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Record Reviews1 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 | 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| < Prev Section | Next Section >  RSS Feed
ALLERGIC TO WHORES:
Life Through Death’s Eyes: CD
This venerable hardcore unit unleashes nine more high velocity assaults on the unsuspecting. As in efforts past, things are heavy and intense throughout, even when they slow it down a notch, and remain so without relying on cliched metal breakdowns. They remain one of my faves of the newer crop of hardcore groups.
–Jimmy Alvarado (Rodent Popsicle)
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ALLERGIC TO WHORES/ MCCARTHY COMMISSION:
split: CD
Allergic: Heard these guys had somehow softened up and got all poopy poppy ’n shit. If they have, it ain’t apparent from this disc, ’cause what I got comin’ outta my speakers right now is some pretty brutal hardcore. There is considerably more “metal” in the guitars than I remember there previously being, but it ain’t all that annoying. Final verdict is that I still dig ’em. McCarthy: A little more run-of-the-mill in sound than Allergic to Whores, but that’s more like saying the Rezillos are kinda run-of-the-mill in comparison to Teenage Jesus, meaning it ain’t meant as an insult. Loud, fast hardcore with occasional dual vocal stylings and a socially conscious bent to their lyrics. My only gripe is that there was just a wee bit too much metal to the guitars, which effectively led them to being dropped from my favorite band of the week contest.
–Jimmy Alvarado (Rodent Popsicle)
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ALLERGIC TO WHORES/ MCCARTHY COMMISSION:
split: CD
This split features a couple of HC bands that come from the brutal side of town musically and vocally. The first band is Allergic to Whores from Ohio. These guys spit out some rippin’ hardcore that relies heavily on distortion and dirge. Some of the songs thrash it up, making them sound like a cross between United Mutation and Antischism. When they slow it down they come off similar to a few of the mid ‘90s Ebullition bands. The vocals are traded off between the guitarist and drummer with one of the singers sounding like Martin from Los Crudos/Limpwrist. Overall, they’re pretty damn good, but there's no lyric sheet, so I’m left wondering where the hell they’re coming from. The band name alone confuses me. Allergic to Whores? Huh?!? The other band on this split is McCarthy Commission out of Pittsburgh. They follow suit with more abrasive HC. However, they fall into a more simplistic, if not crude, reign, making them not quite as interesting as ATW. Stick to the Allergic to Whores songs on this CD. –Mike Dunn
–Guest Contributor (Rodent Popsicle)
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ALLEY DUKES:
…Go Back to College: CD
Lighthearted, loose,
tongue-in-cheek fun from Montreal from a band that doesn’t take itself too
seriously, allowing for an honest, man’s perspective release about the
importance of a lady keeping her trim, well, trimmed, jailbait, hymens, flat
chests, and the nostalgia of carefree college days. Overall, Alley Dukes have a
mature, smooth-yet-jangled sound similar to Robert Gordon. Best ever is their
cover of “American Nightmare,” not included on this release.
–Jessica Thiringer (Flying Saucer, www.flyingsaucerrecords.com)
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ALLEYCATS:
Nothing Means Nothing Anymore b/w Give Me a Little Pain: 7”
It’s amazing that a bootleg is made from the original ½” tape, not just a copy of spinning vinyl from the original Dangerhouse release. I don’t know how that happened, but I’m glad it did. It sounds absolutely great. The Alleycats, one of the lesser-known L.A. Masque bands (compared to X and the Germs) were probably one of the most musically proficient. They were older, had been in bar bands before, but were open to and thankfully charged up by a brand new thing called punk rock that had come across the ocean from England. Randy Stodola’s tightly wound guitar chord progressions match his growling. He’s counterpointed by leggy Dianne Chai’s great backup vocals and playful, almost surfy bass. John McCarthy’s drumming hammers it all home so the songs don’t travel too far off course. It’s commanding stuff, especially for a trio. Then they become The Zarkons. Ooh, what a big hair mess that was.
–Todd Taylor (bootleg)
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ALLI WITH AN I:
I Learned By Watching You: CD
Wow, these guys sound as
tough as their name! They’re almost as hardcore as the Get Up Kids!
–Guest Contributor (Law of Inertia)
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ALLIACEOUS:
Self-titled: 12”
This is the first time I’m hearing of this band, but what I’m hearing I like and like a lot. The energy and rough edges of the Crime as Forgiven By... Against Me! EP with lyric writing quality and successful country twang flavors of The Tim Version. The emotions I feel when I listen to this album are what I feel when I listen to anything put out by Bent Outta Shape. In fact, a house party with Alliaceous, Bent Outta Shape, and The Tim Version would be a dream come true now that I think about it. This LP is highly recommended for times of non-stop thinking and/or drinking.
