a different kind of greatness archives
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Accustomed to Nothing - Fast, Cheap, & Out of Control (Self-released)
This is a DIY, CD-R EP put out by the band. The four songs herein are
perfect get drunk, rock out style hardcore songs...
AC/DC - For Those About to Rock (ATCO)
AC/DC has a simple formula...
AFI - Black Sails in the Sunset (Nitro Records)
Stick a fork in this, it's done...
Agnostic Front - Riot Riot Upstart (Epitaph Records)
This record portrays the views of some very frustrated
individuals...
Akarso - Parallel Chloryphyll Regions (
Highwater Records)
I can't understand why anyone would put out a
3-song CD (actually, 2 songs and a 45 second interlude), instead of a 7", but that's what this is, and it rocks, so I can't
complain too much...
Alkaline Trio - Goddamnit (Asian Man
Records)
Alkaline Trio found it. This is the CD that reminds me
why i liked punk...
Alkaline Trio - Maybe I'll Catch Fire (Asian Man Records)
In the year since I first saw the Alkaline Trio, not only have they doubled
in popularity and toured the nation, but they've also found the time to record an EP and LP worth of new material...
Alkaline Trio - From Here to Infirmary (Vagrant Records)
This is one hell of an EP. Too bad it's a full length...
All - Problematic (Epitaph)
Problematic is a perfect title for the new All CD, because that's how I've
always viewed All...
Amazing Transparent Man - The Measure of All Things (Springman Records)
What do you say about a band that sounds like Blink-182, but have been around
since before Blink was big?
American Football - S/T (Polyvinyl Records)
With three months left in 1999, American Football have released what I can
safely say is the best album of 1999...
American Heritage - Through the Age of Quarrel and Into the Era of Putting Up With It (Troubleman Unlimited)
When you hear "instrumental rock" and "Chicago" in the same sentence, what comes to mind?
Am I Blood
- Agitation (Nuclear Blast)
Did somebody say Metallica?
AM/FM - Audiot (Skylab Operations)
It seems like a majority of the stuff I've been reviewing for this
zine lately has come in the form of "solo project."
Anal Cunt - Picnic of Love (Off the Records)
What do you think of when you think Anal Cunt? Probably not acoustic love
ballads...
The Animatronics - 2000: Year of the Future (Morphius Records)
As I first put on this album and began to listen, I was scared of what might lie within...
The Anniversary - Designing a Nervous Breakdown (Vagrant Records)
I could tell this record was going to rock after the first ten seconds of the first track...
Antarctica - 81:03 (File 13)
Let me make no secret about it -- I adore 80's music...
Anti-Heros - Underneath the Underground (GMM Records)
The first thing I thought of when I heard this record was that
the singer sounds exactly like Sam Kinison...
A-Set - The Science of Living Things (Tree
Records)
Back in the early 90's there was this band based out of
california called Mohinder. Now, this band has since created quite a cult following and
after doing a few 7"s broke up and spawned a bunch of bands afterwards...
A-Set - Songs From the Red Room / Jen Wood - The Uncontainable Light EP (Tree Records)
Before the term "emo" became a household term, Tree Records was cranking
out some of the best stuff that scene had to offer...
At the Drive-in - in/CASINO/OUT (Fearless
Records)
Emo that alternates between being melodic and sweet to harsh
and shouting, often over the course of one song...
At the Drive-In - Vaya (Fearless Records)
Ahhh, this is one of dem bands that's doin' that maturin' thang, eh?
At the Drive-In - Relationship of Command (Grand Royal)
Ever since word got out last year that indiepunk's current darling band -- At The Drive-In -- had signed to upstart major label, DEN, the buzz has been solely about how their music would change...
Aunt Beaph - 2000AB (Crustacean Records)
I was pretty surprised this CD wasn't horrific...
Avail - Over the James (Lookout Records)
The rulers of poppy hardcore return, finally with a winner!
The Avengers - Died For Your Sins (Lookout!
Records)
If you don't buy this album, somebody ought to really
come and kick your fucking ass...
Bachman-Turner Overdrive - Head On (Mercury Records)
Deep inside a man's beat up exterior, and buried down below the accumulated pile of failures,
disappointments, and despairs which continually rain like hail upon his worn out and scuffed
up body, there exists a tiny glimmering marble of persistent concentrated hope.
Bald Rapunzel - Diazepam (Resin Records / Dischord)
Diazepam is the active ingredient in Valium, and an apt title for Bald
Rapunzel's first (and last, since they recently broke up) LP...
The Bar Feeders - Pour For Four, Por Favor (Fastmusic)
The Bar Feeders' release "Pour for Four, Por Favor"
gave me great hope for a brighter tomorrow...
Bats and Mice - S/T (Lovitt Records)
While I don't think that hardcore is a stale genre it certainly must be noted that members of many seminal hardcore bands have moved on to playing with decidedly less noisy bands...
The Beatdowns (Self-released)
This might be the first time I've ever seen a self-released CD with a
bar-code on the back...
Beefcake - Rejected (Fearless Records)
I was once told that if you can't say anything nice about someone (or in
this case, a certain band whos name rhymes with "reefcake"), don't say anything at all...
Benediction - Grind Bastards (Nuclear Blast)
One of the most cruelly neglected death metal bands of the 90s has to be
Benediction...
Best Boy Electric - Songs of Latitude and Longitude (Grand Theft Autumn)
Sad songs say so much...
Big, Big Furnace - S/T (Crustacean Records)
College does funny things to a man....
Billy Mahonie - The Big Dig (Too Pure)
One of the annoying things about Tortoise is that you feel all intellectual
while listening to them...
Biz Markie - The Biz Never Sleeps (Cold Chillin' Records)
Seeing as
how it's already February, and arguably it's also quite warm outside, I don't feel as if I'm at all
taking liberties when I say: "Spring is just around the corner"...
Blank - Anywhere but Here (Reptilian
Records)
What can I say, it's a total emo CD...
Blink 182 - Buddha (KungFu
Records)
Ah, finally a new release from Blink 182, those catchy
pop-punk wizards. Well, kind of...
Blink 182 - Enema of the State (MCA Records)
I wanted so hard not to be disappointed, I really did. But it's hard...
Blue Meanies - A Sonic Documentation of Exhibition and Banter (Asian Man Records)
Live albums
usually suck. There are some bands, however, whose energy and style just can't be captured anywhere
but in the live setting...
Blue Meanies - Kiss Your Ass Goodbye (Asian Man Records)
For those of you familiar with the Blue Meanies, the first thing that
probably comes to your mind when you hear the band's name is a blend of fast, hard, wacky music that incorporates elements of ska, punk, jazz,
metal, and just about every other type of music imaginable...
The Blue Ontario - New Frequencies 12" EP (The Best Sex I Ever Had)
Prediction for '99: Indie bands using heavy guitar effects, keyboard, and "dreamy"
vocals...
Bluetip - Join Us (Dischord Records)
This is the second full-length album from Washington DC's Bluetip, and it
rocks just like the first one did...
The Boils - When The Sun Goes Down (Creep Records)
I definitely would not want this band swelling up on my ass...
Bondo - Fistful of Biscuits (Self-released)
This is really good. And I am more surprised than anybody...
Boris the Sprinkler - Suck (Go Kart
Records)
Woo hoo, new Boris CD!!!!! If you've never heard of this band,
where the hell have you been?
Bounder - All Out (Negative Progression)
Well, I've had this CD for over a month now, and I still don't know what to
say about it...
Boy Sets Fire - In Chrysalis (Initial
Records)
If you know anything about me, you know that I LOVE these
guys...
Bracket / Humble Beginnings - Age & Experience Vs. Youth & Cunning (Too Hep)
This is probably the coolest thing I've seen this year -- a DOUBLE split
CD...
Bracket - When All Else Fails (Fat Wreck Chords)
I hate Bracket...
Braid - Frame & Canvas (Polyvinyl)
It's BRAID! What more can be said?
Braid - Movie Music / Lucky to be Alive (Polyvinyl / Glue Factory)
Has indie rock turned into gangsta rap?
Brandtson - Fallen Star Collection (Deep Elm)
I've been playing this game called Rockstar a lot recently.
Bright Eyes - Every Day and Every Night (Saddle Creek)
Elliott Smith, eat your heart out...
Bright Eyes - Fevers and Mirrors (Saddle Creek)
After an initial listen of Fevers and Mirrors, I found myself being
disappointed...
The Broadways - Broken Van / The Lawrence Arms - Ghost Stories (Asian Man Records)
Every once in a while, a band comes along that changes the way people look at music within their genre...
Bruisers - Anything You Want, It's All Right Here (Cyclone Records)
This is
a discography of the band's early singles, so you know what to expect. "Good ol' street punk and
Oi! type stuff"!
The Burgundy Romance (Boxcar Records)
I can't remember exactly who is in this band but I do believe it is a
side project of one of the members of The Mercury Program...
