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)

The Alphabetical Order

I am Magically Happening!
Independent (2007)

I get a lot of albums in the mail, a lot. Every one of them comes with one-sheet containing information and descriptions that suggest that they are the albums for me. And while most of them are filled with bombastic and over exaggerated wordage, every once in a while you come across one that lives up to the expectations developed after reading that wonderful one-sheet. The Alphabetical Order is one of those bands. I am Magically Happening! is the debut full-length from The Alphabetical Order. This four-piece indie-rock outfit hails from D.C. and has assembled what I consider to be the ultimate amalgamation of "indie rock." This ten-song album is comprised of equal parts indie rock, post-punk, and college rock jazzed up with pop flavoring. Basically, think of your stereotypical college radio listening type and assemble a list of their favorite artists: Jawbox, Fuzagi, Sunny Day Real Estate, Modest Mouse, Hum, Sonic Youth, Gang of Four, etc. You get what I'm getting at. From the opener, "Constant State," all the way through to the ending number, "Gestalt," The Alphabetical Order takes these influences, combines them together, and infuses them with the pop attitude of mainstream radio rock. Each song is … Read more

The Seven Mile Journey

The Metamorphosis Project
Fonogram/Pumpkin Seeds in the Sand (2008)

Operating under the post-rock banner, The Seven Mile Journey's The Metamorphosis Project offers an hour of sparse and atmospheric soundscapes. … Read more

City of Ships

Tour EP
Independent (2008)

Now, I had only heard of this band's existence and never actually had the opportunity to listen to their music … Read more

Blacklisted

Heavier than Heaven, Lonelier than God
Deathwish Inc. (2008)

Let's be honest, the vast majority of hardcore music is similar sounding. There is only so many ways in which … Read more

Why?

Alopecia
Anticon (2008)

I'm still trying to fully wrap my head around this album. Why? hails from Oakland, California and puts an interesting … Read more

200 Words Or Less

Smartbomb

Chaos and Lawlessness
Think Fast! (2008)

Members of No Trigger and Shock Nagasaki playing melodic hardcore in the vein of Kid Dynamite, Descendents, and 7 Seconds? … Read more

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One from the archives

Postage

LP1
Dirt Cult (2021)

Most of the time when a review says something sounds familiar it’s meant as an insult. Well, Postage is a new band but it sounds familiar…in all the right ways. It strikes those comfortable, familiar tones of singalong punk. It’s influenced by the classics. And while it has these elements we know and love, it’s also just fresh enough that it really hits with me. The songs are structured around singalongs and vocal tradeoffs. In many ways the songwriting takes a street punk foundation, especially with the bass, and then rewrites the playbook by emphasizing emotion instead of anthem. It gets right into gear on opening track, “Paranoia,” balancing anger with more complex emotions, and keeps that tone for nine more songs. The tone is consistently upbeat and upfront, but … Read more

More album reviews

200 Words Or Less

Attention

Stand Strong
Independent (2007)

Pop-rock is a huge right now and Attention has a shot at being the next big thing. This four-piece group from Minneapolis contains members that did time in Gratitude and The Gloria Record, among others. Stand Strong is the band's latest offering, a six-song self-released EP filled with upbeat pop-rock. The songs that make up Stand Strong are quite catchy … Read more

200 Words Or Less

Sakes Alive!!

Presents
Independent (2007)

Sakes Alive!! hails from Rochester, NY and this is the band's debut offering. Interesting enough, this recording actually started as the project of one individual, Chris Vandeviver. I'm not sure who told him to enlist other members and make this a full-time venture, but bravo to whoever did. The EP delivers what is an even mixture of the No Idea … Read more

200 Words Or Less

Empire! Empire! (I was a Lonely Estate)

Year of the Rabbit
Count Your Lucky Stars / Strictly No Capital Letters (2008)

Emo is a genre that often gets its name dragged through the mud. While there are artists now classified as emo that are pretty horrendous, it is those artists playing traditional emo that unfortunately are hurt the most. Empire! Empire! (I was a Lonely Estate) is one of those acts lumped in with emo that shouldn't be looked down upon. … Read more

