Artist: Broadway Calls
Album: Broadway Calls (re-release.)
Label: Adeline Records
Rating: 8/10

Broadway Calls…let's face it, that gives the average passer-by images of spin kicks, dudes in mascara, and asymmetrical hair-cuts. I imagined whining and fourteen tracks of vaginal discharge, presented as art with substance.

Good news! It's pop-punk! It's really, really GOOD pop-punk! Kick ass melodies, slight cynicism outlined with self-introspection (see album closer: 'So Long My Friend, which has an awesome fucking horn section. It's honest, it's catchy,  and it makes me want to believe there's something worth believing in, in Oregon, but sadly, I get the idea this is pretty much it. But boy, oh boy does it kick ass.

Tongue-in-cheek lines that bade way to the truly emotive song, "Daniel, My Brother" calls out family issues in the most direct way, "You're a junkie for sympathy/ Why can't you fucking admit it?"

Aaron Hale (aaron@racketmag.com)

Band: Teenage Bottlerocket
Album: Warning Device
Label: Red Scare
Release Date: January 08, 2008.
Rating: 7.0/10

MAN! It’s so awesome to hear an album chock full of Ramones b-sides I hadn’t heard before… wait, this is a completely different band from Laramie, Wyoming? I didn’t even know Laramie, Wyoming had residents under the age of 67. Regardless, the boys in Teenage Bottlerocket kick ass. Check ‘em out on their current tour, and pick up “Warning Device.”  And relieve the awesomeness of bare-bones rock and roll, with no spin kicks and symmetrical haircuts.

Aaron Hale (aaron@racketmag.com)

Band: Murder by Death
Album: Red of Tooth and Claw
Label: Vagrant
Release Date: March 4th, 2008.
Rating: 9.0/10

Murder by Death are band that, pardon the pun; have always marched to the beat of a different drummer. While it’s easy to pick up on a lot of their references, namely the late Johnny Cash, it’s never a hindrance as it’s only a part of the formula that makes them work.

Past full length efforts like 2006’s “In Bocca al Lupo.” Drew concise lines that you either really liked a song, or really didn’t. But with their newest release, “Red of Tooth and Claw.” MBD provides their most cohesive album to date. With it’s clever lyrics and precise instrumentation, “Red of Tooth and Claw”, is as emotive and raw as anything they’ve ever done.

The album covers an anti-hero with no silver lining, with no redeeming qualities, however one can’t help but relate to said character on only the most of unnatural instincts, or maybe even because one is prone to cheer for the outlaw in every story. It really brings to mind a Spaghetti Western, only with a cello and drums…and really, that’s one of the best conceptual ideas for an album, ever.   According to lead singer Adam Turla, “[it’s like] “Homer’s Odyssey of revenge, only without the honorable character at the center.”

MBD have become masters of narrative, which is slowly becoming a lost art. Each one of the 11 tracks seemingly builds toward something greater, all culminating with the epic album closer, “Spring Break 1899”.
 

At the end of it all, this is the first great album of 2008, and the bar has been set high.

Stand out Tracks:
”Comin’ Home”, “Ball and Chain”, “Rumbrave”, “Ash”, “Spring Break 1899.” Although really, the whole album is just…awesome.



Aaron Hale (aaron@racketmag.com)

Artist: Lemuria
Album: Get Better
Label: Asian Man
Release Date: 2/26/2008
Rating: 9/10

It doesn’t get much better than Lemuria’s latest effort, the full length “Get Better.” Lemuria is kind of a hard band to classify, really. They aren’t necessarily a punk band or just a pop-rock band. They really do wind up standing on there own two legs, and they do so comfortably.

Each of the band members sings, with lead singer Sheena Ozzella handling the majority of the vocal duties. However, her voice melds so perfectly male counter-parts (Jason Draper/bass, and Alexander Kerns/drums respectively) that it makes each song so easy to get lost in.

For the majority of this album, Lemuria’s strong ear for strong musicianship becomes evident when you realize that while they are all very proficient songwriters, and singers they recognize that sometimes less is so much more. And it’s such a welcoming thing to witness, because a lot of the time I find myself becoming immersed in the textures of Ozzella’s amazing voice accompanied by Draper’s powerful bass lines, and Kern’s precise drumming.

Don’t miss this release. Really, do yourself a favor and support it. It’s completely engaging and textured, and I can’t help but feel that after hearing Sheena Ozzella’s stellar voice you’ll be convinced of the fact that Lemuria ain’t nothing to fuck with.


Aaron Hale (Aaron@racketmag.com)

Wu Tang Clan
8 Diagrams
9/10

Its not so much that Wu Tang Clan ain’t nothing to fuck with, it’s more a question of who would want to? With sick samples of While My Guitar Gently Weeps, guest appearances by George Clinton, and a an ode to ODB that would make my head bob more if it wasn’t so fucking depressing, 8 Diagrams is pretty fucking solid. However, other than a few threatening lyrics, I don’t understand this rep they’ve developed in the Young Republican crowd that they are ultra-thugged out gangstas who want nothing but to beat bitches and slap some hoes. Switching from funky to old school hi-hat beats, Wu Tang show that they aren’t just inner-circle fights and overdubbed martial arts films, though there are plenty of interludes featuring the latter of the two. With a vocabulary that can rival a college thesaurus, RZA, GZA, Ghostface and the billion other people on the record show that it’s not always tricky to rock a rhyme, if you’re the best.

-Jonathan Yost

Dear And The Headlights
Small Steps, Heavy Hooves
Equal Vision Records
8/10

Son of a bitch. I actually really dig a band on Equal Vision records. I have heard of these guys before, and really didn’t care to hear them, but they opened for The Color Fred and Straylight Run, and you know what? They blew them both out of the fucking water. Granted, they don’t have the uber-hot chick that Straylight has, but I’ve never seen someone actually rock the acoustic/electric mix of guitars that well before. Usually I think in a thick Swedish accent, “Oh, great, theys got the grandpa’s guitars mixing ins with the electrics, this is dildos.” Fuckers showed me, didn’t they? I’m Bored, You’re Amorous brings back some of the weird dual guitar melodies I dug on the older Taking Back Sunday records, while I Just Do brings back actual story telling to lyrics, which is always a bonus.
-Jonathan Yost

Puscifer
V is for Vagina
9/10

Holy shit, man. I always wonder why a recording artist does side projects rather than just do the new style with his regular band. Well, Maynard James Keenan cleared that the fuck up quick. While a lot of the foreboding basslines and epic instrumentations are still Tool-esque, this is not Tool. This isn’t A Perfect Circle. This is a new entity that is ballsier, more masculine. I’m not, in any way, shape or form, saying that Tool is feminine, but what I am saying is that Puscifer makes me want to fuck or fight. One of the two. Not party, not go clubbing, not go to sleep. Fuck or fight. That’s it. And I am pretty sure it makes my car go faster, too.
            With the opening line, “This lady got the thickness, can I get a witness. This lovely lady got the thickness, can I get a hell yeah,” you know it’s going to be a different experience. Track 4 tells you to take it like a man, and thank God that Maynard never became a preacher, because Keenan’s sermon on track 9 is really quite amazing. Like, seriously amazing. It’s some kind of “industrial gospel.” That’s right, I just coined that phrase. Kirk Franklin, if you try to start an industrial gospel genre, I will beat your ass.

-Jonathan Yost

Baby Elephants
Baby Elephants
7.5/10

            The only bitch I have about this sweet ass Prince Paul project is the excessive intros and segue ways between tracks. I mean, an intro and an outro is one thing, but six tracks of 30 second dialogue bits? Excessive. And I understand that you are trying to tell the story of how fucking amazing Bernie Worrell is, the dude is a keyboard virtuoso, but, well, I feel slightly ripped off by 6 of the 17 tracks being a waste of what could be Worrell’s screaming synths wailing on my eardrums and blowing my mind. Now, I know that many of Racket’s esteemed readers are saying to themselves “who the fuck is Bernie Worrell?” and running to Google to find the fuck out. Worrell is one of the sweetest keyboardists ever. I mean, when George Clinton says that this guy taught P-Funk how to layer sounds, that’s a big fuck deal, no? After P-Funk, Worrell was also in Talking Heads, so go look him up.
            Ok, so that was a long gripe. I know, but I had to get it off my chest. “But the tunes! How are the tunes?!” you ask. Well, amazing. Shifting between the funk organ riffs of track 3 to the circus-reggae of track 4 to the soulful R&B of track 7, Baby Elephants goes on a journey to spread the Gospel of Worrell to a new generation, Lord knows my hands are up in praise.
-Jonathan Yost

Viva La Bands
Various Artists
7/10

I am so confused. Bam Margera listens to the weirdest shit. But then again, RacketMike listens to the same shit. These dudes should hang out. Between Norwegian love metal dudes the 69 Eyes, Brandon DiCamillo-led Gnarkill and non-genre ridden GWAR lies some definite hints that Margera has some deep-seeded issues. Throw in metal-core schmucks A Life Once Lost and his bro’s band CKY, and you have a decent sampler CD to get you accustomed to the weirdness that is Margera. They should totally let me make a mix CD. That would rule.

-Jonathan Yost

Radiohead
In Rainbows
No Fucking Label.

Well, I really have to admit that the albums that get Radiohead the most pussy and dicksucking are the ones I am least impressed with. I still stand firm in my belief that OK Computer was their best. Now, when they started getting all kinds of atmospheric and trippy, I couldn’t get into it for fear of falling into a chronic depression. Though, that probably does explain why so many Radiohead fans are such little crybabies. However, In Rainbows does, I think, bridge the gap between Kid A hippiness and OK Computer melodies and sounds. All around, the album is pretty solid, though I think Fifteen Step is going to give me some kind of aural epilepsy. Solid effort, especially considering the lack of label support.

