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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
DEFIANCE, OHIO / ENVIRONMENTAL YOUTH CRUNCH:
Split: 7"
The song “Collecting
Complaints” by Defiance, Ohio left me feeling very awkward. I don’t know if I’ve
ever heard a song that critiques collecting records and fliers. Maybe I am
sitting in my room and hiding, but it’s the only place I feel safe. Two very
solid songs by Defiance, Ohio. Environmental Youth Crunch cover “Fortunate Son”
by John Fogerty, and it really gets the blood flowing. I like this version
better. Punk is the hot sauce to Fogerty’s burrito, the right flavor added to
the right foundation. This 7” kicks major ass. It makes me smile inside.
–Rene Navarro (Dead Tank)
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DAS KAPITAL:
Ben, We’re Jealous: 7"
Nervous and disturbing
lyrics take center stage on this badass Chicago band’s 7”. I’m almost reminded
of The Freeze and their dark tales of human nature gone wrong. The song “Johnny
Gosch Was Here” deals with the true story of a young boy who was abducted by a network
of religious leaders and Washington politicians who flew children to Washington
D.C. for sex orgies. The band even includes a website where you can find out
more information on the victim (screwed up stuff). The music itself is
distinctly Chicago, think Naked Raygun or Effigies in style, with even a bit of
that Big Dipper jangle. There were only two hundred of these sweet clear disks
pressed, so I‘d highly suggest you try to get your hands on one.
–Evan Katz (Johann's Face)
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CUSTOMS, THE:
Really Long Gone: CD
After one of Boston’s
mightiest bands, DMZ, split up, there is a murky history of Lyres and DMZ
cross-references; the lineage of which is confusing at best. In there,
somewhere, is DMZ guitarist Peter Greenburg’s band The Customs. Really Long
Gone is a reissue of the
long-out-of-print album Long Gone, itself a twentieth anniversary collection of the long out-of-print 7”s.
The twentieth anniversary collection, now ten years gone, is as rare as the
7”s, and so, once again, the world has access to The Customs. The Customs
classic song is “Long Gone.” They have a superior version of the rock standby
“Strychnine,” and the rest of the album rocks in that avenue. And too long has
the world gone without it. Really Long Gone is an indispensable compliment to the DMZ and
Lyres legacy; a must for fans thereof. –Billups Allen
–Guest Contributor (Shake It)
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D.O.A.:
Northern Avenger: CD
The album title comes from
the name producer Bob Rock gave to Joe Keithley’s beat-to-shit guitar. It fits.
This record also features the return of Randy Rampage on bass, but, apparently,
he left the band again shortly after this recording. “Human Bomb” blows stuff
up right from the get go, but strap yourself in. There’s a lot more. “Police
Brutality” warns all of us to watch out for the fuzz. ‘Still a Punk” makes the
case in point that the spirit of punk rock is still alive and well. This CD
grabs you by the throat and doesn’t let up. I really, really like this one; a
consistent release from start to finish. Don’t worry—Rock didn’t talk Joe into
playing any Hammett-style licks. This is just one hundred percent pure D.O.A.
No filter required.
–Sean Koepenick (Sudden Death)
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CROWS FEET:
Concertina: Cassette
If one were to peek under
my bed, one could see in a few boxes there that I have yet to relinquish my
tapes, and I still make mix-tapes on actual cassettes rather than on CDs, so I
was happy to get this tape to review. Fun! The artwork on the cover is nice—a
bright blue background with a cool drawing of a guy holding a baby that
actually looks like an old man—loads of teeth grimacing in some kind of skull’s
grin. The insert that came with it is unfortunately kinda hard to read—the
background is gray/black and the writing is white, so it’s difficult to make
out. There aren’t any lyrics anyway, though. The recording is not great; it
sounds warbling and messy. The music is kind of folky, with a solo acoustic
guitar and some whistling in the very beginning. There are occasional forays
into blues and rock. He might be a good guitarist but it’s a little bit hard to
tell. I admire his enthusiasm but it’s not a genre I’m particularly into and
this tape didn’t win me over.
–J. Federico (Let's Pretend)
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CITY OF SHIPS:
Live Free or Don’t Tour: EP
Amidst the ocean of droney,
post-rock, post-hardcore clones, there are only a couple bands that catch my
attention. It’s a hard genre to accomplish that because the songs tend to bleed
together, feedback overshadows the details, and I’m usually exhausted by the
time I get through an entire album. City Of Ships had me hooked from the
beginning to the end of their vinyl-only release. The band crushes, no question
about it. But, they aren’t just here to be the loudest, or the slowest, band;
each song has its own personality. Some consist of eerie instrumental passages
that lead to more hardcore dirges, while others come across like a heavier
Quicksand, which is never a bad thing. The vocals are pretty varied, but always
fit the song. Fans of Jesu, Cult Of Luna, and Isis should definitely invest
their time and money in this release.