The Busy Signals - Baby's First Beats (Sugar Free Records)
Howard W. Hamilton III, takes us back in time with this sample heavy
experimental pop album...
Cadillac Blindside - Read the Book Seen The Movie (Soda Jerk Records)
One of their song titles is "Just Pull The Trigger." I couldn't agree
more...
Camber - Anyway, I've Been There (Deep Elm)
Here are some sample witicisms I could have used to open my review...
Candy Snatchers - Human Zoo (Go Kart
Records)
I think the Candy Snatchers played in town last semester, but
I was wary to go. After listening to this disc numerous times, I am kicking myself in the ass for
not going...
Catch 22 - Keasby Nights (Victory Records)
Catch22 is best described as playing a fast, upbeat blend of traditional and
modern ska...
Cause For Alarm - Beneath the Wheel (Victory
Records)
I was slightly afraid to listen to this at first -- I looked
through the book and read the smart and well-written treatise on the state of punk rock and it
mentioned Krsna conciousness at many points...
The Causey Way - Testimony (Fueled By Ramen)
The Causey Way have a gimmick -- they're not a cult...
Centro-Matic - All The Falsest Hearts Can Try (Quality Park Records)
Although this is my least favorite Centro-Matic album, it's far
superior to most of the garbage out there...
Chamberlain - The Moon In My Saddle (Doghouse Records)
This is the first thing that I can remember being on Doghouse and not being
catagorized as "emo."
Chapstik - Whiskey Time (Reptilian
Records)
Chapstik remind me slightly of Southern Culture on the
Skids, but from reading the promo sheet, I feel more like I should say Nashville Pussy...
Chelsea Multiplier 7" (Self-released)
It's funny how things grow on you...
Children of Bodom - Something Wild (Nuclear
Blast)
Metal at the speed of light complete with cheesy synth
accompaniments...
Chinkees - Peace Through Music (Asian Man Records)
"Peace Through Music", the newest release of ex-Skankin' Pickle vocalist Mike
"Bruce Lee" Park, can best be described in one word: Clutch...
Chino - Mala Leche (Magwheel Records)
What sounds like it's south of the border, but it's actually north of the border?
Chixdiggit! - From Scene to Shining Scene (Honest Don's)
I guess all I can say is that Chixdiggit! is a pop-punk band...
Citizens' Utilities
- No More Medicine(Mute Records)
The sticker on No More Medicine's cover told me
to expect, "Traditional vocal harmonies, skewed country-western lyrics, and
rock-n-roll attitude," so I expected something from the fledgling
alternative-country scene. My expectations weren't exactly let down...
Cleveland Bound Death Sentence - S/T (Lookout Records)
Opening up the cd booklet for the Cleveland Bound Death Sentence CD, the
touch of Aaron Cometbus was unmistakable...
The Coctails - Long Sound (Carrot Top Records)
Half-way through
"The Great Gatsby," F. Scott Fitzgerald quickly steps through the title character's bouts with
insomnia and restlessness to discuss the simple torments that accompany the nighttime...
ConfuseDerection - Four Points of Light (Prophane
Records)
There's some nice musicianship here, and this definitely
works well cranked loud, making me feel perfectly comfortable to be circle-pit moshing to this, but
this sounds too similar to Korn for me...
Consolidated - Tikkun Survivor Demos (Orchard Records)
What happens when you combine The Red Hot Chili Peppers, NSYNC,
Everlast and early 1990's production?
Consumed - Hit For Six (Fat Wreck Chords)
Ok, so it's Fat punk. But if you're one of those people who pigeonhole
bands by the label they're on, then you'll be missing out on one of the best albums of 1999...
Cottonmouth, Texas - The Right to Remain Silent (Heiress
Aesthetic)
There's something funny about burnouts trying to be
deep...
Covenant - Nexus Polaris (Nuclear Blast)
Wow! This is different!
Cro-Mags - Revenge (Island/Def Jam)
This album sounds more as if it is going to be released in 1990
than 2000...
Crumbs - Low and Behold (Lookout)
The Crumbs play garage punk that reminds me a lot of the Smugglers, who,
coincidentally, have Lookout ties...
Cursive - The Storms of Early Summer: Semantics of Song (Saddle Creek)
This is one of those
CDs that is perfect background music for reading a book, typing some emails, or just sitting around
staring at the ceiling...
Cursive - Cursive's Domestica (Saddle Creek)
Unlike some bands that try to cash-in on their breakup by releasing a
plethora of CDs, Cursive has chosen to reunite and create their best album yet...
Custom Made Scare - The Greatest Show on Dirt (Side 1 Dummy)
The press sheet for this album promised me "Hot rod cow punk!" (exclamation
point theirs, not mine)...
Dance Hall Crashers - Blue Plate Special (MCA
Records)
This is the first ska band I've heard with not one, but TWO
female vocalists, and it works...
Dance Hall Crashers - The Live Record (Pink & Black Records)
There should be some sort of rubric for a band to warrant a live CD...
The Dark Fantastic - Goodbye Crooked Scar (Up Records)
This is a terrible time to be reviewing this album. Or perhaps I'm just a terrible person to do it...
d.b.s. - I is for Insignificant (Sudden Death)
I'm 18, about the same as as the guys in d.b.s., and I guess these are the songs
I would write if I was more political and wanted to write anthems...
Death - The Sound of Perseverance (Nuclear
Blast)
Perseverance is definitely what you'll need to crawl through
this...
Ded Bugs - The Night We Got Sick and Died 7" (Self Released)
Here's some good pop-punk in the Ramones style...
Defleshed - Under the Blade (Metal Blade)
This is yet another stab at recreating the thrash metal of the early
80s...
The Delgados - The Great Eastern (Beggars Banquet)
The Delgados, releasing on their own label, Chemikal Underground, have
produced an indie-pop gem in their latest LP "The Great Eastern..."
Despair - Kill (Initial Records)
Buffalo, New York's Despair broke up, but recorded the last songs they wrote,
making up this EP. Three of the five songs are previously unreleased...
Diffuser - Injury Loves Melody (Hollywood Records)
In 1998, I attended a show at a local record store. I had no idea who was playing or anything...
Dimmu Borgir - Godless Savage Garden (Nuclear
Blast)
I worked at a record store over the summer and someone came in
and asked for Savage Garden. I pointed them to the metal section but they told me that Savage
Garden was a pop band...
Dirty Water Dogs - The Luscious Lo-Fi Sounds Of... (Lab Rat Records)
I
remember seeing these guys at the PIT in Rockford, IL three years ago and having a complete sense
of apathy to their set...
Discount - Half Fiction (Kat
Records)
Pop-punk has become a pretty bland
genre lately, with most bands either cloning the Ramones, Screeching Weasel,
or one of their derivatives. Rarely does one hear a band in this genre that
rises about these stereotypes...
Discount - Love, Billy (Fueled by Ramen)
Discount are pop-punk geniuses...
The Distillers - S/T (Hellcat Records)
Ugh, this girl's voice sounds so much like Courtney Love I can't stand it..
D.O.A. - Festival of Atheists (Sudden Death)
Good to see these guys back on an indie label again. D.O.A. is basically Joey
Shithead and a new guy on drums...
Doc Hopper - Zigs Yaws and Zags (Go Kart
Records
This is pretty much what I expected but better. Stylishly
clumsy instrumental sounds, good vocals, and song titles like 'She's a Cokehead' and 'Course in
Sleeping Alone'...
Julie Doiron - Will You Still Love Me? (Tree Records)
You know something's wrong with cd if you can listen to it attentively 5
times over and not remember a single specific thing about it...
The Donnas - American Teenage Rock n Roll Machine (Lookout Records)
Yeah, a band
made up of four 18 year old girls. I'm sold on this cute little release...
Dr. Ring Ding and the Senior All-Stars - Ram Di Dance (Moon
Ska)
This CD added a whole new dimension of ska to me. All I had
previously known was No Doubt or the Mighty Mighty Bosstones, and I was expecting some upbeat,
fast-moving ska...
Dragon Girls - Pink Beef (Self-released)
Close your eyes, and imagine the Violent Femmes with big amps, a lot of
distortion
and a whole lot more wackiness...
Dropkick Murphys - The Gang's All Here (Hellcat
Records)
The Dropkick Murphys are a cross between the Bouncing
Souls, Social Distortion, and those guys who wander down your street at 3 AM, drunk, yelling at the
top of their lungs. This is a good thing...
Dropkick Murphys - The Singles Collection (Hellcat Records)
This is definitely for the fanatics out there...
Drop Zone - Pint Size Punks (Gruntshop Records)
If you ever get the chance, buy Pint Size Punks by Drop Zone. Of
course, if it is a choice between starvation and owning the CD, eat...
The Dwarves - Lick It / Free Cocaine (Recess
Records)
I'll admit it, the nudity originally got me hooked...
Dwindle - Days Away (Guilt Ridden Pop)
This band makes me feel completely awful about myself and my musical
tastes...
Dynamite Boy - Finders Keepers (Fearless Records)
To be honest with you, there is no reason that I as the reviewer should
like this CD...
