For centuries the Japanese have attempted to capture the majesty of the changing seasons through art and poetry. With Fall upon us, one can’t help but be captivated by the colorful foliage, the melancholy elegance of a single leaf clinging to a threadbare tree, the raging California brushfires, and deeply discounted Halloween accessories. But, to some of us, Fall can only mean one thing- disappointing movie selections.
With the carefree days of Summer now but a sweet memory, movie goers prepare for the long haul through the Autumn line up …

Gogol Bordello Non Stop
Hoptza! Films
9/10

Gogol Bordello Non Stop follows everyone’s favorite (*cough* only *cough*) gypsy punk band’s progression from Eugene Hütz’ journey to America, to shirtless parties at the Bulgarian Bar at Broadway & Canal in New York, to touring the world playing at festivals in front of crowds of thousands. The image portrayed by Hütz and the rest of GB is not just a hollow and fake aesthetic, it’s a lifestyle, a fact I got to find out first hand during a meeting with Hütz …

A Static Lullaby
Rattlesnake!
Fearless Records
10/10
If I were to do this review five months ago, you probably would’ve heard a huge rant of how A Static Lullaby is trying to be something they’re not- mainstream (like it was a bad thing). Now that I’m a lot more open minded, I can honestly tell you that they’ve really earned everything they’ve worked towards: a good label, an awesome promoter, and an enormous fan base. They’ve figured out what it takes to make it in the music industry. The great vocals …

Bella Morte
Beautiful Death
Metropolis Records
5/10
AFI?! I thought their album wasn’t coming out until November! I’m being facetious, of course. But honestly, I thought I was listening to Davey Havok, minus his high notes. I really don’t think a band could unintentionally sound more like AFI, instrumental and vocally, but whether or not this was intentional is the question. A perfect example would be their song “The End of the End;” I actually did some research to make sure it wasn’t a cover of some AFI song. One thing Bella Morte …

Jim White
A Funny Little Cross to Bear
Luaka Bop
8/10
Let’s get this out of the way: Jim White may well be one of the greatest troubadours Dixieland has produced since Otis Redding or Tom Petty, and that’s saying a lot. He’s also one of the few storyteller musicians who is alternately self-deprecating and intense. That’s the impression one receives when they hear the live version of A Funny Little Cross to Bear- a mini-compilation album that is as eclectic as it is dark. From the opening gothic bass of “Stranger Candy” …

Dolores
Bohren and Der Club of Gore
Ipecac Recordings
10/10
It’s been a while since I’ve anticipated a band’s upcoming release as much as I did this one. This is a band whose career has drifted quietly in the background for around twenty years, their first album release coming in 1994. When I discovered them, I was so stunned by their harrowing beauty that I made a point to look them up – it was shocking to find that they’d been around so long and yet I’d never met one person who’d heard of …

Holding Mercury
Downfall of an Empire
5/10
What a horribly boring experience. It’s not bad, which makes it worse. I can’t tear it apart because it’s not bad, it’s just utterly boring. I have no feelings one way or another on it. The only thing I can say that is negative about it is that the cover art is atrocious. Like, really bad- it’s some chick holding herself and crying while a helicopter’s searchlights shine on a decrepit city? I expected shitty screamo, but what I got was apathetic bar rock. Over it. …

Irish Hip Hop – Vol. 1
Various Artists
80 Million Records
7/10
“I’m from the land of bar room brawls” – at least Rob Kelley knows that his country has contributed something to Friday night entertainment. White dudes in general get a lot of shit for trying to hop into a predominately black culture, but Irish dudes…good luck fellas. Now, I’m not saying it can’t happen, after all, I think Ivan Ives, a Russian rapper, is the proverbial shit. I’m just saying…it’s going to be an uphill battle ladies and gents.
And, just as …

Blind Melon
For My Friends
Adrenaline
8/10
It’s been some time since this band was known for something other than some pudgy girl in a bumble bee costume. The best way I could think of summing up this album is that if Chinese Democracy lives up to the potential it once had, in the way that Blind Melon has, then Axl will without a doubt regain his throne as king asshole.
They were bold in their attempt to re-create their sound. Their new singer, Travis Warren, has almost identical vocal chops as Shannon …

The So So Glos
Tourism/Terrorism
Green Owl Records
4/10
There’s something to be said about sloppiness as it pertains to punk, and sloppiness as it pertains to…chaos. The drums are Meg White at her very beginning, the guitars are as thin as Dubya’s upper lip (buuuurrrrnnn!) and the vocals sound like someone’s had too much Red Bull and vodka at the local karaoke bar. It’s just not together. Now, there are many punk bands that I listen to that sound like a fourth grade music appreciation class, but jeez- this is the same bedlam, …

Enslaved
Vertebrae
Nuclear Blast
3/10
You know how DethKlok recorded that album in the Mariana Trench because it was the most br00tal place on the planet? Enslaved may very well need to follow in said footsteps. While the guitars and bass sound like they were recorded underground, I think they didn’t understand the concept behind it. It’s a weird mix of formulaic and ridiculous. The vocals vary between late 80’s/early 90’s easy listening (think of the same voice behind Mr. Mister’s Broken Wings: Taaake…these broken wings…and try to fly again and be so freeeee) …

Anberlin
New Surrender
Universal Republic
8/10
Oh, it looks like someone hit musical puberty. Now that Anberlin’s proverbial nards have dropped, they can get to properly rocking a mic. Now, I’ve never had a problem with Anberlin, but I’ve never rocked Anberlin of my own accord. That may very well change. While I thought that their last album was kind of boring, New Surrender comes out to make up for it. It’s well known that Anberlin is considered a “Christian band,” so what? Just as I could care less the religious beliefs of …

ROCKET FROM THE CRYPT
ALL SYSTEMS GO III
Vagrant Records
10/10
Rocket From The Crypt fucking rocks! Their ’95 release, Scream! Dracula, Scream!, is one of my all-time favorite albums. It’s one of those rare discs that I can put in and play from front to back, enjoying every minute of it, like the blue album by Weezer or Screeching Weasel’s Anthem for a New Tomorrow.
The material on this album is a collection of rare master tapes recorded between 1997 and 2000 on a shitty, old 8-track tape machine. How amazing that a great …

Daniel Estulin
The True Story of the Bilderberg Group
Trine Day Books
5.5/10
Since the dawn of mankind, or at least the turn of the last century, conspiracy theories have always existed. From the Kennedy assassinations to rumors of an underground network of brainwashed sex slaves, such rumors have always benefited from the supposed secrecy of the shadowy organizations they addressed, whether they be the Freemasons or the Central Intelligence Agency. These groups are said to run the world, and in some cases they’ve come close to doing just that, but the truth is …

Psycroptic
Ob(Servant)
Nuclear Blast
9/10
Coming from the land that we often associate with the Looney Toons character Taz, Psycroptic’s sound is as energetic as their cartoon mascot. With the release of their new CD Ob(Servant), you really can’t expect any less than fast pace and brutal, like any other heavy metal band should be. Although I don’t recommend confusing fonts for any band name on the album cover; I found myself looking through the information sent with the CD just to figure out their name. Plus, this font is highly overused- …