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)

Flobots

Fight with Tools
Independent (2007)

Every era has seen the chocolate/peanut butter combination of music and activism mixed together to create the tasty sensation of protest music. Long derided as "hippie shit" by those too lazy to listen, the protest song has been a ubiquitous form spanning the last century. Okay, maybe not the eighties, but every other decade has more than had its share. From the earliest notes of Florence Reece's "Which Side are You On?" through Billie Holliday's "Strange Fruit" and on through the careers of Bob Dylan, Neil Young, Dead Kennedys, The Coup, Midnight Oil and Public Enemy - all artists who have transcended the whining-as-protest music and offered solutions to the problem at hand. We may now add to this most esteemed list of artists, Flobots a hip-hop group from Denver, Colorado using awareness-as-action as opposed to the more common awareness-as-apathy preachings of the modern day "artist." Fight With Tools, the band's first full-length release is a call to arms of such oratorical aplomb, that even the most jaded of listeners are sure to be swayed. Beginning with a lone, distant viola, "There's a War Going on for Your Mind" has Brer Rabbit (one of two emcees, the other being Jonny … Read more

Hi Ho Six Shooter!

Empire
Good Night (2007)

I'm not going to classify Hi Ho Six Shooter! as a gimmick band. Granted they play shows with bandannas wrapped … Read more

Soul Control

Involution
Rivalry (2007)

Rhode Island may be the smallest state in the union, so you would think that with them already delivering Verse, … Read more

Cold War Kids

Robbers and Cowards
Downtown (2006)

With a few EP's and a couple of renowned festivals under their belt - Lollapalooza and South by Southwest - … Read more

Coliseum

No Salvation
Relapse/Auxiliary (2007)

In less than four years, Coliseum has proven to be a busy band with their touring crisscrossing the United States … Read more

Rilo Kiley

Under the Blacklight
Warner Bros. (2007)

Rilo Kiley has finally joined forces again with their fourth full-length album, Under the Blacklight. It has been three years … 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

749 reviews

Book Review

42 reviews

Classic Album

25 reviews

Multiple Authors

300 reviews

Review

4903 reviews

Video/DVD Review

19 reviews

One from the archives

Hopewell

Good Good Desperation
Tee Pee (2009)

Psych rock is a mixed up genre. Ok, yeah it is spacey it technically rocks without really being rock per se. The part where i have issue is that sometimes these bands find it more interesting to write songs that don\'t go anywhere. They just stay locked in their moment in time and space never truly building on a riff or sound just floating. I\'m not saying it is all bad as a genre or that drugs have failed to make for good music ever but, the problem seems to occur when hippies do to many drugs and suddenly think their boring music is suddenly mind expanding and actually interesting to begin with. Hopewell are slightly different than most of these bands as they write songs with actual structures. The … Read more

More album reviews

Patton Oswalt

Werewolves and Lollipops
Sub Pop (2007)

For the most part, humor is always subjective. Not in this case, however. If Patton Oswalt doesn't make you laugh, then you, my sad little friend are wrong. Dead wrong. So wrong in fact, that I can't even look at you. Go on. Get out of my sight. Go to Target and buy the new Bill Engvall album, you jagoff. … Read more

Between the Wars

Death and the Sea
Think Fast! (2007)

Everyone has his or her favorite guitar virtuoso. For some it might be the finger-tapping charmer Eddie Van Halen or maybe they go way back and think of the blues inspired violin bow using wizardry of Jimmy Page. There are even some people out that really know their collective six-string shit and cite Yngwie Malmsteen as their favorite axe man. … Read more

Tegan and Sara

The Con
Sire (2007)

What is it about Canada? You know, Due South, The Arcade Fire, Bret "The Hitman" Hart, Dan Aykroyd, Godspeed You! Black Emperor, Terrance & Philip. Perhaps it's merely been a case of overwhelming ignorance, but lately it seems that all of the best things in the world originated in this faraway place. Last summer whilst sitting in a friend's bedroom … Read more

