Recent reviews

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)

Massive Nightmares

Massive Nightmares
Independent (2024)

Right from the start, this EP sounds familiar. I can’t quite place the band I’m thinking of, but Massive Nightmares hit quickly in a warm and familiar way. They play punchy punk with a big dose of The Replacements-style rock ‘n’ roll. It’s killing me that I can’t place who, exactly, they remind me of, but members also play/played with Great Lakes USA, No Trigger, Save Ends, and David New Joy -- so maybe it’s one of them. Other sites have named The Lemonheads and The Gaslight Anthem too, which are all fitting descriptors. Anyway, back to the review. While the lyrics are serious and emotional, they also don’t take themselves too easily. The opening track, “Worth It,” has some backing “woos” that sound ad libbed -- in a “probably wasn’t supposed to be on the record” kind of way. And to double down on that silliness, “Back To The Beach”( which is a good choice as a single if you just want to hear one song for the band’s vibe) even has a moment where the band makes fake guitar sounds. But otherwise it’s a melancholy, self-deprecating punk rock tune that’s almost too downer to singalong to its catchy … Read more

Aluk Todolo

Lux
NoEvDia (2024)

Aluk Todolo's experimentalism always felt boundless, not shackled to a particular sound or genre. Since their inception back in 2004, … Read more

Chimes Of Bayonets

Replicator
Peterwalkee Records (2024)

New York based three piece, Chimes Of Bayonets, released their first album, Replicator, in February of this year after a … Read more

Night Jobs

Shop Dog EP
Independent (2024)

Can a band sound too personal? Too local? These are my burning questions as I break down the latest EP … Read more

The Dopamines

80/20
Rad Girlfriend Records (2024)

On the brand new 80/20, The Dopamines break into a whoa-oh! about six seconds in, then their trademark shouted vocal … Read more

The MES

Evil Echo and Deaf Mind-
Independent (2024)

Divine intervention from Finland weaving this ripsnorter straight up the nasal cavity producing flashing lights and heightened endorphin production ……. … Read more

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One from the archives

Steven Wilson

The Raven that Refused to Sing (And Other Stories)
Kscope (2013)

Though they all claim lineage to the great acts of the 1970s, no modern progressive band can claim that they sound even remotely similar to them. Bands in the modern progressive rock genre (see Transatlantic, Spock's Beard, Coheed and Cambria) tend to sound closer akin to brightly-polished half-metal than the rock of the 70s, with a loudness and clarity that was completely unknown to their progenitors. Compared to the generally softer, dirtier, and less polished sound of their forebearers, it's hard to imagine that they are cast from the same musical mould. Even bands who are still around from that time (like Rush and Yes) sound a far cry from their earlier works.Part of that, obviously, is just a change in the musical landscape: with better equipment comes a different … Read more

More album reviews

Various Artists

Middle-Aged Queers / The Raging Nathans - DCxPC Live Volume 20
DCxPC Live, Wave Mage Records (2024)

Beginning with the layout of their album covers and continuing with the live recording theme, DCxPC Live releases are inspired by V.M.L. Records from the mid-1990s. Like that label, it’s about the energy and what it’s like to be in person at a show. While of course everybody wants a nice sounding record, the goal is more about mood than … Read more

Rob Moss and Skin-Tight Skin

Records
Rock On Records (2024)

Rob Moss was a member of one of my favourite D.C early hardcore bands, Government Issue as well as Artificial Peace. While Rob officially joined Government Issue in 1983 and played on their US tour, one could say he was a GI since the band began. Rob not only sang backup vocals on the Legless Bull E.P., he made that … Read more

Vicious Dreams

Turn Off My Brain
Brassneck Records, Dirt Cult, GC Records, Swamp Cabbage Records (2024)

Poppy punk from Florida, Vicious Dreams is a dual vocal trio who recently released Turn Off My Brain. This record follows the tried and true garage to rock to punk evolution of 4/4 songs with catchy choruses. What makes the group stand out is the way the two vocalists split duties and songwriting. It’s very clear when the songwriter changes, … Read more

Stoke Signals

Make Dying Fun
Independent (2024)