-Jonathan Yost

Entourage – A Lifestyle is a Terrible Thing to Waste
Simon And Schuster
Rating (for fans) 6 of 10 (for everyone else) 4 of 10

Here’s the thing: If you are a fan of the show itself, Entourage, is a good read. If you’re not, prepare to be confused. For those of you who are fans of the show, the book is an interesting read, but probably not something you’d read more than once. The interviews with the cast and the show’s creators, including some interviews with those the show is actually based on (contrary to popular belief, the show is not based on Mark and Donnie Wahlberg), are rather interesting. They at least clear up who inspired what character, who was nervous during the threesome, and who’s really the boss on set. There’s a lot of what I think is unnecessary material. This includes a plot synopsis of each episode (which I’ll admit is at least noteworthy for the little bits of trivia included after each one), and character wardrobe profile (because we all want to dress like Johnny Drama), and a detailed listing of the main character Vince’s conquests. Why not just watch the show? A couple things I found amusing were the pages of character quotes and the “glossary” in the back of the book, although I think I found those funny because I remember seeing those scenes in the show. Overall, I think the book is a must-have to complete your “I heart Adrian Grenier” collection stashed in your closet. Otherwise, pick it up, flip through it a few times, and then go buy the series on DVD. Let’s hug it out bitch.
-Caitlin Elgin

Protest The Hero – Fortress
Release Date – 01/29/08
Vagrant Records/Underground Operations
Rating: 11/10
Yes, you all read this correctly… 11 out of 10! I’m sure I’ll have someone disagree with me (most likely Matt since he has a knack for disagreeing with me and doubting my existence), but rest assured, I will stand by my call. Picture, for a second, an orgy between Faith No More, Iron Maiden, At The Drive-In, Rush, Coheed and Cambria, Dillinger Escape Plan, Refused, the Boston Philharmonic and Megan Fox (hot chick from Transformers)… OK maybe not Megan Fox, but it sounded hot… right?

This is exactly what you get from PTH’s sophomore release on Vagrant. Call it math-metal, hardcore, or whatever you want, but one thing is for sure…It is chalk full of off-time rhythms, string and organ backgrounds, spastic vocals, intense guitar solos and interludes that will blow you away. These young canucks sure know how to play their instruments (really, really well) and they manage to write another “symphony” based on goddess worship and the erosion of faith in the scientific process. The album opens with Bloodmeat (their first single and video off the record) that catches you right off guard with it’s off scatterbrain intro and then pulls you in with aggressive vocals and intricate guitar riffs and major shreddage. The album then continues through it’s three part storyline with songs like “Sequoia Throne” and “Limb From Limb” which also have their fair share of shreddage, off tune rhythms, and a raging synth keyboard that almost sounds like a soundtrack to a video game, but trust me… it’s still metal as fuck!

With lyrics like “Protected only by our skin” or “Our goddess gave birth to your god”, they seem to break out of the typical hardcore/metal mold and capture the imagination of anyone who is willing to listen (especially if you listen through headphones). There are just layers, upon layers of music and every listen brings something new to the table.  Now, you may think this may be too complex for the common listener, but it’s all broken down to the simplest, purest form so even idiots like me can fully interpret this album. But then again, maybe this album was not meant to be interpreted in a certain way… maybe it should be left to the listener, no matter the age, race, gender or whatever other stereotype we can muster up. All in all this album has something to offer almost anyone and offers something with a little more substance than some of the other regurgitated crap you can find on itunes. Heaven forbid someone actually write a smart record you can listen to from beginning to end…. Right? Look out 2008, because this should hold the crown for best album and breakout artist of the year. 

- RacketJeff

50x50
Simon and Schuster
7/10

“We used to play this game called ‘That’s mine,’ you’d look at something and say ‘that’s mine,’…it wasn’t a very complicated game.” Now, if that little snippet doesn’t catch your attention, nothing will. When I heard 50 wrote a book about himself, I was ready to drop a review score of 0/10 for not being the barely literate hood rat that I had built him to be. The kind of guy that I could take in a game of Scrabble, but also the kind of guy that could beat me down at any and every sport known to man. But then I got my hands on the book, and was so ecstatic to find that 50X50 (Fifty by Fifty…clever!) is a glorified pop-up book, complete with copies of pictures of Fitty when he was a youngin’ and stories about how his grandma loved him best. Fuck yea! The book’s actually pretty thick, but mostly because it was printed on, what I can only assume, leftover posterboard from someone’s 7th grade science project. Comes complete with the aforementioned pictures, copies of tour credentials and a CD just for the book! Epic!

-Jonathan Yost

Foo Fighters
Echos, Silence, Patience and Grace
7/10
            OK I’m not gonna lie to you, I love the Foo Fighters. The passion I have for Dave and his crew is near-sickening. Thus, I could never say anything bad about them, and I’m not going to start now. For those of you who say the latest installment on their long running career Echoes, Silence, Patience, and Grace is “the same as the rest,” you’re right. I’m not going to lie, the Foo Fighters have a formula and they stick to it. Dave Grohl and company have made a career on a distinctive sound, why change now? We have come to know and love the rock that they put before us. So if you picked up the album in hopes to hear a completely revolutionary new sound, don’t kid yourself. Dave knows what he’s doing. Do yourself a favor, buy the album, have a listen, and then bend over and say “Please sir, can I have another?” in hopes that the Fighters Foo will continue to grace us with their musical talents.
            Now that we’ve gotten past that, I’ll be honest- this is not my new favorite Foo Fighters cd, but it does offer up some new favorite songs. Skip the first track, chances are if you flip on the radio you’ll hear it at any given moment (which is not a good thing, sadly). For those of you craving something slightly new, fret not, Dave and his crew are no strangers to experimentation. While maintaining their same style, this album features a somewhat broader array of instruments than those we’ve seen in the past- songs like “Statues” and “Summer’s End” include some strings and accordion. Perhaps someone took notes during the acoustic tour. The two standout tracks of the album are “Ballad of the Beaconsfield Miners” and “Home.” “Ballad” is a guitar-only song featuring some amazing crazy-good picking that I wish we would hear more frequently from Dave and crew.  Even if the rest of the album doesn’t peak your attention listen to “Home.” The song is lovely in its heartfelt simplicity. The lyrics, piano, strings, and Dave’s voice blend wonderfully into something amazingly earnest and beautiful. If the song doesn’t move you, you probably don’t have a soul. Jerk.

Caitlin Elgin

Against Me!
New Wave
Sire
8.5/10.00

Against Me! Have had more scrutiny in the past few years than any other band in recent memory. Maybe that’s for good reason. Signing to Sire, blah, blah, blah. It seems that there’s more of an eye on what they do now than the actual product they put out.

But this band has endless potential. In fact this band right here is primed to be the next Clash. That’s my opinion of it. When its all said and done, they’re selling out shows, and putting their heart and soul into everything.

But enough of the exterior: How does it sound?

New Wave opens with the title track, and it’s a good track. But this album truly comes to fruition when it those drums in the beginning of “Up the Cuts” kick in. They go straight for the throat. That’s what a lot of this album does, it goes for the throat.

But where this album loses its bite is that unfortunately Tom Gabel seems to just be rehashing some ideas for “Searching for a Former Clarity.” How many more songs can they do about the record industry? After awhile, it gets tedious to hear it over, and over, and over again. Its not even entirely a bad thing, but you can only do a subject to death so many times. The album also horribly fails with the cringe worthy track, “Animal.” It doesn’t even sound like the same band…and not even in a good way.

There’s redemption all over this album though. “Thrash Unreal”, “White People For Peace”, “Up the Cuts” “Americans Abroad”, and “The Ocean” are completely solid, and show a lot of room for the future. But what gets me about this album is, I feel that they could have done so much more with it. I feel that they could have extended some of the songs. A lot of the time, it feels rushed, and for the next time they put more songs to wax…I’d like it if they took some time, and let their ideas fully come out.

All in all, this major label debut is good. It’s really good. It shows room for improvement, and a lot of hope for the future. It shows a band that’s decidedly ready to try and change the world, and given enough time…they can, and will.

Aaron@racketmag.com

The Gaslight Anthem
Sink or Swim
XOXO Records
10.00/10.00

This is the album of the year. If you’re not listening to it, you need to be. The Gaslight Anthem are the next champions of rock music, undoubtedly.

Every song is chock full of nostalgia, every chord means something. It’s urgent, passionate, alive. It makes you feel alive. Emotive lyrics, passionate vocals, and fucking amazing music to accompany the entire album…and to think…this is only a DEBUT album. I can’t begin to imagine what they can accomplish in the future.

Right now, I could tell you the highs, and lows of the album, but it’s easier for me to just say….the highs are tracks 1-12, and the lows is that it ends. And it ends perfectly. Beautifully, with the track, “Red at Night” which leaves the listener aching for more.

You’ll experience everything there is to experience here, every emotion on the spectrum. Aesthetically the packing is beautiful, and no song sounds the same. Every bit of musical influence it sounds like these boys have, it sounds like they threw them in a blender. Sink or Swim should be the measuring stick for what an album should be.

You get the feeling they aimed for the stars with this one, and missed. They wound up in some other galaxy, far, far away.

This is the future. Get fucking with it while you still can, because they wont be Jerseys best kept secret for long..

Aaron@racketmag.com

Gary Reynolds and the Brides of Obscurity
Santiagos Vest
5/10
 
First and formost, these band really needs to change the name of the band (Gary Reynolds and the Brides of Obscurity) is not going to cut it no matter how great the music is. The album Santiago's Vest really shows you what "pop rock" is. These days we have bands that try to say they are "pop" and, well, those bands need to take tips from this band. Hints of the Beatles show up from time to time, not to compare these guys to the greatest band ever but thats what i mean by "pop rock". If you like old style pop you will enjoy this CD. If you don't, well, shit, don't get this CD.
 
-Abe Gastelum

Sick City
Nightlife
7/10
 
Although the band Sick City has only been around for about one year they were able to make a good cd. With help from a great producer in Zack Odom this young band came out with a pretty imporessive "pop rock" cd that will make you sing along to clever lyrics and catchy hooks. Other bands that you would probably compare these guys to would be Cartel and Anberlin, songs such as Turning Heads will definately display the simalarities. AP (alternative press) listed Sick City as one of the 100 bands you need to know and I agree. (*Editor's note: As a general rule, I do not condone any of my writers to agree with Alternative Press, Abe will soon be flogged for his insolence.)
 
-Abe Gastelum

The Black Dahlia Murder
Nocturnal
7/10
 
The new Black Dahlia CD Nocturnal is as extreme and as dark as death metal gets. If you dont believe me listen to the outstanding drums by the newest addition to the band, the great Shannon Lucas (ex all that remains,) and the gore infested lyrics such as "they dance by night and the blood of a child's broken neck" as screamed by front man Trevor Strnad.To get a good feel on how the entire album is listen to What a Horrible Night to Have a Curse; it will give you a good idea of what you are in for. METAAAAAL!
 
