Call it Fire
Demo
Independent (2007)
Oh wow, another Long Island hardcore band? Seriously? Man, I can't really say I saw this one coming. All sarcastic comments aside, Long Island, New York has cranked out some seriously great bands over the years. I mean, who else has a pedigree like Glassjaw, Silent Majority, Brand New and Crime in Stereo? More or less, you know the score … Read more
Call Me Lightning
Soft Skeletons
French Kiss (2007)
One of the hardest tasks of rock and roll is possibly the simplest: make a good, consistent, and memorable rock album. That's it. That's all it takes. Yet there are few, very few, who have achieved this. Call Me Lightning, a rock band straight from who-knows-where-Milwaukee-is?, has met this problem with great success with their sophomore release Soft Skeletons. The … Read more
Call Me Lightning
When I Am Gone My Blood Will Be Free
Dusty Medical (2010)
Is this the band that released Soft Skeletons? It's been 3 years, and clearly the band has opted to go in a different direction. While the band has never hidden their affinity for The Who, naming themselves after a 1968 song by the group, When I Am Gone My Blood Will Be Free takes their influence to the next level. … Read more
Camera Obscura
Underachievers Please Try Harder
Merge (2004)
With the state of pop music looking more and more depressing with every year, it is always nice to hear a band whose influences reach a bit deeper than the latest craze. In the case of Glasgow, Scotland's Camera Obscura (not to be confused with the San Diego band of same name), cues are taken as much from the British … Read more
Cameran
A Caesarean
Innocent Words (2006)
Apparently best described as "encapsulating the sonic blend of Jack Kerouac's contagious zest for life and Yves Klein's wild and reckless attempts of jumping out of windows," Cameran are probably closer to a severe mix of the art-noise of early ââ¬Â¦Trail of Dead, Sonic Youth et al, and the irreverently hushed, thunderously deafening post-rock of the Mogwai of old. Moments … Read more
Camp Trash
The Long Way, The Slow Way
Count Your Lucky Stars (2022)
Camp Trash is a band that impressed me from the first second I heard them on their first single ”Weird Carolina” before the Downtime EP was out. I can't deny that I got to discover the band through Keegan, the guitarist. (Keegan used to write on many Asian bands for Get Alternative and that includes my band, Ache, getting coverage on the … Read more
Cancer Bats
Hail Destroyer
Metal Blade (2008)
Cancer Bats really confuse me. On one hand, they are almost astonishingly derivative and terrifyingly hip. On the other hand, there is something infectious about their brand of sludge-tinged groove metal that makes me want to drink, fuck, and party all night. And I don't even drink. Following the blueprint set down by their first full-length, Hail Destroyer does nothing … Read more
Candle
Miles and Miles and Miles
Real Love (2008)
Candle is the brainchild of singer/songwriter Kevin Coons, who expanded his solo recording project into a full band. Miles and Miles and Miles is the group's third release in as many years, and boasts a country tinged folk sound with small touches of indie rock. The album begins with "Pennies in a Well," a simple track with a multitude of … Read more
Candygram for Mongo
Candygram for Mongo
CFMedia (2008)
Second record from these L.A. pop punkers. Songs about love, drinking, and disappointing your parents. What else is there in life? "Big Mary" is the best fatty love song since "Whole Lotta Rosie." "I Wonder" could definitely be played on the radio - Steve Jones are you listening? "Drunk in Love" is a great song title, and a cool way … Read more
Cannabis Corpse
Beneath Grow Lights Thou Shalt Rise
Tankcrimes (2011)
You may think you know everything there is to know about Cannabis Corpse. Which is two things (maybe three if you're into Municipal Waste - as they share Philip "Landphil" Hall in common).They love Cannabis And Cannibal Corpse. Whilst these two statements are more than true, Cannabis Corpse are a damn fine band in their own right and Beneath Grow … Read more
Cannabis Corpse
Tube of the Resinated
Forcefield (2008)
The equation is very simple. Take several old school death metal fans and add copious amounts of bud. The result is Richmond's very own blaze-driven Cannabis Corpse. The band, whose idea was to express its love for smoking weed and listening to Cannibal Corpse, released their second album, Tube of the Resinated, on April 20th, a fine day to champion … Read more
Cannibal Corpse
Kill
Metal Blade (2006)
I initially prefixed the heading of this review as "Neil vs. Cannibal Corpse"; such was my preemptive assumption that I would hate Kill. I set myself ready for war. God knows from the off I was handed a plethora of ready material to systematically destroy the band. I mean, just look at any of their promo photos. Fucking fruits. A … Read more
Cape Noire
Ad Nauseam EP
Independent (2014)
It's a blank, black slate. There is little information, and everything about Cape Noire is ambiguous. Live pictures are, fittingly, of a woman in a black cape, her face shielded from the glare of the lights. As far as anyone knows, in the absence of a back story, Cape Noire have appeared out of nowhere. Their Ad Nauseam EP is … Read more
Cape Of Bats
Transylvania
Holy Terror (2012)
Cape of Bats is probably the least known about band in the Holy Terror Roster. Cape has slowly been releasing songs online for free throughout the past couple years. Now one the cusp of their first physical release one may ask what are they about. Well, with as many ill founded conclusions one could come to between their name and … Read more
Capillary Action
Fragments
Pangaea Recordings (2004)
I've heard that people who review music are failed musicians. This is not the case with Capillary Action, whose composer/music maker/sometime music critic Jonathan Pfeffer is known to masturbate frequently while listening to The Fucking Champs, Pinback, Thelonious Monk and The Red Light Sting. Pfeffer's ejaculation from these sessions created Fragments, a ten song affair between jazz, metal, ambience, rock, … Read more
Capillary Action
So Embarrassing
Pangaea (2008)
There is a small set of musicians that I would consider to be more than just your average artist. When it comes to composing music, the arrangement and execution of these pieces, as one is a feat that only the most talented of individuals can excel at. The most obvious choice to me is Mike Patton. Anyone that has witnessed … Read more
Capital
Blind Faith
Iron Pier/Just a Audial (2009)
Tommy Corrigan does no wrong. Silent Majority was an amazing and completely underrated band. Blood Red was an outstanding and original sounding group. And his most recent music endeavor Capital is all of those in one. Capital's sound is fresh and nostalgic at the same time. Blind Faith is a 7" of the songs from a once-planned split with Crime … Read more
Capital
Homefront
Revelation (2007)
There is presumably no one this side of the Mississippi that is more stoked than me on hearing the latest offering from the Long Island hardcore outfit Capital. Bands like Capital, Thieves and Assassins, Agent, and even Crime in Stereo have made many of us older hardcore fans forget about recent "Strong Island" emo superstars like Taking Back Sunday and … Read more
