Uno Momento

Hey Everyone,

I'm going to be out of the country for the next month, so I wont be posting albums. If I do however, that would be some sort of miracle. When I come back I'll get into albums and whatever else full gear, Spring semester would then be on a start so..yup. Hope everyone had a good christmas(or whatever else you may or may not celebrate), and will have a fantillyastic New years (I know mine will be...interesting at the least).

Thanks for the comments! And thanks for stopping by. And continuing to stop by for some of you :) .

See yall's at the start of February.

Sufjan Stevens - Greetings From Michigan: The Great Lakes State

Sufjan Stevens's third album is a charming homage to his home state of Michigan. Filled with heartbreak, the album cryptically addresses Stevens' frustration with the notorious job market in the city of Flint in a lovely ballad that opens the record and documents the depressing struggle the city of Detroit has fought to once again attain the elegance it had prior to the riots in the late '60s; however, it also touches on a brighter side, as in the cascading "Say Yes! to M!ch!gan." Its title is a reference to the campaign adopted by the state in the 1980s and serves as the centerpiece as well as Stevens' attachment and amour for the state he is from. Musically, Stevens often plays his Jim O'Rourke and Stereolab cards, riffing along with complex polyphony in building loops and dynamics, but he also frequently imports lightly strummed guitars and stark banjo picking to break up the album and give it a rustic northern folk aesthetic. Stevens comfortably handles nearly every instrument on the album — an impressive task that includes various keyboards, woodwinds, guitars, and percussions — but also enlisted the help of Megan, Elin, and Daniel Smith from the Danielson Famile to help out with vocal duties, and the outcome is a haunting and hypnotic studio opus certainly worth getting lost in.

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Lovedrug - Pretend Your Alive

With the deal inked, and with the full backing of their new label, Lovedrug began preparations for the July debut of "Pretend You’re Alive". The band hit the road hard in both the spring and summer, visiting the west coast for the first time and gaining national touring exposure with label mates Copeland in May, the Braid reunion tour in June, and the national Mewithoutyou and Noise Ratchet run in July. With the highly anticipated bow of Pretend You’re Alive set for July 27, 2004, the close of July will see Lovedrug play a handful of release shows in regional strongholds, supporting key markets within Ohio, Pennsylvania, Tennessee, and Illinois. Another national tour with Copeland is slated for August, with a headlining college run and other tours in the works for the fall…

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Pendulum - Hold Your Colour

'Hold Your Colour' is set to follow suit when it drops; straight from the huge cinematic introduction, the album takes you on a action packed ride from anthems to emotional journeys and everything in between. From furious dancefloors bombs 'Slam', 'Hold Your Colour' and the massive 'Tarantula' featuring the vocal talents of MC Spyda and Tenor Fly, to smooth soulful rollouts 'Plasticworld' and 'Streamline'. From breakbeat monsters 'Fasten Your Seatbelts' and 'Out Here', to the latin-rock electro fuelled funk of 'Girl In The Fire' -- this long player takes listeners on a trip through genre bending territory.

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The Magic Numbers - The Magic Numbers

Yet if The Magic Numbers is judged against the standards of second-tier '60s folk-pop — forget the Beatles and Beach Boys or even the Mamas & the Papas or Donovan or Lovin' Spoonful, but against legions of soundalikes like Rose Garden — the group's music is not as well written or melodic or as interesting, nor does it hold up well to late-'90s indie pop from Belle & Sebastian to Elliott Smith, and it lacks the conviction of freak folk, since their aw-shucks, lovey-dovey pose feels contrived. Nevetheless, the quartet is much easier to listen to than Devendra Banhart — sunny tunes and smooth surfaces do indeed help — and they have a certain veneer of mature, classy respectability that means this can appeal to everyone from baby boomers to echo boomers. It all glides by easily enough on its surface, but dig a little deeper and The Magic Numbers reveals itself to be not just a crashing bore, but an irritating one since it not only lacks one song with an undeniable, memorable hook, but the self-satsified vibe of the band combined with Stodart's reedy whine makes the Magic Numbers feel not just less real than the groups they're allegedly an antidote to, but more disingenuous as well.

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Art Brut - Bang Bang Rock & Roll

The optimism of that statement is infectious and hard to argue with, though I'm perfectly aware of the large pile of empty Brit-hype firecrackers that went off with a barely a whimper Stateside. Given their reliance on dry English humour (yes, two u's) and lack of a timely U.S. distribution deal, it's unlikely Art Brut will fare well as well with North American listeners as fellow countrymen Bloc Party, Franz Ferdinand, and the Futureheads. But then, just a year ago, it seemed unlikely that any of those bands would find fans in the States at all, let alone enough to spark yet another small-scale British invasion-- and all told, it's not hard to imagine their dagger-sharp guitar lines and pop-fueled bash carving its own niche in those other bands' wake if given the opportunity. The only thing to do is start a letter-writing campaign, suffer the import prices, and hope Art Brut's got enough in their tank for another album or two. I can't wait to hear "Recorded a Sophomore Album!"

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Dropkick Murphys - Boys on the Docks EP

Reissue of the hard the hard to find 6 track debut EP, originally released in Cyclone Records in 1997. Tracks, 'Boys On The Docks', 'Never Alone', 'In The Streets Of Boston', 'Caps And Bottles', 'Euro Trash' and 'Front Seat'. Standard jewel case.

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Gwar - War Party

When Gwar toured the United States in support of War Party in 2004, it was evident that thrash metal's most over-the-top parody band had no intention of becoming any less offensive; on-stage, they had a laugh at the expense of everyone from Lacey Peterson to Osama bin Laden to Ronald Reagan. Of course, anyone who actually bothers to be offended by Gwar misses the point — they were always an exercise in satire, shock value and dark humor, and ultimately, their concerts and albums are goofy rather than genuinely disturbing. Some Gwar releases are stronger than others; at times, their studio recordings haven't been as memorable as their infamous live shows. But War Party is one of Gwar's more consistent efforts; in fact, it's almost in a class with 1990's excellent Scumdogs of the Universe. While this 2004 release doesn't break any new ground for the thrash veterans, Gwar's performances are consistently tight, focused and inspired; the songs are hooky, and the lyrics are clever (at least if you have a taste for sick, demented humor). Tunes like "Bring Back the Bomb," "You Can't Kill Terror" and "The Reaganator" are full of political references, but it would be a mistake to think of anything on this CD as serious political commentary — Gwar's love of horror, sci-fi, gore and sleaze always keeps things tongue-in-cheek, and any references to political figures are strictly for entertainment value. Musically, Gwar hasn't become any less heavy, but for all its forcefulness, War Party is relatively melodic — especially in comparison to all the ferocious, skull-crushing metalcore, death metal and black metal discs that came out in 2004. Longtime Gwar fans will be glad to know that while War Party doesn't reinvent the wheel, it is a respectable addition to their blood-soaked catalog.

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Gwar - Scumdogs of the Universe

With Scumdogs of the Universe, Gwar gave its followers exactly what they wanted: brutally aggressive guitars, abrasive vocals and gross, perverted lyrics. As twisted as songs like "Maggots," "Vlad the Impaler," and "Slaughterama" are, Gwar is never genuinely scary, but rather humorous and goofy. One of the most amusing tracks is the opener, "The Salaminizer," which finds thrash's equivalent of Spinal Tap doing a takeoff on N.W.A's gangsta rap anthem "Gangsta Gangsta." The whole thing is very tongue-in-cheek, and in fact, Gwar never intended to be anything more than a parody of thrash and death metal. But ironically, some headbangers actually took it seriously and exalted Oderous & Co. as the ultimate thrash band. Outrageously entertaining, Scumdogs is Gwar's crowning achievement.

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Park Ave.- When Jamie Went To London...We Broke Up.

Park Ave.'s only release (and posthumous at that), When Jamie Went to London...We Broke Up, is an endearing document of a five friends with enough presence of mind to lay down the tracks they had written over a two-year stint spent together before their impending breakup, brought on by guitarist/vocalist Jamie Williams' plan to move to London (hence the record's title). The feeling that When Jamie Went to London... was just an aural scrapbook for the members of the band is immediate, but there is an underlying sadness to it as if the band were already rooted in the nostalgia of itself, already mourning the end which had yet to come. Perhaps this is reading into the roots of the emotional feel too much, considering the overdose of moody intentions Conor Oberst would later inject into the popular underground under his Bright Eyes moniker, but there is certainly an element of unrest commingling with the deadpan indie pop naïvety which streaks through the album. Musically, When Jamie Went to London... is engaging throughout, complex enough to note that perhaps Park Ave.'s greatest strength was playing just beyond their means, creating the tension of the possibility it will all come undone at any second, but unlike similarly described bands like the Velvet Underground, Pavement, and the Sex Pistols, Park Ave. never seem to aggressively wrangle it back in, but instead just kind of hang out carelessly on the edge. The biggest downfall of When Jamie Went to London... is that the vocals are often hard to deal with, occasionally being dramatically off-key like a drunken karaoke session. Many bands have been able to sidestep this problem by putting a bit of confidence behind a lousy vocal take, but here almost every instance is unsure. It must be considered, however, that all the members of Park Ave. were very young (late teens/early twenties) when the recording was made, and that still, the overall combination is not dragged down by this setback because, and precisely because, of its forthright sincerity. In fact, it's admirable what they made: a home-recorded album where the songwriting is toiled over, but without any pretense, and certainly without intentions of being critically dissected by anyone but their friends. Because this comes across so strongly, the album remains charming and lovable in spite of any flaws and holds ground as a true folk album in the sense that its purpose was nothing more than entertainment for the five group members involved in its creation.

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Animal Collection - Sung Tongs

On Sung Tongs, their first record distributed by FatCat, the two-man Animal Collective come on like sun-scorched acid eaters gathered around the campfire, strumming and grinning while they weave their material out of cyclical singalongs and tight harmonies. Surprisingly, both for fans as well as new additions, that marks a much more accessible sound for a group that had previously probed the outer limits of prog and psychedelia. (Still, back to basics is the right place for a collective that released three albums in 2003.) Immediately called to mind here are the Holy Modal Rounders and, to a lesser extent, the Incredible String Band. While Animal Collective certainly don't share the intimate knowledge of folk music or the expert musicianship of the Holy Modals or the ISB, they do understand the importance of repetition in reaching altered states, and they indulge in many naturalistic post-production enhancements to get there. "Leaf House" and "Who Could Win a Rabbit" open the record with a cozy atmosphere created from soaring harmonies and Beach Boys-type bungalow percussion. From there, with only a few exceptions, Sung Tongs devolves into the loosest of jam sessions, a midsummer night's dream of pixilated picking in similar company with the lengthy mid-album interlude ("Green Typewriters") during the Olivia Tremor Control's Dusk at Cubist Castle. Although the duo didn't record nearly enough material to justify checking out quite so soon, Sung Tongs is a striking record, a breath of fresh air within experimentalist indie rock.

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I Can Make A Mess Like Nobody's Business - S/T

Ace Enders of The Early November has created a side project where he expresses his talents through acoustic songs and a wide range of other styles as he uses everything from organs to strings on this first release from I Can Make A Mess Like Nobody's Business. Enders is a very talented singer/song writer and has shined through on that in his band The Early November. On this side project release Enders bends and shapes his musical talent in something raw and very original. I have been a huge fan of The Early November and their style of music and you can in no doubt feel the same good things from Enders through this project as well as The Early November. This release brings us fifteen tracks (some of them unnamed) of acoustic and inspirational music. If you aren't a fan of The Early November this is still worth a listen and I believe you will enjoy it greatly. Enders has expressed his talents to the fullest on this release. Not only are the acoustic parts alone very well done but with the addition of the strings, organ, and even bongos here and there this album has a good variety of style. Lyrically all these songs stand out in ways I think lots of people can relate too. Enders has always been good at using self expressing in his songs and I hope he continues this wonderful writing in the future. I Can Make A Mess Like Nobody's Business has the most raw and original sound I have heard in a long time. This is a must have for 2004.

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Sky Corvair - Unsafe at Any Speed

A purely incredible, and unfortunately rare, album of pure genius. The Sky Corvair began in Chicago, IL as a side project in 1994 for members of CaP'n Jazz (Tim Kinsella), Braid (Bob Nanna) and Gauge. The band disseminated when Kinsella left to focus on C'n'J, rumors are now trickling around about a reunion, or a repressing of the disc. The music is very much like what you would expect a cross between CaP'n Jazz and Braid to sound like — jangly, moving melodies, with patented, adolescent, Kinsella vocals, a bit of screaming and abstract lyrics. From the angry, desperate "Ethyl," to the awkward and passionate "Congratulations, I'm Late,"' to the piano-ridden and altogether moving "Iris Is Aching for a Day," this album will fulfill all expectations of Braid and CaP'n Jazz fans. Probably one of the most overlooked emo albums ever pressed — and it is most definitely an outstanding and beautiful work of musical art.

