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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
AMERICAN STEEL:
Dear Friends and Gentle Hearts: CD
Grown-up pop punk—polished production, expert musicianship, earnest vocals, and lyrics filled with personal introspection all wrapped up in snappy two and three minute packages. It doesn’t do much to excite me, however. And it’s not for a lack of fist-pumping choruses. Don’t worry guys, it has plenty of those. It’s just not exactly my bag, but I can see plenty of kids and grown-ups alike getting down with this album. My one real issue with the record is the line “haters can blow us” in the song “Your Ass Ain’t Laughing Now.” This is a pet peeve for me, but I really dislike the term “hater” and how it has permeated American English. And using it in conjunction with some lame, macho threat that were one to hate on them that fellatio would—by the hating party—then be a requirement is absolutely ridiculous. Firstly, it’s lazy songwriting. Secondly, it’s treading on offensive.
–Jeff Proctor (Fat)
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AMERICAN SUICIDE:
Self-titled: CDEP-R
I’m reading though this band’s one sheet and I notice that this release was produced by Jim Pearlman of Blue Oyster Cult and The Clash fame. That’s fucking sweet. Oh, wait—that was Sandy Pearlman! Well, maybe it’s his cousin or something. Anyway, this crisp sounding demo starts off with “Coming Back” and I think they’re pouring an icy cold one into a glass at the beginning of the song to get thing revved up. Sounds like the best drinking song since “Drinking and Driving.” The band keeps the amps cranked for the whole deal and this sounds really good at high volume. They tend to remind me of a twisted concoction of Scream and Junkyard. All in all, probably the hottest rock to come out of Pensacola since the last NASCAR crash. But at four songs, this is a quick fix. I hope more is on the way.
–Sean Koepenick (Self-released)
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AMERICAN SUN:
Self-titled: 7”
American Sun is an all-female, dark garage punk three-piece with silly lyrics and an eye to the past. But there’s a problem with fetishizing the past. It leads to the resurgence of things like echo-drenched vocals and people thinking moustaches are pretty sweet. The goal should be to take what’s good from the past, develop it, and leave the headbands in the mud of rural New York. I like ‘60s garage rock as much as the next person, but it’s time to move on. Get over it. We went to the moon: there was nothing there. With that said, if I was wasted somewhere I didn’t want to be and this band came on, I’d think it was pretty cool. - Matthew
–Guest Contributor (Self-released)
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AMERICAN SUN:
Self-titled: 7” EP
Little bits from here and there—garage rock, psych, art punk—Osterized together and topped with a delivery reminiscent of a Novocain hangover. Woozy, but good.
–Jimmy Alvarado (American Sun)
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AMERICAN WEREWOLVES:
Wanderers Forever: CD
For a band of thugs with a picture of their neck-tattooed selves giving mean faces on the cover of their album, their music sure is mushy. They put the brass knucks and blood-stained razorblades aside and decided to get misty eyed on this one, reminiscing about the old days and girls, but mostly the old days. Street punks get old too, I guess, and when they do, they break out the whoa-oh-ohs and wedge them between lyrics about remembering and redemption and change. If I labeled it emo street punk, I’d run the risk of them breaking out those brass knucks and razorblades again. But what else can I call it? Thugs and hugs? Yeah, that might work.
–MP Johnson (Warbird Entertainment)
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AMERICANS, THE:
The Devouring: CD
A little bit o’ metal, a little bit o’ hardcore, add a dude one throat lozenge away from throat cancer grumbling about man’s perpetual destruction of the planet, and you’ve go the makings of this band.
