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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

The Cinema

The Cinema EP
Secret Society (2004)

Every once in a while you find that band that is outside of the realm of music you generally listen to and they just catch your ear. A lot of times this could become a "guilty pleasure," which I believe is a terrible term. There is no reason I should feel guilty for still thinking The All-American Rejects were a … Read more

These Arms Are Snakes

Oxeneers or The Lion Sleeps When Its Antelopes Go Home
Jade Tree (2004)

The anticipation of the release of a new album is always a difficult burden to bear. That burden is only intensified when said album comes from one of your current favorite performing acts. But as the day draws nearer and nearer, questions form in your head of what you will hear versus what you expected, the most important being the … Read more

Frog Eyes

The Folded Palm
Absolutely Kosher (2004)

Make no mistake: Victoria, B.C. based band Frog Eyes aren't the amphibious offshoots of cacophonous rabble-rousers Wolf Eyes. If anything, these 'Eyes' are a whole different breed of animal. On The Folded Palm, the group's first for Absolutely Kosher and third overall, Frog Eyes fuse a unique sound encompassing lush, bittersweet organ melodies, reverb-heavy guitars, the freewheeling antics of a … Read more

Malady

Malady
Level Plane (2004)

This may seem like an overstatement or an overdramatic reaction to the task of reviewing a record, but honestly, reviewing Malady's self-titled record is probably one of the hardest things I will ever do. This band is, to say the least, sensational. Comprised of some of Virginia's finest dirty carefree musicians, Malady cranks out some of the catchiest, yet difficult-to-put-into-words … Read more

Aereogramme

Seclusion
Undergroove (2004)

Aereogramme have released two albums on Matador, been media darlings over in the U.K, and has even gotten Aaron Turner (Isis, Old Man Gloom) to do the artwork for their new record, Seclusion, yet, this is my first run-in with them. I figured with Aaron Turner doing the artwork, I'd find crushing riffs, vocals that could crumble buildings, and drums … Read more

Say Anything

...is a Real Boy
Doghouse (2004)

Sometimes a simple idea for a record can be injected with such brutal honesty and wit that all simplicity is somehow lost in translation. As far as I know, ...is a Real Boy was intended to be a rock opera of sorts, but somewhere along the lines the idea sort of went awry. Either way, the songs on ...is a … Read more

Panda Bear

Young Prayer
Paw Tracks (2004)

Though Young Prayer is intended to act as a eulogy for Animal Collective member Panda Bear's (a.k.a. Noah Lennox) recently deceased father, it feels more like a bittersweet celebration of his life than a sorrow-filled reflection. Drawing upon modern classical music (Track 3), tribal African chants (Track 5), traditional Jewish hymns (Track 9), as well as the stylistic imprint of … Read more

Engine Down

Engine Down
Lookout! (2004)

One of the most memorable experiences of my time in Chico was seeing Engine Down live. Their music isn't what you'd call "traditionally" heavy - no blast beats or smoldering guitar assaults to be found here - but that isn't to say Engine Down didn't rock hard live. I saw them after Demure came out, which contained some of their … Read more

Q and Not U

Power
Dischord (2004)

Mike Watt famously said that the Minutemen "divided the whole world into two categories: there were flyers and the gig. You're either doing the gig, which is like one hour of your life or everything else to get people to the gig. Interviews were flyers, videos were flyers, even records were flyers. We didn't tour to promote records, we made … Read more

Oceansize

Music for Nurses
Beggars Banquet (2004)

For Oceansize, 2004 has been quite a delightful year. The band saw the re-release of their debut full-length, Effloresce, here in the US as well as a mini-tour that followed. They were able to conquer our fair country despite the geographical distance from their home. And with the most recent release of their new EP, Music for Nurses, they are … Read more

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