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)

North Lincoln

Midwestern Blood
No Idea (2009)

Most bands that are signed to No Idea Records have a sound that's usually expected from them. That, of course, being raw punk rock with gruff vocals and catchy melodies. North Lincoln are another band to add to that long list as they fit into this style almost perfectly. This album has been in the making since 2007 but recording setbacks have delayed it's release until this year. How exactly do they stand out among the No Idea roster, though? Well...they don't, at least not yet. With North Lincoln's album Midwestern Blood, I see a lot of potential here. They have a really nice sound going with the raw production, driving guitars and rough vocals that are a little too similar to Chuck Ragan but I feel that it's all a bit unoriginal. This isn't to say that they're Hot Water Music rip-offs, because the only thing really similar are the vocals and the bass playing, but the whole "Midwestern punk" sound has gotten pretty huge during this decade and I think we're at the point where some bands need to start doing something a little more innovative if they want to be around for the long run. North Lincoln … Read more

Nadja

Belle Bêtes
Beta-Lactam Ring (2009)

Look out now because Nadja's release schedule is kicking into high gear with the release of Belle Bêtes via the … Read more

Sunn 0)))

Monoliths & Dimensions
Southern Lord (2009)

Okay, I must say that Sunn 0))) lost me with Oracle, particularly after some mild disappointment in Altar. My eventual … Read more

Skin Like Iron

All Human Failings
Free Cake (2009)

Never wasting a moment, the Bay Area's Skin Like Iron has brought forth yet another new recording with this seven-track … Read more

Cable

Variable Speed Drive (Reissue)
Translation Loss (2009)

Sometimes there is something which goes by the reference of historical revisionism whereby people go back and alter the place … Read more

The Whitest Boy Alive

Rules
Asound/Bubbles (2009)

Even though Rules is the second full-length from Erlend Øye, I still have a hard time disassociating his airy voice … Read more

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One from the archives

Amber Asylum

Still Point
Profound Lore (2007)

The first time I listened to Still Point I was riding to work on the top deck of a double-decker bus at eight o'clock in the morning. Record opener "In the Still Point He Remains" was just starting; sounds could be heard moving backwards and forwards in the dark; slow strings breathing and playful chimes jangling, the inevitable build having begun. As this was happening, I looked out of the window to my left, where, over vast fields and the rooves of many suburban homes, I could see the ocean stretching onwards. On the horizon, a beam of light was cascading down from the clouds in some kind of divine pillar of luminosity. At the same moment I spotted this, the real brass on the record kicked in - decadent … Read more

More album reviews

The Number Twelve Looks Like You

Worse Than Alone
Eyeball (2009)

The Number Twelve Looks Like You have always been a very unorthodox band to say the least. They've been trying something new with each album and it's no different with their latest album, Worse Than Alone. Pinning them to one genre is difficult because they incorporate so many different sounds into their music. A basic description of it can be … Read more

Only Thieves

Greeting from Levy Park, T.L.H.
Independent (2009)

Only Thieves pay homage to the Boss with their cover to Greeting from Levy Park, T.L.H., but the tribute doesn't stop at the artwork. From the get go of "Hammered for the Holidays" there's a clear striving toward outspoken, plainclothes guitarman at the center. However, there's a more of a band feel to it, and more Gaslight Anthem than Springsteen. … Read more

DOOM

Born Like This
Lex (2009)

Even though he took up the same moniker, all-caps not withstanding, it's unlikely anyone is going to mistake the artist formerly toting metal fingers for the legendary crust band. One decade after the landing of Operation Doomsday, Danielle Dumile re-emerges with a modified alter-ego, and perhaps a bruised original ego. The reinvention of MF Doom to DOOM comes after a … Read more

Black Moth Super Rainbow

Eating Us
Grave Face (2009)

Wow, just seriously wow, even though Black Moth Super Rainbow has been on my list to check out for a while now, I am glad that their latest album, Eating Us is my first exposure to the group because it is a breath of fresh air at just the right time. When trying to describe the band to people (as … Read more

Iron and Wine

Around the Well
Sub Pop (2009)

As a long-time Iron and Wine fan, I was intrigued by the announcement of this double-disc release that spans the spectrum of Sam Beam's musical career. What most call a rarities and b-sides album, I see more of an insight into the progression of Beam's collaborative sound, compiling many of his strongest tracks that never made it onto his full-length … Read more

Church of Misery

Houses of the Unholy
Metal Blade (2009)

By a stroke of luck, my Last.fm did something good for once and recommended me this band called Church of Misery. I usually don't pay close attention to these recommendations as they are usually a bit off (seriously, stop recommending me stuff like Bon Jovi), but the name sounded dope and they apparently fell somewhere into that doom metal category. … Read more

All Teeth

I am Losing
High Fidelity (2009)

Every so often you hear a record and it instantaneously floors you. All Teeth's debut full-length I Am Losing is one of those records. The thirteen songs that make up this album are filled with such passion, aggression, and emotion - it is as though anger, frustration, resentment, and bitterness actually fuel the songs. The lyrics and music perfectly match … Read more

Gore

Mean Man's Dream (Reissue)
FSS (2008)

A great deal of hyperbole flies around regarding re-issues, which in it of themselves can be very tricky propositions, particularly ones that may or may not be integral to have a re-issue. Gore no longer exists as a unit, but the three piece's legacy resonates today in heavy (be it metal, be it some other genre) music and serves as … Read more

The Paper Chase

Someday This Could All Be Yours (Part 1)
Kill Rock Stars (2009)

The first thing that's going to strike you about The Paper Chase is that they're a quirky indie band. What you get in the first song is what you're going to get in the next nine: John Congleton's wavering voice and keyboard-driven epics. The band relies predominantly on synthesizer instead of big guitars to make their statement. When it comes … Read more

Monolith

Eclipse
Independent (2008)

A first record for a band taking their first steps is both exciting as well as potentially harrowing when putting one's work out for others to hear. Monolith make that leap with their debut album, Eclipse, and to be completely honest, I admire the fact that this Pennsylvania four-piece put the record out themselves. Monolith is one of those "post-rock" … Read more

Dinosaur Jr.

Farm
Jagjaguwar (2009)

This may be going out on a limb here, but Dinosaur Jr.'s reunion album in 2007, Beyond was one of the best albums of said year, if not one of the best reunion albums ever. Bands reuniting is always seen as a lame cash-in attempt by artists going bankrupt, but with Beyond it felt more like Dinosaur Jr. were making … Read more

Sabertooth Zombie

…And Your Fathers are Dead in the Ground
Twelve Gauge (2009)

California's most intriguing current hardcore outfit, Sabertooth Zombie, returns with their latest full-length effort. Since they've last released Midnight Venom in 2006, the group has released a dual-EP 10" and a 7" EP as well as re-recording and re-compiling a few recordings for CD releases. Needless to say, Sabertooth Zombie has kept themselves busy. And You Fathers are Dead in … Read more

Junior Battles

Hotel Bibles
Black Pint (2009)

Ah, summer in full swing. For those of you attempting to battle high temperatures, I empathize as I sit in my apartment with my blinds closed and fight off the forecast 105-degree heat. But I try not to be bitter despite my preference for cold weather, and keep in mind the more exciting facets of summertime. One of these is … Read more

Shook Ones

The Unquotable A.M.H.
Paper + Plastick (2009)

Now on their third album, Shook Ones already have a pretty solid reputation. After the melodic hardcore masterpiece that was Facetious Folly Feat, I thought it would be difficult to make another record that was as fast and energetic as that one. Well, what does the band do instead? How about make one of the catchiest records of 2009 while … Read more

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