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Up and at Them

Demo
Independent (2006)

Up and at Them are four kids playing hardcore music. No frills, no fashion, no hideous lyrics about suicide or emotions. Just straight-up hardcore; it recalls Sick of it All and Comeback Kid and is delivered with a distinct lack of irony that is strongly welcome in a music world where "irony" is so often used to excuse poor musicianship … Read more

Multiple Authors

Tom Waits

Orphans: Brawlers, Bawlers, and Bastards
Anti (2006)

What are your criteria for a good album, a good record, a good song even? For me, the criteria are many; but there is one that really separates the great records from the good records and that is the ability of a piece of music to elicit a significant emotional response. That tiny requirement means a world of difference. It … Read more

Multiple Authors

Tom Waits

Orphans: Brawlers, Bawlers, and Bastards
Anti (2006)

I'm not going to lie to you. This review isn't going to be unbiased. It isn't going to be impartial. It isn't going to be neutral in any way, shape, or form in the way that all good reviews are supposed to be. I'm a big Tom Waits fan; so much so that in 1999, I spent over a thousand … Read more

Palehorse

Amongst the Flock
Bridge Nine (2006)

During the late 90's there occurred a revival of the youth crew sound that had dominated the hardcore scene during the mid-80's up through the early 90's. Today, we are witnessing what I consider to be a revival of the mid-90's metallic hardcore scene. A significant number of bands are stating influence from the likes of Earth Crisis, Integrity, Undertow, … Read more

Foo Fighters

Skin and Bones
RCA (2006)

Though I can't speak for my colleagues, I find it isn't unusual for an album to be given a great review or a poor review, only to find that a few months or a year down the road, my thoughts have changed about said album, and I find myself wishing I had reviewed it differently. So when I gave the … Read more

The Cheats

Life's Short...
Da' Core (2006)

When bands attempt to emulate the punk rock sounds of the late seventies, there are a couple elevators to enter. The first elevator travels in the direction of older bands at a trajectory so similar to them, it's scary. Scary good. If the newer band had released their songs in the past, they would be remembered alongside bands like The … Read more

American Heritage

Millenarian
Translation Loss (2006)

I want to say, before I get to my actual review, that I give out a lot of high scores in my reviews because I would much rather write about a record that makes me stoked to listen to music than something that I hate after one song. And American Heritage is a band that I am constantly stoked about. … Read more

Roddy Woomble

My Secret is My Silence
Pure (2006)

In 2005, following Warnings / Promises, Idlewild finally decided that they were a rock band all along and that the folk edges that had been working their way in since The Remote Part were just a side track to their rock band credentials. The result of this epiphany was that there was room for Idlewild to do both a rock … Read more

Agent

I Wouldn't Trade That for Anything
Iron Pier (2006)

I know many of you out there don't remember the grunge explosion of the early to middle 90's. After Nirvana's "sudden" success, major labels swooped down on the rain drenched city of Seattle and signed everyone from Soundgarden to Seaweed in hope that maybe their label would find another alternative rock goldmine to strip for all its worth. Well, for … Read more

MSTRKRFT

The Looks
Last Gang (2006)

MSTRKRFT (Master Craft, for those of you who - like me - didn't catch on right away) is the brainchild of Death from Above 1979 bassist Jesse F. Keeler and producer Al-P. An electronic two-piece in the same vein as veterans Daft Punk and relative newcomers Hot Chip, the pair first made their name by flexing their mixing muscles on … Read more

Jeremy Enigk

World Waits
Lewis Hollow (2006)

If you're not familiar with the name Jeremy Enigk, I have only one conclusion: you've been living under a rock for quite some time. Enigk is best known as the frontman for Sunny Day Real Estate - a band whose reputation should precede themselves - and The Fire Theft - an offshoot project of Sunny Day Real Estate. In addition … Read more

Get Cape. Wear Cape. Fly

The Chronicles of a Bohemian Teenager
Atlantic (2006)

Raise your hands if you've ever spent time as a teenager, on the brink of stepping out into the world at large, uncertain of what awaits you. Keep those hands up if you've ever questioned your place in that world, not just on a personal level, but if you've ever wondered what you can do to affect what's around you. … Read more

Pretty Girls Make Graves

Élan Vital
Matador (2006)

When Pretty Girls Make Graves released their 2003 album The New Romance, I didn't think there was any way for it to not make the majority of critics' top 10 lists. It made some, but an album that cracked a window long painted shut and let the air flow through the tomb of modern music deserved better. There were many … Read more

Coliseum / Young Widows

Split
Relapse (2006)

First off, the packaging on this limited release is top notch. It's a screen-printed, foil stamped, cardboard "case" that is all folded like a bit of origami (not really, but it is cool nonetheless). It is a tour CD (you might be able to get from the Auxiliary web store) that served as a teaser for the Young Widows' full-length … Read more

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