You know those stickers that they put on the front of CD's that say "For Fans Of.." or "Featuring the Hit Single..."? Well, I have decided to make my own sticker for With Honor's debut full-length. However, instead of a misleading recommendation my sticker will read: "The feel good record of the year." Concise, but informative, the reasoning behind this is quite simple; listening to this album will set you in a state of everlasting positivism. Being one of the few people I know that actually owned Hamartia's demo and anticipated their full-length, I was quite frustrated upon their breakup. But shortly after there came news that members were working on a new project that fell into the realm of traditional hardcore. And I remember the day I stumbled across With Honor's mp3.com page and downloaded "Bridges and Gaps". I must have listened to the song at least fifteen times during the course of the day. What stood out most to me was the inspirational and positive lyrical content. Throughout Heart Means Everything vocalist Todd Mackey belts out anthems of hope. For example on "Rethink, Return" he declares, "we will see heights we never thought we'd reach," while on "All … Read more
Recently, I've made a pact with myself to never again purchase an album with an oxy-moronic title. This is due … Read more
Breathing new life into an otherwise stale genre is a difficult task to undertake, but on Fall Out Boy's first … Read more
Dear Tim Harrington, I don't know if you remember, but when you played at the Great American Music Hall the … Read more
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The Everly Brothers were a staple in my house musically when I was growing up back in the early ‘60s; they were one of the biggest duos around and were known for their soaring harmonies and fusion of the current country sound with rock and roll. They toured and recorded from the late ‘50s through the early ‘80s and amassed a staggering collection of songs in their catalog. It must have been a huge undertaking to sift through them and choose the ones that Dawn McCarthy and Bonnie “Prince” Billy re-interpret here on their new release What The Brothers Sang. The important point to remember here is that, while Dawn and Billy are fans of the brothers, they didn't want to attempt to duplicate the songs in their original format; … Read more
They are from Scotland. They have two other releases titled Songs for Polar Bears, and When it's All Over We Still Have to Clear Up. They have a deceiving song called "Chocolate" that is more about pining for a lost relationship than a Hershey bar (unless the songwriter has a fetish with all things made of cocoa). That was all … Read more
It wasn't that long ago that I was greeted with the news that hardcore act Turmoil had decided to call it quits. After a tumultuous grieving period, I was finally able to take The Process Of... out of my CD player and reluctantly move on. Then one day out of the blew I heard a rumor of band featuring members … Read more
Do you enjoy the taste of cheap beer? Do you pronounce the words creek as "crick" and hollow as "holler"? Have you ever gone "cow-tipping"? If you answered yes to any of these questions, then I've got a record for you! The self-titled debut of Gainesville, Florida's Whiskey & Co. is 9 punk-tinged country songs about booze and pills, lost … Read more
One of the most prominent acts to emerge from the Elephant 6 collective, Of Montreal originated from Athens, Georgia, and is fronted by vocalist and guitarist Kevin Barnes and features bassist Nina Barnes, guitarist/synthesizer Jason NeSmith, guitarist Bryan Poole, keyboardist Dottie Alexander and drummer James Huggins. Since their conception in 1997, the group has released several albums prior to the … Read more
If you are not familiar with the English trio known as South yet, it is my strong opinion that you do so, and quickly. My first exposure to these guys came in the form of the song "Here on in" off of their 2nd record From Here on In. Stylistically the song was simply a cool acoustic song with great … Read more
These guys were incredibly hyped a little over a year ago when they had their demo out. However, then they were known as The Heist and their 7" was about to come out on Dead By 23 Records. Then they had to change their name, their record was delayed, and everything seemed to sort of die down for them. When … Read more
Living in California definitely has its perks. There's the near perfect weather, bodacious waves to hang ten upon, killer earthquakes that hella shred, beautiful ladies with even more beautiful brains (JK ON THAT!), and tons of other stereotypes that are all 100% true. But don't get me wrong, chill ass brah, this isn't perfect-land. As evidence of the lack of … Read more
As the industrial sized meat-slicer rhythmically chopped turkey loaf into delicious slivers, I was faced with the daunting task of timing the machine perfectly with the bass drum pounding in my headphones. Sure, there are much more creative ways to pass time at work but this technique afforded me a guilt free way of listening to Reconstruction Site over and … Read more
The Bay Area and surrounding areas must have an endless supply of hardcore bands. It seems every week I am discovering a new band from the NorCal scene. Time for Living is the latest band to receive my undivided attention, which they first peaked with their demo. With their Rival Records debut, they are going to garner attention from a … Read more
So I was cruising the record store one day with my girlfriend, when I saw this record on sale for $5.97. Well ok, count me in! I had meant to pick it up anyway, so I was pleasantly suprised to find it for six measly dollars. In all truthfullness I wasn't expecting much. I had heard a few songs from … Read more
Springman records are coming of age, and this release definitely shows it. Being the label that got popular on their Punk Rock Strike compilation series, they are branching out as of late with releases from A Day At The Fair (ex-Lanemeyer), and now this split release between Kilowatthours and The Rum Diary. The former I knew nothing about before coming … Read more
Tortoise are one of those bands that never seem to live up to my expectations. Of course I think they're amazing musicians and everything, but I'm always expecting a little bit more. I think a lot of other people do as well. Sadly, I think this is a result of the genius that was Millions Now Living Will Never Die. … Read more
There are side-projects and then there are supergroups. A side-project is something that a band member fiddles with when they are bored. But a supergroup is a project that no matter how hard it is kept under wraps won't be held back. Kid Kilowatt is a supergroup, a supergroup comprised of members of Cave In (Stephen Brodsky and Adam McGrath), … Read more
After releasing their debut, The Fake Sound of Progress, Lostprophets have returned with their second album for Columbia Records. On their first effort the band combined the versatility of Faith No More and the radio-appeal of Incubus with the charm of their countrymen Duran Duran. On their new full-length, Start Something, the band works to avoid a sophomore-slump by jazzing … Read more
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