If you didn’t know, I LOVE me some stereotypes. Bad Chinese women drivers, upper middle class whites who try their damnedest not to be racist, Jersey Shore, I love ‘em all. When I was given the opportunity to interview Thomas from Strike Anywhere again, I was pumped. Last time I got stereotypically punk gems such as “cultural baggage” and tirades about corporations. Now, he has points, but when the man in front of you is a dreaded, patch-ridden, pasty punk kid, there are fewer things more exciting for me.
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Cry Havoc
The Outcome Of Misery
Self Released
Released:  2004
9/10
Though this band released this album nearly six years ago, I felt they deserved some recognition for this hidden gem. “The Outcome Of Misery” to me is the perfect punk rock album. It is very melodic, aggressive and has great lyrics, along with some shredding solos.  It consists of thirteen songs that all stand out in their own way. Though I do have favorites (”Fire In The Sky”, “The Animal Within” and “January”), this entire album has heart and great songs. I find myself …

OK, so here’s the deal… I headed to Los Angeles to scope the Alkaline Trio, Cursive and The Dear & Departed. The day started early and quickly became a blur. Between getting lost in Hollyweird (I’m very open about being a directional rihtard), spending some serious cash at Johnny Cupcakes, and drinking my weight in Jameson and Heineken, I soon realized doing a review may be quite hard. So, I decided to tweet my ass off in hopes of remembering the days activities… this is what @Jeff_Leppard had to say…
“Just …

Alison Sudol, AKA A Fine Frenzy, is known for her piano-driven love songs and powerful voice. She is also the Emperor’s ex. Back around the time that her first album, One Cell In The Sea, came out, I had the chance to talk to her, a chance I didn’t waste. Twelve minutes and thirty-one seconds later, we broke up, and it tore me up inside. We recently had a chance to connect to discuss the changes our breakup had on her latest album, Bomb in a Birdcage, gummies and her pre-fame brush with, er, fame.

The Emperor!: You’ve really seemed to mature since we last parted ways, was that due in part to our breakup?
The Emperor’s Ex GF: Yea, you know, it really made me look at things differently. It was tough, it was a rough experience, but I made it through.

As the 2009 holidays came to a close, I had a little chat with Justin Tranter of glam-garage band Semi Precious Weapons to discuss touring with Gaga, tits, and what it means to be glamorous. (I think you and I can both agree after reading this that he secretly wants me)
Racket Rick: Alrighty, so awhile back we saw the YouTube videos of you being evicted from your apartment. Have you found anywhere else to live since then?
SPW Justin: (Laughing) Oh, well I did find somewhere else to live! But actually, …

A Town Called Panic
Aardman Animation
10/10
Another hit from the studio that brought Wallace and Grommet to the screen. This hysterically hyperkinetic adventure has charm in spades. Unlikely roommates Cowboy and Indian end up getting mixed up in more than they bargained for when they try to build their friend and landlord Horse the best birthday present ever and instead end up making a mess of epic proportions that turns their tiny town upside down. Based on the Belgian TV show shorts which originally aired under the French title, Panic Au Village …

Yeasayer
Odd Blood
8/10
Danced to by white girls, adored by Germans, inspiring to mankind.  Following their previous album, All Hour Cymbals, comes Yeasayer’s newest release, Odd Blood, as they kick off their tour playing recently at the Guggenheim in NY and the Natural History Museum in LA. The album is messy sound, indie vocals, and clear dance beats laced with a funk-filled psychedelic blending of ambient melodies.  You can hear the band’s self claimed gospel roots that emerge to take form of a spirit elevating primordial world-music vision quest. The pronouncedly mechanical …

Adam Green
Minor Love
Fat Possum
8/10
I won’t go as far as to say that Adam Green has grown up,  but he’s definitely calmed down. Minor Love, his sixth solo album, is a long way from home recordings of quaint vulgarities with Kimya Dawson. With a voice that would put Ron Burgundy to shame, Green weaves tales that simultaneously boggle the mind and make sense of the world. Nonsense has never been more listenable.
-Jonathan Yost

