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)

Bernays Propaganda

Vtora Mladost, Treta Svetska Vojna
Moonlee Records, Geenger Records, Pop Depresija, Ill in the Head, Balkan Ve (2019)

Nothing is certain except that everything will change. The fact that change is one of the only things you can count on in life is sometimes hard to deal with. Some bands present you a different nuance of the same sound on each album, which can result in the complaint they release the same album again and again. Some bands go with the flow and just release music they feel like making. This is an adventurous path: you may win some fans, but you also might lose them along your route.The past few weeks I have listened to Vtora Mladost, Treta Svetska Vojna (2nd youth, 3rd world war) over and over again. It made me philosophical about the change in their musical course and changes in general. My relationship with Bernays Propaganda has been a bit rocky. The first time I heard some of their music was after the release of their third album: Zabraneta Planeta. It didn’t click right away. Still, there was something on that record that had come back again and again. So in the end I gave in and bought the album. I started working backwards in their catalogue and discovered a raw and unpolished version … Read more

Envy

The Fallen Crimson
Temporary Residence (2020)

I doubt that many musicians would claim to not be slightly jealous of Envy's career trajectory. From humbler beginnings as … Read more

Black Lips

…Sing In a World That’s Falling Apart
Fire Records/Vice Records (2020)

In an era of heart-on-sleeve Americana, the Black Lips are up to something else on …Sing In a World That’s … Read more

(මහසෝනා​)​*

යන්ත්‍ර.මන්ත්‍ර.ගුරුකම්!
Virvpi Propaganda (2020)

Given that I’ve put together year-end lists of the strangest albums I heard for the past couple years, I was … Read more

Personality Cult

New Arrows
Dirtnap (2020)

I like to find new bands. One of the challenges as I get older is exactly that. I listen to … Read more

The Carvels NYC

Late Night Heart EP
Die Laughing Records (2020)

If you follow Scene Point Blank you might be aware I like The Carvels NYC. So a new EP by … Read more

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One from the archives

Ninja Gun

Roman Nose
Sabot Productions (2011)

Ninja Gun draws from a lot of sources, playing in the Suburban Home-style market of alt country derived from obtuse punk influences. They tend to eschew chord progressions in favor of soft music and easy articulation built from the steady, honest delivery of their frontman Johnathan Coody. Roman Nose is their latest EP, this one coming from Sabot Productions. Ninja Gun’s style is mellow and maybe a little coy. The band draws from country, but their delivery and dominant sound are more steeped in power pop, with the country influence honing the lyrical tone and the somber, reflective atmosphere while the music is more ethereal with a touch of Southern eeriness at its backdrop. Coody keeps the mood steady, never bursting into angry aggression or sorrowful misery, but walking a … Read more

More album reviews

Puppy and the Hand Jobs

I Hate Everything
Black Gladiator / Slovenly Recordings (2019)

It'd be quite easy to write off (the fantastically named) Puppy and the Hand Jobs for making self-described “trash rock and roll.” Much as is the case with bands like The Dwarves however, while the band does produce vulgar rapid-fire punk music that seems to have been recorded as “hot” as possible, there’s an undeniably catchiness to their music. 2019’s … Read more

MakeWar

Get It Together
Fat Wreck Chords (2019)

MakeWar aren’t like most of the other punk bands out there. They play what I call midtempo punk. It’s not built on anthems, choruses or super-fast into-the-pit adrenaline. Get It Together isn’t about fist-in-the-air release, it’s about built-up tension. The band is actively calling for people to (ahem) Get. It. Together. The tone is one of frustration and marginalization, but … Read more

Vesperith

Vesperith
Svart Records (2019)

Vesperith is the project of Finnish artist Sariina Tani, and a vessel in which music is used to explore the inner depths and outer limits of the mind. In Vesperith, Tani channels black metal sonics within a structure that takes in ambient textures, hypnotic vocals and psychedelic tones. When a project is born and created by the mind of one … Read more

Jumpstarted Plowhards

Round One
Recess (2019)