Stoke Signals are an emo-punk hybrid. The band bears most of the marks of the midtempo, singalong gruff-vocal punk I enjoy. But with some song structure and lyrical patterns of the far more popular emo-rock style that took off some 20 years ago. And: live by emo, die by emo. It’s a genre that puts the lyrics front and center … Read more

200 Words Or Less

Assistert Sjølmord

Assistert Sjølmord
Static Shock Records (2024)

They say love is a universal language. But this eponymous EP by Norway’s Assistert Sjølmord is downright angry, so maybe they got that one wrong. I don’t know what they are singing about on here at all, though I can discern a few words from the song titles. But this 7” is a 7-song rager. The drums set the tone, … Read more

The Mocks

Do You Want Me Too?
Wap Shoo Wap Records (2024)

Retro music as retro as this is not something I listen to a lot. Nick Waterhouse is the closest comparison I can make that I actually listen to. So why on earth am I reviewing this album, you might wonder? Well, I discovered their label last year. Wap Shoo Wap is a Dutch label specialized in old school punk and … Read more

200 Words Or Less

Lucta

Eterna Lotta
Static Shock Records (2024)

Lucta come from Milan, IT and play heavy, fast hardcore that sounds straight out of 1984. It’s aggressive, while also feeling unpredictable and a little bit unstable, like it could break into pure chaos at any moment. There are some metallic flourishes, kicking off with a minute-plus heavy atmospheric instrumental lead in the intro track, “Sacrificio,” but then it shifts … Read more

Geneviève Beaulieu

Augury
Union Finale Records (2024)

There is no doubt that Menace Ruine is a pioneering force in the extreme music space. The Quebec-based duo of Geneviève Beaulieu and S. de la Moth honed their avant-garde sound by encapsulating components of drone, neo-folk, and tinges of black metal. This unique mix resulted in some of the seminal works of the ‘10s, particularly Alight In Ashes and … Read more

Scrunchies

Colossal
Learning Curve Records (2024)

I’ve covered a lot of bands in the Scrunchies family tree in the past, so Colossal is pretty much what I expected. Yet, at the same time, it’s a slight turnaround in style for the band, who released Feral Coast in 2022, which was a punkier sound. Their third LP, on new label Learning Curve, Colossal takes a hard ‘90s … Read more

MakeWar

A Paradoxical Theory of Change
Fat Wreck Chords (2024)

This is the third album from MakeWar and they have their sound pinned down. I mean that, in the best way possible, A Paradoxical Theory Of Change is exactly what you want from the band. I also note it because, as it’s my third time review them, I’m trying not to repeat myself. This album introduces a new drummer, Alejandro … Read more

Shehehe

Namedroppers
Say-10 (2024)

  Shehehe, from Athens, GA, deliver a powerful sound that’s part rip-roarin’ rock ‘n’ roll, and equal part Ramones. It’s as classic as it gets in a way, while still feeling like a unique band that’s doing their own thing. Throw in a dose of DIY grit, and you’ve got their general sound. It’s punk rock from the heart, where you … Read more

200 Words Or Less

Bootlicker

1000 Yd. Stare
Neon Taste Records, Static Shock Records (2024)

This full-length record might fit on a 7”. It’s short and fast, but still definitely a full record with 10 fully-formed tracks of stomping punk rock just over 15 minutes overall. I’ve written about the band before and this record continues their trajectory. I remember a little more barking and aggression last time, but that isn’t to say this record … Read more

Various Artists

DCxPC Live Volume 22
DCxPC Live (2024)

Volume 22 of DCxPC Live, a live album vinyl record label for punk, hardcore, ska and metal bands, features Sticky Steve, Borrowed Sparks, Jacob Danielsen-Moore and Dougie Flesh and the Slashers. This iteration leans heavy into folk punk and psychobilly sensibilities. Think Laura Jane Grace if she was obsessed with Spirit Halloween and B-horror movies. The vinyl itself didn’t seem … Read more

Swami & The Bed Of Nails

All Of This Awaits You
BMG, Swami (2024)

Some artists slow down as they get older. Who knows if that’s because of day jobs or family or something about the new creative process. It’s all case by case and speculation, and that’s not why I’m here talking about John Reis’s latest project anyway, other than to give a lengthy intro to Swami & The Bed Of Nails, which … Read more

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