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Useless I.D.

The Lost Broken Bones
Suburban Home (2009)

The Lost Broken Bones is the first release on Suburban Home for this four-piece from Israel. This is my first exposure to this band, but they have been together for quite some time. Recorded at The Blasting Room, sonically all the right buttons are pushed. Sometimes the vocals veer into Unwritten Law territory, but I guess this is a chicken … Read more

200 Words Or Less

Red Light Driver

…and Now We Can Be Ourselves
MFT (2009)

Get out the lava light kids, and get ready to take a trip! Okay, maybe not that wacked out, but the influence is there. Produced by Paul Mahern (of Zero Boys fame), this band's debut full-length hits all the right buttons. Fans of 90's rock will hear Ride, Echo & The Bunnymen, maybe even a little Julian Cope. It's hard … Read more

Mother of Mercy

III
Six Feet Under (2009)

How did I sleep on this band? I remember hearing about Mother of Mercy when their No Eden 7" was released, but I never took the time to follow up. Hailing from the greater Philadelphia area, this band took me by surprise with their debut full-length III. Mother of Mercy comes from the ashes of the now-defunct Let Down, who … Read more

Boxcutter

The Ill Testament
Screaming Crow (2009)

I'm probably the last person that should be do a review on the latest album from Pennsylvania's Boxcutter. I haven't had a rough life. Both my parents raised me. I've never seen a friend die. Moreover, even though I wasn't the best kid in the world I never had any run ins with the law. Even today I live in … Read more

Frank Turner

Poetry of the Deed
Epitaph (2009)

There are a slew of musicians who take the role of singer-songwriter after the break up of their former bands. At times this can showcase the talent that drove the bands to their success, or alternately show the need for collaboration to flesh out their ideas into worthwhile songs. Frank Turner fronted the mildly successful post-hardcore act Million Dead before … Read more

Over Stars and Gutters

Consider This Your Curse
Independent (2009)

The whole Midwestern punk sound is something you either love or hate. I, personally love most of the main bands that have come from this genre but when it comes to newer bands, they have to do something to stand out among the others. It's a given fact that I'll enjoy the band but will I be telling my friends … Read more

...And You Will Know Us by the Trail of Dead

The Century of Self
Richter Scale (2009)

Texas rockers ...And You Will Know Us by the Trail of Dead return with their sixth full-length effort, The Century of Self. The band's newest long player is the follow-up to So Divided, which was a polarizing album for their fans. Following the release of that album Trail of Dead eventually split from their relationship with Interscope Records. As a … Read more

In the Red

Volume 2
Suburban Home (2009)

California's In the Red always fell under the radar to me until I decided to listen to vocalist/guitarist, Mike Hale's latest solo album, Lives Like Mine. I really liked this album and his other solo work and was impressed enough with his acoustic outing to give In the Red's sophomore record, Volume 2 a chance. Unfortunately, I was let down … Read more

Deep Sleep

Three Things at Once
Grave Mistake (2009)

Deep Sleep sound like 1980's LA hardcore. A good example is the dual vocals of "Alone with You," but with twenty-one songs in twenty-five minutes, all the songs are pretty interchangeable. It's fast, sloppy, and underdeveloped. After my first listen, I learned that Three Things at Once is a compilation of the band's three EPs thus far, which makes sense … Read more

The Sorely Trying Days

Survival Mode
Useless World (2009)

I knew next to nothing about this band before checking out this album but the fact that they are "recommended for fans of: Dinosaur Jr., Black Flag, Hüsker Dü, and Black Sabbath" was enough to spark my interest. This was a tad misleading as the band doesn't have too much in common with those four bands, with the exception of … Read more

Big China & Little Trouble

Black Blood of the Earth
Magic Bullet (2008)

Score one for the witty band name and reference to the cult movie of similar name, and score another for the ridiculously long album title. Black Blood of the Earth Parts 1 & 2 + Fur & Teeth actually is a collection of several releases by this collaboration between Brent Eyestone (Aughra, Forensics, Waifle, etc) and Mike Haley (Proprietor of … Read more

Death Before Dishonor

Better Ways to Die
Bridge Nine (2009)

Boston natives Death Before Dishonor really broke through with their 2007 full-length Count Me In. Like it's predecessors, it featured a punishing assault of metallic hardcore that captivated hardcore fans around the globe. In addition, the band infused their standard sound with some of their hometown punk upbringings, which - for me - brought up mixed reactions. Two years later … Read more

Detournement

Screaming Response
Chunksaah/Pirate Press (2009)

Detournement are an Eastcoast band with members from a host of familiar bands. Rather than focus on who they are, though, their music should speak for itself. The fifty-one second opener, "Focus Explosion!," makes a quick impression, with melodic hardcore that's over before you've found your seat. The lyrics aren't exactly discernible, but I know both titular words were screamed … Read more

Set Your Goals

This Will Be the Death of Us
Epitaph (2009)

Set Your Goals follows up their debut album, Mutiny!, with yet another fusion of pop punk and scarce hardcore elements. For those of you unfamiliar with Mutiny!, let me sum it up for you in a few brief sentences. It was light and fun. It was catchy at times. Yeah, I kind of dug it, but it got pretty textbook … Read more

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