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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
PROZACS, THE:
Live at CBGB: CD
Like the title suggests, it is a live recording of The Prozacs from Massachusetts at CBGB’s. The first song, “Penguin Rock,” sounds like a carbon copy of Blink 182 and a tinge of annoying Avril Lavigne. They cover Screeching Weasel songs and they have songs about high school escapades such as prom, cleverly titled “Prom Night.” (Quick comment: from the CD photos they look a little too old to STILL be singing about prom and high school. Just a thought.) The Prozacs would fit nicely on the tiny side stage at Warped Tour or next to a suburban kid’s Blink 182 collection, because they sound exactly the same. Too bad. I liked their band name. I’ll just give the CD to my younger cousin who is still in that phase.
–Jenny Moncayo (Cheapskate)
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PROUDFLESH:
Self-titled: CD
I find it interesting that Sothira continues to lay the mess that is Indochina solely at the feet of the West, and says nothing about all the fun that was had there with no help from the West whatsoever. Shit, the Maoist Khmer Rouge alone had a ball in them killing fields in his native Cambodia. How many bodies lie under Choeung Ek and elsewhere again? Nearly two million? How many ethnic Vietnamese died by Cambodian hands during that period? How many Cambodians died by Vietnamese hands when the Vietnamese overthrew the Khmer in ‘78-79? Weren’t those governments Chinese- and Soviet-backed, respectively? I’m not getting all patriotic or anything, ‘cause I’m the last person who would do that, but it seems to me there’s enough blame to go around and that any group with a supposed anarchist background wouldn’t hesitate to point fingers in all the appropriate directions, and that doesn’t seem to be the case here. Seems a little hypocritical to be singing about My Lai and not utter a peep about Tuol Sleng, bro. Speaking of hypocrisy, how does a former anarcho-posterboy turned stockbroker justify singing antiwar tunes? That’s like a politician singing songs against his corporate overseer, ain’t it? Seeing as the market thrives on war, it would follow that anyone who works in the market profits, no matter how indirectly, from the misery and death of others, right? There’s a reason why them towers were singled out and it wasn’t just ‘cause they were tall. Singing songs decrying your chosen revenue source is kinda like biting the hand that pays for them bitchin’ motorcycles and posh living quarters. As for the music itself, imagine Crucifix reimagined as a Sunset Strip rock band, singing love songs to “My Lai My Love.” While I imagine their reliance on their old band’s name (and frankly, the Jimmy Crucifix lineup was easily the worst) will no doubt bring in the dough from non-discerning punter/punkers with Hot Topic-bought “Dehumanization” t-shirts, I think it’s safe to say that some musicians and their contributions are best left behind in the mists of the past.
–Jimmy Alvarado (Wired Gnome)
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PORCH MOB:
Can of Worms: CD
I thought I liked this until I realized it just kept putting me to sleep. I needed the sleep though.
–Megan Pants (Self-released)
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POPULATION REDUCTION:
At the Throats of Man Forever: CD
I am guilty of buying stuff for my personal collection and not making an effort to review it in this here mag. I saw PR back in early December of last year. They’re a two man grind, death, metal, punk margarita blender that truly impressed me. Straight-up guitar and drums with dueling vocals was a hoot. Also included in the mix was their great sense of humor. I was sold. I bought the tour 7” and the CD and for some reason (I think I ran out of money) I didn’t buy a shirt. Got to try and support the touring bands! Well, anyway. This is some damn good stuff if you like your cookie monster and rectum ripped screaming vocals. Drums that blast away with double bass drums with cymbals and drum heads pounded with power and precision. I witnessed it first hand and he was barefoot too. The guitars have the requisite chunk and heavy riffage. Nothing soft here. This is coming from two guys who were super nice and friendly when I met them and they morphed into this madness once on stage.
–Donofthedead (Tankcrimes)
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POLES, THE:
As Above, So Below: CD EP
Boring, modern rock that didn’t even interest me enough to make want to listen to the whole thing twice.
–Donofthedead (Doubleplusgood)
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POINTING FINGER:
Best Bruises Collection: CD
Bland, faceless youth crew hardcore stuff from either Brazil or Portugal, judging from the members’ names.
