Jeremy Jay
Slow Dance
K Records
6/10

Jeremy Jay unleashes his poptastical, yet moody-self on his new album, Slow Dance, due out March 24th. Be prepared to be swayed and hynoptized softly with his songs; they are a collection of vintage, 80s-inspired melodies based on a winter theme. Unfortunately, the end result sounds like it went into frequent hibernation. In other words, some songs fell short of amazing and stayed in a tiresome zone.
The first track, “We Were There” electronically comes out of the speakers in all its synthesizing glory. In a whiny …

Asobi Seksu
Hush
EMI Japan/Polyvinyl Records
7/10
Sometimes it can seem that eclectic rock is a hit and miss proposition. That certainly appears to be the case with Asobi Seksu. While the New York band’s latest album Hush is festooned with ornate electronic tracks and whimsical lyrics, to the casual listener the band’s unconventional musical style is in danger of flying over their heads. Thus, the record comes across more as an intellectual exercise, a statement about music as it were- but not a musical statement.
Take for instance the opening track, …

Harlem Shakes
Technicolor Health
Gigantic Music
8/10
Positive and peppy- two words that describe Harlem Shakes in a nutshell. Despite coming from a crowded field of groups in the hipster Mecca of Brooklyn, N.Y., the five member ensemble of Brent, Kendrick, Lexy, Todd and Jose have managed to set themselves apart with their distinguished blend of energetic guitar chords, spacey synths, and bittersweet yet hopeful lyrics. The result, Technicolor Health, is an album that is original, captivating, and hypnotic. It is also one of the most addictive records ever made.
At the outset, …

Drag The River
Bad At Breaking Up
Suburban Home/Vinyl Collective
8/10
The recent outbreak of bearded alt-country bands that are as equally at home at The Fest as they are at the Grand Ol’ Opry has me both confused, and very, very happy. Forsaking the realm of digital and recording on a Tascam reel to reel, the lo-fi is not synonymous with low-quality. Everything from the honky-tonk piano bits to the stellar steel guitar twangs stand out, giving auto-tune the finger. I’m sure you’ve encountered the person who says “I listen to everything but …

Murderous, alien-possessed Ron Jeremy uber dick may or may not sound like a good thing, but it sure makes for a hell of a movie. No, I’m serious. It’s not only starring Ron Jeremy himself, but also one of the lesbian chicks from Buffy The Vampire Slayer. While I will always have a soft spot for the redhead, I would easily do this chick, too. I was invited to an LA coffee shop to have a sit down with Adam Fields and Amber Benson, director and lady-star of One Eyed …

Living in Southern California can be a drag- the smog, the traffic, the lack of public transportation. I’ve lived in the IE all my life (mainly in Riverside with brief- and crappy- forays into San Berdu, Mo Val, and Redlands), and Lord, do I get sick of it. The people, the weather, etc, etc…
Who needs an excuse to get away? Not me, that’s for sure. Noise Pop just happened upon a gap in my schedule, and quickly became a convenient ruse to run away to the city by the …

I gave Liam of Cancer Bats a call and found a quiet corner to chat about Canada and its greatness. Soon after Vic of Pierce The Veil stopped by for some…moral support…and made some time for a few quick questions.
Racket Kristen- So how are you liking Vegas?
Cancer Bats Liam- Um, you know I can’t give a fair enough answer because I’ve only ever been here- I rode my bike to the suburbs right where the strip ends. It took me like three and a half hours to bike there. There’s …

Edguy
The Singles
Nuclear Blast Records
10/10
If you don’t know Edguy by now, it’s time to hit the books (or, you know..record stores). This is the epitomy of awesome power metal. It’s Manowar meets Blind Guardian meet Electic Six, with an overdose of ‘fuck yes’ and a splash of hilarity. Edguy is amazing, end of story. Get this cd before it gets you by the balls. You’ll love it even if you don’t love power metal.
-Kim Worpek

Megadeth
Anthology: Set The World Afire
Capitol Records
10/10
The band’s third greatest hits release appears in the form of this delicious two-disc set covering recordings that span from 1984-2000. It’s just over two hours of your favorite Megadeth hits (v3.0). Really – I don’t know what I could possibly say that would convince you to buy it – you know Megadeth; either you love them or you don’t. In my opinion – it’s fucking Megadeth. They can do no wrong (or maybe they can, we’ve just yet to witness it). You should …

The Measure
One Chapter in the Book
Don Giovanni/Kiss of Death
10/10
If I were to weigh the two full lengths from The Measure, neither would come out on top. To be more optimistic, they’d both be on top. The first has that classic original quality and the second twists and elaborates on that classic style. One Chapter in the Book doesn’t need time to grow on you with multiple listens. It will grow all over you as it plays from start to finish. This new album doesn’t take any …

Here at Racket, we love booze. So much that RacketMike has gone on to be a professional brewer, as well as an avid home brewer. I once made a home-brewed Honey-IPA that had RacketMike and RacketCasey screaming about God-knows-what while rolling around on the ground singing Weezer songs. Granted, we each drank like a 2 liter bottle of the shit, but still. We love Guinness, Newcastle, Boddingtons and more. And as you can tell, we love dark beers. When RacketCaitlin and I got to try He’Brew’s Coney Island Blockhead Lager, …

[Emperor's note: As Racket is a collection of anyone who wants to contribute, I was all for my office-mate writing an article on Christianity. I present a short essay presented by Mr. Micah Mann. Also, I do not owe him money. But he does owe me chilli.]
I believe that Jesus is the son of God and died for our sins. But this week I saw a sticker that read, “Lord, Save Us From Your Followers” and I laughed out loud. Because I feel that way sometimes! …

Wednesday, March 4th, 2009, was the first time I have watched a full episode of Lost. Before that, I have seen a combined total of about 43 seconds over the span of 8 or so episodes. I know for a fact that even having missed out on four seasons of crap, this show has jumped the shark. During their little recap section of the previous episode, I thought it both useful and daunting that they had to have little pop ups at the bottom of the screen to explain what …

Ume
Sunshower
Pretty Activity
9/10
There is grunge, and then there is Ume. Their most recent album Sunshower is a short five track EP that is a far cry from a full album- yet each packs a punch, or should I say a handful of buckshot. Lauren Larson’s silky steel vocals, and husband Eric’s eviscerating handiwork on guitar make good on that. The result is a tight album that is as visceral as it is experimental.
Case in point: “East of Hercules.” The opener is a full-throttle experiment in musical Armageddon. Throughout the three …

Racket Kristen- I’ve heard Four Year Strong is known for using lines from all kinds of movies as their song titles, so in the movie titled Four Year Strong who would play you and what would be the plot?
Four Year Strong Dan- It would probably be a romantic comedy because a lot of romance and comedy goes on in this band. And who would play me? I would have to say John Goodman would have to play me, with a beard of course.
RK- Why John Goodman?
FD- Um, because he’s a …

Dropkick Murphys
Hollywood Palladium
February 20, 2009
Big burly white dudes, some bagpipes, and a newly “remodeled” Palladium- not much else to note for the Dropkick Murphy’s latest LA gig. I’m all for the so-called “celtic punk,” but for whatever reason, I wasn’t feeling it that night. For one thing, the typical Dropkick crowd is not my scene- loads of blonde guys twice as big as me drinking Guinness or Jack and wearing those floppy hats that my boyfriend wears… wait, come to think of it, maybe it IS my scene- my boyfriend …