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Nicole Atkins

Bleeding Diamonds
Columbia (2006)

What is it with the recent explosion of male singer/songwriters? Almost like buses, none show up for ages and then all of a sudden a billion swarm you and the one that everyone jumps onboard turns out to be James Blunt. And where have all the female singer/songwriters gone? It seems that when there is a rise in one sex … Read more

Call it Fire

Demo
Independent (2007)

Oh wow, another Long Island hardcore band? Seriously? Man, I can't really say I saw this one coming. All sarcastic comments aside, Long Island, New York has cranked out some seriously great bands over the years. I mean, who else has a pedigree like Glassjaw, Silent Majority, Brand New and Crime in Stereo? More or less, you know the score … Read more

This Time Next Year

Demonstration
Independent (2006)

I know I've said this before, but God bless the Bay Area! Five-piece outfit This Time Next Year is the latest band to emerge from the thriving music scene of the Golden Gate. The young pop-punk outfit hits the scene with Demonstration, five tracks of fabulous pop-punk and melodic hardcore fused as one. "The Wise are Always Better" begins the … Read more

Escape the Floodwater Jug Band

Whiskey Will Fix It
Super Amigos (2006)

A half a century ago, when America was a more wholesome place than its current manifestation, a man by the name of Kerouac wrote the great American novel of its time. In the novel, On the Road, Kerouac recounts the adventures had when crisscrossing the newly developed highway system. Kerouac himself often romanticized of an even earlier America still: a … Read more

Menomena

Friend and Foe
Barsuk (2007)

Wow, this is really rare. Admittedly, this is my first exposure to Menomena - in a nostalgic sort of way; I love their band name. I was drawn to Friend and Foe, the second full-length from the band, because of the superior artwork that they employ for the packaging of the record. What is inside that packaging was a total … Read more

Striborg

Nefaria
Southern Lord (2007)

When all else is said and done, I like my metal like I like my coffee: black, bottomless, and smelling like the inside of a cave. It doesn't need to be fancy. No cream, no sugar no artificial flavors to make it more palatable. Sparse arrangements with sparser production that sounds like it was recorded amongst the smoldering remnants of … Read more

Combichrist

What the Fuck is Wrong With You People?
Metropolis (2007)

Andy LaPlegua is a man of many talents. He's tried his hand at everything from hip-hop to metal, from industrial to hardcore, from punk to trance. After forming the now highly successful Icon of Coil in 1997, LaPlegua has gone on to establish three side-projects, each equally successful in their own right. Among these is aggrotech group Combichrist, whose accomplishments … Read more

Secondhand Serenade

Awake
Glassnote (2007)

It wasn't long ago that a bushy eyebrowed, full-sleeved tattoo sportin' Christian by the name of Chris Carrabba left his rock band, Further Seems Forever, to embark on nearly overnight emo superstardom under the guise of Dashboard Confessional. About that same time, I gave up on emo. I saw it become a marketing scheme to sell boring records to lackluster … Read more

Die Young

Graven Images
Eulogy (2007)

Each year, like so many other music-obsessed individuals, I make a list of my most anticipated albums. In doing so, I am setting myself up for the possibility of total disappointment. Die Young (TX) was one of the bands on said list, but this album is not a disappointment. On the contrary, not only did Die Young (TX)'s - it … Read more

Orthodox

Gran Poder
Southern Lord (2006)

Spanish doom? Southern Lord's Orthodox might want to rethink their name - honestly. Sure, the black robes are spooky and all, but it's a lot easier to wear them all the time if you're Sunn0))). Los Angeles is warm, I know, but fucking Spain? It's got to be sweaty inside those things. I suppose if the prime directive is to … Read more

Cursed

Blackout at Sunrise
Goodfellow (2007)

Cursed are one of those hardcore/punk bands that are genuinely worth people's time and attention. Their music is vicious, honest, and gloriously consistent. The lyrics are both personal and politically driven. One could almost say that topically there is something for everyone, particularly for those into heavy punk rock and hardcore. Every record that they release is almost guaranteed to … Read more

Khlyst

Chaos is My Name
Hydra Head (2006)

Khlyst, being comprised of James Plotkin (formerly of Khanate and involved in a multitude of other projects) and Runhild Gammelsaeter (formerly of Thorr's Hammer), could easily be expected to produce some of the most unsettling music out there. But Chaos is My Name is almost too avant-garde for its own good. Chaos is My Name has an ebb and flow … Read more

Protagonist

Reasoning with Time
Stakeout (2007)

Reasoning with Time is the follow-up offering to Protagonist's debut effort, Hope and Rage, which was put out by Blackout! Records back in 2003. It's been sometime since we last heard from these boys, but I'm glad to hear new material. Oftentimes promising acts wait too long to write, record, and release new material and end up being forgotten. So … Read more

Middian

Age Eternal
Metal Blade (2007)

I can think of very few albums I have ever purchased, listened to once, and sold back to the store. Generally, I am a pretty forgiving guy and I can find something worth listening to on a disc. However, YOB just was not my cup of tea. I don't know what it was, but after I listened to the latest … Read more

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