-Abe Gastelum

The Devil Wears Prada
Plagues
7/10
 
The CD plagues has its ups and its downs . The album was shot out , more time was needed to make this an album that would stand out and not just blend in with the rest of the hardcore scene. Granted the most recent album is better than the old one (Dear Love: A beautiful discord). Its not what I was expecting, with a good fan base and good record company it should have been a amazing sophomore album. People who enjoyed the debut album you will definitely like this one. I hope, for everyone’s sake, that these guys will take a little bit more time on their next CD and put out one of the most rockin’ records in hardcore. They absolutely have the talent for it. Plagues gets a 7 out of 10 in my book

-Abe Gastelum

Bang Camaro
Bang Camaro
7/10

Holy Jeez, their guitarist is amazing...for mid-80's shredding. Add in 17 or so singers and you have Bang Camaro. That's right, over a dozen dudes singing at once adds to the epic guitars and straightforward drumming. Toss in the standard rock ballad, appropriately entitled The Ballad and you are fucking set for the CD that can pretty accurately be described as the encapsulation of my dad and his friends rocking out all at once. Fun conversation tidbit from my dad:

Dad: Jonathan! Do you hear who's playing (at Best Buy)
Myself: Nope.
Dad: It's White Snake! The Gods of Metal!
Myself: Are you serious?
Dad: Ya, man, they totally rock!

Oh, wow, I just made myself sad. Back to the review! Nightlife Commando shows that classical guitar skills can help shred and, well, the entire thing sounds like it was made with Guitar Hero in mind, which could have helped them land Push Push (Lady Lightning) as a bonus song on the Guitar Hero 2 game. Yup, epic enough to be on Guitar Hero 2.

-Jonathan Yost

Dear Life
The Architect
8/10

Somehow I became worried about my own safety when I started this CD. The same sense of dread that accompanies any live hardcore show crept in. The amount of energy actually captured on the recording of songs I have seen live is fucking intense. Furious guitar work makes me sad about my own musical abilities, while the vocals make me think that I need to be drinking more Jack and Coke. It takes a special kind of hardcore for me to be into it, but when the time came for a second singer to come in and chime in their two cents, which has become all too common as of late, I was greeted not by lyrics that seem to be in some kind of Orc language, but a brutal metal-esque awesomeness. This is not your chugga-chugga hardcore soundtrack for the Bro Nation to beat up nerds to, this is the soundtrack for the small ones to fight back to.

-Jonathan Yost

Eisley
Combinations
8/10

Whoa. I usually hate all the buzz bands that get their figurative dicks sucked by Rolling Stone or AP, but damn, this chick is far more epic than she is given credit for. There's a lot more going on than most people realize. At times it sounds like there is a wall of sound that would give Phil Spector a hard-on (he's in jail, I'm not afraid of him!) and at others there are drum rhythms that give me an aural epileptic seizure. The production's effing perfect on this, with Eisley's vocals coming clear throughout the polyrhythms and creative instrumentation that is found in every song on the album. A Sight To Behold is the most epic track, featuring stinging synths, background singers up the ass and a drum beat that would easily support a kung fu battle of mythic proportions. Fucking rad.

-Jonathan Yost

Nile
Ithyphallic
7/10

Nile's back with more Egyptian-themed brutality. Because of Nile, I just see ancient Egypt as this place where all these Pharaohs ran around chopping off people's heads, ripping out hearts and fucking virgin's brains out. I have never wanted to be a Pharaoh more in my life. Listening to more Nile songs that are unbelievably frantic just gives me heart palpitations. The major disappointment from the last Nile album that Racket reviewed was the lack of over-the-top-complete-sentences as song titles. Here, we are given but one: Papyrus containing the spell to preserve its possessor against he who is in the water. That's not a song title, it's a goddamned tongue twister. The title track makes me want to kick a baby, Eat Of The Dead better damn well be used in a chase scene, and Even The Gods Must Die would be the hardest Guitar Hero song ever, Holy fuck, man, holy fuck.

-Jonathan Yost

Tegan and Sara
The Con
8/10

From the first thirty seconds of I Was Married, the lead off track from Tegan and Sara's latest full length, I am bummed out that there is absolutely no chance of me getting together with either one. Fuck. Wacky Canadian lesbian twins always gotta be liking girls as much as I do. Disappointment in my lack of Canadian make-outs aside, the tunes aren't lacking. The title track brings in some more crunchy guitar than can be found in a basic Tegan and Sara song which is a very good thing, It's always good to see a band be unafraid of adding in different aspects without their fans screaming that they sold out or whatever hoo-ha the kids scream about today. Anyways,even though the album is filled with tales spun forth from the heart, the main point is that twins playing guitar together is hot.

-Jonathan Yost

Two Gallants
The Scenery of Farewell
8/10

Well, as a general rule, I like Saddle Creek's artists, though Bright Eyes bores the crap out of me and some of the bands they put out makes me think that they only did it because someone in A&R lost a bet. Two Gallants, however, are a duo who embodies the awkward instrumentations and vocal stylings that are synonymous with Saddle Creek and their little indie darling image. Two dudes who play a variety of instruments in conjunction with their basic guitar/drum duties, the Scenery of Farewell is an acoustic-esque EP that shows that Two Gallants don't just write songs, they write stories put to sprawling musical backgrounds. While I am digging the acoustic EP, I would think they tunes would be more suited to the shitty singer/songwriter night at the local dive bar/coffee shop then any of LA's bright and shiny clubs. Linger On is definitely the tune to check out if you want to get a sample.

-Jonathan Yost

Ivan Ives
Iconoclast
9/10

Not only a white rapper, but a Russian white rapper. WTF, you say? I would agree, but Gee-Whiz this guy knows how to rock the mic right. Flowing between Russian and English is really the only time that Mr. Ives loses me because, well, I don't speak Russian. Put this shit on at your next party and you have just created an instant party mix. SHow all your friends that you have hip hop that they don't play on the radio and earn some instant street cred. Matching an amazing flow with great lyrics and awesome guest-MCs (2Mex, Cappadonna from Wu-Tang) and you have one fucking great album. Symphonic beats make all the girl's undies drop.

-Jonathan Yost

Schoolyard Heroes
Abomination
8/10

Besides the obvious fact that these fools have watched Nightmare Before Christmas way too many times, I not only do not hate Schoolyard Heroes, but I actually like them. It's like a chick-fronted My Chemical Romance but A) their songs of death don't seem to have an air of desperation about them, but more a very unhealthy glee and B) This chick looks way better in makeup. Schoolyard heroes turns the same material into tunes that can easily satisfy fans of the Faint as well as the Hot Topic/Mallrat goth kids that I see running around. Ripping flesh from bone, dancing in graveyards and horror film makeup has never been so much fun.

-Jonathan Yost

Every Time I Die
The Big Dirty
8/10

The new ETID album rocks my socks! Coming off of one best hardcore party albums in a while, (Gutter Phenomenon) you would think they would come with a second class CD. Well, they don’t, The Big Dirty is almost as good as the last. In The Big Dirty they capture not only the old ETID, but an ETID with a little more angry Keith Buckley. Not only is it apparent in his lyrics, its in his voice as well. Songs that really display this are No Son Of Mine, Imitation Is The Sincerest Form Of Battery, and We’rewolf. These guys really know how to come back with great songs and they also know how to keep up they’re own little genre of music, which still to this day no one can classify their style, all we know is that it rocks. This cd has everything from comedy, shredding riffs, wailing drums, romance, and last but not least ROCK! Trust me everyone if you like hardcore, metal, southern rock, or just like to beat the crap out of people in an upbeat way then this cd should be in your collection on September the fourth.

-Abe Gastelum

The Absence -
Riders Of The Plague
5/10

This album is rather mediocre. The reason being is due to the fact The Absence have five guest performances on five different songs , some even have two guests on one song. Anyone can have a good song if you get an all-star team together. Now I don’t mean to put them down completely, the band is still relatively good for the most part; good vocals and good drumming is never bad on a metal record and they definitely have both . They also do a great cover of Into The Pit by the Testaments which is the best track on the album. Another song to listen for would be The Murder, in which they have two guests; one on rhythm guitar and one on lead guitar and banjo. For this record all I am going to say is that anyone can make a good record with multiple cameos from renowned artists. I couldn’t tell if it was a metal cd or if it was just a WOW! Now that’s what I call metal hits compilation.

-Abe Gastelum

Full Blown Chaos
Heavy Lies The Crown
7/10

I am impressed with this cd. This album is very very good I love the fact that they have a few cd’s out and they are still able to give you the feeling that they are underground or undiscovered . Heavy riffs and some great drumming by the brothers Facci help the vocalist that has a good east coast hardcore/ thrash voice really seem intense and metal. Heavy Lies The Crown which is the album title as well as one of the songs that really stand out on this album shows off the talents of all the band members and makes you wonder, “why isn’t thrash big again?” and “why aren’t these guys on more peoples favorite metal bands of now?” Overall this CD is very impressive and I hope more people will start listening to more of Full Blown Chaos.

-Abe Gastelum

Soul Sides Vol. 2: The Covers
Various Artists
Zealous Records

I love Al Green. I love The Beatles. I love it when Al Green covers The Beatles' I want to Hold Your Hand. Soul Sides' second volume is chock full of soulful renditions of songs you may know and a few you wont. With artists that are marginal hitmakers at best, Soul Sides Vol. 2 seems to break open the floodgates of these artists and release 14 of the best covers I have ever heard. Frrom the afro-cuban beats found in Los Mozambiques' cover of Viva Tirado (which also covers Summertime and Can't Take My Eyes Off of You for a cover trifecta) to O.V. Wright's heatbreaking rendition of Let's Straighten It Out, Sould Sides Vol. 2 is perfect for indie hipsters and R&B purists alike to be setting the mood. Instant romantic notions, just add SS Vol. 2.This album's nothing short of spectacular. Go! Go buy it!

-Jonathan Yost

The Lonely H
Hair
In Music We Trust Records
6/10

It's a crying shame these guys came out when they did. The art-pop music of these guys belongs smack dab in 1997. Clean vocal recordings, a solid mix of guitars and straightforward drumming make me think that these guys could have easily been opening for Live or Better Than Ezra. Don't get me wrong, there's nothing particularly bad, annoying or distracting about the Lonely H's mix of indie/blues and rock, it just makes me want to listen to the record collection I had in 10th grade. Yup, 10th grade for me was in '97. Fuck. Now I am mad at these dudes, for making me feel old. Solid tunes, but ten years too late. Sorry, dudes.