–Jimmy Alvarado (www.americanshardcore.com)
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AMISH ARMADA:
Give Up: CD
Hard-rocking Christians are always a hoot. Few things jack the needle up on the old laff-o-meter like constipated religious folk doing the Satan Rock thing. Remember Stryper? Sweet Jesus, what’s funnier than a bunch of born-again Christians wrapped in tight spandex and playing hair metal? How about some Amish gentlemen casting aside their hoes and butter-churners and picking up electrical instruments to unleash an unholy sound that falls somewhere between Jesus Lizard and Fear? This is the Amish Armada’s second full length and I’m sure there will be those who will describe them as an Amish Gwar; and while that comparison isn’t totally without merit, it’s a tad superficial. I hear a myriad of influences here, everything from Mr. Bungle and the Dead Kennedys to Merle Travis. And when you add to that a crazed frontman with a mustacheless beard and a wide brim black hat who sounds like Lee Ving in his angrier days, you’ve got a wonderfully weird and potent mix. There’s just something about the notion of an Amish Lee Ving that puts a little hike in my giddup. I never imagined neo-Luddites could be this much fun. Eclectic, dastardly smart, and funnier than an Amish circle jerk, the Amish Armada are a swift kick in the britches and are worthy of much notoriety. If I only knew the secret Amish gang handshake, I would shake their hands heartily. Good stuff. Bring this disc to your next quilting bee.
–aphid (Amish Armada)
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AMISH ELECTRIC CHAIR:
Straight, No Chaser: CD
This five-song disc really packs a punch. Right off the bat, it took me back to the late ‘90s with a sound that’s reminding me a lot of some of the bands on Dr. Strange in that era (The Marshes in particular) with a heavy dose of Anti-Flag’s first couple records (you know, the ones where they were mad rather than sad). They’re pissed off and rocking. There is something to be said for putting a socio-political message in your lyrics and not coming off like a preachy, whiny jerk. AEC pulls it off nicely. I really like this a lot and would hope there is a longer disc on the way.
–Ty Stranglehold (Geykido Comet)
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AMISTAD, THE:
Kept Under by a Generation of Ghosts: CD
The Amistad are a British band that plays poppy emo punk, whatever that means. I already referenced them in another review I’m working on, but there are a lot of similarities between this band and the band The Reason from Ontario. I’m kind of tired of hearing so many bands that sound like this but, at the same time, keep me from hating them because their songs are kind of infectious. They provide no redeeming value but do provide some good toe tapping, head-bobbing times. Chances are, however, that you already have albums by bands like this in your collection that are just as good. These albums are the hardest to review, so check it out at your own risk or you too might be sucked into the great sound of mediocrity and indecision.
–Kurt Morris (Bombed Out, bombedout.com)
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AMISTAD, THE / NEW BRUISES:
Split: 7”
I’m really digging All In Vinyl’s series of U.K./American splits. They’re totally carrying on the Snuffy Smiles tradition (you know, just with a different country involved). The Amistad: Shit yeah. Catchy-as-hell punk rock from the U.K. Definitely in the same league as their fellow countrymen like Dauntless Elite and Bangers. A couple side notes: 1.) the guitar tone on these recordings is perfect and 2.) “If you find some answers, you’ve got 140 characters” - totally made me look up how many characters you get in a tweet, and lo and behold the answer is 140. New Bruises: One of my major complaints with a lot of “gruff” punk is that a lot of bands, try as they might, aren’t nearly catchy or interesting enough that I find myself humming their songs when alone. New Bruises is one of the bands that I’ve never really had that problem with. Solid stuff! Good split.
–Chris Mason (All In Vinyl, allinvinyl.com)
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AMMUNITION:
Unity and Rebellion: CD
Here’s something that I wasn’t expecting to be writing. Ammunition is a band that is doing something new in the oi genre. Really. From the looks of the disc, it is pretty much the usual fare. Old English-style fonts, a group of skinheads, a skull, and a mean-looking dog. It was only after I played it that I realized that this was something special. Right off the bat, you notice that it’s really quiet. It wasn’t the mix, but the actual music. Low key, mid-tempo rock with the bass up front. Then the lyrics kicked in. The guy singing has a low, raspy voice and is almost whispering in his delivery. This in itself may not seem at extraordinary, but the lyrics themselves are what you would usually find on this kind of record, so it winds up being pretty amazing to hear someone so relaxed singing about storming the streets, standing and fighting, and hating the cops. It took me a couple of songs to wrap my head around it, but once I did, I really got into it. Cheers to you, Ammunition. You’ve managed to be original in a very static genre.
