Recent reviews

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

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

My Heart to Joy

Seasons in Verse
Top Shelf (2009)

Seasons in Verse is the debut full-length from Connecticut's My Heart to Joy. The band's first long player is the follow-up to the band's most recent EP, last years Virgins Sails. Seasons in Verse sees My Heart to Joy continuing to distance themselves from their more aggressive infancy and developing their songwriting talents towards intricate and complex indie rock. Lead off track "Time Spent Breathing" sets things in motion with a two minute instrumental. The guitars bridge the gap between Explosions in the Sky and Small Brown Bike; meanwhile the rhythm section supplies a solid building pace, quickening as the song draws to a close. "Empty Homes" immediately follows with its quirky guitar noodling - think Fugazi or Minus the Bear (minus all the finger-tapping). Shouted vocals are sporadically placed throughout, never in a direct verse-chorus-verse structure though. Vocally, I am reminded of In Pieces' vocalist Scott Gibson - which is ironic as they were also from Connecticut. It's a shouted spoken yell - if that makes sense of all - and there is a slight roughness in the delivery, but for the most part its fairly straightforward. As the album moves from track to track the band continues to … Read more

Pink Razors

Leave Alive
Houseplant/No Idea (2009)

Bands can sometimes get falsely categorized by those who don't know any better. And it really only takes a few … Read more

Moving Mountains

Foreword
Independent (2009)

Moving Mountains' Foreword may only be a four-song EP but they bring everything to the table and showcase their full … Read more

Dälek

Gutter Tactics
Ipecac (2009)

Describing Dälek is always pretty tough. Despite the fact that MC Dälek himself has stated that they should be considered … Read more

200 Words Or Less

Agent

Awake in Their World
Run for Cover (2009)

Run Cover for Cover's label head Jeff and I like to go back and forth over his bastardization of the … Read more

200 Words Or Less

Police & Thieves

Amor Y Guerra (Reissue)
Youngblood (2008)

Michael already reviewed the 7" version of this. The only thing that's different is that the CD version has the … Read more

Browse our review archives

Reviews by year

Choose a year to view reviews of albums released in that year.

Reviews by artist name

Choose a letter to view reviews ordered by that letter (band name first).

Review categories

200 Words Or Less

756 reviews

Book Review

45 reviews

Classic Album

25 reviews

Multiple Authors

300 reviews

Review

5060 reviews

Video/DVD Review

19 reviews

One from the archives

Dewey

Summer On A Curb
Howlin’ Banana Records (2026)

If you like your pop melodies wrapped in fuzz, your shoegaze grounded in real songwriting, and your records best experienced front-to-back on a quiet night, Dewey’s debut is absolutely worth your time. There’s something disarmingly unpretentious about Summer On A Curb. Dewey don’t arrive with a manifesto, a scene-policing attitude, or a sense of calculated cool. Instead, this Parisian quartet show up with eleven songs that feel like they were written because they needed to be. There are little emotional snapshots that sit somewhere between memory and mood, sugar rush and late-night spiral. Dewey’s debut album taps directly into that late-’90s / early-2000s sweet spot without sounding like a tribute act. The guitars haze over without ever slipping completely out of focus. The hooks are front and center, but they’re … Read more

More album reviews

200 Words Or Less

The Poison Arrows

Casual Wave
File 13 (2008)

Being from Chicago, The Poison Arrows have a style that unmistakeably brings to mind the old, early to mid 90's alternative rock scene. Since that particular time spawned quite a few great bands then this can be considered a good prospect. The debut EP from this band doesn't necessarily resemble the noisy endeavors of Steve Albini or the madness of … Read more

200 Words Or Less

Maria Taylor

Ladyluck
Nettwerk (2009)

Maria Taylor has developed a fanbase based on her quiet and soulful tunes, endearing and charming enough to cockle the heartstrings of nearly any cynic. She has a knack for capturing adult takes on both sentimentality and romance, a talent which has landed many of her songs in the background of numerous romantic comedies and sitcoms. Two solo albums removed … Read more

200 Words Or Less

Beep Beep

Enchanted Islands
Saddle Creek (2009)

Taking a five year hiatus between albums, Beep Beep released Enchanted Islands, the follow up to 2004's Business Casual, earlier this year. Given the current pace of the music industry, and a slight change from the original lineup, Enchanted Island has a feel closer to a debut album rather than a sophomore effort. The band freely plays with esoteric tempos, … Read more

