At All Costs
Direction
Anti-H (2006)
There's an awkward goofiness to the Start Today album, or any of the first fifteen Revelation releases, that will always make them powerfully classic. None of the bands at the time really knew what they were doing both musically and culturally. These were just a bunch of bored kids, mostly in middle and high school, who felt alienated by their peer group and had enough tenacity to write songs about it. Almost everything after, with a few exceptions here and there, is merely a cheap attempt to rehash a sensation that can simply never be relived authentically. And this is why At All Costs fails as a hardcore band. This isn't to say they're a bad band, or that all current hardcore bands are attempting a youth crew revival, but the innocence that created the sound no longer exists. One feature that makes Connecticut's At All Costs stands out is their inclusion of horns. Think River City Rebel's first album mixed with Ten Yard Fight. Unfortunately, the brass section come across as rather gimmicky, something to attach to a bio or a flyer to draw in listeners. Most of the songs simply mimic the chord progression of the guitars, which … Read more
Broken Poets
Optimism in E Minor
Wordvendor (2006)
Broken Poets' lead singer/songwriter dynamo, Tim McDonald, is truly the voice of the average American male in that his songwriting, … Read more
The Death of a Party
The Rise and Fall of Scarlet City
Double Negative (2007)
Bands need to stop trying to sound like Gang of Four. It's a fact that they will never be Gang … Read more
The Sea and Cake
Everybody
Thrill Jockey (2007)
Imagine sitting out on your porch or patio on a warm summer evening. You feel like just kicking back and … Read more
