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...
Subscribe to our mailing list
Current Top Ten Chart
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
Look Mexico — The Crucial Collection Buy it at Amazon
“This is Animal Music” was a seriously awesome debut album. But their other tracks before that were even cooler as this re-issue of sorts proves completely. “The Crucial Collection” finds their “The Crucial” EP tracks remixed and remastered by Jared Wynne and also features covers, b-sides, remixes, and other relatively hard-to-get tunes by this very talented band. Indie rock dudes from Tallahassee, Florida that after all the relentless touring they’ve endured over the last couple of years can be officially be dubbed “rock veterans”.
- J-Sin
Jesse Krakow — World without Nachos Buy it at Amazon
When your album is 38 minutes long and has 72 tracks, you’re either a ridiculous grindcore band, insane, or Jesse Krakow. Sure Krakow is a little nutty, with the majority of the tracks on “World without Nachos” being no longer than twenty seconds, but it’s fucking funny and worth a full damn listen. Hell his tracks are diverse and catchy enough to have been expanded upon and be longer, but why repeat a chorus or a verse when you can do it once in 12 seconds and get your damn message across? Goddamn I want to meet this guy… Total lo-fi off-kilter apartment rock tracks that this veteran of one seriously awesome band (Time of Orchids anyone?) should be proud to show off.
- J-Sin
Speaker Speaker — Call It Off Buy it at Amazon
Produced, engineered, and recorded by J. Robbins (Jawbox, Burning Airlines, Channels) in Baltimore, “Call it Off” is a fantastic return to the recorded form for Speaker Speaker. Their songs are pogo-friendly with beautiful punk breakdowns and angular guitars. Smart and catchy songwriting rounds everything out; Speaker Speaker is a perfect fit for Jawbreaker fans looking for something new and fresh to groove out to.
- J-Sin
Sirhan Sirhan — Blood Buy it at Amazon
Named after the douche who assassinated Robert Kennedy, Sirhan Sirhan unleashes a debut album filled to the brim with annoying post-punk and noise rock. Think a crappier version of Today is the Day meets the Melvins. No wonder then that it was produced by The Bronx’s Joby J. Ford. Screaming vocals that shred your last sense of decent music in half. Hrmph. Just like the real Sirhan Sirhan, I guess you'd have to be brainwashed by the CIA to want to listen to 'em.
- J-Sin
History — Ghosts in the City Buy it at Amazon
Orlando’s quintet History releases an unforgiving debut full-length that’s both exhilarating and frantic. Post-punk harmonies propel you into a post-D.C. punk haze ala Fugazi. Chaotic time signatures and tons of off-kilter chord progressions give it a great post-punk vibe. The Moog and keyboards add a nice new dazzle that lend a bit of dance-ability to this tender yet hostile punk album.
- J-Sin
Gregor Samsa — Rest Buy it at Amazon
Perhaps one of the most memorable indie pop bands out there, Gregor Samsa composes mini-symphonies on their aptly titled third full-length “Rest”. The amazing thing was that it was written via e-mail by the various members who were in Boston, D.C., New York City, Chicago, and Richmond. The nine opuses that are as poignant and hauntingly original as anything Sigur Ros has done to date, were recorded utilizing piano instead of guitar on a rare Bosendorfer that was once owned by music legend Philip Glass. As usual the arrangements are lush with varied instruments including vibraphone, a Rhodes, celesta, mellotron, clarinet, various stringed instruments, synths, percussion, and a lot of vocal harmonies. “Rest” is easily one of the best albums of 2008 and will go down in Top 100 lists for quite some time. Did I mention, “GET THIS”?
- J-Sin
The Guns of Detroit — Monsterattake's Buy it at Amazon
Post-punk, New Wave, garage rock? All together now? In one fell swoop The Guns of Detroit does so much in current musical trends that I can’t stand, I feel as if I couldn’t crush this CD into enough small pieces. Barf city.
- J-Sin
Strangers Die Every Day — Aperture for Departure Buy it at Amazon
Indie rock outfit Strangers Die Every Day not only have a spooky yet honest band name, but deliver spooky yet honest instrumentals that could become a decade’s long haunting. Casting aside comparisons to Godspeed You! Black Emperor (though they’re well suited for that nod), the group pastes together amazing soundscapes with string instruments, percussion, and guitar. Imagine dark chamber pop that could blend in between Sonic Youth tracks as much as it could with Mogwai. In fact speaking of Sonic Youth, they’ve shared the stage or played alongside Thurston Moore as well as punk legend Jello Biafra, hip-hop poet Saul Williams, and underground emo/indie rock outfit the Appleseed Cast. One word would be, “wow”.
- J-Sin
Fuck Buttons — Street Horrrsing Buy it at Amazon
Overloaded noisy pop from Bristol, U.K., Fuck Buttons is just as brash and tactless as their name implies. But what’s intriguing is that underneath that guise of grime and smut are tasteful electro drone melodies that implore one to dance, be alive, and let everything out. So while there is a more than subtle range of destructive soundscapes whirling about in the mix, there are enough beautiful waves of delightful electronic euphoria that keeps it from drenching in the foul odors of nihilist trenches. You’ll be glad you got past their moniker and outer layer.
- J-Sin
Sarandon — Kill Twee Pop Buy it at Amazon
You know there’s something to be said about post-punk bands that intentionally write grating anti-melodic tunes that extol anti-hipness and shake a fist at conventions by being as unconventional as possible while oddly embracing what all the other bands that fit this mold are doing exactly to a t. That something is simple: next.
- J-Sin
Read More Music Reviews