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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 Paper Chase

Now You are One of Us
Kill Rock Stars (2006)

On their latest effort, Now You are One of Us, The Paper Chase's Congleton tells a story about a family trapped inside a ghostly house that is literally out to get them. And in the end they ultimately become one of them. Southern Records describes the album as "the sonic equivalent to George A. Romero's classic zombie films." That's not too far fetched seeing as if you were to rid the album of the all the pop hooks, all you'd have left is one creepy and slightly disturbing minimal audio sample reminiscent of a horror classic. You will never find a single song with a pause of silence; there is always something there: a piano in the background, doors knocking, banging, and creaking, or a woman explaining "I was getting off the ninth floor elevator, and I was walking down the hall and I heard footsteps behind me. I turned around to see if anybody was following me and there was nobody there." The record begins with a man on the phone, explaining to the operator that he doesn't have a lot of time. As he becomes frantic he doesn't know how to explain what they are, but he knows … Read more

Ima Robot

Monument to the Masses
Virgin (2006)

It seemed as though the robots had short-circuited after their debut release. They toured non-stop for a year or two … Read more

Heavens

Patent Pending
Epitaph (2006)

Imagine the following scenario: After getting out of work, undoubtedly somewhere shitty such as an office position or a retail … Read more

Lily Allen

Alright, Still
Regal/Parlaphone (2006)

Anyone from the United Kingdom that hasn't heard of young Miss Allen has either been living under a stone for … Read more

The Jonbenét

Ugly/Heartless
Pluto (2006)

The Jonbenét Ramsey murder case has weaved its way in and out of our news chomping lives since the latter … Read more

Cataract

Kingdom
Metal Blade (2006)

Heavy metal and I have been struggling through a rocky love affair since I was thirteen years old. Aside from … Read more

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One from the archives

Hot Cross

Cryonics
Level Plane (2003)

"It's the band that has the singer from Saetia in it", was the first thing I heard about Hot Cross. Later I also heard it contains ex-members of Neil Perry and Joshua Fit For Battle, but being a huge fan of Saetia I immediately was forced to check this new all star screamo band. The first thing I noticed was that Billy's vocals post Saetia have become less screechy and screamy. Perhaps all of that high screaming in his previous band took too much of a toll on his throat or maybe he just didn't like that style anymore, whatever the reasoning his scream is more straight forward. His lyrics have also changed, they are less about relationship problems and more of what appears to be about social commentary. His … Read more

More album reviews

Jawbone

Hauling
Loose (2006)

Blues is a word all too easily thrown around these days; attached to the current clique of US indie bands, "bluesy" has become just another overused adjective used to describe over-hyped bands that don't actually sound all that bluesy. Jawbone, however, a one-man band from Detroit, actually does, mixing those blues up with splashes of punk guitar and garage rock, … Read more

Death Before Disco

Barricades
Lifeforce (2006)

I'll be the first to admit that I often judge a book by its cover the same way I judge a band by their name and cover art. Simply based on these indicators, Death Before Disco did not give me great first impressions. I mean, Death Before Disco; not only is it a terrible name for this bands sound but … Read more

Strike Anywhere

Dead FM
Fat Wreck Chords (2006)

The return of Strike Anywhere seems to be met with mixed emotions by a lot of people, and that's tough for me to understand. While I enjoyed their last proper effort, 2003's Exit English, I know it wasn't their strongest release, but I never expected to hear people claiming this band was past their prime. Past their prime? Already? Yes, … Read more

Strike Anywhere

Dead FM
Fat Wreck Chords (2006)

By now, you probably know exactly what to expect with a Strike Anywhere record, and I mean that in the best possible sense. Unlike Pennywise, still churning out the same tired anthems against "society" and "the government", Strike Anywhere have managed to maintain a furious consistency throughout their surprisingly short career (only seven years), and Dead FM is a good … Read more

Wrong Day to Quit

Vicissitudes
Exotic Fever (2006)

It's a fact of life that hardcore bands, especially those involved with the late 90's screamo era, love to break up. They play a tour or so, leave us without about an hour worth of music, and then they're done. School, jobs, and families understandably take priority, and the band ceases to be. But the great thing about this scene … Read more

Another Breath

Mill City
Rivalry (2006)

Fulton, New York's Another Breath have returned with their debut full-length, Mill City. This is their follow-up to their first offering, 2004's Not Now, Not Ever, which blasted through eight songs in just fifteen minutes. Mill City may contain nearly twice as many songs, but the album clocks in at just over thirty-five minutes. So what we have here is … Read more

Cult of Luna

Somewhere Along the Highway
Earache (2006)

It has finally arrived. It is something I have been searching for months now and feared did not exist. It is the ultimate doom metal/post rock album. I'm sure most of you will grumble that this has been done to death. But, my friends, do not write this off as another Neurosis and/or Isis rip-off, because, it is not. The … Read more

Cult of Luna

Somewhere Along the Highway
Earache (2006)

Cult of Luna is a guilty pleasure of mine. They are a good band that has the tendency to get hammered by the music press for being derivative of Isis and Neurosis, in essence a third generation Neurosis influenced band. Prior to this album, the band's sound has progressed along the same general game plan that was set up by … Read more

Foot Foot

Snaggle and Buck
Oedipus (2006)

When it comes to folk music, I'm pretty clueless. Wikipedia tells me there's neo-folk, folk punk, jazz folk, folk metal, pagan folk, folk noir, psych folk, and my personal favorite, apocalyptic folk. While I'm not sure which of the labels is applicable to Los Angeles' Foot Foot, it's safe to say that they're doing something right. Snaggle and Buck begins … Read more

Nadja

Bodycage
Profound Lore (2006)

There aren't many drone and ambient bands out there that can hold my interest for more than a couple of minutes. There has to be a certain something special there - something epic and enormous - to make me want to keep listening. And Nadja is a band that has that certain something. Nadja is a Toronto, Canada duo that … Read more

Souvenir's Young America

Souvenir's Young America
UndeRadar (2006)

When one's prerogative is to spend half their time chilling out and the other half flying to Jupiter, there is a much-debated question on what to listen to. Souvenir's Young America has brought this dilemma upon themselves and answered it with their first full-length, Souvenir's Young America. The album in question is able to juggle some soft prettiness with a … Read more

New York Dolls

One Day it Will Please Us to Remember Even This
Roadrunner (2006)

Okay, let's run down the list, shall we? Billy Murcia (1951 - November 6, 1972) Johnny Thunders (July 16, 1952 - April 23, 1991) Jerry Nolan (May 7, 1946 - January 14, 1992) Arthur "Killer" Kane (February 3, 1949 - July 13, 2004) For you young'uns out there bear in mind - those dates signify deaths, not roster changes. For … Read more

Learn

Life and...
Malfunction (2006)

If we at Scene Point Blank believed in short reviews I could easily wrap this up by saying, "More sweet hardcore with great breakdowns from the fine folks at Malfunction: 8.5/10" and be done with it. What else do you, the reader, really need to know? Well let me fill you in. Providence, RI's Learn reminds me another young hardcore … Read more

Death is Not Glamorous

Death is Not Glamorous / Undercurrents
State of Mind / Dead & Gone (2006)

I know very little about the country of Norway. Sure, I could hit up Google or Wikipedia and shoot off some facts about their leading exports or how many Olympic downhill skiers were born there, but it would be nothing more than useless information. All you need to know, my faithful readers, is that Death is Not Glamorous calls Oslo, … Read more

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