A Caesar Holiday
A Caesar Holiday
Independent (2008)
The five-piece A Caesar Holiday offer up six tracks totaling forty-five minutes on their self-titled debut release. Featuring the combined instrumentation of violin, dual guitars, bass, drums, and accordion the Indianapolis group offer moody and mostly instrumental music falling somewhere between prog and post-rock. The album is at its strongest in the tracks featuring the violin work of Eison, most … Read more
A Day in Black and White
My Heroes Have Always Killed Cowboys
Level Plane (2004)
I'm nearing twenty years of age and never once during these nineteen-plus years have I been able to view things in anything but color. Don't get me wrong, I've seen black and white films; I've also taken and viewed black and white pictures. For my twentieth birthday I will get my eyes removed and in the empty sockets dog eyes … Read more
A Day in Black and White
Notes
Level Plane (2005)
On Notes, A Day in Black and White's debut full-length, they get to point quickly; in one minute and twenty seconds to be precise. After an at-times impressive first release, My Heroes Have Always Killed Cowboys released on Level Plane in 2004, A Day in Black and White looked like it would slowly join the hardcore-band graveyard as member changes … Read more
A Day in Black and White/Black Castle
Split
State of Mind (2004)
Splits are ideally awesome, with two bands combining their sounds for one album. Often times though it ends up that one side has a great band while the other has some weakness that jumped on. While Black Castle doesn't have as much to offer as A Day In Black And White, the two forces combined make a decent split. If … Read more
A Day To Remember
And Their Name Was Treason
Indianola (2005)
We've all done it - you mention a band unfamiliar to your friend and they'll ask "What does it sound like?" and being lazy North Americans we'll often reply with a barrage of noteworthy names just recognizable enough to wipe the inquisitive look from our hapless chum's face, and just obscure enough to retain "street cred" with the remainder of … Read more
A Death Cinematic
A Parable on the Aporia of Vengeance and the Beauty of Impenetrable Sadness
Simple Box Construction (2009)
Limited to a number of 250, A Death Cinematic's most recent release features two discs and impeccable packaging. Comparisons can easily be made to certain output by A Silver Mt. Zion or Godspeed You! Black Emperor, but A Death Cinematic's sound is someplace else. It is distant, eerie, and always brooding. The long song titles such as "Their Blood Crawls … Read more
A Death Cinematic
A Parable on the Aporia of Vengeance and the Beauty of Impenetrable Sadness
Simple Box Construction (2009)
Every once in a long while there comes a release which takes several listens to sink in to one's thick skull (particularly my hard head can take time), but once that record sinks in, the record not only makes complete sense, but it seems to become a favorite release. Upon first listening to the latest release from A Death Cinematic, … Read more
A Death Cinematic
The New World
Simple Box Construction (2012)
When you anticipate things, do you find that you build up these lofty expectations that are virtually impossible to reach; or is the anticipation more often than not a good quality that leads to a build up of excitement? Anticipation (for me) is often a double edged sword that may do any combination of building up expectations and or excitement, … Read more
A Death Cinematic
Your Fate Twisting, Epic In Its Crushing Moments
Simple Box Construction (2011)
Ah, another offering from A Death Cinematic in the form of an “EP” (I put this in quotes because it plays longer than some LPs by some bands) entitled Your Fate Twisting In Its Crushing Moments; and just as with previous releases, this comes with some of the most intriguing packaging, again, hand made cover consists of a hand printed … Read more
A Death Cinematic / Ekca Liena
Preternatural
Small Doses (2011)
Don’t you just absolutely love when split releases reveal some new band or musician that completely changes how you listen to certain types of music or even just end up being what you need to listen to at the moment that you sit down and listen to it? Luckily for me (and you if you have already heard this split), … Read more
A Kid Named Thompson / Altus
Split
Seafoam (2009)
Two newcomers from Texas team up for a split 7" release. You get one track each, generally falling within the bounds of the indie music circuit. A Kid Named Thompson is not a one-man emo guitarist - thank goodness. This three-piece outfit instead offers up "Fall Down," a three-minute venture of upbeat pop-rock. I'd liken them to Jimmy Eat World, … Read more
A Loss For Words
Motown Classics
Paper + Plastick (2010)
A Loss For Words are an above average pop punk band. That is a rather general statement but, noting that i have listened to their previous work i can say alot of things. Going into this cover album i was somewhat excited yet skeptical. Very rarely does a cover album come out to be more than a fun yet passable … Read more
A Perfect Circle
A Perfect Circle Live: Featuring Stone and Echo
Independent (2014)
Writing a review for a live album can be a daunting task. There's only so much you can say about songs presented in a live fashion that doesn't echo what was said in the original album review, but reviewing a live box set? Time to put the coffee on.A Perfect Circle Live: Featuring Stone and Echo (heretofore referred to as … Read more
A Perfect Circle
Eat the Elephant
BMG (2018)
Regardless of which band Maynard James Keenan is recording, promoting or touring with - he is usually the one unfairly maligned for holding up the proceedings, but make no mistake...A Perfect Circle is the brainchild of guitarist Billy Howerdel. And until he was ready to record again (in this case, 14 years after the band’s previous effort, Emotive) - it … 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
A Perfect Circle
Three Sixty
Virgin (2013)
Buying compilation albums are like going to a family reunion. It starts with a sense of misguided obligation and ends with regret for ever having done so in the first place. A Perfect Circle's Three Sixty blessedly proves that ham-fisted metaphor to be all wrong. At first glance, it's a typical chronological affair, beginning with The Hollow from debut album … Read more
A Second from the Surface
The Streets Have Eyes
This Dark Reign (2007)
There's been a lot of words used to describe Minneapolis' A Second from the Surface: metalcore, grindcore, crustcore. All of them are very specific genres, but not one of them is accurate. A Second from the Surface are hardcore, plain and simple. More on the old school side than the "hardcore" that we see nowadays on every Warped Tour. As … Read more
A Secret Policeman's Ball
Teenage Crimewave
MVD Audio (2013)
Who needs functioning eardrums anyway? A Secret Policeman’s Ball play post-punk indie music with new wave undertones, and there is only one volume their music should be played at: LOUD. The Tennessee band have a penchant for mixing pop-filled melodies with aggressive guitars and vocals that frequently turn into screams; what initially starts off as a song with sweet vocals … Read more