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Magnolia Electric Company - What Comes After the Blues

Following quickly from the live Trials & Errors is What Comes After the Blues, the studio debut of Jason Molina's Magnolia Electric Co. And what comes after that comparatively boisterous live set is a record of quiet fire, fueled by an electric/acoustic guitar dynamic and the determined waver in Molina's vocals, which have strengthened considerably since Songs: Ohia. Strengthened yes, but Molina hasn't lost that melancholy tinge. On What Comes After he's a man resigned to what he must do, yet unable to remove from his voice a wavering mix of fear, anger, and regret. "Now the world was empty on the day when they made it," he sings over the ramble of opener "Dark Don't Hide It." "And heaven needed some place to throw all the sh*t." But as down as he is on human darkness, the track softens at the touch of harmonies from Jennie Benford of Jim & Jennie & the Pinetops. (Benford takes the lead for the weary folk lament "Night Shift Lullaby.") "Leave the City" is his goodbye to Chicago, his adopted home and, with Steve Albini, where the album was recorded. A winnowing trumpet joins its shuffling country-rock rhythm, and Neil Young's "Heart of Gold" drifts in the margins of Molina's bittersweet self-examination. The full band really makes its mark on "Hard to Love a Man," where Wurlitzer, violin, and the bass' deliberate plodding put a haunting weight on Molina's Palace-ish vocal. And the violin returns on "Northstar Blues" to color its slight acoustic strums with something more than just the blues. Because the answer to What Comes After the Blues' titular suggestion seems to be a blend of ruminating melodrama, comfortable instrumentation, and threads of American musical tradition from creaky blues and mournful folk all the way to sedate indie balladry and the steady hand of classic rock radio.

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Gang Gang Dance - God's Money

We are proud to present Gang Gang Dance’s much anticipated second full length release entitled God’s Money. With God’s Money Gang Gang Dance creates a modern music which reorients the palette of electronic music into an organic context, manipulating sound, rhythm and melody in an almost mercurial manner. Painstakingly recorded over the course of a year at Junkyard Audio Salvage, the band utilized whatever means were available to them to craft their sound: drums of all shapes, sizes and circuits, various keyboards and synthesizers, midi-triggering guitar scenarios, vocals reconfigured via a guitar effect pedal and even the occasional aluminum chair. Blending their hypnotic rhythms into a highly structured compositional style or soaring in the lofty heights of practiced improvisation, this recording follows in the footsteps of the bands previous output, all while marking new ground.

In between writing and recording God’s Money GGD spent the last year playing to packed houses in NYC, Europe and on the road with Animal Collective. Exploding with an energy & confidence rarely seen these days and coupling it with such a heightened level of musicianship the band has turned even the most casual of spectators into full on believers. With magazines such as The Wire, The Village Voice, I.D. & XLR8R having already run features on the band, the press is falling into the ranks of the converted.

God’s Money is the height of GGD’s uncompromising sonic pursuit which has spanned the better part of the band’s five year history. Some of this can be gleamed from previous groups the members have been in, including Cranium, Actress, Ssaab Songs & Angel Blood. Though God’s Money may be interpreted as the band’s high-water mark of sorts it is much more the raising of the tide as they continually to push the boundaries of the palette of sound itself with no sign waning.

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Pink Floyd - The Piper at the Gates of Dawn

While they took their name from blues musicians Pink Anderson and Floyd Council when they started out as an R&B combo in the mid-60s, Pink Floyd's leader, guitarist Syd Barrett, soon began piloting the band through unprecedented sonic excursions typified by the title of their 1967 debut album's most celebrated track--the outsized instrumental "Interstellar Overdrive." Equally adept at composing catchy-sounding, Gothic-themed pop songs such as "See Emily Play," "The Scarecrow" and "The Gnome," Barrett seemed destined for greatness--that is, until psychedelic drugs got the best of him, and he abandoned the band to bassist Roger Waters and new guitarist David Gilmour. The rest, as they say, is history

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Stars- The Comeback EP

Torquil Campbell of Stars writes: "Nightsongs" was a loving pastiche, but a pastiche nonetheless; "The Comeback" e.p. is easily the best, most original music we've ever made; it is a reaction to the mundanity of some people's reactions to our work; and we like it very much. We love Montreal, but we are very poor and very bored with that; the only way to make a comeback is not give a shit about being made fun of! We don't give a shit! Don't make fun of us! We are very serious people! Amy and Chris are in love! Evan and Chris are in love! I hate all of them! vive la revolution douce! "KRUSH" (Amy calims this is about me making her move from Toronto to Montreal, but i think it`s about her having a crush on Sully. Whatever, it's a hook and we believe in hooks) "VIOLENT" (Let's just say that sexuality is a powerful artistic tool; Sully really sounds like he needs to get off in this song) "THE ASPIDISTRA FLIES (This is a love song for lovers and people who have hope about the world; we wanted it to be very very beautiful; Eric Hove is a genius and plays the most wonderful saxaphone) "COTE DES NEIGES" (We all wanted to write an instrumental, so I came up with the idea of a snowfall, seeing as that the sole sensory experience you have in Montreal between november and April; Cranner and Sully wanted it to sound like spiritualized; I wanted it to sound like Losaida from Joe Jackson's Body and Soul lp (there i go with that 80's obsession again!) so i wrote that theme) "THE COMEBACK" (When U first wrote this, I thought it was a character study of a washed up rock star; then I realized it was the most autobiographical song I've ever written! Maybe it's both! A band favourite).

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White Stripes, Walking With a Ghost EP

The White Stripes have always shown a tasteful appreciation for the traditional construction of the single, giving their fans a healthy selection of non-album B-sides and import-only bonus tracks to hunt down. So it seems an uncharacteristic misjudgment for them to headline this brief collection with their cover of Tegan and Sara's "Walking With a Ghost", a track that seems exactly the sort of likable but inconsequential bauble tailor-made for a B-side. Produced with an impulsive haste that is fast becoming one of the duo's hallmarks, this genial cover sounds singularly unpersuasive, a performance unlikely to challenge anyone's previously held opinions about the Stripes, Tegan and Sara, walking, or ghosts.Although one can only speculate what exactly prompted Jack and Meg to cover "Walking With a Ghost", they do handle the song with a tangible affection-- despite what some Tegan and Sara connoisseurs might believe. In fact, the Stripes' version is almost reverential to fault, making it difficult to imagine a fan of the original disliking this too intensely, unless they simply object to Jack White's complexion or personal habits just on general principle. Likewise, those who find Tegan & Sara's skeletal brand of winsome Canadian pop to be unbearably trite and/or mundane will presumably remain unswayed by the White Stripes' modest Detroit upgrade.

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Gorilla Biscuits - Gorilla Biscuits

The first release from hardcore legends the Gorilla Biscuits is a vital part of the band's history but still far from the classic Start Today LP issued only a year later. Recorded with noticeably less quality than the second record, this twelve song self-titled debut sees the group laying down the groundwork for the hardcore blueprint they were about to construct. The songs are all rage filled anthems that rally against drugs and bad attitudes while focusing on ideas of friendship and community, and vocalist Civ spits them out with the raw exuberance of youth. The instrumentation is a bit more metal tinged than later work, but the angsty guitars do quite a bit for stand out tracks like "No Reason Why" and "High Hopes. The record also contains two tracks that resurface on the second LP as well as two live versions of songs already represented earlier in the record. Gorilla Biscuits is certainly a call to arms, but its vision is still a bit skewed. This was the album that started one of the more influential bands in the genre, and for that it deserves a good deal of respect; at the same time it is the vision that matters more than the presentation here, and the Gorilla Biscuits proved that they were capable of much more impressive work than this disc illustrates.

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Gorilla Biscuits - Start Today

Vying with Minor Threat for the title of "The Godfathers of Hardcore" are Gorilla Biscuits, and Start Today is the record that demonstrates their merits. Presented with both humor and energy, this is the record that proved straightedge kids knew how to have a good time, and that they had some pretty good musical ideas as well. Focusing on the hyper rants of lead singer CIV and pushed along with loud and chunky guitar riffs by Walter Schreifel (later of Quicksand), the record sees the band tackle topics ranging from pets to friends and even to pride in the hardcore scene. It's certainly not without its politics, but the tone is surprisingly light, and CIV is clearly giving his opinion more than he is trying to convince others of anything. From the trumpets that announce the record's start, which are immediately followed by a chugging guitar chord, Gorilla Biscuits never really let up on the listener. Unlike so much of what the group influenced, there aren't a great deal of slowed down musical interludes and unintelligible screams, though the band's tasteful use of the half-time "mosh part" makes it clear where they might have steered some of their copycats wrong. Start Today is a terrific representation of the beginnings of hardcore music, and for those involved in the scene it is certainly required listening.

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Ninja High School : Young Adults Against Suicide

‘Young Adults Against Suicide’ is a brazen mixture of power rap, brass and samples- perfect for parties, destroying the dance floor or looking like an idiot in your own company. While ‘It’s All Right To Fight’ might not be giving the best behavioural example - what with its oh so catchy signature line of "you’re going home in a fucking ambulance"- it is an ideal example of how rap pop should be executed – with more punch than playground brawl and better chants than can be found at the football.

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Welcome The Plague Year-Welcome The Plague Year

Something almost all the songs have in common on Welcome The Plague Year is their tendency to start low in volume, with some soft guitars or bass line, and then rise to epic heights, only to land (plane metaphor!) with tranquil melodies. Take "Into Twilight," seven minutes of dynamic rock music. The first 2:30 of the song is a repetitive - not in a bad way - bass line that harpoons whoever is within close enough proximity. This, coupled with some floating guitar riffs that make good use of delay effects, creates a perfect lullaby. A lullaby that, at the 2:30 mark, is shattered with intensity. The energy (the engine!) runs through a quick rhythm layered by soaring guitar melodies and double vocal combustion. While both are definitely on the higher spectrum of screams, it's cool how one singer is a male and the other female. At 5:00 through the song our flight lands softly, and "Into Twilight" ends how it begins. Although, this time the drums settle with a nice drum roll type beat. If the words "screamo" or "post hardcore" capture your eyes/ears, get this immediately. Get the split with Funeral Diner while you're at it too, which features two of the best songs of 2004 thus far. Hell, Welcome the Plague Year's three song demo was my favorite demo of 2003, so naturally I had high expectations for Welcome The Plague Year, which were thankfully accomplished. For whatever reason, this album seems to be overlooked (similar to the great customer service of United Airlines) but that's no excuse for you to do so.

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Forensics- On A Bridge Atop The Heap Of Friends Who

Forensics is the newest DC-Area all-star band featuring an unlikely cast of former members from such bands as Burning Airlines, Corn on Macabre, pg.99, Trial By Fire, Waifle, and Admiral among others. The results are epic. Wookie Yancey and Mike Harbin are a percussive force as the Forensics rhythm section, holding down every note with intense passion. The dynamic and complex guitar work of George Crum and Brent Eyestone takes listeners from somber, lulling melodies into searing moments of intended devastation laced with a southern heavy rock feel. Eyestone's lyrics of hope and resistance explode atop the dense and delicate chemistry that is Forensics.

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...And You Will Know Us By The Trail Of Dead - Worlds Apart

...And You Will Know Us by the Trail of Dead have always been an ambitious, and difficult to place, band. They're too earnest and fond of grand gestures to fit in with most of the indie rock world, but too arty and obscure to jell with most emo's heart-on-sleeve directness. On Worlds Apart, they remain hard to classify, except on their own terms. Though the band sounds as angry, regretful, and hopeful as they did when they started, this is a much more polished album than the band's breakthrough, Source Tags & Codes, and their fiery sound is tempered by nods to '70s prog and album rock. The Trail of Dead deserve some credit for attempting to work on such a grand scale — it's all too easy for this kind of big, passionate statement to fall on its face — but while Worlds Apart doesn't work entirely, enough of it is too compelling to dismiss. Granted, it doesn't have the most promising beginning: "Ode to Isis," with its Wagnerian choral vocals, pianos, violins, screaming, and crying, is equally worrying and intriguing, and "Will You Smile Again?" doesn't really take off until the six-and-a-half-minute mark. However, the next four tracks rank among the Trail of Dead's best work: despite railing against vacuous celebrities, soccer moms, indie rock, and, of course, post-9/11 fallout and the war on terrorism, the emotions behind "Worlds Apart" are timeless; along with the frustrated idealism of "The Rest Will Follow," it's one of the band's finest anthems. "The Summer of '91"'s thundering tympani rolls and slow-building majesty use Worlds Apart's massive-sounding productions and arrangements artfully; it's been a long time — possibly since Smashing Pumpkins' heyday — since a band has attempted this kind of epic-scale, orchestrated rock. Speaking of the Pumpkins, "Caterwaul"'s beautifully droning guitar grind is more than a little reminiscent of that band's best rockers. Worlds Apart's second half dives deeper into prog, with mixed results: "A Classic Arts Showcase" and "All White" both feature soulful choirs that sound like they were transplanted directly from The Wall, but while they feel tacked onto the former song, they fit — in a retro kind of way — the latter song's excesses. "To Russia My Homeland," a theatrical, string-based waltz, isn't bad at all, but it seems more suited to a soundtrack than this album. It's tempting to want to hear some of these songs, particularly "The Best" and "Lost City of Refuge," delivered in a less grandiose manner; too often, it feels like ...And You Will Know Us by the Trail of Dead's undeniable power gets lost and scattered among Worlds Apart's preludes and interludes. But the band's attack on complacency extends to their own music: Worlds Apart might be a noble failure, but it would probably be worse if it just revisited previous successes.

