Recent reviews

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)

The Lurkers

The Boys In The Corner-7”
Damaged Goods (2021)

Formed in 1976 in West London, The Lurkers have been projecting, pontificating, poignant punk rock and catchy chorused songs for 40-plus years. Currently comprised of three original members being Pete Stride, Nigel Moore and Esso. This is the second single to come off the 2020 album Sex Crazy with an unreleased track. Record Collector nerd alert the 7” is also limited edition and pressed on your grandmother’s best silver wear (you know the set you hocked) colored vinyl and released as a double A-side.The Lurkers were often compared to a British equivalent of The Ramones with British swagger, memorable choruses and a pint firmly grasped in your sweaty, hairy fists.This two-song saunter is no stranger to that formula. “The Boys In The Corner” reminisces about fallen comrades along the bumpy cobbled street of Lurker’s life. Immediately you are transported to a dark pub with a large stein in hand while wallowing in your past encounters with a large salty tear dripping onto the dirty, sticky bar. Repeat, Repetition, Rewind. The song should be a classic amongst all regular pub attendees. Almost like a national anthem. A right of passage. I mean that from the bottom of my jaded, spiky, punk … Read more

City of Industry

False Flowers
Amerikan Aesthetics (2020)

City of Industry is a hardcore band with their toes in a lot of corners of the scene. False Flowers … Read more

James Kennedy

Noise Damage: My Life as a Rock'n'Roll Underdog
Eye Books (2020)

Noise Damage is the personal account of James Kennedy on his trials and tribulations navigating his evolution and experiences with … Read more

Stiff Richards

State Of Mind
Drunken Sailor (2021)

I’m doing my damnedest not to judge this book by its cover, because Stiff Richards is far and away the … Read more

Good Friend

The Erin Rose EP
Red Scare Industries (2020)

And the prize for hardest to search for online bandname goes to Good Friend from Belfast. Nah, just kidding, I … Read more

Alex Ross

Wagnerism: Art and Politics in the Shadow of Music
Harper Collins (2020)

Richard Wagner and his oeuvre cast a big shadow in every sense of the word.In a time and age where … Read more

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One from the archives

Living Colour

Shade
Megaforce (2017)

When Living Colour toured earlier this year performing their debut album Vivid for the almost 30 year anniversary, a lot of folks were ecstatic, thinking one of their favorite bands were back together again. Problem is, they hadn’t broken up. I mean they did for a few years in the '90s, but they’ve been touring and making music together since their reformation in 2000. Admittedly, their studio output has bands like Metallica saying “Jesus, those guys take a long time between albums”, but here we are - eight long years after The criminally underrated Chair In The Doorway, with the group’s latest effort, Shade. For those familiar with Living Color’s output over the years, Shade is everything you would expect from the band. Tight-as-fuck grooves set forth by bassist Doug … Read more

More album reviews

Naedr

Past Is Prologue
Zegema Beach Records (2020)

Sometimes I just can’t remember how something got my attention in the first place. One such example is longboarding. I picked it up somewhere, but I can not remember what made me try that. And I have been quite devoted to long distance longboarding. You might think I would remember why I started, but no. The same is the case … Read more

Daydream

Mystic Operative
Dirt Cult (2020)

It’s refreshing when a band is hard to describe. As a review writer it’s certainly a challenge but sometimes it feels a little too easy to slap a hyphenated label on a record to describe the sound. Daydream’s second album, Mystic Operative, isn’t reinventing rock ‘n’ roll, but it’s also not so easy to pin down to a single scene … Read more

Mark Mordue

Boy on Fire - The Young Nick Cave
Harper Collins (2020)

One cannot exactly claim that Nick Cave’s life and his oeuvre at large are being disregarded – au contraire, the interpretations and coverage of his emissions of the man, the myth, the legend is manifold. All the more interesting it is when a book emerges that tackles the life of Nick Cave through the deliberate effort of grinding a new … Read more

The Body

I’ve Seen All I Need To See
Thrill Jockey (2021)

