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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)

Indian Summer

Hidden Arithmetic (Reissue)
Future (2007)

It just does not come anywhere near as enigmatic as this. Indian Summer was a very short-lived band from the early to mid 1990's that made music in an era when "emo" was not a dirty word (it was simply derided by uppity hardcore kids). The songs were and still are sloppy, emotional, powerful, and unnamed (their fans later gave names to the songs). Finding out any other information about this band takes research. There is a small but rabid following that still venerates this outfit today. It is for those people and possibly new listeners that this release sees the light of day. Hidden Arithmetic is a collection of the live Blue Universe record and a couple of other live appearances and radio shows. It is a companion piece to the Science 1994 discography (which collects all of Indian Summer's studio recordings) from a couple of years ago. The first song of the set begins the same way as that the studio album does, with the sample of a jazz/soul/blues singer. When the song actually comes in, it is a noisy, ragged sounding piece with a strong loud and soft dynamic. The vocals are whispery during the soft parts … Read more

To the Lions

Baptism of Fire
Goodfellow (2007)

In 2005, former members of Grade and Confine, among others, resurfaced with a new project To the Lions. The band … Read more

We Insist!

Oh! Things are so Corruptible
Corruptible (2007)

Hailing from Paris, France, the bizarrely titled sextet We Insist! recently unveiled the fourth LP of a chronicled and equally … Read more

Strung Out

Blackhawks Over Los Angeles
Fat Wreck Chords (2007)

If you're like me, you grew up buying compilations from punk rock labels. It was like opening up a treasure … Read more

Blackfield

Blackfield II
Atlantic (2007)

Blackfield is the collaboration between Steve Wilson of Porcupine Tree fame and Israeli rocker Aviv Geffen. Blackfield I was released … Read more

Oxbow

The Narcotic Story
Hydra Head (2007)

It's impossible for me to give The Narcotic Story a fair review. As the liner notes state: "This does not … Read more

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One from the archives

Big Business

Head for the Shallow
Hydra Head (2005)

In the late 80's and early 90's, Seattle was the place for any musician to be. A brief yet socially relevant counterculture was spawned, not too dissimilar to punk in the early 80's. The movement, being simply music or something more, had no name but was knighted "grunge" by the media. Much of the music was dirty, aggressive, brooding, and dark. Seattle became synonymous with loud guitars and flannel shirts. Not much has changed in the 15 years since grunge broke out from the underground in Seattle. It is still dense with talented young bands creating the best music in the country. While the sounds may have changed, the DIY style and punk ideals have not. Instead of flannel shirts, musicians are opting for girl's jeans, but that hasn't changed … Read more

More album reviews

The Narrator

All that to the Wall
Flameshovel (2007)

It's safe to say that indie music is the new "pop" and bands like Bloc Party and Arcade Fire have gained a considerable amount of success taking advantage of the genre's newfound appeal. The irony of course is that the very definition of "indie" clashes with what the style means today, and its popularity created over saturation. Thus, less than … Read more

200 Words Or Less

The Pax Cecilia

Blessed are the Bonds
Independent (2007)

If I had to loosely describe The Pax Cecilia I would have to use the term "rock," but doing so would be a great disservice to the individuals that created Blessed are the Bonds. The eight songs that comprise the one hour of music that is this release do contain many different element; the band infuses their sound with elements … Read more

200 Words Or Less

Last Minute Fix / Lie and Wait

Split
Wormhole (2006)

Two of Texas' most promising hardcore upstarts team up on this split 7" release. On the A-Side we have Last Minute Fix, who released Revenge on the Syringe in early 2006. Like their debut EP, the band still leans towards the earlier years of hardcore punk. The bands two songs - "This Just In" and "Commotion" - are short and … Read more

200 Words Or Less

Stag

Stag
Independent (2007)

Stag is a two-piece sludge-metal outfit from Missouri. This self-released four-song EP is a definite homage to the likes of early Neurosis with doom metal experimentation here and there. The drumwork of Ash over the four songs is quite impressive as he unveils a wide variety of techniques. The guitars handled by Michael are thick as molasses, though he occasionally … Read more

200 Words Or Less

¡Apeshit!