-Jonathan Yost

Sonata Arctica
Unia
Nuclear Blast Records
2/10

No. Stop. One of the things I like about Nuclear Blast Records is their track record for releasing brutal and often over-the-top metal that makes me want to dress in all black and stomp around while screaming about Belzebub. What this does is make me want to play Final Fantasy. There's times that they get so close to being metal that the dudes in Nile get a little spring in their step, but then they fall flat on their sissy faces with pussy wussy synth sounds and power ballads that need more power. It sounds like some dude tried to make a metal album in GarageBand, complete with shitty drum loops and weird synthesizers that have no place in there. The only thing that makes it get any points whatsoever is the guitarist. The damned guitars sound like a chainsaw at times, which is, needless to say, awesome! The rest of it, not so much.

- Jonathan Yost

Coolzey
Soixante-Neus
Help Records
9/10

This dude needs to get more popular so I can say, "Oh, yea, I've got both of his EPs, I knew that dude would be popular." It's fucking good tunes. A little bit of 80's hip hop/rap with far better production values. Oh, and he's from the Stereo M.C.s, and he's white, and he's from the midwest. But, even with the genetic handicap, these 6 songs make me wanna be that goofy white dude who tries to rap along with the album and make an ass out of myself. Yea yea. Oh, and that frenchy gobbledygook, yea, that's French for 69. Rad.

-Jonathan Yost

Benzos
Branches
Stinky Records
8/10

Dude, it was six songs into the damned album before I realized I had put it on. That's how completely unobstrusive this thing is. That is not a bad thing. Well, maybe wanting to take a nap while doing 85 on the freeway was a bad thing. It's like a slightly more edgy Album Leaf, with dreamy arrangements with repeated melodies layered with jazzy beats. The vocals are a bonus, because I can A) understand the lyrics and B) aren't all nasal, i.e. any current pop-rock band. While I can't find anything wrong with it, I can't really say this album rules because it's just too soothing. Therapeutic indie ambience? You know what, if you buy it, you won't be bummed out.

A Means to an End
Who cares what it's called?
1/10

Think rabid wolverines screaming over a goth club mix. That's Means to an End. I think my means to an end is this here eject button.

-Jonathan Yost

The Toasters
One More Bullet
Stomp Records
8/10

I want to grab a beer with anyone who makes music like this. Shit's so upbeat, you know these guys are just too fucking cool. With the Hammond Organ warbling and the horns a tootin', this has everything the ska kid needs in his life. "Where's the Freedom" is a good dash of politics to keep all the 16 year old punk kids who read too much Voltaire into it, while not being so fucking preachy as to offer any slogans fit for a t-shirt. And, you know what, for having been around as long as they have, I'm stoked that they kick ass much ass as they do. And mind you, this is coming from a man who is seriously not a particularly huge fan of ska, but this rules pretty good.

-Jonathan Yost

Kleveland
Kleveland
Pamplemoose Records
5/10

Bar-rock. If I had ten Heinekens in me, I'd be that dude moshing by himself in the corner. But without my beer-ears, I hear fairly simple and basic chick-fronted rock music. None of the drums are anything more advanced than what you can learn in three months, the guitars are straightword and the basslines don't try to dazzle you with any bells and whistles. Now, that's not to say they are boring, but when I can hum along without ever hearing it before, there's something to be desired. I can see chicks who want a little more oomph than most of your female leads digging on this, but personally, I'd rather just dream of less dirty rocker girls...seriously, anyone who doesn't want to bang Gwen Stefani likes dudes and only dudes.

-Jonathan Yost

Underminded
ElevenEleven
Uprising Records
6.5/10

Another band pissed off about God knows what screaming about I don't care. The drums melt my face and the guitars come along to shit on my remains. The bass is pretty trampled on by the drums, but that could also be my shitty speakers. The vocals are hard to make out, but I think the singer may, just may, be singing in Klingon. Now, listening to this gives me an insight into the reason behind hardcore dancing. When something this furious sounding is yelling at you like you're a fucking disease ridden marmot, you'd probably flail around, too. I wonder what it would be like to do it while listening to this...wait, maybe not.

-Jonathan Yost

Sexton Blake
Sings the Hits
Expunged Records
3/10

More like Sexton Blake makes pussy wussy versions of already pussy wussy eighties songs. Starts off with a fucking crybaby version of the Boss' Hungry Heart, and then delves into fucking up LL Cool J's I need Love and even attempts to do Elton John's Daniel, but without the sequins to back it up. I mean, seriously. Why? And I want Mr. Blake to respond. Why did you make this is this manner? Are you just that in touch with your feminine side? Get a distortion pedal and we'll talk.

-Jonathan Yost

Sean Na Na
Family Trees or Cope We Must
Dim Mak Records
7.5/10

These dudes are so effing happy. I'm sitting here, trying to be emo and brood about my favorite sweater getting a hole in it, and these assholes are cheering me up. What the fuck is that? I thought the musical trend was the slit your wrists and black your balls or whatever. Not make dancy pop-rock that makes me less likely to kill myself. Shit. What good tunes for a party mix. Bonus points for use of a vertically folded insert and the phrase "Coke Peppered Weed Mustache" behind the disc. Also, Nixon in a grave on the cover. You lose points for finishing off with a depressing ballad with bad grammar: "we don't got no hope, we're at the end of our rope". And another for making want to add extra "na"s to your name, i.e. Sean na na na nananananananananananananana. Jerks.

-Jonathan Yost

Gerald Collier
How Can There Be Another Day? Demos and B-Sides
In Music We Trust Records
8/10

First off, Gerald, you get three bonus points for having a chick with a great (and exposed!) rack on the cover. I always enjoy free smut with my albums. Next off, thanks for singing in a voice that's not only pleasant, but in which I can understand the lyrics. Collier's own tunes intertwine seamlessly with the covers of tunes such as Elton John's Rocket Man and Rolling Stones Jigsaw Puzzle. His voice does all the tunes justice, and the guitar work of Bill Bernhard is perfectly deliberate. Timeless tunes from a band that no longer exists. Great songwriting and amazing covers provide for an album that you should buy if you really do enjoy listening to songs that mean something.

-Jonathan Yost

Hopesfall
Magnetic North
Trustkill Records
6/10

While I can understand the lyrics, which, as many of you known, is my main bitch about hard music, but on he first track, it's more of a NickelBack style of raspy desperation than anything else. Fortunately for both them and me, it gets better. Vacation/ Add/ Vacation shows some form of mastery of music that is missing from other bands lumped into the same ____Core genre. And thank God that they aren't make-up wearing glammy glam glam rockers who make me want to beat them up just because I can. A couple of these dudes look pretty burly.

-Jonathan Yost

Northern State
Can I Keep This Pen?
Ipecac Records
8/10

When asked to describe Northern State, I have to say that they resemble either a chick version of the Beastie Boys, or a rap version, sans feminist rah rah, of Bikini Kill/Le Tigre. Super fun, maybe not for the hardcore hip hop fans, but for someone who likes their beats carefree with some good punchlines, Northern State's where it's at. Random rhymes are always fun, but when these chicks, especially Hesta Prynn, start rhyming about getting it on, well, I want to get it on. Hesta, you down?

-Jonathan Yost

Artist: Bad Religion
Album: New Maps of Hell
Label: Epitaph
Release Date: 7/10/07
Rating: 10.00/10.00

For fucks sake, 27-years is a long, long god damned time to making anything, and it's almost impossible to make anything for that long and have it worthwhile. At this point, Bad Religion should not work: Most music acts grow stagnant and irrelevant after about 8 years. They've added too many cooks, and too many cooks are supposed to spoil the broth. They haven't messed with the formula that's basically the standard for punk music today, only pinched and tweaked in here and there, yet...

New Maps of Hell may very well be the cornerstone of a career that's seen more than it's fair share of ups and downs. No one does melodic like this. No one. It still has bite, it still has prominence, and it's still captivating.

Here's what you do, and young bands, take note: Bad Religion. That's all you need to know. Bad Religion. No one does it better. Maybe no one has ever done it better. I say a little less Led Zeppelin revival, a little more Bad Religion emulation.

The album starts off slightly slow, but right at "New Dark Ages" you realize that this is a classic. Bad Religion have gone and released yet another classic album.

At points it slows down, but this...this is a band that's hungry for it all over again. Who, throughout every song you can hear it, are guys who just grew tired of hearing the same songs on the radio, who got tired of music not having soul and depth, and set out to prove that rock can still be dangerous, and intelligent all in the same 40 minutes. With sixteen tracks, it's a worry this might get a bit murky, but in never does. At the points it does slow down for a brief second (see the end of 'Submission Complete') they go and hit you with a piano intro, and then a wailing, desperate solo in the truly inspiring 'Fields of Mars.'

There's something about the formula that Bad Religion has done, that gives you an idea of what to expect, but at the same time....it's completely fresh. In a time frame where whats happening around us in this world take a back seat to inconsequential agendas, there's a reminder lurking in (New Maps...). A reminder that slowly, we seem to be slipping back into the Dark Ages. With every strip mall, with every decision to forgo college for a quicker dime, and with every crooked politician that blind sides you with distorted media coverage...we are simply losing touch with reality, and slipping back into the dark ages.

Yet, from a band that's been consistently doing this for over a quarter of a century with this type of bite, and urgency when the people they've influenced have gone on to try and express deeper "artistic merit" (sell records) I think we're due for a Renaissance. And I think it starts with a kick in the ass, and 38 minutes of rock and roll.

God bless Bad Religion.

aaron@racketmag.com

ACUTE
Arms Around a Stranger
Help Records

Now, don't get me wrong. I'm into the whole "mellow music" thing, but there is something about this album I just cannot get into. It makes me feel like I should be in a taxi cab looking out of the window with tears pouring down my cheeks, hoping my man is chasing after me on a bicycle. I'm sure the lyrics are good, but I cannot be 100% sure, considering most of the instruments overpower his soft voice. Plus, it sounds too much like a chick flick soundtrack to pay too much attention. Although it does seem to be the type of CD that could grow on you overtime, just don't expect instant infatuation.

