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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
BELTONES:
Cheap Trinkets: CD
You know it’s a good day when you’re listening to a
two-year-old album by a band, thinking that they really need to release
something new, and that very day, their new album arrives in the review pile.
That’s what happened to me with this new Beltones. And believe me, I’m not
disappointed. Cheap Trinkets brings back
most of my favorite elements from the Beltones first CD – growling vocals,
angry, heartbreaking songs, the sense that you’re so far gone that one more
drink couldn’t hurt – but a new element has been added. While the Beltones’
sound still has its core in early Stiff Little Fingers, they’ve added a
rockabilly edge to the songs. Which isn’t to say that they’ve gone rockabilly.
They haven’t. They’ve just added that little bit more of a roll to their songs.
The lyrics have changed somewhat, too. On their first CD, On Deaf
Ears, the lyrics were jarringly personal –
songs about the singer’s mother dying, songs about old friends going off in
different directions, songs about being so mixed up and angry inside that you
have to start drinking to keep from killing people. On this album, the lyrics
have gotten less personal. There are a lot more songs about women. Still, they
carry that Beltones’ edge, singing about getting in a fight that a cop breaks
up (“could you take your foot off my neck for a second so I can peel my face off
the ground”), or singing about losing a girlfriend (“the good lord stole her
away from me. I swear I’ll settle the score with that rotten motherfucker”).
Even when they try a love song, it comes across like a nudge from a chainsaw
(“I know a lot of things like this are better left unsaid, but your kisses
taste better than a kick in the head”). I’ll be honest. I can’t get enough of
this album right now. I’m listening to it every day and have to keep myself
from listening to it more than that. And I can’t wait to see them live again,
especially now that they know enough songs to play for longer than twenty
minutes.
–Sean Carswell (TKO)
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BE:
The Stupid Dream: CD
College pop that was really pretty good at the outset but
got boring quickly. Hearing just the slightest touch of ELO in the first song
or two, I was pretty excited, too.
–Jimmy Alvarado (www.besongs.com)
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ATOMBOMBPOCKETKNIFE:
God Save the ABPK: CD
Some potent, post-Sonic Youth noise pop. The songs are
well executed and hard, yet they retain enough of a poppy edge to keep them
annoyingly planted on your internal playlist. Especially liked the feedback
solo on “Gamma Rays Forever.”
–Jimmy Alvarado (Southern)
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ASUNDER/LIKE FLIES ON FLESH:
Split: CD
Both bands play prosaic death metal songs that, like the
Energizer bunny, just go on and on and on and on...
–Jimmy Alvarado (Life is Abuse)
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ANTISEEN:
Hell: CD
Okay, great band. Mediocre CD littered with bad ideas. All
cover songs here. Cover songs aren’t necessarily a bad thing but you have to be
careful what you cover. For instance, if you are a redneck rock’n’roll band, a
Curtis Mayfield cover might not sound too good… and it doesn’t. Neither does a
Bob Dylan cover or a Sun Ra cover. There are many bad ideas here but there are
some good ones, too. A Hank Williams Sr. cover is a good idea if you are that
kinda band. So is a Roy Orbison cover. Now, if you are standing next to the CD
controller where you have easy access to the skip button, then it doesn’t sound
too bad at all. So, bottom line is, if you are a diehard AntiSeen fan, pick
this up. Otherwise, find any one of their other albums.
–Toby Tober (Steel Cage)
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AMBITIOUS CAREER WOMEN:
3 song: CD
Complicated Seattle nerd rock so chock-full of dynamics
that it’s a regular science fair, as judged by No Means No (if they had anger).
–Cuss Baxter (www.ambitiouscareerwoman.com)
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AMBITION MISSION:
Self-titled: CD
Hardcore punk that’s big and blustery in a Dillinger 4
kinda way, but just ain’t impressing me in the same way that band does. Their
cover of “Amerikan in Me” was relatively painless. On the whole not sucky, just
not particularly memorable. Maybe next time.
–Jimmy Alvarado (Government Music)
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AMAZOMBIES:
Shipwrecked: CDEP
These are three ladies from Seattle who sometimes sound
like Joan Jett and other times like the Ramones. There are five songs on here
with what I think is their best track saved for last – “At the Bar.” The cover
photograph is of a pre-twentieth century sailboat. It looks like a pirate ship
to me. Is this a pirate ship? I’m not sure. Are these young ladies really
pirates? Amazonian zombie pirates? I like it.
