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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)

Himsa

Courting Tragedy and Disaster
Prosthetic (2003)

When I first downloabought the new Himsa record, I can't lie, I had really low expectations for it. I'm not a big fan of metalcore, and I've never liked anything by Himsa I've heard in the past. To my surprise, within the first couple tracks, I found myself quite entertained. Himsa really bring nothing new to the table at all, but I couldn't help but find some fun in the metal guitar licks and hardcore delivery. I almost felt rather guilty. Finding some enjoyment in a rather unimaginative metalcore offering is not a typical response from the mind of Sean Patrick Thomas. Still songs like "Dominion" and "Rain to the Sound of Panic" have their initial charm, and at first, the record actually sounds redemeemable. But brother, absolution was on its way. My enjoyment of the Courting Tragedy and Disaster was limited to the first couple tracks. The complete lacking of variety kills the record. By track #5 I began to lose my ability to see color and later passed out. I woke up halfway through the album's 9th cut, "Scars in the Landscape", but only to hear that repetition induced boredom had not ceased. The album seemed a lot … Read more

Multiple Authors

Thursday

War All the Time
Island (2003)

Thursday is an odd band. They released their first record, Waiting, to complete apathy. Then, Full Collapse arrived, and suddenly … Read more

Multiple Authors

Thursday

War All the Time
Island (2003)

Of all these "emo" bands around right now, Thursday is the one that continually disappoints me. I see in Thursday … Read more

The Dismemberment Plan

A People's History of...
Desoto (2003)

First off, the Dismemberment Plan gets props just for the fact that this record came out. Consistently innovative while they … Read more

The Postal Service

Give Up
Sub Pop (2003)

Ben Gibbard has butterfingers lately. No, I'm not accusing him of having an affection towards a particular candy bar, I'm … Read more

Hella

Bitches Ain't Shit But Good People
Suicide Squeeze (2003)

Hella is less a band that be thought of in terms of "good" and "bad" as they are a band … Read more

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One from the archives

The Pogues

Ultimate Collection
WEA (2005)

I've never really been a fan of "best of..." collections. Too much of the time, they are released mid-career without justification or necessity, or to fill an unusually long gap between albums. Even more often, they are used as cynical marketing ploys, or worse, in order to milk the cash cow of any given artist whom lacks longevity. At times, however, they can be looked at less contemptuously, because the band has since deceased and/or made enough music to merit and/or necessitate a condensed collection of their work. Until a few years ago, I would have included The Pogues in this grouping. After all, they've managed to release several albums since the early 80s, with the most recent coming well over ten years ago. But that's where the justification stops. … Read more

More album reviews

Multiple Authors

The Rapture

Echoes
Universal (2003)

The Insound Tour Support Vol. No. 1 packed a few wallops of fantastic music that drew my attention; one of these wallops is known as The Rapture. I felt a great need to go out and get "Echoes", the song, on a Rapture album so I could really experience what they are for myself. Well, that time is now, and … Read more

Multiple Authors

The Rapture

Echoes
Universal (2003)

Something needs to be said about the infiltration of this dance rhetoric in the punk scene. I'm guessing some part of it came from Emma Goldman's ubiquitous, "If I can't dance to it, its not my revolution." This sentence, thought the scenesters, why not make it a call to arms (and legs) for all punk kids to "get down"? To … Read more

The Fire Theft

The Fire Theft
Rykodisc (2003)

Sunny Day Real Estate was a great band. No one contends with this or argues with this. They fell into that elite category of bands that not only managed to shape one particular sound, but an entire genre of music. Their greatness is further embellished and heightened by the fact that they released a terrible record which doesn't detract from … Read more

Rise Against

Revolutions Per Minute
Fat Wreck Chords (2003)

Hmm.. I'm sure this band have a large enough fanbase, I really am. I bet there's a ton of kids that love Rise Against (should that be xRxAx maybe?) and will refuse to hear anything bad about their music. However, as an outsider, I'm afraid I'm going to upset hardcore fans. I listened to this record a lot. I did … Read more

Hella

Total Bugs Bunny On Wild Bass
Narnack (2003)

There are two sides to Hella: the side that plays around with the imagination through the use of conventional instruments and the side that plays around with the imagination through the use of electronics. Although I prefer the former, the latter is pretty good and that's definitely what their new album, Total Bugs Bunny on Wild Bass, is. More specifically, … Read more

My Morning Jacket

It Still Moves
RCA (2003)

My Morning Jacket pulled it off. They have officially won me over. Recently signed to RCA, they released their third full length to surprisingly, a lot of press coverage. After giving this a couple run throughs, I can clearly see why. Starting the record off with a twangy trill from a guitar and vocals with more reverb than you can … Read more

Into the Moat

Means By Which the Ends Are Justified
Lovelost (2003)

After hearing The Dillinger Escape Plan's Calculating Infinity, I had no idea that this style of weird timing technical metal influenced chaos could become a trend, mostly due to the fact that creating this music requires a lot of talent. It took a few years, but to my surprise, this sound has begun to rise from a few bands, such … Read more

Multiple Authors

Stylex

Auto Focus
Action Driver (2003)

I'm not really sure why Stylex are as unknown as they are. I mean, they do this neo-new-wave (or whatever you call it) thing better than most of the bands that white belted scensters are drooling over (ahem... Hint Hint) these days. If you mention them to anyone from outside the Toledo/BG area, they just blankly stare, or pretend to … Read more

Multiple Authors

Stylex

Auto Focus
Action Driver (2003)

Stylex is going through an identity crisis. After their EP False Start, I was ready for more of the same, great, new-wave dynamite explosion recorded on the compact disc medium. The first song, "Out of Focus," holds a lot in common with that EP. It's loud, chaotic, and moves along at a brisk pace. Unfortunately the rest of the CD … Read more

As I Lay Dying

Frail Words Collapse
Metal Blade (2003)

Combining the hardness of nu metal and the catchiness of pop punk, metalcore has been created. Similar to the way ska died, and everybody moved to the pop punk, perhaps this is the new installment in music that will make kids feel "underground" without having to go any further than the local Hot Topic. Walk no further than a Tower … Read more

Elvis Costello

North
Deutsche Grammophon (2003)

By now, if you haven't heard or at least heard of Elvis Costello, something is terribly, terribly wrong with you. Emerging as a part of the punk movement in the late 70s, Costello's combination of biting wit, sociopolitical consciousness, and his amazing songwriting has led to him being heralded by many as the best pop songwriter since the Beatles. The … Read more

Please Inform the Captain, This Is A Hijack

Please Inform the Captain This Is A Hijack
Empire (2003)

Hardcore is a genre that is known to be stifled in it's own mediocrity. Creativity is frowned upon, in fact, in the hardcore scene it seems as if everything is backwards. Mediocre, stagnant bands are often regarded as the best in the genre, and creative bands that take risks are usually scorned. With that in mind, it's great to see … Read more

Grandaddy

Sumday
V2 (2003)

Once again, Grandaddy travel down the familiar road of attaching a human face on technology for the sole purpose of denouncing it. In a shockingly ironic way, Sumday's pleasant, mid-tempo/mid-range vocal melodies and soothing rhythms make it ideal music for programming. With lines like "I'm wondering if I'll ever know/if I'll be better than I was before/when I surface through … Read more

Q and Not U

X-Polynation/Book of Flags
Dischord (2003)

Sometimes I find myself shaking my ass, clapping my hands, and just plain out getting down. I can say that, for 80% of these moments, Q and Not U is the soundtrack to such ass shaking. Sure Different Damage didn't provide nearly as many ass shaking moments but when it provided one, it far surpassed any of them on No … Read more

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