Pink Razors
Waiting to Wash Up
Robotic Empire (2006)
Do you remember when pop-punk wasn't sung by guys with swooping black'n bleached haircuts wearing button-up shirts and girl pants? Do you remember when pop-punk didn't have over-produced, mirror-polished, fake-as-hell vocals? Remember when pop-punk had some attitude? Yes, I also remember Screeching Weasel, and more recently, Dillinger Four. Now here's another band that gets it right. Pink Razors are a … Read more
Planes Mistaken for Stars
Mercy
Abacus (2006)
Mark this down. This is the comeback record of the year for me. Planes Mistaken for Stars dropped the ball with Up in Them Guts right when they seemed poised to take the indie scene by storm. It was so lackluster for me that I did not have especially high hopes for this new record. With Matt Bellinger jumping ship … Read more
Playing Enemy
Accessory
Hawthorne Street (2006)
Playing Enemy is a three-piece band made up of ex-members of Kiss it Goodbye and Rorschach. I do not bring that up as a selling point, but rather to give an inkling as to the school of thought from which the music is derived. Accessory is a two-song EP that may serve as the band's swan song seeing as they … Read more
Poison Idea
Latest Will and Testament
Farewell (2006)
The latest Poison Idea record, from the first impression left by the packaging, seems like a somber album rooted in tragedy. Originally dedicated to a recently deceased fan, Poison Idea was struck the heaviest blow of all - guitarist Pig Champion died of health complications. Latest Will and Testament explains itself - this record arrives as a way to remember … Read more
Pound for Pound
For Our Fallen Brothers
Surprise Attack (2006)
Pound for Pound hail from Springfield, Illinois, not to be confused with the hometown of The Simpsons, as the true location of that fictional town has never been pinpointed. However, if Pound for Pound were to hail from that specific Springfield, I think the band would be best represented by the likes of Nelson, Kearney, Dolph, and Jimbo. Okay, I'm … Read more
Pressure
Beasts
Burn Bridges/High Fidelity (2006)
So we normally stick to reviewing albums that have been released within the last six months, but sometimes we make exceptions. I don't know why we didn't cover Pressure's Beasts already, but we haven't. So I apologize. This LA outfit pretty much destroys all on this six-song 7". Over the course of the record the band unleashes an off kilter … Read more
Pretty Girls Make Graves
Élan Vital
Matador (2006)
When Pretty Girls Make Graves released their 2003 album The New Romance, I didn't think there was any way for it to not make the majority of critics' top 10 lists. It made some, but an album that cracked a window long painted shut and let the air flow through the tomb of modern music deserved better. There were many … Read more
Profundi
Omega Rising
Profound Lore (2006)
I don't know much about the Swedish band Naglfar, but I get the impression that they are well respected in black metal circles. But what I do know is that Jens Ryden, ex-vocalist of Naglfar and a veritable black metal jack-of-all-trades, knows how to make an impressive album all on his own. Ryden did it all on Profundi's Omega Rising: … Read more
Pulling Teeth
Vicious Skin
Chainsaw Safety (2006)
Baltimore based Pulling Teeth released an extremely impressive demo and all expectations of what a proper release would be are exceeded on this recording. Vicious Skin is eleven tracks of fast-paced hardcore and crossover goodness served up over the course of fourteen short tumultuous minutes. On Vicious Skin, Pulling Teeth draw heavily from two schools of thought, paying homage to … Read more
Pyramid Scheme
What Will We Do Next?
Art Fraud (2006)
Pyramid Scheme play spazzy hardcore in the vein of, well, Spazz or maybe What Happens Next?. Completely not my thing and the vocals are making the neighborhood dogs tremble in pain and fear. I'm sure there are fans of these type of over-the-top scream your head off play as fast as fuck type punk bands. I'm just not one of … Read more
Pyramids
Following the Tracks, Forcing Motion Through Phases
Slave Union/Paramnesia (2006)
Listening to this album is like being on a train, a train that you know is going to crash. But even knowing this, you just sit there and wait. Slowly you look out the window and lament all that passes by almost without knowing why. As the music builds up your heart rate increases, the song climaxes, people scream, and … Read more
Radical Attack
Priority
Ghost Town (2006)
There are a lot of hardcore bands out there who claim to be old-school, but the truth of the matter is that an insane amount of metal has infiltrated the scene. This isn't necessarily a bad thing, but it sure does make it harder to find a speedy, non-metallic, non-chugga-chugga hardcore band when you're in the mood for it. You … Read more
Radio 4
Enemies Like This
Astralwerks (2006)
When Radio 4 released Gotham, it instantly became one of my favorite albums of all time. It was packed full of great songs that were great to dance to and also contained a message. But the band faltered with the distinctly average Stealing of a Nation. It wasn't so much that Stealing of a Nation was a bad album, it … Read more
Rainer Maria
Catastrophe Keeps Us Together
Grunion (2006)
Finally. This record has taken forever to actually see the light of day. Rainer Maria is normally consistent (at least that is the way it seemed) with their time between releases. For those who are unfamiliar with the band, Rainer Maria is a three-piece based out of Brooklyn, New York by way of Wisconsin, and they play poppy indie rock. … Read more
Raise the Red Lantern
Thunderfuck
Witch Trial (2006)
It's hard to say if stoner rock on a whole tries to be "epic" in a way that other instrumental oriented metals do. Mostly they try to get as heavy and slow as possible while still rocking out. Raise the Red Lantern eschews thatââ¬Â¦mostly, and makes a pretty epic EP. Now when I say epic EP I don't mean it's … Read more
Rally the Fray
To Never Live in Denial
Volatile (2006)
I don't know about anyone else but when I get a new album I don't listen to it right away at first. I usually check out the song the titles, then I look at the thank-you list, and then read over some lyrics just I can get a feel for the band before I actually listen to the music. Sometimes … Read more
Razorlight
Razorlight
Vertigo (2006)
In a recent poll conducted by NME magazine and the book of British Hit Singles and Albums, Oasis's Definitely Maybe was voted the greatest album of all time, fending off such paltry efforts as Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band and Revolver. According to Q magazine, the imaginatively titled Razorlight is the best guitar album since Definitely Maybe. Following this … Read more
Razzle Dazzle
Both
Lockin Out (2006)
Razzle Dazzle, better known as RZL DZL on this side of the computer screen, is Detroit's latest hardcore export, and yet another Lockin Out exclusive. The appropriately titled Both features their 5" release, 555, as well as their Demo Revisited 7", offering a more accessible way to listen to RZL DZL than hunting down two out-of-print records. RZL DZL plays … Read more