Electric Frankenstein - I'm Not Your (Nothing) (Victory Records)
This is the first
time I've heard the much-hyped Electric Frankenstein, and I must say that they live up to the
hype...
The Embarrassment - Blister Pop (My Pal God Records)
It's not clear whether to praise The Embarrassment, or whether to praise this particular compilation...
Emperor Penguin - Extreme Gaming (My Pal God Records)
Somewhere up along the timeline from disco to techno, a bit of the soul
was lost...
Emperor Penguin / Knodel - Split EP (Box Factory Records)
Yee-haw! Emperor Penguin returns with more of the searing rhythms, eloquent production and tasty tasty synths I have come to know and love...
Emperor Penguin - Damn EP (My Pal God Records)
After listening to this EP several times, I was left with the question of why I was still listening to it...
Engine Down - Under the Pretense of Present Tense (Lovitt
Records)
This is the first album from VA's Engine Down, and after
all the hype, it doesn't let down...
Engine Down - To Bury Within The Sound (Lovitt Records)
How passive is it for me to say that these guys have matured?
The Enkindels - Buzzclip2000 (Initial Records)
After looking at this album's name and the band
pictures in the CD book, I can honestly say that I think this band is trying
to have a buzz clip by the year 2000. If one were to judge this CD by
the cover, you'd think they were trying to become the next Sugar Ray or
Sublime or whatever the next alternative-cute-boy band will be...
Ensign - Cast the First Stone (Nitro Records)
Though I'm not familiar with this band's past releases I think I
can safely say they are a pretty straight-forward, decent hardcore band...
Euphone - Calendar of Unlucky Days (Jade Tree)
For the first couple releases, Euphone was strictly one man and a bunch of
guest musicians. With a new label and a permanent bass fixture, Euphone looks to break out of the Chicago post-rock scene...
EverEve - Stormbird (Nuclear Blast)
Pretty good gothic metal from Germany...
The Evergreen Trio 7" (Switchyard Records)
Take the rhythms
of Joan of Arc, and the vocals from Mineral, and you have the Evergreen Trio. Man, this band is
fantastic...
The Exploder - This Sound Starts Right Now (Reptilian Records)
I will attempt
to help you, the reader, grasp a firm idea of what this album sounds like. Imagine, if you will, Fugazi.
OK, now with that thought installed in your head, turn up the volume, energy, and screaming 3 or 4
times higher.
The Exploder - Cut the Cord CDEP (Reptilian Records)
This band released a great CD last year on this label, so I was totally
excited to hear that they had a new record out...
The Explosion - S/T (Jade Tree)
This is one explosion that won't require the 'duck and cover'
procedure...
Fabulous Disaster - Put Out or Get Out (Fat Wreck Chords)
A sampling of my roommate's comments about this CD...
The Faint - Blank Wave Arcade (Saddle Creek)
I've made no excuses for it; in fact, I've come right out and told the
world -- I love 80's music...
Fang - American Nightmare (Wingnut
Records)
Anti-PC oldschool hardcore...
The Farewell Bend - In Passing (Slowdime
Records)
Midwestern "emo" has had it's day. Bands like Braid, The
Promise Ring, Compound Red, and all the others are on their way to the mainstream...
The Fightbacks - End of an Era (12MFA Records)
The spirit of '77 is alive and well in Cherry Valley, Illinois..
Fireballs of Freedom - The New Professionals (Empty
Records)
I want to say JSBX on speed. I really want to...
Fireballs of Freedom - Total Fucking Blowout (Estrus Records)
When it comes time to give out the award for most appropriate album title of 2000, look no further than Portland, Oregon's Fireballs of Freedom...
Fireside - Uomini D'onore (Crank! Records)
The new full length by Fireside entitled "Uomini D'onore" on Crank
Records is an interesting combination of different elements common on labels such as Crank!,
Caulfield, Deep Elm, and Saddlecreek among others...
Dave Fischoff - Winston Park (Secretly Canadian)
Strange tape loops play in the background. The singer looks to the ground as
he strums his guitar, softly mumbling the lyrics into the microphone.
Fiver - Eventually Something Cool Will Happen (Devil in the Woods)
Where the hell did this band come from?
Fool Face (tape) (Self released)
A piece of plastic just cannot
capture the essence of this band...
Four Hundred Years - The New Imperialism (Lovitt Records)
A band's swansong is a record that will forever resonate with fans as the last recorded missive they received...
Four Letter Word - A Nasty Piece of Work (BYO
Records)
My brother said it best when he said “This sounds like a British
"No Use For A Name..."
Franklin - S/T (Tree Records)
What a shame some bands are. It's downright sad when a band can blow you
away live yet release an album that is barely above listenable...
Freaks From the Apocalypse - Kinda OK (tape) (Self released)
When
I first got this, I didn't like it all that much. Fairly slow ska, with keyboards instead of
horns.
The French Kicks - S/T (My Pal God Records)
With the demise of We Regazzi last summer, My Pal God has found the band
to carry the torch...
Frenzal Rhomb - Shut Your Mouth (Fat Wreck Chords)
My first recollection of Frenzal Rhomb is their contribution to "Survival of the Fattest" compilation...
Freshmess on Wax - Phunk Not Punk (ZYX
Records)
I just saw the episode of "Boy Meets World" where older brother
Eric Matthews lies about his acceptance into Harvard University to get on a college-only episode
of MTV's Singled Out...
Frodus - And We Washed Our Weapons in the Sea (Fueled By Ramen)
On their final release, Frodus has turned in their most accessible and engaging album yet...
Matt From - No Fun 7" (Grinda Records)
Before even putting this 7" on my turntable it had three things going for it...
Fuel - Sunburn (550 Music)
The
best way to describe Fuel is a cross between emo and melodic industrial/very hard rock...
Full Force - Guess Who's Comin' to the Crib? (Columbia Records)
I don't
advocate Busta Rhymes' new video, "Gimme Some More". He's gotten way too out of hand with all
this stop-motion trickery...
Further Seems Forever/Recess Theory - From The 27th State (Takehold Records)
Well, it seems that split CDs are all the rage these days, so 2 emo bands
from the Sunshine State jumped on the bandwagon, too...
Fury 66 - For Lack of a Better Word (Sessions)
Nice and
over produced sing/shout a long melodic hardcore...
Gameface - Every Last Time (Revelation Records)
Man, talk about genre-crossing. We need to think of a good word that
describes emo and punk together...
The Gamits - Endorsed By You (Suburban Home Records)
According to Merriam Webster's Dictionary, there is no such thing as a "gamit..."
Marvin Gaye - What's Going On (Motown Records)
Things were looking a little bleak at the record store this week...
Ghoti Hook - Songs We Didn't Write (Tooth &
Nail)
This CD has no reason to exist. Crappy punk bands shouldn't
be allowed to exist either...
Girls Against Boys - Freakonica (DGC)
This is GVSB's first album for Geffen, and it's not a big step from their last
Touch & Go album. Their sounded hasn't changed much - they just rely a little bit more on
sampling...
Glossary - This Is All We've Learned About Living (Champ Records)
To summarize, this album is twangy, poppy, indie-rock...
Gob - Too Late...No Friends (Fearless Records)
I'll say it up front - I'm not a big fan of most melodic hardcore, but these guys
have something that eludes other bands in this genre - an appropriate dosage of poppiness...
Gob - How Far Shallow Takes You (Fearless
Records)
Gob is a Canadian hardcore band. The Canadians, despite their
chipper nature, seem to have chips on their shoulders...
Gods Reflex - Shifting 7" (Rebound Records)
The cover of the newest Gods Reflex 7", Shifting, has a definition of the
word...
Gods Reflex - Scenes From a Motel Seduction (Johann's Face)
Over the past 8 months, I've seen Gods Reflex play upwards of a dozen
times...
The Good Life - Novena on a Nocturn (Better Looking Records)
Tim Kasher, the world owes you a great debt for suffering as much as you have and still being able to contribute some of the best, most heartfelt and emotional music ever written...
Goodnight Star (Plastiq Music)
Through my jobs reviewing CDs for this zine, my campus radio station and newspaper,
I have heard a lot of crap. Most of the crap, however, I am able to listen to completely...
Good Riddance - The Phenomenon of Craving (Fat Wreck Chords)
Good Riddance -- the phenomenon of another band in the vein of
Lagwagon and, more importantly, NOFX...
The Grand Elegance - S/T (Prime Directive Records)
The Grand Elegance play keyboard-laden rock music that has only gained in popularity in the last couple of years...
The Gravel Pit - Silver Gorilla (Q Division)
I first heard of the Gravel Pit a few years back when they opened up for
They Might Be Giants at the Metro in Chicago. They rocked the house with happy pop music...
Grey Area (Victory
Records)
Fast, poppy, and melodic. These adjectives best describe
this Grey Area CD, a surprising departure from most Victory stuff...
Groovie Ghoulies - Fun in the Dark (Lookout Records)
Ah, it's been a while since I've heard some good ol' morbid pop-punk...
