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Hoods vs. Freya

Split
Victory (2004)

East coast and west coast heavyweights collide on this split release from two under the radar acts in today's metal/hardcore scene. Hoods and Freya attempt to set themselves apart from the dullness that is plaguing the hardcore and underground metal scenes. Sacramento's Hoods has been striving for recognition for the past seven years; the majority of that time has been … Read more

On Fire

This Time it is Forever
Magic Bullet (2004)

With the crumbling of The Burning Paris, a void was left that needed to be filled. The Burning Paris' farewell of And By December You'll Know Where You're Heart Truly Lies was the masterpiece that everyone ignored. Only four songs, one being a Smiths' cover that managed to one up the original, the album was gut wrenching and utterly soothing … Read more

Multiple Authors

Life Long Tragedy

Destined for Anything
This Blessing, This Curse (2005)

When was the last time you left your car running while going inside your house to get a jacket from your room because it began raining? And while you were in your room you noticed a CD you thoroughly enjoyed? You began playing the CD and realized the next day that your car blew up and everything inside it was … Read more

Multiple Authors

Life Long Tragedy

Destined for Anything
This Blessing, This Curse (2005)

The way the underground music scene, namely hardcore, functions is vastly different from the days before the existence of the Internet. Gone are the days of having to attend shows to purchase records, shirts, and other merchandise. We now have online distros and record labels that exist only in theory. Gone are the days in which music was spread by … Read more

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 … 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 back to January. Fortunately we were able to pass the time with a new Isis full-length, Panopticon. But now, the fourth and final volume of the remixes and reinterpretations of Isis' titanic effort Oceanic is available for us to bear … 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 I've come up with is a cliche about how I don't know what to say. Really, the only thing I can think to say is that Sonic Nurse is great. It's not flawless, but it is great. Style goes a … 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 while maintaing indie-label status. Being courted by every major under the sun and being able to turn them down non-chalantly. Making out with Winona Ryder. These are just a few of the things that would have happened to you in … 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 relevance to the rest of this tight, ten-track album. It's a picture of a staircase set in arid yellow stone, one that leads downwards into an old underground bunker. This image, along with a similar and intrinsically linked photo at … 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 Lips to be rather similar in numerous respects. Both started off as bands long before their time of popularity and mainstream attention, both have a rabid (as well as strongly divided) fan base, and both bands sound a lot better … Read more

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

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