¡Apeshit!
Independent (2007)

¡Apeshit! is a four-piece outfit hailing from New York City. They blast through thirteen songs on this, their debut effort, in less than eleven minutes. You don't have to be good at math to realize that means one thing: super short songs. With only three songs clocking in over a minute, the remainder of ¡Apeshit! is sub-one-minute cuts of traditional … Read more

The Unlovables

Heartsickle
Whoa Oh/Crafty (2007)

I first heard The Unlovables on Crafty Record's New York vs. New Jersey Punk Rock Battle Royal compilation. They were one of the bands that didn't blow me away on first listen, but after repeated spins their songs were among my favorite and I quickly picked up Heartsickle, their second full-length. The Unlovables play mid-90's style pop-punk, featuring powerful female … Read more

Caught in a Trap

Rats Get Fat
No Joke (2007)

Caught in a Trap are four, to a certain extent, hefty dudes with beards playing distinctive NYHC styled hardcore which really come as no surprise since they reside in both Brooklyn and Queens. If by some reason you don't know what NYHC sounds like, imagine tough metallic riffs placed over frenetic drumming where everyone in attendance tries to kill each … Read more

Allegiance

Desperation
Rivalry (2007)

Do you ever buy the new album from a band you like and after a couple listens you just think, "This is about what I expected"? Most of the time this means the album is good; just more songs of the sound you've become accustomed to. This happened to me when I got Champion's full-length. I liked it, but it … Read more

Declan de Barra

Song of a Thousand Birds
Translation Loss (2007)

Now, this is a pleasant surprise. I have not been previously introduced to Declan de Barra or previous outfits (Clann Zu and Non Intentional Lifeform). So, there are no expectations for Song of a Thousand Birds, his first solo effort. The promotional CD (which gives no real liner notes or in depth information or artwork that may or may not … Read more

Gallows

Orchestra of Wolves (Reissue)
Epitaph (2007)

The word "fucking" appears on Orchestra of Wolves forty-nine times. Let me break it down for you: there's thirty-nine "fucking"s on the full-length and ten on the two bonus tracks for a grand total of forty-nine. That's not including variants such as "fuck", "fucked", etc. I counted every time it appears in the lyrics (there's an extra in one song … Read more

Pig Destroyer

Phantom Limb
Relapse (2007)

I unabashedly love Pig Destroyer. And while they are out of vogue with the kvlt grindsters, I think they are infinitely more interesting than the million other death/grind bands with illegible logos. 2004's Terrifyer is one of the few albums I would consider a modern classic, naysayers be damned. So when I heard they added a fourth (non-bass playing) member, … Read more

Against Me!

New Wave
Sire (2007)

There have been a few instances that I've gotten pretty pissed off at bands. When Modern Life Is War told the audience that it was a privilege for our small college town to be able to see Converge, I was pretty pissed off, as in all actuality, it is always a privilege for a band to show up to a … Read more

The Number Twelve Looks Like You

Mongrel
Eyeball (2007)

The Number Twelve Looks Like You have always been that band that would come close to winning me over, but never impressed me enough for me to listen to their albums more than three or four times. With their previous release, Nuclear. Sad. Nuclear, there were songs I thought were innovative and worth making a fuss over and then there … Read more

200 Words Or Less

Hollywood Blondes

15 Minutes of Lame
Independent (2006)

I read an interview with Dan Yemin (Lifetime, Kid Dynamite, Paint it Black) where he noted that despite his appreciation of bands that combine a variety of influences and create a sound with depth, the odds remain strong that he will always enjoy a band that replicates Minor Threat's sound. I share a similar sentiment within the genre of pop-punk … 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)