Lizzy Borden
An Appointment With Death
Metal Blade (2008)
Lizzy Borden are only one of very many grizzly old metal bands that have either picked up the sticks again and decided to have one last shot at glory or that have ultimately experienced a revival of sorts and made their sound more in sync with the modern times. This new attention to their music and the other musicians' new … Read more
Locked In
Walk the Plank
Hurry Up! (2008)
We head off to the land of pizza and the Pope for this full-length release by Locked In. I never thought of Italy as a hotbed of hardcore bands and Walk the Plank does nothing to deter that as I'm forced to review yet another run of the mill hardcore band. Locked In play metal influenced hardcore with high-pitched yelled … Read more
Longwave
Secrets are Sinister
Original Signal (2008)
So much going on here it's hard to know where to begin. But if you like bands that prefer atmospheric overlays on their songs versus sparse settings, this band is for you. Fans of The Church and Echo & The Bunnymen will most likely appreciate the sonic depth presented here. "No Direction" should be a hit, I'm surprised I haven't … Read more
Look Mexico
The Crucial Collection
Lujo (2008)
No band begins as brilliant; the songs can be good, but they're only skeletons of the potential a band might possess. It takes years of practice, scattered releases, and thousands of hours between writing, touring, and practicing before a group fully realizes itself. Introduced to Look Mexico with their first full-length, This is Animal Music, I thought, "Bands like this … Read more
Lords
Fuck All Y'all Motherfuckers
Black Market Activities (2008)
It's been an interesting road for Lords since their formation by Chris Owens about five years ago. Initially boasting members of underrated The National Acrobat and other notable Louisville groups, from the get-go the band delivered an unrelenting concoction of noisy hardcore that the city's scene is often noted for. Along the way members have come and gone, most recently … Read more
Lords of the North
Lords of the North
Radio Optik (2008)
Ah, the sludge. The slow and heavy beats that make you want to grow out your hair just to make head-banging that much better. One of most recent additions that can fall under this category is Seattle's Lords of the North. Dripping in epic imagery and determined to bring blues sensibilities to a metal sound, Lords of the North catches … Read more
Lucinda Williams
Little Honey
Lost Highway (2008)
The last time Lucinda Williams released an album, it was a waste of time for everyone. West was slow, drab, and devoid of any catchy melodies, and it gave me serious doubt as to whether she should continue making music or not. But Lucinda has pulled a total about-face, and stepped up her game. Ignoring LL Cool J's advice, I … Read more
Lymbyc Systym
Love Your Abuser Remixed
Mush (2008)
Love Your Abuser was released in January 2007, just over a year ago. As an intermediary release (before their next full-length), Lymbyc Systym got some friends together to remix their previously released songs. I was very eager to lend my ears to this release as Love Your Abuser is a very eclectic album. The band's unique take on instrumental music … Read more
M83
Saturdays=Youth
Mute (2008)
The French are good at many things. Food. Art. Aquatic nuclear shenanigans. But despite being one of the cultural centers of Europe, France never seems to have really mastered music. Perhaps it's my brutish Britannic ignorance, but I struggle to name many decent French bands. Air are good. I've heard some decent French hip-hop. And then there's M83. Manned and … Read more
Makeout Party
Lengths and Limits
Make Music Collective (2008)
I'll admit it; I have a few musical guilty pleasures. I have a few albums that I'm embarrassed to own but I still love nonetheless. Makeout Party seems like they could be one of those bands. The name alone is a little off-putting, whether it reminds you of the awkward middle school gathering or the quick-lived internet group sensation. The … Read more
Mamiffer
Hirror Ennifer
Hydra Head (2008)
Hirror Ennifer is the debut album from Mamiffer the new project from Faith Coloccia and a revolving cast of co-conspirators including Aaron Turner (Isis, Old Man Gloom, Grey Machine, etc), Chris Common (These Arms Are Snakes), Brian Cook (These Arms Are Snakes, Botch, Russian Circles), Ryan Fredrickson (These Arms Are Snakes, Narrows), and Anne Hozoji Matheson-Margullis (Helms Alee). Just that … Read more
Man Overboard
Hung Up on Nothing
Independent (2008)
Man Overboard is the latest bubble-gum pop-punk band to come around, joining the existing one hundred thousand others. This four-piece hails from New Jersey, and like so many others they take influence from groups like Blink 182. I'm not blaming Man Overboard by any means, but I'm starting to get sick of these kinds of bands By the way, if … Read more
Maniqui Lazer
I Learn Everything on TV
Soundsister (2008)
I don't know much about music along the US-Mexico border, and the name Maniqui Lazer and the cartoonish sketches on the cover only intrigue me so much. Mostly, it gives the impression of a weird band with a lot of keyboards. Lo and behold, I got that part right. I just missed the crazy energy held within the cardboard package. … Read more
Maps of Norway
Die Off Songbird
Guilt Ridden Pop (2008)
It's refreshing to hear bands showing their influences without becoming a fiftieth-wave hybrid, a la The ePoxies. Maps of Norway obviously love 1980's new-wave. However, they don't set out to make a copy of that, they fuse the sound into their own artistic development, and Guilt Ridden Pop's release Die Off Songbird is the end result. The record starts off … Read more
Marillion
Happiness is the Road Volume 1: The Essence
Racket (2008)
In their twenty-six-year or so history, Marillion have never released a shitty album. Think of other bands that have been around; can they make the same claim? I think not. Sure, there's been albums that are less memorable, but actually bad? Not a one. Writer's block has never been an issue with a couple of exceptions, the releases are usually … Read more
Marillion
Happiness is the Road Volume 2: The Hard Shoulder
Racket (2008)
...and with volume two in the "Happiness is the Road" series, Marillion has the ship back on course. Kicking open the door with "Thunder Fly," The Hard Shoulder will have you feeling bad that you ever doubted the band in the first place. Way back in the early days Marillion struggled to separate themselves from comparisons to Gabriel-era Genesis, which … Read more
Masato Tanaka / Pocket Gallows
Split
Robotic Empire (2008)
Square of Opposition Records has teamed up two new bands, or at least two that are new to me team up for a split 12" LP. Masato Tanaka starts things off. Their side of the split contains nine tracks. Over the course of these songs the trio incorporate the worlds of metal, grind, and punk into one. But the most … Read more
Matinee Club
The Modern
Ninthwave (2008)
Synthpop is a funny thing. Most genres to spring out of the electronic explosion of the 1980's are founded on a firm platform of moving forward. Unlike more traditional rock instrumentation, the equipment available to the electronic musician is constantly evolving into new forms, both hardware and software. And if you don't keep up (or purposefully regress to banging kitchen … Read more