200 Words Or Less

Casting Curses

Heartificial
Tuned To You (2009)

Heartificial is a two-song EP from Upstate New York's Casting Curses. This five-piece hardcore outfit delivers an impact statement in just two songs, something that is rather impressive. "Hey Disbeliever" leads it off and brings to mind modern hardcore bands such as Have Heart. They mix the aggression of hardcore with a bit of melody, resulting in an enjoyable experience. … Read more

200 Words Or Less

Gray Ghost

Deep in the Shallow End
Chainsaw Safety (2009)

Atlanta-based outfit Gray Ghost return with their debut full-length. Following up their self-titled EP from last year, the band continues to evolve their sound. Still loosely based in the realm of hardcore, the band's sound is a progressive mixture of drone, hardcore, and metal. "Siberian" sets the pace with its driving rhythms and excellent guitar riffage - think Isis and … Read more

200 Words Or Less

Dark Days

How Have We Done This
Independent (2009)

Dark Days is a new band from the Bay Area of California and this is their five-song demo recording. It was printed on both cassette tapes (limited to 50 copies each with a different cover) and CD-R. Musically, I'd compare them to Trash Talk. They make use of short fast blasts of chaos and then let things hang with slower … Read more

200 Words Or Less

Iron Rain

Demo
Independent (2009)

I got this demo while I was in Chicago recently. This one was being given away outside of a show. Normally when bands do this, it's a waste of their money and my time. But I figured it was worth looking into because of the show I was attending. Iron Rain offer up two tracks of metallic hardcore that brings … Read more

200 Words Or Less

Nowhere Bound

Demo
Independent (2009)

Nowhere Bound is a new hardcore band from the Chicago area and this is their four-song demo. They've got an Eastcoast flavor going on over these songs even though they hail from the Midwest. "Faith of the Faithless" is a bruising opener with crunching riffs; the solid breakdown makes this a great opener. "No Recourse" and "Joys of Winter" are … Read more

200 Words Or Less

Arms Aloft

Comfort at Any Cost
Dead Format (2008)

Hailing from Wisconsin, Arms Aloft are quite a surprise with their 7" debut Comfort at Any Cost. This four-song EP follows up a demo recording released last year. The four-piece outfit have concocted an upbeat mixture of punk and rock and roll. Arms Aloft has a definite Hot Water Music sound, but with a bit more of a rock feel … Read more

200 Words Or Less

Hope Lane is a Dead End

Illuminate
Independent (2009)

Metalcore has been an interesting genre over the years. Initially bands like Integrity, Earth Crisis, and Unbroken were labeled as metalcore for their metal influences in the hardcore sound. Since then, bands like Cave In, Botch, and Poison the Well have been labeled as such, all while developing their own styles within those bounds. Additionally the term has been bastardized … Read more

200 Words Or Less

Heads Held High

So Say We All
Crossface (2009)

So Say We All is the full-length debut from Clevelanders Heads Held High. These five gentlemen have been kicking around in the city for a few years now with a couple of self-released EP's under their belts. For their debut full-length the band has continued to belt out high-octane melodic hardcore, not exactly the norm for the city that spawned … Read more

200 Words Or Less

One Win Choice

Define/Redefine
Jump Start (2009)

Don't you love finding new punk bands? I sure do, which is why I was stoked to find out about New Jersey's One Win Choice who have just put out a new 7" with five adrenalizing new songs. There's not really a lot to say about this band because they sound very similar to a lot of other melodic hardcore … Read more

200 Words Or Less

Miseration

Your Demons ~ Their Angels
Lifeforce (2008)

Former Scar Symmetry vocalist Christian Älvestam has left said band to focus more on his other project, Miseration. Miseration is also a melodic death metal band, like Scar Symmetry, only they take a more straightforward approach rather than a technical/progressive one. The band's debut album Your Demons ~ Their Angels may satisfy fans of melo-death but their overall sound is … Read more

200 Words Or Less

Charged

Summer 2008
Melotov Cocktail (2009)

Charged is a hardcore band from southern California, playing a pretty straightforward style. The vocals are probably the strongest part of this band, reminding me a little bit of Verse or even Cut the Shit. The music ranges from fast-paced punk beats to slower breakdowns, and brings in a decent amount of melodic and singing parts, akin to Stay Gold. … Read more

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