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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
DROPSKOTS, THE:
More Seriouslyer: CD
These guys are staying true to their late ‘90s era pop punk influences on this CD. All thirteen tracks sound like a mash up of Blink 182 during their Cheshire Cat days and FenixTx with metal riffs dispersed throughout. There are plenty of anthem-swelling songs here, many of which are odes to laments about girls, a la track titles “Walking for Poontang” and “Forgetter.” With lyrics such as, “Burn down the bridge just for you/ no need to cross that misery,” I could see this music being in one of those new low budget American Pie flicks.
–N.L. Dewart (Zodiac Killer)
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DOPAMINES, THE:
The Soap and Lampshades: 7”
When I opened this record, a tiny piece of paper dropped out. It said, in six-point font, “This record was stuffed by matt lame of SUCIDIE!! See SUCIDIE LIVE with guest guitarist Larry Livermore at the Insubordination Records Fest…” The lowly record stuffer strikes back, turning punk rock shit work into an unusual method of band promotion! Could other shit workers employ similar tactics? What if the next time you bought a pack of socks, instead of a sticker saying, “Inspected by #4,” it said, “Check out my dad’s auto shop at 1215 Main St.” or maybe it could just say, “I hate this job. Think about it. Putting something into something else for hours? Really.” So, thank you Matt Lame for stuffing this Copyrights-influenced record! The more I listen to it, the more I like it. It’s got a bit of a Teenage Bottlerocket sound (without the ridiculous lyrics and not as catchy), but I imagine that this is the sort of record that I end up liking more a few months later. It this were a cereal, it’d be Frosted Flakes. You start off thinking that there are probably a lot of other better cereals, and, in fact, there are, but once you’re eating it, you think, “Hey, this is actually really good!”
–Maddy (Cold Feet)
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DOUBLE DAGGER:
More: CD
This band is just a drummer and a bassist or maybe a guitarist. I don’t know; it’s a two-piece of some sort, which I learned on the internet. My internet is down right now, so I can’t confirm this. It also has quite a big sound for a two-piece, which the internet also told me. This I agree with, yet it does not make me like it any better. They also tried to do some conceptual shit with design (?), similar to what Nation Of Ulysses did with rock and Situationism or whatever. They call themselves design-core or something. It’s similar to Revolution Summer-era Discord stuff, but without a lick of soul or heart. I didn’t need the internet to tell you that, yet that’s the most important thing that I feel I need to get across. I could somehow try to tie that in with the fact that they’re doing the whole design-core thing. But that would imply that I came to that impression after I looked them up on the internet, which was hardly the case.
–Craven (Thrill Jockey, thrilljockey.com)
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DIRTY FILTHY MUGS:
Half-Pint: CD
I am so sick of the whole “yerdy, derdy-fiddldy-dee” Irish punk thing. I get it. You’re Irish, you’re drunk, and you wanna fight. Throw in a ballad with an accordion and a tin-whistle and you could be the next big thing in the burgeoning punk rock subgenre of Lepracore. Lucky Charms this is not.
–Ty Stranglehold (Brraapp, myspace.com/brrapprecords)
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DIHYF:
Some Positive Words: CDEP
Back cover is laid out like an early SST release, complete with a drawing trying hard to look like a Pettibon work. The music is beefy hardcore that keeps pretty much to the mid-tempo range. The cover of the Misfits’ “She” is a complete throwaway, but nearly all Misfits covers are these days, so no shock there. In the end, it ain’t bad and it ain’t a stunner.
–Jimmy Alvarado (Rawker)
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DESPITE ALL THIS:
Spring Tour Demo: CD
For one reason or another, I find myself very standoff-ish in the face of new folk punk bands. I don’t know what it is. I think my adolescent punk rock aversion to hippies is perhaps too deeply engrained. Anyway, I had pretty much decided I didn’t like this about fifteen seconds into the first song. Luckily, I kept listening and reading along and ended up immediately restarting this totally charming record. I can’t put my finger on why exactly, but Despite All This reminds me very much of early D.B.S. (Lynn Valley, Canada’s favorite sons, not Death By Stereo). There’s something very youthful and endearing about these songs, both lyrically and musically. TBIAPB or D’OH comparisons would be easy, but I think there’s actually something cooler than that going on here. Really great.
–Dave Williams (Self-released, no address)
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DEAR LANDLORD:
Dream Homes: CD
Being a disciple of Rivethead’s entire catalog, the first several times I took Dream Homes around the track, I thought it was too easy for these dudes. A steady diet of Weasel and bad decisions? Check. Flawless harmonizing about being desperate, barely-not-homeless, backing sealed-with-wax watertight guitars? Check. One of the most purposeful drummers in our world? Check. It sounded flawless, almost too well groomed. And when I think of these dudes I think of a lot of things, but “well groomed” is not on that list. (This is so not a dis.) But—and this is a large but—I found myself humming the songs days later. Not immediately. They had to bubble to the surface, through the layers of what at first seemed like a cake made purely of frosting. And like a familiar cat that you pet wrong just once, Dream Homes also has fangs and just-as-easy claws that slash unexpectedly and draw blood. Dream Homes is definitely pretty in its almost patentable punk pop, but it’s not fully domesticated. It’d be a mistake to take familiarity of their sound for granted. This grew on me like crazy.
