Weekend Dads
Future Hangs
It's Alive (2020)
Sometimes it all comes together, even when you weren’t trying.I picked up this EP for review based, more or less, on its label – It’s Alive – which has released a lot of enjoyable records over the years. Then I thought, you know, this voice sounds like Future Girls. When you listen to the kind of DIY punk I do, figuring … Read more
Weekend Nachos
Black Earth
A389 (2011)
Since the release of 2009’s Unforgivable, Weekend Nachos has been taking the hardcore scene by storm with their signature blend of modern down-tuned hardcore and old-school powerviolence. Signing on to work with A389 Records, run by Pulling Teeth guitarist Dom Romero, the band has crafted the four-song EP, Black Earth. The album wastes no time with the title track, creating … Read more
Weekend Nachos
Torture
Tooth Decay (2006)
Remember that kid in middle and high school you pushed around, called him a fag, and turned his great day to shit? Well, that kid rests in me. And that kid rests singer John Caution, and that kid means more to me than your insults ever will. The torturous years of withholding rage are now released and pressed on analog … Read more
Weekend Nachos
Unforgivable
Deep Six (2009)
When I heard Punish and Destroy for the first time, Weekend Nachos easily became one of my favorite punk/metal bands. I was positive that these guys, along with Trap Them, would be the leaders of the next wave of great extreme music. Then Trap Them released Seizures in Barren Praise, a significant drop-off from their first two releases, in my … Read more
Ween
La Cucaracha
Rounder (2007)
If you don't know Ween at this point, it's difficult to sum them up in a few words. Eclectic, genre hopping, and parody come to mind, but they don't adequately explain the band and their dedicated cult following. The duo of Gene and Dean formed Ween in 1984. La Cucaracha is the band's tenth full-length studio release, in addition to … Read more
Ween
Live In Chicago
Sanctuary (2004)
Note:If you need to really know how I feel about Ween as a band, please refer to my review on of their CD Quebec, on this very website. My other review contained a small bit on a time when I experienced Ween live. I have seen them again since, and considering this is a live DVD/CD package, I find it … Read more
Ween
Quebec
Sanctuary (2003)
Ween. What the fuck is Ween? I sure don't know. If someone asked me to tell them about Ween, I would probably rub jelly on my testicles and do a handstand whilst eating Captain Crunch Cereal Bars . This band is fucked up. Not fucked up like retarded midgets playing Frisbee in a pool of peanut butter, but more fucked … Read more
Weeping Rat
Tar
Handmade Birds (2015)
Tar has been an insane surprise for me. Even though the album was released back in December, I did not notice Weeping Rat until Handmade Birds announced that they were going to release the album on vinyl with an additional five bonus tracks! Weeping Rat comes from Australia, and even though when you first hear their music you will probably … Read more
Weezer
Make Believe
Geffen (2005)
By now you've scrolled down and seen that I've given Make Believe a score of 6.0. So you probably think I'm a biased fan who likes this album more than he should. Well, I am. But you should also know that if I were to review Weezer's previous catalogue, it would look something like this: 1) The Blue Album - … Read more
Weezer
Pacific Daydream
Atlantic (2017)
I think that sometimes it’s really hard to review a Weezer record… I mean.. Their first record, the self-titled Blue album, is firmly perched on the list of “best debut albums of all time”. It’s quick punch of pop-punk aesthetic, quirky songwriting, and heavy crunch guitar is only mirrored by the sensitivity and honest lurch of songs like “Say It … Read more
Weezer
Van Weezer
Atlantic (2021)
I expected every webzine, music mogul, and rock print publication to give the newest Weezer album a bad review. I figured that Van Weezer - titled in tribute to, well, you know - was next in a line of punching bags that were guilty of not being Pinkerton. Well, fuck me - most of the big-name publication reviews have been boringly middle-of-the-road. Is … Read more
Weezer
Weezer (The Red Album)
Geffen (2008)
Oh, Weezer. Here we are, album six for the band who've spent an entire career trying to figure out who they are. Are they The Pixies-aping geek rockers with a penchant for nerdery and romance? Are they riff-wielding guitar heroes rocking ironic stadiums? Are they misunderstood indie icons? Are they, um, white-boy rap? The band's third self-titled album - referred … Read more
Welcome The Plague Year
Welcome The Plague Year
Turnstile (2004)
The introduction of a review is usually a chance to capture the reader with something funny or even insightful. Considering it's 2:27 AM and I can't go to sleep, all that's on my mind is this Welcome the Plague Year album and how much it's going to suck when I have to get on an airplane in 5.5 hours. There … Read more
Western Addiction
Frail Bray
Fat Wreck Chords (2020)
There are bands who you rush to get the new record to see what direction they’ve gone. There are others you return to time-after-time because they have a style and they’ve nailed it. File Western Addition in the latter category. Frail Bray continues their West Coast melodic hardcore tradition without any surprise changes-of-direction.The band plays what used to be called “The Fat … Read more
Western Addiction
Tremulous
Fat Wreck Chords (2017)
Has it really been 12 years since Cognicide? Well, Western Addiction are back with another single word, make-you-think album title in Tremulous. They may have skipped releasing records for the entire Obama presidency (plus some), but the band didn’t mellow with age.Tremulous is 11 songs of melodic hardcore. Led by Chad Williams’ power drumming, Williams punctuates the sound while the … Read more
Western Settings
Old Pain
La Escalera (2016)
Ever wondered what it would sound like if Off With Their Heads and Iron Chic had a baby? Well, even if you haven't, you need to check out Western Settings. With the help of Chicken (Dead to Me), they've produced a release that builds off the melodic punk rock they premiered last year with their LP, Yes It Is. They're … Read more
Western Settings
Yes It Is
La Escalera (2015)
When listening to a band you’ve never heard of, it’s a lot easier to make all those “sounds like” comments. Whether that’s why I think Western Settings sounds so much like some familiar favorites, or if that’s because they really do, well, that’s maybe beside the point anyway. It’s punk rock, man. There’s supposed to be a touch of derivation … Read more
What Goes Up
Laws of Gravity
Brassneck Records, Rad Girlfriend Records, Waterslide Records (2023)
Based on the name, pop-punk sounds like a limited genre. There are a million bands that sound like the Ramones. There are also a million copycats of that stuff that hit big in the early Aughts. But we aren’t going there… What Goes Up proves that you can make emotional, driving, yet poppy punk rock tunes that vary in sound … Read more