–Mr. Z (Bitter Like the Bean)
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ALLIGATOR:
Prehistoric Reptilians: Cassette
Thrashing cymbal crashes offset with treble-kicking guitar parts to scatter the magnetic ions on this tape-recorded gem. This group is made up of various members of other bands and this effort feels and seems like a Sergeant Pepper’s Lonely Heart Club Band of sorts. (The urban legend: The Beatles invented alter egos to forget being The Beatles and just make music made from a fresh state of mind without expectations.) But instead of dressing like cashiers at Long John Silvers, the members of Alligator don alligator attire at shows and this tape, previously released as an LP and CD, includes track names such as “Iguana Tooth,” “Anacondas,” and “Rattlesnakes,” to name a few. These songs mix yelling vocals with dance-y tight rhythms, which makes the music feel like a less experimental Q And Not U. In line with Dischord ten-dollar credos, “Pay no more than $5” is printed in the tape notes. But more line with their very own Prehistoric Reptilians credos this recording you can get on an old school cassette tape. My only qualm with this release is the eight tracks go by so fast that they leave me wanting for more. –N.L. Dewart
–Guest Contributor (People’s Republic Of Rock And Roll)
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ALLSTONIANS, THE:
Bottoms Up!: CD
I’m listening to ska again, and once again it’s due to Matt Maloney, drummer of the Allstonians. During the late ‘90s, when everything was ska (if you took ska to be No Doubt, checkers, and skanking), Matt not only hosted a ska show on the local Portland, Maine college radio, but also DJed once a month on Thursday at a club called Zootz (RIP). His presentation of ska (Jamaican ska, dub, dancehall, and a little bluebeat) was so unpopular that the club would bring swank couches onto the dance floor so the ten people there could be comfortable. Before that he put out a zine called Stay Rude (the radio show and club night went by the same name). He was dedicated and passionate about the music that he considered ska, but he didn’t just talk the talk, he knew his shit. I never listened to the Allstonians before Matt joined them, but Bottoms Up!, their first release in (I think) about six years, is strongly impressive. They are true to the sound of their early influences. The Allstonians make it easy to see how difficult it is to master ska, as so many fall far below, which is probably why I’ve barely gone near my ska records in years. It all comes down to two things – their accuracy and their proficiency. Thanks to the Allstonians, not only have I been playing their album, but Desmond Dekker, The Skatalites, and Justin Hinds have found their way back to the turntable as well. Matt, I owe you a beer the next time I’m back east.
–Megan Pants (Fork In Hand)
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ALLUMETTES, LES:
Close Cover Before Striking: CD-EP
This album is a pleasant little surprise. Evoking images of nature, winter, and animals befitting their Canadian origins, Les Allumettes deliver four strong tracks rife with quirky lyrics, driving guitars, and complex drum beats. The music is largely of the mellow, indie rock variety, but some moments, like when lead singer Natasha Beaudin lets loose and yells, “I got music! I got the crowd!” point to the band members’ collective roots in the Ottawa, Ontario punk scene.
–Jennifer Whiteford (Basement Attick)
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ALMIGHTY DO ME A FAVOR:
Calibama b/w Hoke’s Bluff: 7”
One of my favorite memories in music last year was seeing the one-man-band Almighty Do Me A Favor play in a grocery center parking lot, bashing away while an upright citizen fed him a beer mid-song. It was fun. Much better than the schwangled hipster fest that was prancing by on the other side of the parking lot wall. What I wasn’t a hundred percent expecting was how good Bradley’d sound on vinyl. I mean, I knew I’d like it, but part of the charm of a one-man band is seeing all the limbs flailing, whacking all sorts of things, guitar strumming, harmonica honking, hootin’ and hollerin’. Almighty’s two songs sound like they’re being played in a loved house that is burning all around him and the only thing he can do is play. Playing somehow keeps the fire from consuming him. Both songs are, in turn, creaking and crackling; desperate and joyful; all-beautiful in an entrancing, now-destructive, now-redemptive way. It’s like the flames are on the final verge of no longer being controlled, of burning so hot that the only memories they will leave in their wake will be ash, so he’s got to dig deep to extinguish it. Not a bad feeling to get from two songs. I can see fans of Hasil Adkins and the Bassholes cottoning to this real easily.
–Todd Taylor (Kapow)
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ALMIGHTY DO ME A FAVOR:
Self-titled: CD
When you strip down something that’s already naked, you get to bones, blood, and muscle. Bradley Williams’s one man band does just that. Absent are the gizmos of the future, the idle distractions of the present. Present is Alabama dirt, clothing with holes, hearts that seek mending, a world that never makes complete sense, and brains that never feel quite right. It’s the stuff of Leadbelly and early Bob Log III—where simplicity shouldn’t be mistaken for ease and a bare soul of easy-to-understand poetics is the driving force. Great stuff.