Engineer

The Dregs
Black Market Activities (2007)

The first time I saw Engineer was when they opened for fellow New Yorkers Another Breath. I had anticipated another youth crew styled band to be playing and I was absolutely astonished when they turned out the lights and performed the loudest set I'd ever seen. From then on I was a fan, no question. For those of you unfamiliar, … Read more

200 Words Or Less

Old Sun

Old Sun
Faux Fetus (2006)

I received this release and was intrigued by its DIY packaging: card stock covered in some kind of blue block print with a heavier cardboard latch closing the front. I'm unable to decipher the artwork, but it looks awesome. Old Sun is from the city of brotherly love, my new hometown. One of the first things I noticed about this … Read more

Love, Hope and Fear

Fate's Frowned on Us
Escapist (2007)

Love, Hope and Fear are not what they used to be. And I mean that literally as well as musically. Their latest release, the four-song Fate's Frowned on Us, is the band's third official release in the band's five year (give or take) career. However, it is their second release since the revival of the lineup. Love, Hope And Fear … Read more

Multiple Authors

Black Cross

Severance Pays
Auxiliary (2007)

What's wrong with more of the same, especially when what you've got is solid? If you're dating Scarlett Johansson, is Demi Moore really an improvement? Unfortunately, Black Cross' newest, Severance Pays, makes me question my acceptance of change and long for their days as a four-piece. With Evan Paterson's move from bass to guitar, Black Cross seems to have moved … Read more

Multiple Authors

Black Cross

Severance Pays
Auxiliary (2007)

Where the hell have you been for the last four years Black Cross? The circumstances that have hampered this woefully underrated band need not be espoused because it really does not make a difference; the fact remains that Severance Pays has been a long time coming, and thankfully it hits in ways that are completely unexpected and leaves a definite … Read more

Torche

In Return
Robotic Empire (2007)

Without a doubt, this just might be one of the more beautifully packaged records to come out in recent memory; Torche's latest record, In Return has been released as a ten inch vinyl record that includes the CD (a great idea that Shellac also hit on with their latest, which more record labels and bands need to start doing), and … Read more

Public Enemy

How You Sell Soul to a Soulless People Who Sold Their Soul???
Slam Jamz (2007)

Soul (noun) : A sense of ethnic pride among Black people and especially African Americans, expressed in areas such as language, social customs, religion, and music. relevant (adjective) : Connected with or saying something important about what is being spoken about or discussed It's been twenty years since the release ofYo, Bum Rush the Show and Public Enemy are still … Read more

Burden of a Day

Pilots & Paper Planes
Blood & Ink (2006)

It might say something for my enthusiasm for this record that it has sat for almost a year in my 'to review' pile since first receiving it. While I do attempt to avoid at least complete bias in my reviews, in the case of Florida's Burden of a Day, I knew exactly what I was going to hear when I … Read more

Never Looking Back

Fragile Hearts
Detonate (2007)

Here we go again. Once again we have yet another young hardcore band, this time hailing from Tacoma, WA, playing overly sincere emotional overcharged hardcore. If you have heard Modern Life is War, Comeback Kid, or maybe Shai Hulud you get the gist of what Never Looking Back is trying to accomplish. If you can sense my boredom right now, … Read more

The Good Life

Help Wanted Nights
Saddle Creek (2007)

Bands evolve and the fans have to deal with it. Their musical palette expands and the records change. This holds true with Cursive frontman Tim Kasher's music catalog. However, one aspect never changes, his bleak outlook on the world. It's always cynical, full of sarcasm, and consistently heartbroken. No matter what musical guise he wears, these sentiments are expressed through … Read more

Wisdom in Chains

Class War
Eulogy (2007)

A lot has been made lately of the throwback sounds that are ultra popular in hardcore these days. It seems that if you're not biting from the likes of Integrity, then you're probably ripping of Lifetime. Or, if neither of those are your cup of tea, you'll stealing a page from the early Revelation bands like Burn. Well, keeping with … Read more

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