Tommy Guerrero - A Little Bit of Somethin' (Mo Wax)
If done properly, less is always more...
Guttermouth - Gorgeous (Nitro Records)
Well, I can say one thing, it's definately Guttermouth...
Hagfish - On KROQ's Loveline (Cold Front Records)
Well, there were only 1000 of these little puppies made, and there are
surely more Hagfish fans than that, so good luck getting your hands on one,
but I'll review this anyway to make you wish you had it...
Hammerfall - Glory to the Brace CDEP (Nuclear
Blast)
The title track on here reminds me a lot of the
Scorpions...
Hammerfall - Legacy of Kings (Nuclear Blast)
This CD starts out much harder than I remember HammerFall sounding, but they
still sound like 80s cheese metal...
Hangin' Midgets - Waiting for Tim / Fayaled Crew - Work For Victory (Labrat Records)
This is something I haven't seen much of before - a split CD. The Hangin' Midgets
half is pretty typical pop-punk...
Hefner - We Love the City (Too Pure)
There are two main characteristics that set Hefner apart from ordinary British pop, and both revolve around frontman Darren Hayman...
The Hellacopters - Payin' The Dues (Sub Pop)
So you thought hair metal died with the 80s?
David Hillyard & The Rocksteady Seven - Playtime (Hellcat
Records)
David Hillyard, the renowned Ska saxaphone player, has done
it again...
Hi-Standard - Making the Road (Fat Wreck Chords)
The promo sheet for this calls these guys "The Japanese Beatles..."
Hollow - Modern Cathedral (Nuclear Blast)
It's hard to believe that this is on Nuclear Blast, the one-time Mecca for
relentless death metal...
Hum Machine - The Trance Voltage Solution (Cancer Records)
I
could've sworn the Poster Children were from Champaign! Oh well, this sounds like the P-Kids if
they'd been born and bred in Chicago and had that hard-edged indie sound that is so popular
there...
Hot Water Music - Live at the Hardback (No Idea)
[sigh]
It's all that I didn't want in a live recording...
Hot Water Music - No Divison (Some Records)
Awesome. Just plain awesome...
H2O - F.T.T.W. (Epitaph)
H2O is back, and they haven't lost a step at all with their third effort...
Hudson Falcons - Desperation & Revolution (GMM)
Ahh, punk rock for the working class...
Huntingtons - The Good, The Bad, and the Ugly (Tooth
and Nail)
Now that the Ramones have grown tired and old, these
guys are much better at being the Ramones than the Ramones are. With Debbie Harry making a
comeback, maybe she will start dating one of *these* guys to try to catch punk cred like an
STD...
Idaho - Alas (Buzz Records)
All I can say is it is amazing, simply amazing...
I Hate Myself / Twelve Hour Turn Split LP (No Idea Records)
I'd
just like to say that No Idea is one of the most creative labels out there...
The Impossibles - Return (Fueled By Ramen)
Let me start out by saying that I went into hearing this record as a
long-time Impossibles fan, but I'll try to keep my personal biases out of this review...
Jack Drag - Dope Box (A & M Records)
This is groovy. There's some electronic beats here, with some good guitar work
and decent singing and harmonization...
Jejune - This Afternoon's Malady (Big Wheel
Recreation)
It's about time this band released this CD. It has been
being mastered, remastered, mixed, etc. for who knows how long...
Jejune - R.I.P. (Big Wheel Recreation)
Too many great bands have been deciding to call it quits lately...
Jennyanykind - Revelator (Elektra)
As far as I know, the main concept and challenge to hang gliding is to keep
yourself flying throughout the sky without ever having to land and take-off all over again...
Jets to Brazil - Orange Rhyming Dictionary (Jade
Tree)
It's incredibly hard to do this review without mentioning the bands
that each member of Jets to Brazil used to be in. With that said, I am not even going to try to
avoid it: this is an "all-star" band...
Jimmy Eat World - S/T (Fueled by Ramen)
Wow. This band is the reason emo is as big as it is today, and this CD is the
reason why emo is not dying any time soon...
Jimmy Eat World - Clarity (Capitol
Records)
Scott Heisel says: When this CD ended, I actually cried..
whereas David Smith says: After having this album for almost a month now, I'm
still not completely sure what to make of it...
J. Majesty - S/T (Some Records)
Ever wonder what Jawbox would sound like if they had not broken up?
John Galt - S/T (Fifth Market)
You'd be surprised how much noise two people can make...
Jon Cougar Concentration Camp - Melon (BYO
Records)
I had high hopes for this CD, based on the band name and the
production credits (Blag Dahlia)...
Jon Spencer Blues Explosion - Acme (Matador / Capitol Records)
The Blues Explosion
are a mainstay of Matador and indie rock. They've achieved considerable success...
Jughead's Revenge - Pearly Gates (Nitro Records)
Everything about the packaging and even
promotional material of this CD indicated suck-o-rama, but the album itself was a very pleasant surprise...
Juno - This is the Way it Goes & Goes & Goes (Desoto Records)
Hoo boy, this is the surprise album of a long time for me...
Kid Dynamite - Shorter, Faster, Louder (Jade Tree)
In answer to the album's title: Yes, Maybe, and No...
Kid With Man Head - Fond Memories of the Halibut Rodeo (24/7 Records)
What's up, bro?
Kill Holiday - Somewhere Between the Wrong is Right (Revelation Records)
When I first
heard this I couldn't tell if I hated it and thought it was too cheesy or if the pop-loving side of
me was in love with it...
Kind of Like Spitting - Nothing Makes Sense Without It (New American Dream)
When I opened my mail to find this album, I groaned...
Knuckle Duster / Fid 7" (Astroboy Records)
Here is a VERY good split
7" packed chock full with 4 very upbeat pop-punk songs that will leave you debating which side to
play over first...
Korea Girl (Asian Man)
Whoa, Asian Man is really expanding their roster these days...
Lagwagon - Let's Talk About Feelings (Fat Wreck
Chords)
I had really low expectations for this CD. As I popped it
into my CD player I was surprised to hear some nice melodic guitar licks that didn't bore the
hell out of me...
L'altra - S/T (Aesthetics)
I lost the press sheet for this CD, so you're going to have to live without all the uber-elite
comments you're used to hearing in record reviews...
Lard - 70's Rock Must Die (Alternative Tentacles)
The first time I listened to this new EP from Jello Biafra and Ministry, I
hated it...
The Lassie Foundation - Pacifico (Self-released)
"Pacifico" is the first full-length record from Southern
California's Lassie Foundation...
Ben Lee - Breathing Tornados (Grand Royal)
Hmm. This is really, really, really interesting...
Legends of Rodeo - South Atlantic Hymns (Self-Released)
You can change your band name, but you can't change the fact that you're
still not that good...
Lemonjelly - Lemonjelly.ky (Beggar's Banquet)
I like this stuff...
Letterbombs/Rodmans 7" (Rebound Records)
First off, I want to say "Fuck You" to whatever pressing plant glued
the wrong labels on the wrong sides, confusing me eternally...
The Letter E - S/T (Tiger Style)
This is a solid introduction to what I'm sure will be a good
band...
The Let's Go's - Green Green Grass of Rock'n'Roll 7" (Grinda Records)
The Let's Go's deliver a nice slab of rock n roll, on clear green vinyl, of course...
Letter 27 - Apathy and Insanity (Prophane
Records)
Metally music, like Korn or something, only not quite as
agressive and more melodic...
Locash - It's About Time (Prophane
Records)
This is the best yelling hardcore I've ever heard. But
honestly, that isn't saying much...
Logical Nonsense - Soul Pollution (Alternative
Tentacles)
Holy fuck! I bet these guys would kill you just as soon as
look at you...
Tom LoMacchio - Five Years Later (Linkwork Records)
Tom LoMacchio has been kicking around the scene for quite some time now,
only to have finally decided to write, record, and perform under his given moniker recently...
Lonely Kings - What If? (Fearless Records)
Yeah, see, right off, the biggest problem with this
album is that it just isn't very good...
Lostsouls - Fracture (Nuclear Blast)
Listening to this makes me picture myself in a sweaty mosh pit being run
into, and running into about 1500 other individuals, all while the band looks on, encouraging the death
pit below...
Lower East Side Stitches - Staja98LES (NG
Records)
After reading the promo sheet for this band, I was pretty
excited -- George Tabb of MRR wrote it and praised the Stitches highly...
The Lunachicks - Drop Dead Live (Go Kart
Records)
The Lunachicks are back. I will wait a moment, so
you can catch your breath...
Lupine Howl - 125 (Beggars Banquet)
The writers at allmusic.com have this to say about a British band called Spiritualized...
Lynyrd's Innards - Houston We Have a Problem 7" (Harmless Records)
It's about
time I got some decent pop-punk to review...
Madball - Hold It Down (Epitaph)
What is the big deal about Madball?
