They say if it ain't broke, don't fix it but I wish someone hadn't told Silverstein that. Rescue is the definition of a generic post hardcore album, which at this point in their career is a little disappointing. Though old fans will feel right at home with Rescue, those looking for more of the progress we heard on A Shipwreck in the Sand will not be satisfied with this release. Silverstein has spoken a lot in recent interviews about how rejuvenated they feel after leaving Victory Records for Hopeless. They consider this a new era for the band, but i'm not hearing it. This is the same formula they have been using since their formation over ten years ago, and unfortunately it's gotten a bit stale. While the rest of the post hardcore scene has been rapidly changing, Silverstein have become stagnant, coasting off the early success they received with When Broken Is Easily Fixed. Rescue may be the fifth studio release for the band but it'd be a challenge to differentiate the songs from each album, with the only possible exception being Shipwreck.I don't want to paint a completely negative picture of the album because when taken for what … Read more
I first came across The Phantom Carriage whilst browsing bandcamp for new things to hear. I tag searched black metal, … Read more
Atmosphere’s MC, Slug has made a career, literally, out of exploiting and exercising his own personal demons as well as … Read more
Synergy is a tough sell I know because the concept is completely abstract for some, but when I first heard … Read more
The folk scene doesn’t get enough appreciation these days. Luckily, Mumford and Sons earned it some recognition when they performed … Read more
Technical prowess and hardcore usually do not go hand in hand. It seems that many bands in the genre succumb … Read more
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Hirror Ennifer is the debut album from Mamiffer the new project from Faith Coloccia and a revolving cast of co-conspirators including Aaron Turner (Isis, Old Man Gloom, Grey Machine, etc), Chris Common (These Arms Are Snakes), Brian Cook (These Arms Are Snakes, Botch, Russian Circles), Ryan Fredrickson (These Arms Are Snakes, Narrows), and Anne Hozoji Matheson-Margullis (Helms Alee). Just that list alone infuses this record with an intriguing air, but with the work in her previous outfit, Everlovely Lightningheart, Faith Coloccia carries weight on her own. Hirror Ennifer is strangely affecting in that the mood or feeling which much of this record conjures (in me) is one of disconnection or divorce from the normal affectations of the human experience. Yes, that sounds extremely pretentious, but seriously Coloccia's piano playing is … Read more
Considering that Underground Railroad to Candyland was formed, in large part, to be a party band, and combining that with the So. Cal. sun that’s been beating down on Todd Congelliere for all these years, it somehow makes sense that URTC has a number of surf elements bubbling through the surface on the band’s sophomore record. Still, surf is only … Read more
Austin, TX—wich recently shed its longstanding slogan “The Live Music Capital of the World” in favor of the less desirable “The Place Where Ben Weasel Punched That Chick”—is home to a relatively new five piece hardcore band called Criaturas. As is usually the case with incestuous genres such as punk, Criaturas shares its members with other bands—an impressive pool that … Read more
Who would have thought that after 16 years The Dead Milkmen would release a new album? The band went their separate ways in 1995 and lost a member of The Dead Milkmen family in 2004 when ex-bassist, Dave Schulthise, took his own life. The remaining members went on to play tribute and benefit shows soon after. In 2008, the group … Read more
You know how after your favorite bands have been around for a while they eventually make that back-to-our-roots kind of record that reminds you of the fire they once had? Well this is one of the records that happen before that one. Existing well past the decade mark, Stockholm, Sweden’s Victims have been called many things—punk, hardcore, thrash, d-beat, crust, … Read more
Over twenty-two years and ten studio albums Lucinda Williams has made a name for herself. She has a number of career achievements, but this isn’t Wikipedia, it’s the review section. Hell, I’m going to come right out and say it: I’m not that familiar with Lucinda Williams’ discography. Don’t expect any Car Wheels on a Gravel Road comparisons here. Instead, … Read more
Have you ever been so excited to hear that a record is coming out after a long wait only to have it delayed longer to the point of it actually kind of sneaking out below your musical radar so to speak? Even in this modern internet age, this scenario still occurs; and honestly it drives me nuts trying to pay … Read more
Every once in a while, after listening to literally hundreds of records, that one record will come along where, when you put it on the stereo, everything seems to melt around you and all that there is that is important at that moment is that record; I can count on one hand just how many times this has happened to … Read more
It’s comforting when a band can successfully progress. Some stay stagnant—resulting in some stale and boring music. Thursday’s a band that has been progressing since they started writing Full Collapse. Slowly, they’ve been redefining what Thursday should sound like. With their sixth studio album, No Devolución, not only has the band’s songwriting gotten even better, but they’ve taken their biggest … Read more
The Cobra Skulls are certainly not new to the punk scene. The band has made a name for themselves in the post Against Me! style of punk rock. While not nearly as folksy as that description would offer there are certain similarities. The politics are there as well as the slightly gruff vocals. Where they differ is where Cobra Skulls … Read more
Dave Grohl is a man of the people. For the last 16 years he's been one of the most endearing figures in hard music. Terminally cool, brutally honest and adept at the seemingly impossible – being able to walk that most tenuous of lines between artist and everyman. No one ever has or ever will accuse/congratulate the man for reinventing … Read more
When word broke out that Bright Eyes would be writing one final album before retiring the moniker—expectations were set pretty high. Since then, the band has retracted that statement. However, if The People’s Key ends up being the last we hear of Bright Eyes, then they conclude the story with a highly refined final chapter.The album opens with the first … Read more
Have you ever heard the expression, “where were you when…” relating to certain events in history, or have you heard people say, “I remember where I was when Kennedy was assassinated” or “I remember where I was when the space shuttle Challenger exploded?” Well, not that it is anywhere near as historically significant (at least for the United States), I … Read more
True Widow are one of the many bands that gets lumped into the burgeoning new school of shoegaze. While shoegaze bands of the past played their own style and created something different many newer bands are acting as though having an array of pedals and knowing Loveless front to back warrants having a band. The good news is Dallas, Texas' … Read more
When I first caught The Great Whiskey Rebellion live, I was immediately drawn to the amazing energy they bring to their live show. Bringing a Celtic and Americana fusion to the table this band can be counted on to bring a good time with them as well. The EP On The Whiskey Trail is an eight-song blend of both genres … Read more
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