18 total search results
Low – Drums and Guns
Review — May 10, 2007
Low are known as pioneers of the slow-core genre, or what I like to call "intense sleepy-time music." They reached their noisiest peak in the winter of 2005 with The Great Destroyer, an album that boomed with huge percussion and the most distortion they had ever put on guitar. …
The Academy Is... – Santi
Review — May 24, 2007
Something I've always had trouble imagining is five grown men sitting in a room, writing music that directly appeals to fourteen-year-old girls, and being totally happy with themselves. Maybe it's my own musical snobbery, but I can't believe that these bands go to sleep at night, creatively satisfied, and legitimately …
Killswitch Engage – As Daylight Dies
Review — June 18, 2007
Complain all you want about the state of modern music. Yes, we have to deal with fake soul like Maroon 5, fake screamo like The Used, and fake men like Panic! At the Disco. But it's still a remarkable thing that heavy music with abrasive screaming has become at least …
Pissed Jeans – Hope for Men
Review — July 3, 2007
Ask somebody why they like the music they like, and you can get more or less the same answer. We have certain expectations from music, and we judge its quality by how well it meets those expectations. But then along comes a band like Pissed Jeans, throwing a proverbial wrench …
Darkest Hour – Deliver Us
Review — July 19, 2007
Explaining the particulars between different types of heavy music is a hard task. For most people, even the most educated music listeners, if it has a guy screaming his head off, then it all sounds the same. I only wish the whole world could hear it and enjoy it the …
Strung Out – Blackhawks Over Los Angeles
Review — July 29, 2007
If you're like me, you grew up buying compilations from punk rock labels. It was like opening up a treasure box and finding jewels of new music to marvel at. As Fat Wreck Chords was putting out comps such as Survival of the Fattest and Physical Fatness, Strung Out …
Lucinda Williams – West
Review — August 8, 2007
Ever wonder what it sounds like when a bunch of people are falling asleep while recording an album? Or how about the sound of an artist totally giving up on their craft, but still making music? Well, you're in luck because Lucinda Williams has released West, an album that …
The End – Elementary
Review — August 14, 2007
For anyone unfamiliar, The End is a Canadian band that have established themselves as a math metal powerhouse, similar to a more controlled and brooding The Dillinger Escape Plan. Within Dividia and the Transfer Trachea EP were intense, frantic and at times almost impenetrable. Someone should have gotten to them …
Shorebirds – It's Gonna Get Ugly
Review — November 24, 2008
When you consider the potentially high profile of Shorebirds, it's surprising how quietly they operated. Singer/guitarist Matt Canino was in the much-loved Latterman and bassist Chris Bauermeister played in Jawbreaker. With all the hype this could have created, Shorebirds instead laid low, putting their records out on Canino and co-owned …
Lucinda Williams – Little Honey
Review — December 15, 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 …
The Bronx – III
Review — December 28, 2008
The Bronx are a loud rock-n-roll band. Their first album was bruising and hectic, but their second album toned it down a tad with more melody and relaxing tempos. More than one coked-up kid probably complained of the change, slight as it was, and cried sellout. "Where'd all the punk …
Eagles of Death Metal – Heart On
Review — January 5, 2009
Josh Homme wants it to be clear: Eagles of Death Metal is not a side project. Though he rakes in most of his dough and critical acclaim with Queens of the Stone Age, drumming for Eagles of Death Metal brings him just as much satisfaction as his big band does. …
The Streets – Everything is Borrowed
Review — January 15, 2009
2008 was the year where journalists pushed and shoved each other to be the first to frantically lavish praise upon a rapper with the voice of a frog, underwhelming beats, and the lyrical talent of a self-obsessed sixth grader. Tha Carter III has made everyone temporarily insane, and it's going …
The Acacia Strain – Continent
Review — February 2, 2009
Oh, the wasted potential. Sweet, sweet potential, flushed away like nothing. The Acacia Strain has been building a name by pummeling faces with their relentless breakdowns and searing guitar leads, appealing to the scuzzy kids you see at shows who have their hoodies up and can't wait to do a …
The (International) Noise Conspiracy – The Cross of My Calling
Review — February 17, 2009
It must be rough to be Dennis Lyxzén. Ten years ago, he was a part of the loftily-titled but nonetheless astounding album The Shape of Punk to Come with his band Refused. The bar was set very high, and once The (International) Noise Conspiracy was unveiled, we all realized that …
The Pink Spiders – Sweat it Out
Review — March 2, 2009
This might be the first band I've reviewed that I've also loaded gear for. I worked a show a couple years back when The Pink Spiders were opening for Kill Hannah, and helped load their stuff in. So I have a strange complex with them. It's like I'm their servant, …
Buried Inside – Spoils of Future
Review — March 18, 2009
Twelve years into their existence, Buried Inside are just now releasing their fourth album, Spoils of Failure. The practice of allowing four years to go by between releases can be a dangerous one, possibly causing your ear for quality to decline or a perfectionism to conquer your logic. This …
