Swingin' Utters
Here, Under Protest
Fat Wreck Chords (2011)
You can’t accuse Swingin’ Utters of phoning it in. Here, Under Protest is the band’s first studio record in eight years and, unlike some of their contemporaries who release at a similar rate, the record shows notable growth and attention to songwriting nuance. While the San Fran band started out with a strong bent toward street punk anthems, they’ve gradually shifted the focus away from repetitive power chords and, like Social Distortion before them, reached for the internal aspects of the punk lifestyle instead of relying on speed, aggression, and sloganeering. The new record continues on this path, with few burners but a lot of heart.Swingin’ Utters have walked a line between a defined gritty, street punk influence alongside more traditional musical styles ranging between Americana, folk, and country. While they gnash teeth and raise a middle finger with the best of them, they’re equally comfortable pulling up a chair and an acoustic guitar. With the new record they maintain this divide. Songs such as “Brand New Lungs,” “Taking the Long Way,” and “Lepers, Thieves and Whores” are classic Utters, taking that Streets of San Francisco ‘77-fueled sound with a coarse melodic sensibility. As the band ages, though, the fast-to-slow … Read more
Tyler, The Creator
Goblin
XL Recordings (2011)
By definition, a goblin is an ugly, evil creature of legend; a lowly monster of sin and filth, and represents … Read more
After Oblivion
Vultures
Independent (2011)
After Oblivion have an extremely modest discography under their belt—a debut EP and that same EP repackaged in a split … Read more
Pulling Teeth
Funerary
A389 (2011)
Pulling teeth have always taken the term metalcore to an almost literal degree. Much like Integrity has done in the … Read more
