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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)

Emily's Army

Don't Be A Dick
Adeline (2011)

It would be hard for Emily’s Army to disassociate from their bloodlines: Don’t Be a Dick is produced by Billie Joe Armstrong, shares a similarity in layout, art, and font to Green Day and the record itself is on Adeline. Yes, this is the debut from the California band featuring Joey Armstrong on drums (son of the Green Day frontman). Having that out of the way early, Emily’s Army is their own band and need to be addressed as such. As the packaging and names mentioned earlier indicate, Emily’s Army falls pretty strictly into the pop punk category—more on the snotty, Brit-influenced, bouncy variety than Midwest gruffness or Ramones-clone types.Emily’s Army jumps straight into the fire with “Broadcast This,” about lacking radio options. The name is far more confrontational than the music, which has a tempered, melodic flow that dominates over the blunt subject matter. The majority of the record follows this style: topical, sociopolitical issues with a direct point of view on each, with power chord heavy pop, defined by its hooks, breakdowns, and lyrical melodies. While the Green Day association is already planted in my head, there is a lot of said band’s influence (especially the earlier stuff) … Read more

Lake Of Blood

As Time And Tide Erodes Stone
Human Jigsaw (2011)

Lake Of Blood hail from southern California, yet are producing the kind of metal you'd more than likely associate with … Read more

Bandname

Breakfast
Soft City Records (2011)

Flippant is a word that popped up on the of Bandname's press sheet. Take their moniker into account and add … Read more

Various Artists

A.N.S. & Ramming Speed - Split
Tankcrimes (2011)

This is like a new school thrash of the titans album. Both bands have made their names being basically thrash … Read more

Bon Iver

Bon Iver
Jagjaguwar (2011)

The fact that this album is self-titled is really surprising. A self-titled album usually represents and displays everything the artist … Read more

Devin Townsend Project

Ghost
HevyDevy (2011)

So here it is, the final album in the highly awaited Devin Townsend Project tetralogy. Three other releases have led … Read more

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One from the archives

Glue

Glue EP
Katorga Works/Video Disease (2014)

200 Words Or Less

With an extremely downbeat and aggressive sound, Austin, Texas four-piece band Glue follows up their noisy and vulgar 2012 demo with a 2014 self-titled 7” that picks up right where the demo left off. The first of four tracks featured here is the brief “Enemy,” which operates at a moderate pace and includes a sort of diabolical, horror movie chord progression as well as thunderous drumming. Following an sparse intro section, “Backwards Society” heads right back into more furious sonic territory with screeching guitar runs and abrasive, punctuated and raspy vocals. The gurgling opening declaration of “DIE!!!!” heard over a stomping rhythm and menacing instrumentation really says all one needs to know about “Opportunist,” and the openly hostile closing track “Disgrace” would likely send a live crowd into a frenzy … Read more

More album reviews

Devin Townsend Project

Deconstruction
HevyDevy (2011)

There should have been no way to fuck this up.So imagine you've set out to write a progressive metal album, and your aim is to create a really light, jocular atmosphere while keeping the music heavy as all get out. Naturally, Devin Townsend is the number one choice for such a creation. Now imagine that you have a guest list … Read more

By Surprise

Mountain Smashers
Topshelf (2011)

Although the Indie-Emo genre has been getting over-saturated with new artists lately, there are a few that wear the title suitably; By Surprise are one of them. They take the sound and mend it into something that’s a little more adventurous, anthemic, and sometimes even quirky. By Surprise’s debut full-length, Mountain Smashers, gives us a bird’s eye view of a … Read more

Seabuckthorn

In Nightfall
Bookmaker (2011)

Seabuckthorn is the one-man solo acoustic project of UK guitarist Andy Cartwright. He's listed as similar to artists like Grails, John Fahey and James Blackshaw, but I hear him almost as an instrumental version of Splinterskin. Even though his debut album In Nightfall is only slightly over twenty minutes long, there is an unexpected amount of maturity to the material.Cartwright … Read more

200 Words Or Less

Various Artists

Grey Area & Go Rydell - Split
Black Numbers (2011)