–Evan Katz (Forcefield)
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CALL IT ARSON:
Moth Wash: The Old Flames: 7"
Vinyl makes you wait. It
makes you analyze the packaging on your lunch break. I am a huge fan of free
downloads coming with an album, so that was very pleasant. I am a big fan of
Kurt Ballou, who recorded and mixed this in his studio God City. This 7”’s dark
artwork mixed with the fact that Converge’s guitarist was steering things along
led me to the preconceived notion that Call It Arson were going to be super
dense and very heavy. Call It Arson’s A side is very reminiscent of Orange
Rhyming Dictionary-era Jets To Brazil. Both
sides of the record have the first line of lyrics printed on them, but they’re
on the wrong side. The B side is nowhere near as good as the A side which, in
and of itself, isn’t worth buying the 7”, so I would say, don’t.
–Rene Navarro (Kill Normal)
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CACTUS’S:
Tropical Terror: CDEP
Six songs, fifteen minutes,
too many damn hooks. Too catchy. I wanted to dislike this (mainly because the
band name is so ridiculous), but the songs are actually pretty good and
infectious. The trio that makes up Cactus’s says their influences range from
the Pixies to Converge and, for once, I can actually hear their music taking
that full range of sound and making it coherent on the EP. (Normally, when a
band says who their influences are, they can come off sounding rather
delusional.) There’s a little bit of screaming on the album but it’s not
contrived; it comes across as mixing well with the energy of the songs. Mostly,
the vocals are sung and the music is straightforward rock and roll. Other
times, I may find this kind of thing as being ridiculous, but Cactus’s approach
their sound with such an aggression that it’s hard to deny they’re sincere. I’m
sure they’d be great live. Their lyrics make little to no sense and their name
is stupid, but, other than that, I think we might have a winner.
–Kurt Morris (Beat Crazy)
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BROWNTROUT / DRUNKEN BOAT (PDX):
Split: 7"
Browntrout: I first heard
Browntrout on their split with Gleam Garden. I first heard Gleam Garden on
their split with Dan Padilla. I checked out Dan Padilla because of Tiltwheel.
So, in a way, I like Browntrout because I like Tiltwheel. So, if you like
Tiltwheel, you might like Browntrout. If you don’t like Tiltwheel, bummer for
you. Anyhow, Browntrout is a pop punk band from Japan with strong melodic
leanings. They have an upbeat sound that juxtaposes interestingly with their
downtrodden lyrics. Great stuff! Drunken Boat (PDX): I like just about
everything I’ve heard from this band, but the two tracks on here leave me
bummed. The instrumentation is kind of, well, I don’t play, but it lacks some
of the power and intricacy of some of their other material. I’d still rather
listen to this than some of the stuff I’m reviewing this time around, but I
hope that this isn’t the direction of things to come for this typically awesome
band.
–Vincent Battilana (Snuffy Smiles)
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BREAK EVENS, THE:
Self-titled: CD
I always appreciate folks
out there banging away to make some music, but I was just not into this at all.
Uninspired punk in the vein of Social Distortion. Although some songs were
better than others, overall, I found it to be pretty dull. Even the artwork was
unoriginal—a smiley face (wearing a frown) against a black background, live
shot on the back, no lyrics or other artwork save for the smiley face again on
the inside (but on a white background this time) with some kind of bullet hole
blood smear. Or something. At least one of the singers is really pretty bad,
and I like plenty of bad singers. The seven songs on this CD did not hold my
interest whatsoever. Branch out, guys.
–J. Federico (Dust Waltz)
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BORN TO LOSE:
Saints Gone Wrong: CD
Although the band pays
homage to Johnny Thunders with their namesake, I’m hearing more of a Dropkick
Murphys influence from this Austin five piece. Tight song structures, mass
backing vocals that add quite a bit of texture, and overall catchy tunes make
this a winner. The title track and “My Mortality” are my favorites from this
one. They will be on Warped this summer so don’t pass them by and go see some
emo shit instead. These guys should be in the next “Drinkability” commercial
without a doubt.
