 |
|
|
|
|
| Can't find Razorcake at your favorite store? Lend us a hand and we'll send you a free issue. |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
 | Razorcake will send you one free issue if you ask your librarian if they would carry Razorcake in their stacks. (This offer is good for both traditional libraries and independent libraries.) To get the free issue, you must send us the librarian's name and email and the library's postal address. We will then contact them directly and donate a subscription to them. U.S. libraries only, due to postage. | |
|
|
|
|
|
| | 
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
VARIOUS ARTISTS:
Diggy Diggy Dead!: 2 x CD
There’s some good stuff here by some relatively known names—a couple of live Dicks tracks, and some tunes by the Dead Bros., The Deadites, Derita Sisters, Reverend Beat-Man, and the Vectors to name a few—and there’s a lot of ground covered over the course of two discs—from Austin punk to Japanese ‘60s slop to Polish hardcore—but the dearth of band information is more than a little exasperating. I mean, are the Dicks tracks of recent vintage? Is Dennis Most’s cover of “Psychotic Reaction” a new recording? Who are all these Texas bands on here and are they even together anymore? Call me anal retentive, but I like to know a little about what I’m listening to.
–Jimmy Alvarado (www.rubblerecords.com)
| |
|
VARIOUS ARTISTS:
Brainsick Volume 1: CD
Four way metal/screamo comp featuring A Nightmare And A Cataclysm, And Bullets Fall, Codes of Silence, and Deep 13. The Agent Orange cover song was cool. But I think Donofthedead might have liked this more than I did.
–Mr. Z (Eugene)
| |
|
VARIOUS ARTISTS:
Auto Glamour Sound: CD
Few things are sweeter than being introduced to something you missed the first time around. What was originally a double-seven-inch comp of Ohio art punk bands gets reissued on CD with a healthy chunk of additional tracks, for a total of twenty-three cuts, from Teddy And The Frat Girls, Qi-zz, Dementia Precox, 11,000 Switches, Spiritual Californians, Cointelpro, BPA, and Lopez Sophisticates. The music ranges from the funky to the truly odd, and virtually all of it holds up surprisingly well given the fact that it’s over two decades old. Fans of “classic” bands like the Fried Abortions and more recent bands like Old Time Relijun will find much here worth their while. This’ll find itself in a place of honor in the ol’ record collection, right next to the Urinals, Savage Republic, and Keats Rides a Harley.
–Jimmy Alvarado (Shake It)
| |
|
VAGINA SORE JR:
Self-titled: 7-song 7” EP
Two parts Clairmel, and one part Russ of the Tim Version (who moves to bass and sings occasionally), it’s melodic, mid-paced, working class, duct-taped Converse, fashionless Florida punk to a tee, which fans of the two aforementioned bands will like with ease. Add in a deep admiration for the Replacements and Radon, and you’ve got a 7” that gets a lot of plays. It’s not so flashy as it is satisfying and reaffirming. Song topics include being the band on a bill that no one came to see, moments of clarity during drunken brawls in the middle of the street (while taking an uppercut to the chin after unlocking a sleeper hold), and mourning the loss of a dog that was taunted by, then bit, a kid: “they docked my pay for the shot to end his life… why did you have to kill my dog?” Recommended.
–Todd Taylor (Sooooo Intense / ADD)
| |
|
URGENCIES, THE:
Desolation Chic: CD
Ummm…you cover the Plimsouls. The Plimsouls. C’mon now, this isn’t karaoke night
–Megan Pants (Bubble Empire)
| |
|
UNDER PRESSURE:
Self-titled: CD
Solid, mid-tempo hardcore spare on metal riffage, which is a definite plus.
–Jimmy Alvarado (Primitive Air Raid)
| |
|
TUFF LUVS:
Heartburn: 7”
Raw, mid-tempo, hooky—these guys have the whole Killed by Death thing pretty much sussed out. Would’ve sworn it was some punk obscurity from the late ‘70s Midwest if I hadn’t read the press sheet.
