Forget Taylor Swift and the rest of her incorrigible ilk, according to the recent accolades, the future of country music belongs in the hands of Caitlin Rose, a twenty-three year old Nashville native whose looks are only surpassed by her voice. Though this might seem like an outlandish statement, in the last year, in one EP and this, her debut album, she has given more than enough evidence to give credibility to the sentiment.Rose’s previous release, the EP Dead Flowers, was a ballsy effort that combined traditional country elements with a modern indie touch and a wry punk swagger; leading to the best lyrics about smoking I’ve encountered; “I got a fresh pack, I got a red bic. The Surgeon General can suck on my dick.”As a result, the Caitlin Rose that appears on Own Side Now is somewhat of a surprise. The indie influence is dialled down to create a quieter and more refined sound than was previously suggested; the lyrics are more adult in nature and the use of a full band gives the songs a richness that was lacking previously. The biggest change is in the production quality, which adds a worn and familiar tone to the … Read more
War from a Harlots Mouth is definitely not new to the metal core or death core scene. They’ve been around … Read more
Over the five years of their existence, Trash Talk has been consistently evolving and changing with each release. With Eyes … Read more
Unique hurdles materialize for bands who decide to write music under the shoegaze/dream pop category. There is an intrinsic quality … Read more
It’s no secret Seattle’s Minus The Bear is at the forefront of the complex indie-pop movement. With their fourth full-length, … Read more
First record of new material of Roky's since 1994's All That May Do My Rhyme finds the singer in a … Read more
Choose a year to view reviews of albums released in that year.
749 reviews
42 reviews
25 reviews
300 reviews
4878 reviews
19 reviews
Perhaps best known as the frontman of Vermont post-punk band The Static Age, Andrew Paley has never been shy about his penchant for playing solo acoustic songs. Where The Static Age's sound is sound is distantly confrontational and awash with the vivid colours of late nights, Paley's solo work has mostly been more reflective and vulnerable, like the sounds of a folk singer filtering through a desolate log cabin during a dark winter evening.Paley regularly writes his own solo material between tours and when working on material for The Static Age, so when this ever-growing catalogue of songs seemed too precious to go unheard Sirens was born. This album is collection of songs gathered from recordings in Chicago, and also a log cabin in the woods in Vermont where Paley … Read more
Ugly and violent. Pissed Jeans don't mess around, starting 2009's King of Jeans with "False Jesii, Part Two," and never letting up on the noisepunk from start to finish. While the first song is possibly the best on the record, it's not because the record falls apart, but because it so competently and powerfully sets the tone, kicking immediately into … Read more
Hardcore punk is a loaded genre. Very rarely can bands play this style a differentiate themselves from each other. It's not generally for lack of talent but the constraints of the genre are usually to blame. Ashers are a fairly new band this being their first full length. They quickly use their little bit of time to make a strong … Read more
Early releases from The Riot Before have had an undeniable feeling that the band was primarily Brett Adams’ project. Although they have a handful of releases under their belt, the band just formed in 2006, and Rebellion shows them still growing beyond Adams’ dominant shouts and the sonic contrasts that define his songwriting. On their latest release there is a … Read more
The Sugar Stems know what sound they’re after, and that’s pretty clear from their name alone. The Sweet Sounds of the Sugar Stems immediately hits on an upbeat and, ahem, sugary sound led by singer/guitarist Betsy Borst’s energetic vocals and Drew Frederichsen’s backing harmonies. The Sugar Stems take the familiar saccharine love song and speed it up, giving a bit … Read more
Well, all that I can say as this record sits in my hands is that this has certainly been a long, long time coming for Three Mile Pilot; I mean, the simple fact that another album from this group has been a rumor ever since they started practicing for their appearance at Touch and Go’s twenty-fifth anniversary, and now it … Read more
Are late passes allowed in the internet age where people get to hear the latest music from musicians as soon as 2 minutes (give or take due to their proficiency with certain computer skills) and almost always before the record is released anymore? Leaving sat in an envelope in my house for several months (while I feverishly searched for the … Read more
Upon the dissolution of Cursed, many people (including myself) let out a proverbial “NOOOOOOOOOOO!” when we saw that it actually had happened and right on the heels of releasing such a great album (if you have yet to experience any Cursed, you are missing out); but I knew deep down that breaking up one band would not hold the members … Read more
Terrible things are like an early 2000’s super group of sorts. As much as I hate relying on ex member notations for new records this one seems apt. This is a band made up or former members of Hot Rod Circuit and Taking Back Sunday. Please keep in mind that this is not the second coming of either of these … Read more
Paper + Plastick seem to release new albums by fairly new bands at a pretty regular clip. Blacklist Royals are just the newest in that line. The band plays what has become a very popular style of punk rock at this point. Punk bands playing rock and roll is definitely not a new thing. Gaslight Anthem has shown that it … Read more
It’s been said that the second album is always a tough one. Following on from an album that you have been creating for all your life with record label deadlines, baying fans and the increase in expectations often leads to a critical mauling and a mass wave of indifference. Mayhem; the second album by Irish Rockabilly come Jazz singer Imelda … Read more
There are albums that you listen to with headphones to catch every subtle detail in its production. Then there are albums you blast from whatever speakers you have available to you for no reason other than to break the walls and sing along. Iron Chic’s Not Like This is the latter kind of album! After two years, a demo, and … Read more
One of the beautiful things about making music and sonic art, is that the artists and bands can take their work to interesting places at the drop of a hat if they so choose or are somehow led (by emotions, life changing events, calculated maneuvers, etc) to make such a sonic shift (through songwriting changes, production changes, personnel changes, etc); … Read more
This has been one the more highly anticipated records within the punk and hardcore scene in this year. How does a band overcome scene hype and shit talk to make a true album. The question is how does a band that has released to strong EPs parlay that into a complete full length. Many bands tend to fall short by … Read more
A good split record now and then is a great concept by two collaborating outfits, and even though people might be more familiar with one of the artists or groups more so than the other, such records could (and often does) introduce people to new artists and sounds that hitherto had gone unnoticed; in the case of this split album, … Read more
Looking for the SPB logo? You can download it in a range of styles and colours here:
Click anywhere outside this dialog to close it, or press escape.