–Todd Taylor (No Idea)
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DEAD UNICORN:
Yellowstone Supervolcano: CD
How’s this for original? A concept album about a volcano in YellowstoneNational Park erupting and destroying life. That means no more Yogi Bear! Wait, Yogi lives in Jellystone. Whew! However, Yellowstone is very real. So now I have to consider the possibility of a volcano fucking up the West Coast, and then there’s talk that the Mayans predicted the end of the world in 2012. G’damn, we’re fucked either way. Dead Unicorn spread the fear and paranoia via a mix of grind and nü metal stylings. You can sing along in a tuneful manner, then growl in fear and anger over the fact your life is being cut short by a river of lava.
–Matt Average (Peterwalkee, peterwalkeerecords.com)
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DEATH BEFORE DISHONOR :
Our Glory Days: 7”
Work with me here. Picture a Michael Madsen or Jean Claude Van Damme direct-to-video flick from 1999: one of those movies about the alcoholic, down-on-his-luck cop or ex-Special Forces guy who threw it all away to, I don’t know, became a carpenter or something. This poor guy, he just wants to live the good life. But he’s tormented by his past, right? And, well, he just needs the love of a good woman to put his demons to rest and set him free. Unfortunately, she’s been captured by evil terrorists! He’ll have to don his twin Uzis and body armor one more time! Does this sound predictable yet? Seem like you’ve heard it a million times before? Well, welcome to Death Before Dishonor’s latest. Three songs, in which they wax wistful about the glory days of their violent hardcore youth, gleefully wish drug addicts would hurry up and die, and cover everyone’s favorite skinheads, The Bruisers. Fuck this dumbed-down, paint-by-numbers, predictable shit.
–Keith Rosson (Bridge Nine)
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DEAD PANIC:
Demo: CDEP
The likes of Cancer Bats and Gallows, Dead Panic walks the line between metal and hardcore. I would have enjoyed this more if the guitar structures were a bit more melodic, instead of just a wall of noise, and if the lyrics were less vague so I could know what I was raging against. Or maybe ambiguity is what they’re aiming for? Still, these are good tracks to pit to even though they sound like they’re missing a double-bass kick.
–Kristen K (Self-released)
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DEATH IN THE FAMILY, A:
Small Town Stories: CD
A bland, second-tier Australian version of Hot Water Music/Leatherface worship. This marks the first time that I have received a one-sheet with any review for Razorcake. It was as hilarious and fawning as you might expect.
–Ryan Horky (Resist, resistrecords.com)
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CUT IN THE HILL GANG:
Hung Up : LP
This is the perfect record for fans of early southern rock, blues, and folk music. With a varied sound throughout the eleven tracks, there is little repetition, which helps keep you on your feet. It’s a real good record for drinking beer with friends and just bringing the ruckus in general. While this isn’t really a genre I’m that into, great songs make me shake my hips regardless. The fact that this wall of sound is being created by only three musicians is commendable.
–Rene Navarro (The Little Room Record Co.)
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DC SNIPERS:
Self-titled: LP
Listening to this record is so much fun that it makes multitasking an impossible feat. This is punk rock with great, driving beats and awesome harmonies. There’s a ferocity present that constantly teeters on the edge without ever going over. Lyrics such as “you’re born and then you live and then you die/you laugh and then you crawl and then you sigh” leave me thinking of Daniel Johnston in the sense that they are very simple, yet leave you thinking about very complicated things. I want to see this band play live so bad it makes my hands itch.
–Rene Navarro (Dagger Man)
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DEAD MECHANICAL:
“Binghamton Calling” b/w “Leave It Alone”: 7”
Isolated from the rest of their catalog, slower Dead Mechanical songs like “Binghamton Calling” owe a lot to Jawbreaker: poetic, sweetly bleak, full of reflective depth. “Leave It Alone” has sixteen words (excluding who ohs), and comes out like the quick, bright bubbles of Superchunk. The funny thing is I’ve never thought of these two bands when listening to previous Dead Mechanical 7”s or their highly recommended full-length, Medium Noise. One of my favorite current bands.
–Todd Taylor (Dead Mechanical)
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DARK AGES:
Vicious Lie EP: 7”
Mosh pit mayhem! This band is a god damn circle pit and a half: raw, fast, momentous hardcore from Kansas City, Missouri. Someone told me that this band listens to a lot of experimental music. And that totally makes sense. It gives them that edge to take their brand of furious early hardcore to the next level. Keeping it angry, innovative, and explosive. “Freedom of choice is a compromise, just another vicious lie.”
–Daryl Gussin (Cowabunga)
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CUPS, THE:
BYO OB/GYN: CDEP
Sloppy, obnoxious, fucked-up hardcore from a group of curmudgeons who sound like they’ve got more than a few early Nihilistics records in their collection. Not a sound one comes across too often anymore, so it was kinda nice to hear.