–Ty Stranglehold (Class War)
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AMOEBA (RAFTBOY):
Bad Fuggum from the Mysterium: CD
One or two of the Electric Eels run through some of their old songs as well as a few Pagans covers and a version of “7 and 7 Is.” Not a bad listen overall, although the Eels intensity is muted somewhat and the performances drag on occasion. The Pagans covers are particularly good. Biggest gripe: No “Cyclotron”?
–Jimmy Alvarado (Smog Veil)
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AMOEBA MEN, THE:
...Let the Infection Set In: CD
If anybody lost a whole bunch of delay, I think I found most of it. And while it’s the least bluntly brutal thing I’ve heard from C.N.P., it’s still plenty fucked up, what with the rampant and aforementioned echo, dissonant guitar and off-kilter timings, woozy synth swells and so forth. Too bad these guys weren’t around when I lived in Richmond; you couldn’t dance to the noise rock we had then.
–Cuss Baxter (C.N.P.)
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AMOEBAS:
Self-titled: 12”EP
One of the supreme difficulties of being a record reviewer is having seen these waves roll in before in sets. It’s far from the first time you’ve surveyed these waves, seen the gales, know how it’ll break, where the kooks’ll cluster. You’re not as in a hurry to suit up and run into the ocean when the yellow flag with the black dot in the middle is flappin’. So, in attempts to not become Ye Olde Jaded Fucke, I took my New Beach Alliance time with Amoebas. I took my paperback out, sat on the sand, took naps, got an unexpected sunburn with crisp lines as the Amoebas played over the public announcement speaker. All this metaphor is to say that there’s a definite line in the sand between bands worth listening to and bands that are just, “Blah, whatever.” The Amoebas are a Michigan band that enjoys the Stitches and the Carbonas in equal measure. It took a few spins to figure, “Yep. They know how to structure a song and how to ride a wave, instead of sneer and expect people to clap at their limited abilities and obscure vinyl collection.” Good stuff.
–Todd Taylor (Modern Action / Gimme)
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AMOEBAS:
Self-titled: 12”EP
Who are the current kings of releasing the snottiest, ripping punk rock around? Why, Modern Action of course! Another winner in the form of Amoebas. I could list a bunch of bands to put you in the right neighborhood comparatively, but it’s not really worth it. Just know that this record is mind-numbingly good and you should get it now if you don’t already.
–Ty Stranglehold (Modern Action)
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AMOEBAS:
Self-titled: CD
Modern Action continues to lay claim to the modern take on the early thud-punk sounds of California, and this release only digs ‘em in deeper. Spot-on, these kids are, with a sound that recalls the best of those long-gone days, especially the Skulls, but delivered with none of the cobwebs and dust that usually coats those moldy memories. Great stuff, and worthy of more than a few listens.
–Jimmy Alvarado (Modern Action)
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AMOEBAS:
Self-titled: CD
Fans of The Stitches or The Briefs will sauce their shorts over this one. All eight of the songs included are incredible blasts of high energy, ‘77-infused, accessible punk of the best kind. The Amoebas debut full length is a true instant classic and easily one of the best albums of the decade so far. As if the music itself wasn’t enough, Modern Action again takes the cake for beautiful packaging, with four editions available (two LP versions and two CD versions). There’s an admittedly fine line between labor of love presentation and the deliberate creation of collector asshole-ism, but it’s all in good fun. The LP is already sold out as of this writing, but I’m sure it’ll be repressed. Sleazy, magical, and just plain rocking, this is a rare heavy hype record that lives up to the hype. And then some.