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The Appleseed Cast - Lost Songs

The songs on Lost Songs were recorded by Appleseed Cast in 1998 at a time when the indie/emo band was in an uncertain place. They were in between drummers, and soon after these nine tracks were laid down they found a new drummer and decided to set aside the songs aside and start over. Four years later the group decided to finish these "lost" songs and laid down vocals and some overdubs in May of 2002. Fans of Appleseed Cast will be very happy that the band didn't leave the vault sealed, as these are some fine recordings. "E to W" starts the record off in epic fashion with a wide-screen sound full of ringing guitars and wailing vocals. The rest of the record is not as grand, but it is a step above most run-of-the-mill emo bands plying their trade these days. Dramatic, emotional, and sonically imaginative, Lost Songs is a very solid indie rock record. Other highlights include the near-instrumental "Take," a pretty ballad with some very understated piano and heavily reverbed vocals; the alternately storming and soothing "State N W/K"; and the experimental fuzz ballad "Beach Gray." The whole record has a slightly experimental feel, probably due to the upheaval within the band. It sounds like they are working toward some heavy changes. Casual fans of Appleseed Cast may find this disc less than essential; devotees will find it positively necessary. Fans of guitar-driven indie rock may want to check it out as well.

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Help She Can't Swim Committing Social Suicide

Help She Can't Swim release their new EP in December, named Committing Social Suicide.The EP is the first new material to be released since their debut album earlier this year and features four new tracks. Fantastic Plastic will be issuing the EP as a limited edition 7", with screen printed poster sleeve & badge.Help She Can't Swim are currently writing and recording for their second album which will be due for release in the spring of 2006.

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Kash - Open

This Turin Italy quartet have been compared to everybody from US MAPLE to CAPTAIN BEEFHEART - and this CD sure ain't no Chef Boyardee pap for the masses, no siree! Guests: Mitch Cheney (no relation to Dick) and Steve Sostak of SWEEP THE LEG JOHNNY & STLJ/ZZZZ respectively.. "atsa one spicy meatball!" Don't forget to check on their previous Sickroom release (SIK24) which handily collects two of their Italian EPs on on disc.

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The Appleseed Cast-Mare Vitalis

Much of ‘Mare Vitalis’ owes the same second-hand nod to post-punk as Boise’s Built To Spill; intricate, weaving and deeply personal, the Appleseed Cast bounce from subtle to emotionally spent, only to return from whence they came. Fused together by some stunningly haunting instrumental work, the tracks on ‘Mare Vitalis’ play like chapters in a tightly woven novel. You are immediately taken aback at the sheer heart on the surface; yet just when it seems all will be revealed, the band recedes back to the confines of a beautiful melody. They appear to reveal what you need to hear, and the delivery is one of utter conviction and originality. From the opening glimmer of "The Immortal Soul of Mundo Cani"; an eerie melodic nod to a treble-based Codeine that feeds into a stark background of waves crashing upon shores. The minimal lyrics are just enough to set the tone for what is to come. "Fishing the Sky" contains some rather quirky drums and electronic elements that build to an ultimately climactic fuzz of a fazer-thick guitars and Archers of Loaf meet Built To Spill vocals on a Sunny Day Real Estate bender. The Appleseed Cast are simply fascinating in their style; uniquely compelling and charming, it feels as though listening to this band should be something of an elitist practice only allowed a lucky few. "Forever Longing the Golden Sunsets" and "Santa Maria" reminds me of yesteryear and the sadly overlooked melancholy harmonics of late Midwest great For Against. And while the Appleseed Cast bare only the passing nods to post-punk, they do everything in their power to embody the spirit of honest and transcendental listening on ones own terms; one minute mired in the softest of sounds; noisy and resolute the next. Like many in the genre who have found the "emo" tag to be one of questionable definition, the Appleseed Cast are another in the ever growing line of bands desperate to be listened to on the merits of their music and not simply a tat count and beats per minute. With the success of Revelation Records delve into moodier settings (Elliot), it is about time for people to sit up and take notice of the great offerings of labels such as Deep Elm, Second Nature, Dim Mak, Desoto and the like.

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Dashboard Confessional - MTV Unplugged

The MTV Unplugged concept was probably invented with someone like Florida singer-songwriter Chris Carrabba (a.k.a. Dashboard Confessional) in mind. Carrabba's relentlessly sad, impossibly frail acoustic songs--which effectively spawned the emo-core genre--have given alienated, cardigan-wearing guys and gals a snappy soundtrack to their pain. Dropping the heavily-inked guitarist amid his flock captures both the intimacy and awkwardness propelling Dashboard Confessional's best songs. Indeed, whether Carrabba is flying solo or is joined by a band, his MTV Unplugged--presented as a CD with an accompanying DVD--ranks as one of the most interactive sets ever; the fans know every single word to every single song and gosh darn if they don't sing their hearts out, sometimes completely hijacking the choruses. From opening number "Swiss Army Romance" through to the modern-rock hit "Screaming Infidelities," the assembled holler themselves hoarse in a glassy-eyed solidarity that would be eerie if it weren't so sweet. The sing-along aspect might be a drawback for fans searching for pristine live versions of studio recordings, but then again, Dashboard Confessional’s music is nothing if not communal.

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A String Quartet Tribute To Fall Out Boy

On The String Quartet Tribute to Fall Out Boy, their powerful music is transformed by some of the best string players in the business. Gliding bows on violin, viola, and cello strings replace the manic guitars, throbbing bass, and pounding drums. Songs like Sophomore Slump or Comeback of the Year,take on a strange, new life while matching the originals in energy and emotion. Buy this album and you will discover another facet to Fall Out Boys intense songwriting.

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Lorene Drive - Romantic Wealth

Upon listening to the opening notes of Lorene Drive, one gets the impression that the musicianship is very good and they might be onto something that is more than just screams and teen angst. However, vocalist Daniel Murillo nips that idea in the bud on "God Knows I Loved You Kid," which seems to change gears with the wind, slowing down before nailing a chorus that brings to mind an early Foo Fighters. From there it's screamo meets nu-metal, as if they're throwing genres at the wall and seeing what sticks. "Let It Go" is a tamer, focused affair that has some semblance of a hook and some strong guitar work from Stephen Fisher and Justin Smith before poking its head into Metallica's turf. Fans of "emo" punk acts like My Chemical Romance, Yellowcard, and the Used would enjoy this band, particularly during the slowly evolving "A Kiss Won't Make This Better" and the ensuing rocker "A Song in the Key of Sex," which is a cross between the Exies and Jimmy Eat World. The best track of the bunch is the short and extremely snappy "Lip Service," which has no fat on it whatsoever. "Change of Occupancy" also has several good points, recalling early Sum 41 minus the sneering and somewhat snide lyrics. The more desperate Lorene Drive sound, the better they are, judging by "Some Kind of Love." But they take a nosedive with the grandstanding "For the Rest of Us," which drags on for over five minutes as a piano ballad. It's always best to quit while you're somewhat ahead, which unfortunately they don't here.

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Dead Hearts - Dead Hearts

Dead Hearts went through with it and wrote these songs, because the energetic hardcore that this band from Buffalo, New York plays is a real adrenaline rush. Sure, it’s been done before, like the lyrics say, but that doesn’t mean that it’s not good music. Heartfelt and intense hardcore is what Dead Hearts is all about and with these eight songs they give it all. They borrowed elements of their style from The Suicide File and Bane and used that to write some pretty cool tunes. So if you like your hardcore rocking and intense Dead Hearts is your band.

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Camera Obscura - Underachievers Please Try Harder

Camera Obscura have no doubt worn out their copy of If You're Feeling Sinister by now. Yes, their fellow Glasgow residents Belle & Sebastian are a huge influence on the group; the two share a similar musical sound, a similarly literate lyrical slant, and a similar overall approach. Look at it as homage or coincidence, but be sure to look past the surface because what you will find is enough to charm your socks off. Underachievers Please Try Harder is a stunningly unassuming, tender, sweet, melodic, and memorable record. Tracyanne Campbell's vocals are pure and honeyed, never veering into sappiness or out of tune. The band manages the rare feat of sounding full and rich without jamming every possible frequency with sound. It also throws in loads of imaginative little hooks that keep things lively. The songwriting is very nice, occasionally reaching the level of their idols' work. "A Sisters Social Agony" is angelic doo wop with lovely tinkling bells, "Teenager" is a sparse ballad with wonderfully cutting lyrics, and the quietly epic "Books Written for Girls" features Campbell's most aching vocal and sounds like the best track Everything but the Girl never recorded. Elsewhere the band takes trips into country ("Before You Cry" with co-lead vocals by John Henderson and Campbell), acoustic folk balladry ("Your Picture"), and good old indie pop (the driving "Number One Son") while never failing to achieve anything less than excellence. A necessary addition to the collection of Belle & Sebastian fans, indie pop fans, and music lovers, Underachievers Please Try Harder is an early contender for a best-of-2004 list. [The U.S. edition contains two tracks that the original Spanish release did not ("I Don't Want to See You" and "Footloose and Fancy Free") and a video for "Teenager."]

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Camera Obscura - Biggest Bluest Hi-Fi

You really can't discuss Camera Obscura without mentioning Belle & Sebastian. Their Stuart Murdoch produces Camera Obscura's debut, Biggest Bluest Hi-Fi; both groups hail from the part of Scotland where Felt, Donovan, the Pastels, and Heavenly are gods; and they both write smart, sweet indie pop songs with hearts on sleeve and tears on eyelash. Stop right there if you are thinking that Camera Obscura are copyists, though. Stop and listen because there is much to love about the band. First off are Tracyanne Campbell's remarkably sweet and rich vocals; she sings most of the leads (though John Henderson chimes in on leads and harmonies time to time) and has the kind of voice that will melt anyone who had a thing for Tracey Thorn. The songs are hooky and simple, based on classic indie pop chord changes and lovingly spiced with all sorts of sonic candy like chirping horns, gentle organ fills, handclaps, twangy-guitar solos, and swooning strings. The girl group-inspired "Eighties Fan" is undoubtedly the highlight, but almost any other tune would fit in swimmingly on an indie pop highlights mixtape. In fact, Biggest Bluest Hi-Fi makes a strong case for Camera Obscura as one of the best indie pop bands to come down to the pike since, well, Belle & Sebastian.

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Alien Ant Farm- 3rd Draft

The SoCal alt-metal foursome Alien Ant Farm formed in 1996 with the raging singer/songwriter Dryden Mitchell, guitarist Terry Corso, bassist Tye Zamora, and drummer Mike Cosgrove. All were bored with their day jobs and sought something else to break them from corporate norms. Music allowed them to freely express themselves and a friendship was born. They independently released their quirky debut, Greatest Hits, toward the end of the '90s and soon enough noise surrounded the band. It won the award for Best Independent Album at the 1999 L.A. Music Awards and Alien Ant Farm found themselves striking a deal with Papa Roach's New Noize, which is partners with DreamWorks. Two years later they made their major-label introduction with Anthology, issued in March 2001. Debut single "Smooth Criminal" was a funky metal mix of Michael Jackson's original song and pop kids of the TRL generation loved it. A year later and in between tours of Europe, the band was back in the studio recording new music. Their new song "Bug Bites" was featured in the Tobey Maguire flick Spiderman in May 2002.

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Ryan Adams - Cold Roses

Ryan Adams has had a bumpy ride since going solo, so it’s a rather bold move for the American singer/songwriter to release a double album. But, on the whole, it’s a move that works. Cold Roses is admirably consistent, an impressive feat over 19 songs. At his best, as on Disc One’s "Sweet Illusions" and Disc Two’s "Life is Beautiful", Adams invokes the spirit of Jeff Buckley in both sound and spirit, resulting in the album’s two strongest tracks. Elsewhere, it’s pretty much business as usual for Adams--a mellow and melancholy blend of country and low-key rock, sure to please fans of Gold more than people hoping for a harking back to his days with Whiskeytown. It’s only on "Beautiful Sorta" that Adams really puts a foot wrong, with its chorus ready made as a too-obvious singalong for barefoot American college girls. Though its overall relaxed pace won’t appeal to everyone, fans who first discovered Adams with Gold will find that Cold Roses has much to offer.