–Jimmy Alvarado (www.newaartschool.net)
| |
|
TRAINWRECK RIDERS:
Where the Neon Turns to Wood: CD
I saw these guys play a few days after New Years in San Pedro: finger picking guitar, country-sounding, then heavy, not simple songs, but simple-sounding parts pulled together for a flavorful mix. It’s actually pretty complex stuff, but it still has a homemade, sort of basic feel to it. I think it could be said that this is the type of music that might be made by someone with a busy life in the city; about their attempts at reconciling things within themselves and reaching out to the edge of the city, with all the complex angles of city life meeting with some notion or feeling of a more simple life on the outskirts. I don’t think it’s too much of a stretch to say if you like This Bike Is A Pipe Bomb or The Two Gallants, you’ll be into this.
–dandy (www.trainwreckriders.com)
| |
|
TOWERS OF HANOI:
Black Feathers: CD
Mid-tempo punk, with Swiz-y guitars and some pretty atrocious female vocals. Not atrocious because they’re female, but atrocious in that the vocals relentlessly dominate the recording. I think if this lady would just chill out a little and let the band play without howling over every note, I’d like this a lot more. She has a voice kinda like the woman from Life, But How To Live It. The notes are almost on, but not quite. Musically, I like this. It’s a good band, they just need to sit down and have a talk with their singer.
–ben (Barracuda Sound)
| |
|
THIEVES AND ASSASSINS:
Self-titled: 7” EP
An extremely strong debut, much akin to Strike Anywhere’s Chorus of One. It’s word-heavy, melodic hardcore—ganged up vocals, the buzzy-hummy quality of mid-period Bad Religion, and incorporates the making-musical-nooses knack of songwriting of prime Good Riddance. Yet, as is sometimes the case with debuts, I think they’re trying to fit a bit too much into each song, and that lends a claustrophobic feeling to the EP as a whole, but it’s definitely a band to watch in the future.
–Todd Taylor (Iron Pier Recordings, www.mindsetoverhaul.com)
| |
|
TERRIBLE TWOS:
Spitting Image: 7”
Imagine later Iggy and the Stooges (meaning longer songs with multiple parts, freak-outs, and proto punk that keeps its guitar licks equal with its sonic loopdey loops), rabid animals in noisy cages with bad locks, and the rusty car bodies and bald-tire desolation of Ann Arbor, Michigan. Then file it next to the Clone Defects and early Catholic Boys. Bits remind me of The Chargers Street Gang, too. I like it best when the pedal’s down and the Beefheart-isms are tossed out the window, but individual tastes may differ. Not bad at all.
–Todd Taylor (X!, www.x-recordings.com)
| |
|
TERA MELOS:
Self-titled: CD
God, I really don’t know where to start. I think Refused was on this page when they recorded The Shape of Punk to Come, but this is jazzier and occasionally more melodic. This Sacramento band is four instruments, no vocals, no song titles, and still manages to make me think of Tortoise or avant-noise like Black Dice and Al Dimeola on speed and nitrous oxide. David Lynch might approve. If you enjoy being disoriented and thought nobody could even attempt to match The Shape of Punk to Come, give this a spin!
–Todd Taylor (Springman)
| |
|
SWIMS:
Ride of the Blueberry Winter: CD
Neo-psych pop with more than an obvious nod toward their ‘60s predecessors, the result sometimes sounding like a weird Donovan/Elvis Costello hybrid, only sloppy. Not bad at all for what it is. The cover art is very “Yellow Submarine.”
–Jimmy Alvarado (Prison Jazz)
| |
|
SUZUKI SMITH:
Wife Beater: CD-R
There’s a bar in Seattle that sits beside the Space Needle that has changed hands many times and had many names. Many years ago that is where I was first introduced to “bar punk”: thirty-five to forty-year-old dudes obsessed with the Mentors, writing lyrics that a fifteen-year-old with Downs Syndrome would call retarded. Suzuki Smith is bar punk. I mean if your preferred lyrical content concerns the hotness of Jen Lindley from Dawson’s Creek (“Jen Lindley, cute blondie, you’re so hot, on that show… oh yeah, you know I’d do her!”) and you like a band with a “Hottie of the Month” contest on its website then this is your jam right here… and you’ve never really heard “Anarchy in the U.K.” until you’ve heard a fat dude from Boston belt it out from behind a goatee.
