couple different styles on the album; I sometimes hear a little Birthday Party influence, or maybe some Firewater, and the guitar in a couple of songs has an almost rockabilly feel. A female guest vocalist sings on a couple tracks and it’s an interesting addition—makes the songs a little more screechy and punk. The bass is strong, and I bet they’re really fun live. Dig it.
–Jennifer Federico (Jojo, myspace.com/jojorecords)
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ECOLI:
Judas Cradle: 7”
From the first track, “Shut Up and Suffer,” this 7” blasts through eight songs of maniacal auditory torture. Grueling, derogatory destruction of all things sacred and held dear by a culture that lacks any respect for non-conformity. It’s odd ball punk rock played super fast and as hard as possible. Ecoli is the path that I felt the Harpoon Guns were on: pressing ‘80s throwback hardcore to the limits of reality while mixing their passion for aggressive punk music with being a goddamn weirdo.
–Daryl Gussin (Stress Domain)
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DUM DUM TAK:
Hentikan Penindasan: CD
Catchy, sing-along punk rock. Most of the lyrics are in Malaysian, but there are English explanations at the beginning of each song to indicate they are more politically astute than many contemporaries in other countries whose music falls into the same sonic strata.
–Jimmy Alvarado (nizangmosh@gmail.com)
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