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)

Neon Neon

Stainless Style
Lex (2008)

I might be misjudging my audience here, but you remember the 1980's? By "remember" I don't mean "act them out in a horrible retro manner while not letting on that you were born in 1990." I mean remember. Predator. Commodore 64. Endless Mattel toy lines. The entire decade fucking ruled and if you dare to disagree I cannot be held responsible for my actions. Now, imagine that all those memories you have of the 1980's were somehow pushed together to form one little hyper-dense cube. And that everyone else's memories were added to it until it formed some kind of glowing, throbbing pulsar. It would probably be lime green. Follow that up by imagining someone taking this thing of unimaginable power, congealing it into a purely physical form and creating something round, flat and about forty minutes long. That is Stainless Style by Neon Neon. When I first muddled around with writing this review in my head, I was trying to locate something that I could use to hold Neon Neon up against. You know, a kind of more-80's than The Goonies sort of thing, but I gave up in the end. Because I realized that it is quite possible … Read more

Bloodbath

Unblessing the Purity
Peaceville (2008)

With this being a side project for everybody involved, it isn't strange that members have come and gone with great … Read more

Impiety

Dominator
Pulverised (2008)

A year after they released their latest full-length, Impiety spit out a mini album where they sound just as fierce … Read more

Smartbomb

Diamond Heist
Think Fast! (2008)

Smartbomb return with their debut full-length, Diamond Heist, following the quite promising debut EP Chaos and Lawlessness. The band's first … Read more

Fear Falls Burning

Frenzy of the Absolute
Conspiracy (2008)

Damn, is there a trend going on with single member bands or am I just now picking up on this … Read more

Dan le Sac vs Scroobius Pip

Angles
Sunday Best (2008)

If you have the good/bad fortune to live in the U.K., you will in all likelihood have a fairly limited … Read more

Browse our review archives

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

Tim Barry

Manchester
Suburban Home (2008)

Manchester is the latest album by Avail frontman Tim Barry. Barry has always had a very distinctive voice. Not just vocally, but lyrically and thematically. So as he offers up his second proper solo effort, Manchester, we are once again taken along for a ride with his slightly sweet and bitter, sometimes gravelly voice as he weaves tales of soldiers in Iraq, being harassed by Texas cops, loves and friendships lost, and other hardships on the road of life. As with what seems to be an ever growing group of former punk rock frontmen, Barry has taken the folk/roots music approach to his solo work. It's something that's always made sense to me, as punk rock and folk music have far more in common then people used to like to … Read more

More album reviews

Rocket from the Crypt

All Systems Go Volume 3
Vagrant/Swami (2008)

Leaving behind a recording legacy as large as Rocket from the Crypt is doing rates fairly high on the impressive scale considering how difficult it is to maintain consistency and relevance over a couple of albums let alone the roughly six full-lengths as well as a multitude of EP's and singles that this rock and roll outfit is responsible for … Read more

An Albatross

An Albatross Family Album
Eyeball (2008)

With their first release since 2006, An Albatross decided to get serious: they spent five weeks in the studio with a team of ex-members, new players, and studio musicians to create the concept record An Albatross Family Album. What's it sound like, you ask? Like a noise band doing it with a math rock group while a cartoon donkey watches. … Read more

Mamiffer

Hirror Ennifer
Hydra Head (2008)

Hirror Ennifer is the debut album from Mamiffer the new project from Faith Coloccia and a revolving cast of co-conspirators including Aaron Turner (Isis, Old Man Gloom, Grey Machine, etc), Chris Common (These Arms Are Snakes), Brian Cook (These Arms Are Snakes, Botch, Russian Circles), Ryan Fredrickson (These Arms Are Snakes, Narrows), and Anne Hozoji Matheson-Margullis (Helms Alee). Just that … Read more

Beck

Modern Guilt
Interscope (2008)