Chasing Victory
Fiends
Mono Vs Stereo
8.5/10

It seems that Chasing Victory’s Friends goes from crappy to AMAZING. I want to go out and buy this CD just for the booklet.  I didn't know who Chasing Victory was but now I want to go out and learn more about them.  My favorite songs on the CD were Janus, Fiends, and Zombies.  I would recommend this CD as the CD for May. It kind of reminded me of Bomb Child, if any of you know who that is.  Any way go buy this it was well worth the hour.
What really stood out to me was that every song was different. It wasn't the CD that you put on once and you know all the words and you knew all the different sound but this CD you have to listen to several times to really get the full experience.  Some of the songs were very repetitive and boring but then others had no words repeated.
Much of the work the band did on this album paid off. The singer had a voice that would change in every song and it always sounded great. This CD was crazy good and don't pass up the chance to buy this.

The Arcade Fire
Neon Bible
Merge
8/10

Stop the fucking presses. "Keep The Car Running" embodies everything that has made the Arcade Fire so completely entertaining, and reviving.

That said, at times, Neon Bible completely obliterates it's predecessor, Funeral. There's nothing that has changed too much on Neon Bible. It's a similar formula, with a twist (Robot Chicken, anyone...anyone?).

What's really intriguing about this CD is the promotion tactic: In late December 2006, they launched a phone number, toll free of course, (866) NEON BIBLE. Calling the number leads you to an extension (7777) which plays the US Single "Black Mirror".

The lyrics are just as introspective and soul baring as can be expected from Arcade Fire. The songs are textured, and layered so thick that it really builds a nearly euphoric and surreal atmosphere. The haunting back-up vocals truly send a slight shiver down your spine at moments.

Yet, when the Arcade Fire miss, they miss by a god damned mile. There are a few tracks that go on too long, wear thin the idea, or just simple don't fit the context of the album. I think this is a problem that's plagued Arcade Fire on both albums.

All in all, this album is a great follow up to their monumental break-through, Funeral. I didn't think they could, yet this new album is baroque pop at it's freshest. I thought it was too tall an order, but I was proven wrong. It feels damn good to be wrong.

Alesana
On Frail Wings of Vanity and Wax
Fearless
6/10

Any band that has two vocalists is bound to be interesting. Just when the tiger-like shrills get to be too much, it stops and switches to some different vocals. It gives you enough sound variation from song to song for you to tell that many musical tastes were brought to the table when making this album. I for one can say that I am pleased, and give On Frail Wings of Vanity and Wax a round of applause for keeping me into it with it's delicately dark, yet catchy, lyrics.

Grinderman
Grinderman
Anti-/Mute
7/10

Crunchy, scuzzy, and a complete blanket in well thought-out experimentation from a group of musicians that are no strangers to the world of music: Grinderman, comprised of basically Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds (in fact, most the members were in the Bad Seeds... including Nick Cave himself). So it raises the question, why not call it "Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds"?

The answer is simple, in the words of Martyn Casey: "It wasn't cautiously two fingers two maturity, but I remember thinking, all the way through, this isn't bad for a bunch of old farts."

Indeed, it isn't. Each of these seasoned musicians know their way around a pop melody, and in Grinderman, they combine that element with Nick Caves' English-Twinged baritone voice and his nearly caustic (and sometimes dirty) beat-poetry lyrics.

Touches of ambiance, combined with all things grunge, Grinderman is an excellent adaptation and extension of what these musicians have been doing all these years. Somehow, in all the instrument beating, there are very well layered and well conceived gems. (I Don't Need You) Set Me Free hits the mark completely.

The only drawback lies with Nick Cave, as he isn't everyone's cup of tea. While prolific, he almost seems to set out for obscurity with Grinderman, and at times I can't shake the feeling that this project could've been a little bit better.

As obscure as it aims to be, it does prove a few things about Grinderman: They are completely satisfied with themselves, and haven't lost the love of making music.

All in all, it's raw and gritty. Defined and detailed, young settling in with maturity.

Sound The Alarm
Closer
Geffen
6/10

I have a soft spot in my heart for sugary sweet pop-punk. So somehow, in a
strange, sick, and utterly disgusting way, Sound the Alarm's "Stay Inside"
resonates pretty well with me.

To be honest, when they sing the line "All imitations, we except", it's kind
of funny, because they aren't exactly the most original band...but
something tells me that they know this well, and could really care less.
Having been together since they were twelve, they have a good ear for each
other and play well together.

At times the lyrics are just too contrived, and the sugary elements are enough so to give the listener a touch of the diabetes. They
are currentally on tour with New Found Glory, and therefore in good company.

Let it be said, they've got nothing but potential, and are actually putting
said potential to use. I wish them well, and wouldn't mind catching them live. But overall, unless you really need that pop-y fix, this really isn't anything you really need to rush out and buy. But, when your girlfriend up and leaves you...throw on "Suffocated", or the title track "Stay Inside" which I don't care who calls me a queer for liking, is a damn good song.

 Fucking bitch girlfriends always leaving.

The Love Me Nots
In Black and White
Atomic A Go Go
4.5/10

When I first threw this album on I instantly realized I had seen/heard this band before and I was elated, the euphoria quickly vanished when I realized that was the Yeah Yeah Yeah’s and not the Love Me Nots. (Easy mistake) Throughout the album all I could think about was how bad I wanted to watch James Bond because this entire album made me think about was the cheesy intro songs to the early Bond flicks. Light up some drugs, maybe a lava lamp or two, instant bond intro classic. Their only saving grace was the fact that this came in Vinyl form, which was sweet and more bands need to do that. Maybe Go-Go isn’t my thing but I honestly did not enjoy this album one bit. In fact, it will probably never leave my shelf again, unless The Love Me Nots come to Los Angeles and in that case I would offer their album back to them.

Mad Caddies
Keep It Going
Fat Wreck
9/10

Awesome. Just fucking awesome. It takes a ska album a whole lot for me to like it, let alone listen to it for a day straight. The cover of Ridin’ for a fall is plenty enough, but add great tunes such as Today and I’m fucking set. Songs about continually saying you’ll change your life around? Who hasn’t been there? I’m not usually for the ska/reggae deal, but this is just an awesome album. Switching from damn near mariachi basslines to rad ska-punk crazy shit, this album keeps you entertained. The Mad Caddies are fucking rad.

Eisley
Room Noises
Warner/Reprise
8/10

Eisley’s bio will tell you that they have been together ten years—easier to believe if you haven’t seen their pictures. They all look so young! But once you hear their beautiful, soulful and sweet songs, it is clear that they are the product of long collaboration or long suffering. Or, like most good art, maybe both.

They are a family band made up of the five DuPrees, two brothers and three sisters (probably the only way they could have been collaborating for ten years in their early 20’s). They have toured with some larger market bands (Coldplay, Snow Patrol, The Fray), and while that is clearly an excellent game plan, I hope that they are able to headline their own tour soon.

There are a lot of good things to say about Room Noises. The melodies are simple and the lyrics are uplifting and hopeful. The instrumentation, while also simple, isn’t simplistic. My favorite parts of the album are the sisters’ hauntingly beautiful vocal harmonies. They are well layered, not too complex, and the dynamics are well-executed.

Their “sounds like” section on their MySpace page was way too funny not to include in this review. It happens to be not only accurate, but also very Racket-like. Please enjoy and realize that I didn’t write this, but wish I had:

"Indie rock, (on a major; but that's just a style vs. status issue). Emotional but not Emo (stop saying emo). Pop, but not so popular (Warhol did pop in a commercial way. Rauchenberg did pop in fine art way). Soul-ful but not Soul (cuz like...no booty). Dream-pop, but not a Dreamsicle (well, maybe... if dark chocolate replaced the vanilla interior). Alt (because AP magazine says so.) but not alternative... Maybe if the Fathers of "Alt" endorsed it, but Stipe or Cobaine will never agree. Haunting, but not in an evil way… not like a scary, scary clown. Folkish, but not country. Catchy - like when you catch a fishy. Moody but not e-whiney. Melodic - yes. very. Rock, but take it out of the rock-tumbler after only 3 days (more than that and they get too polished).”

I really couldn’t say it better myself.

Feist
The Reminder
Cherry Tree/Interscope
8/10

Feist has done, in less than a week, what most artists will not accomplish in their entire careers. This fresh, crisp collection that is a little bit Cat Power, a little bit Fiona Apple, but is clearly something entirely new. It encapsulates such a signature sound, not resulting solely from Leslie Feist’s undeniably intense and recognizable vocals, but from a solid instrumentation that complements rather than drowns out.

The tracks are varied in emotion and depth, which makes it the perfect candidate for a ‘straight-through’ listening album. My (current) favorite tracks are I Feel It All, a hand clapping tune much in the tradition of Mushaboom, (and equally enjoyable), and Limit To Your Love, which is pensive and moving without being sad. And, as might be expected, Leslie’s vocal control and lyrical observations are impressive on every single track.

I’ll admit: the album Let It Die, especially the single, was so special to me that I was hesitant to let the new album in. But I’m glad I did, and you will be too. It’s sometimes heartfelt, sometimes rock/glam. Just like you, pumpkin.

By the way, lucky fellow Los Angeles residents, she’s coming June 29th to the Wiltern.

The Format
Dog Problems
The Vanity Label
8/10

Okay, so I know I’m going to sound like I’m jumping on the already crowded bandwagon of this amazing, er… band, but I swear I fell in love with this record from the second its dulcet tones touched my ravaged ears. You want to play the tuba on a pop record? Cool. How about a cello, violin, viola (no, that’s not a typo, its a separate instrument), sax, trumpet, trombone, AND tuba? Stellar!

Look, I’m from Memphis, and for those of you who don’t know what that means to pop albums with a horn section, then you need to stop reading immediately and go listen to the entire Stax catalog, particularly Booker T. & the MG’s. Seriously. Your only other option is to stop pretending to be a music fan.

For those of you that do know the Memphis sound, you know that horns + pop = cool! And when it is done well, it is such a beauty. The Format does it well, and has decent writing chops to boot. The lyrics are thoughtful and playful, musing ironically at the disappointments in life while at the same time celebrating being in love as only the young can. The arrangements are mature and well thought out, and the production is simple, clean, and (thank you Jesus) not overdone.

It was a sure highlight of my musical year to finally buy this album, and I suggest that you do too! It will make you happy, and who doesn’t want to be happy!?