Mad Caddies - The Holiday Has Been Cancelled (Fat Wreck Chords)
Submitted for your approval: 5 tracks of varying lengths and difficult horn parts, with lyrics that really make you wonder how emo this band really is...
Mad Trucker Gone Mad - EP (Crustacean
Records)
This stuff is pretty standard--but they did 'pretty
standard' on what is clearly a pretty low budget and for that alone Mad Trucker Gone Mad deserves some
credit...
Stephen Malkmus - S/T (Matador Records)
I was halfway through my fourth effort at reviewing Stephen Malkmus' self-titled solo debut and growing more frustrated by the second...
Maquiladora - White Sands (Lotus House Records)
Some bands really beg the question, "How did three people who actually
were willing to try something like this find each other?"
Marilyn's Vitamins - Politics on the Dancefloor (Raw
Energy)
Canadians seem to do the melodic hardcore genre better, I guess,
cuz Marilyn's Vitamins is another winner, and, lo and behold, they hail from the Great White
North...
Mars Electric - Beautiful Something (Columbia / C2 / Portrait)
"Beautiful Something" is like a weird case study in modern radio pop...
Mates of State - My Solo Project (Omnibus Records)
Granted, I still haven't heard the new Modest Mouse CD, but this here is
the best CD of 2000...
Me First and the Gimme Gimmes - Blow in the Wind (Fat Wreck Chords)
The third time is definitely the charm for this punk rock supergroup...
Mephiskapheles - Might-Ay White-Ay (Koch Records)
The long anticipated third release of Satanic ska band Mephiskapheles left me
somewhat dissapointed, I'm sorry to say...
The Mercury Program - S/T (Boxcar Records)
The first few times I heard this band I had them pegged as a Hoover/June
of 44 kind of mixed-breed...
M.I.J. - The Radio Goodnight (Caulfield Records)
After what seems like an eternity, a proper MIJ full-length has
finally been released...
The Milwaukees - The Bland Comfort Of Life With Lloyd Justin (24/7 Records)
No, they are not from Wisconsin, but yes, they do rock...
A Minor Forest - ...So Were They In Some Sort of Fight? (My Pal God)
Warning! For the mature, discerning ear only...
Mr. Review - One Way Ticket to Skaville (Moon
Ska)
Fifteen years ago a band popped up out of Amsterdam. This band
is known as Mr. Review, and they have continued to make ska music ever since they started playing
together...
Mock Orange - The Record Play (Lobster Records)
Mock Orange exemplifies everything that is wrong with the independent scene...
Modern English - Life In The Gladhouse [1980-1984] (4AD)
Of all that great music that came from the angry British boys of the 80s, this was one band I always missed for some reason...
Mollycuddle - It's Not You, It's Me (Guilt Ridden Pop)
I could guess from the title--"It's Not You, It's Me"--that
this release by Mollycuddle would be a bouncy recording featuring
(what else?) songs about failed relationships, unrequited love,
dysfunctional longing, and the like...
The Monorchid - Who Put Out the Fire? (Touch & Go)
I could swear that the blurb the distro gave this CD said it was
emo...
Morbid Angel - Formulas Fatal to the Flesh (Earache
Records)
After a long layoff and a major personnel change, the Morbid
Ones return...
The Monsignors - Are You There God, It's Us, The Monsignors (Harmless Records)
What can be said about the Monsignors' latest release? The
first phrase that comes to mind is, "What a surprise!"
The Mother Hips - The Green Hills of Earth (Future Farmer Recordings)
The Mother Hips have tried for years to shake the hippie "jam band" image. That is understandable, as jam bands suck...
Motion City Soundtrack - Back to the Beat (Modern Radio)
When was the last time you heard a band on CD that sounded like they were just having a good time?
Murder City Devils - Empty Bottles Broken Hearts (Sub
Pop)
Musically this reminds me of Social Distortion. The vocals remind me
of Big Black...
Mustard Plug - Pray For Mojo (Hopeless Records
)
Mustard Plug's newest release, "Pray for Mojo," has been eagerly
awaited by ska fans everywhere. When I first finished listening to the CD, I popped it right back
in and listened to it again...
MU330 - MU330 (Asian Man Records)
MU330, modern day hyper-ska kings, keep crankin' out the releases at an
almost inhuman rate....
MU330 - Oh Yeah (Asian Man Records)
MU330 is sort of an anomaly, for me at least...
MxPx - Let It Happen (Tooth & Nail)
I thought these guys were Christian rockers -- but the first song is about a girl,
not about Jesus! I guess that's a good thing...
Narnia - Awakening (Nuclear Blast)
Classic metal, in the Black Sabbath / Deep Purple vein...
Nerf Herder - How To Meet Girls (Honest Don's
Nerf Herder's 1996 debut album was one of those rare things I just picked
up at the used record store, bought without previewing, and ended up liking...
Neutrino - Improved Hearing Through Amplification (Reptilian Records)
Hard,
bass-heavy, yet melodic stuff from the Windy City...
New Bomb Turks - Nightmare Scenario (Epitaph)
The New Bomb Turks are probably the most rock'n'roll punk band I've ever
heard...
New Radicals - Maybe You've Been Brainwashed Too (MCA
Records)
In their album "Maybe You've Been Brainwashed Too" I can't
quite tell if the New Radicals are parodying the music scene or just themselves, or even if the
parody is intentional...
New Society of Anarchists - Riot Gun (24-7 Records)
Brutal hardcore
with a few metal riffs thrown in. Gruff vocals, just the way it should be...
New Sweet Breath - Acceleration and Distortion (Magwheel Records)
The first time I listened to this album I thought it
was brilliant...
Nine Lives (Mendit)
It was once said of Jello Biafra that he wrote
his songs like he was on speed in a concentration camp watching Erasherhead...
98 Mute - Class of 98 (Theologian
Records)
Here is the sophomore release from this CA hardcore band that
gets better with age...
98 Mute - Slow-Motion Riot (Epitaph Records)
This band has had an unavoidable knack for growing on me...
NOFX - The Decline (Fat Wreck Chords)
NOFX have made something of a career out of acting offensively...
NOFX - Pump Up The Valuum (Epitaph)
Ok, it's NOFX. Like I have to even review this, since I know all you kids
will buy it regardless...
Non-Aggression Pact - 9MM Grudge (Cargo
Records)
Even though the name of the band directly promotes passivity,
the second track of this album might make you want to leave the house and cause some serious
ruckus...
Noothgrush / Gasp 7" (Clean Plate Records)
Do not be fooled by the cutesy little pictures of Strawberry Shortcake and
her cartoon friends cavorting peacefully on the cover. There's some pretty heavy sarcasm going on there,
because these two bands are hateful, noisy, and just plain nasty...
No Reply - Beneath the Manacles (Rebound Records)
This is a CD from a band that will be good...
No Use For a Name - More Betterness (Fat Wreck Chords)
I think, as a reviewer, one of the worst things I can do is give a band I
love a bad review...
The No WTO Combo - Live From The Battle in Seattle (Alternative Tentacles)
The No WTO Combo was a temporary project featuring Jello Biafra on vocals,
formed to protest last fall's WTO meetings in Seattle...
The Offspring - Americana (Columbia
Records)
I didn't want to like this, I swear I didn't. Granted, I
got into punk with 7 million other kids in 1993 or whenever Smash came out, but I grew out of
it...
One Way System - Waiting for Zero (GMM Records)
This album was very well mixed...
OS101 - United Brotherhod of Scenesters (Victory Records)
Metallic
hardcore...
Outlander - Princess Drive (Self-released)
Think Blink
182. But with a more alt-rock stance...
Over It - S/T (Negative Progression)
Well, I think I finally thought of a term to call this emo-punk hybrid...
Pachinko - Splendor in the Ass II: Electric Boogaloo (Alternative Tentacles)
The first thing that comes to mind when listening to this album is that it
lags on...
Pg. 99 - Document #5 (Reptilian Records)
When I saw Pg. 99 set up in my friend's apartment to play a show earlier this summer, I knew I was about to be destroyed...
Panama - S/T (Two Street)
If you're looking for some fun indie-pop, Panama delivers...
Parasites - Compost (Go-Kart Records)
The Parasites are pop punk, and are not afraid to hide it...
Paris@2am (Fishgirl Records)
Emo-core with the emphasis on core.
The vocals are screamed, but the music is much more hardcore than the usual emo
classification...
Pavement - Terror Twilight (Matador Records)
The first time I listened to this album I heard it
as nothing more than a continuation of Brighten the Corners, but I was sorely mistaken...
The Peacocks - Angel (Asian Man Records)
I can't stand ska. I hate rockabilly. I don't mind Switzerland...
Pedro The Lion - Winners Never Quit (Jade Tree)
I really can't write this review. I mean, I've been avoiding it for some
time now...
Pee Shy - Don't Get Too Comfortable (Mercury
Records)
Pee Shy remind me of Stereolab, only faster, more guitar,
and poppier. What aspects of Stereolab does that leave to remind me of?...
