Geisha
Die Verbrechen der Liebe
Crucial Blast (2008)
What a weird mix (sound wise this is really thin sounding without much bottom end) for the opening track to a record because I really was hoping to be immediately crushed by Geisha's Die Verbrechen der Liebe, and instead, "Prelude to Amber Pays the Rent" is a bit of thin riffage being pushed through a thick haze of white noise, … Read more
Genghis Tron
Board Up the House
Relapse (2008)
Genghis Tron occupies a very precarious place in the world of music. Unlike most "polarizing" bands like The Locust or Blut Aus Nord, Genghis Tron does not have a "demographic" to appeal to. And let me explain. Genghis Tron is a three-piece synth-riding experimental metal band. Or, on the other hand, you could just as easily call them a blast-beat … Read more
Ghostlimb
Bearing and Distance
Level Plane/Adagio (2008)
Ghostlimb is a project spearheaded by Justin Smith of Graf Orlock. Bearing and Distance is the band's second full-length release and first for Level Plane (vinyl was handled by Adagio). Whereas Graf Orlock takes a novelty approach to grindcore, Ghostlimb takes a more direct and serious approach to hardcore. In fact, the band's sound has a lot more in common … Read more
Girl Talk
Feed the Animals
Illegal Art (2008)
Girl Talk is Gregg Gillis, a DJ from Pittsburgh that has been praised up to the leader of the mash-up sub-genre. For those who don't know, mash-up is when a DJ layers multiple tracks from different songs on top of each other to create new tracks. This is usually supplemented with new beats and various DJ effects. It makes more … Read more
Git Some
Cosmic Rock
1-2-3-4 Go! (2008)
Git Some is a band which has been around a bit and actually predates the participation of two of its members (Chuck French and Neil Keener) in the much vaunted group, Planes Mistaken for Stars (even though many will consider this a new band featuring ex-members of said well known group for which they would be wrong). Git Some is … Read more
Glissando
With Our Arms Wide Open We March Towards the Burning Sea
Gizeh (2008)
I have a confession to make. I love local music. I am seriously biased with regards to it and will shamelessly plug it to whoever is unfortunate enough to be around me when the topic crops up. Fortunately for all of you however, I am currently living in Leeds which is a hotbed of genuinely interesting and varied music. There … Read more
Gnarls Barkley
The Odd Couple
Atlantic (2008)
Since the arrival of the 80's and the consequent death of the era when there were true funk/soul titans, each passing unit of time discouraged any hope of a similar era ever resurfacing. No offense to R. Kelly and Alicia Keys, but the modern acts would get eaten alive by the likes of Curtis Mayfield and Funkadelic. Plus, I think … Read more
Gnaw Their Tongues
An Epiphanic Vomiting of Blood
Crucial Blast (2008)
Gnaw Their Tongues is almost completely indescribable, it is a project that simply needs to be heard to be believe. Forget understanding it as the primitive emotional outbursts that pepper the sounds on their records as these compositions seem to aim at leaving listeners aghast at the emanations of sound. An Epiphanic Vomiting of Blood is the latest recording from … Read more
Gods and Queens
Untitled
Robotic Empire (2008)
Following the untimely demise of Versoma, Gods and Queens springs forth from those ashes (Tombs is another band which formed in the wake of Versoma's death) to create another logical progression within a similar vein or style of musical sound. In fact, prior to Versoma forming, Gods and Queens had a short existence which resulted in a nascent version of … Read more
Goldfinger
Hello Destiny
Side One Dummy (2008)
Men in their late-thirties making vague statements about the future's uncertainty under the guise of it being punk rock, there's something concerning about this. It's as if their quarter-life crisis is stretching into mid-life, arresting their development into adulthood. Hello Destiny, the newest album by Goldfinger, finds the SoCal band exactly in this position, angry at the world, rehashing the … Read more
Good Riddance
Remain in Memory: The Last Show
Fat Wreck Chords (2008)
Good Riddance has always been just another one of those "Fat" bands that started in the early 90's and put out album after album well into the next decade. I never was into Good Riddance past their first album God and Country and really haven't paid them any attention since Dave Wagenschutz stopped drumming for them. Anyway, Good Riddance decides … Read more
Gordon Ivy & The Jaybirds
Happy Couples Never Last
Cock Suck (2008)
I have never been a big fan of bands from the Island Nation of Japan. They were always so over the top and the "Engrish" lyrics were never worth anything than a couple of giggles. Oh, I am such the ignorant American. Anyhow, one would think that a band called Gordon Ivy & the Jaybirds they would sounds like the … Read more
Gore
Mean Man's Dream (Reissue)
FSS (2008)
A great deal of hyperbole flies around regarding re-issues, which in it of themselves can be very tricky propositions, particularly ones that may or may not be integral to have a re-issue. Gore no longer exists as a unit, but the three piece's legacy resonates today in heavy (be it metal, be it some other genre) music and serves as … Read more
Grace Alley / Skin Like Iron
Quake City
Spiderghost (2008)
We all know how much I love the Bay Area music scene, so it's really no surprise I'm loving this split 7" from Grace Alley and Skin Like Iron. Grace Alley leads things off with "Sunday Morning, "Fifth and Harrison." The music has that definitive East Bay Punk sound of the 90's to it mixed with a bit of the … Read more
Grails
Doomsdayer's Holiday
Temporary Residence (2008)
Having only just been introduced to the wonder and at times awe inspiring music of the outfit known as Grails, I may be privy to not having my opinions of their records tainted yet by the "their first or early records were better" attitude. Thankfully so because their fifth album, Doomsdayer's Holiday, might just be the band's best record to … Read more
Grails
Take Refuge in Clean Living
Important (2008)
Elusive is the best adjective to describe Grails (a now four-piece outfit from Portland, Oregon) and their unique take on instrumental music. And while that might not sound like a good description, it only does so in the most accurate way; there is no other manner to ascribe the long passages of music which are created by a band that … Read more
Grave Maker
Bury Me at Sea
Think Fast! (2008)
Hailing from the Pacific Northwest, Grave Maker quickly made a name for themselves thanks to a promising demo and a commitment to the road. With the band signing to Think Fast! the band gained the exposure they needed to make the jump to the next level. Bury Me at Sea is the band's debut full-length. The album packs a mean … Read more
Gray Ghost
Gray Ghost
Copper Lung (2008)
Copper Lung Records strikes with another great find in Atlanta, GA's Gray Ghost. The five-some melds together atmospheric post-rock, meandering drone-metal, and dissonant hardcore on this, their debut offering. This 10" has five tracks that'll please fans of Isis and Cult of Luna but also will draw in some hardcore fans as well. And they've got a new record that … Read more
