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)

Rob Crow

Living Well
Temporary Residence (2007)

Rob Crow is everywhere. Just the sheer amount of the bands he has been in could take up the word quota for this review. To sum it up though he has been in such bands as Heavy Vegetable, Ladies, Goblin Cock, and most notably Pinback. This disc takes a lot from Pinback and even has resemblances to Pinback's 1999 debut album which also happens to be my favorite. Needless to say that makes me enjoy this album quite a bit. Rob manages to put all his quirkiness aside which he showcased in his "metal" band Goblin Cock or his collaboration with Hella drummer, Zach Hill, Ladies which finds Rob singing over spazzy and unsettling drumming. Instead Rob has written a very solid guitar based indie rock album with plenty of Rob's signature vocal melodies. If you are a fan of any Pinback material this will certainly hold you over until their new one this Fall. You might even find it to be a bit better than some of their last efforts. Read more

Small Sails

Similar Anniversaries
Other Electricites (2007)

Hailing from Portland, Oregon, Small Sails are here to put you in a seriously great mood. Formerly known as Adelaide, … Read more

Creeping Weeds

We Are All Part Of A Dream You Are Having
Hot Horse (2007)

There are some bands that are just the sum of their influences and nothing more. These bands trade off their … Read more

Aoria

I Know You Came Here to Erase Me
Independent (2007)

It's been a year since I first reviewed material from this Swedish rock group. Well Aoria are back with a … Read more

Off Balance

Demo
Independent (2006)

Whoa! It's like I hit a time warp and traveled back to the early years of the NYHC scene. But … Read more

Restrained

You Have Nothing to Lose but Your Chains
Glory Kid (2007)

A demo tape - heck yeah! It's been quite a while since I've seen one of these. Restrained blast through … Read more

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One from the archives

Virus

Memento Collider
Karisma Records (2016)

Carl-Michael Eide (or Czarl) is a legendary figure of Norwegian black metal lore, with his emergence in the scene corresponding with some of its most important bands' first releases. He appeared playing drums in the first Satyricon demo, All Evil, and the first couple demos of Ulver, before initiating some projects of his own.Aura Noir and Inferno with their thrash or thrash-induced black metal showcased a more direct and raw approach from Czarl, but it was Ved Buens Ende that really saw the capabilities of his (and Dodheimsgard's Vicotnik) vision. Deeply dissonant and twisted, the avant-garde black metal of Ved Buens Ende was destined to release only the Those Who Caress The Pale demo and the monumental Written In Waters full-length. However, Czarl kept part of the spirit of Ved … Read more

More album reviews

Souvenir's Young America

September Songs
The Perpetual Motion Machine (2006)

Originally released as a limited run of 100 cassettes, Perpetual Motion Machine has decided to repress a small number of September Songs in preparation for Souvenir's Young America's upcoming tour with Aughra. If you missed your opportunity the first time, don't miss out on it again. Souvenir's Young America has been slowly but surely making waves in the instrumental rock … Read more

Christian Brady

Christian Brady
Independent (2006)

For those that don't know, Christian Brady is the bearded frontman for Mass Movement of the Moth, and this is his self-recorded cassette that his mom helped him release. Like Mass Movement of the Moth this tape is kind of "out there" in a fun kind of way, and is really all over the place. Expecting to hear typical acoustic … Read more

Sleigher

Worst Songs
Sassbologna (2006)

As their name would make you believe, Sleigher slays, and they do so as a totally improvised, two person unit. Self-recording the music at their house with a guitar, drums, and piano, the results are surprisingly good. This isn't God-awful "Who Line Is It Anyway" improv that leaves you without the ability to laugh for a few hours, this is … Read more

Various Artists

Underground Hip Hop Essentials Vol. 1
Sassbologna (2006)

It hasn't been until recently, with my discovery of artists like Ghostface Killah, that I started listening to hip hop again. I was excited when I saw this release, and knew I wanted to venture into the world of hip-hop reviews. The Underground Hip Hop Essentials Vol. 1 comp features thirteen tracks from underground rappers from around the country and … Read more

Unsane

Visqueen
Ipecac (2007)

Damn, it is real hard to believe that Unsane is still going strong (minus a break from 2000-2003) almost twenty years after initially forming. Like many people, my knowledge of the band originates with seeing their video for "Skrape" on MTV many moons ago. The gnarly visuals (predating CKY, MTV's Jackass, or Scarred) of skateboarding accidents instantly made me a … Read more

Willy Mason

If the Ocean Gets Rough
Astralwerks (2007)

Listening to Willy Mason, it is hard to remember that the voice being projected through the speakers belongs to a youth barely twenty-two years old. His voice is a true hybrid, mixing influences of Bob Dylan, Bruce Springsteen, and William Elliot Whitmore, producing a voice that is mature beyond its years. Accompanied by an array of instruments that help to … Read more

Various Artists

New York vs. New Jersey: Punk Rock Battle Royal
Crafty (2007)

Throughout the 90's pop-punk was an essential part of most punk and hardcore kids' record collections. Even those whose tastes leaned toward the heavier side of the underground spectrum had a special place in their heart for certain Lookout Records gems. Throughout the early 2000's it seemed that the pop-punk of earlier years had been replaced by a soulless, overproduced … Read more

Pissed Jeans

Hope for Men
Sub Pop (2007)

Ask somebody why they like the music they like, and you can get more or less the same answer. We have certain expectations from music, and we judge its quality by how well it meets those expectations. But then along comes a band like Pissed Jeans, throwing a proverbial wrench into the formula of musical enjoyment. Not seeming to care … Read more

Pissed Jeans

Hope for Men
Sub Pop (2007)

The music of Pissed Jeans is what The Wonder Years might have been like if Kevin had been born with Thalidomide birth defects, facing the trials of growing up with flippers instead of hands. Their music is a feedback dissertation for bed-wetters, reprobates, and anyone who's ever felt left out, shit on, or ignored. "Boring Girls" was a shit-kicking one-chord … Read more

Nagelfar

Virus West
Ván (2006)

In Norse Mythology, the Naglfar is a ship built, naturally, from the fingernails and toenails of the dead. Black metal always has been, and I suspect always will be, an odd one for me. Whilst I'd really rather have as little association as possible with the corpse paint, witch hats, and general chastising of Christianity, the dripping black atmosphere is … Read more

Asbestosdeath

Dejection, Unclean
Southern Lord (2007)

If you are at all familiar with doom metal you should no doubt be aware of who Bay Area legends Sleep are, and how big an impact they had/still have on the genre. And you're most likely aware of the post-Sleep projects High On Fire and Om. But you might not necessarily know that Sleep had its humble beginnings in … Read more

Rishloo

Eidolon
Rishloo (2007)

Music enthusiasts with more discerning tastes often feel Tool's work over the last ten years is a little - lacking. Could you really blame them for this? Whether it's a result of the group being spread too thin between other projects or maybe truly running out of ideas after "˜96, it's pretty obvious that Maynard James Keenan and crew have … Read more

Neurosis

Given to the Rising
Neurot Recordings (2007)

This is a Neurosis record through and through. Given to the Rising ultimately destroys any notion that this long running, innovative band are getting soft. Recorded in a very brief six days with long time recording collaborator Steve Albini, this album is an experiment of sorts for the band. Neurosis continues to take steps forward in the evolution of their … Read more

Illinois

What the Hell Do I Know?
Ace Fu (2007)

It's hard to talk about bands you don't know. I feel like there should be a mental block when you describe a band that has a solid fan base, but that you've only listened to a handful of times. Nevertheless, you have to start somewhere, and every band (well, most bands) deserves a listen. So I go forth into the … Read more

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