I’m going to jump right into the thick of it and admit I’m not well-versed in Mike Watt’s catalog. In my defense, the man is a workhorse, releasing records with Minutemen, firehose, Stooges, solo, and many many more. I know the big ones, but not the deep cuts. Watt’s songwriting counterpart with Jumpstarted Plowhards is more familiar to me: Todd … Read more

Various Artists

Sin Bad / Bad Wig - Split EP
Kitchy Spirit (2019)

Sometimes I am just a lazy slouch. This review is not just a bit late, it is almost a year overdue. When I make a promise, I make it with the intention of keeping it. This is one of those examples. Luckily for me I never promised when I would review this EP, so I don’t feel to bad about … Read more

Sleep Token

Sundowning
Spinefarm Records (2019)

Sundowning is a record of intrigue and mystery, not least because of the anonymous faces behind the band and this enigmatic twist has led to many discovering their presence in the British alternative scene. While their identities may be hidden, Sleep Token display their emotions for all to see on their debut album, a collection of songs which evoke much … Read more

Avant Duel

Beyond Human
Independent (2012)

Spaceman comes to Earth, fronts rock band!It sounds like it might be a Weekly World News headline or the subplot to a ‘60s-era Godzilla film, yet this is allegedly what happened when, in the late ‘70s and early ‘80s, Von LMO, claiming to have been from the planet Strazar, rose to prominence in NYC’s no wave music scene. Following the … Read more

The Violet Mindfield

Hello Darling
Independent (2019)

While music groups have tried to emulate the sounds of the past in various ways, this is perhaps nowhere more evident than in the world of psychedelic music. Though one could probably make an argument that this large sections of this genre aspire to exist in a time span from about 1965 to ‘69 or so, it’s interesting to imagine … Read more

Rivers Edge

The Runaround
Let’s Pretend Records/Dead Broke Rekerds (2019)

Runaround is the third release I’ve heard from Rivers Edge, and besides feeling like a nice metaphoric album title for the band’s style – accessible DIY pop punk with a lot of unexpected turns – it also feels like the band is really coming into their own. In the past I’ve observed a “sum of the parts” vibe, sharing elements … Read more

Rational Anthem

It’s Only Permanent
A-F (2019)

It’s been a long time since the last Rational Anthem record, Emotionally Unavailable in 2014. The band is still similar but what jumps out the most to me with It’s Only Permanent is the clean, big pop hooks. The band has always been peppy and focused on those singalong moments, but this record is downright anthemic from start to finish. … Read more

Moon Duo

Stars are the Light
Sacred Bones (2019)

This year, Moon Duo released their seventh album, Stars are the Light, on Sarced Bones. Many of their signature spacey psychedelic elements are here: droning saturated guitars, looping synths, dual hypnotic vocals. But Moon Duo have another motive this time around -- getting our bodies moving.As they depart from machine-driven krautrock rhythms, they often slow down the tempo and bring … Read more

The Hussy

Looming
Dirtnap (2019)

It’s been fun watching The Hussy grow. All those scuzzy, dirty licks and rough-and-tumble beats of their early work is still present, but on Looming the now-trio lets the once understated melodies take the lead. It’s driving rock with some notable grooves, but it’s also singalong with shades of ‘60s garage, psychedelia, and even hints of pop.Looming contains 16 songs … Read more

State Drugs

Takings and Leavings
Jigsaw Records (2019)

This LP sounds like something that teleported here from my moody early-2000’s CD rack, which they acknowledge with their self-description of “grown-up punk”. The distorted chord progressions recall Sugarcult and Samiam while the grainy country-tinged vocals bring Gaslight Anthem to mind. The lyrical themes of alcohol and heartache nod to their influences as well, but the vocals lose their soul … Read more

Calabrese

Flee The Light
Spookshow Records (2019)

This year I was so psyched! I am a big horror punk fan. There are three bands I really, really enjoy. Calabrese is one of those bands. I’ve followed this hard working band since their second album and have enjoyed each and every release so far. I had no problem following them in their development from their campy horror punk … Read more

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