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Get Fucked! - self titled EP

After a 10-year hiatus, Get Fucked, a scream band hailing from South Philly, is back in action with an EP on Level Plane. Having never recorded before, their first self-titled CD release features full-on-get-out-of-my-way-or-I'm-gonna-kill-you noise. The EP calls to mind Anal Cunt -- the songs are longer, but the chaotic, distorted screams and fist-swinging energy is there. Opener "Inside the 8lb. Dorm Fire" sets the mood for the rest of the album by slamming into vocal chord-swelling hardcore. If there could be a soundtrack for a wide awake nightmare, this is it. After the second track "Recipe for Patio Pieces," I was amped and fucking pissed. I can't remember why I was angry, all I knew is that I wanted more. So I turned the volume up louder. This second track has the speed of a Minor Threat song and the disjointed experimentation that could pass for a John Zorn cover. Vocalist (and assumed madman) Billy Willy screams with the fierceness of a wounded, captured beast. Every track is pretty much balls to the wall speed. The exception is "Exciting Irish Nativity." Not only an example of the album's bizarre song titles, it's also a track that is less death metal and more melody. Don't get me wrong: Willy still yelps his g'damned brains out.

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Pardon?

Hey folks, sorry about the lack of posts recently finals really fucks ya up. I'll try to get some of the requests and reup's posted a-sap. Some of yalls also have some crazy requests that I've never heard of and or cant find, so my apologies if what you've requested never gets posted. Well, thats about it.

good-day yalls.

CocoRosie - Noah's Ark

A unicorn, a rainbow spitting zebra and what looks to be a horse sprouting a third eye are engaged in group sex on the illustrated cover of CocoRosie's second album. If that leads you to expect something playful and magical but also starkly screwed-up from the recording inside, you are on the right path. With assistance from Antony and Devendra, Ark is easily one of the most rewarding releases of 2005. The core of the music is made by singers/multi-instrumentalists Sierra and Bianca Cassidy, formerly estranged sisters who bonded over music and made their magical debut in a Paris flat. Their music has a lunatic music box feel that ought to appeal to fans of Bjork and Joanna Newsom, while the lyrics mine transgressive territory more often found in a book by JT LeRoy than a pop song. The true stars of the album are the singers' lovely, ethereal voices, which refract a '30s jazz-blues idiom through a strangely deadened, forever-sad delivery. It's the vocal equivalent of the toymaker's creations from Blade Runner and it is simply beautiful!

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Charles Manson - LIE

Charles Manson. The name says it all. You drop the name on anyone, and the reactions will all be the same for the most part. In addition to the notorious stories recalling the events of 1969 - I always think of Axl Rose wearing the KILL YOUR IDOLS shirt with the famous image of the wild-eyed cult leader. Charles Manson? His life is somewhat documented - born to a prostitute and living amongst the shadows of humanity in the streets. I don't know for sure if he was a genius, more like a very particular breed of person. Maybe for lack of understanding, he is called a "genius" in the same breath as a "monster". The fascination with him probably runs along the same lines as the likes of Ed Gein, Jack the Ripper and Ted Bundy. There is something about these people that operate on very primal levels, parts of the psyche best left buried far beneath culture and civilization?I wonder what direction his career would have taken if he was actually signed to a label and promoted: would he have gone all that far anyway? He doesn't seem like the type of guy that would really bend to the wills of record executives and marketing agents. Maybe we would have had "punk" a little sooner than later? Maybe he would have fizzled around 1972, and then get arrested for shoplifting dresses in Florida a few years later? Lots of maybes. Interesting stuff indeedy.

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tom waits - swordfishtrombones

Few artists ever seek to completely re-invent themselves on record, and fewer still make the transformation as completely successfully as did Tom Waits. His 70's albums are revered for their delicate, string-landen piano work with Waits croaking out lyrical strands of barstool philosophizing in a pseudo-Louis Armstrong growl. These albums are good, strong efforts, but they had become somewhat predictable by the time of 1980's Heart Attack & Vine (although that album, and it's predecessor, Blue Valentine, had started to introduce new elements into Waits's music.) Swordfishtrombones, then, was a complete re-invention. Out go the strings and piano work (almost entirely in the case of the former, much less overt in the case of the latter), out go to late night bar-obsessed Beat poetry of the lyrics, out goes the Louis Armstrong growl. This album, instead, featured light, sparse, percussion-driven arrangements, with chugging basslines and occasional freakish burts of kaleidoscopic guitar. Lyrically, it was still drenched in weirdness, but moreso than ever - Waits's tales range from the insane poetry that would come to dominate his next album, Rain Dogs (Underground, Shore Leave), to his other typical 80's style song that he still leans on heavily in concert when he plays (16 Shells, Down, Down, Down), to the outright bizzarre and hilarous (Frank's Wild Years, In The Neighborhood.) We also see his vocals take on a more Howlin' Wolf-esque leaning - one critic described the album as sounding like "The Three Penny Opera as sung by Howlin' Wolf." Although this was the prototype for all the rest of his albums since it, it can be a bit hard to get used to (not that all of his albums aren't), if you are used to his earlier efforts. But, like any great album, it takes some time to grow on you. After several listens, you will come to appreciate that this is an album of unique genius. Rain Dogs would be the apex of this era of Tom's songwriting, and his masterpiece may indeed have come in 1992 with Bone Machine, but Swordfishtrombones is a brave, admirable total re-invention the likes of which we almost never see. It's an essential Waits album.

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Mogwai - Mr Beast

The cosmic post-rock band Mogwai was formed in Glasgow, Scotland, in 1996 by guitarist/vocalist Stuart Braithwaite, guitarist Dominic Aitchison, and drummer Martin Bulloch, longtime friends with the goal of creating "serious guitar music." Toward that end they added another guitarist, John Cummings, before debuting in March 1996 with the single "Tuner," a rarity in the Mogwai discography for its prominent vocals; the follow-up, a split single with Dweeb titled "Angels vs. Aliens," landed in the Top Ten on the British indie charts. Following appearances on a series of compilations, Mogwai returned later in the year with the 7" "Summer"; after another early 1997 single, "New Paths to Helicon," they issued Ten Rapid, a collection of their earliest material. Around the time of recording the superb 1997 EP 4 Satin, former Teenage Fanclub and Telstar Ponies member Brendan O'Hare joined the lineup in time to record Mogwai's debut studio LP, Mogwai Young Team, exiting a short time later to return to his primary projects, Macrocosmica and Fiend. Again a quartet, Mogwai next issued 1998's Kicking a Dead Pig, a two-disc remix collection; the No Education No Future (Fuck the Curfew) EP appeared a few months later. In 1999, they released Come On Die Young. Rock Action arrived in early 2001. Late that year, the band released the My Father, My King EP; two years later, they issued the ironically titled Happy Songs for Happy People. Government Commissions BBC Sessions 1996-2004 arrived early in 2005.

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MEST - Destination Unknown

After the band's major-label debut was greeted with a lukewarm reception, Mest's sophomore disc shows the band treading into somewhat unfamiliar territory for the Chicago foursome. Most strikingly, Mest peppers their punky power pop with Sugar Ray-like pseudo-hip-hop, even employing Young MC to add production to the most guilty tracks: the riff-tastic lead single, "Cadillac," the Sublime-ska sample-and-electronic-percussion-led "Reasons," and "Mother's Prayer," a mellow tear-jerker, all of which makes Marvin Young this outfit's DJ Homicide. A few tracks hit upon the right three chords, such as the cheeky "Fuct up Kid," but the lyrics are overwhelmingly pedestrian, and in a crowded field, Destination Unknown's destination might just be the cutout bin.

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Desparacidos-Read Music/Speak Spanish

With Bright Eyes, Conor Oberst wears his languishing heart on his sleeve, channeling his most personal emotions via intense acoustic-based indie rock. The talented young songwriter seems ready to burst out into something noisier, and he gets that chance with Desaparecidos. On Read Music/Speak Spanish, the band rocks out with more of an emo edge, typified by blaring guitars and raging vocals. With fellow Omaha guitarist/songwriter Denver Dalley, bassist Landon Hedges, keyboardist Ian McElroy, and drummer Matt Baum (Baum and McElroy have toured with Bright Eyes, while Hedges plays in labelmate the Good Life), the group critiques American materialism and consumerism. Songs such as "Greater Omaha" and "Mall of America" resonate with sincerity, while Oberst's vocals quiver and scream about money and society. With such a convincing voice, there's never a time when his lyrics are less than earnest. This debut full-length was recorded in one week, which, as a result, adds to its unabashed rawness.

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Disco Ensemble - First Aid Kit

Finnish rock music may well conjure up images of faux-goth wannabes, such as The Rasmus, or uber-metal overlords like Children of Bodom but there is a middle ground. This release is a worthy verification of this. Only picked up by hep local indie, Fullsteam Records, in 2003, First Aid Kit is Disco Ensemble’s second album.Radiating the kind of melodic modern punk rock that has been so prevalent in recent years, the quartet follow all the trends with a hugely explosive and an extensively extolled live show. All the belligerence and attitude that induces such fierce response from their crowd is found on their record in abundance.Disco Ensemble have just finished touring Europe with Hell is for Heroes and the similarities between the bands are plain to be seen. The punk rock ethos and high esteem held for intricate musicianship and dangerous melodies flying through Miikka Koivisto’s grand lyrics clearly came from the same school of alternative rock. The sheer dancability of the tracks simultaneously brings At The Drive-In and Refused to mind and somewhat explains the crap name of Disco Ensemble.There is nothing mind-blowingly original about this but the sheer quality of songs here, coupled with the outstanding performance and production lends to a quite brilliant record. Let’s just hope that Disco Ensemble venture over to these fair shores sooner, rather than later.


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Iron & Wine - Our Endless Numbered Days

On Our Endless Numbered Days, the follow-up to 2002's stunningly good Creek Drank the Cradle, the sound of Iron & Wine has changed but the song remains the same. No longer does Sam Beam record his intimate songs in the intimate surroundings of his home. Instead he has made the jump to the recording studio. As a result the record is much cleaner, less cocoon-like, certainly more the product of someone who has become a professional musician and not someone who just records for fun on a four-track. However, all Beam has sacrificed is sound quality. The sound of the record is still very intimate and simple, with very subtle arrangements that leave his voice and lyrics as the focal point. Luckily all the technology in the world can't affect Beam's voice, which still sounds like it comes right from his lips into your ear as if he were an angel perched on your shoulder. His songs are still as strong and memorable as they were on Creek, no drop off whatsoever in quality. "Naked as We Came" with sparkling melody lovely background harmonies by his sister Sara; the aching folk ballad "Radio War," which wouldn't sound out of place on Prairie Home Companion, only it would be the best thing you ever heard there; the sad and sweet "Each Coming Night"; the crystalline acoustic guitar ballad "Fever Dream," which has the kind of vocal harmony between Beam and his sister that seems to be the exclusive domain of siblings; and the soft rock CSNY "Sodom, South Georgia" are the equal of anything on Iron & Wine's debut and match up well with anything Palace, Smog, or their ilk have done lately. A definite plus to recording in a studio and enlisting the help of outside musicians is that there is much more variety to the album and there are lots of small production touches that liven things up like the Native American chants at the close of "Cinder and Smoke," the pedal steel guitar on "Sunset Soon Forgotten," and the drums and tambourine on the bluesy "Free Until They Cut Me Down." Our Endless Numbered Days is very subdued, thoughtful, melodic, and downright beautiful album and the new sound is more of a progression than a sudden shift in values, production or otherwise. Anyone who found the first album to be wonderful will no doubt feel the same about this one. Heck, you might even like it more.

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Son, Ambulance - Euphemystic

In comparison to the stellar tunes being produced by the rest of the Saddle Creek bands, Son, Ambulance's debut album, Euphemystic, seems to be lacking much depth. Frontman Joe Knapp seems content to settle into a role similar to a poor man's Ben Folds Five, while happening to be in a relationship with a slower and much drunker Belle & Sebastian (minus Ben's ladykiller sense of humor). The entire package comes across as very poor — something one might be able to catch at the local college coffeehouse. Everything about Son, Ambulance — from Knapp's voice to his lyrics to the songs themselves — screams "average!" when placed next to the obviously very talented lineup of the rest of the Saddle Creek bands, especially another solo crooner, Conor Oberst of Bright Eyes. Nothing on Euphemystic comes out and grabs the listener. It's as though this were written to keep from throwing any hooks in. It's all quite odd and adds up to ten songs of incredibly subpar material from a normally respectable label.

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Hey Mercedes - Lose Control

On its second full-length, Loses Control, emo punk-pop band Hey Mercedes cashes in on the promise it exhibited on its previous records. The album has 12 streamlined, hooky pop songs that just happen to have loud guitars. The band strips back some of its aggression and punk angularity and ends up with songs like "Quality Revenge at Last" and "Boy Destroyers," which are barely punk at all. Or emo either, as they exhibit none of that nearly played-out style's over-the-top emotionalism and instead go for a tone of cynical and detached melancholy. Bob Nanna's singing is sweet and powerful but doesn't ever dip into emo's ripping pages from my diary and weeping mode. Instead he sounds like he should be in Fotomaker or Artful Dodger or some other long lost and forgotten power pop band. The whole record sounds like a modern, super-charged update on obscure power pop, especially on riffy songs like "The Switch" and "Playing Your Song." Only the sound is more immediate and powerful than most power pop ever was. Loses Control isn't perfect. One or two of the tracks are on the generic side, and the smooth production by Sean Slade and Paul Q. Kolderie tends to make the songs sound similar by the end of the disc. Still if you need a punk-pop, not really emo fix, Loses Control will help you out. Even the slightly generic songs sound good enough for a mixtape, and taken all together the songs add up to one of the most satisfying rock records of 2003 and one of the best punk-pop, not really emo records too. It's right up there with Bleed American and Something to Write Home About.

