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The Mars Volta

Noctourniquet
Warner Bros. (2012)

There are few bands as polarizing as The Mars Volta. And while I've found both good and bad in the band's discography, their recent release Noctourniquet unfortunately lies firmly on the weak end of the spectrum.The big issue? The songwriting is absolute aimless tripe. "Empty Vessels Make the Loudest Sound" just kind of plods along without really accomplishing anything, especially … Read more

Rise and Fall

Faith
Deathwish Inc. (2012)

Rise And fall are a hardcore band from Belgium formed in 2002 out of the ashes of bands The Deal and Kingpin. One of the more successful European hardcore bands, Rise And Fall have been consistently putting out albums since their conception. Faith is their 4th full-length album.Right off the bat with this album, you are pelted with some of … Read more

L'Assassins

7 PM Go!!!
Big Action (2012)

Big Action Records’ latest release, 7pm Go!!! from L’Assassins is definitely in line with their recent catalog. Instead of throwback garage, however, L’Assassins have a surf-rockabilly sound that’s takes inspiration from the original genre instead of the bastardized psychobilly that rules punksubgenreland today. This sounds like the kind of record your parents (or, for you younglings out there, your grandparents) … Read more

The Sidekicks

Awkward Breeds
Red Scare Industries (2012)

Cleveland, Ohio's The Sidekicks have always had it in them to make a record like this. It’s their most polished, mature, and best to date. There is not one bad track out of the eleven here. It’s musicality at its most honest.Taking the influences from past acts like The Replacements and Elvis Costello, The Sidekicks created 2009’s Weight of Air … Read more

Video/DVD Review

Iggy & The Stooges

Raw Power: Live In The Hands Of The Fans
MVD Visual (2011)

I am a monster Stooges fan, particularly from the Raw Power era on to their incendiary demise (not a long time period in any case, I know), and was immensely elated to hear that the reformed Stooges mark II lineup was playing in my back yard. I purchased tickets with quickness and spent several months chewing on my arm and … Read more

Pink Floyd

The Wall (Experience Edition)
Capitol (2012)

The last of the three major Pink Floyd albums to be expanded and reissued is their 1979 double-album opus The Wall. If you haven't heard of this album already, then...well, you're probably lying. I'm willing to bet that, when I type "WE DON'T NEED NO EDUCATION", literally all of you now have "Another Brick in the Wall, Pt. 2" stuck … Read more

200 Words Or Less

Shambles

Self Titled
Independent (2012)

Shambles is a pop-punk band from Boston, with a love for melody, circle pits and post ironic song titles. On the surface, they seem to be a fairly generic pop-punk band and I won’t completely dismiss that but there’s a lot of great aspects to this self-released EP. The best thing about this album is the honestly that really comes … Read more

The Love Below

Every Tongue Shall Caress
A389 (2012)

California's The Love Below seemed to sadly fly under the radar upon the release of their last EP. Said EP "Reproductive Rights" played a speedy yet heavy style of hardcore the record benefited from grungey production and equally grimy lyrics. This trend continued on their split with Homewrecker last year managing to add slight touches of sludge to further accentuate … Read more

Pharaoh Overlord

Lunar Jetman
Sige (2012)

Sweet jesus did this record ever hit my stereo at just the right time because Lunar Jetman is making its third consecutive journey on my turntable as we speak (after listening to it a few times without noticing just how good the album is, maybe due to some preoccupation with something else), and to be perfectly honest, Pharaoh Overlord lays … Read more

200 Words Or Less

Graf Orlock

Los Angeles
Vitriol (2012)

Graf Orlock has never been a band to waste time. Much like any of their other releases there's never a meandering part or ambient build up. Instead it is and always has been no nonsense grind with a touch of hardcore and a tongue puncturing their collective cheeks. Their music remains dead serious but is leavened with a liberal use … Read more

Joyce Manor

Of All Things I Will Soon Grow Tired
Asian Man (2012)

My hopes weren’t set high in regards to the second album by Joyce Manor. Even through all the praise and acclaim their self-titled album received, it didn’t separate the fact that the band was super young and just starting out. Their debut reeked of freshness and harkened back to beginnings of bands like Jawbreaker, and Alkaline Trio. So there it … Read more

Revilers

Self Titled
Patac (2012)

Boston punk outfit Revilers have been kicking about on their local scene since 2008, and finally dropped debut album Revilers on Patac Records at the end of March. Containing thirteen no-holds-barred and vitriolic as heck anthems, Revilers builds on the EP's (Isolation, Stand or Fall - both on Patac) the band have released previously and fully realises their stance on … Read more

Special Providence

Soul Alert
Hunnia (2012)

A lot of cool music can come from unexpected places. I’ve never been to Hungary myself, but they must be doing something right over there if they’re producing bands as good as the instrumental, prog-rock powerhouse Special Providence, especially considering their latest album, 2012’s Soul Alert.The most noticeable thing about the music is that nearly everything, especially the main melodies, … Read more

Dirty Three

Toward The Low Sun
Drag City (2012)

The things I like about this album start with the art itself; guitarist Mick Turner's beautiful artwork perfectly captures his music's mood and sound. In fact, it's the best visual summary I can give of Dirty Three's newest album, Toward the Low Sun.Primarily, the album seeks to obtain this extremely casual, laid-back atmosphere, as if just a collection of rough … Read more

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