–Sean Koepenick (Altercation)
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DEPT OF ENERGY:
Faster: CD
This album sounds like
preppy coffee shop music in the vein of Ben Folds. It’s got quirky lyrics like,
“Mind over matter but what if matter wins?” It’s got cello, banjo, slide guitar
and organ for the hi-brow intellectual musician. However, I think the band
inserted the organ instrument into the album to substitute for what these songs
lack in the real organ department… “That’s what she said.” –N.L. Dewart
–Guest Contributor (Roam)
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DEREK LYN PLASTIC:
She’s Got a U.T.I.: 7"
Finally, a musician willing to tackle everyday medical problems! Of course, there are some historical precedents
(Screeching Weasel’s “Jeannie’s Got a Problem with Her Uterus” and the Quincy
Punx’s “Dumpster Diving at the Abortion Clinic”), but hopefully this will spur
a renaissance of medical themes. Could This Is My Fist record a song about
herpes? Or maybe Teenage Bottlerocket could tackle the difficult issues posed
by Type 2 Diabetes? The possibilities are endless! If this were a cereal, it’d
be Honey Nut Cheerios! Sorta The Dickies mixed with Jay Reatard, but,
unfortunately, this one’s a little bit more on the general rock end of things.
But if you haven’t checked out Sir Plastic and you like music, you should!
–Maddy (NMG)
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CARS CAN BE BLUE:
Doubly Unbeatable: CD
Upbeat pop punk with some
truly mean-spirited, venomous lyrics. The sixteen tracks fly by, but pretty
much all of them are solid. The band comes off like a faster Lemuria, with a
punk rock Sarah Silverman as a vocalist. I think they’ve even opened up for
some comedy acts, which makes sense, because some of the lyrics are just
completely fucking hilarious. Probably one of my favorite discs this month.
–Evan Katz (HHBTM)
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DILLINGER FOUR:
Civil War: CD
Completely takes me back to
the bands that saved me from puberty in the ‘80s when I finally realized that
regular dudes who don’t look like idiot rock stars and don’t live on a coast
can make rock’n’roll greatness. To share that with the world, I have put Paddy
half-naked in print ads at the place I work for.
–Speedway Randy (Fat)
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CARPATHIAN:
Isolation: CD
Modern day moshcore. The
songs are heavy with a solid wall of sound. I read this did well in the
independent charts in Australia. Hmmm... I’ve listened to this a few times, and
can’t remember any of the songs on here.
–Matt Average (Resist)
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BULLDOZER:
The Hammers: CD
Jokey punk rock in the vein
of Guttermouth, or a less musically tight Face To Face. Honestly, I wasn’t
crazy about this. For the most part, the songs tend to bleed into each other
and the songwriting isn’t anything special. The best song is “Guido Beach,” a
hilarious ode to Jersey Shore meatheads. If the rest of the songs on the disk
were able to reach that level of quality, the album would be a keeper.
–Evan Katz (Motherbox)
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CANDY SNATCHERS, THE:
Self-titled: 7"
The A-side is “Doin’ Time,”
which is a good, steady, rocking song, the kind the Candy Snatchers have
mastered. But the B-side is the reason to pick this up. “Dead Wrong” has more
swagger and fuck-all attitude. Even has a harmonica in it! Another great
record, yet again!
–Matt Average (Zodiac Killer)
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DISCO ASSAULT:
Saturday Night Bleeder: 7"
Since trends seem to go
full circle, there has been a resurgence of early ‘80s-influenced hardcore
bands in the last few years. Some have been brilliant, some mediocre. This band
from Windsor, Canada seems to be doing it right. Nice, raw production and songs
that charge forth but also have an infectious melody to them. The vocals have
an Ian MacKaye delivery that punches through the music. This is straight-up
punk rock with no fluff or overproduction. Good stuff. Funny note: I thought my
record was messed up because it kept slowing down. I turn around to look at the
turntable and my youngest cat kept putting his paw on the spinning slip mat
that the record was on. Cats are so easily entertained.
–Donofthedead (Schizophrenic)
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BUGS, THE:
Self-titled: CD
For full disclosure, I’ll
start by saying that I’m friends or at least friendly with the people who are
in this band. And those people have been in some of the most important bands in
my musical development. The Bugs are made up of Dangerous Dave (the Queers, Jon
Cougar Concentration Camp) on bass and vocals, Russell of the Rich White Males
on guitar and Chris Fields (the Dwarves, the Queers, and Jon Cougar
Concentration Camp) on drums. So, what you have here is one-half to two-thirds
of the Queers and Jon Cougar Concentration Camp, depending on which lineup
we’re talking about. And while the Queers and Jon Cougar Concentration camp are
both recognized for their poppy, occasionally sophomoric punk rock, they both
have also recorded some of the sharpest, wittiest songs in the pop punk
reservoir. With the Bugs, however, you get what amounts to an album of all of
the Queers dumbest material. As an example, the first three songs on the album
are titled “Lesbo! Lesbo!,” “Never Went Gay,” and “Back on the Weed.”