–Todd Taylor (Kapow)
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ALMIGHTY HANDCLAPS, THEE:
Make You Mine: 7" EP
Sounds like what the Mummies would have sounded like if, instead of being real humans (or Russell Quan units) merely wrapped in Ace™ bandages, they were actual corpses from EC Comics that somehow gained life of their own and chose to try to sound like the Mummies trying to sound like the Sonics trying to play “Sixteen Tons” by Tennessee Ernie Ford. I got the fear, but didn’t really hear any handclaps. BEST SONG: “Full-Time!” BEST SONG TITLE: “The Handclap Shake” FANTASTIC AMAZING TRIVIA FACT: I would have incorporated Thee Almighty Handclaps data on “shaking” into my column this issue had I actually understood any lyrics other than “shake.”
–Rev. Norb (Thee Almighty Handclaps)
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ALMIGHTY LUMBERJACKS OF DEATH:
Always out of Control, But Never out of Beer: CD
The lyrics to “Where are We Now?” make me kinda wonder about where these guys are coming from, especially considering the “conservative” bent of some of their other lyrics. To wit: “The liberals say ‘Equality,’ but equality is a joke/Cuz they’ve got their hands around our necks and now we start to choke… The city hall is full of shit/and so are all the schools/and now we’re waiting for the day when once again we fuckin’ rule/gave ’em welfare, gave ’em jobs and tried to educate/a century after we freed the slaves all I see is hate.” I won’t even get into the blind rah-rah patriotism of “Soul of the Storm” or the hackneyed odes to drinking and having to work that abound on this “complete collection.” The almost totally illegible font they used for the booklet didn't help matters much, either. Musically they ain’t all that bad as far as modern American skinhead stuff goes (which I realize ain’t saying much considering their competition), but I don’t really see how what they do is fundamentally any different than your average modern country music concert, Fox newscast, or Clear Channel-sponsored flag-waving rally. Ultimately, the whole thing comes off as a not-too-funny joke, which I’m pretty sure wasn’t their intention.
–Jimmy Alvarado (Disconnected)
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ALMIGHTY TRIGGER HAPPY, THE:
I Hate Us Even More: CD
I couldn't stop listening to this trying to figure out who they sounded like, which was just out of my grasp. Yeah, they've got a metal-rock sound with pretty distinctive vocals, but then it hit me. Survivor. As in "Eye of the Tiger." It's in there somehow until about track ten. With all that, I can't actually say that it's unlistenable. There's a nice balance in gruffness and melody and the drums aren?t buried in the mix, which is nice since they do some pretty interesting things without throwing off the song.
–Megan Pants (Bad Taste)
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ALMIGHTY TRIGGER HAPPY, THE:
I Hate Us Even More: CD
Funny that I receive this for review when I have read somewhere that this band just broke up. It is a loss to a certain degree because they were a pretty good band. When I was really into Swedish melodicore in the early ‘90s, I really enjoyed everything I heard from this band. So I was really excited to see this in my pile for review. Right from first listen, they seemed to keep the energy going right until their demise. Musically talented and with the gift of writing a good melody, the songs don’t blend into one another. Each song seems thought out and with no filler in the bunch. The production is not overblown and adds a slight edge to the sound. Oh well, most bands, no matter how good, don’t last forever.
–Donofthedead (Bad Taste)
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ALMIGHTY TRIGGER HAPPY, THE:
I Hate Us Even More: CD
I couldn’t stop listening to this trying to figure out who they sounded like, which was just out of my grasp. Yeah, they’ve got a metal-rock sound with pretty distinctive vocals, but then it hit me. Survivor. As in “Eye of the Tiger.” It’s in there somehow until about track ten. With all that, I can’t actually say that it’s unlistenable. There’s a nice balance in gruffness and melody and the drums aren’t buried in the mix, which is nice since they do some pretty interesting things without throwing off the song.
–Megan Pants (Bad Taste)
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ALMOST THERE:
She Was Like, and I Was All: CD
It seems like anytime I listen to a new record these days, my head fills up with band names – that is, the names of the bands whose sound has been looted by the band I'm presently listening to. I don't know if that says something about the current state of punk, or if it's just a sad commentary on the typical Reviewer's Mindset. Probably both – and an ugly 69 position it is. When I listen to Almost There, I hear Bad Religion, SNFU, and the Lillingtons. That bugged me at first, but then the catchiness of the music took over and I didn't mind it so much. Safe, but not bad. I like the fast stuff best. Imagine that.