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Grandaddy - Under the Western Freeway

Being from northern California, Grandaddy always gets compared to Pavement — and rightly so, in some respects — but this probably isn't the best way to start on the band. Some of the tracks on Under the Western Freeway are more in the Weezer vein ("Summer Here Kids," "A.M. 120"), and the few that are truly reminiscent of Pavement are more like Crooked Rain, Crooked Rain's drawling "Range Life" than the angular guitar work more usual from Pavement. Comparisons aside, what's important is that Under the Western Freeway is a fairly brilliant album, combining a warm, earnest, and rustic feel with sometimes goofy experimentation (looped drums, bleeping keyboard hooks) — and it's all very pleasant and friendly. And what's more, these guys can write a solid, catchy melody. A couple listens to tracks like "Nonphenomenal Lineage" and "Go Progress Chrome" make this all too clear.

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Her Space Holiday - The Young Machines

Marc Bianchi has long been self-conscious about his vocals. In fact, on The Young Machines he even brings it to listeners' attention. "Like that kid who asked me if I knew I couldn't sing/That's like asking a blind man if he knows that he can't see," he sobs on "Meet the Pressure." It's not as bad as he thinks, though his soft vocals may still need some fine-tuning. And boy, does he grieve over girlfriends in "Girl Problem" and "My Girlfriend's Boyfriend." Bianchi may be as gloomy as ever, but after moving from California to Texas and from Tiger Style to Mush Records, Her Space Holiday maintains its lush IDM-powered indie pop. The synthetic string arrangements, most notably on "Sleepy California," supply heartfelt bliss, as Bianchi's classical music influence is fully explored. "Tech Romance" joins lovely violins with hip-hop beats, further developing Bianchi's production skills. "The Luxury of Loneliness" is gracefully ambient, but with dismal confessions such as "I'm losing all my friends," someone should keep an eye on this guy.

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Silverstein - When Broken Is Easily Fixed

Silverstein's Victory debut is a jarring mixture of emo's earnest determination, elements of hardcore, and the heaviest of heavy metal. While vocalist Shane Told delivers lines like "How can I say I love you back, you never made me happy" in a cracked, soaring singing voice, When Broken Is Easily Fixed actually begins with a ragged scream that's as arresting as his singing is plaintive. Musically, the LP is dominated by the dynamic shifts and driving melodies of emo. But Silverstein's membership was derived from existing hardcore, metal, and punk squads, and these influences are never very far from view. "Last Days of Summer" begins as a June day ends, with shuffling percussion and gently strummed guitars. But just as the fragile strains of a violin drift in, Told's growling, scarred alter ego appears behind his singing self. The song's structure breaks apart, and re-forms as a churning post-hardcore anthem driven by his scarred, screaming id. The track gives way to the scathing hardcore of "Bleeds No More," but even its furious rhythms aren't safe from Silverstein's experimental touch — its bridge features an atmospheric interlude complete with programming and additional violin. Things get even more bipolar with "The Weak and the Wounded," on which Told's two sides duet before the track bursts through the storm clouds into a gliding chorus. But all is not well. "Love in my eyes, lust in my heart," Told sings, only to sneer finally "I made it all up. Lies, deceit empowers me." When Broken Is Easily Fixed is a rousing, cathartic record that effectively blurs the lines between emo, hardcore, and metal. It drags the listener behind the car on an emotional roller coaster that teeters on rotting wood. For your own safety, keep your hands and arms away from the stereo at all times.

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Trial Kennedy - Picture Frame

After releasing their critically acclaimed debut EP 'Present For A Day' in 2004, Trial Kennedy have not kept their fans waiting long for a follow up. 'Picture Frame' follows on effortlessly from 'Present For A Day' with 4 rock solid tracks that pack even more punch than their debut. Kalju Tonuma was again asked to produce and the results scream success. 2004-2005 saw the band dive head first into a relentless touring schedule which saw them share the stage with the likes of Shihad, After The Fall, Gyroscope, Grand Fatal and also were invited to play the prestigious 'Peaches 'n' Cream Festival'.

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Maylene & The Sons Of Disaster - Maylene & The Sons Of Disaster

A lot of people don’t know that Spencer Chamberlin hasn’t always provided the screams you hear on your latest Underoath album. Nay, in the pre-Chamberlin days, there was a man named Dallas Taylor, and that man had a very devote following. Diehard fans of older Underoath, like The Changing Times, Cries of the Past, and Act of Depression, have anticipated the return of their fearless hero. Maylene and the Sons of Disaster marks the return of Dallas Taylor. And the wait is finally over. The album takes no time building momentum. In fact, it begins with a musical explosion. Taylor’s raspy scream is filled in with a "southern-core" style guitar riff before a bit of a pause, and then Taylor again with a "yeah" that, with Alabama pride, takes two syllables to pronounce. It sets the tone for the entire record. There’s a Lynard Skynard vibe throughout the entire thirty-five minute run time, but it’s infused with a 2005 hardcore sensibility that makes it hard to resist if you are a fan of either style. And even if you aren’t, you may find a lot to like about Maylene.

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Head of Femur - Hysterical Stars

Head of Femur returns with Hysterical Stars, an album of orchestral, briskly mischievous pop that uses the crazier moments of the band's debut, Ringodom or Proctor, as a launching point and makes them even more, well, hysterical. Boasting bigger, brighter productions and arrangements with keyboards, brass, and strings that bounce around hyperactively yet precisely, the album recalls '60s novelty pop hits like "Yellow Submarine," "Winchester Cathedral," and "MacArthur Park" as much as it does more culturally approved psych-pop artifacts such as Pet Sounds and Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band. Head of Femur's wide-eyed, wild-eyed playfulness is both the band's greatest strength (even the ballads "Song for Richard Manuel" and "Sometimes Friends" have Cheshire cat-like smile shadows lurking around their edges) and weakness. When it works, as on the breezy "Do the Cavern" and "Ringodom or Proctor" (which didn't actually appear on Ringodom or Proctor itself), it's irresistible. However, on weaker tracks like "The Sausage Canoe" — which features a tuba, ukulele, and watery sound effects — it feels like quirkiness for quirkiness' sake. The way that Head of Femur picks up ideas, bats them around, and then drops them like sugar-buzzing kids left alone in a toy store makes Hysterical Stars a collection of moments rather than a cohesive album. But oh, those moments: the triumphant brass on "Manhattan," the twinkling keyboards on "Percy," and "Easy Street"'s ramshackle chorus all have enough charm to make up for some of Hysterical Stars' more awkward bits. The album's best tracks, such as "The Skirts Are Takin' Over" and "Oh You're Blue," are playful and polished, like a masterfully done finger painting; even though most of Hysterical Stars is more intriguing than satisfying, enough of it works that it can't be dismissed easily.

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Reel Big fish - Were not happy till youre not happy

We're Not Happy 'Til You're Not Happy is Reel Big Fish's first album in three years. But if the title isn't a giveaway, this feels more like an embittered farewell than a triumphant return. The artwork features a bonfire built from mangled instruments, the band fight against a sinking ship, and frontman Aaron Barrett sings angrily about his band, thankless fans, record industry stupidity, and a few ex-girlfriends. And yet, as they did with the 1996 hit "Sell Out," Reel Big Fish attach their cynicism to buoyant melodies, ringing guitars, and charming inflections of their third-wave past. For a band so angry about their state of being, Reel Big Fish sure seem game to keep plugging away, and this conflicted sentiment makes We're Not Happy confusing. "One Hit Wonderful" begins with a montage of "flashback lunch" radio DJs and snippets of "Sell Out" before slamming fickle fans into an Irish drinking song sway. "Last Show" pulls even fewer punches — "I've learned my lesson/I'll never follow my dreams again," Barrett sings — but it's one of We're Not Happy's hookiest tracks. Even the covers are telling, as Big Fish fry up ska-punk'd versions of Social Distortion's "Story of My Life" (where they sound exactly like Smash Mouth) and Morrissey's "We Hate It When Our Friends Become Successful." (Another cover, Tracy Chapman's "Talkin' Bout a Revolution," misses the point completely.) What do Reel Big Fish really want? Opener "Fire" is a refreshing blast in the vein of classic Operation Ivy, but it also considers the futility of making music. Then there's the self-explanatory "Don't Start a Band." It has none of the veteran's tone of warning, à la Less Than Jake's 2003 LP Anthem; it just hammers home record biz shenanigans over another sunny ska-punk hook. "Turn the Radio Off" is the final word, denouncing the industry, radio, its "zombie" listeners, and seemingly by association, Reel Big Fish themselves. And naturally it's super catchy.

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BARR - Beyond Reinforced Jewelcase

Brendan Fowler, AKA BARR, is a sensitive guy who thinks about stuff quite intensely. He's interested in life, relationships, philosophies, ideas and art, and what it all means. Like most of us. So he questions these things — heavily. But unlike most of us, he uses repeated, out-of-place phrases, awkward, confusing dialogue and vicious emotional outbursts to shake up us up and make us take another look at our lives.He speaks, sounding nasal, snotty, adolescent, sarcastic, conversational and like someone you think you'd like to meet. He speaks, maybe raps, raps white and whiny, alongside irresistible beats that take days to clean from your brain. His words, full of conviction, slip out with the blunt, filter-lacking truthfulness of a child. Only he's not a child, so there's sophistication to what he has to say.His compositions come off weird, arty and experimental, like you want to write him off for trying too hard, but he's not. His emotions are raw, intense and real, executed so that you want to keep listening. He tells you things that you already know, or that you thought you knew, but never spent enough time wondering about. It's too simple to be big, but too much of something to be nothing.

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The Number Twelve Looks Like You - Nuclear Sad Nuclear

Like many of their hardcore-hybrid brethren, this six-piece band's music goes everywhere and nowhere. They shred, they chug, they growl, they sing, they punish, they embrace. They spearhead mass shout-alongs, then prance around in girls' jeans. They're both hyper-masculine and metrosexual, unsettlingly inscrutable and undeniably pop. They fly off the handle into unforeseen passages every 30 seconds or so, but they never really shift into anything head-turning or genuinely surprising. There's more than just a hard rock pastiche here, too -- Nuclear. Sad. Nuclear is an entire semester of high school in rewind. It's basements and battles-of-the-bands, make-outs and break-ups, NES with the boys and long talks with the girls, dyed-pitch-black combovers, pierced lips and dove tattoos, the discovery of Maiden and Modest Mouse. As such, it's bound to resonate with some kid somewhere in a way that's hard to fault -- as long as the kid moves on (in every sense) when the time comes.

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Panic! At the Disco - A fever you can't sweat out

Panic! At The Disco's debut album is a genre-busting blend of slick, poppy punk, Strokes-like rock, and, well, disco. While the first two genres fit together seamlessly, a blend of all three is a risky proposition usually only attempted by experienced professionals. Nevertheless these inspired neophytes score time and again with tracks like the glittering "Camisado," with its sparkling sequencer interlude, and the witty, archly named "Lying Is the Most Fun a Girl Can Have Without Taking Her Clothes Off" (the opaqueness of Panic!'s song titles is a large part of their charm). The band's lyrics tumble out in a rush, while their musical ideas are a complex distillation of pop's last 40 years, played with an innocence and enthusiasm as infectious as it is exhilarating

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The Sound Of Animals Fighting - Tiger And The Duke

The Sound Of Animals Fighting began as a side-project of ex-Rx Bandit Rich Balling, that is strongly influenced by the Mars Volta. Many fans have been intrigued with this group trying to figure out the mystery and reasoning behind the group. It seems very simple, the members of the group take on animal personas and let there talent speak for themselves in their version of a progressive-rock opera. The mystery of the members are kept under lock and key right now for legal reasons but the animals in the band include the walrus, the lynx, the armadillo, the tiger, the tortoise, the nightingale, the skunk, the llama, the dog, the swan, the raven, the octopus, the hyena, the bear, and the ferret. All of the animals are people who helped create the album in some way of another.

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The Kinison - What Are You Listening To?

For anyone who was ever disappointed about the 2001 breakup of At The Drive-In, the time for sadness is over; The Kinison have arrived. I expected great things to come after hearing their five song EP Mortgage is Bank, but I am thoroughly impressed with the new release from LaSalle Records. It is the first full-length release from this Southern California five-piece and also the first for Travis Barker’s new label.

