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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)

Acceptance

Black Lines to Battlefields
Militia Group (2003)

Living in the Seattle area, I hear a lot about certain bands that are a part of the Seattle music scene. I usually don't take a lot of the local hype too seriously, because a lot of the hype surrounding said bands comes straight from the fact that the band is local. The kids get to go out and see this band every two weeks, and might say "hi" to a band member, so they get so much more invested in the band than they probably should be. I've heard it all about Acceptance. Cheers, jeers, rumors of homophobic band ejections, I didn't know what to think. No matter what you've heard about the band's worth as people, what it really comes down to is the age old question, "is the music good?" The answer to that question is a resounding "no". Dishing out one of the most forgettable releases of the past few years, Acceptance are a band riding the "emocore" wave, and will surely be nothing but a worn out sticker on your Squier Strat in a couple of years. The entire EP goes through without a peep of impressive songwriting. The opening track, "Permanent", begins with truly … Read more

Multiple Authors

Radiohead

Hail to the Thief
Capitol (2003)

Thom Yorke had billed this record as OK Computer 2, and Radiohead's cookie doesn't crumble all that different from the … Read more

Multiple Authors

Radiohead

Hail to the Thief
Capitol (2003)

Radiohead are one of those bands that people go out of their way to like because there's quite a bit … Read more

Guff

Engine Trouble
Go Kart (2003)

Sometimes I really wonder about people. I turn on the television and I see rape, murder, and complete apathy towards … Read more

Multiple Authors

Modern Life Is War

My Love. My Way.
Martyr (2003)

The problem with the hardcore scene is that its music has become so immersed in repetition, unoriginality, and generality, that … Read more

Multiple Authors

Modern Life Is War

My Love. My Way.
Martyr (2003)

One of the best, if not the best, hardcore album of 2003 so far. If hardcore doesn't strike your fancy, … Read more

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One from the archives

The Melvins

Nude With Boots
Ipecac (2008)

Rogers and Hammerstein, Salieri and Mozart, DeNiro and Scorcese. What makes a great partnership? Is it differences in opinion that compliment the end result as a whole? Is it a common interest in achieving the same goal? Is it true artistic collaboration and respect of each others' ideas and vision? The partnership between The Melvins and Ipecac Recordings would seem to indicate the latter. Nude With Boots is The Melvins' fourteenth release with the label (not including the 7" series comprising of tracks from Hostile Ambient Takeover). With its release number being IPC-105, that makes roughly 15% of the label's entire catalog attributed to The Melvins. That's commitment and loyalty that's just not found in this day and age, particularly in an era of downloading that have made things from … Read more

More album reviews

Multiple Authors

These Arms Are Snakes

This Is Meant to Hurt You
Jade Tree (2003)

Nothing sucks more than seeing a band live and loving them, then listening to their recorded material and running into a brick wall. The dissapointment would cause you to do such an irrational action. In short, that 'story' covers what happened to me, verbatim. This record contains many elements that it would require to create a really great band that … Read more

Multiple Authors

These Arms Are Snakes

This Is Meant to Hurt You
Jade Tree (2003)

Apparently These Arms Are Snakes's debut EP was meant to hurt me. I'm not sure what I did to them, or why they're so angry, but I decided to review the record anyways. After giving the record a spin, I decided I wasn't really hurt, just kind of bored. These Seattle veterans really bring nothing new or impressive to the … Read more

Multiple Authors

These Arms Are Snakes

This Is Meant to Hurt You
Jade Tree (2003)

The sticker on the front of this CD's jewel case is going to sell lots of copies of it, I guarantee. It reads "Featuring former members of Botch, Kill Sadie, and Nineironspitfire," and the name of that first band will get people buying in droves. And then, most likely, many of those who buy it will return it because it … Read more

Multiple Authors

Thrice

Artist In the Ambulance
Island (2003)