Musically, it is very solid and follows in the tradition of the Queers:
extraordinarily tight, perfectly played pop and punk rock songs. Chris Fields’
drumming marches along as if being conducted by a drill sergeant. Russell’s
guitar style finely balances between Johnny Ramone style buzz saw rhythms and
Thunders-esque flourishes. All of the songs will catch you tapping your toes
and bobbing your head, despite the lyrical matter, though the highlight, in my
opinion, is “Dopefiend,” which recalls some of the sweeter Beach Boys-inspired
Queers material. If you like your punk rock offensive, or if you realize that,
like the Queers and Angry Samoans and others before them, the lyrics are
clearly satirical, then what you will have here is one of the better (and
dumber) punk albums in your collection.
–Jeff (World)
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DILLINGER FOUR:
Civil War: CD
I like the fact that they
write lyrics that make you think. You could probably guess that just by looking
at the song titles. But dig deeper and you’ll see that the topics should hit
home with just about anyone. Heartbreak, depression, and failure all pop up
from their sullen heads. However, there always seems to be a light at the end
of the tunnel. This is music that will make you mull over the passage of
time—“and it feels like summer in October” and “December drags on—it’s thirty
one days too long.” But I also nominate this band for best song title of the
year: “Minimum Wage Is a Gateway Drug.” This a mature, solid, rollicking good
time from these Minneapolis boys. Brave the elements if they come to your town.
Paddy will thank you and then ask you to buy him a shot. Why wouldn’t you?
–Sean Koepenick (Fat)
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CONNIE DUNGS, THE:
I Hate This Town!: 7"
Yay! Yay! Yay! This is one
of the best 7”s of all time! This
is so good that not even my traditional overuse of exclamation marks can do it
justice! Ack! Ack! Ack! Prose fails me! Since 1996, at least one of
these gloriously perfect pop punk songs has magically entered into my brain, unannounced,
at a rate of no less than once per month! Plus, it’s brought to you by Mutant
Pop, one of the best (the best? Would it win a fight against Superteem?) record
labels of all time! This is a reissue of the original 7”, however: POP PUNK
NERD ALERT! If you bought the original 7” and, like me, missed the repressing
in 1999, you need to buy this again because it contains a bonus song that was
supposed to go on the original but, for various reasons, did not! If this were
a cereal, it’d be Lucky Charms, the highest honor I can bestow! If you do not
own this, you are the gastronomic equivalent of someone who’s never tried
pizza!
–Maddy (Mutant Pop)
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CONNIPTION FITTS:
Shart Sandwich: 7"
Able-bodied rock’n’roll. I
just wish there were a few fingers missing. Cover of the Sonics here, but can’t
hear the influence on the original songs.
–Todd Taylor (Let's Pretend)
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COLD SHOULDER:
The Patriot: 7" EP
Seven-song 45 of killer
hardcore punk with both fast and slow parts. The pacing of this record is near
perfect. It’s unrelenting, making the sides go by quick as hell, considering
how many songs are on each of them (three and four). The release is angry and
alienated alà Out Cold, while still politically conscience, yet un-preachy.
This Hammond, IN (Pop. 83,048) five-piece has got its hands on something good.
A debut 7” that is definitely making me want to hear more.
–Daryl Gussin (Cowabunga)
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DISGUSTER / HITCHHIKERS:
Split: CD
This apparent debut release
for both bands, on Zodiac Killer Records (who seem to primarily put forth
bicep-flexed bar punk…their flagship comp is titled Drink. Fight. Fuck.), comes, goes; is decent and boring in turn. Disguster
put forth eight well-written, well-played, and ultimately flat songs. The blame
is, in large part, on the production—crisp and mixed well, but lacking for it.
It needs some gut, but the variety of gut they offer up isn’t exactly
palatable. The sexual chauvinism/misogyny of the lyrics in Disguster’s half was
the nail in the coffin for me. Choice cuts: “domestic violence means nothing to
me,” “meet me on the other side of the glory hole,” “the more you try, the
worse I treat you,” blah blah blah. I’ve got a younger brother, too. Summations
later. Onward. Hitchhikers retain some dirt and gristle compared to Disguster
and is less prone to
chucking out Crüe-style pussy declaratives. Plus these guys have “Neckbone Stomp” on their half, the
most bare bones song on the album, and rockingest for it. Sure, singer Jorge E.
Disguster’s voice grates my brain-cheese; too much pruned strut for my taste,
but my delicate sensibilities vis-à-vis objectification weren’t affected
either. Ignoring everything I’ve said so far, ultimately, this split just doesn’t
really stretch. Nothing is moved forward, tweaked, expounded, or refracted. It’s
an album equivalent to horse blinders.
–Andrew Flanagan (Zodiac Killer)
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