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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

The Arcade Fire

Neon Bible
Merge (2007)

On Arcade Fire's likeable, but dark new album, Neon Bible, there are many things that differ from their critically acclaimed debut, Funeral. The Montreal based indie rockers have a lot more money behind them and you can immediately tell by the sound quality of their recordings. That said, the songs still have their haunting lyrics and feel. "Black Mirror" recalls … Read more

Blood Redemption

Blood Redemption
Genet (2007)

For years, it's been without question that Europe is the breeding ground for so many metalcore acts. Now even more bands seem to be coming out of the woodwork with the recent boom of this style being on the rise. That's not to say these are all your average newcomers; they are seasoned veterans hoping to continue playing a style … Read more

The Locust

New Erections
Anti (2007)

The Locust is an extremely polarizing group. On one hand, people take them as a complete joke. On the other, people take them extremely seriously. I fall somewhere in the middle and find them to be wholly entertaining with some substance hiding beneath the cacophony that they unleash on listeners. On this new album, New Erections, we find The Locust … Read more

Skin Like Iron

Demo
Independent (2007)

Most demos you hear today can be put into two categories. The first is a bunch of fifteen year old kids recording painfully generic hardcore/metalcore in their parents' garage with terrible sound quality coming from Nowheretown, USA, desperately looking for your Myspace add. The second is usually a lineup littered with current and ex-members of prominent older bands and the … Read more

The Hold Steady

Live at Fingerprints
Vagrant (2007)

The Hold Steady is a rock and roll band. With this title come certain expectations with loud electric guitars topping the list. So what happens when the band opts to go acoustic and trade the sold out concert halls for a handful of people crowded inside an independent record store? The result is the band's latest EP, Live at Fingerprints, … Read more

Low

Drums and Guns
Sub Pop (2007)

Low are known as pioneers of the slow-core genre, or what I like to call "intense sleepy-time music." They reached their noisiest peak in the winter of 2005 with The Great Destroyer, an album that boomed with huge percussion and the most distortion they had ever put on guitar. Pushing their sound to such a loud extreme must have tired … Read more

Rwake

Voices of Omens
Relapse (2007)

Progressive sludge? That sounds like an oxymoron. When I think of progressive in terms of music I think of Rush being listened to by some nerdy kid wearing a tie-dyed shirt that is playing Dungeons and Dragons in his parents' basement (yeah I stole that image from SLC Punk, whatever). When I think of sludge, I think of some dirty … Read more

Consular

Don't Cross the Swine
Makeshift Origami/Abort the World (2006)

South Florida is usually known for being the breeding ground for such bands as A New Found Glory and Dashboard Confessional. What many don't recognize is that the area also has a seedy underbelly of sludge, metal and generally heavy music. I guess living a couple miles from swamps and Jeb Bush can do that for you. For the past … Read more

Smoke or Fire

This Sinking Ship
Fat Wreck Chords (2007)

Sophomore slumps are a bitch. Smoke or Fire's debut full-length, Above the City, was a nice, short, potent shot of melodic punk with introspective lyrics that felt honest and kept it simple, but This Sinking Ship sounds more like the band is trying too hard to prove that they're relevant. This Sinking Ship is overflowing with political rants, tales of … Read more

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