–Steveo (www.suzukismith.net)
| |
|
SUICIDE BID:
This Is the Generation: CD
Now that the ska-punk wave of the late ‘90s is long gone, the current wave of bands isn’t coming out from under every rock in the universe. This London band reminds me of a mix of, say, The Specials, The Clash, Bad Manners, and The Four Skins. Apparently, this band was formed from the ashes of many bands that I personally never heard of, but their collective experience shows on this recording. They pull off the sound with precision and not one member is dragging the band behind. This easily could have come out in the early ‘80s and would have fit right in.
–Donofthedead (Household Name)
| |
|
DMBQ:
The Essential Sounds of the Far East: CD
Guitar Wolf meets Black Sabbath with a fistful of hallucinogens tossed into the salad. This record is dark and bluesy with hints of swamp rock malevolence and maintains the reckless abandon of an elephant—probably slower and more plodding than, say, a wild horse or a buffalo, but all the more destructive because of its sheer weight and volume. I could see smoking a lot of pot and enjoying this in even greater ways than what I do now.
–The Lord Kveldulfr (Estrus)
| |
|
DIVEBOMB HONEY, THE:
Sex Effects: 7”
Taking a step back, it’s odd that the words “new wave” come up in 2005, especially when those words aren’t preceded by “fuck.” When it first came out, by and large it was the record companies’ way of neutering punk and “safing it up” in an attempt to corral it and sell it to the masses. Don’t get me wrong. There were some great songs, and a couple of great bands (Devo, Vapors), but it was such slim pickings, that who’d think that the torch would be re-lit to start new and interesting fires over twenty years down the line? For better and for worse, The Divebomb Honey sound a shit-ton like The Epoxies. Sure, there are differences. Sheela’s voice has a lower register than Roxy Epoxy’s and Ben Crew’s backups are more hoarse than FM Static’s, but the elements they’re dealing with: keyboards up front, real drummer, fashion-forward sunglasses and stripes, guitar-driven new wave played by punk rockers is still in its pioneering stages, so I’m going to cut ‘em a little slack. Besides, the songs—especially the songwriting in both bands—is top notch. Shit, you can dance to it and it’s fun to listen to.
–Todd Taylor (Jilted)
| |
|
DIVEBOMB HONEY, THE:
Sex Effects: 7”
The four songs on this record are quite delightful. The beginning of the first song, “Get Up,” has a beat and melody that is strikingly familiar to Andrew W.K.’s “Party Hard.” However, the song then goes into a more ‘80s aerobic-like song and reminded me of an ‘80s Jane Fonda workout video my mom had, with leg warmers and everything. When listening to this song you cannot help but bounce around and dance like Molly Ringwald, while strutting your most impressive aerobic steps. The music contains upbeat keyboards and an electroclash indie rock beat. The vocals are somewhat androgynous, but it is just singer Sheela and her low voice. The music is along the lines of the Epoxies and the Soviettes. The album is fun and worth a listen. It was also recorded on a four-track in the band’s bedroom. Overall: entertaining and enjoyable.
–Jenny Moncayo (Jilted)
| |
|
DIRTY SOUTH APOCALYPSE/ASTHMA ATTAQ:
Split: LP
The Dirty South Apocalypse side comes out swingin’: awesome spazzy hardcore with great vocals that remind me of Employer, Employee but with a raw, dirtier edge. You know how there are a few metalcore bands that started off good before they got lame? They kinda sound like one of those bands. But oh, the record's going all good and now the last song hits and it's this totally wimpy boring emo suckfest. What happened, guys? Asthma Attaq are really cool spacey hardcore with all kinds of cool, trippy parts that sound a bit like Tarantula Hawk or Yeti, and it even kinda sounds like Yes a little bit. It's really interesting and it held my attention throughout. This record is worth getting, for sure.
–ben (Forever Escaping Boredom)
| |
|
DIPLOMATS OF SOLID SOUND, THE:
Destination… Get Down!: CD
Iowa City is recanting the days of the lost art of instrumental dance music. If you’ve got a penchant for grooving and false eyelashes, step right up to this solid platter of sweet and soulful early ‘60s-inspired ditties. Immediately you notice the vibrating hum of vocalist (Can you call blurting out “Holdin’ All the Money!!!” vocals? Fuck yeah!)/organist, Nate “Count” Basinger’s Hammond B3 (not B2) organ and the masterwork of Doug Robertson’s jazz guitar gliding acrobatically across the thick and juicy steak-like bass lines supplied by Dustin Conner, although most of the bass you will hear on this record is provided by the organs (think Ray Manzarek). Drummer Jim Viner goes to work overtime by laying out a solid foundation of snazzy beats in the vein of Gene Krupa and Max Roach. Yeah, it’s a winner. Slap a medal on this sophomore effort and put on your dancing shoes. Oh yeah, smoke a few silk cut cigarettes too while you’re at it, baby.
