The End
Within Dividia
Relapse (2004)
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
The Fiery Furnaces
Blueberry Boat
Sanctuary (2004)
Music as true art begs to be delved deeper into. Controversially classic albums such as Daydream Nation, Zen Arcade, and Kid A warrant very little before much time and myriad repeat listens. On first hearing, albums such as the aforementioned often appear completely impenetrable, inaccessible, and, in some cases, entirely unlistenable; nothing exists to grab the listener instantaneously by the … Read more
The Get Up Kids
Guilt Show
Vagrant (2004)
So I was cruising the record store one day with my girlfriend, when I saw this record on sale for $5.97. Well ok, count me in! I had meant to pick it up anyway, so I was pleasantly suprised to find it for six measly dollars. In all truthfullness I wasn't expecting much. I had heard a few songs from … Read more
The Good Fight
Breathing Room
Goodfellow (2004)
It seems as though the popularity of real hardcore has a formulaic ebb and flow that changes with the years. A style that may draw 500 kids to a VFW hall in 1988 certainly isn't going to get the same crowd in 2004, is it? Well, given the monumental growth of labels like Bridge 9, Martyr, Deathwish and others over … Read more
The Good Life
Album of the Year
Saddle Creek (2004)
Tim Kasher manages to juggle two well-respected bands without taking a noticeable break. The strident noise of Cursive may sound much harsher than the soft melodies of The Good Life, but most of the songs are on the same subject of unsuccessful relationships. The Good Life makes that disappointing love theme into a year-long affair on their third full-length album, … Read more
The Hives
Tyrannosaurus Hives
Interscope (2004)
The Hives are back, and this time they're doing it in white jackets. The Swedish five-some hit the American music scene hard three years ago, when, according to their website, the album Veni Vidi Vicious "reintroduced rock in the mainstream (No, I mean actual ROCK MUSIC)." Yes, that's right, folks. Actual, foot-stomping, screamin' vocals rock music, not that "garage" misnomer … Read more
The Honorary Title
Anything Else But the Truth
Doghouse (2004)
I'm not going to lie. I first heard this band from one of those Myspace features, and I'm rather glad I did. I was interested in what this band sounded like after I saw their record cover, which displays a discerning-looking panda bear soaking in blood with human body parts in its mouth. Well all right! The sticker on the … Read more
The Killers
Hot Fuss
Island (2004)
I want to bash the Killer's debut Hot Fuss so much. The press sets them up easily for a beating; there's enough hype to fuel the world for a month or two and they focus on singer/songwriter/synthesizer Brandon Flowers. How could someone from Sin City have the last name Flowers and be in a band named the Killers? I looked … Read more
The Kiss of Death
The Kiss of Death
Tribunal (2004)
It wasn't that long ago that I was greeted with the news that hardcore act Turmoil had decided to call it quits. After a tumultuous grieving period, I was finally able to take The Process Of... out of my CD player and reluctantly move on. Then one day out of the blew I heard a rumor of band featuring members … Read more
The Libertines
The Libertines
Sanctuary (2004)
Pete Doherty is so rock n' roll. Every other day the kid is in rehab, and on the other days he's escaping from it. Just look at the cover of this CD; Doherty's fellow band mate looks like he is trying to help him from passing out from a drug overdose. On special occasions, Doherty steals from his band mates' … Read more
The Magnetic Fields
I
Nonesuch (2004)
Disclaimer: I am not actually going to write much about this album itself because I don't have too much to say about it, and I feel I'm entitled to at least one snarky review here. Christ, I've grown to hate the self-conscious style of writing that's so easily employed to take a way out of a review or any other … Read more
The Mountain Goats
We Shall All Be Healed
4AD (2004)
As any lover of lo-fi already knows, the complexity of The Mountain Goats' John Darnielle and his work is vast. He records every album on a living room boombox, has a large backup band despite a very small amount of accompaniment on any given record, and has a penchant for weird lyrics of which he is the only person who … Read more
The New Trust
We Are Fast Moving Motherfuckers. We Are Women and Men of Action.
Slowdance (2004)
Talk about coming out of left field. Members of some of indie-darlings The Velvet Teen and Benton Falls have gotten together to tell the scene "fuck you" and boy is it exciting. Josh Staples (The Velvet Teen) takes the spotlight as the singer and bassist while Michael Richardson plays lead guitar. Joining them is Sara Sanger, wife of Josh, on … Read more
The Offspring
Splinter
Sony (2004)
This was always going to be a difficult record to make. Offspring have a strange legion of fans ranging from Orange County punk rockers remembering their sun-kissed punk beginnings, to the 'hey-look-its-those-pretty-fly-guys' fans who would be amazed to learn that this record is their seventh. Their last few records have been hit and miss, and Splinter is no exception. Originally … Read more
The Pax Cecilia
Nouveau
Independent (2004)
So you're in a rock band and you already look different than other bands with your crazy hair and fingernail polish, but you want to sound different. So you add a keyboard to your band. Fucktacular, bro! In addition to adding a new instrument to a band, another option that The Pax Cecilia takes with Nouveau is to synthesize previously … Read more
The Rise
Reclamation Process
Law of Inertia (2004)
Someone call the RIAA because I stole an album. That's right, I downloaded the entire Reclamation Process album using a downloading program that shall rename nameless. So how long before I can expect a knock at my door from men in black? Who cares? Let them knock. Why am I being so bold about illegally downloading music? Perhaps it is … Read more
The River Bends
And Flows into the Sea
Tooth & Nail (2004)
Denison Witmer-say the name with me- Den-i-son Wit-mer. We are doing this exercise for two reasons, because a) his name is kinda hard to pronounce and b) I don't want you to forget it. Now I suppose you want to know who this guy is and what does he have to do with The River Bends? Well, please allow me … Read more
The Sawtooth Grin
Cuddlemonster
Dead By 1918 (2004)
Imagine being woken up to find yourself being eaten by hundreds of rats and a few flesh eating bacteria. At first you would be very confused by the situation, but after a few seconds of thought and insight, you'd realize how much you love it. Now, imagine a band by the name of The Sawtooth Grin that is that experience, … Read more
