Gamenight
Simple Starts in the Mind
The New Beat (2006)
In the mid to late nineties, there was an overwhelming flood of new bands practicing the musical style known as emo. At that point, the three-letter term covered a much wider range of rock groups. Bands that would now be neatly separated into sub-categories like shoegaze, math-rock, or post-punk were openly embraced by all that considered themselves emo fans. Ironically enough, many of the bands that now pass for emo would have been quickly dismissed as pop-punk or alternative rock. But, a decade ago, emo was characterized more by the level of conviction with which the music was performed than the appearance of its performers. Certain bands of that period openly straddled the line between mope-heavy melody and angular experimentation. Gamenight sound like any number of bands that would have fit this description. While leaning a bit more to the melodious side, Simple Starts in the Mind has definite post-punk roots. Initially, the most attractive aspect of the album lies in the delivery. Unlike the highly stylized, overly dramatic emo of this decade, Gamenight offer a reflective and relaxed version of what has ultimately become a redundant sub-genre. When Joshua Manis sings, he sounds like the emo kids I used … Read more
Robert Pollard
Normal Happiness
Merge (2006)
After the now-legendary, myth-making years in the basement with a guy named Tobin and the other Mitch Mitchell working shamelessly … Read more
Count the Hours
We Don't Care
Panic (2006)
I think this is the type of hardcore that the kids with camo shorts and black running shoes are calling … Read more
Lupe Fiasco
Food & Liquor
Atlantic (2006)
"Yes, yes, yes. Guess who's on third? Lupe still like Lupin the Third." Little did we know that our introduction … Read more