I gatta say, the best band out of travis Barkers new label must be the nervous return, they are so completely overlook'd that they even reply to fans on myspace. its crazyi know!(btw this isnt the nervous return obviously, i have that listed just search for it)

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The Class of '98 - Thouch This And Die

The Class of 98 pair agreeable sounds with edgy riffs and a keen melodicdiscernment. Much more than pop fodder, their songs are addictive and earnest,while never sounding cliché. Although The Class of 98 have played at many localNashville clubs and universities, the band has been busy with shows across theSoutheast and Midwest. The Class of 98 have played with the likes of Superdrag’sJohn Davis, Celebrity, The Juliana Theory, among others. The band produced allof their own music in-house, and some of these recordings have even beenfeatured on MTV and The WB’s “Smallville”.The Class of 98 will release Touch This And Die via The Militia Group in early2006. The band view the record as “an autobiography from adolescence to manhood,loss to grace.”

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Brand New Discography

Formed in Long Island, NY, Brand New appeared in the punk-pop scene in 2000. Consisting of drummer Brian Lane, vocalist/guitarist Jesse Lacey, bassist Garrett Tierney, and guitarist Vin Accardi, the band released its first record, Your Favorite Weapon, in 2001. Deja Entendu, a decidedly matured follow-up, was recorded with Steve Haigler (Pixies, Blake Babies) and released in summer 2003. Both albums yielded music videos on MTV, while earning Brand New slots with A New Found Glory, Good Charlotte, Dashboard Confessional, and blink-182.

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These Arms Are Snakes - Oxeneers Or The Lion

The first full-length record from Northwest band These Arms Are Snakes bears two titles, Oxeneer and the exhaustive The Lion Sleeps When Its Antelope Go Home. Perhaps the band has another, more deliberate motive for bestowing their creation with more than one moniker, but I would like to think that they did out of sheer indecisiveness -- or at least because of a pretty strong reluctance to give up one title over the other. This is the only explanation that rings true after giving their record a few listens. It's not an entirely bad thing either: indecision haunts a number of bands. In the right circumstances it can even be a virtue, allowing a vacillation between different styles and different talents, all the while maintaining a sense of wholeness that enthralls their fans rather than making them impatient. Anybody who makes things, whether it be rock songs, short stories, paintings, films or even (gasp) record reviews, knows how difficult it is to part with a line, lyric or shot that you created. But with very few exceptions, the decision to take something out in the service of the finished product, however much it pains you, can be the difference between mediocrity and genius.

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Reggie and the Full Effect discography

Reggie & the Full Effect combine infectious melodies, sappy love songs, good-natured, offbeat slyness, and comic sensibility like virtually no other "band" before them. Reggie albums are full of skits, hooky pop songs and chunky guitar playing that appeal to fans of punk rock, emo, and hardcore alike. There are two sides to the Reggie & the Full Effect story. One is fictitious and humorous — the tale of a bluesman named Reggie who vanished at the height of his career, and whose lost "White Chocolate Studios" recordings were recently unearthed and dropped at the door step of a couple of independent record labels. The other is the real story. Reggie is actually Get Up Kids' keyboard player and former Coalesce drummer James DeWees, making records on which he plays all of the instruments. The project began during some downtime for Coalesce. DeWees recorded a batch of songs starting with the drums first, building them all the way up on his own. Occasionally, members of Get Up Kids would drop by the Kansas City studio to participate, but for the most part, the songs contained on Reggie's albums are solely of DeWees' creation. Second Nature Recordings released the first album, playfully titled Greatest Hits 1984-1987 in 1998. After that, DeWees performed a handful of live shows with Get Up Kids as his backing band. Shortly before Coalesce disbanded, DeWees joined up with the Get Up Kids full-time, not long before they signed a deal with Vagrant for both themselves and Reggie & the Full Effect, that also included the creation of their own Heroes and Villains imprint. The second Reggie album, Promotional Copy, was conceived at Red House Studios together with producer Ed Rose and surfaced in 2000. It was supported by a string of live dates utilizing members of Ultimate Fakebook. That same year, Reggie released a split 7" single with the band Koufax. In 2001, Reggie & the Full Effect toured on a leg of the Vagrant America package tour. DeWees rejoined a reformed Coalesce in 2002, while continuing to work with The Get Up Kids and as Reggie. He also split his time recording another Reggie & the Full Effect album. Under the Tray, which highlighted some of the band's brightest work, arrived in February 2003.

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Cartel - Chroma

There's nothing new under the sun, especially not in pop music, and there's absolutely nothing new or innovative or even particularly forward-looking about Cartel's big guitars, big hooks, and big-voiced lead singer. That's not to say that this Atlanta-based band is retro at all — on the contrary, it's just very much a creature of its time. Call this music pop-punk if you want, but really it's just pop, and more power to them. The album opens powerfully, with two pitch-perfect exercises in hooks-wise guitar rock, the bombastic but tight "Say Anything (Else)," and "Honestly." When things start getting a bit soft it's less a problem with the music than it is a problem with the lyrics: "Save Us" is nothing but a pile of clichés and meaningless phrases ("Now it's all gone but what it takes to make it real/We're standing on the edge of this"), and there's something vaguely creepy about the football-chant phraseology in "Burn This City." Perhaps worst of all is "Minstrel's Prayer," which actually contains the line "Oh carry on, you minstrels of the world." Yeesh. But most of the songs are much less embarrassing than those three, and the big, tight guitars and cathartic chord progressions go a long way toward redeeming even those. Recommended.

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Labradford

Grr, so i just typed up a whole review and it got deleted and since im the lazyest person in the world, heres something better.

The underrated but present Labradford sense of humor turns up here in an amusing way — namely, the six song titles for the band's fifth record which, when read in order, are in fact the album credits: recording studio, side players, and so forth. Besides being entertainingly wry, this emphasizes even more than the one- and two-letter song titles from Mi Media Naranja, that Labradford are much more about musical than lyrical intent — something always apparent, but even more so here, on the band's first full-instrumental release. Compared with the low-key complexity of Media, E Luxo So is far more minimal and a bit less gripping as a result, though not by much. The keyboard (?)-provided rhythm on "With John Morand and assisted by Brian Hoffa" helps make it one of the quirkiest songs Labradford have done yet, while having piano instead of organ playing against the guitar makes it even more distinct. "Dulcimers played by Peter Neff. Strings played" actually verges on being modern classical, consisting almost solely of piano and a string quartet, with the exception of a sudden interruption of what sounds like a door opening and closing, and various gears turning. "and Jonathan Morken. Photo provided by" has more of the in-depth sound layering expected of Labradford, with what sounds like a series of record pops helping to provide some of the rhythm beneath a piano/organ/guitar combination, but generally, this is a more spacious-sounding effort from the band, and not a bad one at all.

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A Silver Mt. Zion DOS

Hello again! Now its time for the BESTBEBSTBESBT A Silver Mt. Zion ever! YES thats right its He Has Left Us Alone but Shafts of Light Sometimes Grace the Corners of Our Rooms, time. Long title. i know. Well, i lover's this mainly due to the track "Movie (Never Made)"..i would post the lyrics but im too lazy, and everything is pretty much summed up in the other post on ASMZ so heres a review from allmusic

Review by Joslyn Layne
A Silver Mt. Zion has created a quiet album of beautiful and hypnotic melancholy, giving it the lengthy name He Has Left Us Alone, but Shafts of Light Sometimes Grace the Corner of Our Rooms. With this early 2000 release on Montreal's Constellation label, Efrim, Thierry, and Sophie of Godspeed You Black Emperor! (also on Constellation) create a sound similar to that of GYBE!, but less mournful and more gentle. Layers of string sections surround inner rings of light echoes, surrounding a core of sparsely played, reverberating guitar. This mostly instrumental album occasionally calls to mind the simple, quiet, and space-filled works of modern composer Peter Garland, as well as the solo albums of Dirty Three guitarist, Mick Turner. Efrim (piano), Thierry (contrebass), and Sophie (violin) are joined by other members of the Montreal bands Godspeed, Exhaust, and more, resulting in an often lush and raw sound that can include drums, clarinet, guitar, and tape loops. Dedicated to Efrim's late dog, Wanda, this release is in keeping with the other serious and vulnerable music found in the Constellation catalogue.

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The Nervous Return

Hey.. folks........ Todays selection is The Nervous Return Wake Up Dead, most of you probably never even heard of this band let alone heard a song from them. But let me tell you, they are indeed fantastic. Now, lets go back into how i found out about this band, you see there was a band that didnt suck called The Transplants, the drummer for the transplants is Travis Barker(Blink 182). Mr.Barker took it on his duty or whatever to make a record label called "La Salle Records" The first band that got singed to the label was yours truely, The Nervous Return. I think we all know how labels of "Stars" or "Celebritys" end up, just look at the Good Charlotte boys record label, which label you ask? Exactly. So this just means regardless of how fucken fan tilly astic these guys are, they wont be noticed much do to the popularity of Mr.Barker. Hopefully the label would help them out to get some airplay or something, i mean the transplants did, so why cant they? ha ha

Just yesturday i aquired this CD, bought it from half.com. Got it about a week after ordering it, in some Avon packaging, weird. Alright well most of you may be wondering what exactly the nervous return is all about. Well then, lets get to it. They would be what you call Post punk, glam rock. Quite Poppy. Granted some of their lyrics are quite harsh but, eh..

All you ever wanted was a kiss goodbye from a gun

Nice. But seriously The Nervous Return have a very distinct sound, they really are edgy, and all the songs have a different melody and run very nicely together. If your looking for something hard, and upbeat. this is Definately the album you'd want to look into.

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Against Police Injustice

Against Police Injustice, is a Benefit compilation, that contains bands such as Against Me, Choking Victim, Leftover Crack, Anti - Flag, Sixgun Radio, Conflict, and Morning Glory. However to actually say what this album was created for, i have to quote other people(interpunk). the horror! i know!

This is a Benefit compilation put together to raise the remaining legal fees for
the defense of Ahmad Nelson. Ahmad spent a year and a half in New Orleans Parish
Prison, awaiting trial for the murder of an off duty police officer. While Ahmad
was in prison family, friends and supporters from around the world rallied to
raise money to pay for a fair trial. We raised more then $60,000 but am still
struggling to come up with the last $13,000. Thanks to all the bands that have
contriputed to this comp. We are hoping that from the sales of this CD, now that
Ahmad is free from prison, that he may also be free of this massive debt.(Interpunk.com)

Obviously one of the best songs on this album have got to be by Bouncing souls "Lamar Vannoy" the fast riffs and catchy melody get you dancing andjigging if your my retarded self. And the more amusing song by Morning Forthy Federation called "Stinky" which is obviously very different from the other songs on the album. Its about a stinky person that just isnt clean. Its got such sadness and stuff..........Also the last song, World inferno's Friendship is an amazing song. Most people like the choking victim song, but meh they have better. Anywhoddle.

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Requests

Hello everyone! Just remind everyone that I'm taking requests, so if your looking for anything or want anything, just send me an email.

punkasfunk@gmail.com

Anberlin - Blueprints for the Black Market

Seattle's Tooth & Nail has developed a reputation as the home for positive-thinking, hookalicious pop-punk and alternative combos, many sporting fancy haircuts and a Christian-influenced worldview. Anberlin fits this mold. Led by the soaring, slightly froggy-voiced vocals of Stephen Christian, the band also includes Joseph Milligan (guitar), Nathan Young (drums), Joey Bruce (guitar), and Deon Rexroat (bass). Blueprints for the Black Market features 11 songs buffed for a gleaming finish by producer Aaron Sprinkle, ex of Christian punkers Poor Old Lu. While it accesses the earnestness of emo through a side door, Blueprints removes punk and hardcore from the equation entirely. Some songs feature dynamics evocative of these genres ("Naïve Orleans," the post-hardcore stylings of "Glass to the Arson"), but those same tracks are cleaned up with electronic programming or lush chorus vocals that are much closer to bland alternative pop/rock. The bopping "Foreign Language" marries the yearning of Cutting Crew to a post-new wave beat, but a song later Anberlin is channeling the grandiose proto-metal of Tool, albeit without that group's slithering underbelly. This obviousness ultimately sinks Blueprints for the Black Market. It's such a glimmering recording, and the songs are so minutely arranged to represent a particular sound, that the album ends up becoming an utterly pleasant bore. Christian and his cohorts turn in some determined performances, but they lack any definition. A preening cover of the Cure's "Love Song" doesn't help matters.

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Park - No Signal

In the world of music, it seems there are bands that listeners enjoy but know that they probably shouldn't, because these acts fit in with genres that — for whatever reason — they have sworn off. For those who have sworn off syrupy emo-pop, Park will belong to that group of bands. With romantic lyrics and semi-dark guitar parts, this four-piece band has made an 11-song CD that would fit in well with groups like the Get Up Kids, God's Reflex, or most of the other outfits on the Lobster Records roster. The vocals have the typically nasal intonation that is all too common in this genre, but it's a rather easy thing to accept. Other than that, it's all pretty much what one would expect from the emo-pop genre, but don't imagine it's as poppy and upbeat as some of the Vagrant Records stuff. There's a gloomy tone running throughout much of the material, which makes for a sense of urgency, importance, and — overall — a better album.

