Of all the bands I've liked at one point, I don't think I've received quite as much flack for any as much as I have Pedro the Lion. I've never quite 'gotten' the abhorrence some have felt for the band, as vocalist and lyricist David Bazan seems to teeter just far enough between both gratingly annoying and remarkably above par to keep himself off the radar. Regardless, people just hear the term "Christian Rock" and they duck and cover. The term conjures up images of aging men relating to "real teens" at alternative churches, possibly singing verses about 'natural' birth control. This grouping has always seemed to do more harm than good for rock item Pedro the Lion, putting off listeners before they have even bothered to listen. Pedro the Lion is the moniker donned by Seattle native David Bazan, who has steadily used it to put out albums since the arrival of It's Hard to Find a Friend in 1998. Backed by Casey Foubert (who supplies bass, percussion and keyboards), the outfit has released their fifth album, entitled Achilles Heel, this month. I should clear this up right off the bat. Yes, Bazan is Christian. No, he does not … Read more
I once had a substitute teacher that repeated something 10 times, because he said that people have to hear something … Read more
Disclaimer: I am not actually going to write much about this album itself because I don't have too much to … Read more
Well, it's been a busy year for our friend Ryan Adams: a rock and roll record, two EP's, a broken … Read more
For many, Secret Chiefs 3 is considered to be "Mr. Bungle minus Mike Patton." While I feel this description does … Read more
Upon their inception a few years ago, Plan of Attack was already a cut above a lot of the hardcore … Read more
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Volume 22 of DCxPC Live, a live album vinyl record label for punk, hardcore, ska and metal bands, features Sticky Steve, Borrowed Sparks, Jacob Danielsen-Moore and Dougie Flesh and the Slashers. This iteration leans heavy into folk punk and psychobilly sensibilities. Think Laura Jane Grace if she was obsessed with Spirit Halloween and B-horror movies. The vinyl itself didn’t seem to mind my near death, rescued from a dumpster, record player so that’s already one major pro for the album. I don’t know if it’s just me, but physical albums covers catch my eye far more than the digital ones. This could be my poor vision talking but the tiny squares on Bandcamp and Spotify don’t do much for me. DCxPC Live: Vol. 22 keeps things simple in black and … Read more
Ween. What the fuck is Ween? I sure don't know. If someone asked me to tell them about Ween, I would probably rub jelly on my testicles and do a handstand whilst eating Captain Crunch Cereal Bars . This band is fucked up. Not fucked up like retarded midgets playing Frisbee in a pool of peanut butter, but more fucked … Read more
I've gone off on tangents about the current state of hardcore in a bunch of other reviews, so I'll spare you the long-winded speech. We all realize that bands that would have been brushed over two years ago are starting to get a little more attention from the mainstream. And one of the hotbeds of this recent punk rock craze … Read more
An important point in anybody's musical listening/purchasing career is when they first realize that there are LPs and EPs. The difference between the two is that the EP, extended play, is just a handful of songs, while the LP, long play, is a full complete album usually lasting between 20-60 minutes depending on the genre. What I soon realized was … Read more
Each year there are only a few hip-hop discs I pick up and really enjoy. They have to be more than something I'll listen to for a month and then quickly tire of (ex. 50 Cent). The disc this year is Kanye West's The College Dropout. I first got the album way back in February, during the initial hype for … Read more
When I was in the sixth grade I had a birthday party and for some reason one of my classmates, his name was Seth, gave me a copy of Sir Mix-A-Lot's album Mack Daddy. I didn't ask for it, I guess he just assumed it was something I would enjoy. Anyways, contained on said album is a track entitled "Seattle … Read more
This whole intro paragraph is going to serve as a completely unneeded expository explanation on how dance music has all of a sudden become huge with indie kids. Yeah, so dance music. It's become pretty big hasn't it? I guess there are a few kinds: shit like The Rapture, where's these sleazy kids dancing around; terrible stuff like The Faint … Read more
Well it's the middle of the summer, the sun is out, the birds are singing, and there is romance in the air. What a perfect time for the release of this year's album to fall in love to. In fact, as you are reading this review I can almost guarantee you that Hopes and Fears is aiding another pair of … Read more
My first listen: Let's get some facts straight. Keane is a three piece band. They don't have any guitars, instead there is a piano. They are also deemed as the "next Coldplay." That's quite a misnomer; Coldplay has a guitar, sometimes two, and rock a lot harder than Keane. And Coldplay doesn't even rock hard. They can't be the next … Read more
So here I am. Thinking of everything else I could be doing that does not include listening to the never-ending song by the Animal Collective. Forward. Sorry! I really do like them, they are doing "Something Different" and "Breaking New Ground", even. They're interesting, cryptic... in fact, this is the perfect record to add to your collection to prove just … Read more
Breaking News: San Francisco's favorite singer-songwriter/space cadet has returned to the home planet for his newest release Cellar Door . As his spacecraft touched down, thousands of loyal fans anxiously lined up outside of record stores to the hear musical renditions of his latest journeys via compact disc. Once the fans had attained their own personal copy of the transmission … Read more
I will admit, I read a few reviews of this record before buying it and I still had no idea what it was. Even by the time I picked it up I was clueless as to what this record held in store. Was it other people covering Will Oldham songs? Was it Will Oldham Covering other artist's songs? Was it … Read more
Whether you call it tech-metal or mathcore, it's a style of music that has captivated the head-bangers of the world. Gone are the days of the traditional and straightforward songwriting of Metallica and Slayer, they have handed over the reigns to the next generation led by the likes of The Dillinger Escape Plan and Mastodon. And following right on the … Read more
I work at this really cool toy store in Austin, TX called Terra Toys. No, I'm not trying to get a bunch of customers, this is just exposition. Anyways, Terra Toys is located on South Congress Ave., a street filled to the brim with stores containing all kinds of vintage clothes and furniture. Today, I was walking down to the … Read more
Today when homosapiens talk about the old school of hardcore they usually refer somewhere between the time periods of the early 1980s and the late 1980s. But as time goes on the gap begins to get larger and the definition of new school is constantly being reinvented. Look at a band like Youth Of Today for instance, when they emerged … Read more
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