Fat Shadow
Foot Of Love
Houseplant (2011)
It's hard to categorize female-fronted, Fat Shadow. They blend a mix of indie-rock with late 60s-psychedelia, while bleeding over into punk-rock as well. They do a pretty fine job of it, no doubt. The band's debut full length, Foot of Love, is bringing back a sound and tweaking it into something quite satisfying.The first half of the album is new … Read more
Feersum Ennjin
Feersum Ennjin
Dissociated Press (2011)
I really hate being heavily reliant on comparisons to past work in order to form a judgement, but in the case of Paul D'Amour (aka Feersum Ennjin), it's hard not to. As the former bassist for Tool, one of most prolific and undeniably best progressive bands today, it's difficult to take him on his own terms and out from under … Read more
Fleet Foxes
Helplessness Blues
Bella Union (2011)
Three years in the making since their praised-to-the-heavens self-titled debut, Helplessness Blues is a masterpiece of a sophomore offering, consisting of everything that made Fleet Foxes a standout record for its generation - let alone year - and at the same time expanding upon the band's signature sound.Frontman Robin Pecknold's painstaking adherence to songwriting during production of Helplessness Blues has … Read more
Foo Fighters
Wasting Light
RCA (2011)
Dave Grohl is a man of the people. For the last 16 years he's been one of the most endearing figures in hard music. Terminally cool, brutally honest and adept at the seemingly impossible – being able to walk that most tenuous of lines between artist and everyman. No one ever has or ever will accuse/congratulate the man for reinventing … Read more
Forge Of Clouds
Self Titled
Independent (2011)
I'd like to invite you to look at the cover art of Forge of Clouds for just a moment. This is one of the few times I've ever looked at a cover for an album and said to myself “Yes, this is exactly what this music sounds like.” Every detail of this Polish quartet's music is captured in this image—the … Read more
fragment.
Home
Independent (2011)
Upon first hearing fragment. on the split / collaboration with Iroha entitled Bittersweet, I began a search for more to hear from this seemingly enigmatic French solo artist because the contributions to said record piqued my interest; but finding recorded material to listen to proved somewhat problematic, and then Home showed up in my mailbox with no real explanation as … Read more
Frank Turner
England Keep My Bones
Epitaph (2011)
Despite being on tour, almost constantly, for the past couple of years, once again the affable folk-punk troubadour has found the time to release a new album. This, the fourth solo effort from the ex-Million Dead front man, is quite possibly his most polished work yet as he slowly works towards a sound that fully combines both his folk and … Read more
Fucked Up
David Comes To Life
Matador (2011)
It was one of the most anticipated albums of the year, and was welcomed with such positive reception. Needless to say, my expectations were high. Chemistry of Common Life was one of my favorite albums of 2008 and the idea of Fucked Up writing a rock-opera was intriguing to me. Now it's months later, and I'm still trying to figure … Read more
Full Of Hell
Roots Of Earth Are Consuming My Home
A389 (2011)
Over the past year or so A389 Records has put out a staggering amount of releases that sit just barely within the confines of metal and hardcore. For every label that insists on putting out breakdown heavy, mosh exercises there are much fewer that choose to stay outside of the simplicity of that. Full Of Hell are one of the … Read more
Future of the Left
Polymers Are Forever EP
Xtra Mile (2011)
From what I gather, I’m supposed to love Andy Falkous and his body of work. For a man who talks so much shit, he sure has a lot of admirers. But, whatever…I’m reviewing Polymers Are Forever here, not writing as essay on ego worship. This EP is the latest from his post-Mclusky group, and something of a teaser for an … Read more
Future Virgins
Western Problems
StarCleaner\Plan-it-X South (2011)
2011 saw me getting deeper into garage bands. What better way to close out my year than with Future Virgins, who blend garage brevity and song structures with pop punk melodies. The Chattanooga, TN band mixes up a garage influence without feeling nearly as formulaic, due in large part to the punk that oozes over the surface. Sure, the songs … Read more
Gangpol & Mit
The 1000 Softcore Tourist People Club
Ipecac (2011)
It’s a great thing when bands can mesh cartoon visuals with their music. It in turn enhances the listening experience, and Gangpol & Mit’s, The 1000 Softcore Tourist People Club, is quite the listening experience. This French duo created these characters that manage to represent their synth-pop music perfectly. Although it’s mostly synthetic, you somehow feel like you’re listening to … Read more
Gardens & Villa
Self Titled
Secretly Canadian (2011)
Gardens & Villa hail from the Santa Barbara area and consists of members Chris Lynch, Adam Rasmussen, Levi Hayden, Shane McKillop and Dusty Ineman. They derived the band name from the location of their house on Villa Street which had a garden that they tended to. Their debut album Gardens & Villa was released on the Secretly Canadian label and … Read more
Gateway District
Perfect's Gonna Fail
It's Alive (2011)
The Gateway District’s debut, Some Days You Get the Thunder hooked me immediately yet, to this day, I can’t single out a standout track or identify just what about it grabs me. I just like the record. The whole thing, not an iTunes cut here and there, as is wont these days. It’s with similar feelings I find myself listening … Read more
Gehenna
Land Of Sodom II/Upon The Gravehill
A389 (2011)
Before we get into this, there is always the question that you have to ask yourself; and, with Gehenna, it is a wholly legitimate question that will in a very real sense determine your take on bands or music such as this because, truthfully, this is some of the dirtiest smack of reality and desperation that you probably would ever … Read more
Get Rad
Choose Your Own Adventure
Halo of Flies (2011)
Choose Your Own Adventure is the latest offering from Midwestern hardcore punk four-piece Get Rad.“Be the Wave” is the first track. Seeing as how Get Rad is from Milwaukee, WI I’m not convinced the song is about surfing though. I suppose it could be a metaphor for skateboarding. Perhaps the wave is actually made of concrete? That means if you … Read more
Ghoul
Transmission Zero
Tankcrimes (2011)
Oakland's Ghoul are a mysterious bunch, going by pseudonyms, apparently hailing from Creepsylvania (a quick Google map check tells me this isn't actually a real place), and looking like they just stepped off a 70's horror flick set. Sounds crazy. And it kinda is, but what else would you expect from a band with a Kill-bot and members (supposedly) of … Read more
Giant Squid
Cenotes
Translation Loss (2011)
Well, that was a short album. At only thirty-five minutes long, doom/sludge metal group Giant Squid have almost halved the runtime of their previous album, The Ichthyologist, for the release of their third studio album, Cenotes.But what does brevity matter, when the music is top quality? This album is every bit as weighty as the giant squi--er, creatures on the … Read more
