Bomb the Music Industry!
Goodbye Cool World
Quote Unquote (2006)
A couple months ago I was sitting next to a window at Inn-N-Out, pissed about my cheeseburger (they put nothing I wanted on it and everything I didn't.) My friend James is telling me a story about his band, Guns of Autumn, playing a show with the Arrogant Sons of Bitches. I'd never heard Arrogant Songs of Bitches and I … Read more
Bombshell
To Hell with Motives
Indianola (2006)
It's never really a good sign when the first thing that pops into my head when I listen to To Hell with Motives is "ugh." The CD starts off earnestly enough with a noise-laden track that actually had me hoping Deadguy Part Deux. Sadly that never happened as the end of the intro ends with some kid (I believe his … Read more
Bon Iver
Blood Bank
Jagjaguar (2009)
Bon Iver's 2008 release For Emma, Forever Ago was made in troubled times. Supposedly, after suffering the loss of a band and girlfriend while dealing with poor personal health, singer Justin Vernon spent three months of the winter in his father's cottage, located in a remote area of Northern Wisconsin. His time spent in isolation birthed the album, a haunting … Read more
Bon Iver
Bon Iver
Jagjaguwar (2011)
The fact that this album is self-titled is really surprising. A self-titled album usually represents and displays everything the artist embodies. Their most predominant musical characteristics, if you will. For Justin Vernon, Bon Iver is not his standard modus operandi. It’s way better than that.The album starts off with “Perth,” a really powerful introduction to the journey you will be … Read more
Bones Brigade
Focused
Fight Fire With Fire (2004)
When a band matures and begins changing their sound on their newest album, fans either embrace it or begin distancing themselves like flies from soap. While not making any radical changes, the changes in Focused by Bones Brigade are obvious and appreciated. The first major change is that Andrew left with his punk/youthful screams and has been replaced by Brian … Read more
Bones Brigade
I Hate Myself When I'm Not Skateboarding
Fight Fire With Fire (2003)
In a time where skate boarding is about as punk rock as a walk through Disneyland, where skateboarding movie soundtracks are infiltrated by hip hop and pop punk, Bones Brigade skids in just in time to skate hard and rock even harder. Everything about this will make you want to get off your ass and plunge down a hill, unless … Read more
Bongripper
Hate Ashbury
Independent (2008)
It's easy for people to dismiss a band like Bongripper. Instrumental doom metal isn't the most glamorous business out there, and the band's name just screams "gimmick." Every time I mention Bongripper to someone, I get scoffed at. "PFFFFFFFFFFFFFT oh real cool kid BONG you think that's funny? Grow up." I don't know if the band was trying to be … Read more
Bonnie "Prince" Billy
Greatest Palace Music
Drag City (2004)
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
Bonnie "Prince" Billy
Master and Everyone
Drag City (2003)
I am not one who can sit down and listen to a record that is just acoustic guitar and vocals. Call me shallow but, playing in Symphony Orchestras and the such has made me a sucker for instrumentation. The closest I come to such minimalistic music is Songs: Ohia's Didn't It Rain and some of the older Against Me! stuff. … Read more
Bonnie "Prince" Billy
Master and Everyone
Drag City (2003)
Four years ago to the present, record players everywhere have played the last note of "Raining in Darling," the final song on Will Oldham's Bonnie "Prince" Billy record, I See a Darkness. As his record burped and scratched to its end, newly-anointed or long-time fans of Will Oldham have eagerly awaited his return which would once again, hopefully, take us … Read more
Bonnie "Prince" Billy & Matt Sweeney
Superwolf
Drag City (2005)
What an album cover! It's the kind that would fit perfectly with the whole music sounding like album cover mantra that makes for a great last resort when you can't really come up with a good description of the music within on your own. With enough embellishing, it can work for almost every album ever created. But alas, Will Oldham … Read more
Boogeyman
Boogeyman
Deadly Distribution, ELB-Power Records (2022)
"Presenting new sounds from the darkness"...welcome to the mind of Boogeyman! This Arizona three piece have a wonderful world of spooks, darkness, death and demons to show you with this eleven track self titled full length debut album. Predominantly horrorpunk in nature but incorporating many elements from other genres too. You will find that this is not your average bog … Read more
Boogeyman and Edward Kearns
The Devil's Song
Independent (2022)
The Devil's Song is the accompanying book to Boogeyman's self titled debut album; you can check out the album review right here.This 49 page story is the brainchild of Arizona based horrorpunk trio Boogeyman who wrote the songs to their album with this story in mind. They teamed up with friend and writer Edward Kearns continuing the story within the … Read more
Bootlicker
1000 Yd. Stare
Neon Taste Records, Static Shock Records (2024)
This full-length record might fit on a 7”. It’s short and fast, but still definitely a full record with 10 fully-formed tracks of stomping punk rock just over 15 minutes overall. I’ve written about the band before and this record continues their trajectory. I remember a little more barking and aggression last time, but that isn’t to say this record … Read more
Bootlicker
Self-Titled
Neon Waste, Static Shock Records (2021)
Rough and tough d-beat, oi-influenced punk with a boot on the cover. If you follow the scene you probably already have a sense of what Bootlicker sounds like based on that alone. Released on Neon Waste (USA/Canada) and Static Shock (UK), this is Discharge-influenced punk that pulls no punches. It’s angry, shouty, and aggressive as all get-out with memorable lyrics … Read more
Boris
Attention Please
Sargent House (2011)
I absolutely love Boris' work ethic. Four new albums of fresh material in one year is more than anyone should be able to ask of any artist whose name is not either Buckethead or Senmuth, and their dedication to stylistic diversity is a commendable trait that's generally unheard of in modern music. What's more, Boris have a history of significantly … Read more
Boris
Dear
Sargent House (2017)
I like the idea of certain types of metal paralleling the thought patterns of jazz. Whether it is the twitchy renderings of a Meshuggah beat, the sprinkle of jazz-like tendencies of an Intronaut record, or the experimental coo-coo of Fantomas. The immediacy, expansive sound, and improvisation can certainly draw comparison to a Miles Davis or John Coltrane offering. Those two … Read more
Boris
Heavy Rocks
Sargent House (2011)
Boris' sound is defined by their insistence on rocking the fuck out. Their earliest works, like the classic albums Heavy Rocks and Pink, revolve around taking heavy metal and, to borrow from Sp?n?al Tap, taking it up to eleven. These albums have an absolutely huge, dirty quality to them that leaves Boris' peers in the dust. So Boris released their … Read more
