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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)

Under A Dying Sun

Supernova
Substandard (2003)

Having carved a comfortable niche in the San Francisco Bay Area, by playing shows almost constantly for three or so years, Under A Dying Sun have created an album that breaks away from their original "emocore" sound, which judging by their last full-length, they have clearly out-grown. Instead of rehashing the same, tired, "screamo" formula with heavy melodramatics and melodic breakdowns, they have put out an album that does not shy away from the sincerity of the earlier material, but instead molds it into a refreshingly new entity. Simply speaking, they have thrown away the EMO and but held on to the EMOTION. It was trying to keep with this "mid-90's post-hardcore" sound that made last year's self-titled release a bust. In attempting to maintain a sound they had reached their prime with, and had thus tired out with their series of seven inches and the Hangman's Day EP, Under a Dying Sun tried to give fervor to an old sound and ended up creating an album that did not meet expectations. On Supernova, the guitar work has become a lot more polished and cohesive. Dan Africa and Konane Cramer maintain a complexity that had always been present in their … Read more

The Strokes

Room On Fire
RCA (2003)

The first words to leap out at you on the sophomore LP by the Strokes are "I want to be … Read more

Some Girls

The Blues
Deathwish Inc. (2003)

This one didn't immediately catch me like The Rains did. After maybe a half dozen listens, I think I'm starting … Read more

Explosions in the Sky

The Earth is Not a Cold Dead Place
Temporary Residence (2003)

If Explosions in the Sky's previous LP, Those Who Tell the Truth Shall Die Those Who Tell the Truth Shall … Read more

The Unseen

Explode
Better Youth Organize (2003)

The Unseen: street punk for the masses. You could probably write this band's back history wihtout even knowing them. Hundreds … Read more

Andrew W.K.

The Wolf
Island (2003)

I'll keep this short so you kids will understand me. I want the time back I spent listening to this. … Read more

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One from the archives

L.A. Takedown

II (2017)
Ribbon Music (2017)

You don’t need to have been to Los Angeles to best experience L.A. Takedown’s latest album, II. It’s an album that’s evocative of a time and place, though it’s one that may or may not exist. The fact that it’s almost entirely instrumental (save for some lightly sprinkled vocoder in its final moments) doesn’t provide any concrete evidence. It’s an album length mystery, and one that’s worth the patience of letting it unfold.Led by Los Angeles-based composer/multi-instrumentalist Aaron M. Olson, the seven-piece band’s follow-up to L.A. Takedown’s 2015 self-titled debut is the first release featuring the full band -– keyboardists Ryan Adlaf and Jonah Olson, guitarists Miles Wintner and Stephen Heath drummer Mose Wintner, and bassist Jessica Espeleta. "Composer" is not a loose term in this case –- Olson studied … Read more

More album reviews

Zombie Apocalypse

This Is A Spark of Life
Indecision (2003)

You've probably heard of Zombie Apocalypse because you like Shai Hulud. Well, then in a sense you've heard this whole thing. It sounds like a bunch of unused Shai Hulud parts played at 78 rpms. There are a bunch of samples, practically one in each song, which aren't that funny or special. Side projects are fun because you can hear … Read more

Multiple Authors

Coheed and Cambria

In Keeping Secrets of Silent Earth: 3
Equal Vision (2003)

I guess I'm one of the few people in the world that don't really like Coheed and Cambria. Sorry. But here's to all those that are with me in saying that Coheed and Cambria are overrated. The first track starts exactly like JR Ewing's song Graduation Day, but with a different ring of the phone, and when the phone is … Read more

Multiple Authors

Coheed and Cambria

In Keeping Secrets of Silent Earth: 3
Equal Vision (2003)

IN KEEPING SECRETS OF SILENT EARTH: 3 REVIEW A one act play CAST: Sean Apartimus.....our humble narrator Claudio.....our noble hero, leader of the clan Coheed Will Writinpahpsung.....elvin, Coheedian clansman King Concepticus......ruler of the kingdom Cambria, holder of the cherished concept album scroll Bordalon Pretentious.....brother of King Concepticus, but he smells of foul intentious! Boran Structuron.....the executioner, a dastardly fellow, and … Read more