–bradley (www.amazombies.com)
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ALTA MAY:
We As In Us: CD
When I lived in Shitport,
Louisiana, I torturously sweated and toiled in a vending warehouse where the
hours were long and the labor grueling. The easy-going custodian who
half-heartedly cleaned and maintained the premises was a mildly retarded black
woman named Alta May (not a very common name at all, I might add). And this was
during the early to mid-‘90s when grunge loudly reared its monstrously huge
head and reigned supreme in the carcass-strewn dinosaur-rock kingdom of FM-radio
stagnancy. Now here’s where the irony of the situation kicks in, folks: this
gruff’n’gritty trio of tune-blasters, who are aptly named Alta May, feverishly
flail through a grungey maelstrom of sonic skull-crushers that brings to mind
the flannel-enshrouded era of Seattle’s sullen sounds which were buried deep in
richly textured strains of heroin, decadence, darkness, and death. I assuredly
do not intend that to be construed as a negatively toned statement, ‘cause Alta
May grandly radiate a mesmerizing glimmer of audial energy that equals, and
sometimes surpasses, the best of what Nirvana, Mudhoney, Alice In Chains, Green
River, Tad, Love Battery, and countless others had to offer back when grunge
was king and the predictable rapmetal moronity of today was nothin’ more than a
speck of laundry lint in some major-label rep’s coin pocket. Ah, yes indeed,
those were the days... or were they really?!? -Roger Moser, Jr.
–Guest Contributor (Glazed)
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ALKALINE TRIO/HOT WATER MUSIC:
Split: CD
It’s an appropriate pairing in a yin yangy way. Alkaline
Trio sound happy as shit, but the smiles are broken tooth lyrics sharpened to
daggers, all dark undercurrent, all sugar-coated fuck you in the pop context.
Hot Water Music sound pissed as all hell and as gruff as a kennel of
kicked-in-the-head Dobermans, but their lyrics are overwhelmingly positive and
hopeful. OK, these songs: Alkaline Trio’s Matt Skiba’s got it going on;
breathless melody that’ll make ladies shed tops like they’re entering tanning
salons instead of a rock show, the hummability that’ll place A3 on the
loudspeaker as I pump gas, and I still can’t slag him. Skiba writes some
fucking tight, snappy songs that look and smell like those little heart-shaped
candies, but don’t easily dissolve from memory. They cover Hot Water Music’s
“Rooftops,” and have provided two originals. HWM’s ability to soar and propel
with post hardcore power, steering into brutal-tongued and burning
acoustic-heavy songs takes me to places I never thought the band would go, but
I’m stunned at how warm, meaningful, and heart-felt they still sound, even if
they’re slower and more sparse arrangements. Great split.
–Todd Taylor (Jade Tree)
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AESTHETICS, THE:
Off: CD
Imagine a lo-fi, less Arab-influenced Savage Republic or
Flipper with a smidge more musical ability.
–Jimmy Alvarado (Mental Telemetry)
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4-SKINS:
The Secret Life of...: CD
A rarities collection with odds and ends and two new
versions of old songs by a former singer’s new band. Aside from the fact that
the radio sessions render deciphering what the hell’s being said possible,
there’s really no point to this for anyone outside their more dedicated fans.
–Jimmy Alvarado (Captain Oi!)
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YOUR FUNERAL:
Self-titled: CD
This Vancouver band sounds to my hearing aid quite a bit like Bad Religion; same vocals, slightly more aggressive music. I’m glad it’s only five songs.
–Cuss Baxter (N/A)
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YOUNG AND THE USELESS, THE:
A Smile is No Good for Me: CD
The lyrics and vocals are kinda emo-ish. Insert a tear here. The music does tend to get tedious at times but breaks out at points when they start playing fast. But... Attention not there... Fighting urge to push stop button... Must listen to whole disc... I have failed...
–Donofthedead (Thorp)
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YESTERDAY’S KIDS:
Can’t Hear Nothin’: CD
Yesterday’s Kids is an amazing pop band. Yes, that’s right. A pop band in the pages of Razorcake! Maybe you could say that there’s some sort of punk influence, and maybe there is a sorta Sweet Baby, Mr. T Experience thing going on at times. But these boys were raised on good, classic oldies. Beatles and Herman’s Hermits records, oh yeah! If you aren’t a total punk asshole, and if you love sixties pop, you will like this band! Unfortunately, I found some aspects of the recording a little annoying – too many instruments, too much stuff goin’ on. But the songs are still there. And it’s not just my Wisconsin pride speakin’. Yesterday’s Kids really should take over the world! And while you’re at it, pick up their CDEP on Panic Button, Everything Used to be Better. If this were a cereal, it’d be Frosted Flakes! A classic treat for you and yours!
–Maddy (Panic Button)
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YACOPSAE:
Einstweilige Vernichtung: CD
Gawd, this five inch aluminum disc contains the blasting power of an A-bomb! Faster than what would seem physically possible, they’re super tight as well. Unbelievable. The instruments sound rickety and dirty, perhaps it’s from how the band mercilessly throttles ‘em in every single song. But that’s good, as the power of their music is often found in the rawness and urgent approach. Not one song close to a minute long. Many not even thirty seconds.
