All Leather
Hung Like a Horse
Dim Mak (2009)
With the demise of Some Girls and the considerable downtime of The Locust, Justin Pearson got the itch to do something new. He teamed up with fellow Some Girls cohort Nathan Joyner and Maniqui Lazer's Jung Sing to form All Leather All Leather ventures towards slightly different territory that previous Pearson projects, and yet there is still that distinct sound … Read more
All Teeth
I am Losing
High Fidelity (2009)
Every so often you hear a record and it instantaneously floors you. All Teeth's debut full-length I Am Losing is one of those records. The thirteen songs that make up this album are filled with such passion, aggression, and emotion - it is as though anger, frustration, resentment, and bitterness actually fuel the songs. The lyrics and music perfectly match … Read more
All the Saints
Fire on Corridor X
Touch & Go (2009)
Fire on Corridor X, the debut full-length from this Atlanta, GA three-piece swirls up their influences in a Bass-O-Matic and shotguns the remains. I hear some Ride, some Swervedriver, even a little Jesus and Mary Chain. "Sheffield" starts this one off with a bang, and the band just let the tides flow. "Hornett" builds up the tension with some cool … Read more
Amateur Party
Public Utility Complaint
Paramnesia (2009)
Man, what a nice looking record. The sleeve includes an actual photograph for the cover, with a dozen or so variations that you can get, and the liner notes come as a stapled booklet with information on a Pennsylvania law regarding when gas companies can turn off the heat. It’s a solid mix of handmade art and political statement. Add … Read more
American Steel
Dear Friends and Gentle Hearts
Fat Wreck Chords (2009)
After returning from a five year hiatus in 2007, American Steel released Destroy Their Future, which may have been their strongest release yet. It showed the band with a more mature sound while still not drifting too far off from their roots. The follow-up record, Dear Friends and Gentle Hearts is a little different. Here we see the Bay Area … Read more
Amesoeurs
Amesoeurs
Profound Lore (2009)
Isn't it ironic that a band whose name means "kindred spirits" in French is broken up? As depressing as that fact is, at least Amesoeurs has finally left us one full-length to remember them by. The band's Ruines Humaines EP from 2006 was comprised of three absolutely killer songs that can be only described as residing somewhere between organic black … Read more
Anaal Nathrakh
In the Constellation of the Black Widow
Candlelight (2009)
This is an album that I wanted to like as soon as I saw the cover art, but in the back of my mind I was afraid I wouldn't after the slightly-too-polished and slightly-too-death-metal Hell is Empty and All the Devils are Here from 2007. But In the Constellation of the Black Widow turns out to be one of the … Read more
Anchor Down
Steel to Dust
Solidarity (2009)
It's always great to find all of these new breeds of punk bands coming about lately. There have been so many that I've found out about the last couple of years. And the funny thing is, nearly all of them have stuck with me. I still listen to all of these bands on a pretty frequent basis. Another band to … Read more
Ancient Sky
Ancient Sky
The Perpetual Motion Machine (2009)
Ancient Sky is a fairly new group of individuals with impressive musical resumes with members having performed in City of Caterpillar, Darkest Hour, and Majority Rule, among others. This is their seven-song, self-titled debut. Musically, Ancient Sky shows little influence from the members other projects. In fact, my listing them may have done you a disservice because you might be … Read more
Andrew W.K.
55 Cadillac
Skyscraper Music Maker (2009)
If I were to comprise a short list of individuals that I would love to sit down and just have an open-ended conversation with, Andrew W.K. would be at the head of that list. No doubt in my mind. For whatever reason, everything that he does has me on the edge of my seat. The multi-talented W.K. returns with 55 … Read more
Annabel
Each and Everyone
Count Your Lucky Stars (2009)
It's been a while since my last review and I'm still shaking off the writing cobwebs. After multiple tests and papers discussing the typical critiques of Western academia over the past few weeks, that module of my brain is somewhat worn out. So I am approaching the end of the decade with a somewhat lazy, but never inattentive, mindset on … Read more
Another Breath
The God Complex
Panic (2009)
It's been quite some time since Another Breath released Mill City. Granted it has only been a few years, but in hardcore that means an eternity; a lot has transpired in the world of hardcore since 2006. Countless bands have come and gone. Some have come back too! Essentially, the entire landscape of hardcore has transformed. In spite of all … Read more
Anti-Flag
The People or The Gun
Side One Dummy (2009)
It takes a lot for me to completely lose faith in some of my favorite bands, and I came pretty close to completely giving up on Anti-Flag after the disaster that was The Bright Lights of America. My faith was then restored a bit after hearing that they left RCA Records and joined the ever growing roster at Side One … Read more
As We Let Go
Above the Clouds
Six Feet Under (2009)
This EP makes sense to be released by Six Feet Under and hence a member of Blacklisted. This is essentially a Japanese version of that band. Mind you there's nothing wrong with that, it just seems there is nothing to set them apart from that assessment either. I could see this band killing stages the world over with a plethora … Read more
At Our Heels
At Our Heels
Heart In Hand (2009)
At Our Heels is yet another in the ever growing list of bands to emerge from the Bay Area's excellent hardcore scene. Alex Pulisci began piecing together what would come to be At Our Heels following the breakup of Love, Hope and Fear. Musically the group treads similar water, fast-paced hardcore with a rock swagger. Pulisci, who enlists the drumming … Read more
Austin Lucas
Somebody Loves You
Suburban Home (2009)
When O Brother, Where Art Thou sold over seven million copies, you knew that people were listening and that the soundtrack would have an influence on future music. Where you probably didn't expect that influence to show was in the punk rock world. Seven years later, we have a label named after a Descendents song releasing Somebody Loves You by … Read more
Austin Lucas
The Common Cold (Reissue)
Magic Bullet (2009)
In a time of ex-punkers going the acoustic, solo route, Austin Lucas offers something that differs from his Revival Tour circuit peers. Where artists like Chuck Ragan and Tim Barry offer rootsy tunes brimming with desolation, they hold a shadow of hope and optimism. Lucas, on the other hand, wallows in despair, taking more time to focus on the details … Read more
Averkiou
Wasted and High
Sound Study Recordings (2009)
The title track on this 7" is a fitting sound, given its title. "Wasted and High" has a pop structure run through the wash, and the fuzzy guitars and calm delivery of singer Matt Brink would fit under the shoegaze label. On "No One's Holding a Gun to Your Head," the band adds more harmony to Brink's sleepy delivery. Meanwhile, … Read more