–aphid (Bitch Slap)
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ALMOST THERE/ SAVING FACE:
: Split 7"
Almost There: hyper-melodic pop punk that has more than a slight cribbing of Face To Face's Don't Turn Away LP. Their second song, despite it being chock full of naiveté, and the questionable ballad-like break down, ain't too bad because the instruments make a trampoline, twining together in a strong balance, allowing the song to bounce and soar in parts. Saving Face: There was this band called My Pal Trigger that, early on, was fucking great. Then something happened. Their later stuff blew goats. Saving Face – with their male and female swapping vocals, clear and jumpy instruments, and cool melodies falls between the suckass MPT and the really great MPT. They had me singing along until they went into a really bad rap. D'oh. Mediocre result for both bands. –Todd (High Fidelity)
–Todd Taylor (High Fidelity)
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ALOKE:
One Day We Will Kill You: CD
Fugazi copycats who recorded this demo with “no overdubs, no protocols, just balls and tape.”
–Mr. Z (Pretty Activity)
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ALOUATTA:
DIY: 4-song 10”
Tightly-structured, loose cartography, expansive rock that ends in cabinets full of explosives and chipped dishes. An alouatta’s a howler monkey. So was D. Boon. This Swedish record could fit right into Fishwife/Tanner/Night Marchers adjoining neighborhoods of San Diego, Sweden. Following the map legends (and guitar leads) finds us in a swampy yet clear place that’s expansive, feral, and brightly lit. They know what they’re doing and it sounds big and tight and wobbly enough so it’s not tiny-precise but more embers-burning-a-hole-in-the-carpet, their-smell’s-everywhere. Nicely done.
–Todd Taylor (Sodertorn Record Company, skrammelrecords.com/sodertorn)
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ALPHA CONTROL GROUP C/PHOTON BAND:
Split: 7"
This 7” comes with a copy
of Chumpire #166, which is a tiny zine
with quick reviews of shows. The Alpha Control Group C sounds like a lost
late-’80s band. Photon Band sounds like a lost late-’70s band, both painless
but also okay to be lost.
–Speedway Randy (Chumpire)
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ALPHABET, THE:
Demo: CD-R
Energetic indie rock with Built To Spill guitar noodles. Keep an eye out for this band, but do your ears a favor and skip this demo because the recording is so trebly that it hurts to listen to. I kept going, “Hey, this sounds cool!” then turning it up and shouting in pain.
–CT Terry (myspace.com/thealphabetva)
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ALPINIST / FINISTERRE:
Split: LP
A split with two up-and-coming bands from Germany. Alpinist: Seem to have the formula right. The music is pummeling and dark while falling in the crust genre. Screamed vocals power forward through the speakers as the charging guitars cut through. Amazing drumming that is far from generic. They’re definitely an apocalyptic journey of sound. I just wish it was a bit more bass heavy and darker. To me, it sounded a bit bright. Finisterre: My personal favorite of the two, the band plays more of traditional d-beat meets crust than the latter. But they also infuse a sense of melody under the distortion. It adds to the music and gives it more textured layers. Not a pretty sound in the slightest, though. The music is mid-tempo but is bottom heavy and played with a mean streak of anger. Also, the guttural vocals add to the picture of unrest that I believe they are portraying in their songs. Another co-released by Sengaja, Acclaim Collective, Phobiact, Subversive Ways, Bad Pingu, Humidad y Honestidad, Contraszt!, and Threat of Today.
–Donofthedead (Contraszt!)
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ALPINIST / MASAKARI:
Split: LP
Crusher of a split here! Alpinist and Masakari both crank out the dark and heavy stuff. Some would call it “epic crust.” Either way, the correct way to listen to this record is fuggin’ loud. Masakari are incredibly heavy. So much low end in their sound! I love how thick the bass is in the mix, and the seriously pummeling effect of the drums (check out the opening of “Progress”—rare that drums are so effectively recorded in the punk world). The vocals are a dry growl, without being completely Cookie Monster style. The songs range in tempo, using time changes effectively to give everything more punch and keep you interested throughout. The transition between “Hexenhammer” to “Modulation” is great and a perfect way to end the record: fast, huge in sound, and a total stomper. Alpinist, from Germany, are little less heavy, though no less effective in pulling you into the darkness the music creates. If anything, their songs are actually catchier (in a good way). The songs blaze, yet the crunching rhythms and slight time changes give the songs depth. “Subjection” uses a tried and true headbanging break that works every time. A little abrasive noise is added for texture as well. Pretty damn good. Nice artwork from Alex CF graces this as well.
–Matt Average (Halo Of Flies, halooffliesrecords.com)
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