Also, check out their fun dog-flying themed website for hours of entertainment and… dog-flying!

Fair To Midland
Fables from a Mayfly: What I Tell you Three Times is True
Universal
6/10

Okay, let me open this review with this honest fact: I am not really into this kind of music. Of course, I have very diverse tastes and listen to lots of different kinds of music, blah blah blah, but this is just not the type of thing I would voluntarily buy or download or listen to. Therefore I do not by any stretch of the imagination consider myself an expert in this area of review.

With that being said, this EP did surprise me quite a bit. Overall, the vocals are unique and interesting, and while I personally can’t really deal with the dark talk/screamy vocals going on in Dance of the Manatee, lots of people are into that, so more power to them. It’s at least well done screamy.

Now, the track Tall Tales Taste Like Sour Grapes is not only cleverly named, but also has this great driving beat that kind of carries the whole song. Again, the vocals are solid, but there might actually be a little too much guitar effect… the verdict is still out on that one. My favorite track from the EP, however, is Walls of Jericho. The melody in the chorus is downright beautiful, and the instrumentation doesn’t drown out the lyrics.

All in all, the production is flawless, the tracks are well arranged, and the songs are catchy and melodic (Not to mention, the members of the band that I met were cool as shit). Why isn’t it my favorite? Please refer to the opening paragraph.

The Fold
Secrets Keep You Sick
Tooth And Nail
6/10

Boring. Not bad, just boring. However, they do earn bonus points for not being annoying. You think Tooth and Nail, you think preachy, but it’s not. As background tunes, it’s fine. Once I tried to listen to it, I got frustrated and went on to do other things while it played. It must have played a couple times through without me thinking “Damn, didn’t I hear this shit already?” But, I’m over it. Gunna go watch Raines.

Kaddisfly
Set Sail The Prairie
SubCity Records
7/10

I have no idea what the hell is going on with this album. Swimming from the more airy tunes of Incubus to the emo-stylings of The Red Jumpsuit Apparatus, Kaddisfly keeps me guessing how to even describe them, let alone putting them in a convenient little label. Why won’t these fucks just play by the rules? Let me see what I can do to describe the tunes. The keyboards sound like they’re tripping balls, there’s some ethereal guitar sounds and the sine wave of calm/spaz vocals are the perfect accompaniment to any art student’s drug fueled exploration of their bi-polar psyche. Check out Silk Road to see what I’m talking about, cuz what I’m saying certainly doesn’t make any damned sense. Not bad, but enraging in their fluidity.

-Jonathan Yost

Fall Out Boy
Infinity On High
Island
6/10

FUUUUUUCKKKK!!! Now, I’ve never hated Fall Out Boy as a band, but I’ve hated them as an ideal. Poppy fuck music made by scrawny, tatted up dudes who spend more time and money on their hair/clothes than I do on rent and brings the Niagra to all the 15 year old scene sluts’ undies. That’s what I hate. I also hate that I like about 68.3% of this album. Songs that have sweet violin intros are generally fine by me, and FOB’s got one. Kickass basslines, yup, in there. Catchy beats that count as too many people’s guilty pleasure, you got it. But, there is also songs like I’m like a Lawyer with the Way I’m Always Trying to Get You Off, which, despite it’s quite clever name, is just filler.
            While Thnks fr th Mmrs shuns vowels, it doesn’t shun that aforementioned violin intro. Maybe it should shun the thirty second intervals between rock ass and suck ass. But, again, kudos for the gratuitous use of handclaps. Fall Out Boy is that much closer to being a real boy. Soon, Racket will have nothing to make fun of. No, that’s not true.

-Jonathan Yost

The Terrible Twos
If You Ever See An Owl
Poquito
8/10

The New Amsterdams take a cue from They Might Be Giants and create a kids album that anyone can enjoy. This isn’t some annoying song about looking both ways before crossing the street, and there’s certainly no fat pervs in purple dino suits. Great tunes with G-rated lyrics about cool kids, owls, and not growing up. What it comes down to is a fantastic sing-along album for all the aging hipsters who want their kids to get hooked on good music, but whose kids aren’t quite ready for The Get Up Kids Beer for Breakfast. Check it out, it’s good times.

-Jonathan Yost

Bloodjinn
This Machine Runs on Empty
Pluto/East West
5/10

Now, I’m not particularly thrilled about this, but Kyle Rakes fucking shreds on the guitar and brings some metal-ass shit to the shitty hardcore table. Joel Collins sings with the voice of all the world’s sins. Bad times. If not for those sweet meedly-meedly solos tearing through the uber-compressed double kick drums and annoying vocal grit, this would have been a shinny little target in a skeet range. With guitars: bearable, without guitars: skeet skeet.

- Jonathan Yost

Seamonster
White Whale EP
Self-Released
8/10

Comic Artist Todd Webb & Co. spread their creative wings to create Seamonster. Taking a surreal adventure through aqueous sounds and tripped out vocals, White Whale is what to listen to while you’re either getting high in the bathtub or moping about some girl who has no idea you exist. Advancing across the soundscape, the tunes make you look inwards to help give them meaning. Seamonster is a solid bet for those who are connoisseurs of music you won’t hear on the radio.

- Jonathan Yost

Take Action Tour 2007 Comp
Hopeless/SubCity
7/10

I love these CDs. I get to check out tons of bands for cheap as fuck. It also gives me the peace of mind knowing the bands with sentence fragments as names are as pretentious and/or horribly shitty as I was led to believe by their blood-splattered logos and the tight-jeaned fashion victims that sport them. Between the pop-rock of Meg and Dia and the non-sensical screaming of It Dies Today lies a benefit to a great cause, the Youth America Hotline. Having friends who have taken their own lives, I wish I would have known about this earlier, which is why I support the Take Action Tour, even if it has bands I could care less about this year. Go support as well. Buy the CD.

-Jonathan Yost

Modest Mouse
We Were Dead Before The Ship Even Sank
Epic
9/10

By now we're all well acquainted with a few things about Modest Mouse’s new album, "We Were Dead Before The Ship Even Sank". It's now the number one selling album in the world (scanning nearly 130,000 copies in it's first week), it's the first album they've released since 2004 (probably because they knew "Float On" was still stuck in everyone's head.) Oh, and some dude named Marr from some band called the Smiths, or something, played on the record, and is some kind of honorary member.

To be honest, it's hard to get around the fact that the guitarist for one of the most influential bands of recent memory is now an active member of a band still (almost fourteen years later) cutting it's teeth on the fabric of today’s modern pop culture.

There is really a few missteps, and most obvious to me is the beginning bass intro to the anthemic song, Fire It Up:  I can't place my finger on it, but I can assure you it’s something I've heard from Modest Mouse before. At times, it gets almost too eclectic (Steam Engenius). But in the end, I truly have to say, this is a new Modest Mouse.

You can hear it in singer Isaac Brocks voice, on every song, that he doesn't worry about sounding pretty, that every word he says, he means it. It's almost impossible to pick out Johnny Marrs’ contributions, which delights me to no end, because instead of him simply outshining the band, he melds into them, providing a wall of bouncing riffs, echoed off Brock’s raw and unique vocal deliveries.
Where Modest Mouse succeeds, I think the most, is their formula. They have this unrivaled knack for making an album that sounds incredibly accessible, simple, and at the same time unapproachable and complex. They are in short, the masters of simple complexity.

The passion alone is felt strongest in tracks like Parting of The Sensory, Florida, Spitting Venom and Fly Trapped in a Jar, where Brock and company loosely explore a theme of characters like "Flat Top" Tony, and Gary, of Nautical Russian origins. Instead of each song sounding the same, they take simple time measures and loop the story together with reoccurring lyrical themes, all the while making each song distinctly different from the other. At one point, they even sound like Elvis meeting an acid-trip (Steam Engenius). It gives me hope for the future of music; I do feel we're in for a turn. Pop-punk has long since faded, and those left merely attempt to "cross-over" into pop sensations. There’s more substance in "We Were Dead..." than there is in an entire back catalog of bands like Medina Lake, or Avenged Sevenfold.

Get along for the ride. If a band that’s been around this long can completely reinvent themselves, while still maintaining what it is that makes them them, then I have to believe there’s hope.

Aaron Hale (Aaron@racketmag.com)

Oh No! Not Stereo!
Oh No Not Stereo EP
Takeover Records

The All-American Rejects on steroids… slightly heavier, more distorted, about equal in shitiness.

When the CD started playing I said “Oh No,” then I took it out… Seriously, you can buy this CD on Amazon.com for $0.92. I say keep the money, save up 7 more cents, buy two Jack N’ The Box tacos, that way the shit you flush down the toilet will be worth
something.
-Adam Spraker

Pablo
Half The Time
Curb Appeal

Pablo, despite the name which somehow leaves a bad taste in my mouth, was quite impressive with their folk sing-a-long style of song writing, reminiscent of the older days of My Morning Jacket or Damien Rice. I left it in my cd player for a good week.

Listen to this cd with your girlfriend, she’ll love them, and she’ll love you for loving them too.
-Adam Spraker

See You Next Tuesday
Parasite
Ferret

How can you not love a band that has song titles like “Good Christians don’t get Jiggy With it Til after Mariage,” and “Honey, I’ve Never had Sex That Wasn’t Akward?” I mean seriously you got to give them points for trying, but in the end they are just some kids who play fast and know how to yell… wont change the world, just add more shitty metal to it.

P.S. I bet they wear girl pants
-Adam Spraker

The Annuals
Be He Me
Ace Fu

This album is really catchy, and the band is really talented, but you know how sometimes you are listening to a CD and you think you’ve heard the song before, but it really is just that every one of their songs sounds exactly same? Yeah, Annuals suffers from that, but that ONE song is good (Doesn’t matter the name really since they are sound alike). So much potential, I say pick them up in like 2 or 3 years cause the singer is only 20.

And if your like me and like band comparisons, I’d say they sound like Arcade Fire, and maybe… no, they are pretty much are Arcade Fire rip-offs.
-Adam Spraker

One Man Army and the Undead Quartet
Error In Evolution
Nuclear Blast
7/10

Everyone needs some metal in their life. That's a fact that has been documented in many a Biology Textbook and book of faith. One Man Army and the Undead Quartet (one of the most ridiculous names ever) brings the metal spoken of in the book of Rock. The Alice Cooper cover of He's Back doesn't hurt.