Where to start with The Body? The duo has been creating harsh, noise-filled music for well over two decades and have a release schedule that is, frankly, terrifying to look at. The sheer number of albums, splits, EPs and stand-alone collaborations that The Body has produced is insane and the quality has remained consistently high considering. Chip King and Lee … Read more

Lucero

When You Found Me
Liberty & Lament (2021)

Lucero describe their music as “rock and soul,” which has evolved from countrified punk to horn-driven rock to balladry and a whole lot more. It’s a fitting and evolving term. Through it all one thing always shines through, which is the personal and heartfelt emotion that defines their songwriting. When You Found Me is predominantly a blend of guitar and … Read more

Orphanage Named Earth

Benefit for Sibir EP (feat. Gosia)
Sanctus Propaganda (2020)

Loads of venues are struggling to keep existing. Not being able to host shows is hurting them big time. A good thing bands like Orphanage Named Earth are stepping up for one such venue. Sibiř a cultural center in Brno, Czech Republic, which they know as they played there in 2018. Sibiř has hosted many DIY bands from all over … Read more

Fox Face

End Of Man
Dirtnap (2021)

It seems fitting that one of the first 2021 releases I’m reviewing is called End Of Man. A look at the news shows a world in crisis and, for deeper meaning, the common parlance is shifting away from gender specific language. So maybe Fox Face is saying men ruined the planet and we’re all gonna die. Maybe they are saying … Read more

Flea

Acid For The Children - The autobiography of Flea, the Red Hot Chili Peppers legend
Hachette Publishing (2019)

One would be hard pressed to find anyone remotely into alternative music that has not had an interlude with the ever-expanding oeuvre of the Red Hot Chili Peppers. With the band having had a turbulent history, each of the constituents contributed to what eventually became whole that is much bigger than its individual parts.One of the consistent motors and characters … Read more

The Kinks

Part 1. Lola Versus Powerman And The Moneygoround (Deluxe 2CD)
BMG (2020)

Where do I being on reviewing a deluxe edition of a record that’s 50 years old? I’ll start by saying I’m never going to call a deluxe edition perfect -- because a lot of the records getting that treatment were damn near perfect to begin with. There’s definitely a place and audience for extra material; just note that it wasn’t … Read more

Kimono Drag Queens

Songs Of Worship
Copperfeast records (2020)

Look at that gorgeous and very colorful cover. Now tell me what type of music do you expect? This better be something psychedelic, right? I admit I picked this album for review based on the bandname (stuff like this makes me really curious) and the artwork.I expected something sunny and was not disappointed. This is the stuff that can be … Read more

Real Numbers

Brighter Then EP
Slumberland Records (2021)

Last year took a toll on many, many people. It was rough. It was angry. It was painful. And most art reflected that.Sometimes it’s necessary to take a deep breath, relax, and think about that feeling when the sun shines through the clouds. And that’s what Real Numbers sound like to me. The clean and pristine guitar tones really define … Read more

Debt Neglector

Bad Faith EP
Smartpunk Records (2020)

Debt Neglector put this new digital EP into the world in late 2020, in part to help raise funds for Fair Fight before the Georgia runoff elections. It has five songs, ending on an Elvis Costello cover.That intro is relevant because the songs on Bad Faith are highly political in nature, so it gives an added dimension. The EP also … Read more

Dikembe

Muck
Skeletal Lightning (2020)

Gainesville, FL’s Dikembe have been playing around the scene for quite a few years but I’ve never actually checked out their recorded material. I saw them back at Pre-Fest 6 and enjoyed it live but their brand of emo isn’t really my bag. It’s the kind of music that I find really impressive live but rarely moves me when listening … Read more

Too Many Voices

Catch Me if You Can
Division Street Records (2020)

A nice little seven song ep of mid-tempo and introspective punk rock for us dads in our late thirties. These guys seem to have been around for some time but are new acquintance for me. And a pleasant one too, when I want to listen to hardcore with some thought behind it but that isn’t full-blast in-your-face aggression.Don’t get me … Read more

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