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
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
These Arms are Snakes / Tropics
Split
We-Be (2008)
Here we have another limited edition split 7", this one that was issued in support of These Arms are Snakes and Tropics European tour together. You get one exclusive track from each artist. These Arms are Snakes offer up "Meet Your Major," which is very much in tune with the band's latest full-length offering, Tail Swallower and Dove. You get … Read more
These Days
Chained to the Lake
Twelve Gauge (2007)
Following the release of their debut full-length, one of my favorites of 2005, These Days went on indefinite hiatus. Needless to say, I was bummed out by the announcement. But after little more than a year off, the band decided to give it another go, and with a revamped lineup got to work on playing shows and writing new songs. … Read more
These Days
Death Sentence
Run for Cover (2004)
Before we begin I'd like to officially admit that I have a problem. I have an obsession with the Nor Cal hardcore scene. So if this review seems a little biased, it really isn't my fault. Especially since the Bay Area and surrounding areas have the most promising scene in hardcore. The latest rising star to come out of the … Read more
These Days
These Days
In Spite (2005)
"Hey, these dudes are seriously pissed." That's probably the initial thought that comes to mind when listening to These Days debut full-length. Yes indeed, the music is highly volatile and the lyrics are quite hostile at points. But don't write this Norcal hardcore outfit off as just another bro-band acting tough, for These Days are more than meets the eyes' … Read more
These Days
These Days
In Spite (2005)
These Days took the time to build a following, and then just after they released their debut full-length, they decided to take a break. This self-titled release is These Days' newest, and their best. These Days is all brand new material, except for one song, "Never Ending," which is re-recorded from their demo. Among the brand new songs is possibly … Read more
Theta Naught
Omnium Gatherum
Differential (2010)
Theta Naught have holed up in Salt Lake City after playing together since 2002. Omnium Gatherum, their fifth release, features more than one hour of instrumental music across 15 instrumental tracks. My introduction to Theta Naught, "The Sixth Planet," feels a little too drawn out, maybe because the song is pretty violin string-heavy in its mixing, which isn't to say … Read more
Theta Naught & Alex Caldiero
Sound Weave
Independent (2006)
Sound Weave is a collaboration between Theta Naught and poet Alex Caldiero. Combining cello and bass ambiance with occasional drum theatrics, bewildering soundscapes, and the ardour and insanity of improvisational poetry, it aims to combine a musical experiment "in a symbiotic form with creative language-based explorations." In other words, it sets the words of Alex Caldiero to the music of … Read more
They and the Children
Home
Kill Normal (2008)
What if Deathreat cited Pink Floyd as an influence? Or Isis listened to more d-beat? The result would be spacey and sludgy, ambient while devastating. While these seem like polar opposites in the world of dense music, Connecticut's They and the Children blend these styles with near perfection on their final release, Home . The ebb and flow of this … Read more
They Might Be Giants
Nanobots
Idlewild Recordings (2013)
When I first heard these guys in the late ‘80s or early ‘90s, there wasn’t really a name for this. Now, I guess it would be called indie pop. The band, led by songwriters John Linnell and John Flansburgh, has long been on the quirky side with a touch of novelty, but it’s their strong sense of melody and that … Read more
Thievery Corporation
It Takes A Thief: The Very Best Of
ESL (2010)
Thievery Corporation has always been a bit of a musical Janus: one face obscured in the revolutionary stylings of Subcommandante Marcos, the other the visage of one of the most commercially successful acts in their scene. Their lyrics and album art all call for an end to the economic slavery of the international monetary system. Yet, they’ll still cash a … Read more
Thieves and Assassins
Martyr Brigade
Iron Pier (2007)
Everything I get in for review goes through the same process. The first thing I do after I greedily rip into the manila envelope like a kid on Christmas is check out the layout. You can tell a lot just from a cover of a CD. Usually if the cover depicts a scene of armored knights upon horseback fending off … Read more
Think I Care
World Asylum
Bridge Nine (2006)
During the Cold War, the specter of Mutually Assured Destruction formed the backdrop against which many musical and literary statements were articulated, but in today's post-9/11 world there are a myriad of new concerns to take the place of the long-standing threat of nuclear annihilation (which still exists but is now usually placed comfortably out of view). Of all possible … Read more
This Door to Remain Closed During Work Hours
Achieve Albeit an Absence
Independent (2006)
This Door to Remain Closed During Work Hours sounds like a jam band who shows their metal influences every once in a while. The repetition of a jam band is there, but there's no soloing. In that case, I'll just call it boring music. Achieve Albeit an Absence could also be an attempt at post-rock; it turned out too mellow … Read more
This Ending
Inside the Machine
Metal Blade (2007)
This Ending's Inside the Machine is a creeper. The first time I heard it, I really didn't care for it. It was alright, but the music seemed somewhat stilted and uninspired. Sure it was heavy, but so are a lot of groups - groups that manage to be more interesting, as well. Then, as I'm wont to do, I gave … Read more
This is Hell
Misfortunes
Trustkill (2008)
Long Island's road warriors return with their second full-length, Misfortunes, laying waste to a host of notions about who they are and what they stand for. The ante has been upped, so bid in or bow out. Dogged by claims of being both a hype band, existing on word of mouth rather than talent, and a Trustkill marketing move, This … Read more
This is Hell
Sundowning
Trustkill (2006)
This sounds like what could have been the missing link between American Nightmare's two full-length LPs, the straightforward brilliance of Background Music and the more eccentric but equally great We're Down 'Til We're Underground; This Is Hell are certainly keeping hardcore fresh and new-sounding, but they're not straying so far away from their roots as to render them unrecognizable. I'll … Read more