–Jimmy Alvarado (Top Tone)
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CRIMINAL TRAP:
The Real Deal: Demo: Cassette
This thrashing hardcore demo sounds on target. It’s good stuff. It’s difficult to make out the dynamics of the band because of the lo-fi nature of this recording, which sounds like these guys used one microphone to record themselves live. Track three, “Fuck You,” sounds hard-hitting and catchy. It makes me want to hear what these guys could do if they got in the studio. The bonus tracks on this tape make it even more worth the listen with a strange cover of “California Dreaming” followed by some unrecognizable disco. Perhaps Criminal Trap was going eco friendly and recorded their demo on a recycled tape?
–N.L. Dewart (Isak, criminal-trap@hotmail.com)
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CRAVING:
Good Cast Is Worth Repeating: CD
They sound like they’re trying really hard to tap into the groovier aspects of the AmRep noise rock pigeonhole, and they come pretty danged close on occasion. They ultimately fall just short, though, with the results sounding like slightly quirky rock stuff. My suggestion is to get ‘em cranked up on a potent cocktail of peyote, meth, coke, and Red Bull to bring them just shy of their hearts exploding, tell them their significant others were involved in a bizarre orgy tape involving porpoises dressed in Santa Claus suits, hand ‘em their instruments, crank all the console knobs to “vaporize,” and let ‘em record their next record.
–Jimmy Alvarado (f-spin.de)
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CRASH NORMAL:
Finger Shower: 10”
Eight songs of Parisian garage art. The sheer amount of treble is hypnotic, the shards of guitar bring Big Black to mind, the sullen, drawled vocals owe a thing or two to Mark E. Smith of The Fall, and it sounds like there’s a drum machine ticking away under all of the tinfoil-chewing white noise. I picture this band living in a warehouse, and if I went over there and said, “Hey guys, it’s a nice afternoon. Let’s go outside!” they’d all light smokes at the same time and go, “No. We’re nihilists,” then go back to throwing cinderblocks and skronking the day away.
–CT Terry (Rijapov, myspace.com/rijapovrecords)
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CONTROL:
Hooligan Rock’n’Roll: CD
When I put this on at work today, one of my co-workers instantly asked if it was Exploited. Before I could answer, he followed with, “No, these guys can actually play.” That more or less sums it up. Control play some rockin’, old-style British punk rock with good songs and quality production. Why reinvent the wheel if you can just make it roll smoother, right? I liked this.
–Ty Stranglehold (Step 1)
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COCK SAY COCK DUNG:
Kronik Kronism: CD
Malaysian punk rock from a band that comes off pretty much like one you’d come across in any backyard. I figure they sing most of the songs in English to reach the widest audience possible, but it probably would’ve been a good idea to stick to their primary language to make their points about the things that piss them off and then translate them later. Opting to sing in one’s native tongue often adds a little extra something to the delivery and avoids interesting song titles like “Drugs Are Suck.”
–Jimmy Alvarado (nizangmosh@gmail.com)
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COBRA SKULLS:
American Rubicon: CD
You know how Against Me!, despite all the hype, was really only ever capable of writing five to six good songs per record? The rest of their records would then be filler. The Cobra Skulls sound like a band based on all that filler material. The singer even occasionally sounds like Tom Gabel. I saw them on the Red Scare tour and spent most of the show trying to decide what this one song they played sounded like. I eventually realized it was a dead ringer for the song “Nutrition” by The Dead Milkmen. It had the same melody and everything. So, if poor Tom Gabel impressions mixed with bad Dead Milkmen near-covers are for you, hop on this fast!
–Ryan Horky (Red Scare, Redscare.net)
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COBRA SKULLS:
American Rubicon: CD
Oh man, someone at Razorcake HQ is stalking me. I’ve been complaining about this band for the last month or so. It’s not that they’re bad, it’s that every time I hear a song, I think “What Against Me! song is this?” However, when the singer sings in his native tongue, Spanish, it sounds amazing. I want a whole record of that. But no one ever does a whole record in non-English anymore. Lame.
–Bryan Static (Red Scare)
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CHROMOSOMES, THE / THE TARJAS:
Split : 7”
This is a pretty rockin’ little split on blue vinyl. The Tarjas sing all in Finnish, including a really cool Finnish cover of “The KKK Took My Baby Away.” I have no idea what they’re saying in the other songs, but they’re all pretty fun pop punk. The Chromosomes sing in English and it’s a slightly harder-edged pop punk, but I like them too.
–Ryan Horky (Killer, myspace.com/kilrec)
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CHRISTOPHER BELL:
I’ll Be Home: CD
Influential to Bell, Bob Dylan’s folky guitars and nasal twang are mimicked. Although, Dylan’s storytelling craft isn’t. Bell, a rambling musician, strums unimaginative songs about lost love and homesickness. This was a little too meek and mild for me, but might fetch regular rotation at Starbucks.
–Kristen K (Silent Home, myspace.com/silenthomerecords)
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