The Icarus Line
Black Lives At the Golden Coast
Dim Mak
7/10

What the fuck? Did The Icarus Line seriously cover Giant Drag's Slayer? Fuck. My love of cover songs gets the best of me again! Despite what comes off as a rad cover of a rad song, the rest of the album is quite obviously art music for art fags. Recorded solely on tape, like the subtle nuances will be noticed as kids rip that shit into inadequate MP3 formats. However, unlike the Mars Volta's 60 minute static solos, the Icarus Line keeps the fluttering guitars and lack of harmonies going steady throughout. You dig the Mars Volta, but aren't high 24/7, this may be your gig.

The Shins
Wincing the Night Away
Sub Pop

Ah, The Shins. Where would you be without Zach Braff?

Ok, not fair, especially since this album assures us that their talent is solid. Yet, maybe in a limited sense, since… oops, it sounds like they accidentally remade one of their previous records.

To be fair, maybe they got really excited by their ever-increasing fame and subsequently panicked… Or maybe they weren’t quite finished with Oh, Inverted World, so this is the second half. Whatever the case might be, I don’t think they were too concerned with making this album sound completely “original”… although, what’s the alternative? Make an album that does not sound like the Shins?

At any rate, this is a good record. The opening track, Sleeping Lessons– and, incidentally, the song they (surprise!) opened with at their in-store Amoeba records disaster show last month—softly coerces you into listening to it (and the rest of the album) very intently. James Mercer begins by singing over a digital loop and, as boring as that possibly sounds, the effect is pretty cool. What can I say? It’s nicely done.

Phantom Limb, a.k.a. Track 4, and perhaps the most Oh, Inverted World sounding track, also happens to be one of my favorite on the album despite a catchy “O-O-O” melody that will leave you cursing—or perhaps enjoying— it in your head for the rest of the day.

There are some definite gems on the album that will no doubt invade mixed tapes for some time to come. So yes, the entire album is like an addendum to Oh, Inverted World… but I don’t hate them for it. And although it’s not the most urgent or fresh thing out there right now, it’s still a good set of tunes.

The good news is: If you like The Shins, you will like this record.

Go figure.

-Dawn Apang

Billy Reese Peters
Almost Heaven
No Idea Records
10/10

In all the time I've wrote for Racket, I've got a lot of free c.d's, and that's on of the best perks I think anybody could ever get. A lot of the time. it's very shitty, and I mean SHITTY metal c.d's, or something equally cringing. But a few days ago, I got a package from No Idea Records. Even a bad No Records release is better then most good one's from other labels. This is the indie label that can. Look at some of the bands they've helped "break":
Against Me!
Hot Water Music
Planes Mistaken For Stars
etc.
The list goes on. I've got to feel somehow they are the freshest label out there. They have a knack for just releasing some of the most amazing records. Then theres Billy Reese Peters "Almost Heaven". Let me sum up a lot of things with this simple statement: if the Hold Steady are the bastard children of Bruce Springsteen and Thin Lizzy, then Billy Reese Peters are the drunken, wide eye'd, kick-in-the-ass drunken cousins of the Hold Steady meeting AC/DC with a shot of coke, a fifth of Jack, and a slap in the face of the "Gainsville movement."

Plain and simple, this is delicious, sweaty, booze and smoke induced rock and roll. Never has an album cover done a c.d this much justice. It makes me realize that I personally want to live this uninhibited. Beat my bare chest, and run naked through a field while drinking cheap Tequilla. The third track, "Mexico" is simply put, the best Anthem since another No Idea Alumni, Against Me!'s "We Laugh At Danger (And Break All The Rules)

If you're not listening to this, you're missing a movement. A movement of singing with your best friends to the greatest rock n' roll possible. A movement that's a mere tribute to inhibition, and youth. This is a tribute to those nights you can't really recal due to too many shots of Jager, and chasers of New Castle. This is the tribute to waking up next to the fat chick you picked up at the bar, and this is a tribute first and foremost...to believing that production values, and "artsy" faux pas DON'T make a good record.
Cheers to you, Billy Reese Peters, if this is Almost Heaven, then it's good enough for me.
-Aaron Hale (aaron@racketmag.com)

Cold War Kids
Rivianna Junction
Downtown Records

Who doesn’t love the intro for the Cold War Kids opening song, We Used To Vacation? If somehow you don’t, I want to meet you. And then kick you in the face.

The album starts out strong, and doesn’t disappoint. I’m sure you might be thinking, why, oh why, would I want to listen to another critics’ darlings’ indie wonder-band? But really, these Kids are really onto something with their swaying, funky, southern, bluesy rock. They remind me of the White Stripes in the best way possible (especially Hospital Beds and Saint John), even if they do slightly abuse their tambourine privileges...

Hospital Beds is definitely one of the band’s strongest tracks; it succeeds in saying a lot while only really saying a little. Here are some of the lyrics:

I've got one friend
laying across from me
I did not choose him
he did not choose me
we've got no chance of recovery
Sharing hospital
joy and misery
joy and misery

Overall, their album Robbers and Cowards is a solid effort from a band that has released three EPs and still sports a pretty embarrassing cover version of Fiona Apple’s Fast As You Can on their website (although, arguably any boy trying to sing Fiona Apple is an effort that’s bound to end in tears; if you’ve ever seen Jamie Randolph and the Bloodsuckers play live, you know what I mean. But, I digress).

Getting back to the point, this band’s music is like something you feel like you’ve heard before—but in a comforting way. It’s like meeting someone for the first time and realizing you have something in common. Ok, asshole, too cheesy for you? The Cold War Kids have created music that is convicted and dare I say passionate… for instance, the track Passing the Hat reminds me of Spanish dancers and redemption. See what I mean!? No? Sounds like you need to listen to it again.

By Dawn Apang

Alkaline Trio
Remains
Vagrant
CD=/9.8/10, DVD 8/10

It's not often that a band who has built it's solid foundation in the, for lack of a more appropriate term: underground, has the type of longevity that the Alkaline Trio have. But in that own right, they've accrued much praise, and almost as much criticism, as once stated on this site for the Heavens review "Matt Skiba could fart on a bus, and some shit-suck kid would say "His farting was so much cooler back in the 'Maybe I'll Catch Fire' days."

But while they've garned that criticism, they've also got one of the most devote and rabid cult followings the world over. Something had to happen for them to earn that, and this second collection of B-sides shows us why.

Part of the fun, part of the mystique of the Trio has, and always be the songs that never make the albums, for whatever reason. "Jaked on Green Beers" being one of the most blatant exsamples. That song is one of the most explosive tracks this band has ever recorded. At the climax of the song, you can hear it in Matt Skiba's waining voice, as he screams "I hope this is good-bye". You believe him. You goddamned believe him.

This review is going to bias to a point: those of you who know me, know that I perpetually wear my heart on my sleeve (The Trio symbol) and for very personal reasons, this band has meant to me more then I could ever iterate to you, the readers of Racket, and that's a shame.

B-sides are usually a dirty word. Songs that weren't "good enough" (read: no profitability) for a full length. It shows a side of our favorite bands that often get lost in translation: recording very, very bad ideas. But here, it's vastly different.

As I mentioned, this is Alkaline Trio's second b-side collection. The first is heraled by fans of the band, almost unanynomously as their finest work.

"Remains" shows us that everything that made this band work, from the broad differences in style of both vocalists (Dan Andriano/bass, and Matt Skiba/guitar, respectivley) the clever word play "I'm not much of a jester, but I'd test poison food for you." to the cartoonishly, and massivley enjoyable "bless me dark father, I have sinned." It's all here. Everything that shouldn't work for a band, works for them.

The contrasts between Matt Skiba and Dan Andriano are great. But I guess opposites really do attrack, because I couldn't fathom it any other way. Comparing the two of them, to me, is like comparing Elvis to the Beatles. Even if you like both, you tend to side more with one or the other. It's never an equal appreciation, and that's what makes this band so fun, and unique.

It's my belief that music lacks sincerity. When I hear a song, It's very hard for me to believe it. It's kind of like in the movie "Walk The Line" when the owner of Sun tells Johnny Cash "If you were lying in a ditch dying, and you had one time to sing a song, one song, a song that let God, and everyone else know about your time on this earth, what would you sing?" Thats the criteria I hold for many bands, and songs.

But I believe it here. It's hard, too, to say that, because this is the same band that dresses very different from how they did when they were humble Chicago kids.

The hard part though, is the selling point of this CD. I feel a strong duty here, not just as some schmuck assed writer for Racket, but as a fan, that I should give you a reason as to why this should be a purchase for you.

If you're a fan, you've most likely heard most of these songs. Especially as it gets closer to the end of the disc, with several songs still very accessible on the One Man Army split.

So heres why you should buy this disc. In essence, the packaging is unrivaled. You get very good, very funny liner notes for each song. You get the lyrics to all their originals. Most of the songs contain liner notes from all three band members (Derek Grant/Drummer doesn't appear in the liner notes until Jaked on Green Beers, which is the first song he recorded with them).

And the DVD....while short, is fantastic. As a resident of Arizona, it was great seeing him refrence a story he tells every single time he comes here. It just shows a band having fun, and it really is, the DVD alone, worth the price of the CD.

The DVD, what impressed me most, was that the Alkaline Trio, instead of going the route that every band takes (that of which cleaning up their live performances so it sounds like they just rolled out of the studio) they don't master it at all. It's there, in all it's sloppy glory.

What bothers me though, about this disc, which is why it didn't recieve a full 10, was that I'm honestally tired of seeing "Sadie" pop up on every cd they release. Also, in the DVD section, for their videos, while the live footage itself is not censored, for whatever unknown reason, the video for "We've Had Enough" is.

The CD includes three live tracks, 22 overall. The whole package encompasses a band that has been extremely active throughout their tenure with Vagrant (which came to an end late last year) and leaves with with a lot of optimism for them in the future.

Stand out tracks: "Dead End Road", "Jaked on Green Beers" "While You're Waiting" "Hating Every Moment" "Standard Break From Live (Live)" "Don't Say You Won't" "Rooftops" "Queen Of Pain". As well as the radio performances.