–Namella J. Kim (Estrus)
| |
|
DELOREANS:
…Are Your Girlfriend’s Favorite Band: 7”
I had to call upon nearly all of my grit reserve to take this off the turntable. And that’s despite the moderately pedantic Kiss cover that opens the B-side. The other two tunes show that they’ve got the goods, though, and their jester mentality makes me take them all the more seriously—rocking tunes and jokes! It’s like having beer and deer jerky!
–The Lord Kveldulfr (Sonico)
| |
|
DEADMAN WALKING:
Can’t Stop the Dying: CD
Laguna Hills, CA—death, “evil,” bad OC hardcore punk, metal, and HP Lovecraft meets the Penthouse letters section. Get this thing off my stereo! That’s all I need to say.
–Namella J. Kim (Living Dead Productions)
| |
|
DAY AND AGE:
Via Moderna: CD
Emo gets a bad rap pretty consistently in Razorcake most of the time, and I can understand that. Day and Age, to their credit, are competent musicians; they also sound like they studied hard and got their degrees at Moss Icon University. To me, that particular band's influence is crisp and bright and obvious as hell here, right in your face: from the song structures to the lilting, off-key vocals, to the guitar meanderings and cryptic lyrics. Unfortunately, Day and Age lack what Moss Icon had in spades: the ability to draw you, the listener, in; to sonically grab you by the hand and then move that hand right to your throat and throttle you until you're just about ready to weep. We're talkin’ character development here, guys. Conflict, rising action, climax, resolution. Moss Icon killed because they brought you in and then lovingly chopped you off at the knees. Day and Age just go right for the throat, and as a result it's not nearly as effective or moving. What we end up with is a record that's passable and decent, like a weird, low-key amalgamation of Modest Mouse and the Ladderback or something. They do have their moments, and it's a decent record. Unfortunately, I play decent emo records about as much as I play awful ones. Sorry.
–Keith Rosson (North Park)
| |
|
DASH RIP ROCK:
Recyclone: CD
Wait, wait, wait... ALTERNATIVE TENTACLES put out a Dash Rip Rock greatest hits album??? ALTERNATIVE FRICKING TENTACLES??? DASH FRICKING RIP ROCK??? IIII'M LIVING IN A WORLD INSAAAAAAAAAANE!!! (what’s next, Bob Dylan cover albums???) ...actually, i have nothing against Dash Rip Rock (other than having heard "Bumfuck Egypt" one too many times back when i was a college radio DJ [and that, my friends, was in the ‘80s])—i'll cop to owning the We Are Not of This Earth CD and putting "Rattletrap" on more than one comp tape—it's just hard for me to make the spiritual connection between their twangy, vaguely-outside-the-lines, white-lightnin’-gulping party rock and the label that gave us, i dunno, LARD or whatever. I mean, they're a decent enough band (and still together!)—kind of an ancestor of somewhat more radio-friendly contemporary acts like Southern Culture on the Skids, but with a bit more Elvis Hitler (or, at bare minimum, Al Perry & The Cattle) in 'em—but i'm not sure how much this band would appeal to the average punk dork these days (especially when taking into account the fact that, tinkered with or not, few things are aging less sonically gracefully than recordings from the ‘80s). However, if your idea of a good time is sneaking a bottle of Jack Daniels™ into the movies and taking a shot every time someone says "Winn-Dixie," you might have just found yourself a date. BEST SONG: "Rattletrap" BEST SONG TITLE: "Shootin' Up Signs" FANTASTIC AMAZING TRIVIA FACT: Back in the day, this band used to play at frickin' Lefty's! Now that's cred!
