Recent reviews

Our latest album reviews, featuring the records we've most enjoyed (or not) over the past few weeks.

Reviews by score
Browse our album reviews according to score: Highest (9.5/10 or more) or Lowest (2/10 or less)

Sweetthieves

View From a Glass Tower
Independent (2006)

Not too long ago, I was talking about a small band out of Providence, Rhode Island making references to some of my favorite bands, and telling you how this said band is full of musical talent. Well, I'm back again to reassure it, with Sweetthieves' first full length. Their demo showed some refreshing music, but it was just as taste of what was to come. View From a Glass Tower is a very impressive debut. Added are nine catchy tracks of a mellow jazzy sound amped up by consistently hard hitting drumming and deep punchy basslines that continually groove. Sweetthieves show clear signs of originality, though hints of influence come from some of the best music of 80's and 90's including The Cure, Sonic Youth, Shellac, Fugazi, and Unwound. I love the Albini-esque production of the record. The bass is deep and bold, helping to set the mood with the chime that comes from the baritone guitar. Hilary Jones (bass) and Dave Martinka (guitar) duel vocally, and do it well. Their voices layer each other nicely. Martinka has mostly a melodramatic projection while Jones is haunting, soothing, and sweet. She also throws a bit of sass out from time-to-time, such … Read more

Constants

The Murder of Tom Fitzgerril
Radar (2006)

I'm a sucker for sprawling, epic rock music. Mogwai, Isis, M83, etc... You name it, I'm in. There's just something … Read more

AFI

Decemberunderground
Interscope (2006)

The precursor to Decemberunderground was that it was a change from what AFI have offered before. Of course, all that … Read more

AFI

Decemberunderground
Interscope (2006)

For AFI, the name of the game has always been about evolution. About "out-doing" themselves one time after another. I … Read more

AFI

Decemberunderground
Interscope (2006)

AFI managed to write over 100 songs for this album. That's an amazing feat for a band, right? But anyone … Read more

AFI

Decemberunderground
Interscope (2006)

There are certain phrases that seem to be ever-present in AFI reviews across the music journalism world, suggesting either a … Read more

Browse our review archives

Review categories

200 Words Or Less

750 reviews

Book Review

42 reviews

Classic Album

25 reviews

Multiple Authors

300 reviews

Review

4929 reviews

Video/DVD Review

19 reviews

One from the archives

Indian

Slights and Abuse / The Sychophant
Seventh Rule (2008)

"Apocalyptic" is a word thrown around a lot in reviews, to the point where readers could really stop putting any stock in it. But many genres, like black metal, drone, and probably even folk, really do have a few artists deserving of this most serious adjective because of their unnerving atmospheres and epic, timeless approaches. For the doom metal genre, Indian is definitely one of those bands of truly apocalyptic proportions. I'll tell you one thing: this band knows how to make one hell of an ugly doom album. While Indian's previous album, The Unquiet Sky, proved the band's ability to make dense, evil, groovy, and feedback-drenched doom, Slights and Abuse / The Sychophant (a compilation of two LPs onto one CD) shows simultaneously both progression of artistic vision and … Read more

More album reviews

Morrissey

Ringleader of the Tormentors
Sanctuary (2006)

Age gives you a great sense of proportion. You can be very hard on yourself when you're younger but now I just think...well everybody's absolutely mad and I'm doing quite well. Age shouldn't affect you. It's just like the size of your shoes - they don't determine how you live your life! You're either marvelous or you're boring, regardless of … Read more

This is Hell

Sundowning
Trustkill (2006)

This sounds like what could have been the missing link between American Nightmare's two full-length LPs, the straightforward brilliance of Background Music and the more eccentric but equally great We're Down 'Til We're Underground; This Is Hell are certainly keeping hardcore fresh and new-sounding, but they're not straying so far away from their roots as to render them unrecognizable. I'll … Read more

The Black Heart Procession

The Spell
Touch & Go (2006)