–Jimmy Alvarado (Third Party)
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PINK RAZORS:
Waiting to Wash Up: CD
I want to like this record more than I do, and I can’t put my finger on it. It’s got that fuzzy sweater on fire charm of Dead Things, the raygun happy zapping (but they’re really sad) of Screeching Weasel, the watertight, seamless quality of Funeral Oration—pop punk’s the score and they’re navigating adeptly through a maze on wheels of prior invention—but there’s something… something not there for me. And it’s not a, “Oh, the production blows,” or “That dude’s voice sound like a twelve-year-old girl’s,” or suckin’ “high school sweetheart left me, whoah, whoah” lyrics. Maybe it’s just that it’s fifteen songs that could easily be just one with fourteen short beaks, but that’d mean I’d have to rule out the Ramones, and I’m not about to do that. So, at this point, I’m gonna say pass, but it could easily turn into a thumbs up if that one thing clicks into place. Huh. Weird.
–Todd Taylor (Robotic Empire)
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PHARMACY, THE:
Two Small Armies: 7"
The kids in the pop punk outfit the Pharmacy kind of come off as sweet, like unicorns with sparkly manes and tails. What’s closer to the truth is more like undead unicorns with razor sharp teeth feeding on the flesh of the living, spewing out Devo-ish and Starvations-inspired pop noise like showers of blood. Fans of their epic live shows can now feed off of three killer new songs and an impressive new version of “Two Small Armies.” Recommended for fans of good, catchy punk and shotgunning beers with your friends in the back of parking lots.
–bree (Don’t Stop Believin’)
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PHANTOM LIMBS:
Random Hymns: 12" EP
Noisy white vinyl 12” five-song 45 here. It sounds like industrial music to me, but I know this band is beloved in the garage gone art world. Fans of Lost Sounds, Butthole Surfers, and noisy grindcore will find a lot to like here.
–Mike Frame (Hungry Eye)
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PENETRATION:
Moving Targets: CD
Having previously only heard their punk anthem “Don’t Dictate,” this album was a bit of a shock. Although contemporaries of the Sex Pistols, The Clash, and all the other heroes of the first wave of U.K. punk, most of the songs here are markedly mature and sophisticated in comparison to many of their peers, with interesting rhythms and arrangements married to well-written lyrics. While it shouldn’t scare off those who like their punk a little smarter than THUD-THUD-THUD-THUD (and yes, I have more than a passing affinity for that brand of punk as well, so stuff your whining missives excoriating my supposed dismissal of punk’s more primitive purveyors a second ago and direct your ire instead at our dickheaded President and criminal cohorts, you gobbing monkeys), those who need their noise to fit snugly into the accepted punk pigeonhole will be pleased as punch by the inclusion of the aforementioned “Don’t Dictate” and “Firing Squad” singles, both of which make a nice soundtrack to mad, mindless pogoin’.
–Jimmy Alvarado (Captain Oi)
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PAPER CHAMPIONS, THE:
End Transmission: CD EP
The Paper Champions wrote an EP loosely based on the disappearance of aviator Amelia Earhart and it’s all poppy emo punk. Wow. A lot of it really isn’t that bad and is actually pretty catchy. But still, it seems like it’s all too cliché nowadays and the one thing that makes it stand out (the Earhart angle) is a little too obscure for most people, I think, especially the fifteen year-old girls towards which this album will primarily appeal (and evidently to some degree, me too). Good start, though.
–Kurt Morris (Reason Y)
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ONE REASON:
Mountains: 7"
Three catchy poppy, kinda emoish songs from a place called Cleveland, Mississippi. When I wrote “emoish,” I didn’t mean it in a Mineral or Christie Front Drive kinda way. More of a later Discount mixed with Broadways kinda poppy emotional punk. Great, well-written songs. The first, “The End Never Mattered” is my favorite, and the most catchy of the three, but after a few listens, I ended up liking the entire 7” quite a bit. It has a Plan-It-X feel to it, and after further reading, I found they have a release on Plan-It-X South.
–Guest Contributor (Salinas)
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ONE DEAD THREE WOUNDED:
Paint the Town: CD
Screamo. There is a lot of yelling goin’ on.
–Donofthedead (1x1)
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OKAY PADDY:
The Cactus Has a Point: CD
Reaction to opening notes: what the hell is this smarmy mess? Reaction to entire record: surprisingly good/much better than expected/you dumbass, stop with the instant judgments. This really did surprise me because it’s not often that I come across a relatively mellow (THE word that springs to mind with every song) rock’n’roll record that I can’t get enough of. In a lot of ways this sounds to me, at least, like a subdued version of The Figgs, as if they were to make a record baked on a whole load of weed. It’s so easy to get bored with fast-paced fury at times, and this was a welcome change of pace for me.
