¡Apeshit!
¡Apeshit!
Independent (2007)
¡Apeshit! is a four-piece outfit hailing from New York City. They blast through thirteen songs on this, their debut effort, in less than eleven minutes. You don't have to be good at math to realize that means one thing: super short songs. With only three songs clocking in over a minute, the remainder of ¡Apeshit! is sub-one-minute cuts of traditional … Read more
¡Apeshit!
Cavalier Activity
Mother Chorizo (2009)
Two years back I reviewed ¡Apeshit!'s self-titled demo. The record contained thirteen songs in just about eleven minutes. This 7" EP - which the band has self-released on their own label - counts a modest seven songs in just a smidge over seven minutes. Cavalier Activity is an extension of the sound heard on their previous recordings, which also includes … Read more
9th Wonder & Buckshot
The Solution
Duck Down (2012)
The histories of both Buckshot and 9th Wonder in the rap game are long and storied. Buckshot’s tenure started in the early ‘90s as member of Black Moon, and as the leader of pivotal rap supergroup Boot Camp Clik. He’s continued to contribute to the greater good of the genre as a part-owner of the record label Duck Down. 9th … Read more
A Death Cinematic
A Parable on the Aporia of Vengeance and the Beauty of Impenetrable Sadness
Simple Box Construction (2009)
Every once in a long while there comes a release which takes several listens to sink in to one's thick skull (particularly my hard head can take time), but once that record sinks in, the record not only makes complete sense, but it seems to become a favorite release. Upon first listening to the latest release from A Death Cinematic, … Read more
A Death Cinematic
A Parable on the Aporia of Vengeance and the Beauty of Impenetrable Sadness
Simple Box Construction (2009)
Limited to a number of 250, A Death Cinematic's most recent release features two discs and impeccable packaging. Comparisons can easily be made to certain output by A Silver Mt. Zion or Godspeed You! Black Emperor, but A Death Cinematic's sound is someplace else. It is distant, eerie, and always brooding. The long song titles such as "Their Blood Crawls … Read more
A Kid Named Thompson / Altus
Split
Seafoam (2009)
Two newcomers from Texas team up for a split 7" release. You get one track each, generally falling within the bounds of the indie music circuit. A Kid Named Thompson is not a one-man emo guitarist - thank goodness. This three-piece outfit instead offers up "Fall Down," a three-minute venture of upbeat pop-rock. I'd liken them to Jimmy Eat World, … Read more
A Perfect Circle
Three Sixty
Virgin (2013)
Buying compilation albums are like going to a family reunion. It starts with a sense of misguided obligation and ends with regret for ever having done so in the first place. A Perfect Circle's Three Sixty blessedly proves that ham-fisted metaphor to be all wrong. At first glance, it's a typical chronological affair, beginning with The Hollow from debut album … Read more
A Wilhelm Scream
Self Titled
Paper + Plastick (2010)
A Wilhelm Scream are back. After a period of absence the mighty punks from the northeast are back. The band seemed to dissapear for a period after their last full length. While that record was good it felt like it wasn't up to their standard. Some songs didn't roll by as smoothly as others. Come 2010 and they are back … Read more
Aaron & The Sea
Cloak & Dagger EP
Independent (2013)
Aaron & the Sea have come a long way from writing dinosaur-themed ballads. The Minneapolis band formed in 2008 when roommates Aaron Rice and Alex Brown started making music together, and later completed their line-up with the arrival of drummer Peter Leggett. Over a year after releasing their debut album Creature Creature the trio are back with their Cloak & Dagger EP, marking a … Read more
Ab Imo Pectore
The Dissociative Path
Debemur Morti Productions (2012)
Ab Imo Pectore has come out of Portugal and after 3 years as a band have managed to put together their first demo and get it released by a label. As with many black metal bands that represent themselves as being of the TRVE variety they have released it on cassette as well. The real question is how does this … Read more
Ability
Expired
Fineprint (2008)
Ability is a five-piece hardcore band from the Northern outskirts of Los Angeles. Expired is their debut effort and the 7" features five cuts of solid mid-tempo hardcore. Musically the band mixes together the guitar tones of Bad Brains with the thick rhythm sounds of Burn. "Work of Ages" is a good example of what the band has to offering. … Read more
Acid Fast
Rabid Moon
Protagonist (2014)
Acid Fast play really angst-y yet bouncy punk rock that is rooted as deeply in the Midwest sound as it is the Pacific Northwest. But here’s the thing: they’re not from Olympia or Minneapolis or Portland or Chicago; they’re from Oakland. But goddamn, if they don’t sound like a band that came up playing damp basements alongside The Soviettes, RVIVR, Mean Jeans, or The … Read more
Actors & Actresses
We Love Our Enemy EP
The Mylene Sheath (2011)
Reissues tend to be a funny thing. Sometimes they are done in good taste. To help fans get a hold of an album that went out of print or give them a chance to hear the progression that the band went through. This reissue is done simply for an early EP by this band giving us a look at the … Read more
Adam Widener
Cola Kids Hanging Out in the Bubble Dome
Big Action (2012)
There are a few red flags that make me avoid records or, if you will, to judge a book by its cover. First, solo records in a punk or garage world. While the last few years have wiped this misconception away in many respects, I’m still hesitant when I don’t know the name coming in. Second, a record with a … Read more
Adams Dagger
The Ripper
Durty Mick (2009)
Adams Dagger - California by way of Florida. This reminds of the 80's hardcore scene when bands moved from all over to California or New York to make it big. So in a way, this is nostalgic and so is the music. Adams Dagger play an 80's-inspired hardcore punk. The guitars definitely remind me a lot of the first Bad … Read more
Agent
Awake in Their World
Run for Cover (2009)
Run Cover for Cover's label head Jeff and I like to go back and forth over his bastardization of the phrase "pop-punk" but the kid has a lot of heart and does a good job with his label. However, even though we will go tit for tat over our endless Screeching Weasel vs. Fireworks to everyone else's eye rolling disgust … Read more
Agrimonia
Rites of Separation
Southern Lord (2013)
In this day and age, if you're going to write 11-15 minute songs about death, decay and other moribund topics you need to make damn sure that they're interesting. This is usually achieved with liberal doses of the left hand of doom sprinkled throughout the riffage. On this front, Agrimonia succeeds quite well, and without playing the doom card. At … Read more
All for Nothing
Solitary
WTF (2008)
More hardcore from across the pond. This time it's The Netherlands. Neat. All for Nothing sound like they want to rewrite the first Comeback Kid album in five tracks. You know the sound - fast hardcore, silly breakdowns, and shouted vocals. Oh yeah this time the vocals are handled by a lady. She sort of reminds me of Mike Ski … Read more
