Stephen Egerton
The Seven Degrees Of
Paper + Plastic
5/10
I’ve listened to this album over and over to try to figure out what to say about it and I keep coming to the same conclusion. It’s not good. It’s not at all bad either, which is why it gets a five, but it’s boring. I’m not impressed. It’s one of those albums where a musician shows how important they are by having friends from all these other bands perform with them on an album. You know, sort of like Dave Grohl’s Probot, except …
NOFX/ Teenage Bottle Rocket
Madison Theater
Covington, KY
Bands I like, I see live as often as I can. These two bands are lumped in that category. I’ve seen NOFX a plethora of times over the years, and as I’ve grown to like TBR more and more, they are quickly catching up. I have to admit, my friends and I were really here to see Teenage Bottlerocket. We all referred to it as “the TBR show.” What can I say? We love that short, three-chord shit.
We got to the venue a bit late, …
Animal Names
Let It Been
Boat Dreams From the Hill
5/10
First things first, the title is decent. I kinda hate the Beatles so poking fun, whether a sign of praise or not, is a good start. Secondly, I like to think their name is a jab at nearly every indie band in existence (you know, ‘cuz they all have animal names). Musically, this falls somewhere between power pop and indie rock and features dual male and female vocals. It’s not all that bad, but nothing spectacular.
While listening, the Promise Ring popped into my …
The Flatliners
Cavalcade
Fat Wreck Chords
8/10
A friend of mine had a band called the Flatliners in the mid nineties- this is not that band. This Flatliners has just released their second album on Fat Wreck Chords, and that makes them infinitely better than my friend’s high school band. Granted, they do still sound like every band that has ever been on Fat Wreck (with the exception of Against Me!).
While that might sound like a negative thing to say, just about everything Fat Wreck puts out is really good. Cavalcade is no exception. …
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 …
PINK RAZORS
LEAVE ALIVE
Houseplant/No Idea
6/10
I take it as a great compliment when I say that Erin Tobey’s vocal performance on Leave Alive sincerely reminds me of the Smoking Popes. The Smoking Popes are an amazing band. At other times, I hear a distinct Ergs sound (particularly on “Not the Wrong Son”), which is a good thing. Unfortunately, that’s the best thing I can say about the album. It’s not bad! It just isn’t all that stellar. It has a fun vibe to it, but doesn’t …
NO FRIENDS
SELF-TITLED
No Idea Records
8/10
I don’t want to seem like I’m biased towards No Idea bands, because they release plenty of stuff I don’t care for. I just haven’t been sent any of it to review. No Idea has a good track record in my reviews and this release is no exception. I really like this album. Truthfully, I probably like this because the band is comprised of members of Municipal Waste and New Mexican Disaster Squad. The group manages to blend a thrashy hardcore sound with …
THE BOMB
SPEED IS EVERYTHING
No Idea Records
7/10
I have to be in the mood for a release like this and right now I’m just not. I can hear hints of bands like Jawbreaker, Guided By Voices and even the Foo Fighters, all of whom I love, but I can’t be very enthusiastic about it right now. It’s that kind of somber, reflective punk that it’s good to dwell on and mull over a bit. The album definitely harkens back to ’80s post punk and makes me think of acts like Big …
The Kobanes
Japan Invasion
Fixing a Hole/Dumb! Records
6/10
More legitimate pop punk, but lacking the expertise of the masters. It’s not bad though; definitely more in the ’80s to early ’90s Queers/Vindictives vein. One of the quirkier songs on the album is “Nobody,” which is a cover of a cover. It’s obviously based on Chixdiggit’s version of the song by Sylvia, but it still manages to be a unique interpretation. There are far too many sound bites for my liking and the album has a general immaturity, but I can hardly fault a …
Teenage Bottlerocket
They Came from the Shadows
Fat Wreck Chords
8/10
Ah, now this is pop punk. The real kind. It’s unfortunate that when describing a band as falling within that genre, the first thing people think of is Good Charlotte, Yellowcard or Fall Out Boy. Those bands actually have their share of catchy numbers and in the broadest sense, sure they qualify, but there is just something inherently not pop punk about them. It’s probably the complete abandonment of a DIY ethos that bothers me most. Punk in the name …
Fighting the Villain
First Impression
PopSmear Records
2/10
Terrible, cookie-cutter, MTV punk-pop (unlike mass media who co-opted the term, I will not refer to this stuff as pop-punk. I reserve that name for the Ramones-core bands originally dubbed as such), emo or whatever the hell they are calling it these days. Equal parts Coheed and Cambria and the stuff collecting in the bottom of your clogged up disposal system, the band features a female vocalist who is perhaps its only saving grace because she can actually sing. Be that as it may, I …
Fest 8
Halloween Weekend 2009
Gainesville, FL
The Festies – Best of the Fest
Well, ladies and gentleman, another year’s gone by and another wonderful Fest has been etched in the annals of history. This Fest had all the makings of a great one: lots of partying (mostly done responsibly), lots of bands and good music, lots of friend-making and lots of revelry. Mix in plenty of walking and standing around in lines and you’ve got yourself a Fest. In honor of this monumental annual happening, Racket presents it’s “Best-of” for Fest 8, which …
FRIDAY
I’ve always considered Chicago to be America’s storage for cold, wind and uhhh, The Cubs. So, what could possibly make me go endure temperatures that I have only read about in books (the low 30’s!)? Screeching Fucking Weasel.
That’s right, Ben Weasel’s wily ass got back up to bat, and you’re damned right I traveled 2,000 miles simply for the chance that I would be able to scream along to “My Right” with one of my childhood heroes. Yes, yes, I know he’s been an asshole lately, but like a spouse …
Converge
Axe to Fall
Epitaph Records
8/10
This isn’t really up my alley, but I gotta say, these guys shred. The drummer is a beast and the guitars keep up with some insane picking and fingerwork. Like most hardcore/metal, I have no clue what vocalist Jacob Bannon is singing…er, I mean screaming, but that’s no big deal. Opener “Dark Horse” is my favorite on the album, which blows through its first four songs at a blistering pace, but things slow down for “Worms Will Feed.” “Wishing Well” has a killer intro with drums that …
So it’s Halloween weekend. For some of you, that means another lame party with cliche costumes galore. Zombies, nurses, vampires, oh my! But if you’ve got any sense about you, it means you’re making the trek to Gainesville for the best party of the year, and Halloween’s got next to nothing to do with it.
Don’t believe it’s the best? How do you think they get away with simply calling it The Fest? But I digress! For those of you making the trip for the first time, Racket presents a list …
So I’ve been writing for Racket for a little over a year now. I hadn’t really stopped to think about that before, but that’s kind of kickass. I live on the other side of the country from my two “bosses,” but I just flew out to their coast recently to meet up and put a face to the jerks that cut all my good lines about mass murder. Alas, that’s another story. The point is that just about a year ago I went to Riotfest in Chicago to cover …