–Staff (Prison Jazz)
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KUNG FU MONKEYS, THE:
Electric Tangerine Smile, Shindig Volume 3 in 3-D: 7”
Having been born in the early 1970s, it’s tough for me to hearken back to the beach blanket bingo days of the 1950s, or the psychedelic garage pop experience of the 1960s. I don’t know when the Kung Fu Monkeys were born, but they’ve created a 7” that takes you back directly to these bygone eras, and more. “American Beach Party USA (We’re Having Christmas for Breakfast)” is sugary, not saccharine, bubblegum pop with a Beatnik Termites vibe that makes you wanna bleach your hair, grab a surf board, and show off for the babes sunning themselves in bikinis. “I Dig the Way That You Move” would fit nicely on a Zombies record or Nuggets compilation. The flip side has tinges of Beat Happening minimalism on the first song, finishing off with “Summertime in the Desert,” which I’m thinking inspired one Todd Taylor to send this to me for review (that and the fact that one of the guys in the band is, in a remarkable coincidence, called Reno!). “Summertime…” is that tune you wanna hear once the sun has set, the stars are out, and your best girl is snuggled up beside you. You never want the moment, or song, to end. This is a perfect piece of underground pop. Highly recommended.
–Josh Benke (Whoa Oh)
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KUNG FU MONKEYS, THE:
Coast to Coast with the Kung Fu Monkeys: 7"
Music created by human Happy Meal prizes! Querents who wish to know what it is that separates Elfin Masters of Treacle-Core such as the KFM from mere wishful thinkers should look no further than "Chapel Hill, Surf City"—J. Cahill could have easily just let the lyrics contain the comparatively vanilla line "The California coastline is really the most," but, instead, he spent the extra three seconds to think about it a little bit and presented it in the subtly-but-powerfully altered form of "The California coastline is really the mostline"—transmuting mere Vanilla to mighty Chocolate Chip Mint with one deftly placed syllable! Please make a note of it. In a perfect world, James Cahill would be playing Dr. Doom in the upcoming Fantastic Four movie, and the Stormtroopers in Star Wars would wear sweater vests. BEST SONG: "Chapel Hill, Surf City" BEST SONG TITLE: "Candy Shoppe (Twice)," if only for the esoteric Modern Lovers reference FANTASTIC AMAZING TRIVIA FACT: 1. This record contains the Swimmingly Records Slip of Quality: "If it weren't quality, we wouldn't put it out, and we wouldn't put this little slip of paper in it either. That's a promise." 2. The Kung Fu Monkeys once bought me lunch. You're goddamn right there was a milkshake involved!
–Rev. Norb (Swimmingly)
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KRUNCHIES, THE:
In De Winkel: CD
Did I just stick my finger in an outlet or do these fucking guys rip?!? I’ll answer that for you. This CD is frying my brain! The Krunchies have the energy of a caffeinated and sugared up five-month-old puppy that just took a hit of cocaine. There are twelve songs on this CD in just over nineteen minutes of sheer rock! Tinny guitar riffs and sloppy bass lines layered nicely over flowing hard and fast paced, almost hardcore, beats. Male/female fronted vocals that sing and scream over the top of the musical insanity. In fact, Amanda’s high-pitched screaming could break some glass. Not only do they musically amaze me, but they have song titles like “Reaffirming my Hatred of Humanity through Failed Relationships” and “Kill Your Face/Murder My Will.” It’s hard to make comparisons and make it sound accurate, because even though the genre sounds similar, I can’t place a band that has a similar sloppy fast garage/no wave sound that can pull off the amount of energy these guys have. This just may be one of my new favorites. Now they just have to tour out west so I can see them.
–Guest Contributor (Criminal IQ)
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KOFFIN KATS:
Inhumane: CD
The double-K spelling has always bothered me, and the postured, blood-soaked overindulgence on the cover kept this at arm's length. Straight from my now-hometown, these Detroiters bang out fifteen tracks of fast, loud, and fucked psychobilly. Detroit's caliginosity ensorcells their collective maddened mind, spewing forth fertile, bona fide rock with deference to the Damned and early Misfits. Passes muster with the old school crowd—one of the better things I've heard in this vein for quite some time.
–Jessica Thiringer (PsychobillyUS)
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KINETO:
Transform: CD
No matter how you dress it, package it, slice it, or dice it, metal bites the weenie.
–Jimmy Alvarado (Kineto)
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KILL-A-WATTS, THE:
Circuit Breaker Love: CD
I somewhat enjoy the Kill-A-Watts' passable Infections impersonations. BEST BACK COVER PHOTO WHICH ILLUSTRATES A SONG TITLE: "Zipper Patience" BEST SONG TITLE: "Oh Cheeseburger" FANTASTIC AMAZING TRIVIA FACT: The font that "KILL-A-WATTS" is typeset in on the front cover is called "Lower West Side." It should not be confused with Lower East Side, which just looks like a bunch of wood.