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Just Surrender - If These Streets Could Talk

The internet is a wonderful thing, Purevolume.com is almost completely responsible for blowing up this out-of-Poughkeepsie band. Just Surrender went from a pretty much unknown band to one of the more popular bands on Pure Volume, and with good reason. Just Surrender creates a brand of pop-punk that we all know and love, any comparisons to Taking Back Sunday or Armor for Sleep are more than justified. "If These Streets Could Talk" is the follow up to "Tell All Your Friends" that Taking Back Sunday never released. However, Just Surrender still manages to keep this release from getting lost in all of emo-branded music that floods our play lists and itunes libraries. "If These Streets Could Talk" may sound somewhat generic, but it's filled with energy that seems to be lacking in so many releases, making up for the minor identity crisis.

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Yesterdays Rising - Lightworker

Yesterday's Rising played 35 shows on 2004's Vans Warped Tour and were recognized as the youngest band to ever be a part of that tour (all the members are still in High School, ages 16-19). Their Fearless debut EP, "When We Speak We Breathe", came out in July 2004 and sold over 8,000 copies without proper distribution. They're invited back for this summer's Warped Tour to play all 50 shows headlining the same Smartpunk Stage that saw Under Oath blowing up last year. On "Lightworker", the songwriting is shockingly mature, delivered with scream/sing vocal hooks, metal inspired guitar riffs, and complex crushing rhythms.

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the get up kids- something to write home about

Imagine if the kids that got made fun of on the back of the bus ended up being the coolest ones in the school. Not through any kind of terrorist revenge fantasy or post-apocalyptic last-people-alive-on-Earth scenario, but what if they were actually the most interesting, most sincere, most talented kids around? That is exactly the impression given by the Get up Kids on their 1999 album Something to Write Home About. That although they are struggling with stumbling relationships and the pervasive frustrations of being young men in their generation, they still are able to process the complexities of their daily lives through music. This is a heavy statement concerning a power pop band, but these guys are doing it right. Rocketing out of the gates with a blast of punk bravado and true emo energy, guitarists Matthew Pryor and Jim Suptic sing as if the more forcefully they belt it out, the sooner their dilemmas will be solved. Incorporating Fender Rhoades electric piano and Moog synthesizers (played sparingly by James Dewees) adds an element that Weezer introduced to smart post-punk bands, allowing the sound to be cool and geeky at the same time. The cross-town traffic ballad "Ten Minutes" is a stuttering ode where the singer's girlfriend lives, hoping for understanding but expecting an argument. The sincere combination of excitement and concern in Suptic's voice gives the listener a genuine feeling for the situation. Shifts in tempo and punchy guitar riffs separate the Get up Kids from their emo contemporaries who often seem too comfortable with their guitar-bass-drums formula. The pleading acoustic "Out of Reach" showcases the bright harmonies and raw emotion of the band as it builds into a piano-driven, swaying lost love torch song, quite unusual for the genre. "I'm down for whatever," Pryor sings on "Action & Action," and it is that kind of apathetic optimism that makes Something to Write Home About worthy of the critical praise and dedicated fanbase it has earned.

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pg. 99 - Document #7

From the hardcore haven of Northeast America, pg. 99 embodies the essence of throat-searing, heart-pounding, metallic, angular noise — tearing down buildings from the base up, kicking out brick after brick. They are a structured mass of chaotic bodies on-stage, made up in full form of three guitarists, two bassists, two screaming vocalists, and a drummer. Those who witness them live never leave without a drastically engraved impression, often ending up on the floor in a swarm of piling bodies. Their first major full-length album, the 2000-released Document #5, put them into the expanding category of innovative and edgy screamy hardcore bands, alongside bands such as Love Lost but Not Forgotten, Majority Rule, Song of Zarathustra, and so forth. Their most recent release, the incredible, dark, seven-song Document #8, continues to push the edge of hardcore into a new direction, breathing fresh air and liquid passion over rows of faces.

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Transistor Transistor - Erase All Names And Likeness

This New Hampshire based quartet, who recorded with underground guru Kurt Ballou for their debut 11-track sojourn, skillfully walk the line between schizo punk rock and nubile screamo hardcore. Erase All Name and Likeness is a rollicking, chaotic affair churning with dissonance and aggression, as the introductory one-two punch of "Kill the Head" and "And the Body Will Die" emphatically suggests. While melodic passages can be found on tracks like "Songsanstitle" and the epic closing cut "Sinking Ship Full of Optimists", most of the time, these songs are accented with bitter blasts of distortion or anguished screams. Spending time in hardcore bands gives these noise merchants a strong sense of dynamics, yet Transistor Transistor's sonic swagger falls most in line with The Bronx or Bars in terms of unloading a no nonsense rock fury. Everything from Black Flag to Every Time I Die to Amen is featured here, and in such a way that's it's impossible to ignore.

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A Day To Remember - And Their Name Was Treason

Emo enthusiasts will probably take the title of A Day to Remember's And Their Name Was Treason quite literally, as here is yet another young band clearly steeped in that scene, now turning to embrace the seemingly "next" musical trend that is the ever more popular metalcore style. Meanwhile and for their part, metalheads are sure to exclaim: "Not another one!" In either case, like so many of these acts, A Day to Remember write bite-sized songs that constantly waver back and forth between extremely melodic chorus sections (at times saccharinely so) and depths-of-hell Cookie Monster growling (at times scarily convincing), with almost maddening reliability. That's not to say that they don't uncork the occasional excellent example of the form, such as the power pop-leaning "A Second Glance" or the incredibly heavy "1958." But, these bright spots aside, one can literally predict the band's switches between its hard/soft facets with disturbing accuracy, having never heard the songs before. Even more clichéd, is how the band dresses up the same old, beat-to-death emo subjects of unrequited love and teenage alienation with pseudo-funny ("Casablanca Sucked Anyways") or metallically "tough" titles like "If Looks Could Kill" and "You Should Have Killed Me When You Had the Chance." No comment on the textbook, yawn-inducing acoustic ballad "You Had Me at Hello" (other than perhaps: "how cute"), and even their requisite cult flick quote choice — from Donnie Darko — seems a little too obvious. Does all this mean that And Their Name Was Treason is no good? Not really: it's no better or worse than a thousand emocore albums released during a 12-month span; but it's still but one of thousands, so good luck standing out of the pack.

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Halifax - A Writer's Reference

It would be very easy to throw Halifax into the pop-punk landfill that record labels have been dumping bands into for the past few years, especially considering the band just re-released it's originally independently released E.P., A Writer's Reference on Drive-Thru Records, a pop-punk breeding ground. Although aspects of A Writer's Reference are reminiscent of a lot of the other punk-inspired rock bands that are emerging these days. The difference with Halifax is that the songs are good, the lyrics work well and it has a sound of its own.

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Damien Rice - O

O is the remarkable must-hear debut album from Dublin-born dreamer and troubadour Damien Rice. Like compatriot David Kitt, Rice is evidently a major talent, one of a select breed of loosely-affiliated modernist folk artists for whom the words "traditional" and "singer-songwriter" are hindering terminological obstacles that need to be blown clean out the way for the sake of progress. Adorned with unexpected musical twists, pleasures and textures--particularly Lisa Hannigan's fragile vocal accompaniment and Vyvienne Long's sonorous cello--O's strengths lie not only in the quality of the songs--songs that could easily withstand the thrill-free "unplugged" process--but the free-thinking adventurism that decrees that segments of operatically sung Inuit (on "Eskimo") and drowsy God-like Gregorian chants (on the truly touching "Cold Water", probably a rumination on drowning involving a discourse between a dying father, daughter and the big man in the sky) should not be off-limits on pop records.

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Damien Rice - B-Sides

Damien Rice has quite simply taken the music world by storm: from receiving ecstatic reviews, to legendary appearances at Glastonbury, to winning the third annual Shortlist Music Prize honouring the most adventurous and creative albums by emerging artists. Here he offers his new legion of admirers and friends an EP of rare B-sides. These seven stunning tracks will undoubtedly whet the appetite while fans await his forthcoming record.


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Sufjan Stevens - Seven Swans

After completing the first installment of his planned series of 50 records — one album dedicated to each state in the U.S. — indie folk overachiever Sufjan Stevens returns with Seven Swans, a collection of stripped-down, introspective musings on life, love, and faith that chart the geographic location of the heart and soul. Many of these themes were dealt with eloquently on Greetings from Michigan: The Great Lakes State, presenting the singer/multi-instrumentalist as a first-rate interpreter of the human condition, as well as a gifted musician. The 12 tracks on Swans yield the same bounty, but with a leaner arsenal, due to Stevens' sparse arrangements and production from Danielson Famile mastermind Daniel Smith. Fellow Famile members Elin, Megan, David, and Andrew — who also appeared on The Great Lakes State — lend their vocal and percussion talents to the mix, resulting in a surreal campfire environment that's part confessional and part processional. Beginning with the gorgeously titled "All the Trees in the Field Will Clap Their Hands," Stevens saunters out of the gate with nary an overdub to be heard, letting the banjo lead the parade, slowly picking up piano, percussion, and the angelic voices of Megan and Elin before disappearing over the hilltop. He channels Bert Jansch on the love song "The Dress Looks Nice on You" and Eric Matthews on "To Be Alone With You," striking a winning balance of '60s British folk and indie Americana. Like the Violent Femmes' seminal pseudo-Christian masterpiece, Hallowed Ground, Seven Swans treats religion with simplicity and sincerity, approaching the subject with an almost feverish peacefulness. "Abraham," "We Won't Need Legs to Stand," and "He Woke Me Up Again," with its fiery, overdriven organ, are all effective tomes of the singer's faith, but that faith can be tested. Stevens is quite aware of the dark, and no more so than on the Flannery O'Connor-inspired "A Good Man Is Hard to Find," a first-person murder narrative that reveals a subtle current of menace only hinted at in the earlier portion of the record. Like faith, these songs require patience, as their almost mantra-like arcs take their time to fully form. By the time he reaches the spirited closer, "Transfiguration," an affirming take on the Gospels that reaches an almost Polyphonic Spree crescendo, the listener has no choice but to conform — if only for the length of the record — to the writer's unabashed spirituality, and at just under 45 minutes, it's an easy choice to make.

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Headphones - S/t

In the mainstream wake of the Postal Service's success, plenty of indie rockers are setting down their guitars and picking up synthesizers (ironic since so many electronic artists have slung axes as of late). Headphones might seem like Postal Service redux, featuring Pedro the Lion guitarist David Bazan and drummer Tim Walsh. But where both acts employ the formula of emo-tinged vocals and basic bleeping melodies, the similarities end when Bazan sings about the darker reaches of his psyche. Song titles like "Shit Talker," "I Never Wanted You," and "Natural Disaster" speak volumes of this album's intent. "Hello Operator" employs a sonar signal as its main hook, while "Major Cities" is a solo keyboard number that stays on the black ivories until Bazan finally moans in during the final minute. So no, there's not an indie hit to be found on Headphones, although the maraca shake of "Natural Disaster" does liven things up despite the chorus "You would wait on the rapture, natural disaster/To come around." Not exactly the tone the kids of The O.C. are waiting to hear. So forget the easy Gibbard/Tamborello comparisons and look here if you seek more mope with your Moog. REPOSTED and Fixed missing link!yayay

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Nine Black Alps - Everything Is

Manchester is the new Seattle, if Everything Is, the debut album from Nine Black Alps is anything to go by: the work of four young men clearly well versed in the thick, stamped-pedal distortion and angst-wracked sentiments popular in the days of grunge, the raging likes of "Shot Down" and "Not Everyone" should be instant manna for a generation that still holds Kurt in such saintly regard.The Alps know, however, that what separated Nirvana from their more prosaic kin was a skill for infectious melody. "Get Your Guns", then, successfully twins gnarled guitar roar with pouting frontman Sam Forrest’s nagging, melodically astute vocals, creating a neat tension between tunefulness and noise that extends through to more subtle moments like "Unsatisfied". Elsewhere, a vague 60s influence sometimes raises its shaggy head, as on the title track, where Forrest sneers "Everybody is a liar/ Everybody has a price" before careening into a verse that sounds like The Kinks’ "You Really Got Me" soaked in beer and kicked around a venue floor. Heavy music with a pop sensibility: it’s not rocket science, but in Nine Black Alps’ hands, such simple formulas become impressive alchemy

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Sonic Youth - Goo

After spending the 1980s terrorizing the underground alternative scene with their oddly tuned guitars and inventive song structure, this New York City art-punk band started the next decade with a major label deal and a determination to make rock loud and sexy for all concerned. The single "Kool Thing," which features a cameo from Public Enemy's Chuck D, immediately proved they had both the dynamic control and the range to meet such a challenge. Backed by an album of taut, riff-driven anthems ("Dirty Boots," "Titanium Expose") and moments of extended feedback bliss (Lee Ranaldo's "Mote"), Sonic Youth redefined what hard rock would sound like in the '90s. It's no wonder Nirvana respected them so.

