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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)

Hope of the States

The Lost Riots
Sony (2004)

On The Lost Riots, Hope of the States debuts with tragedy on their shoulders. In midst of recording the album, founding guitarist James Lawrence was found dead in the studio as a result of an apparent suicide. Do not, however, write this album off as merely pieces of suicide notes because of some lamenting lyrics like "I carry sadness on my back/I lose I know I always will" and the end of the world artwork on the cover; the major theme of the album is hope, as the band name suggests. Hope of the States moved beyond the tragedy of Lawrence's death by keeping the band and the songs they recorded with producer Ken Thomas (of Sigur Rós fame) intact. Hope of the States initiates their debut with a violin sawing alongside the intense thrashing of electric guitars in "The Black Amnesias." The song captures the most poignant sections of the album without using a single word. It is hard to believe that the same band plays on "Enemies/Friends;" they sound extremely mediocre, because here the band underplays their instruments. Sam Herlihy's vocals cannot provide the epic crescendos and lushness that the band does create so well with their instruments … Read more

Isis

Oceanic Remixes Volume IV
Robotic Empire (2004)

The time has finally come. Originally scheduled for a release in November, printing and pressing delays pushed the album's release … Read more

Sonic Youth

Sonic Nurse
Geffen (2004)

Since June, I've been laboring over how to start off a review of Sonic Nurse. Now, it's December, and all … Read more

Bright Eyes

Lua / Take It Easy
Saddle Creek (2004)

Writing, recording, and releasing the "emo opus." Selling roughly around 175,000 units of that opus. Playing on late-night talk shows … Read more

Pinback

Summer In Abaddon
Touch & Go (2004)

Directly after the cover of Pinback's photographically dense lyrics booklet, there is a certain image that I consider of extreme … Read more

AFI

AFI
Nitro (2004)

Perhaps this is a bit of a stretch, but I've always found the careers of both AFI and the Flaming … Read more

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One from the archives

The Fiery Furnaces

Blueberry Boat
Sanctuary (2004)

Music as true art begs to be delved deeper into. Controversially classic albums such as Daydream Nation, Zen Arcade, and Kid A warrant very little before much time and myriad repeat listens. On first hearing, albums such as the aforementioned often appear completely impenetrable, inaccessible, and, in some cases, entirely unlistenable; nothing exists to grab the listener instantaneously by the hair and shout "THIS IS BRILLIANT" in his or her face; there is nothing immediate to latch on to; nothing that most can easily wrap their minds around upon first exposure. With patience and an open mind, however, most serious music fans will eventually warm up to these albums, allowing them to toy with (or possibly destroy) conventions, open up worlds, and ultimately change how the listener thinks about music … Read more

More album reviews

Capillary Action

Fragments
Pangaea Recordings (2004)

I've heard that people who review music are failed musicians. This is not the case with Capillary Action, whose composer/music maker/sometime music critic Jonathan Pfeffer is known to masturbate frequently while listening to The Fucking Champs, Pinback, Thelonious Monk and The Red Light Sting. Pfeffer's ejaculation from these sessions created Fragments, a ten song affair between jazz, metal, ambience, rock, … Read more

M83

Dead Cities, Red Seas & Lost Ghosts
Mute (2004)

Listening stations in major music stores really suck. There's always some dolt who doesn't know how to use it ("SCAN HERE" is never in his or her vocabulary), or someone's playing mind-numbingly awful music with the volume at 11 so that everyone in the store can hear the decline of western civilization without ever having to leave their place in … Read more

Joanna Newsom

The Milk-Eyed Mender
Drag City (2004)

The Milk-Eyed Mender came out in March and has been gathering press clips like a two-ton goliath going berzerk at a post-bar mitzvah shindig. It's freaking December and I haven't written anything about this record! So, what's a distraught proto-writer to do when 'best of 04' lists start trickling in? Easy! For you lovely readers, wherever you are, check the … Read more

Bones Brigade

Focused
Fight Fire With Fire (2004)

