Music Reviews of Punk, Indie Rock, Emo, Ska
Band Spotlight
Chiodos
Perhaps no one can explain the sheer ferocity and timid quietness it is better than when vocalist Craig Owens says “we don’t want to let the kids down” when discussing the group’s intense vocals live at shows. Well they never let a single kid down with their vicious assault on the ears and grip on the jugular...
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Skinny Puppy - Mythmaker
Converge - No Heroes
The Graduate - Anhedonia
Death By Stereo - Death Alive
Comeback Kid - Broadcasting
The Snake The Cross The Crown - Cotton Teeth
Dear and the Headlights - Small Steps, Heavy Hooves
The Geeks - Every Time We Fall
Limbeck - Limbeck
WinterKids - Memoirs
03.09.2007 by J-Sin
Music Reviews of Punk, Indie Rock, Emo, Ska
Matadors — Flame the Whisper Buy it at Amazon
Crunchy guitars are mangled into a sort of stoner rock meets rockabilly sort of way. These guys are tougher than your average garage rock band and are destined to bring the jean jacket back in style with their brand of daring rock ‘n’ roll and punk rock. That swagger isn’t often found in rock groups these days and while the White Stripes are busy reinventing themselves, the Matadors are creating neo-stoner rock that will get Pro-Bot fans in a frenzy. Swedish rockers the Matadors are letting everyone know that the garage rock thing is far from over.
- J-Sin
Waiting For a Miracle — Waiting For a Miracle Buy it at Amazon
Pop-punk meets head-on with a crashing assortment of nu-metal, emo, and indie rock. Hey that’s what gives right? Sure enough. But the swelling zits on top of Waiting for a Miracle seem to percolate and want to pop with a white head of predictable chorus-verse rock harmony heard a gazillion times before in a mall near you.
- J-Sin
Schooner — Hold On Too Tight Buy it at Amazon
Morrissey would be ashamed of this indie rock calibration. Celebrating rock’s noodling into pop and indie rock fandom, Schooner might have been something that we all heralded as damn interesting if a million billion other high school bands didn’t beat them to it.
- J-Sin
Fragile Dragon — Light Bend and Rhythm Buy it at Amazon
Beginning with vocoder-enhanced vocals that sound like Imogen Heap, “Light Bend and Rhythm” is a magical adventure of electronica and pop hooks. Stylistically crafty and divergent, Fragile Dragon mixes dreamy anthems with soaking harmonies and steady rhythms. Somewhere near to techno and electro, “Light Bend and Rhythm” is a very different sounding album that will have folks scratching their heads looking for a fitting comparison—but there really isn’t one. Nifty huh?
- J-Sin
Arizona — Welcome Back Dear Children Buy it at Amazon
Psychedelic guitar-baked indie rock from New York City that features alt-country nuances and harmonies reminiscent of some of the late ‘70’s indie pop bands. Definitely a little left of center from even the more off-kilter Americana outfits that seem to pop up every now and again in the indie circuit, Arizona floats guitar-pop and quirky indie rock melodies alongside crunchy rock ‘n’ roll fit for the nearest garage.
- J-Sin
Various Artists — At the Crossroads: A Benefit For Homeless Youth Buy it at Amazon
A new benefit album for the San Francisco-based non-profit group At the Crossroads by our friends at Three Ring Records finds us tapping our toes and clapping our hands. The twenty-some songs on this dynamic album reach out to the indie rock world with two outstretched hands. Great contributions from such a lush artist roster including D.W. Holiday, Rogue Wave, The Ebb and Flow, Calexico, and the Lonelyhearts. Give your support folks!
- J-Sin
Gray Young — Kindle Field Buy it at Amazon
Experimental lo-fi indie rock from Raleigh, North Carolina that could use a better bit of studio work to turn down the massively loud bass portions in favor of the rich harmonics. Fortunately this subsides after the first song or so as the audience is submerged into harmonic space rock that is completely inebriated and awesome. The group Gray Young deftly composes textured atmospheric indie rock with space rock fabric but occasionally you just wish they had a better recording of it all. “Kindle Field” could easily be mistaken for a long lost Explosions of the Sky covering a Cure b-side with perhaps a bit more math-y rhythms and emotional rock undercurrents. I like it a lot and so will anyone without wax-coated eardrums.
- J-Sin
Limbs — Stages Buy it at Amazon
I really enjoyed Limbs’ EP “Suspension” with its seminal indie rock nuances. “Stages” continues in that vein with an earnest approach towards indie pop similar to Sunny Day Real Estate with emotionally jarring vocals. Equaled by gritty guitars that slouch over effects, “Stages” is a magically artistic vision that needs to have your fullest attention so that you can explore all of its songs minor idiosyncrasies.
- J-Sin
Baby Guts — Gasoline Buy it at Amazon
I’d rather pour kerosene on an open wound on my face and ignite it with a rusty lighter than hear any more of this obnoxious grrrl garage punk rock band who do not know the difference between good noise and trash.
- J-Sin
Deleted Scenes — Deleted Scenes EP Buy it at Amazon
D.C. based Deleted Scenes is a good entry in the local scene’s indie rock universe. Their bouncy pop rock ballads make room for artsy arrangements. You can almost envision the days of WHFS’ glorious past before they played a commercial every three songs and allowed college kids to host shows on Friday nights. Smart intelligent lyrics playfully dodge the hook-laden guitars and nice melodic rock overtures. Similar to Modest Mouse with their quirky off-kilter delivery.
- J-Sin
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