Beck has been releasing music for going on twenty years now. Since his first release, the multi-talented musician and songwriter has been labeled everything from an underground sensation and an alternative rock phenom to a one-hit-wonder and a mainstream sellout. Throughout the years and the labeling - which has included on more than one occasion the above - Beck has … Read more

Flight of the Conchords

Flight of the Conchords
Sub Pop (2008)

When a friend sent me a YouTube link for some live Flight of the Conchords footage a couple of years ago, I was very skeptical. "I don't like comedy music!" I screeched, flapping my arms up and down. Which I don't. It's very rarely as funny as it believes itself to be, which is always made worse when it inexplicably … Read more

Sigur Rós

Með Suð í Eyrum Við Spilum Endalaust
EMI/XL Recordings (2008)

The consistently elusive Sigur Rós returns to bless our ears with more soft-spoken Icelandic genius. Is that too much? Perhaps, but this is coming off of their double-disc collection of b-sides Hvarf-Heim released barely a year ago, not to mention the extensive touring they have done in between. I first heard Sigur Rós being played in between sets of a … Read more

Liturgy

Immortal Life
Unfun (2008)

Describing a band, group, or musical project as transcendental is a dangerously brash decision Without getting into the actual philosophical background of what transcendental means, labeling oneself as such could come off as high self praise. Liturgy is a one man (driven by one Hunter Hunt-Hendrix) black metal project from New York in the States which describes itself as pure … Read more

Hank Williams III

Damn Right, Rebel Proud
Curb (2008)

We have Taylor Swift and then we have Hank III. The former is the public face of country music today. Sweet, sassy, cute-as-a-button and considered the real deal because she "writes all or part" of all her songs. Hank Williams III is the real real deal. Brash, outspoken and doesn't give a fuck. He will never be the public face … Read more

M83

Saturdays=Youth
Mute (2008)

The French are good at many things. Food. Art. Aquatic nuclear shenanigans. But despite being one of the cultural centers of Europe, France never seems to have really mastered music. Perhaps it's my brutish Britannic ignorance, but I struggle to name many decent French bands. Air are good. I've heard some decent French hip-hop. And then there's M83. Manned and … Read more

Eagles of Death Metal

Heart On
Downtown (2008)

Josh Homme wants it to be clear: Eagles of Death Metal is not a side project. Though he rakes in most of his dough and critical acclaim with Queens of the Stone Age, drumming for Eagles of Death Metal brings him just as much satisfaction as his big band does. Probably because he gets to play with his childhood friend, … Read more

The Quit

Minus Tide
Tindrum (2008)

Starting an indie album with a song called "Manchester" is a little bit like putting the word "Metaphor" in the title of a poem. It's obvious; a red flag. Given Manchester's place in the history of indie albums, it's about as subtle as the dude in the chicken suit outside the tire shop. HEARTBROKEN POP!! reads the sandwich board, heavy … Read more

Sunn 0)))

Dømkirke
Southern Lord (2008)

Dømkirke is a live Sunn 0))) album recorded at Bergen Cathedral of Bergen, Norway as part of the Borealis Festival 2007. The twelfth-century cathedral was a perfect setting for the March 2007 performance that also featured Attlia Csihar on vocals, Steve Moore on pipe organ, and Lasse Marhaug on electronics. The double album was a vinyl-only release with absolutely stunning … Read more

Git Some

Cosmic Rock
1-2-3-4 Go! (2008)

Git Some is a band which has been around a bit and actually predates the participation of two of its members (Chuck French and Neil Keener) in the much vaunted group, Planes Mistaken for Stars (even though many will consider this a new band featuring ex-members of said well known group for which they would be wrong). Git Some is … Read more

Intronaut

Prehistoricisms
Century Media (2008)

Every so often you just want a metal album that is that, a metal album. Well here we have just that with the latest full-length from Intronaut. Prehistoricisms is a heavy metal album that is not a concept album, but an album based upon the theme of evolution. I can dig that, especially when the music is - at its … Read more

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