When a band matures and begins changing their sound on their newest album, fans either embrace it or begin distancing themselves like flies from soap. While not making any radical changes, the changes in Focused by Bones Brigade are obvious and appreciated. The first major change is that Andrew left with his punk/youthful screams and has been replaced by Brian … Read more

The Hives

Tyrannosaurus Hives
Interscope (2004)

The Hives are back, and this time they're doing it in white jackets. The Swedish five-some hit the American music scene hard three years ago, when, according to their website, the album Veni Vidi Vicious "reintroduced rock in the mainstream (No, I mean actual ROCK MUSIC)." Yes, that's right, folks. Actual, foot-stomping, screamin' vocals rock music, not that "garage" misnomer … Read more

Nirvana

With the Lights Out
Geffen (2004)

Shortly after Kurt Cobain's death in 1994, a local college radio station DJ took it upon himself to air an entire show of Nirvana material, much of which was rare b-sides, covers, and demos that had never graced my ears before. Luckily, I was armed with a tape deck and several blank cassettes, and when it was all said and … Read more

Johnson, Will

Vultures Await
Misra (2004)

Will Johnson not only fronts the incestuous bands Centro-matic and South San Gabriel, but he also has a solo career on the side. After recording numerous albums in eight prolific years, Johnson is still not at a loss for words. He suppressed and collected his sorrow over time to relinquish on his solo sophomore album, on which he plays the … Read more

Make Believe

Make Believe EP
Flameshovel (2004)

Thanks to a friend of mine, Blaine Patrick, lately I've been getting into American Football, Cap'n Jazz and Owen. These bands, among others, are all connected by the Jacksons of indie rock, the Kinsella brothers. When I heard Tim Kinsella's band Joan Of Arc I was disappointed. They're definitely creating their own sound, but something was missing. Recently Tim Kinsella's … Read more

Helmet

Size Matters
Interscope (2004)

Helmet falls into the category of bands that had the unfortunate luck of spawning a group of bands that were nothing more than third-rate rip-offs. This puts them in the company of fellow alternative metal act Faith No More. How unfortunate. I'm sure front man Page Hamilton is spinning in his grave. Or at least he would be, if he … Read more

Death From Above 1979

You're a Woman, I'm a Machine
Vice (2004)

To those that call this album stoner rock, metal, noise rock, a twisted take on dancepunk, or each of the above ' you're all wrong. And I wish I could tell you why in a way that wasn't already said better by someone else; as Jim Carrey put it in the critically underrated Cable Guy, 'Don't dig too deep, or … Read more

Lair of the Minotaur

Carnage
Southern Lord (2004)

It will take roughly 20-30 seconds of Carnage for you to come to the conclusion that it's no surprise that Lair of the Minotaur's debut ended up on Southern Lord Records. Oddly enough, this is actually a re-released effort, a vinyl version of the album that featured only six tracks. So it's quite a treat to have this version for … Read more

The Rise

Reclamation Process
Law of Inertia (2004)

Someone call the RIAA because I stole an album. That's right, I downloaded the entire Reclamation Process album using a downloading program that shall rename nameless. So how long before I can expect a knock at my door from men in black? Who cares? Let them knock. Why am I being so bold about illegally downloading music? Perhaps it is … Read more

Multiple Authors

The Blood Brothers

Crimes
V2 (2004)

When it comes to The Blood Brothers, you could call me a fan boy. Everything they've released (minus Rumors Laid Waste which I won't count) keeps progressing, keeping me on my toes. With This Adultery Is Ripe, The Blood Brothers were able to release some of the most energetic music without constraining themselves to a single genre. March On Electric … Read more

Multiple Authors

The Blood Brothers

Crimes
V2 (2004)

The Blood Brothers' second album in little over a year and half finds the Seattle quintet treading some unfamiliar ground, to say the very least. Not to fret, long-time fans of the Brothers of Blood - the trademark frenetic rhythms, angular guitars (which often recall Duane Denison on a bad crack binge), stop-start dynamics, and the dual shrieking voices of … Read more

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