Dante’s Inferno
EA Games
7/10
Based on Dante’s epic poem about descending through the 9 circles of Hell while being guided by Virgil, who you may remember as the owl-guy from Mighty Max. In an effort to bolster buzz EA Games launched a series of contrived promotion gimmicks, including trying to claim the game was being boycotted as “immoral” by staging fake protests with paid bible thumpers, and bribing reviewers with $200 checks, which we here at Racket are still waiting to receive. The only thing blasphemous about this game is the sacrilegious …

Tim Barry
28th and Stonewall
Suburban Home Records
8/10
For a few years now, Tim Barry has laid off the distortion pedal in preference for an acoustic guitar, but nothing could have prepared me for the earnest, but powerful, 28th and Stonewall. From the foot-stompin’ romps “Will Travel” and “Thing of the Past” to the powerful and thought invoking “Prosser’s Gabriel,” Barry leaves behind any doubts that the Richmond, VA native isn’t one of the best songwriters out there right now.
-Jonathan Yost

Pee-Wee Herman Show
Club Nokia
I admit, I was terrified as I waited for the curtain to lift on the Pee-Wee Herman Show. Was Paul Reubens just doing this because he was broke? Was it gonna be a rush job? How were they going to pull off all the characters? Thank God that it was everything I could have imagined it and more. This was not Paul Reubens playing Pee-Wee Herman, this was my childhood icon live and in person. From the Pledge of Allegiance to the adult-friendly jokes (ie. calling Conky’s …

Empire! Empire! (I Was a Lonely Estate)
What it Takes to Move Forward
Count Your Lucky Stars Records
7/10
Initially, when I review a band, I like to see who they list as influences, mainly because either a), it gives great insight as to what a band will sound like prior to actually listening to them, or b), it’ll show what pretentious pricks they are for listing The Jesus and Mary Chain and the Beatles as their primary influences. However, in this case Empire! Empire! neither appear pretentious nor ill- informed, but instead marries …

Hotpress for Leopold
Self Titled
Grove Addicts
8/10
Think classical and rock don’t mix? How about classical, rock, orchestras, and xylophones? Got your attention? Good. Because Hotpress for Leopold has all that…and more. Formed by a composer named Omar after a happy accident left him with a huge budget and lots of time on his hands, the band is essentially a misfit orchestra of brass, string, and that ever present xylophone lurking in the background. The result is debut album that isn’t so serious so much as it …

Angus Khan
Black Leather Soul
Nickel and Dime
5/10
I tell you what, I feel like I’ve been nickel and dimed after listening to this… It’s largely mediocre, yet… grossly listenable. Nice background filler. God. Do you see that album cover? What is this, Raising Arizona? I just don’t know what to say. It’s so cheesy, yet here I am halfway through the album and not feeling the urge to push “next.” I hate myself. I just changed this review from a 3 to a 5 due to the way …

Serious As Dog Dirt
Bam Margera
MTV Books
5/10
Oh, good. Offensiveness, stupid stunts, DiCo, and the usual bits that you would attribute to the Jackass star are found in abundance in his book, Serious As Dog Dirt. Yet, I’m not laughing. Why? Simple: Jackass is the easiest form of entertainment: watching people hurt themselves by being dumbasses. Add the slightest amount of work into the equation and you’re fucked. A book by Bam is exactly what you would think it is: a tattoo session with Ville from H.I.M. (Which I am pretty sure …

CarCrashLander
Where to Swim
Parks and Records
7/10
If you have been looking for music perfect for a rainy day or that week where depression suddenly strikes, then look no further- I give you CarCrashLander. Where to Swim is the newest addition to the CarCrashLander catalogue, and is unquestionably one of the mellowest albums I’ve heard in a long time. The vocals of lead Cory Grey rarely rise above a whisper, but they provide a perfect ambiance for the album through and through. These hushed vocals team up with Grey’s organ, laying down the …