This record is by no means bad, but it's also not a great record. As a newcomer to Thrice, I was prepared to give this an un-biased review. Once I'd sat and listened through the record, I was sad to hear (literally) that they didn't stand out much from the current crop of hardcore/emo/punk/metal-core bands currently populating the scene. While … Read more

Multiple Authors

Thrice

Artist In the Ambulance
Island (2003)

You've heard this record before. Honestly, you have. The last time that band you know jumped ship from their indie and put out a big budget major label debut, actually. Cave In already made this record earlier this year. Granted, Cave In had a mind-blowing first record to give themselves some credibility, which Thrice most certainly did not, but let's … Read more

Multiple Authors

Thrice

Artist In the Ambulance
Island (2003)

Thrice have built quite a large fanbase in quite a short period of time. Perhaps this was one of the factors that led them to singing to a major label (Island) and subsequently shooting out a new record less than a year and a half after the release of their second full-length record, The Illusion of Safety. Illusion sparked that … Read more

Multiple Authors

Ten Grand

This Is the Way to Rule
Southern (2003)

Who knew that such an exciting and promising musical force was sitting right across the border from me? After hearing so much about this band and being severely disappointed when they postponed their Omaha show (and still haven't made it up), I was glad to finally get my hands (figuratively) on their newest album. In all its underproduced glory, "This … Read more

Multiple Authors

Ten Grand

This Is the Way to Rule
Southern (2003)

Upon listening to this in a moving automobile with my father, he was quick to inform me that the singer of this band sounded like vocalist of The Murder City Devils. I have no idea what he was talking about. Ten Grand manages to give off a raw sounding vibe without playing very simple music, which I'm sure is a … Read more

Multiple Authors

Ten Grand

This Is the Way to Rule
Southern (2003)

Ten Grand (formerly The Vidablue) are definately an acquired taste. Hearing their stuff before I thought it was just alright. Nothing to go nuts over. After seeing them live, my outlook on them changed drastically. I gave them a second chance and found out I had been kidding myself. This new record is no different. I suppose you could classify … Read more

Multiple Authors

Ester Drang

Infinite Keys
Jade Tree (2003)

On previous records, Ester Drang's output had an epic feel to it; it was more drawn-out and atmospheric than that on Infinite Keys. However, the strength and rise-and-fall aesthetic seemed to be more of a focus on density than precise instrumentation. Even as 2001's Goldenwest brought out more focused songwriting effort, the composition on Infinite Keys is leaps and bounds … Read more

Multiple Authors

Ester Drang

Infinite Keys
Jade Tree (2003)

The party starts to wind down and everyone is sitting in lawn chairs around the bonfire. There are at least 3 "marijunana cigarettes" being passed around while everyone kinda just kicks back and gets their chill on. Conversation goes back in forth in a mild manner yet there is always one guy dazed out to the music behind him. That … Read more

Multiple Authors

The Mars Volta

De-Loused In the Comatorium
Universal (2003)

Every now and then a super heavily hyped record comes along and completely lives up to all of the expectations set by the preliminary buzz. This is neither now nor then. De-Loused in the Comatorium was hyped by some to be the "best album of all time", but alas, it's not even one of the best albums put out this … Read more

Multiple Authors

The Mars Volta

De-Loused In the Comatorium
Universal (2003)

I've never heard The Mars Volta call themselves "experimental" or "out there," have you? Where does everyone get this idea? Why would anyone call their music experimental? They DO get spacey at times with their long, drawn-out segments of little or no music in the middle of a song (i.e.: "Cicatriz ESP," "Take the Veil, Cerpin Taxt," etc.), but the … Read more

Multiple Authors

The Mars Volta

De-Loused In the Comatorium
Universal (2003)

As one of the few music geeks on the planet who wasn't infatuated with At the Drive-In, I approached this record with very few expectations. I'd heard the Tremulant EP and wasn't too impressed with it, but thought it was nice enough. De-Loused in the Comatorium sounds like a logical extension of that sound, with the same mix of guitars, … Read more

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