–Rev. Norb (Rip Off)
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KILL THE MAN WHO QUESTIONS:
Industry Document: CD
Kill the Man Who Questions was a political hardcore band from the mid- to late ‘90s and this is a collection of their singles and compilation tracks. They’re a band whose name I used to see around but never got around to picking up any of their stuff besides the Sugar Industry LP, and listening to this CD, I feel like a dumbass for not doing so. As with most DIY (as in, “not on Victory Records”) hardcore from that era, and pretty much from the whole decade, it’s raw, dirty, and doesn’t make the slightest effort to be listener-friendly or commercially viable. It takes its share of cues from bands like Born Against, Crass, and Logical Nonsense, and the result is intense and explosive, fitting in well next to contemporaries (in aesthetic, not necessarily sound) like His Hero Is Gone and Los Crudos. It’s a rad way to pick up any of their stuff if you missed out like I did the first time around.
–Josh (Cheap Art)
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KEVIN K AND THE REAL KOOL KATS:
Perfect Sin: CD
This dude wants to be Johnny Thunders so fucking bad, I can smell the hairspray from here. This album sounds like outtakes from Thunders' Que Sera, Sera LP, which wasn't really that good of a record to begin with. Between the four-page booklet, the back cover and the CD itself, there are thirteen photos of the band. I don't want to bag too hard on this, as they seem to be, you know, fairly sincere in that Jeff-Dahl-rock-meets-punk kind of way, and apparently this guy's been around forever, but there's only so many times you can rhyme "all right" and "tonight" before I put another record on.
–Keith Rosson (Kevin K)
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JUDGE:
What It Meant, the Complete Discography: CD
Funny, but after all these, years I still can’t help but think of Crucial Youth’s parodying of the whole “hardline” straight edge thing when I put this on, and I soon find myself singing “I’ve got a positive dental outlook” and “if you don’t shave clean, you’re not in the scene” at the top of my lungs, which is, of course, not what’s coming out of the speakers. Judge was one of those late ‘80s straight edge bands that just seemed to be flogging a plenty dead horse by the time they came along, and nearly two decades later, they sound just about as stale, with all their big, gruff talk about their crew and looking down on people for doing drugs, and yet apparently seeing no irony in embedding more than a little metal riffage into their sound and even covering Led Zeppelin. It’s not that I had/have anything against straight edge as a philosophy, but its more puritanical adherents, with their virulent self-righteousness and fashion sense inspired by Catholic school jocks, hold a special place in my heart, right next to dungbeetles, the Bush family, moco sculptures and born-again Christians. Subsequently, any band that aligns themselves with any group of Neanderthals who think that beating someone up will keep them from getting high is not gonna rate very high around these parts, as some of us are of the belief that such attitudes and actions run contrary to the whole punk ethic. Anyway, if you’re into this late period “youth crew” tripe you’ll be happy to know you can now play their entire recorded output while you’re getting ready for the evening’s brainwashing session at the local Krishna temple without having to stop once to change the record.
–Jimmy Alvarado (Revelation)
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JOHNNY COCK AND HIS NUTS:
Tear You a New One: CD
You gotta love a good scum-rock band. Meatmen, Dayglo Abortions, Kill Allen Wrench… It’s just a good feeling to know that there is someone out there sicker than you. Johnny Cock and the Nuts are now apart of that prestigious group. The band plays tight yet chaotic punk rock that’ll get you moving and the lyrics just might get you puking a little in the back of your throat. It’s not all sleaze though. You also get boozing and Bush bashing for your buck here. Throw in a live set at the end of the disc and call it a damn fun time!
–Ty Stranglehold (Bitch Slap, no address)
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JOHNIE 3:
Self-titled: CD
I really wanna hate this, ’cause it’s from what is essentially another Queers clone band, and lord knows we can’t be going around encouraging creatively and originality starved musicians such as those that think sounding exactly like another band is a good idea. Of course, there is much to hate here, especially around the lyrics, which are beyond dumb-in-a-bad-way, and the affected whine in the vocals. I’ll be damned if they ain’t kinda catchy, though, which is more than I can say about the bulk of their contemporaries. I guess they are the “Queers rip-off” equivalent of throwing crap at a wall repeatedly and finally having something stick. Ultimately, I find I don’t hate it, but I don’t exactly respect it, either.
–Jimmy Alvarado (Cheapskate)
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