670 total search results — Page 4 of 34
King Khan & The BBQ Show – Invisible Girl
Review — December 23, 2009
In his two-piece with Mark "BBQ" Sultan, King Khan & The BBQ Show brings garage rock as it's meant to be played: layered with harmonies and catchy choruses, but oozing with distortion and dirty, sleazeball rock and roll. King Khan & The BBQ Show have perfected simple, fun rock and …
Sick Sick Birds – Heavy Manners
Review — December 29, 2009
Sometimes life gets in the way of good music. When the Thumbs disbanded in 2003, Mike Hall and Bobby Borte needed a new outlet. They formed Sick Sick Birds, but families and education have slowed the band's production, leading them to release their first full-length in 2008. Heavy Manners isn't …
Michael Yonkers with The Blind Shake – Cold Town/Soft Zodiac
Review — January 6, 2010
The Blind Shake are a power-garage trio from Minneapolis. They play highly synchronized, precision rock with guitar, tenor guitar, and drums. Michael Yonkers is a noise-guitar pioneer, having finally gained recognition when Destijl and, consequently, Sub Pop released the 1968 recorded, but never released, Microminiature Love in 2003. The record …
The Bomb – Speed is Everything
Review — January 12, 2010
Considering how much I've heard about the Naked Raygun reunion, you'd think there would be more buzz regarding The Bomb. Speed is Everything is the Jeff Pezzati led group's first release for No Idea Records. When compared with Pezzati's more renowned group, I was expecting a more contemporary twist. Instead, …
Drunkdriver – Fire Sale
Review — January 16, 2010
I like to consider myself pretty versed in rock - I listen to a lot of stuff and a good amount of variety. But, every so often, I'll get something that I just can't categorize or explain well. That's not a bad thing at all. In fact, it's a pretty …
Mouthbreather / Enviornmental Youth Crunch – Split
Review — February 1, 2010
There's a lot to say about this split. First, it features one great name (Mouthbreather) and one lesser one (Environmental Youth Crunch). What strikes me second is the contrast in band styles, though I'll elaborate on this later. And, third, that it's such a solid release with five songs - …
Young Livers / Army of Ponch – Live at The Atlantic: Volume 1
Review — February 16, 2010
What strikes in a live show doesn't always show evenly on the studio reproduction. My first thoughts on Sound Study's Live at the Atlantic: Volume 1: Young Livers have great guitars, and Jack Bailey of Army of Ponch can really scream. On a regular studio release, I doubt either …
Felt – Felt 3: A Tribute to Rosie Perez
Review — March 1, 2010
It's refreshing to put in a hip-hop disc and not have it bogged down with guest spots featured on every track. In fact, none of the songs on Felt 3: A Tribute to Rosie Perez have any star appearances - besides the rapping duo of Slug (Atmosphere) and Murs, combined …
The Bouncing Souls – Ghosts on the Boardwalk
Review — March 1, 2010
As life continually changes, sometimes constancy is important. Putting in Ghosts on the Boardwalk, the twenty-year anniversary release from The Bouncing Souls, reminds me of times past. Not only does the band sound much like they did a half dozen records ago, but the release comes on their own …
Love Collector – My Baby Goes Waaah!
Review — April 11, 2010
What you get with Love Collector is pretty straightforward. Only a few seconds into "My Baby Goes Waaah!," the titular track on this 7", it's clear that this is a band that plays punk-fused garage rock, with lots of guitar, a few pedals, and lots of attitude hovering around the …
Okie Dokie – Okie Dokie
Review — May 16, 2010
The band is named Okie Dokie. The artwork is simple and to the point. In other words, Okie Dokie doesn't hide the fact that they're a dirty rock band, blending balls to the wall sleaze rock with fast, sloppy surf garage at its heart. The record is only eight songs, …
The Morning After Girls – Alone
Review — June 9, 2010
The Morning After Girls are a band from New York by way of Melbourne. I have to assume their name is more a reference to the haziness that follows a night out, as opposed to the pill bearing a similar name. Musically, they are descendants of the fuzzy psych-rock of …
The Tallest Man on Earth – The Wild Hunt
Review — June 16, 2010
Kristian Matsson, aka The Tallest Man on Earth, wants to sound like Bob Dylan. Who doesn't? Well, I can name a few bands, but I won't go there. Besides, any comparisons to the Rock & Roll Hall of Famer are a waste of time. The Tallest Man on Earth is …
Mayflower – Second Best Sunsets
Review — August 26, 2010
After a brief intro track (what's the point of intros, anyway?), Mayflower kicks things off with the energetic "I Never ", an Off With Their Heads influenced gruff punk song with group choruses and a memorable hook. It's a fitting start to Second Best Sunsets, setting the tone of …
Call Me Lightning – When I Am Gone My Blood Will Be Free
Review — September 1, 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 …
Pissed Jeans – King Of Jeans
Review — November 3, 2010
Ugly and violent. Pissed Jeans don't mess around, starting 2009's King of Jeans with "False Jesii, Part Two," and never letting up on the noisepunk from start to finish. While the first song is possibly the best on the record, it's not because the record falls apart, but because it …
Sims – False Hopes XIV
Review — September 1, 2010
Lights Out Paris was one of my favorite releases of 2005, but as the Doomtree crew only has so much time and money on their hands, they rotate members' releases. Thus, it's taken Sims until 2009 to release a False Hopes (the Doomtree version of a mixtape). On #14, Sims …
Averkiou – Wasted and High
Review — September 1, 2010
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," …
Sundowner – We Chase the Waves
Review — September 13, 2010
We Chase the Waves is the second release from Lawrence Arms singer/guitarist Chris McCaughan. While technically his second solo release, this one is truly an individual effort, with McCaughan handling all the instrumental duties except for a few peripherals. His Lawrence Arms bandmate Neil Hennessy handled the majority of the …
