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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 Death of a Party

The Rise and Fall of Scarlet City
Double Negative (2007)

Bands need to stop trying to sound like Gang of Four. It's a fact that they will never be Gang of Four, and no one ever will be. Of course there will be cover bands, but those songs are Gang of Four songs. Leave the repetition for Clear Channel Radio, such memorable music isn't meant to be over played. The first time I listened to The Death of a Party I have to admit I was interested. There is a piece of dance-punk in us all isn't there? The bass lines are forever with us just as are the move busting drumbeats and the rhythm snapping guitars. Even if you have never heard Gang of Four, you know who they are. You have heard them in your sleep if not in your dreams. So the question is, how does The Death of a Party tie into all of this? Well, if you haven't already guessed it, there are similarities. It's very painful to listen to this whole album for a number of reasons. Something that no band should ever do is try to fit their genre. Genres are created only because someone, who ever that deviant fellow (or fellows) may … Read more

The Sea and Cake

Everybody
Thrill Jockey (2007)

Imagine sitting out on your porch or patio on a warm summer evening. You feel like just kicking back and … Read more

Symphorce

Become Death
Metal Blade (2007)

This record really surprised me. When I got it, I was excited about the fact that they are a power … Read more

Feist

The Reminder
Arts & Crafts (2007)

Every now and then, there is a singer that catches your ear with a beautiful, unique voice. In 2004, Leslie … Read more

The Academy Is...

Santi
Atlantic (2007)

Something I've always had trouble imagining is five grown men sitting in a room, writing music that directly appeals to … Read more

The Hourly Radio

History Will Never Hold Me
Kirtland (2006)

I've noticed that pop music has gone through a lot of changes in the last few years. One thing I've … Read more

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One from the archives

Pinhead Gunpowder

Unt
1-2-3-4 Go! Records (2024)

Pinhead Gunpowder began in 1990, recording a 7” in 1991. The band last released a 7” in 2008… Until late 2024 when the band returned with the 14-song full-length Unt. So congratulations if you had “we get a new Pinhead Gunpowder record before a new D4 record on your bingo card. (These two bands released a split 7” in 2000 for you trivia hounds out there.) Unt took me a while too, but not 16 years. More like 2-3 full listens before it started to click. The band’s catalog up until this point was play-it-as-fast-as-you can gritty, yet poppy punk. Previous albums were roughly 10 songs totaling probably 15 minutes each. The new record is a curveball. Perhaps because they say the songwriting was more collaborative than ever, with more … Read more

More album reviews

Chuck Ragan

Los Feliz
Side One Dummy (2007)

Chuck Ragan used to play guitar in Hot Water Music, who happened to be one of my favorite bands of all time. He left Hot Water Music to lead his own life, which left us with The Draft in his place. Now we have a solo effort from Mr. Ragan and I can't help to wonder if Los Feliz were … Read more

Mando Diao

Ode to Ochrasy
Mute (2007)

What if The Libertines were basically decent guys? What about the early Rolling Stones, or Guns N' Roses, or any of the bands who just want to play some rock and fucking roll? I mean like if they didn't ruin their girlfriend's lives and if they didn't smoke crack and if they maybe mowed the lawn for their moms once … Read more

Linkin Park

Minutes to Midnight
Warner Bros. (2007)

Like their peers Limp Bizkit, Korn and Slipknot, Linkin Park occupies the mysterious musical category of "Oh, they're still around?" In 2007, with the nu-metal genre almost completely replaced by nu-emo, the lumbering rap-rock of these late 90s behemoths is missing and presumed dead. So where does that leave Linkin Park? In the commercial musical world, it's evolve or die, … Read more

Hour of the Wolf

Waste Makes Waste
Think Fast! (2007)

Hour of the Wolf are one of the best punk bands in America-trust me. It's a familiar story, kind of a Zen thing (like the tree falling in a vacant forest), but The World Is Different Now: thanks to the Internet, the local band you always knew to be better than any national contenders can now play in the big … Read more

Daggermouth

Turf Wars
State of Mind (2007)

Daggermouth's 2005 release, Stallone was a really solid record. For me, the band came along at a time when no new bands were really catching on with me. I was hooked on Stallone from the start and I've been riding the hype train with The 'Mouth ever since. Turf Wars was certainly a long time in the making, but I … Read more

Sundowner

Four One Five Two
Red Scare (2007)

I've always thought of The Lawrence Arms' guitarist Chris McCaughan as a bit of a lyrical genius, being able to ever so eloquently put to those seemingly indescribable feelings of your mid-twenties to words. The real magic of his game is the ability to do all of this over the distorted guitars and colossal drums that are often the foreground … Read more

Impious

Holy Murder Masquerade
Metal Blade (2007)

For the most part, there is no concept to Death Metal other than…..well, death. Lofty ideas or "concepts" are usually left to the Power Metal bunch who just looooove to show off their epic sagas with tales of wizards and ghosts and pumpkins and whatnot. This also affords them the opportunity to tell a story, usually in great length, interspersed … Read more

Fu Manchu

We Must Obey
Liquor and Poker Music (2007)

If you are reading this, you are wasting time. Buy Fu Manchu's We Must Obey and buy it now. The album's already a few months old, yet without a review on Scene Point Blank. Injustice I say, injustice! Fu Manchu's tenth album orders you to buy it, to cherish it, to love it. And well... We must obey! For the … Read more

The Shins

Wincing the Night Away
Sub Pop (2007)

Mainstream indie pop may not be as popular as it was when "New Slang" dominated the world a short while ago, but that hasn't stopped The Shins from continually engineering contagious, almost viral, songs that affix themselves to your temporal lobe and snub your best attempts to remove them. "Sleeping Lessons" opens the record with a soft, nearly alien, series … Read more

Joanna Newsom

Ys
Drag City (2006)

It's no great feat to experiment sonically and stretch musical taxonomy into another "-core" (clarinet-core, pots-and-pans-core, sit-on-a-synth-and-fiddle-core). We aren't afraid of strange, so long as it's strange enough to earn a fucking modifier - fucking out there, fucking bizarre, fucking genius, man. However, the moment we can't rationalize an artist's eccentricity into concrete, tangible terms - political, intellectual, or conceptual … Read more

Various Artists

Aqua Teen Hunger Force Colon Movie Film for Theatres
Williams Street (2007)

I'm going to be quite blunt right off the bat. Normally I would take the time to write some kind of intro that ties in with the album that I'm reviewing. But I'm not going to waste my time or yours because of two reasons. First off, you already know what Aqua Teen Hunger Force is about and secondly; this … Read more

Ben Kweller

Ben Kweller
ATO (2006)

The refreshing thing about Ben Kweller is that every album he comes out with has a different sound that doesn't alienate any of his fans. His mixture of classic rock and alternative rock keeps fans old and young listening. At first, Ben Kweller's third full-length, a self-titled effort, sounds feebler than his previous works. And it's true, Ben Kweller doesn't … Read more

The Orangeburg Massacre

Moorea
Pluto (2007)

To be honest, I really didn't want to do a review for this CD. I got it the mail, looked at it, and immediately knew two things: This band has a stupid name, and I will probably not like them. Plus, there are other things I could be doing. Camel is coming out with four new brands of cigarettes that … Read more

Lion of Judah

Universal Peace
Youngblood (2006)

Youngblood Records has always been a good consistent label that specialized is putting out albums by fast pissed off straightedge bands like Carry On, Far From Breaking, and Desperate Measures. You always knew what you were going to get when you picked up a Youngblood release and I never put up a fight because I happen to like fast pissed … Read more

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