Recent reviews

Our latest album reviews, featuring the records we've most enjoyed (or not) over the past few weeks.

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Browse our album reviews according to score: Highest (9.5/10 or more) or Lowest (2/10 or less)

Twitch The Ripper

Bodiless
Independent (2011)

Connecticut’s Twitch the Ripper is comprised of duo Jon Dobyns and Lonn Bologna. Bodiless is their debut album, which is deeply invested in the Dark Wave genre; emphasising the synth-heavy pop and Industrial elements.The album’s opening track quickly sets the tone for the next 45 minutes that this record lasts; within the first 4 bars strong echoes of Pretty Hate Machine era Nine Inch Nails enters the mind. Whilst, the instrumental aspects present may have a cleaner sheen this album firmly displays its roots are from the late 1980s.However, whilst the instrumentals are solidly enjoyable, they are ruined by the vocals that are superimposed on them. Dobyn’s vocal performance is interminably bad, performed in a breathy and atonal softly sung-spoken style, they do not match the tone of the instrumental elements and feel discordant with the beat of the songs.More worrying are the lyrics themselves; they reek of adolescent amateurism with their maudlin pseudo-Gothic musings. At times they are laughably bad; especially on ‘Disconnected’ with lines like “the night keeps me tender, the last thing you’ll remember” which have a faint odour of date rape surrounding them. Each song on the album is roughly the same as the others; the … Read more

My Dad Vs. Yours

Little Symphonies
MDVY (2011)

They must be putting something in the water in Canada if the staggering amount of great bands to have appeared … Read more

200 Words Or Less

Less Than Jake

Losing Streak (Reissue)
Sleep It Off (2011)

It’s been close to fifteen years since Less Than Jake first released Losing Streak and now holding the rights, they’re … Read more

Lana Del Rey

Born To Die
Polydor (2012)

Elizabeth Grant, now better known as Lana Del Rey, aka the ‘Gangster Nancy Sinatra’, or as one of the more … Read more

He Is We

My Forever
Universal/Motown (2011)

Indie Pop duo, He Is We, appear to be in the midst of a meteoric rise. Formed relatively recently, Rachel … Read more

200 Words Or Less

Frank Turner

Rock and Roll EP
Xtra Mile (2010)

It has been a busy year for England’s beloved folk-punk troubadour and in lieu of a new album, he’s delivered … Read more

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One from the archives

Shame

Songs of Praise
Dead Oceans (2018)

Shame seems to have captured some buzz. They’ve had several clips in big UK publications and their debut was issued on Dead Oceans here in the States. The band plays forceful and somewhat haunting punk that’s brutal and harsh, but with heart and authentic emotion that seeps throughout the tough-on-the-surface songs. Sure the band screams out descriptive lyrics like “bathe me in blood” (in “The Lick”) but those pained shouts are countered by a more reflective stream-of-thought counter vocal that’s soothing and grounded. The anger booms, but it’s tempered and contained without being restrained.That balance between the primal energy of punk and the more sophisticated ability to reign it in stretches across the record, which seems to put it in the post-punk realm according to the majority of articles I’ve … Read more

More album reviews

Frank Turner

England Keep My Bones
Epitaph (2011)

Despite being on tour, almost constantly, for the past couple of years, once again the affable folk-punk troubadour has found the time to release a new album. This, the fourth solo effort from the ex-Million Dead front man, is quite possibly his most polished work yet as he slowly works towards a sound that fully combines both his folk and … Read more

Elliott Smith

An Introduction To...
Kill Rock Stars (2010)

It is hard to understand the purpose of a release like An Introduction to Elliott Smith. Should it be seen as a retrospective look at one of the more revered artists to come out of America in the nineties or a record label sanctioned attempt at creating the type of mix-tape people used to make pre-internet when you wanted to … Read more

The Explosion

Bury Me Standing
Chunksaah (2012)

Man, I loved the Explosion, still do actually; and it is quite nice to finally see Bury Me Standing (their third album) finally see a release to the general public on a physical format (the record leaked way back, but we will get into that later) so that people get to hear some of these awesome latter day tunes from … Read more

Ira

These Are The Arms
Golden Antenna (2011)