Pele - Elephant (Sign Language)
You know, Milwaukee is only about an hour or so away from
Chicago...
Pezz - Warmth and Sincerity (BYO Records)
This album is proof that Memphis, TN is home to more musical talent than
just Elvis...
Piebald - If It Weren't For Venetian Blinds, It'd Be Curtains For Us All (Big Wheel Recreation)
This looked pretty unappealing from the outset -- the title is probably
one of the lamest attempts at being cute and funny I've ever seen...
The Pietasters - Awesome Mix Tape #6 (Hellcat Records)
When I popped the newest Pietasters release, entitled "Awesome Mix Tape #6",
into my CD player, I prayed that it wouldn't mirror their last disappointing release...
Pinhead Gunpowder - Shoot the Moon (Adeline Records)
More commonly know as "that guy from Green Day's *other* band," Pinhead
Gunpowder has definately gotten more potent with age...
The Pinkerton Thugs - End of an Era (Go-Kart Records)
"End of an Era" proves that punk isn't dead, though a lot of the guys who wear the tee shirts and sing the songs maybe oughta be...
Planes Mistaken For Stars - S/T (Deep Elm)
The year before I attended college, Planes Mistaken For Stars played on my campus...
Planes Mistaken For Stars - Knife in the Marathon (Deep Elm)
Don't let a band's record label fool you...
The Plastic Constellations - Let's War (Blood of the Young)
I don't often have time to listen to an album twice a day, so when I find
myself listening to the Plastic Constellations debut album two to five times daily -- I'm as impressed as you are...
Point of Ares - The Sorrows of Young Apollo (Arula
Records)
Oh, where do I begin? And when can I stop?
Polysics - Hey! Bob! My Friend! (Asian Man Records)
There is so much energy in what this band is doing, it's almost exhausting to listen to this whole album straight through...
Pootinanny - Havin' A Pootinanny (We Don't Owe You Shit Records)
This two-piece garage band rocks like nothing else. The music contained on
this disc consists of a guitar, a drum, vocals, and a healthy amount of distortion...
Potshot - Rock n Roll (Asian Man Records)
Potshot's newest release "Rock 'n Roll" was at first slightly intriguing for
me; I'd never listened to the band before, and I was eager to hear what they sounded like...
Dan Potthast - Eyeballs (Asian Man Records)
In the past month or so, I've heard two albums with ex-MU330 singers...
The Prefects (tape) (self-released)
Listening to this band, I
realize that had they been born 15 years ago, they could have been the Descendents...
Primus - Antipop (Interscope Records)
Les Claypool's wacky funk-rock trio puts out another album...
The Promise Ring - Very Emergency (Jade Tree)
Last week I did something I've never really done before -- I asked a girl out...
Propagandhi - Today's Empires, Tomorrow's Ashes (Fat Wreck Chords)
Most everyone I know has that band that, in their youth, was a defining and inspiring force...
Pungent Stench - Praise the Name of the Musical Assassins (Nuclear Blast)
Nuclear Blast brings death metal to
your doorstep once more with this Pungent Stench CD...
Qualm / Mail Order Children 7" (Not Bad Records)
For just being in
high school, both of these bands are pretty good...
The Queers - Later Days, Better Lays (Lookout Records)
As I understand from the liner notes, this is a grouping of the Queers'
first recording session coupled with a few old 7"s, demos, and the like...
The Queers - Beyond the Valley (Hopeless Records)
The Queers' Beyond the Valley of the Assfuckers is the crass and
angry projection of a man who's had enough of punk rock sellouts, prognosticators and pretensions...
Radio Baghdad - 665: Neighbor of the Beast (Onefoot
Records)
This album starts out with some riffs that I could've mistaken
for Minor Threat...
Rainer Maria - Look Now Look Again (Polyvinyl
Records)
I've been listening to Rainer Maria a lot
lately. Not just in preparation for this new album, but because their first EP (self-titled) and LP
(Past Worn Searching) remind me of the feeling of love...
Rainer Maria - Atlantic (Polyvinyl Records)
Rainer Maria's newest release, the CDEP "Atlantic," contains three songs that range
in style from the loud rock of their first EP to the softer ballads on "Look Now Look Again..."
Recess Theory - They Would Walk Into the Picture (Take Hold Records)
Whoa, I didn't know Mac from Superchunk sang for an emo band!
Redd Kross - Show World (Mercury Records)
When I picked up this CD, I remembered seeing the
name Redd Kross before, on old punk flyers. Redd Kross played shows with
Black Flag, Descendents, and Sonic Youth among others, so I figured I was in
for something else I would like...
Reel Big Fish - Why Do They Rock So Hard? (Mojo
Records)
The answer to the album's title first: they don't really rock
very hard at all...
Reflector - Blue Skies / On the Table 7" (Paper Brigade)
Lately I've been hearing a lot about thins band from friends and on the
internet...
Refused - The Shape of Punk to Come (Burning Heart)
First off, I'd like to say that it's too bad Refused
broke up. If this is the shape of punk to come, I'm afraid to listen to
anything that came before it...
Refused - The New Noise Theology (Honeybear Records)
Hot on the
heels of their full-length on Burning Heart (and their breakup) comes this new EP on
Honeybear...
Reggie and the Full Effect - Greatest Hits '84-'87 (Two for the Road / Second Nature)
This album came with a sticker saying it had members of Get Up Kids and
Coalesce in it, so I wasn't sure what to expect...
R.E.M. - Up (Warner Brothers)
When everyone says something good about an album you want to say
something bad about it...
The Rentals - Seven More Minutes (Maverick Records)
The new Rentals CD, Seven More Minutes, sounds more like Blur than Blur's
latest CD. This is both a good thing and a bad thing...
REO Speedealer (Royalty Records)
Southern-fried punk rock in the vein of Zeke or Nashville Pussy...
Resin Scraper - Heard Mentality (Magwheel Records)
If you have one of those huge old Cadillac
convertibles from the Civil War, the kind that Opie Cunningham drag raced against in American Graffiti, then you ought to get a CD player put in it and drive around for hours playing this...
The Restless Few - Striving for Failure (Self-released)
When it comes to rock and roll, I'm just a romantic
fool...
Reverend Picklefist - The Blessing: Songs of Love and Low Self-Esteem (Reverend
Records)
There are about a million bands right now making crappy
'alternative' music. Reverend Picklefist is one of them...
Roadside Monument - I Am The Day of Current Taste (Tooth and Nail)
This is by far
the best band on Tooth and Nail that I've ever heard (well, barring the ever astounding Frodus).
That, however, is not saying too much...
The Romantics - National Breakout (Nemperor Records)
With the array of ready-made meals that are currently available in
the frozen foods section of your grocery store, its easy to forget that you can just make a ham sandwich for lunch and still be wildly pleased...
Rosemary's Billygoat - Cheeses of Nazereth (Porterhouse Records)
This reminds me a little bit of the Dead Kennedys, and that's a good thing.
But there's too much metal here, and that's a bad thing...
Royal Crown Revue - The Contender (Warner Bros.)
Swing's the craze right now and there are few modern swing bands that can hold a
torch to the bands of yesteryear...
Saves The Day - Through Being Cool (Equal Vision)
Well, Saves The Day has avoided the sophomore jinx -- almost...
Scannerfunk - Wave Of Light By Wave Of Light (Sulphur Records)
This would've sounded pretty phenomenal a few years ago...
Scared of Chaka - How to Lose (Empty
Records)
Poppy garage rock with pretty much unintelligible vocals...
Scared of Chaka / The Real Swinger 7" (Ballroom Blitz)
Italy's Ballroom Blitz Records recently released their first 7", and it's a
perfect gateway into a punkrock summer...
Screeching Weasel - Major Label Debut (Lookout
Records)
Wow! Hard to believe it but this is pretty damn good for
these guys...
Screeching Weasel - Emo (Lookout Records / Panic Button)
Screeching Weasel is a hopeless romantic's dream assignment...
Screeching Weasel - Thank You Very Little (Panic Button Records)
I'll probably remember the day I purchased this album for a while...
Sense Field - Part of the Deal (GrapeOS)
This album is really very pretty...
764-HERO - Weekends of Sound (Up Records)
What does a reviewer say about a band that sounds like a conglomeration of every other band from the same area?
Sharks Keep Moving - S/T (Status Records)
What do YOU think of when you see the name "Sharks Keep Moving?"
Michael J. Sheehy - Sweet Blue Gene (Beggars Banquet)
"Sweet Blue Gene" is the most distinctly personal record to come this way in
recent times...
The Shiv - Short Order Crook (Cosmic Debris)
After playing together for nearly seven years, The Shiv decided to grace the listening public with their first full-length album, Short Order Crook...
Sick Bees - My Pleasure (Up Records)
My first thought: 'was this done by a very observant schizophrenic parrot?'
Sidecar / The Almighty Trigger Happy 7" (Fastmusic)
Well, it's on clear red vinyl, so that already makes this release cool...
