The Carvels NYC
Life Is Not A Waiting Room EP
Independent (2019)
Is artwork an important part of a record? I tend to think so. I am bit old-school and like to listen to a record with the cover in my hand looking at the artwork or reading along with the lyrics. The Carvels NYC must feel the same. Their previous EP Everything With You Is A Travesty had a real gem … Read more
The Clever References
Hamish's House
Independent (2022)
Some say Australia is a very nice place to spend your life, saying it's the safest place on earth with its protective system for its citizens. I know it's kind of dumb for thinking that any band that is from a more "wealthy place", like Australia, will always have its own privilege to get known wider around the globe though … Read more
The Cold Beat
Dumbwaiter
Independent (2009)
Dumbwaiter is a decent enough EP from this Boston four-piece. The first track, "Watch and Ward" is the best one as it recalls a fuzzed out Pixies mixed with any catchy latter day Replacements songs. After "Watch and the Ward", The Cold Beat go through the motions of being your average indie/college rock bar band with their roots firmly planted … Read more
The Constellation Branch
The Dream Life, The Real Life, The Empty Glass
Independent (2008)
"To sleep, perchance to dream - ay, there's the rub." Hamlet (III, i, 65-68) Man's relationship to his dreams has been the subject of his art forever. Nothing else seems so beyond our realm of control yet so integrally personal - it is us but outside of us. And so, myriad records have been made in reflection of that ponderous … Read more
The Curtis Mayflower
Everything Beautiful Is Under Attack
Independent (2014)
The first studio release from The Curtis Mayflower titled Everything Beautiful Is Under Attack is a combination of talent, great songwriting, and beautiful haunting melodies. This is what happens when you take five of the best musicians from the Central Massachusetts area and send them up to an old farmhouse in Maine to record an album in 24 hours. Done … Read more
The Dead Milkmen
The King In Yellow
Independent (2011)
Who would have thought that after 16 years The Dead Milkmen would release a new album? The band went their separate ways in 1995 and lost a member of The Dead Milkmen family in 2004 when ex-bassist, Dave Schulthise, took his own life. The remaining members went on to play tribute and benefit shows soon after. In 2008, the group … Read more
The Delicious
The Delicious
Independent (2008)
Recently signed to Joyful Noise Recordings, The Delicious is a Bloomington, Indiana quartet that just bug the shit out of me more with each subsequent listen. This super-fun-happy cuddle-core twaddle is not good. They want to be The Pixies. Bad. You can almost see that desperation stink wafting from every sad little note like a little green cloud floating from … Read more
The Dillinger Escape Plan
Plagiarism
Independent (2006)
Some bands churn out albums like they have nothing better to do and some bands release an album every couple of years. The Dillinger Escape Plan is neither of these sorts of bands. They have an impressive tally of three albums in nine years. Yet in that same span of time the band have managed to release five EPs, including … Read more
The Downstrokes
The Furious Hours
Independent (2026)
There is a specific kind of sultry, salty sweat that only happens in a room with low ceilings and a tube amp screaming a warm hum for forgiveness. You can smell the lingering kerosene and the stale beer on The Downstrokes’ latest LP, The Furious Hours, before the needle even hits the groove. It’s the sound of a band that … Read more
The Eradicator
You Can Hate The Eradicator
Independent (2025)
Is The Eradicator a joke that's been going for 10 years (the band), or for 35 (the skit)? Does it matter? Well, only in the sense that I question how much material the Kids In The Hall-inspired hardcore band can cull from a 5-minute skit. (Maybe 10 minutes. The character was revived in 2022's Season 6.) Why do I bring … Read more
The Farewell Reason
Demo
Independent (2005)
I'm going to start this one by saying that, with very few exceptions, I fuckin' hate metalcore. Has a genre ever spawned so many worthless, generic, formulaic, and uninspired bands? It's seriously riding pop-punk's ass right about now. Now, I don't always mind my hardcore with heavy metallic leanings; I can stand All Out War and Embrace Today, who at … Read more
The Goslings
Plexuses, Planes
Independent (2025)
For experimental rock artists torn between noise-rock abrasion and torturous drone immersion, one side usually wins. It is either a certain sentimental and ethereal quality or an oppressive noise dimension that prevails. But there are some acts that can balance between these worlds. Names like The Angelic Process, and of course Low exemplify this strange balance in different ways. A … Read more
The Great Whiskey Rebellion
The Whiskey Trail
Independent (2011)
When I first caught The Great Whiskey Rebellion live, I was immediately drawn to the amazing energy they bring to their live show. Bringing a Celtic and Americana fusion to the table this band can be counted on to bring a good time with them as well. The EP On The Whiskey Trail is an eight-song blend of both genres … Read more
The Heads
Yourprettyplaceisgoingtohell
Independent (2026)
This record is a sprawling, smoke-covered, raging slab of feedback. After decades of lurking in the Bristol shadows, The Heads haven’t just returned with Yourprettyplaceisgoingtohell; they’ve brought the sound of the walls closing in as fingernails scratch at brick. It’s a dense, suffocating, and majestic mess of a record—a jagged middle finger to the sanitized, algorithm-friendly "psych" scene. I like … Read more
The Heights
Drag Race On The Moon
Independent (2013)
Torontonians The Heights like Angels & Airwaves. They really, really like Angels & Airwaves, which is the most readily apparent characteristic of “Soldier”, the opening track on their Drag Race on the Moon EP. Thankfully there’s enough tweaking and little digressions on the rest of this EP that make it possible to recognise a distinct sound, but it doesn’t happen … Read more
The Howleez
No Shame
Independent (2015)
Considering that the genre is and probably always will be associated with youth, it's worth noting that there are some more experienced players working in today's punk scene – and not just in “legacy acts” that play songs first recorded years if not decades ago. Count Gainesville, Florida quartet The Howleez among them. Singer Debra Fetzer, guitarist Hazel Levy, bassist … Read more
The Instigation
No Way Out EP
Independent (2014)
I feel like there are a million punk records named No Way Out, but I don’t really care because it’s one of those commonalities that makes punk music, well, punk. And staying within the vein of reiteration, there’s only so many ways to say that a band isn’t trying to reinvent the wheel; so I’ll just stick with that old … Read more
The Johnson Report
The Johnson Report
Independent (2010)
During all of high school, Jen dated Zach. Jen was, hands down, the most beautiful girl in our year. Beyond that, she was extremely smart and cultured: she had been across Europe a couple of times and could tell you the capitals of all the provinces and states if she was asked. There wasn't a guy that I knew who … Read more
