Hailing from Detroit, The Gibbons hold a special place in my heart. Not to mention the fact that they play the style of music that first got me into punk rock. This record is quite a bit less poppy than their earlier releases, harking back to the days of The Broadways and the first Lawrence Arms album; bands that created gritty yet melodic personal/political pop-punk which bore a resemblance to Bivouac-era Jawbreaker. This is The Gibbons' fourth release, and first long player (eleven songs), following a split CD with Caulfield, a four-way split 7", and a self-titled 7". "Faces and Names" starts the album off with a jolt; awesome ultra-crunchy guitar. The vocals are absolutely pissed off, but in an accessible way - he's not growling or screaming, or even yelling, but the same desperate tone is carried in Bobby's approach, without sacrificing the ability to understand the message. The lyrics deal with the injustices we face throughout life in both ourselves and others, and why they occur. Definitely a great start and one of the best of the album. "Basement Politics" is about the punk/indie scene in Detroit, but it could really be applied anywhere. On the local level, … Read more
Like all of you, when i think of Portugal, I think of three things: the architect Miguel von Hafe P'rez, … Read more
2005 has been a good year for British bands so far; it seems that for the first time since Brit-Pop … Read more
Let's be honest; Canada is pretty fucking cool.. First sentence and I've already used a semicolon...so very Canada-esque. Who's been … Read more
This quartet hails from Belgium and obviously has better taste in music than a good portion of the people I … Read more
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Defiance, Ohio are somewhat of a punk rock abnormality, having released a slew of records in a short amount of time, yet still maintaining the same lineup and same ethics, even as their popularity continues to slowly but surely rise, despite the band insisting on as little promotion as possible. Rather, the band's constant touring and commitment to the DIY way of life, including making every album they make available online for free, has garnered them the attention of the anarchy-punk community, if not the entire subculture. The Fear, The Fear, The Fear finds Defiance, Ohio at a sort of crossroads, fully backed by No Idea Records, songs available on iTunes, and a change in sound, as an electric bass has replaced the double bass of Ryan Woods. Regardless, Defiance, … Read more
Yeah, I can get behind this. Speedy, straightforward hardcore punk with some youth crew influences and breakdowns. Sound like your thing? If so, I'd recommend peeping Ten 33's Nightmare on Grace St. or at least add them on Myspace or something. With eleven songs in just over 20 minutes, the record has no real flaws. Hell, it doesn't have time … Read more
I once spent a month sleeping in a cramped, musty basement that doubled as a practice space for Small Towns Burn a Little Slower. They practiced three nights a week from 7 to 9 busting out what would eventually lead to the songs that make up the majority of Mortality as Home Entertainment. I couldn't stand living in the same … Read more
You would be hard pressed to come across a review of Magnolia Electric Co.'s What Comes after the Blues that doesn't mention Neil Young. The reason for this is pretty simple, it sounds very reminiscent of Neil Young, on first listen at least. People who count this as a fault haven't been paying much attention to Jason Molina's body of … Read more
Baroness have been one of music's best kept secrets. With the release of their first record, an EP titled First last year, some ears began to perk up and some eyes were opened. Now, with their sophomore effort, Second, everybody who is anybody has taken notice to this Georgia band who are looking to take the metal scene by storm. … Read more
Meneguar, formerly Sheryl's Magnetic Aura, hails from New York and has members of Books Lie, I Am the Resurrection, and The State Secedes. Despite the impressive background of influential and often underrated hardcore bands, Meneguar doesn't bear much resemblance to their previous endeavors. In fact, they're not even hardcore. However, this is definitely as good as or better than anything … Read more
Boring. Derivate. Crap. These are all words that I have heard individuals use when referring to the craze of post-rock/instru-metal that is sweeping our nation, not to mention the rest of the world. One could argue, for days or even weeks, and I'm sure many of you do, over topics such as this. And while I do enjoy a good … Read more
By now you know who's in Some Girls. The cred they've garnered through their previous bands at this point doesn't mean shit if the songs suck. Luckily for Some Girls, they don't suck. With each release they have gotten progressively weirder. The Rains was a grungy thrash EP. The Blues was similar to The Rains but offered a glimpse in … Read more
If I had to nominate an album for the most bizarre and intriguing release of 2005 thus far, I would have no problem choosing Sir Millard Mulch's How to Sell the Whole Fucking Universe to Everybody... Once and For All for that award. This two disc album - marketed as a three disc venture for comedic purposes that I'll explain … Read more
Before I get to the review of Isle of View's Gentle Firefly Radio, I must state the following. This is by no means whatsoever a biased review. I like pop-punk music. I love The Descendants, earlier New Found Glory, Blink 182, and so on. But I don't like this band. Gentle Firefly Radio is very boring, and the singer's voice … Read more
Is this what you kids call "screamo" nowadays? I don't know and I don't care. As far as I'm concerned all music should be split into two genres: the one I like and the one I don't. This album would then fall under the second category, well the first band at least. The album is a split between two bands: … Read more
Contrary to what anyone may think, writing an unbiased review is actually a pretty difficult process. I mean, when it comes to certain bands that you may have liked for years, that whole impartiality thing is a lot harder to come by than for a band you've never heard of before. What's worse is that when Frostmourn's Fall of Lordaron … Read more
"Evolution is the key to survival." I don't know which famous individual stated this, but I am quoting them both out of respect as well as out of fear of getting sued. Whoever that wiseman was, he was absolutely correct. History has taught us that a failure to evolve - no matter what the context - results in certain doom. … Read more
The Lost Patrol started up as Dennis Lyxzen's solo project with the help of his close friends. Unlike the innovative post-hardcore act Refused and 60's throwback retro-punk outfit The (International) Noise Conspiracy, The Lost Patrol is less aggressive and makes use of layers of melody and acoustic guitars. Lyxzen's solo debut under the moniker was Songs of Key Resistance, which … Read more
Let me say this right off the bat: this album is perfect. Modern Life is War has created a record that, at least to this reviewer, ranks right up there with Bane's Give Blood and American Nightmare's Background Music. The sound is actually remarkably similar to Background Music, however not in any way that My Love, My Way wasn't. I … Read more
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