After 10 years since their last release, Grey Area returns with 2 new songs. They’ve brought along Go Rydell—the melodic-hardcore up-and-comers who are fresh off their well received debut album. Together they deliver a powerhouse, 5-track split.Grey Area’s half has the band blistering through two melodic-hardcore, blended into pop-punk, tracks reminiscent of The Bouncing Souls mixed with Lifetime. The first … Read more

Multiple Authors

Heinali And Matt Finney

Ain't No Night
Paradigms Recordings (2011)

Much has been said about this project - spanning a vast ocean, two continents and many genres in between - so I don't feel the need to get into too many specifics about them. The two behind the band are Heinali, based in the Ukraine, and a composer of ambient soundscapes and electronic drone-like beauty, and Matt Finney, an American … Read more

Multiple Authors

Heinali And Matt Finney

Ain't No Night
Paradigms Recordings (2011)

This two person project that spans continents has gotten a bit more attention in the past year or so. Having released a couple of EPs online (with a small number of physical pressings) along with a few covers and a soundtrack for an art installation. All of these things give insight into this project the covers including Joy Division and … Read more

Mogwai

Hardcore Will Never Die, But You Will
Sub Pop (2011)

Mogwai is a band that is extremely difficult to like. Though they are one of the cornerstone bands of the post-rock genre, their discography lacks a lot of the consistent strength found with acts such as Explosions in the Sky or Long Distance Calling. Don't misunderstand me; they have released some fine albums (Mogwai Young Team and Ten Rapid in … Read more

Taking Back Sunday

Self Titled
Warner Bros. (2011)

Taking Back Sunday were once the face of the new alternative underground movement often labeled as “emo” but over the last few years they seemed to have lost their footing. After losing pivotal member in Fred Mascherino and releasing the uninspired New Again, an album that met a negative critical reception, many fans including myself gave up on the band … Read more

Jesuit

Discography
Magic Bullet (2011)

Jesuit is the kind of band that your older brother (I would say sister, but women should hate this band now just like they did back then… for more information get a physical copy of this and read the ridiculously humorous liner notes) shows you when he catches you listening to some terrible pop or even the latest trend of … Read more

200 Words Or Less

The Riverboat Gamblers

Smash/Grab EP
Paper + Plastick (2011)

When The Riverboat Gamblers released their last full length, Underneath the Owl, many fans were put off by the cleaner production and poppier approach. Their newest EP, Smash/Grab, was a return to the raw sound and more aggressive song writing, but offers something different by blending in a bit of Garage-Rock.The first of the 4-song EP is arguably the weakest … Read more

Attica! Attica!

Napalm & Nitrogen
Black Numbers (2011)

Before your red flag goes up, we are not talking about the "crab-core" group, Attack Attack. Don't worry; I was wary of the same thing. No, Attica! Attica! is the complete opposite. It's the moniker undertaken by De La Hoya and Marathon vocalist, Aaron Scott, for his solo folk-punk project. In September of 2009, he released his second full length, … Read more

Portugal. The Man

In The Mountain, In The Cloud
Atlantic (2011)

Few bands have the creative power, material, and time to put out an album annually since its inception. Portugal. The Man do just this, having released their sixth full length album since their 2006 debut, Waiter: “You Vultures!” For such little time between each release, lack of evolvement is of no concern. P.TM have gradually developed from early rockers with … Read more

Gridlink

Orphan
Hydra Head (2011)

My money is on the simple fact that it will take you longer to read this than it will to actually listen to Orphan, the latest album from the estimable grind group Gridlink (their pedigree alone is enough to warrant paying attention to the music this outfit is creating now) and that is not a knock on the album at … Read more

Thievery Corporation

It Takes A Thief: The Very Best Of
ESL (2010)

Thievery Corporation has always been a bit of a musical Janus: one face obscured in the revolutionary stylings of Subcommandante Marcos, the other the visage of one of the most commercially successful acts in their scene. Their lyrics and album art all call for an end to the economic slavery of the international monetary system. Yet, they’ll still cash a … 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)