I hate writing about underwhelming releases, always because I feel like I'm slighting the artist, even if I respect them as a band. That's why it was difficult for me to listen, and subsequently write, about Ira's album These Are the Arms: I believe the band is incredibly talented, but this release is just not that interesting.Most of my issues … Read more

Copywrite

God Save The King
Man Bites Dog (2012)

Copywrite is a rapper from Ohio. Having made his name along with his MegaHertz group (that included Rjd2). He became respected amongst the backpack underground hip hop fans in the late 90's. While since then Copy has maintained a solo career and created a couple classic singles and a LP that many in the underground may still consider a classic. … Read more

Book Review

J-Zone

Root for the Villain: Rap, Bullshit, and a Celebration of Failure
Old Maid Entertainment (2011)

In his memoir Root for the Villain: Rap, Bullshit, and a Celebration of Failure, J-Zone, born Jay Mumford, chronicles a lifetime spent playing the lead role in an endless comedy of errors. The brunt of the stories are culled from a decade or so chasing fame and fortune in the rap game. J-Zone, an MC and producer, somehow managed to … Read more

My Ticket Home

To Create A Cure
Rise (2012)

Let me start by saying this is in no way an original album. It’s the same rehashed post-hardcore/screamo clichés you’ve heard a hundred times before. But if you can overlook this glaring issue, To Create a Cure has a lot to offer. Though My Ticket Home aren’t exactly reinventing the wheel here, they have crafted a very impressive LP debut.It’s … Read more

Mind Spiders

Meltdown
Dirtnap (2012)

Mark Ryan may not tour all that often, but you can’t fault the man’s productivity. Meltdown marks the second release from solo project Mind Spiders in a year, although the “solo” seems to be a stretch on this release. The first time around, Mind Spiders was Ryan’s project. He wrote the songs, he sang them, and he played almost all … Read more

Spire

Metamorph
Art Of Propaganda (2011)

Australian extreme metal is one of wonder. Whether it's the heartbreaking sorrow of Austere and by extension Woods of Desolation, the war/black/thrash stylings of Deströyer 666 and Sadistik Exekution, the nightmare inducing death metal of Portal or the absolute majesty of doom legends Mournful Congregation - Australia produces some truly crushing music. And to the fore, come Spire. Clad in … Read more

After The Last Sky

There's No Light at the End of This Tunnel
Power It Up (2011)

While this is not a particularly good album, as a band After The Last Sky does possess some promising attributes. It takes only one listen to realize they are undoubtedly talented musicians. A fact that is not surprising, considering the rate at which they genre-hop their way through There’s No Light at the End of This Tunnel. The two axe-slingers … Read more

200 Words Or Less

Cape Of Bats

Transylvania
Holy Terror (2012)

Cape of Bats is probably the least known about band in the Holy Terror Roster. Cape has slowly been releasing songs online for free throughout the past couple years. Now one the cusp of their first physical release one may ask what are they about. Well, with as many ill founded conclusions one could come to between their name and … Read more

Classics Of Love

Self Titled
Asian Man (2012)

Classics of Love have a hill to climb. Considering that leader Jesse Michaels has been in bands like Common Rider, Big Rig and, oh, let’s see…Operation Ivy, there’s always going to be that inevitable comparison between 2012 and 1989. His most recent project takes a definite harder edge than the Common Rider song from which the band draws their name, … Read more

NunFuckRitual

In Bondage To The Serpent
Debemur Morti (2011)

Just look at that album cover. It's stuff like this, guys, that explain why we can't have nice things. Good thing I'm not religious, or I'd cry blasphemy in a heartbeat. Thankfully for my interest in black metal, I possess no easily offended sensibilities and can share with you the shockingly-named NunFuckRitual. Given that all of the band members have … Read more

Dr. Dog

Be The Void
Anti (2012)

These days, few musicians are fortunate enough to have released seven consistently pleasing albums, thrive on live performance, partake in the DIY method of surviving making music for a living and have a blast doing so. The Philadelphia bred Dr. Dog manage to do just this.Anyone can compare a modern band drawing influences from 60’s and 70’s baroque pop and … Read more

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Browse our album reviews according to score: Highest (9.5/10 or more) or Lowest (2/10 or less)