–Rev. Norb (Alternative Tentacles)
| |
|
DAMAGE CASE:
A Battalion of Bombers in a Chorus of Fire: CD
This runs pretty much along the same “fashion punk” lines as bands like The Virus and Total Chaos, although they are considerably more interesting and accomplished musically, especially lyrically, than those bands. A little too derivative for my tastes, but I didn’t hate ’em or anything.
–Jimmy Alvarado (Slab-O-Wax)
| |
|
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 30 31 32 33 34 35 36 37 38 39 40 41 42 43 44 45 46 47 48 49 50 51 52 53 54 55 56 57 58 59 60 61 62 63 64 65 66 67 68 69 70 71 72 73 74 75 76 77 78 79 80 81 82 83 84 85 86 87 88 89 90 91 92 93 94 95 96 97 98 99 100 101 102 103 104 105 106 107 108 109 110 111 112 113 114 115 116 117 118 119 120 121 122 123 124 125 126 127 128 129 130 131 132 133 134 135 136 137 138 139 140 141 142 143 144 145 146 147 148 149 150 151 152 153 154 155 156 157 158 159 160 161 162 163 164 165 166 167 168 169 170 171 172 173 174 175 176 177 178 179 180 181 182 183 184 185 186 187 188 189 190 191 192 193 194 195 196 197 198 199 200 201 202 203 204 205 206 207 208 209 210 211 212 213 214 215 216 217 218 219 220 221 222 223 224 225 226 227 228 229 230 231 232 233 234 235 236 237 238 239 240 241 242 243 244 245 246 247 248 249 250 251 252 253 254 255 256 257 258 259 260 261 262 263 264 265 266 267 268 269 270 271 272 273 274 275 276 277 278 279 280 281 282 283 284 285 286 287 288 289 290 291 292 293 294 295 296 297 298 299 300 301 302 303 304 305 306 307 308 309 310 311 312 313 314 315 316 317 318 319 320 321 322 323 324 325 326 327 328 329 330 331 332 333 334 335 336 337 338 339 340 341 342 343 344 345 346 347 348 349 350 351 352 353 354 355 356 357 358 359 360 361 362 363 364 365 366 367 368 369 370 371 372 373 374 375 376 377 378 379 380 381 382 383 384 385 386 387 388 389 390 391 392 393 394 395 396 397 398 399 400 401 402 403 404 405 406 407 408 409 410 411 412 413 414 415 416 417 418 419 420 421 422 423 424 425 426 427 428 429 430 431 432 433 434 435 436 437 438 439 440 441 442 443 444 445 446 447 448 449 450 451 452 453 454 455 456 457 458 459 460 461 462 463 464 465 466 467 468 469 470 471 472 473 474 475 476 477 478 479 480 481 482 483 484 485 486 487 488 489 490 491 492 493 494 495 496 497 498 499 500 501 502 503 504 505 506 507 508 509 510 511 512 513 514 515 516 517 518 519 520 521 522 523 524 525 526 527 528 529 530 531 532 533 534 535 536 537 538 539 540 541 542 543 544 545 546 547 548 549 550 551 552 553 554 555 556 557 558 559 560 561 562 563 564 565 566 567 568 569 570 571 572 573 574 575 576 577 578 579 580 581 582 583 584 585 586 587 588 589 590 591 592 593 594 595 596 597 598 599 600 601 602 603 604 605 606 607 608 609 610 611 612 613 614 615 616 617 618 619 620 621 622 623 624 625 626 627 628 629 630 631 632 633 634 635 636 637 638 639 640 641 642 643 644 645 646 647 648 649 650 651 652 653 654 655 656 657 658 659 660 661 662 663 664 665 666 667 668 669 670 671 672 673 674 675 676 677 678 679 680 681 682 683 684 685 686 687 688 689 690 691 692 693 694 695 696 697 698 699 700 701 702 703 704 705 706 707 708 709 710 711 712 713 714 715 716 717 718 719 720 721 722 723 724 725 726 727 728 729 730 731 732 733 734 735 736 737 738 739 740 741 742 743 744 745 746 747 748 749 750 751 752 753 754 755 756 757 758 759 760 761 762 763 764 765 766 767 768 769 770 771 772 773 774 775 776 777 | 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| | |
|
|
|
|
| If you live in the Los Angeles area and want to help us out, let us know. |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
| Get monthly notifications of new arrivals and distro and special offers for being part of the Razorcake army. |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
