Yo Man Go hail from the eastern part of Pennsylvania and they play melodic punk that'll please fans whose record collections boast releases from the No Idea and Fat Wreck catalogs. This two song 7" is the first issued recording from these punk rock upstarts. "Life Lessons" is a melodic punk ditty that features some catch guitar riffs and crooned vocal melodies. It's got an early Lifetime feel to it, but not nearly as energetic. "Down with Bo Jangles" takes on a faster paced direction. I actually thought of Lifetime covering Hot Water Music while this cut was swirling around my record player. Good stuff! Life Lessons is a promising debut that will likely place Yo Man Go on a number of bearded punk fans' lists of favorite new bands. If you like what you hear, pick it up from the label. Be on the lookout for a full-length later this year. Read more
Straightforward hardcore/punk. That is what The Netherlands' Antillectual offers up on Waves. This 7" features three new songs and three … Read more
Square of Opposition Records has teamed up two new bands, or at least two that are new to me team … Read more
Fortunately for all, Vanessa Van Basten is not the name of the latest female pop diva. Instead, they are a … Read more
I believe that Bosch's With You is the first Russian band I've sat down and actually listened to. I can't … Read more
Three Steps to the Ocean is an Italian instrumental outfit. Like their counterparts in Vanessa Van Basten, Three Steps to … Read more
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I've been hoodwinked. Hornswaggled, if you will. Lied to for years. About what, you ask? Well, I'll tell you, you nosey sons of bitches. Porcupine Tree. For years I've had people tell me "Dude, (yes, dude is their preferred nomenclature) you need to check out Porcupine Tree. I know you hate prog, but check these guys out". Prog. Pfffft. You stupid, ignorant bastards. You call them prog and expect me to want to "check them out?" Fools. Prog is for arrogant scenesters. Prog is for the twee and lovers thereof. Prog is the musical juxtaposition of the self-indulgent and ostentatious. Prog is stupid and wrong and stupid. Well, I stand before you, humbled. I stand before you, my elitest ignorance exposed for the world to see. I was wrong. Dead … Read more
There is a fine line between noise and music. Notice that I didn't say art, because in all honesty, art is pretty much anything you want it to be. But music, well, music and noise and two totally different things. Case in point, Hoor-paar-Kraat. Hoor-paar-Kraat is the "brainchild" and "creation" of full-time painter recently turned musician Anthony Mangicapra. Prior to … Read more
Amalgamation II compiles together the three self-released cassette recordings from Skin Like Iron. These recordings were originally released separate from each other beginning last year; they were ultimately brought together in a limited edition cassette box set before the good people at Free Cake Records saw fit to offer them up in CD format. The first nine tracks are culled … Read more
Good Riddance has always been just another one of those "Fat" bands that started in the early 90's and put out album after album well into the next decade. I never was into Good Riddance past their first album God and Country and really haven't paid them any attention since Dave Wagenschutz stopped drumming for them. Anyway, Good Riddance decides … Read more
So, John Reis is making his "return" to the indie music with his new outfit, The Night Marchers, following the recent demises of both Hot Snakes and Rocket from the Crypt. Described as an amalgamation of sorts of the sound and themes of these previous outfits, Reis (on guitar and vocals) is not the sole member of the group as … Read more
Cavity is another one of those criminally underrated bands that toiled for years in obscurity while a select few found that the group and their down tuned Sabbath-influenced mayhem was a great mix of punishing volumes, squealing feedback, and strong rhythms that was quite different from the norm at the time in punk and hardcore circles - which is where … Read more
Documentaries in this day and age have become a dime a dozen. Gone are the days of documentaries as an event i.e. waiting for the next Errol Morris or Michael Moore film. Gone are the days of limiting your subject matter to crime or war to catch an audience's interest. Given the proper direction, shown in the right context, a … Read more
As you examine the naked body of Hank von Helvete in the Ass Cobra liner notes, notice the sleek but powerful tone of the thighs, the unwavering comeliness of the face and neck, the body hair - the intoxicating and formidable figure as a whole. Indeed, as Hank lay there with a snake draped over his fair body, it does … Read more
Supernova is the first album from Today is the Day, which was originally released in 1993 on Amphetamine Reptile Records. Being out of print for quite sometime, Steve Austin (vocalist, guitarist, main songwriter of Today is the Day and producer of Converge, Lamb of God, and others) is re-releasing this on his own label, which interestingly enough is named from … Read more
Today is the Day provide us with another reissue of an out of print album, their third full-length, Today is the Day. This album is also significant because it is the first one that the group produced on their own at Austin Enterprises (the recording studio of the group's mastermind, Steve Austin). This self-titled effort also marks a significant lineup … Read more
wannabe [won-uh-bee, waw-nuh ] noun. Informal. One who aspires, often vainly, to emulate another's success or attain eminence in some area. The Armed Forces are a Nashville, Tennessee quartet that purports to be cool. They have shaggy dark hair ala The Strokes (or the Ramones if you're keeping it old-school) and consider themselves 'power pop." Believe me when I say, … Read more
Seriously, Monolith being reissued in a digital format on a donation basis is an incredibly important occasion for several reasons that are worth being mentioned. But instead, let us focus on two particular ones here for the time being rather than run through some silly list. First, allow me to digress a bit. My first exposure to the strange and … Read more
By now, most people that care enough to know that Torche's point of origination begins with the fall of Steve Brooks' former band, Floor. Torche has certainly done enough differently to explicitly set itself apart from the former group, but it seems as though now they are coming full circle with the second Torche LP, Meanderthal. Following the excellent In … Read more
If you don't know Ween at this point, it's difficult to sum them up in a few words. Eclectic, genre hopping, and parody come to mind, but they don't adequately explain the band and their dedicated cult following. The duo of Gene and Dean formed Ween in 1984. La Cucaracha is the band's tenth full-length studio release, in addition to … Read more
It's been no secret that for quite some time now, Mike Patton has wanted to broaden his ever-widening horizons into the world of film scoring. Now, with Ipecac's 100th release, we now have the first film score composed by Mike Patton, and it's a doozy. A Perfect Place is a twenty-five minute black-and-white icy-cool neo-noir film directed by Derrick Scocchera … Read more
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