A Perfect Circle

Thirteenth Step
Virgin (2003)

And so, our alt-rock heroes in a Perfect Circle return for the second installment, to see if the dreaded sophmore slump can be overcome. The band's first record was one of the last hopes of the dying breed of aggressive guitar-driven radio rock that was received to a fair amount of hoopla, understandably due to a handful of incredible tracks … Read more

The Distillers

Coral Fang
Warner Bros. (2003)

I hate the Distillers a lot less than I'd like to proclaim.....or do I? I'll admit, on each of the Distillers' previous works, I could find a song or two that was actually rather enjoyable. Amongst the array of other punk revivalist bands, the Distillers manage to stand above a good portion of those other bands who really have nothing … Read more

Himsa

Courting Tragedy and Disaster
Prosthetic (2003)

When I first downloabought the new Himsa record, I can't lie, I had really low expectations for it. I'm not a big fan of metalcore, and I've never liked anything by Himsa I've heard in the past. To my surprise, within the first couple tracks, I found myself quite entertained. Himsa really bring nothing new to the table at all, … Read more

Multiple Authors

Thursday

War All the Time
Island (2003)

Thursday is an odd band. They released their first record, Waiting, to complete apathy. Then, Full Collapse arrived, and suddenly Thursday found itself in the odd position of being everyone's favorite new band. Granted, there's many better, or more interesting bands out there; Thursday, starting with Waiting, never attempted to be the most challenging or innovative. They've always worked to … Read more

Multiple Authors

Thursday

War All the Time
Island (2003)

Of all these "emo" bands around right now, Thursday is the one that continually disappoints me. I see in Thursday the potential to do something good, but the band keeps falling into the same pitfalls and trappings of a genre that's been exploited and dumbed-down for the masses one too many times. The ideas they have are continually squashed by … Read more

The Dismemberment Plan

A People's History of...
Desoto (2003)

First off, the Dismemberment Plan gets props just for the fact that this record came out. Consistently innovative while they were active, the band is being just as interesting, if not more so, posthumously, by posting all their songs on their website and having fans download them and remix them. As far as the remixes here go, they either fall … Read more

The Postal Service

Give Up
Sub Pop (2003)

Ben Gibbard has butterfingers lately. No, I'm not accusing him of having an affection towards a particular candy bar, I'm refering to his ability to maintain musical quality. The newest Death Cab album is being met with mixed responses from critics, unlike their previous efforts which gathered an admirable amount of critical acclaim. Not only can that be said looking … Read more

Hella

Bitches Ain't Shit But Good People
Suicide Squeeze (2003)

Hella is less a band that be thought of in terms of "good" and "bad" as they are a band that you either like, or you don't. Their sound is either captivating and enthralling to you, or you think it's just a load of disjointed, self-indulgant noise by two guys who're showcasing their chops. In reality, the truth is actually … Read more

Multiple Authors

The Rapture

Echoes
Universal (2003)

The Insound Tour Support Vol. No. 1 packed a few wallops of fantastic music that drew my attention; one of these wallops is known as The Rapture. I felt a great need to go out and get "Echoes", the song, on a Rapture album so I could really experience what they are for myself. Well, that time is now, and … Read more

Multiple Authors

The Rapture

Echoes
Universal (2003)

Something needs to be said about the infiltration of this dance rhetoric in the punk scene. I'm guessing some part of it came from Emma Goldman's ubiquitous, "If I can't dance to it, its not my revolution." This sentence, thought the scenesters, why not make it a call to arms (and legs) for all punk kids to "get down"? To … Read more

The Fire Theft

The Fire Theft
Rykodisc (2003)

Sunny Day Real Estate was a great band. No one contends with this or argues with this. They fell into that elite category of bands that not only managed to shape one particular sound, but an entire genre of music. Their greatness is further embellished and heightened by the fact that they released a terrible record which doesn't detract from … Read more

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