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Mineral - The Power of Failing

The Austin boys unmatched debut record. Beauty, aggression, melody, intensity, dynamics and the list goes on. Incredible songs. Everyday new people discover the power and influence of Mineral. Still one of the corner stone records to what has become an incredibly huge scene.


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The Strokes - First Impressions Of Earth

If The Strokes suffered from an excess of hype when they first burst onto the music scene in the dawn of this decade, inciting near-Radiohead levels of rock critic hyperbole, they seem to be having quite the opposite problem by the time of their third record, First Impressions Of Earth . It is now little more than a month before its projected release date, January 3rd, and the media response has been nothing but tepid. No NME covers, no round-the-clock MTV, or even MTVHits, play for their video "Juicebox," not even a good mention from Pitchfork (who, despite what you might think, have always been strong Strokes supporters). The tide, it seems, has turned against them. Only good music (and savvy marketing) can sustain a band once it's been cast out of the "hip" community and is forced to fend for itself in the pop wilderness.

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Robert Blake & Erik Petersen - Bellingham & Philadelphia

Six tracks each from two of today's best known folk / punk songsmiths and great songs to sing around the campfires after a hard's day of work smashing the system! More punk than the entire Casualties discography!

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Mommy And Daddy - Live How You Listen

Mommy & Daddy are the leading New York power couple, with stripped down drum loops, fuzzed out melodic bass lines, & trade off boy/girl vocals. They're fans include the legendary Suicide & they've tagged themselves as the Sonny & Cher of electro-punk. This release marks their debut full-length featuring 12 tracks. Big Cat.

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Secret Lives Of The Freemasons - This Was Built To Make You Dance

Secret Lives recorded “This Was Built to Make You Dance (Here is Your Revolution)” at the legendary Clubhouse in historic Rhinebeck, New York with producer D. James Goodwin (Murder By Death). The result is their debut release on Astro Magnetics/Platform Group.

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Trophy Scars - Goodnight Alchemy

TROPHY SCARS have accomplished quite a bit in their short existence. In less than two years this band of post hardcore hopefuls has gained a full US tour under their belt with another one coming and have warmed up the stage for nearly every band that has come through the garden state, CURSIVE, THE BLOOD BROTHERS, and BELOVED among them. Having sold over 2,000 copies of their self-released EP with zero retail distribution, TROPHY SCARS has made a dent in the hearts and minds of fans with an amazing live show and exemplary music leading to the hard to attain positive word of mouth and praise.

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Zolof The Rock & Roll Destroyer - The Popsicle EP

Having a name remarkably similar to the antidepressant Zoloft, it is not surprising that the music of Zolof the Rock & Roll Destroyer is upbeat and seems to leave you feeling happy, warm and fuzzy. However, this EP, like the drug, comes with a couple of “side effects.”

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Secret Lives Of The Freemasons - The Cut And Thrust Of Clear Thinking

Secret Lives are a dynamic blend of rock and hardcore. Coming out of Ashville NC, these guys bring a album with plenty of breakdowns along with enough melody to keep you in awe. Produced by Jamie King (Beloved, Between the Buried and Me. Appearing on this summer's Warped Tour. A must for fans of Poison the Well, The Bled and more.

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A Silver Mt. Zion

A Silver Mt. Zion is a mostly instrumental(and they do have some vocals but it is a lot of instrumental) Montreal rock group of musicians from Godspeed You Black Emperor!. But its all wacky, they took the guitarist but he plays piano, they have a violant bassist and some guests. They would be classifieed as post rock(currently my new favorite genre) and experimental, rock, yadda yadda yada. I dont think this album, Horses in the Sky, is their best album totally even i believe that their other album with the huge hgue huge huge name is a lot more fantastic. but this album still has really nifty songs like "God Bless Our Dead Marines" which has fantastic drums in the back and the leads voice is very sketchy almost radiohead frontman ish, but not quite.. it does remind me of conor oberst(the horror!) BUT not too much, its a fnatastic album so if ur into Godspeed! or any instrumental band, these guys should be checked out if you already have not. Cheeow

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XBXRX - Sixth in Sixes

Their real names are a mystery. But their sound was unmistakable: a synth-enhanced, noise rock explosion laced with verbal nonsense that defied comparison. XBXRX formed in Mobile, AL, in the spring of 1998 and headed into the studio when the lead guitarist had not yet entered high school. The Singer/Other Guitar Player, the Bass Player, the Guitar Player, the Drummer, and the Keyboard Player debuted with Greatest Hits, Vol. 2 on NFJM in 1998 and released singles and EPs with Anal Log, Troubleman, Sound on Sound, and Arkam. A full-length full of discordant fury, Gop Ist Minee was released on 5RC in 2001. The band toured with the likes of Unwound, Deerhoof, Q & Not U, and the Sissies, wearing various uniforms and playing short, frenzied sets. Four venues in their hometown of Mobile banned them, as did the city of Sunnyvale, CA. XBXRX broke up in the spring of 2002, though it released some previously recorded albums, such as Mardi Gras, a collaboration with Mr. Quintron and Miss Pussycat.

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Mew - And The Glass Handed Kites

Producing dark and atmospheric songs, Mew posses a graceful beauty and create an epic sound with strikingly memorable tunes over which delicate vocals soar to angelic heights. Two years after their award-winning debut album Frengers wowed the critics, the Danish four-piece's follow-up, And The Glass Handed Kites is the fourth album for the dream-pop four piece but only the second to be available to a worldwide audience. Mew And The Glass Handed Kites features 14 total tracks including 'Apocalypso', 'Chinaberry Tree', 'A Dark Design', 'White Lips Kissed', 'The Zookeeper's Boy', 'Small Ambulance' and more. BMG. 2005.

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Descendents - Milo Goes To College

Like a slightly more sardonic, decidedly Californianized Undertones, the Descendents ran the gamut of adolescent interest, from girls to, uh, girls. And they matched that wide scope with an equally wide array of three-chord tunes. So why is this such an essential record? One word: Milo. Singer Milo Aukerrman--who really was off to college after recording it--yelps "I'm Not a Punk" and "I'm Not a Loser" with such desperation that it's almost touching. Then again, the nyah-nyah attitude that crops up just about everywhere else marks him as the sorta guy who'd probably pick your pocket as you were looking for a hankie to help dry those eyes. A quintessential American punk document.

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Mischief Brew - Bakenal

West-Philly certified "gypsy-hobo-pirate-punk." Imagine the Pogues playing cards with the devil while a Subhumans LP spins on an old phonograph in the corner. Honest folk-punk. An angry Pete Seeger. Acoustic anarchy. Pilgrims have tried to throw darts to the core of Mischief Brew, in an attempt to describe it...but have only managed to hit around the bulls-eye.


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The Appleseed Cast - The End Of The Ring Wars

Although the late '90s saw a surge in bands labeled emo, it seems that the Lawrence, KS, foursome Appleseed Cast somehow broke through the stereotypes and made a name for itself. Sure, the sound on the debut album The End of the Ring Wars may be similar to such flag-bearers of the movement as Mineral or Sunny Day Real Estate, but something that Appleseed Cast does is worthy of a closer listen. What Appleseed Cast does, the band does well. The group is capable of weaving a mournful story on this 11-song disc about a lost love and the quest to get her back; the vocals by singer Christopher Crisci may come off as similar to Sunny Day Real Estate's Jeremy Enigk, and there may be times when one may desire to write Appleseed Cast off, but that is when the drumming starts to become amazing, the stairstep melodies begin to plead their case, and the occasional saxophone solo appears. The tempo picks up on one track, slacks off the next, and returns to something tragic after that. The pattern continues to alter and change and, before the listener is aware, The End of the Ring Wars is finished — and what has just occurred is a conglomeration of all the things the emo style has become known for. While there is a proliferation of independent bands attempting to make their marks in an oversaturated market, Appleseed Cast has since challenged the style to come to a new level, and The End of the Ring Wars displays the foundation for that argument.

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I Am Ghost - We Are Always Searching

Just in time for Halloween comes the first full-length from I Am Ghost, Southern California's spookiest punk band. The eerie, ethereal, windswept "The Dead Girl Epilogue: Part One" sets the stage for the album's lyrical desolation, a eulogy for lives broken by unrequited romances and emotions wreaking havoc on sanity. This is teenage angst gone mad, where every slight is cause for despair, love lost a cause for suicide, and even love found a call to die, lest love should fade away. But in a Prozac nation, where both thought and emotion are so thoroughly stifled, refusing to simply get it over it and move on is perhaps the most revolutionary stance one can currently take. In which case, Ghost nail their spectral flag to love as obsession, hate as release into the purity of madness and murder, while railing against impermanence by refusing to let things change. Musically Ghost are just as extreme, interweaving the lush moodiness of goth with the rabid fury of hardcore punk, tossing in lashings of metal and hard rock for good measure with sprinkles of the droney desperation of the Banshees. What sets them apart, however, is their rich harmonies, which borrow from both modern melodic punk and classic '70s rock. And no, they're nothing like Marilyn Manson, in case you were wondering, much more musically in tune with the likes of Green Day than the gloomy Bowie of Manson's dreams. Can Ghost make goth rise again? If the rabid response in the So-Cal scene is indicative, indeed they can.

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Syd Barrett - The Madcap Laughs

Wisely, The Madcap Laughs doesn't even try to sound like a consistent record. Half the album was recorded by Barrett's former bandmates Roger Waters and Dave Gilmour, and the other half by Harvest Records head Malcolm Jones. Surprisingly, Jones' tracks are song for song much stronger than the more-lauded Floyd entries. The opening "Terrapin" seems to go on three times as long as its five-minute length, creating a hypnotic effect through Barrett's simple, repetitive guitar figure and stream of consciousness lyrics. The much bouncier "Love You" sounds like a sunny little Carnaby Street pop song along the lines of an early Move single, complete with music hall piano, until the listener tries to parse the lyrics and realizes that they make no sense at all. The downright Kinksy"Here I Go" is in the same style, although it's both more lyrically direct and musically freaky, speeding up and slowing down seemingly at random. Like many of the "band" tracks, "Here I Go" is a Barrett solo performance with overdubs by Mike Ratledge, Hugh Hopper, and Robert Wyatt of the Soft Machine; the combination doesn't always particularly work, as the Softs' jazzy, improvisational style is hemmed in by having to follow Barrett's predetermined lead, so on several tracks, like "No Good Trying," they content themselves with simply making weird noises in the background. The solo tracks are what made the album's reputation, though, particularly the horrifying "Dark Globe," a first-person portrait of schizophrenia that's seemingly the most self-aware song this normally whimsical songwriter ever created. Honestly, however, the other solo tracks are the album's weakest tracks, with the exception of the plain gorgeous "Golden Hair," a musical setting of a James Joyce poem that's simply spellbinding. The album falls apart with the appalling "Feel." Frankly, the inclusion of false starts and studio chatter, not to mention some simply horrible off-key singing by Barrett, makes this already marginal track feel disgustingly exploitative. But for that misstep, however, The Madcap Laughs is a surprisingly effective record that holds up better than its "ooh, lookit the scary crazy person" reputation suggests.

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Motion City Soundtrack - I Am The Movie

Motion City Soundtrack is a new emo five-piece that comes our way from Minneapolis MN and they have already got the attention of Epitaph for their debut. I Am The Movie was a little while in the making but finally released in the summer of 2003 to critical acclaim. Is it worth the praise? Well, that depends on what camp you come from but for the most part you should appreciate where these kids are coming with their melodic rock. While they do fit into the emo world in the same way bands like Jimmy Eat World do they are a little more sophisticated with their hooks and almost mainstream rock antics. There is a great overall pleasant feeling to I Am The Movie with a big rock production on it. While Motion City Soundtrack doesn't really sound like anything else on Epitaph, it does signify the label opening its arms to this genre as well as its many other punk styles. A lot of long-time Epitaph fans may turn their noses up at the polish of I Am The Movie but that's just fine. This album is indeed different for Epitaph but a very accomplished effort by Motion City Soundtrack, especially for a debut. The inclusion of synth on more that a couple tracks adds a depth to the band. There is no reason why tracks like "Perfect Teeth" or "Modern Chemistry" shouldn't make it on rock radio. It's got enough balls and enough hooks to please pretty much every type of rock fan. Still not quite sure on how these kids made it on Epitaph but let's hope that it proves to be beneficial for all parties involved.

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The Starting Line - Say It Like You Mean It

The Starting Line are four pretty attractive guys who probably get lots of girls and harmonize just like boy bands that sell oh so many albums. From start to finish, the album is full of bubbly, positive lyrics about (what else?) girls and poppy music, with plenty of upbeats and catchy hooks. Mark Trombino, who has worked with such amazing acts as Mineral and Jimmy Eat World but also with blink-182, did the production work on Say It Like You Mean It, and while he has no doubt worked his magic once again, it appears he's moving in a completely different direction than where his roots lie. Considering that the Starting Line's unsophisticated EP sold 25,000 copies, this album will no doubt sell double that and confuse music critics in publications all across the world as to how yet again pop acts can become so popular while the more creative, intelligent artists are continually ignored.

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