200 Words Or Less

Salt the Wound

Carnal Repercussions
Rotten (2008)

Cleveland-based Salt the Wound has been festering in the depths of the metal world since their formation in 2001. With the release of their debut full-length, Carnal Repercussions, the band will finally come to the attention of headbangers around the world. Carnal Repercussions is a twelve-track foray into the world of melodic death metal, thrash, grindcore, and modern metalcore. The … Read more

Multiple Authors

The Gutter Twins

Saturnalia
Sub Pop (2008)

So here we have the much-anticipated collaboration between Greg Dulli of Afghan Whigs/The Twilight Singers fame and Mark Lanegan of Queens of the Stone Age/Screaming Trees fame (as well as an excellent solo career along with collaborations with Isobel Campbell). The Gutter Twins, as this duo refer to themselves, have been a rumored project for several years now that finally … Read more

Multiple Authors

The Gutter Twins

Saturnalia
Sub Pop (2008)

There's cool and then there's cool. Mark Lanegan is cool. He was cool fronting the Screaming Trees back in the day. He was cool on each one of his six-or-so solo albums. He was cool as a member of Queens of the Stone Age. For those of you who had the pleasure of seeing QOTSA on the pre-tour for Songs … Read more

Pain Principle

Waiting for the Flies
Blind Prophecy (2007)

This Florida four-piece was an entirely unknown proposition to me until Waiting for the Flies was delivered to my house. They may hail from the state that brought us some classic old school death metal, but Pain Principle have plenty more in common with the modern melodic death of the recent times. In fact, I'd go so far as to … Read more

This is Hell

Misfortunes
Trustkill (2008)

Long Island's road warriors return with their second full-length, Misfortunes, laying waste to a host of notions about who they are and what they stand for. The ante has been upped, so bid in or bow out. Dogged by claims of being both a hype band, existing on word of mouth rather than talent, and a Trustkill marketing move, This … Read more

MGR

Wavering on the Cresting Heft
Conspiracy (2007)

Wavering on the Cresting Heft is the second solo recording from Isis guitarist Michael Gallagher under the moniker MGR. MGR is an acronym for Mustard Gas and Roses, which is taken from Vonnegut's classic novel Slaughterhouse-Five. This new full-length follows Gallagher's debut MGR offering, 2006's Nova Lux. If one were to loosely describe the music of MGR, an appropriate description … Read more

Cursed

III
Goodfellow (2008)

Finally, I seriously have been waiting for this album since Cursed released last year's furious EP, Blackout at Sunrise. No, scratch that because the wait has been going since I listened to II (their obviously titled second album), and while Blackout at Sunrise was a bit of a tease and served to get listeners through until III. Cursed lay down … Read more

One Win Choice

Never Suspend Belief
Jump Start (2007)

I've had a really shitty day today. I got into a useless argument with my boss. I feel like shit. I'm piss-broke until Wednesday and I'm living off popcorn and Pop-Tarts until then. The last thing I wanted to hear today was a bunch of twenty-something kids telling me how horrible the world is while rehashing every single 90's Fat … Read more

Ritual

Wolves
Still Life (2007)

I don't know what it is but Europeans love vegan and straightedge hardcore a lot more than us Americans do, or at least they come across as more passionate about them than the average hardcore fan here. I can't explain it nor will I attempt to do so. I just know there is a greater concentration of those types of … Read more

Jarboe & Justin K. Broadrick

J2
The End (2008)

After a year like 2007 that Justin Broadrick and his Jesu project had, one has to wonder what J2 (his collaboration with Jarboe who has previously been in Swans and collaborated with Neurosis among others) is all about in reference to his numerous other projects (Final, Grey Machine, and the aforementioned Jesu as well as remixing duties for other artists … Read more

Riddle of Steel

1985
Ascetic (2008)

Riddle of Steel's Myspace blog is an amusing read for a variety of reasons, most notably the October 12, 2007, entry. While he'll probably never come out and say it, lead singer/guitarist Andrew Elstner would love to kick Radiohead's asses. His frustration (or jealousy) is somewhat understandable and very human, as it's likely that pure egotism would allow the acclaimed … 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)