Sixer - Busted Knuckles & Heartbreak (TKO Records)
Sixer is ex-Ann Beretta, and they don't try to hide it..
The Slackers - Live at Ernesto's (Hellcat Records)
I recently had an opportunity to see the Slackers live, and for some reason
I passed it up...
Slayer - Diabolus in Musica (American
Records)
For over ten years, thrash kings Slayer have been trying to
recreate the fury of their classic "Reign in Blood" and mostly failing...
Sleater-Kinney - The Hot Rock (Kill Rock
Stars)
Ahhhh Sleater-Kinney, indie rock darlings. After their last
full-length was hyped in most mainstream rock magazines they got numerous offers to jump ship to a
major but thankfully they stayed with Kill Rock Stars...
Slick Shoes / Cooter - Split EP (Fueled By Ramen)
The split CD can be a blessing or a curse...
Sloppy Seconds - Garbage Days Regurgitated (Nitro Records)
Whenever a covers album comes my way, I ask the inevitable question -- why?
Slowcoach - New Strategies Are Necessary, This Is Not Solid Ground (Silver Girl Records)
It's difficult to criticize a band for wearing its influences on its sleeve when they admit to doing so...
Slow Gherkin/Jeffries Fan Club - Invisible Tank (Random
Order Records)
What do you get when you take 2 catchy, dancable ska
bands and throw on 13 catchy, dancable tunes? A catchy, dancable CD (and it's only 7 bucks!)!
Smashdown - Kill the Routine (Lab Rat
Records)
Every time I would look at this CD I would think Smash
Mouth. And that would make me not want to listen to this...
The Smugglers - Growing Up Smuggler (Lookout
Records)
Growing Up Smuggler is a live album to celebrate the 10th
anniversary of the Smugglers, who are currently Canada's number one export in my CD player. This is
actually a split release between Lookout, Canada's Mint Records, Spain's Imposible Records and
Japan's 1+2 Records...
SNFU - Let's Get It Right The First Time (Megaforce Entertainment)
I guess if you're a fan of SNFU you'll like this...
Snuff - Numb Nuts (Fat Wreck Chords)
Numb nuts, eh? I must admit, that's what *I* got after listening to this
CD...
Softball - Tenku (Asian Man Records)
The minute I saw this in the review bin, I had a gut instinct that it would be good...
Sonic Youth - A Thousand Leaves (DGC)
After seeing a Sonic Youth show in Chicago last month, I was eager to hear the
songs that I heard them play. I was not disappointed in the least bit...
The Sound of Rails - Prelude of Hypnotics (Caulfield Records)
Eminently forgettable is a phrase not likely to be found on anyone's press sheet, but sometimes it ought to be...
Southport - Nothing is Easy (Go-Kart Records)
I don't know anymore. I mean, this sounds good and all, but to tell the truth, I can't remember one lyric or guitar riff or anything...
Space Age Palmer - Venus (Sluggo
Records)
Here is some true rockabilly from Space Age Palmer, straight
outta Illinois...
Spoon - The Agony of Laffitte (Saddle Creek)
This release frustrated me because there were only
two songs on it...
Spring Heeled Jack - Songs From Suburbia (Ignition
Records)
Spring Heeled Jack's new full length CD entitled "Songs from
suburbia" embodied all that one might expect from a typical third wave ska-punk band. Poppy, upbeat
ska/punk sounds are what this band is all about...
The Standard - S/T (Barbaric Records)
Ah, another record from the cradle of modern indie rock civilization...
Standbye - Days Spent Waiting (Guilt Ridden Pop)
So kids: do you like Rainer Maria?
The Stand GT - Good on the River (Slag-o-Matic Records)
"Good on the River," by The Stand GT, is an interesting case...
Starmarket - Calendar (Deep Elm)
Remember 'My So Called Life' (Jesus fucking God
almighty how I hated that show)?
Steadman - Loser Friendly (Self-released)
Vocalist Simon Steadman (the band's namesake, duh) graces the cover of
"Loser Friendly," sporting an androgynous, Beatle-brown fringe...
The Stereo - Three Hundred (Fueled by Ramen)
This CD had to go under the category of "guilty pleasures" right along
with the Reggie and the Full Effect album...
The Stereo - No Traffic (Fueled By Ramen)
It's strange to review a brand new record released by a band that no longer technically exists...
Strangemen - Channel 2000 (Omnipotent Music
Group)
I was pretty excited to get this CD since it came with a
free comb (which has since been stolen by my girlfriend). I figured that surely no band who gives
away free combs could be bad!
Joe Strummer and the Mescaleros - Rock Art and the X Ray Style (Hellcat Records)
The only thing that bothers me about this album is I
can't say for sure whether I would like it as much if I didn't know it was Joe Strummer...
Stubborn All-Stars - Back With a New Batch (Triple Crown Records)
The recent release "Back With a New Batch" from the jazzy trad-ska band The
Stubborn All-Stars offers a sound perfect for those days when you just feel like chillin'...
Stuttering John - Everybody's Normal But Me (Razor and
Tie)
Awful. Simply awful...
Suburban Core - The CD (Lab Rat
Records)
This band is flat out good...
The Suicide Machines - Battle Hymns (Hollywood
Records)
Here we have the sophomore release from the Suicide
Machines, a punk/ska quartet from Detroit...
Super Hi-5 / Man Without Plan - A History in Elevfen Parts (Fastmusic)
As my brother recently said in another review -- the problem with split CDs
is that one band comes out vastly overshadowing the other one...
Supersuckers - The Evil Powers of Rock N Roll (Twenty14.com)
Sometimes a simple rock and roll record is the hardest record to review...
Tagging Satellites - Shooting Down the Airwaves (Magwheel Records)
Graig Markel is a superb singer and songwriter given
his current classification as 'sub-par indie sounding dude' and may soon break into the 'medicore or better
indie sounding dude' level, but this album isn't going to help...
Teenage Frames - 1% Faster (Jump Up Records)
Ahhh...the art of the riff...
Teen Idols - Pucker Up! (Honest Don's)
After listening to this quite a few times, the word "disappointment"
comes to mind...
Ten Foot Pole - Insider (Epitaph Records)
This is a band that you either love or hate. It's that whole "melodic hardcore"
style of punk rock we all know and love...
Therion - Vovin (Nuclear Blast)
This reminds me seriously of an Andrew Lloyd Webber musical. It starts out with
a violin opening, and then the guitars come in to rock...
Third Generation Mafia - Two Steps East (Broken Down Records)
This CD
is a complete discography of the late great TGM, the best pop-punk band in the greater Rockford
area (in my opinion)...
30footFALL - Ever Revolving, Never Evolving (Nitro Records)
These guys are from Houston and it is too bad
they weren't playing there during my monthlong crash in the Houston suburbs with a friend and his dad...
33.3 - S/T (Aesthetics)
33.3 is a new band with an ex-member of Spitboy in it, but don't expect to
see it billed that way...
Tiara - Again Cast In (Anyway)
Tiara, hailing from the mini-mecca of Columbus, Ohio is a four-piece band
that plays a combination of indy-pop and guitar driven rock...
The Tim Version - Creating Forces That Don't Exist (Attention Deficit Disorder)
The Tim Version really came out of nowhere to surprise me...
Tintoretto - The Sound of Someone You Love Who is Leaving.....and it Doesn't Really Matter
(Highwater Records)
I, like anyone who saw them only once, was a huge fan of Managra. I, like
anyone who was a fan, was crushed when I found out that they had called it quits...
Tom Daily - Happily Deceiving Culture (Thick Records)
You may know Tom Daily (aka Tom Counihan) as the former guitarist
from The Smoking Popes, or singer-songwriter of Not Rebecca...
The Tossers - Long Dim Road (Thick Records)
Mixing ethnic music with punk isn't exactly new..
Traffic - On the Road (Polygram
Records)
One day in the sixth grade, I knowingly erased my name off
the "bad boy" list on the blackboard, and then claimed with all the pureness and conviction of my
heart, that it had never been written up in the first place...
Traitors (Johann's Face)
I really wanted to like this band because Marc (No Empathy fame) plays guitar
on this...
Tristeza - Spine and Sensory (Makoto Recordings)
I hear this band get compared to Tortoise and the Sea and Cake all the
time. While Tristeza is instrumental and sounds _sorta_ like those two bands, I personally think they are much better...
Tristeza - Dream Signals in Full Circles (Tiger Style Records)
Getting the new album by one of your favorite bands is always a tough situation...
Turing Machine - A New Machine For Living (Jade Tree)
As we move towards creating machines with more human-like properties,
mathematician Alan Turing devised a test that a machine would have to pass in order to be thought of as human...
Turning Point - 1988-91 Discography (Jade Tree)
This is a pretty good example of the posi-youth hardcore that was
coming out of the DC/NYC area at the time...
Twelve Hour Turn - Victory of Flight (No Idea)
Hmm, these guys seem more hardcore than on their split with I Hate Myself, but I can honestly say it's a turn for the better...
