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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)

The Draft

The Draft
Epitaph (2007)

This self-titled EP from The Draft, a digital-only affair (No Idea also released two 7"s with the songs on them), is four songs that are leftovers from last year's In a Million Pieces, so if you didn't like the full-length, you won't like this, and if you did like it, you'll like this. Pretty simple. The first song, "Stop Wastin' My Time", was the song that sold me on the full-length when I saw them play it live before the record was released. I loved the album even though the song wasn't on it, and I was sort of let down, but that's only because this track should not have been left off. It easily bests most of the songs on that album. "Up All Night" could have fit nicely on the full-length, but the other two, "Devil In the Shade" and "Na Na Na", were probably better off not making the cut, though they're decent songs. If you liked In a Million Pieces and you have $1.99 in your pocket, skip the vending machines for a day while at work or school and instead spend it on this EP when you get a chance. You'll be glad you did. Read more

200 Words Or Less

The Wrongmen

Den Of Vipers
Action Man (2006)

Riffs that are spastic, heavy, hard and fast. Vocals that are poetic, poignant, and political despite being throaty and guttural. … Read more

200 Words Or Less

Tel Aviv

Underwaters
Max Recordings (2007)

Okay this will be hard, but just try and stay with me here. Imagine this: Franz Ferdinand crossed with Radiohead. … Read more

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Gifts From Enola

Local Eyes Betrayed the Mind
Independent (2007)

It's been almost ten years since Mogwai released their now classic debut Young Team and still countless younger bands are … Read more

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Blutch

Materia
At A Loss (2007)

It's pretty easy to play in a doom/black/death metal band: depending on the style either play extremely fast or extremely … Read more

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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 … Read more

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One from the archives

Sleepmakeswaves

...And So We Destroyed Everything
Bird's Robes (2011)

All right, it's time for me to flash my hipster / indie cred. I was totally into sleepmakeswaves while they were still a small band on the Lost Children net label! BEAT THAT.*ahem* In all seriousness, these guys have been on my radar for a long while now. They've already released two EPs (one of which is album length), one split album, and one single, all of which are still available for free download. Actually, you know what, go download those first. Right now. This review will still be here when you get back.Have you listened to them? Good. Then you'll have heard exactly why a full-length album from these guys has been long overdue. ...And So We Destroyed Everything is exactly that album, I'm quite happy to report that … Read more

More album reviews

200 Words Or Less

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, this once cinematic instrumental band decided to add some vocals as an instrument and completely leave words out of the equation. "Ooohs" and "Ahhhhs" litter the album as the band traverses through ten tracks and sees them play everything from … Read more

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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 name dropping and ability to sound like their favourite bands but at the same time do nothing of any real originality. These bands seem to just be happy to follow in the footsteps of the bands before them and not … Read more

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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 new two-song EP. While the previous demo had more a new-wave meets rock aspect to it, these two songs tread different water. "A Slow Moving Storm" is just that - a slower moving track that seems to draw an awful … Read more

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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 I didn't. Off Balance hail from Indianapolis and they're out and about playing gigs right now. This demo is seven tracks of throwback hardcore that draws heavily from bands like Sheer Terror and Killing Time. I found it interesting that … Read more

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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 seven songs - one an intro - in just under ten minutes. The tracks contained here are quite reminiscent of the His Hero is Gone/Tragedy school of punk. The songs are gritty and fast; the vocals are coarse and yelled … Read more

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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

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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

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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

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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

Multiple Authors

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

Multiple Authors

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

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