–Art Ettinger (Modern Action, modernactionrecords.com)
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AMONGST THE SHADOWS:
Demo: CD
For the most part, I think a lot of what’s considered the “new metal” these days is a truckload of hand-selected shit. You’ve got bands like Korn (yikes), LinkinPark (yow), the ever-annoying Limp Bizkit (will Durst ever shut the fuck up? He and Lars Ulrich need to put their heads together and make an ass outta themselves), and Rage Against The Machine (How’s that shiny, black BMW driving these days, Zack? I bet they have a lot of those on the reservations, huh?). I mean, how many times can these bands take what was created and deemed sacred from bands like Black Sabbath and piss all over it? Search me, but it obviously sells. I gotta give some credit to Amongst the Shadows, though, due to the fact that they ain’t afraid to rock the way they seem fit. I hear glints and glimmers of Maiden in a lot of this demo and I gotta say, for a five-piece outfit whose age range is eighteen to twenty-one, not to mention only being together for a little over six months, ATS can be a band that will be turning a lot of heads if they keep it up. My only piece of advice to these guys would be to kick out some more straight-ahead cuts for us older fucks, like their “Under The Gun” track, ‘cause that song’s happening in my opinion. And Mitch – drop a suggestion to the rest of your bandmates to cover Pantera’s “Fucking Hostile.” I know damn well your band could do a fine version, complete with your vocalist doing Mr. Phillip Anselmo proud.
–Designated Dale (band contact: (562) 587-2389)
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AMP 176:
Repo'd: CD
Mid-tempo college rock/punk with an almost emo undercurrent that only served to get on my nerves. I heard that at least one of the people involved was in Dillinger Four at one time or another. You'd figure it would have more balls with that name in the band's pedigree. Oh well.
–Jimmy Alvarado (Modern Radio, PO Box 8886 Minneapolis, MN 55402)
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AMP 176:
Repo: CD
Mid‑tempo college rock/punk with an almost emo undercurrent that only served to get on my nerves. I heard that at least one of the people involved was in Dillinger Four at one time or another. You'd figure it would have more balls with that name in the band's pedigree. Oh well.
–Jimmy Alvarado (Modern Radio)
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AMPERE:
Like Shadows: CD
It’s taking every ounce of nerve I have to not listen to the little David Spade inside my head going, “Yeah I like Ampere. But I liked them better when they were called Orchid.” I do admit, however, that Ampere are a bit more structured and deliver more of the kind of hailstorm-of-bricks heaviness that is crucial when playing such emotive and chaotic hardcore. It’s over before you know it and most songs don’t last any longer than a minute. It’s good, it really is. Maybe in time I’ll come around and listen to more Ampere.
–Juan Espinosa (No Idea)
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AMPERE:
Like Shadows: CD/LP
I used to listen to screamo a lot back in the late ‘90s and early ‘00s and loved it, but thought that stuff akin to Hot Cross and pg. 99 had seen its day. Little did I know that Will, the guitarist from Orchid, has been blazing away since 2002 with Ampere. Where have I been? Then again, it’s taken Ampere nine years to come out with their first full length of fifteen songs, clocking in at thirteen minutes. I understand the interest in brevity, but I usually prefer my screamy hardcore a bit lengthier. That being said, I think that if my life was going to end in some glorious, severe manner, I’d like this to be the soundtrack. This is the sound of the world collapsing, caving in on itself; this is the sound of everything you love going to shit; this is the sound of desperation, of intense hemorrhaging, of nervous breakdowns. Imagine an English-speaking version of Japan’s Envy with much shorter songs and only their full-on blasts of intensity. Former screamo fans—come out of the woodwork and get this!
–Kurt Morris (No Idea)
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AMPLIFIED HEART:
In for Sin: CD
I wanna lump them in with the trash rock crowd, but the Texas blues swagger that literally drips off this band keeps me from doing so. Think of your favorite bar rock heroes getting Lemmy to contribute some vocals to their Lightnin’ Hopkins tribute and you wouldn’t be too far off the mark. Not bad at all.
–Jimmy Alvarado (Arclight)
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AMPLINE:
You Will Be Buried Here: CD
College friendly alt-rock.
–Jimmy Alvarado (Phratry)
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AMPS FOR CHRIST:
The Oak in the Ashes: CD
A mix of mellow college rock, bop, poetry and maybe a dash of country. There’s some amazing guitar work in the form of two traditional Scottish songs and I really like the eclecticism in that it’s very obvious they’re trying to do something different. I can really get behind that. My only gripe is that I wish there was just a little more bite to their sound or that they’d lower the sonic BOOM now and then, ‘cause that woulda really woke me up after one of the more mellow tracks. Either way, this was pretty good for what it is and if you’d like something a little off the beaten path, you could do far worse than this.
–Jimmy Alvarado (Shrimper)
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