22 Jacks - Going North (Side 1 Dummy)
I'm pretty sure these guys use to be on a major label at one point, andthis album sounds like their plea for a second chance...
Twinz - Conversation (Def Jam)
Projects often need a little help from an established name to create
an interest...
Two Dollar Guitar - Train Songs (Smells Like
Records)
Okay, remember Mike Watt's brilliant Contemplating the Engine
Room? Imagine if that had been about trains...
Two Man Advantage - Drafted (Royalty
Records)
The new album from 2 Man Advantage, their first large scale
release, is very much what the press release promises...
Union 13 - Why Are We Destroying Ourselves? (Epitaph)
This album should be
sub-titled: By listening to this crap...
Unwound - Leaves Turn Inside You (Kill Rock Stars)
The first thing I noticed about Unwound when I saw them about a month ago was how very, well...almost normal they appeared...
Urban Legends (Audioinformationphenomena Records)
Straight up indie rock. Straight up great as well...
Very Secretary - Standing in the Shade(Mud Records)
For anyone who has ever read any of my other reviews, I'm sure you know I
typically preface a review by talking about how I saw this band x years
ago when they were "practically a different band."
Violent Femmes - Freak Magnet (Beyond Music)
Last Saturday night I stumbled home drunk with only one thing on my mind
-- listening to the Violent Femmes' self-titled first album...
Violent Society - Not Enjoyin' It (Motherbox Records)
There's a few songs with some familiar Sub-Hum-Ans and Sex
Pistols chords but over all, the album reflects the basic East Coast
hard-core punk sound that seems to be prevalent in a lot of bands these days...
Violent Society - Seperation is Killing Us (Blackout Records)
I think Violent Society has discovered their sound...
Adam Voith - Bridges With Spirit (Chapelle-TNI)
The book starts off promisingly enough, but quickly
descends into a tedious tromp through the uninteresting efforts of a suburban kid to make his
life seem interesting to his peers without really pissing off his parents...
Vue - Death of a Girl (Gold Standard Laboratories)
Apparently, Vue were an Oakland band previously called the Audience,
compared to Pulp and the Birthday Party, among others...
The Warren Commission - Rendezvous With You (Espo Records)
Before I even put this disc in the player, the band earned major points for straying from the conventional CD design...
The Wayouts - Better Days (Harmless
Records)
If I ever form my own band, the first thing I
will say to my fellow bandmates is, "Man I wanna sound so average and so much like every other
poppy emo band out there."
Keith Welsh - Slowdive (Brave Noise Records)
I didn't want to do this review for the longest time because I
just don't believe in negative reviews...
Weston/Doc Hopper - The Stepchildren of Rock (Go Kart
Records)
Unlike most live CDs, you don't necessarily have to be a fan of
the band's prior to hearing this in order to enjoy it...
Whale - All Disco Dance Must End In Broken Bones (Virgin Records)
Remember Hobo
Humpin' Slobo Babe? No reason to, since this album is a pretty big departure from it...
Wilco - SummerTeeth (Reprise Records)
Listening to this album is a gorgeous emotional
experience. There isn't a song on the album that can't break your heart a thousand different ways...
Winechuggers - Thank You All Very Much (Box Factory Records)
When you think of a band called "Winechuggers," what pops into your head?
Wolfie - Where's Wolfie (Parasol Records)
Punk fans beware -- this is a total pop record. Gooey vocals, keyboards,
jangly pop, it's all here.......and I couldn't be happier...
The World Is My Fuse - Good Intentions (Espo Records)
Well, another release from Espo, another pretty darn cool CD layout,
another disappointing band...
XTC - Apple Venus Volume 1 (TVT Records
XTC's _Apple Venus volume 1_ is their first album since 1992's Nonsuch, and
represents the music that the two remaining members, Colin Moulding and Andy Partridge, have
compiled over that period...
Yaphet Kotto - The Killer Was in the Government Blankets(Ebullition)
OK, I know I've said that emo is dead, but this record is living proof that
at least somewhere some kids are getting it right...
(Young) Pioneers - Free the (Young) Pioneers Now! (Lookout Records)
Unabashedly tepid!@!
With Free the (Young) Pioneers Now! the Young Pioneers have produced a comfortable, and at times
even enjoyable CD that utterly fails to inspire or excite, which is a pity given what the band is
capable of...
Zeke - Dirty Sanchez (Epitaph)
In the past I've never really paid much attention to this band --
big mistake...
Zoobombs - Welcome Back, Zoobombs! (Emperor
Norton)
There's rock-n-roll and there's rock-n-FUCKING-roll. The
Zoobombs fall into the latter category.
V/A - Back to Donut (No Idea)
Wow, it's like the Woodstock of punk,
ska, and emo all on one comp!
V/A - Before You Were Punk 2 (Vagrant Records)
As if one 80's nostalgia comp wasn't enough, Vagrant brings round 2 of your
favorite punkers remembering the past.
V/A - Burning London: The Clash Tribute (Epic Records)
I wish the Clash were dead...
V/A - Crust-O-Matic! (Crustacean Records)
Jesus Fucking Christ!@
V/A - Destroy the Creep House (Creep Records)
"Destroy the Creep House" is a live cd featuring four East Coast
punk/hard-core bands, and it was recorded at a punk rock house in Philly, PA...
V/A - Fat Music Volume 5: Live Fat, Die Young (Fat Wreck Chords)
I'm going to try a bit of a different approach with this review...
V/A - Give Em The Boot 2 (Hellcat Records)
If you thought Rancid's "Life Won't Wait" was just an album, you were wrong...
V/A - Go-Kart Vs. The Corporate Giant 2 (Go-Kart Records)
I have nothing catchy to say to start this review, so let's just go
band-by-band..
V/A - Holiday Matinee CD Compilation Vol. 2 (Better Looking Records)
Compilations are one those extremely hit-or-miss entities...
V/A - Incompatible Issue #1 (Victory
Records)
This is the first time I've seen what will probably be
the next logical step in zines -- a CD-ROM zine with a compilation attached. It makes a lot of
sense...
V/A - It Goes Without Saying (Sign Language)
As the old compilation review cliche goes, this one's pretty hit or
miss...
V/A - Lab Rat Experiment #1 (Lab Rat Records)
The biggest problem with comps nowadays, especially samplers, is that
A)there are too many bands, B)here are too many songs and/or C)they're too damn long...
V/A - Liberation Sucks (Liberation Records)
Liberation Records will always hold a special place in my heart...
V/A - Live at the Blue Room (Yanstar)
The Blue Room Theatre is located in Chico, California, and in addition to
housing productions of various plays, the Blue Room offers touring bands the opportunity to play...
V/A - Magnetic Curses (Thick Records)
By releasing Magnetic Curses, Thick Records hopes to follow in the
footsteps of Underdog Records' Acthung Chicago! series...
V/A - Mailorder is Still Fun (Asian Man Records)
This new release from Asian Man offers a little something for everyone...
V/A - The Moment of Truth: The Emo Diaries Chapter 3 (Deep Elm)
It's interesting how sometimes the more you listen to something, the less annoying it gets...
V/A - Nowcore! (K-Tel)
I was reading Rocket Fuel a month or so ago, and they said
that K-Tel was going to be putting out an emo compilation...
V/A - Oh Holy Fools: The Music of Son, Ambulance and Bright Eyes (Saddle Creek)
When I came back from Moscow last month, there was only one piece of mail I was looking forward to finding -- that which contained the new Bright Eyes split CD...
V/A - Pedal Faster Bicycle Rider (Holiday Matinee)
A little background...
V/A - Playing 4 Square (Suburban Home Records)
Kudos to Suburban Home, Negative Progression, My, and Drive Thru Records for realizing that a 4-label comp is almost assuredly better than 1...
V/A - Post Marked Stamps Compilation (Tree
Records)
For everyone who doesn't have the 7"s compiled on this disc,
this is the cd of the year (well, if you're an "emo" fan that is)...
V/A - Potluck (Stub Daddy)
"Potluck" is a new compilation from a new record label in New Jersey...
V/A - Punk Goes Metal (Fearless Records)
I don't like 80's metal...
V/A - Scratches and Needles: A Tribute to the Nils (Magwheel Records)
Various artists are dragged together to perform tribute songs to a much lauded
early punk based band who almost nobody listens to anymore. Not a novel concept, but I have to say
it is pulled off surprisingly well in this album...
V/A - Serial Killer Compilation (Fearless
Records)
Serial Killer a skateboard company, right? I don't
know why they have a comp, but it sure is damn good...
V/A - Short Music For Short People (Fat Wreck Chords)
There must be some rule that says the more songs an album has, the less a reviewer
can think of to write about it...
V/A - Southern-Tree-Polyvinyl Fall/Winter 1998 Compilation (Southern / Tree Records
/ Polyvinyl Records)
3 great
indie/emo labels, 4 great bands with 4 great songs from each label, and only 6 bucks, what is there
not to like?
V/A - Ultra Swank (Cacophone Records)
I love samplers...
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