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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)

Thursday

No Devolución
Epitaph (2011)

It’s comforting when a band can successfully progress. Some stay stagnant—resulting in some stale and boring music. Thursday’s a band that has been progressing since they started writing Full Collapse. Slowly, they’ve been redefining what Thursday should sound like. With their sixth studio album, No Devolución, not only has the band’s songwriting gotten even better, but they’ve taken their biggest step forward yet. Loud beats and piercing guitars kick things off on “Fast to the End,” which sets up the album perfectly. The band’s gracious enough to give their fans enough of what we’ve come to expect from Thursday--while wetting our appetites with what we can expect from No Devolución. They pull pointers from their past few efforts, and make the atmospheric effects more prominent this time around. Following the impetuous opener is “No Answers.” Andrew Everding sets a dark tone with his keys as it turns into a beautiful, but haunting, tune enhanced by Rickly’s airy vocals. On “A Darker Forest,” the band keeps with the eerie atmosphere set forth in the last track. Then as was hinted from the past few songs, Rickly continues to exchange his signature intense yelling for a much more relaxed vocal performance—a trait … Read more

200 Words Or Less

Cobra Skulls

Bringing The War Home
Fat Wreck Chords (2011)

The Cobra Skulls are certainly not new to the punk scene. The band has made a name for themselves in … Read more

Foo Fighters

Wasting Light
RCA (2011)

Dave Grohl is a man of the people. For the last 16 years he's been one of the most endearing … Read more

Bright Eyes

The People's Key
Saddle Creek (2011)

When word broke out that Bright Eyes would be writing one final album before retiring the moniker—expectations were set pretty … Read more

Seven Sisters Of Sleep

Self Titled
A389 (2011)

Have you ever heard the expression, “where were you when…” relating to certain events in history, or have you heard … Read more

True Widow

As High As The Highest Heavens And From The Center To The Circumference Of The Earth
Kemado (2011)

True Widow are one of the many bands that gets lumped into the burgeoning new school of shoegaze. While shoegaze … Read more

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One from the archives

Years from Now

We're Gonna Need a Bigger Boat
Get Outta Town (2007)

Multiple Authors

I have to admit, Years from Now do shed a tiny bit of warm sunlight into the dank black empty soul of this jaded hardcore scenester in more ways than one. It's nice to see a bunch of rapscallions play melodic hardcore in a quite a way that I can imagine the members of this Floridian band having a record collection that mirrors my own. Years from Now also crack my icy cold facade by naming their record after one my favorite quotes from one of my favorite movies of all time. Ah, you kids, you give me hope. We're Gonna Need a Bigger Boat is a nineteen track discography containing Years from Now latest songs, their first EP as well as a two straight forward covers of Youth of … Read more

More album reviews

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

Ruined Families

Four Wall Freedom
Independent (2010)

Ruined Families are another band entering the hardcore sweepstakes. The band hailing from Greece carries the torch that Cursed carried. Meaning you're in for heavy nasty sounding hardcore with metal influence. The band stay fast and gritty throughout the album leaving little doubt that they are beyond pissed. Much like the aforementioned Cursed the lyrics stay on a more personal … Read more

Korperschwache

Evil Walks
Crucial Blast (2011)

Korperschwache may seem like a new band. In many ways this is true. This being their first widely available album after years of putting out limited run cds. This band hails from Texas and there is very little to connect their sound with any worldly surroundings. The band play a mix of heavy industrial, black metal and sludge to create … Read more

200 Words Or Less

Bad Mask

Strange Phrases
Independent (2011)

Bad Mask are a fairly new band hailing from New Jersey. The band deals in semi technical Metal. While not being as technical as some bands they tend to carry the torch of early Dillinger Escape Plan. Meaning that they go through more than a few time changes within their songs. There is a heavy focus on dissonant riffing and … Read more

Me First and the Gimme Gimmes

Go Down Under
Fat Wreck Chords (2011)

Well they’re back with a vengeance, the punk supergroup coverband known as Me First and the Gimme Gimmes with the release of their eighth album the Australian tinged EP entitled – Go Down Under. For a band that started out as a side project for fun these guys have worked up a great formula. Take the cheesy pop songs and … Read more

The Pauses

A Cautionary Tale
New Grenada (2011)

Remember when you were a little kid getting tucked into bed? Then someone would reach for a thin book with a shiny gold spine, and they would read you a bedtime story? Well, I don’t, but I certainly remember the books. It was my affinity for those books that drew me towards The Pause’s debut album, A Cautionary Tale, which … Read more

Barren Earth

The Curse Of The Red River
Peaceville (2010)

Barren Earth is like an ex-members of who's who. Sporting members from Swallow The Sun, Amorphis, and Moonsorrow among others. The band is veritable Swedish metal powerhouse. The band makes the most of the sum of their parts. Cultivating parts of melancholic metal of Swallow The Sun and the metal with Swedish folk touches of Amorphis. They songs have a … Read more

Trent Fox & The Tenants

Mess Around
Kind Turkey (2011)

There’s a garage-pop movement afoot in Wisconsin and Trent Fox & the Tenants are just one of the torchbearers. Their five song debut EP, Mess Around, is a quick burst: part ass-shaking party music, part beer-pounding sleaze. The band plays a familiar style with enough attitude to pull it off without making the usual namedropping comparisons.The single is under 15 … Read more

Hellmouth

Gravestone Skylines
Paper + Plastick (2010)

Much can be said on the history of Hellmouth. The band led by former Suicide Machines vocalist Jay Navarro and containing members of various other Michigan hardcore bands. The band have little in common with their past ventures. This is not to say the band are playing whiny emo or upbeat pop punk, if anything this would be the antithesis … Read more

Old Man Markley

Guts N' Teeth
Fat Wreck Chords (2011)

Fat hasn’t been releasing many new bands lately. Thus, when they do expand the roster for a debut, it draws some attention. Guts n’Teeth comes from the eight-piece California band Old Man Markley, named after washboard player Ryan Markley who, in truth, is quite young. Other members have been/are in bands such as Youth Brigade and Angel City Outcasts. But … Read more

200 Words Or Less

Captain, We're Sinking

...With Joe Riley
Evil Weevil (2011)

Captain, We're Sinking don't reinvent the wheel with their new 7" release. They aren't pushing any boundaries. Hell, they essentially rip-off The Lawrence Arms with no shame. But I'd be lying if I said I didn't enjoy every second of it.With Joe Riley provides three tracks of incredibly catchy and well-done melodic punk. "The Ballad of Ichabond Crane" starts things … Read more

200 Words Or Less

Hank & Cupcakes

Self Titled EP
Independent (2011)

It’s time to loosen up because Hank & Cupcakes are looking to get you out of your chair and out on the dance floor. This electro-pop duo have released their debut self-titled EP chock-full of catchy beats and tasty rhythms. The first track, “There Ain’t No Love,” gets you moving your body to Hank’s dulcet bass-riffs as Cupcakes keeps the … Read more

200 Words Or Less

Less Than Jake

Hello Rockview (Reissue)
Sleep It Off (2011)

It has been nearly 13 years since Hello Rockview was first released, and the album still holds up. Like with the first couple of re-releases, Sleep It Off have redesigned the original cover and coupled the original album with a live recording of it in its entirety.There isn’t much left to be said about the studio recording of the album … Read more

PJ Harvey

Let England Shake
Vagrant/Island (2011)

I got into a discussion with someone recently over the validity of this latest release from Polly Jean Harvey. They seemed almost offended that PJ would use the overall theme of war in writing her new release as if it were some sort of parlor trick to try and make “important music”. I argued that Roger Waters has built an … 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)