53 total search results — Page 2 of 3
Heideroosjes – Royal to the Bone
Review — September 3, 2006
If the name didn't clue you in, Heideroosjes ("the Meadow Flowers") are one of those oft-mentioned European punk bands; they're the kind who sell thousands of records but you've never heard of them. The sticker on the front of the CD case says, "Over 200,000 units sold in Europe," as …
Foot Foot – Snaggle and Buck
Review — September 10, 2006
When it comes to folk music, I'm pretty clueless. Wikipedia tells me there's neo-folk, folk punk, jazz folk, folk metal, pagan folk, folk noir, psych folk, and my personal favorite, apocalyptic folk. While I'm not sure which of the labels is applicable to Los Angeles' Foot Foot, it's safe to …
Strike Anywhere – Dead FM
Review — September 11, 2006
By now, you probably know exactly what to expect with a Strike Anywhere record, and I mean that in the best possible sense. Unlike Pennywise, still churning out the same tired anthems against "society" and "the government", Strike Anywhere have managed to maintain a furious consistency throughout their surprisingly short …
Lostprophets – Liberation Transmission
Review — September 18, 2006
Lostprophets: a rock critic's dream? If it's not the glossy pop production and so-hook-laden-you-could-fish-with-them songs, we can go the other way and ridicule their male model good looks, painstakingly straightened haircuts and clothing deals, and apparent desire to appear American to unknowing fans. Of course, here at Scene Point Blank …
Black SS / Raining Bricks – Split
Review — October 2, 2006
I was relieved to find out that Black SS stands for Black Sheep Squadron, and not some Nazi organization, upon receiving this record. The cover art for one side of the split featured a fearsome black widow spider, so for all I knew, I was about to hear some intense …
The Mars Volta – Amputechture
Review — October 10, 2006
Have The Mars Volta finally become predictable? Were they already? Are they still churning out jaw-droppingly unexpected music? Did they ever? All these questions and more probably won't be answered in this review. Amputechture, the fairly quickly-released third full-length from the El Paso, Texas group, is in some ways …
Ted Leo & The Pharmacists – Living with the Living
Review — March 19, 2007
Like a well-deserved punch to the face, a breath of fresh air in a smog-ridden city, or indeed, a good musician amongst a plethora of bad ones, Ted Leo and his illustrious Pharmacists have returned with their Touch & Go debut, Living with the Living. At just over an …
AFI – Decemberunderground
Review — June 6, 2006
There are certain phrases that seem to be ever-present in AFI reviews across the music journalism world, suggesting either a lack of originality on the writer's part, or merely a convenient pigeon-hole that the band fall easily into. Either way, let's get some of them out of the way now: …
Linkin Park – Minutes to Midnight
Review — May 22, 2007
Like their peers Limp Bizkit, Korn and Slipknot, Linkin Park occupies the mysterious musical category of "Oh, they're still around?" In 2007, with the nu-metal genre almost completely replaced by nu-emo, the lumbering rap-rock of these late 90s behemoths is missing and presumed dead. So where does that leave Linkin …
Rocky Votolato – A Brief History (Reissue)
Review — July 8, 2007
A Brief History is Rocky Votolato's second full-length, originally released in 2000 after his hard-to-find self-titled debut in 1999. At twenty minutes long, it's really more of an extended EP, but then, the 'brief' in the title should be taken quite literally. Newcomers to Votolato's alt-country/Americana sound might be surprised …
Minus the Bear – Planet of Ice
Review — August 23, 2007
Continuing on from 2005's Menos El Oso, Minus the Bear's Planet of Ice breaks away from the band's previous shtick of long song names and extended album titles. As the record name may suggest, this album is slightly colder and less forgiving than previous releases. To drag that analogy …
Blaqk Audio – CexCells
Review — August 27, 2007
I wanted to hate this. I really did. Don't mistake me for an elitist music journalist; A.F.I. is the band responsible for this webzine's founding. But A.F.I. or no A.F.I., I was determined not to like this record. Not being a listener of electronic or synth-based music, and being too …
Ultra Dolphins – Mar
Review — August 29, 2007
Opening up with an old-time accordion intro, you could be forgiven for expecting Ultra Dolphins to play Iron & Wine-esque 'American gothic' folk rock. However, forgiving is probably the last word you could use to describe Richmond's Ultra Dolphins, who play a kind of post-hardcore noise over the thirty minutes …
The Last Car in Alaska – Comfort
Review — September 3, 2007
South Carolina trio The Last Car in Alaska play a sort of melodic emo-core that must be pretty popular with the Warped Tour audience they've played to. Some of it sounds pretty amateur in parts (mixing on the first track, "I Like You Man... You're Crazy", features some strange contrasts …
Skyscraper Frontier – Moonlit Behavior
Review — September 3, 2007
If I told you that Skyscraper Frontier was another band out of L.A. playing an 'eclectic' mixture of songs, you'd probably get that glazed look in your eyes and change the subject. You've heard it all before. But what if I told you that this six-track EP really was eclectic? …
Reptoids – Park a Tiger
Review — September 3, 2007
Chicago's Reptoids, signed to RRRecords, play a female brand of grunge/punk rock. This six-track EP, clocking in at sixteen minutes, shows a fairly wide-ranging sound, taking in early Nirvana, through to a more rock and roll/punk sound reminiscent of 70s acts mixed with grunge vocals. Singer Kay Oh often reminds …
The Swede – And the Swede
Review — September 5, 2007
God bless Matthew William Kohnle. Kohnle is The Swede. While I'm not sure if the name is a reference to his nationality (or if he is in fact a root vegetable), this project is solely his. With the exception of some bass clarinet by Todd Knapp and some vocals by …
Burden of a Day – Pilots & Paper Planes
Review — September 11, 2007
It might say something for my enthusiasm for this record that it has sat for almost a year in my 'to review' pile since first receiving it. While I do attempt to avoid at least complete bias in my reviews, in the case of Florida's Burden of a Day, I …
Saves the Day – Under the Boards
Review — December 9, 2007
Part two in the trilogy of concept (small C) albums, Under the Boards sees Saves the Day back on a quick release schedule. This follow up to Sound the Alarm took only a year to release, compared to the three that passed between Sound the Alarm and the critically-panned In …
