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Full Contact / Heartbreak Kid

GNP Split Series Vol. 1
GNP (2006)

Split CDs are never a good idea because you usually don't have any clue what's going on, especially when you have two bands that sound alike. At least with vinyl, you have to make a conscious effort and turn the piece of wax over. Maybe the first GNP Split Series will be the split CD that changes everything for me. … Read more

Killswitch Engage

As Daylight Dies
Roadrunner (2006)

Complain all you want about the state of modern music. Yes, we have to deal with fake soul like Maroon 5, fake screamo like The Used, and fake men like Panic! At the Disco. But it's still a remarkable thing that heavy music with abrasive screaming has become at least partially mainstream. You won't usually hear it on radio, sometimes … Read more

Sonic Youth

Daydream Nation (Reissue)
Geffen (2007)

When I first heard Sonic Youth, I didn't know about their formidable New York hipster cachet: Glenn Branca confederates, initially hated by Village Voice snob Bob Christgau, ex-No New York alumni (at least before Steve Shelley got behind the skins), etc. I had no idea that this was the band that bridged hardcore and the downtown gallery scene - how … Read more

Andrew Bird

Armchair Apocrypha
Fat Possum (2007)

With the over saturation of the industry, technology making the ability to record a feasible option for anyone who has ever picked up an instrument, and the Internet spreading music like the plague, what's often lost is authenticity. Currently, there are waves upon waves of like sounding bands making it easy to get flustered and discouraged in a search for … Read more

Six Parts Seven

Casually Smashed to Pieces
Suicide Squeeze (2007)

I'm having real trouble introducing this band. How could I set up a band that's been covered by Isaac Brock and is still humbly putting out albums like they want to? I kind of feel weak for trying. In an almost too basic description, Six Parts Seven are an epically beautiful down-tempo instrumental group. I know you're thinking, "Another instrumental … Read more

Marduk

Rom 5:12
Blooddawn Productions (2007)

Black metal and obscene, blasphemous imagery are like peanut butter and jelly"¦they were essentially made to go together. Of course in a sea of peanut butter as huge as the black metal scene is, it's usually hard for one band to spread on enough jelly to really stand out amongst the crowd. In 1991 Sweden's Marduk took this into account … Read more

Napalm Death

Scum (Reissue)
Earache (2007)

Surely by now, almost everyone within the underground music community has heard of Napalm Death. If you have not yet (what rock have you been living under?), check out Albert Mudrian's Choosing Death: The Improbable History of Death Metal and Grindcore for a bit of a history lesson. This book gives an excellent synopsis of the early history of Napalm … Read more

Tokyo Police Club

Smith
Paperbag (2007)

Back in 2006, a small post-punk quartet from Newmarket, Ontario hit the club scene and blew people away with their brilliant live shows. They then released their first album to critical acclaim and became a major Internet buzz band. Tokyo Police Club has returned in 2007 with a short but sweet three song EP that is the follow up to … Read more

Tiger Army

Music from Regions Beyond
Hellcat (2007)

First things first, where the bloody hell is the Roman numeral? This is Tiger Army IV: Music from Regions Beyond, not just Music from Regions Beyond. I feel a little lost and confused with a Tiger Army album title like this. And only eleven tracks? Who is in charge here? I demand they get back in the studio and give … Read more

Jesse Malin

Glitter in the Gutter
Adeline (2007)

It has been a long time since I've heard a pretty singer-songwriter record reminiscent of Bruce Springsteen and Van Morrison's less folk-based records. Behind these legends there lies a giant gap of singer-songwriters varying from reasonably known to cult artists. Jesse Malin's third solo record, Glitter in the Gutter, is a good record for all who like this kind of … Read more

Gallows

Orchestra of Wolves
In at the Deep End (2006)

For the most part, the state of music - underground or major label - is stale and nothing more than a regurgitation of what has been previously done. But there are those rare gems, those bands that do something that is just a little bit different, that exist and make you excited about music. It's been quite a while since … Read more

Dead Hearts

Bitter Verses
Ferret (2006)

Sometimes a record comes along that just floors me and it's hard to find words to put to paper. I've had a couple of records do this to me lately and Dead Hearts most recent effort, Bitter Verses, is one of them. If I had to choose three words, and three words only, to describe this release, they would be … Read more

The Ergs!

Upstairs/Downstairs
Dirtnap (2007)

The Ergs are self-proclaimed dorks. The great thing is that they are dorks that can write some great hooks. Upstairs/Downstairs is simply The Ergs latest example to demonstrate their ability to write infectious songs about girls and other pop-punk staple subjects. Upstairs/Downstairs delivers where their debut full length, dorkrockcockrod, set the stage for and where last year's EP, Jersey's Best … Read more

Hot Rod Circuit

The Underground is a Dying Breed
Immortal (2007)

The Underground is a Dying Breed is a surprising comeback for Hot Rod Circuit. It appeared that even diehard fans were left disappointed with 2004's Reality's Coming Through. The album's blandness was an especially hard blow considering that their 2002 Vagrant Records debut, Sorry About Tomorrow, was on par with their much-loved Triple Crown Records material. Hot Rod Circuit had … Read more

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