Clap Your Hands Say Yeah had a lot of pressure on them for their second album, mainly due to them being the most hyped up band of 2005. Their story was one told over and over ever since their first album came out: five indie rockers out of Brooklyn that released and distributed their debut album themselves. By great reviews and word of mouth, they steadily grew bigger. Everyone awaited the new album from their favorite Cinderella band, though many people predicted their downfall. However, with a bit of luck, Some Loud Thunder will overcome that and score almost as well as their debut album. There seem to be three parts to this album. Some of the songs are catchy indie rock songs that Clap Your Hands Say Yeah has come to be known for. Single "Underwater (You and Me)" stays entertaining for five full minutes, while the actual music changes very little. Then there are songs that sound very forced to be dramatic and artsy. Clap Your Hands Say Yeah tries too hard on songs such as "Love Song No. 7" and "Five Easy Pieces," although many followers of the band will like them. Singer Alec Ounsworth outdoes himself … Read more
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After a few years of EPs and splits, Canada’s Junior Battles finally released their debut full length this Summer on Paper + Plastick. With speedy riffs, dual, and gang vocals, they attempt to share a similar vein with acts such as Set Your Goals, The Wonder Years, or Man Overboard. However, they’re taking the poppier road with cleaner guitars and polished production. Idle Ages is a fun, fact-paced album that pulls influences from many different places while trying to maintain its own identity.Idle Ages gets right into things with a rapid introduction before the song picks up and delves into “whoas” and gang vocals on “Seventeen.” The second track has us jumping 8 years to “Twenty Five.” It opens with a rhythmic bass-line before Aaron Zorgel has listeners beginning to … Read more
This is the LCD Soundsystem experience; the more you test it and the more you take a sip, the more you become engulfed in it. Suddenly you realize you're singing LCD at your school, in your dorm, in your bathroom. Suddenly your shower is the best party you have ever been to. Your life turns over like an overdone pancake … Read more
I'm not going to lie; I was never the hugest fan of Champion. Actually, I think Champion's greatest achievement lies nine seconds within "Harrison and Broadway" where the music stops suddenly and Timm McIntosh does that little guitar squeak. I don't know why I think this is so splendid but I love it every time I hear it. Throughout Champion's … Read more
Not many albums open with a song like "Brianstorm." I'm talking Dick Dale on angel dust. I'm talking a sentient '68 Ford Mustang playing a sentient '68 Fender Mustang. Seriously, surfboards in the seventh dimension. The future of rock and roll, so retro it makes me want to dance like a Pulp Fiction character. Actually, Pulp Fiction came to mind … Read more
If I am to believe Wikipedia.org, this album is one of the greatest albums ever released. If I have to believe Wikipedia.org, this band is one of the greatest ever to spawn from the United Kingdom. If I have to believe the professors at my school, Wikipedia.org should never be trusted - and damn, they're absolutely right. Favourite Worst Nightmare … Read more
There are a lot of bands out there that sound like nothing more than the sum of their influences, without adding anything particularly interesting to the mix. But then there is a rare breed of band whose influences are obvious, yet at the same time, manages to produce something compelling in its own right. Volts, a three-piece hailing from Chemnitz, … Read more
Some bands are like wine; they only get better with age. Trash Talk's new "full-length" effort is a great example of just that. Trash Talk has been playing shows since late 2005, with a demo, seven inch, and split with Bay Area friends Steel Trap put out in just over a year. But this is what we've really been waiting … Read more
Peanut butter and chocolate; Hall and Oates; French fries and nacho cheese. Some things were meant to be together, but punk and stoner metal? That's kind of like touching two jumper cables together. Explosive! Tall Tales I serves as a nice introduction to what this New York City band is all about. Side A boasts the track "Save Our Souls," … Read more
Alright, stop thinking about Pete Steele holding his wang in Playgirl - don't lie, you know you've Googled the pictures. Instead let's talk about better things, like Dead Again the "4 Dicks from Brooklyn's" seventh studio album, sixth if you're nit-picky and don't consider the faux-live Origin of the Feces a studio album. Anyone familiar with Type O Negative will … Read more
Cheap Tragedies note that they formed shortly after the members ran into each other at this summer's Gorilla Biscuits reunion tour in Cleveland. Given this fact and their extensive collective resume of previous bands, one may be concerned that their current project might serve as nothing more than a nostalgia piece - worthy in its own right, but without any … Read more
The year I was born, Trent Reznor, under his Nine Inch Nails alias, released Pretty Hate Machine, an album which through the iconographic concept of the mix tape circuit launched his career. Fueled by a nihilistic sense of self-realization, and far too much booze, Reznor produced tracks which resonated with audiences for their highly inter personal lyrics and the "industrial" … Read more
Let me bring you up to speed on the world of Nine Inch Nails. 2005 saw the release of With Teeth, an album which boasted three number-one singles, a Grammy award nomination, and respectable position on many 'top albums of the year' lists. Like the widely acclaimed The Downward Spiral before it, With Teeth showcased distinct pop-sensibilities in frontman Trent … Read more
If I had a bunch of superfans crocheting armwarmers for me I could sell my half-assed b-sides just like Connor Oberst. Connor/Imaginary Successful Me: Remember that song we made when we were drunk and then that girl came over? And that one where I was learning how to make drum sounds on my iMac but we got drunk and that … Read more
One of the first reviews I ever did for this website was for Maria Taylor's debut solo album, 11:11. It's been two years since our respective efforts and I think it's safe to say that we've both matured. On Lynn Teeter Flower, a record named for a family friend, Taylor succeeds in capturing her own sound, rather than borrowing from … Read more
Insect Warfare is back bringing their Gulf Coast grindcore obliteration in the form of a new 7" EP entitled Endless Execution Thru Violent Restitution on 625 Thrash. Although their fanbase and popularity soared in the wake of their debut EP, At War With Grindcore, this EP is sure to make them into the legends that they deserve to be. The … Read more
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