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200 Words Or Less

Argos Checkmate

Argos Checkmate
Independent (2007)

Argos Checkmate hails from Syracuse and mix together the worlds of chaotic metalcore and ambient post-rock. You may think the two don't go together well, but the end result is rather enjoyable. "Dresden" and "Hellen Keller" take technical jibber-jabber to the next level, reminiscent of The Dillinger Escape Plan and Engineer, but with more chug. Meantime, "In the Warm" falls … Read more

200 Words Or Less

Candle

Miles and Miles and Miles
Real Love (2008)

Candle is the brainchild of singer/songwriter Kevin Coons, who expanded his solo recording project into a full band. Miles and Miles and Miles is the group's third release in as many years, and boasts a country tinged folk sound with small touches of indie rock. The album begins with "Pennies in a Well," a simple track with a multitude of … Read more

No Use for a Name

Feel Good Record of the Year
Fat Wreck Chords (2008)

I'm sitting here drinking a beer to wash down a turkey melt I just made with my George Foreman Grill. Jason Kubel just hit a home run against the Brewers to tie up the game in the bottom of the fifth. The sun is shining, I'm wearing shorts, and there's a fan blowing in the corner. It's not officially summer … Read more

Achenar

All Will Change
Earthen (2008)

One of the more difficult aspects of reviewing records is when an individual reviewer goes into a record completely blind with virtually no knowledge beforehand regarding a particular release or artist or group. Although there can be no preconceived notions concerning such projects, a certain amount of frustration or unpreparedness might be noticeable in said review. This is Achenar's debut … Read more

Look Mexico

The Crucial Collection
Lujo (2008)

No band begins as brilliant; the songs can be good, but they're only skeletons of the potential a band might possess. It takes years of practice, scattered releases, and thousands of hours between writing, touring, and practicing before a group fully realizes itself. Introduced to Look Mexico with their first full-length, This is Animal Music, I thought, "Bands like this … Read more

Hour of the Wolf / Lewd Acts

Split
Think Fast! (2008)

It wasn't that long ago that I caught a little tour featuring Hour of the Wolf, Lewd Acts, and Trash Talk. In fact, it was just last year. The bill was interesting as it mixed varying punk/hardcore styles - a little something for everyone which is a welcome change to the one show-five bands-one sound norm. Two of those artists … Read more

Jon McKiel

The Nature of Things
Wednesday (2008)

So it's finally summer, and that usually means an overload of new music. I can't name the number of songs or albums that remind me of a specific summer in my life. Something about the change of pace and warm weather that just makes music attach itself to memories. What does this have to do with this album? I'm just … Read more

The Kills

Midnight Boom
Rough Trade (2008)

Midnight Boom is the third full-length from the garage duo The Kills - which is VV (Allison Mosshart former lead singer of Discount) and Hotel (Jamie Hince formerly the guitarist of Blyth Power and Scarfo) - following No Wow (2005) and Keep on Your Mean Side (2003). Having a liking to their second record, I feel some excitement for Midnight … Read more

International Superheroes of Hardcore

Takin' it Ova!
Bridge Nine (2008)

Hardcore is serious business well most of the time. Mixed amongst those pushing forth ideas concerning local and world issues are those out to have fun, usually in the form of some kind of joke. Jokes/gimmicks like these tend to last only a short time and the initial response is rather intense but quickly fades away. A few examples from … Read more

Tournament

Swordswallower
Trip Machine Laboratories (2008)

With silkscreen cover art and a handwritten inventory number on Swordswallower, the Brooklyn-based Tournament (ex-Paragraph) have released an impressive debut. The press sheet is informative and avoids sounding too infomercial, and the personal approach (except for the handwritten "promo" on the inner sleeve) make this an appealing package from Trip Machine Laboratories. Their bio shows they come from a diverse … Read more

New Found Glory

Tip of the Iceberg
Bridge Nine (2008)

Temporarily free agents of the scene, New Found Glory found themselves in a position few established bands have. They could record whatever they wanted whenever they wanted and have it released by whoever would. Other acts with multi-albums contracts often have a two-year time window for their next album with a marketing representative hassling the band for a hit making … Read more

Tomydeepestego

Odyessa
Subsound (2007)

Tomydeepestego are an Italian instrumental band that began writing music in 2006. The press sheet that accompanied Odyssea boasts that the band combines aspects of Neurosis, Isis, Pelican, and Mogwai, and that they have opened for Cult of Luna and Red Sparowes. Name-dropping these artists - plus seeing that Robotic Empire took care of the U.S. distribution - definitely caught … Read more

Fall of Serenity

The Crossfire
Lifeforce (2008)

My first exposure to this German outfit is a simple enough experience to recount and that is via the split LP which they have with their compatriots Heaven Shall Burn, and, since that record is several years old at this point, hearing how or if the band has changed in that time. Seeing as how The Crossfire is the first … Read more

Various Artists

Punk Goes Crunk
Fearless (2008)

The Punk Goes series has been running since the start of this century, beginning with metal and running through pop, acoustic, the 80's, the 90's, and now culminating with crunk. There have been some good renditions over the years: A.F.I.'s "My Michelle," Reach the Sky's "Sometimes," Coalesce's "Blue Collar Lullaby," and High the Lights' "Hey Jealousy" come to mind. On … Read more

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