The Black Heart Procession has been producing challenging, dark indie rock for almost ten years now. Formed by members of the band Three Mile Pilot - who will also be releasing a new album sometime this year or next after an extended absence since 1998 - The Black Heart Procession have consistently released some of the moodiest sounding albums on … Read more

Banner Pilot

Pass the Poison
Arsenic Records (2006)

For anyone who is not from the Upper Midwest, the first thing they will think about when it comes to the climate is how freaking cold it gets in the Winter. This is especially true when it comes to the frozen tundra of my home state of Minnesota. Hell, even Minneapolis won a Weather Channel countdown as the coldest city … Read more

Murder By Death

In Bocca Al Lupo
East West/Tent Show (2006)

Music is an art, and oftentimes musicians will use their art to tell a story - concept albums have become increasingly popular in recent years. Murder by Death dabbled in this genre with their previous effort, Who Will Survive, And What Will Be Left of Them?. And while they have cast aside the extended storyline from their new full-length, In … Read more

Serpe

A Night in Gin's Hollow
Home Recorded Culture (2006)

I don't think I can do it. I consider myself to be at least a capable writer, but it's going to be hard as hell to do a review of this album in any kind of acceptable length without five or ten non-sequiturs skewing off into long-winded tales of personal medical scares, pet deaths, and the time I was an … Read more

The Flaming Lips

At War With the Mystics
Warner Bros. (2006)

Even months before its release, it seemed as if everyone had already assumed that the latest record from The Flaming Lips would effectively mark the end of the band's run as alternative rock's quirky reigning champions. When the first single from At War With the Mystics hit the airwaves, I was almost inclined to believe that it was indeed over. … Read more

Disappearer

Disappearer
Trash Art (2006)

Disappearer is the latest creative outlet for the majority of the short lived band, There Were Wires (which also includes a member of Doomriders). Whereas their previous outfits were and are more metal oriented, Disappearer is a post-rock group more akin to bands like Pelican and Red Sparowes (both of which they share a definite similarity) that also eschew the … Read more

Ghostface Killah

Fishscale
Def Jam (2006)

If "The Champ" has not, by the time of publication, been mass produced onto 12" record and shipped to every club DJ in the hip-hop speaking world then there is something truly fucked with the world. You see, with summer fast approaching the dance floors of the world are screaming out for a new jam that will make women emit … Read more

First Blood

Killafornia
Trustkill (2006)

In the year 2002, hardcore/metal outfit Sworn Vengeance was on the brink of blowing up. The band had finished recording what I consider to be the best album to never see a proper release, Outstretched Arms of Damnation. In addition the band was about to embark on a tour as direct support to Hatebreed. But fame and glory were just … Read more

Angels and Airwaves

We Don't Need to Whisper
Geffen (2006)

So Tom DeLonge finally got his way. Apparently sick of the scatological humor of Blink 182 and ill-received attempts at maturity, the band broke up and he was free to record the album that would be "the greatest album of [his] career." Hyperbole aside, this record is, according to DeLonge, "more than an album, and more than just a cool … Read more

Less Than Jake

In With the Out Crowd
Sire (2006)

I'm a huge Less Than Jake fan. Hello Rockview is one of my favorite albums ever recorded, so when I heard that the band would be working with Howard Benson (who produced that stellar record) to record In With the Out Crowd, I was pretty excited. The band commented on the record saying that the material would be leaning more … Read more

Cherubs

Uncovered by Heartbeat
Morphius (2006)

There's been a trend as of late among American bands to become popular by sounding British, most notably The Killers, The Bravery and Interpol. This isn't always a bad thing - it started out almost clever and cute, like in the 60's when all these American groups were trying to cash in on The Beatles and The Rolling Stones. But … Read more

The Lovely Lads

The Best You've Got
Eating Rats (2006)

The Lovely Lads score some major points with me right away by using Pulp Fiction themed artwork in their layout for The Best You've Got. Sure it isn't the most original idea ever in the history of recorded music or even in punk rock and hardcore, but it beats seeing CD cover after cover of Jacob Bannon wannabe skull and … Read more

Reviews by score
Browse our album reviews according to score: Highest (9.5/10 or more) or Lowest (2/10 or less)