–Matt Average (Slap A Ham)
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X:
At Home With You: CD
Nice piece of work here. This is the second (?) album from the Australian band with claims to this name and not the Los Angeles band. While just as primal as their first album, this has somehow got a more refined feel to it, almost like what Birthday Party would’ve been had they been more rockin’.
–Jimmy Alvarado (Morphius)
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WORM QUARTET:
Stupid Video Game Music: CD
Punkers with an extensive Dr. Demento collection are a very scary thing indeed. Song titles like “I Wanna Poop in Diane Sawyer’s Mailbox” and “Thermometer of Doom” say all that needs to be said. Highly recommended.
–Jimmy Alvarado (www.wormquartet.com)
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WOLF BRIGADE:
Progression/Regression: LP
Broken Bones-styled hardcore with all the metal trappings associated with that band intact, all on a nice looking picture disc. For what it is, it ain’t bad.
–Jimmy Alvarado (Farewell)
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WIPERS, THE:
Box Set: 3 x CD
The Wipers were (are?) an incredible band. They transcend all musical categorization. Punk, rock, psychedelia, country, etc. They mix up the music and create their own rich sound. Anyone who has heard this band will agree, the Wipers are a force to reckon with. Greg Sage is amazing on guitar, and it’s his style that really gives this band the edge, not to mention the impassioned vocals that tell tales of paranoia, loneliness, and alienation. This three CD set contains their first three LPs (Is This Real?, Youth of America, and Over the Edge, as well as outtakes, some unreleased, liner notes, and rejected cover art. Not to be missed. Seriously, once you hear this, the Wipers will be one of your favorite bands. No hype, just the truth.
–Matt Average (Zeno)
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WHORE DADDY-OHS:
Kill Your Stepdad: 7"
Goofball punk, sorta like the Skudz without the drive. “John Lennon Sucks (As a Roommate)” warranted a chuckle, although on the whole it wasn’t all that impressive.
–Jimmy Alvarado (nigelsux@earthlink.net)
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WATCH IT BURN/TILTWHEEL:
Twice the Dose: CD
Writing for Razorcake, I knew it was only a matter of time before Todd sent some Tiltwheel my way. Watch it Burn is all right, but these three Tiltwheel songs are makin’ me want more and more! Think Jawbreaker or the Dillinger Four. Lyrics like, “I’m finding solace in broken things like windshields, bottles, hopes and dreams,” with great mid-tempo punk rock. Plus, in Todd’s interview with Tiltwheel (available on the Razorcake web-page!) lead singer Davey says great things like, “OK. You go into a bar and you just want to get mangled. I do this. I always tell the bartender straight off, ‘Here’s the deal. I’m fucking depressed. I’m pissed off. Something’s going to break.’” Or “I like a lot of country music and I don’t really see a difference between country music, blues, and punk rock. I think punk rock is blues. It’s the natural progression from blues, from sitting on a porch, trouble on your mind and you’re a long ways away from home, that’s what blues is all about. To me, that’s punk rock. So, that’s country music, too.” My thoughts exactly! So, if you haven’t already heard Tiltwheel, maybe this isn’t the best place to start, but start somewhere! If this were a cereal, it’d be just one bite of Fruit Loops! I want more!
–Maddy (Attention Deficit Disorder)
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VIRUS, THE:
Nowhere to Hide: CD
Spiky-headed English-inspired hardcore, kinda like GBH with the singer from Voodoo Glow Skulls handling vocal duties. Not very original or anything, but in a world littered with suck-ass bands like Total Chaos and the Casualties, this is a welcome change of pace.
–Jimmy Alvarado (Punkcore)
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VINCENTS, THE/IGNITERS, THE:
Split: 7"
The Vincents do a hard rock, Stooges-influenced thing that didn’t strike me one way or the other. Maybe I’m just burned out on that stuff right now. The Igniters were an awful, slow, metal-influenced dirge of dookie! If this split were a cereal, it’d be Corn Flakes (okay cereal, nothing I ever buy these days) and All Bran (from a cereal scene I am definitely NOT into).
–Maddy (Diaphragm)
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VERY METAL:
Hit and Run: CD
Stop on the dime St. Louis outfit that plays music that is a mixture of Motorhead meets Discharge, leaning a little more in the metal spectrum. The name of the band should have given that point away. The lyrics are more on a personal view of what disturbs them. The production is tight, not overblown to make it sugar coated. It is balanced and the energy level is in the red. The sound is pummeling yet pleasing to these ears. Their angst is truly felt through the music. This is their second full length and is every bit as good as their first. Worthy of a notice.
–Donofthedead (Beer City)
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