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Reviews by Loren

700 total search results — Page 30 of 35

Plosivs – Plosivs

Review — March 8, 2022

Plosivs are a new band with a lot of familiar faces. And, consequently, familiar voices too. Comprised of John Reis (Hot Snakes/Rocket From The Crypt/Drive Like Jehu), Rob Crow (Pinback), Atom Willard (Against Me!) and Jordan Clark (Mrs. …

Dead Best – Dead Best

Review — March 15, 2022

Dead Best is a pandemic project featuring two friends and neighbors who play in bands…but never together until now. Brian Sorkey (AM/FM) and Adam Goren (Atom & His Package) have some crossover their scenes but play individually pretty different styles. Which makes it interesting to see …

The Ergs! – The Time And The Season EP

Review — March 22, 2022

If you’ve been waiting years to hear Mikey Erg ask, “Who’s your daddy,” well, you’re in luck. The band is back with their first new material since 2016 – having only released a 2016 EP since their initial 2008 breakup. This time it’s a four song EP titled Time and …

La Armada – Anti-Colonial, Vol. 2

Review — March 29, 2022

I’ve been reading about the atrocities in Ukraine as I listen to Anti-Colonial, Vol. 2. Let’s just say that every act of imperialism is unique but combining listening to this record definitely highlights the brutal impact when a state tries to conquer a people. This record isn’t just political …

Swami John Reis – Ride The Wild Night

Review — April 5, 2022

Rock ‘n’ roll is full of clichés. It pretty much has been one about 50 years now. And the many projects of Swami John Reis revel in these roots. Whether we’re talking about Rocket From The Crypt or Hot Snakes or Night Marchers, Reis has an ear for …

Sundown – Keep Moving

Review — April 12, 2022

It’s interesting that Sundown calls this record Keep Moving because, in many ways, it feels stuck in 2005. It’s a mix of melodic and chugging hardcore, with dual vocalists and two very different styles to breathe some extra life into it the format. At its best, Keep Moving recalls  …

Signals Midwest – Dent

Review — April 19, 2022

Signals Midwest play punk with a lot of words. Words arranged in actual sentences, telling stories instead of using the lyrics for purely rhythmic and singalong purposes. Dent is their fifth album, and it’s the first I’ve personally reviewed even though I’ve followed the band from afar over the years. …

Annie Jump Cannon – Flourishing Apart

Review — April 26, 2022

Every 15-20 years there’s a revival. This time it’s emo and Annie Jump Cannon may be a modern 2022 band, but this could have come out in 2005 and fit into the scene of that day: both for its strengths and its weaknesses. Emo has always been a flawed …

Moonraker – The Forest

Review — May 3, 2022

I expected to like this based on hearing a few Moonraker songs in recent years. But this is definitely my surprise record or “new [to me]” find of the year so far. If you’ve read my other reviews, you know I generally think intro tracks are worthless. But, in …

Captain Asshole – Successfully Not Giving Up

Review — May 10, 2022

I was coming off a Jawbreaker high when I first heard Captain Asshole at The Fest 18. I liked what I heard, but I also didn’t know if it was because of the music or simply the time and place. Fast forward through a couple years that most of …

The Slackers – Don’t Let The Sunlight Fool Ya

Review — May 17, 2022

Forget all the silly fourth wave hashtags for a minute. The Slackers have been playing old school ska/dub/rocksteady since 1991 now. Don’t Let The Sunlight Fool Ya is their whopping 15th album (depending how people count the early self-released material). They’re not “prolific,” though. They’re hard workers. There is a …

The Anomalys – Glitch

Review — May 17, 2022

The first song I listed to from Glitch was the single “Anomalys Rise,” which is an instrumental garage-surf burner. It’s definitely emblematic of the band’s sound and the record overall, yet I’m mildly surprised at the full-length because the vocals play such a role in the overall experience. Not a …

Tim Kasher – Middling Age

Review — May 24, 2022

Tim Kasher has released four solo albums and another 10 with Cursive (and still more with The Good Life). I won’t pretend to know the full catalog -- my exposure has been more along the “best of” lines. This review isn’t a comparison or “where does it fit” essay. …

Up For Nothing – Escape Route

Review — June 1, 2022

While Up For Nothing has apparently been around since 2002, this is my first exposure. It’s interesting to learn about a band after listening on repeat, as I had the impression they were young ‘uns. They should take that as a compliment. Rather than sounding jaded, it sounds vibrant. …

Rip Room – Alight and Resound

Review — June 1, 2022

San Francisco trio Rip Room play a meandering art-punk style that’s forceful but equally unpredictable, largely built around bass licks and rhythm switches that give it an off-kilter dance vibe complemented by some angular guitar riffs that serve more as accent than lead. Musically I hear a good chunk of …

Love Forty Down – Don't Be A Stranger EP

Review — June 7, 2022

I don’t come across a lot of punk bands with “love” in their name. Whether it’s justified or not, that led me to expect something a bit more dramatic and heart-on-sleeve than this. The music is more post-hardcore meets melodic punk, a la Hot Water Music meets Iron Chic. …

Mikey Erg – Love At Leeds

Review — June 14, 2022

Sometimes I dread writing about an artist for the fourth or fifth time. What new thing can I say? Fortunately, Mikey Erg isn’t just prolific -- he mixes it up, a lot. Last time around, I opined that the last two tracks seems to show a new direction and …

Starter Jackets – Dead Malls

Review — June 21, 2022

Starter Jackets are a throwback. That’s no surprise given that they’re named after one of those brands that the jerks in my high school wore in the ‘90s. I was more a baggy skater jeans dude, but I’m old enough to get the joke. Moving to the present, with that …

Joyride! – Miracle Question

Review — June 28, 2022

They say absence makes the heart grow fonder. Well, a little birdy put this record on my radar in late 2021 and I enjoyed it, but kind of set it aside until its proper release. I liked it on first listen but, today, it just hits harder and deeper. …

Various Artists – Talk Show Host/Cluttered - Enemy Us

Review — July 5, 2022

First off, I’m not going to bother comparing this EP of Enemy You covers to the originals. Why? Because that’s not the point. A covers record that’s only about the originals is a novelty record that you play for a lark. I’m interested in records that hold up on their …