P.O.S.
Chill, Dummy
Doomtree (2017)
A new kidney hasn’t made P.O.S soft and introspective. On his return to action album Chill, Dummy, he’s as angry and pointed as ever. The album rages, with moments of reflection that turn outward instead of in.The Minneapolis rapper has had an interesting evolution. He sprung up as a DIY punk-turned rapper, helped found the Doomtree collective, and released records on the seminal … Read more
P.O.S.
Never Better
Rhymesayers (2009)
The unique style of P.O.S. continues to come together - from the disjointed and experimental Ipecac Neat that caught Rhymesayers' attention, and the slightly more mainstream Audition in 2006, Never Better continues to build and unify P.O.S.'s distinct and witty brand of hip-hop. To get it out of the way early, P.O.S. is also in the hardcore/mathrock band Building Better … Read more
P.O.S.
We Don't Even Live Here
Rhymesayers (2012)
Minneapolis’ P.O.S (aka Stefon Alexander) might not necessarily befit the tastes of most within the punk community, but his music is as heavily indebted to it as it is to hip-hop’s long and storied past. Since his musical beginnings in punk bands from as far back as high school, his music has been predominantly D.I.Y. and its messages of hard … Read more
Paatos
Silence of Another Kind
Inside Out (2006)
Prog-rock is quite an unstable ground to tread upon. One uneven step can send you hurtling into the abyss of ridiculous pretentiousness. As Silence of Another Kind begins, Paatos is already dangerously close to losing their footing. "Shame", while aptly named, does nothing more than give the impression of a rather uninspired band that is simply going through the motions. … Read more
Pack Sounds
Real Gusto
Friend Club Records (2023)
“Keep it simple / It’s not that hard / Just play three chords / On the chorus part” That lyric comes from “Paper Bag Palpitations, “the final song on Real Gusto, but it covers the whole record quite well. Pack Sounds are an emo-tinged punk band that plays driving and energetic music that moves forward rather than looking back. It’s heartfelt … Read more
Paco Sala
The Silent Season
Denovali (2017)
Paco Sala is the strange, outsider pop project of producer Anthony Harrison and singer Marie-Pascale Hardy. Having released a series of albums, with their main goal being the tinkering of pop structures and norm, The Silent Season marks their fifth full-length, and is the first of their works to be released through experimental label Denovali.The production of this record is … Read more
Padkarosda
Szabadulásom Művészete
Wake Up And Live (2014)
Padkarosda is a three piece punk band from Hungary. Szabadulásom Művészete (translated as Art Of My Liberation) is their second full-length release. Recorded in Budapest in June of 2013, Oakland, CA-based Wake Up And Live Records picked it up for US release this year. It comes on cassette with a pro-printed foldout J-card, complete with song lyrics, band photo, and … Read more
Pageninetynine
Document #8 (Reissue)
Robotic Empire (2005)
"Punk Rock should mean freedom, liking and accepting everything that you like, playing whatever you want, as sloppy as you want as long as it's good and has passion." Leave it to a band that exuded and wore passion on its sleeves to open their album with a sampled quote of Kurt Cobain to emphasize this facet of their collective … Read more
Pagoda
Pagoda
Ecstatic Peace (2007)
It's 2005: Gus van Sant releases another part of his Death Trilogy: Last Days, a movie depicting the demise of a very Cobain-like character called Blake. It tore the fans of Nirvana apart; some loved it, others hated it. Arguments ranged from "Peeing on Kurt's legacy" to "a beautiful homage to Kurt's final days." During the movie Blake plays a … Read more
Pain Principle
Waiting for the Flies
Blind Prophecy (2007)
This Florida four-piece was an entirely unknown proposition to me until Waiting for the Flies was delivered to my house. They may hail from the state that brought us some classic old school death metal, but Pain Principle have plenty more in common with the modern melodic death of the recent times. In fact, I'd go so far as to … Read more
Paint It Black
Amnesia
Bridge Nine (2009)
I hate to be that guy, but I got to admit that it's getting more and more difficult to find an impressive hardcore album these days. I'm not talking about that record you listen to several times, really rock out to during the first week, rag on your friends for having never heard of it, and then retire it to … Read more
Paint It Black
CVA
Jade Tree (2003)
Now this is how hardcore is supposed to be played: fast, loud, and pissed off. From beginning to end this disc is brutal. You'll find no sissy, emo bullshit here. This is 17 songs in well under 20 minutes, or "fuckin' quick" as some may like to call it. "But wait," you may ask, "Isn't this on Jade Tree?" Yes, … Read more
Paint It Black
Famine
Revelation (2023)
Paint It Black kind of burst back onto the scene the last two years. It had been 15 years since their last full-length, New Lexicon, and now we get Famine, which came out last fall. And “burst” was a word a chose purposely, because this record is fast and loud. Just as important, when it’s playing, you can’t ignore it. Paint It … Read more
Paint It Black
New Lexicon
Jade Tree (2008)
In the world of hardcore punk there is nary a person so forward thinking as Dan Yemin. This thought applies to all aspects of his band Paint it Black: presentation, politics, and, as highlighted on New Lexicon, production. During an interview I held with Yemin, he pointed to hip-hop as an inspiration to keep things fresh and inventive, stating "The … Read more
Paint It Black
Paradise
Jade Tree (2005)
CVA was fucking perfect. Naysayers beware: I am willing to defend that position. A hardcore supergroup of sorts (combining members of The Curse, Kid Dynamite, Lifetime, and Good Riddance), Paint It Black released one of the best melodic hardcore albums I've ever heard. I'm a sucker for melody and I'm a sucker for speed. They combined them with such precision … Read more
Pala
We Don't Exist
A389 (2011)
Pala are a band that went seemingly unnoticed upon release of their debut EP. While the band did have some growing to do they managed to have the pieces to make an interesting sound overall. This growth was embraced a little more on their follow up split with In The Hollows. While both releases did seem to drift under the … Read more
Pale Creation
Twilight Haunt
A389 (2011)
Twilight Haunt is an album that has been affecting me since before it was originally released in 1999 on CD by East Coast Empire (who I believe is now defunct), and when a demo of this was sent to the place that I worked at back then, I stole it from the owner’s “I am not paying attention to this … Read more
Palehorse
Amongst the Flock
Bridge Nine (2006)
During the late 90's there occurred a revival of the youth crew sound that had dominated the hardcore scene during the mid-80's up through the early 90's. Today, we are witnessing what I consider to be a revival of the mid-90's metallic hardcore scene. A significant number of bands are stating influence from the likes of Earth Crisis, Integrity, Undertow, … Read more
