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

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

Ghost Buffalo

Ghost Buffalo
Suburban Home (2006)

Ghost Buffalo is an alt-country-ish band from Colorado. They lean more to the "alt" side of that genre as they don't really use (at least on this record) lap pedal steel guitar, banjo, or any other instrumentation that one would expect to hear on a country record. The record is also largely absent of country twang. This is a good thing. Many alt-country bands lean more towards the country side these days, and it is nice to hear a different take on the sound. Ghost Buffalo has some pretty sounding songs fronted by vocalist Marie Litton; on this record there are twelve achingly pretty songs of loss, love, and regret. It is an extremely soothing album to listen to, especially when doing work that would otherwise agitate the hell out of you. (This is a tried and tested theory by the way.) Ghost Buffalo has some really excellent sounding songs on this their eponymous debut album (I got to use this cliché phrase…yeah!). Some of the highlights on this record include "Stay," "Ruin Everything," "Pick Me Up," "Hell Here," and "Blinding Sky." "Stay" is a pretty song with sappy sounding guitar parts that mesh well with the sorrowful sounding vocals. … Read more

Omar Rodriguez

Omar Rodriguez
Willie Anderson (2006)

Recorded between shows on The Mars Volta's recent European tour, Omar Rodriguez' second solo outing is a different beast from … Read more

Resplendent

Am I Free? I Am Free
Mixx Tape (2005)

You might not have heard of Michael Lenzi, aka Resplendent, but if you have, you're probably wondering how a guy … Read more

Magrundergrind / Shitstorm

Split
Robotic Empire (2006)

A few years back, I used to be friends with this kid Lee. He played drums in a few local … Read more

Let Planes Circle Overhead

Let Planes Circle Overhead
Motivesounds (2005)

Tantric music has its charms, but more often than not, it's boring as shit. What's tantric music you ask? Well … Read more

New Bruises

Transmit! Transmit!
Kiss of Death (2005)

I don't think there's anyone on Scene Point Blank's staff that remembers Mid Carson July besides me and maybe Bob, … Read more

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One from the archives

Paysage d'Hiver

Im Wald
Kunsthall Produktionen (2020)

Im Wald begins on the slow, crunching footsteps of "Im Winterwald," while howling winds build a canopy of sound, offering a vision of how the succeeding time will unfold. That crackling, blanket of snow motif is one that will be familiar to anyone who has spent many a solitary evening with Paysage d'Hiver's - and it sets the tangible scene of a lonesome wanderer, trudging their way home after a long, arduous journey as the cold fingers of winter creep through the landscape. Forming in Switzerland in the late 90s, Paysage d'Hiver (winter landscape when translated from the original French) is the work of Tobias Möckl, or Wintherr, and is an expression of how it feels to wander a land wholly covered by ice and snow, that it can feel … Read more

More album reviews

Cathedral

Garden of Unearthly Delights
Nuclear Blast (2006)

If you are into doom, stoner, or sludge metal and you don't know who Cathedral is, you fail at life. For the sonically impaired, Cathedral are one of the progenitors of the modern doom and stoner metal movement. They have released some of the most enjoyable records of these genres in their lengthy existence. Their first album, Forest of Equilibrium … Read more

Anti-Flag

For Blood and Empire
RCA (2006)

Read more

Anti-Flag

For Blood and Empire
RCA (2006)

Punk rock has always been centered on the voicing of ones opinion, with the vast majority of those opinions taking direct aim at politics. In the 70's and 80's, leaders like Jello Biafra and Joey Shithead got so involved in political happenings that they found their way into jails and courthouses on frequent occasions. These encounters only added further fuel … Read more

Rocky Votolato

Makers
Barsuk (2006)

Seattle artist Rocky Votolato has been a busy man of late. His debut record for Barsuk, Makers, has already seen an episode of cult teen series The O.C. use the opening track, "White Daisy Passing", on its soundtrack. Such lofty heights for the Texan-born singer were hard to imagine back in his Second Nature Records days. Makers is a record … Read more

A Wilhelm Scream

Diver
Jumpstart (2006)

Ok, so it's no secret that I really like A Wilhelm Scream. Like, a lot. I gave their most recent full-length, Ruiner, an 8.5 out of a possible 10. The full-length has yet to leave regular rotation in my listening habits, and the thing's been out since August! There had been talks from Jumpstart Records for a long time that … Read more

Lahar

Provide & Conquer
Spook City (2005)

The Northwest is breathing new life into its hardcore scene. They've got a lot of great bands right now - Go it Alone, Shook Ones, The Answer, Sinking Ships, Betrayed, Daggermouth, and so on. And while those bands lean towards the traditional side of hardcore, there are others that aim for something a bit more metal. Seattle's Lahar deliver just … Read more

Souvenir's Young America / Spylacopa

Split
UndeRadar (2006)

Whether a record is really good or really bad, it can be very inspiring to write about. You can either go on about how "amazing" it is or stoop on how much it "sucks." But in between, there isn't much inspiration and writing about one of these types of records can be boring in itself. Such is the case with … Read more

The Appleseed Cast

Peregrine
The Militia Group (2006)

Rising from the wreckage of a failed record label and the departure of their drummer, The Appleseed Cast makes their return with Peregrine. This record marks their first with Casket Lottery drummer, Nathan "Nate Jr." Richardson. This band has many expectations to live up to on this record, especially considering the mixed reactions that their last album, Two Conversations, received. … Read more

Lion of Judah

Soul Power
Lockin Out (2005)

Despite the obviously hippie-drawn, almost Narnian cover art, and a band name perhaps more likely to evoke visions of reggae or, even worse, Christian rock, Lion of Judah sound much more interested in the likes of Bad Brains and Fugazi than Bob Marley or Creed. Putting the DC back in hardcore - rightfully making it "harDCore" once again - Lion … Read more

Lifetime

Somewhere in the Swamps of Jersey
Jade Tree (2006)

Somewhere in the Swamps of Jersey is a two-disc set of everything Lifetime released besides Hello Bastards and Jerseys Best Dancers. It's awesome to have the song "Somewhere in the Swamps of Jersey" on a CD. The re-mastered versions of the Seveninchesare a great listen, especially for newer fans that wanted to hear exactly when Lifetime perfected the precise mixture … Read more

Yeah Yeah Yeahs

Show Your Bones
Interscope/Polydor (2006)

In wake of the hurricane of hype that followed the landing of The Strokes, I did my best knee jerk reaction in 2002 and flat out dismissed the Yeah Yeah Yeahs. In fact, anything with a pair of ripped jeans and a NYC zip code got the preverbal Ricky Lake hand for a while. 2003 rolled around though and the … Read more

Spitfire

Self-Help
Goodfellow (2006)

Before we begin, allow me to digress and give a bit of background on the monstrosity that is Spitfire, because I want to get some things out of the way immediately. On their first album, The Dead Next Door, the band was vastly different from the current incarnation. This was 1999 or so; the record was recorded with Steve Evetts … Read more

Ambitions

No Limits
Independent (2005)

Demos can be funny sometimes. They are called a demo for a reason; it's by no means a finished product. And yet many times these demos end up becoming just that. Ambitions will see No Limits mass-produced in both 7" and CD format in the near future, but with good reason. Over the course of these four songs, Ambitions have … Read more

Inara George

All Rise
Everloving/Loose (2005)

It's taken more than a year, but finally, Inara George's All Rise opus has been given a UK release. Readily available on import at no extra cost, the necessity for it is questionable. But with a new album on the way, featuring songs co-written by Idlewild's Rod Jones, and a performance with the very same coming up in London, the … Read more

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