Slip up's: While it's a good song, I'm sick of hearing "Sadie". "Dethbed (Live) kind of lacks, and the very oddly placed censorship for the video of "We've Had Enough"

-Aaron Hale (aaron@racketmag.com)

Apocalyptica
Life Burns DVD
10/10

Holy Fuck Balls! Most of the time, these live show DVDs suck turds out of my ass, but fewer things have been more awesome and epic than the Life Burns DVD. These Finnish cellists rock like none other. What’s a cellist? It’s a dude/chick who plays the cello. Yup. Cellos. Four of ‘em in the DVD. Cellos doing metal. Finnish metal. Epic Finnish metal. Metallica covers galore fill this amazingly rockin’ concert DVD. Add in videos featuring HIM’s Ville, The Rasmus’ Lauri and Nina fuck Hagen and you have a killer fucking DVD for parties and drunken loneliness alike.

- Jonathan Yost

Tim Barry
Rivianna Junction
Suburban Home Records
9/10

I want to start this off by saying that I don't have a massive boner for Avail. I mean, I like them. They're certainly worth listening to. However, I've never felt a very deep connection with them. However, Riviana Junction is far more personal, and has made much more of an impression on my recent playlists than Avail ever has.

With that said, Riviana Junction is the debut solo full-length from Avail's own throat, Tim Barry. What is Riviana Junction? Is it some kind of crazy rock n' roll rollercoaster? Poignant pop-rock? Try country. Really good country. I think the best way to describe it is "van country." Riviana Junction sounds like the soundtrack to a long road trip through the heartland of America. And why not? I'm sure Barry has seen his fair share of mileage through the dumpy, red, white and blue boondocks of the US.

"Avoiding Catatonic Surrender" is one of the best songs I've heard this past year. It's so simple, yet so powerful. "So long/So long/I can't keep singing these songs." Such a simple line, but Tim's delivery is ace. "Dog Bumped" is a fun country tale, telling of a man standing up against his sister's redneck, abusive husband. Seems a little cliché, but yet again, Barry's delivery is the key. The energy Barry brings to his slow country jams is incredible, but I guess that's why he's also a top-tier punk frontman.

Tim's laments on poverty, low living, touring, and life in general are certainly interesting to say the least. Avail always hinted at country signs, and with Riviana Junction, these ideas are finally being fully developed. If you like Avail or country, you are in for a treat with Riviana Junction.

-Joe Hoey

My Bitter End
The Renovation
Uprising Records
0/10

Maybe it's just that I've been into more poppy music recently, but this may be the worst thing I've heard in the last year. There are honestly no stand out qualities here. This is by-the-numbers cookie monster metal with random melodic moments, where the vocals still retain the "COOKIE, COOKIE" quality. Think Between the Buried and Me, minus any talent. Honestly, this music isn't even worth the paper booklet I assume will come in its package, (or the time it took the artist to develop the artwork.) let alone the poor CD this abomination is imbued onto. Who gave these dudes the okay to record this? Bad, bad call, that guy should be fired. I could probably make some lame joke about the title of this mess, and how it relates to what it contains, but it's not even worth the effort. Simply put, just say no to My Bitter End.

-Joe Hoey

Plan B
Who Needs Actions When You Have Words
Pet Cemetary Records
7/10

At first it's very hard to take a white rapper from England seriously. Especially when he says Dingaling. But, it doesn't take very long for Plan B to grow on you. Slick beats underscore the lyrics, which are hard to make out. But this import CD I got a hold of is pretty fucking sweet. Mixing strong beats with acoustic guitar melodies and long verses are a far cry from the over-produced, 3-minute-hook bling-hop that's taken root in America. While the themes are similar, sex, drugs, violence, Plan B takes the high road, talking shit on drugs, the state of kids today, religious nutjob parents, and fucked up relationships. Accents aside (Condoms sounds like cone-domes) Plan B is pretty fucking sweet.

-Jonathan Yost

Fake Problems
Spurs And Spokes/Bull > Matador EP
Sabot
11/14/2006
9.5/10
YES!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Oh my fucking Christ, if this EP we're any goddamned better, it would be illegal in any state within the Bible belt. "Spurs and Spokes/Bull>Matador" is a compilation of their now out of print 7'' on Sabot Productions. While some of the songs have been re-recorded and some of the songs are well over a year old, the breath and life re-introduced into these songs makes them feel like they were just written last month. The vocal delivery is dead on, sharpy, and focused. It drips with wry wit, dripping with a hint of wreckless abandon, and youthful vigor.

In Hi-Fidelity, Cusacks character talks about making the perfect mix-tape starting off with a big punch, and then following it up with an even more intense song. That’s what Fake Problems have done with "Spurs and Spokes/Bull>Matador." The rhythmic delivery is so tight, that it sounds like they've been doing it since conception; each guitar strum hits directly where it aims: the jugular. Energetic, with out being ridiculous.

What really threw me for a loop was the ambition of this EP. It’s such a triumph too. Each song is cohesive with the other, and it’s not a concept album. A rare feat indeed. These gang vocals are un-fucking-touchable. This is THE band to watch in 2007. This is a band with an amazing future right in-front of them.

Track 5 "Degree’d Or Denounced." I've always wanted to say this: MORE COWBELL.
More. More of everything your doing, guys. This is fucking incredible.
"...someone tell my crying mother, "your baby’s in a better place now...". "
Some one tell him that he's not leaving the road anytime soon.

File this under "I wish I heard it last year."
-Aaron Hale

Only Crime
Virulence
Fat Wreck Chords
1/23/2007
7.0/10

Okay, I’m going to admit it right now. You put Bill Stevenson, and Russ Rankin together; I’m going to be automatically intrigued. Add in members of Hagfish, GWAR, and Converge...Yeah. I’m definitely going to be intrigued. My first initial thoughts, with the first two songs, was that something felt like it was being held back, and I think it was mostly in the vocals. By the third song, I was on board.

See, the problem with Supergroups, is that each of the bands that comprise said group really seems to fall victim to the old adage, "too many cooks spoil the broth."  But where Virulence really, really succeeds, is that it plays off every bit of those bands that comprise Only Crime, while being daring. Virulence really gives each respective a member a chance to spread their creative wings and soar.

Plus, it’s just a good day, any day to hear Stevenson playing drums. His nearly unrivaled deliverance is worth a first listen to begin with.

What pains me about this though, in a side note, is that there’s nothing here ground breaking. Maybe its because these 5 veterans of the punk/hardcore world feel they've paid their dues, or maybe they are just here to have a good time.

I don't want that to come across as anything discouraging to Only Crime, its just a little disheartening to hear something that’s good, be produced by very respectable musicians, that easily could have been put out 10 years ago, and it that respect, Only Crime dropped the ball. We've heard most of this music from their respective bands before.

Missteps:
Tracks "Take Me", "Everything For You", "Now’s the Time", The tracks run just a little bit together with the guitar work. Salvation:

"Shotgun", "Eyes of the World", Too Loose" "Just Us". There are some very interesting arrangements. It avoids any traces of "metal" while packing a pretty heavy, energetic punch. Melodic without being overtly poppy. Its worth checking out.
-Aaron Hale

The Photo Atlas
No, Not Me, Never
Stolen Transmission Records
8.5/10

As much as I hate dance-y trendy "indie" rock, I have to say, The Photo Atlas' "No, Not Me, Never" has definitely struck a chord with me. I'm not totally sure. It could be the frantic pace at which the music is delivered. It could be the cool, smooth, rhythmic guitar. It could be the rapid fire falsetto yell/wails of vocalist Alan Andrews. I'm not sure, but in tracks like "Red Orange Yellow" and "She Was A Matador," there is something genius about the Photo Atlas.

These cats are anything but original. They seemingly summon up every single dance rock cliché. I really should hate these guys, but they have some kind of "it" factor, I guess. The music does not seem pretentious, it's lightly technical, the production is crystal clear, and it's fun. There are no stand out tracks. Every track is a perfect dance-rock ramp, leaving nothing more to be desired. Probably my only gripe with this CD is the elementary lyrics, but it's pretty clear that the Photo Atlas isn't nearly as concerned with the words as they are the actual song.

I think its pretty safe to say that The Photo Atlas have this dance rock thing down to a science. Sure, they're pretty by-the-numbers, but what's so wrong with being a clone, if you're better than most of the originals? Still, The Photo Atlas is still the same trendy dance rock the world has been forced to become accustomed to in recent years. I would call "No, Not Me, Never" a safe investment if you like the dance rock sound and a solid listen, regardless. Check them out, you might be surprised. I was.

- Joe Hoey

The Velvet Teen
Cum Laude
Slowdance Records
.5/10

The whole god-damned thing sounds like a Thom Yorke cum-fiesta....Pitchfork Media is stoked.

-Aaron Hale

Brand New
The Devil and God are Raging Inside Me
Interscope Records
9.5/10

Anticipation for this CD, as far as I was concerned, began to run high. Especially when realizing that less than a month before the CD was supposed to be released...I'd virtually heard nothing. Nothing.

And then they slipped in, without any type of word. A week before "The Devil And God Are Raging Inside Me" came out, they released 'Sowing Season (Yeah)'. Yet it hadn't been played on radio stations.

It seemed to me, there was virtually no hype behind this. Coming from a band that had, a few years before, released its mega "Deja Entendu", it was all a surprise.

But this time around, Brand New was more surprising than ever. Recently penned to Interscope Records, this is the most ambitious record they've done to date. It truly solidifies a band that makes different sounding records each time they break across the landscape. A few things intact, Jesse Lacey is still broken hearted. Yes, they still love Morrissey. They still scream and sing.

They almost dictate what's to come in music. They did so with "Your Favorite Weapon", and "Deja Entendu."

This time they're heavier. Their less acoustic, darker, and dripping with enough one liners to keep your friends on MySpace with quotes for their names and headlines for the next few years.

But theres new things here. Millions of them that cannot be defined. Every nuance of the CD, subtle or not, opens a door to somewhere else, leaving you almost begging them to explore that avenue as well. Mysterious, chilling choirs (Degausser,) the strangley Adam and the Ants-esque harmonies (The Acrhers Bows Have Broken), to the very interesting instrumental (Untitled).

I can't knowingly think of a better term for this album than head phone rock. And its not head phone rock because you don't want your friends to hear it, its because the crevices of the album begged to be delved. Explore, prod, poke, and ultimately discover.

The most ambitious, experimental album (that succeeded in doing so on a major) I've heard in a very long time. One word: success.

Heres to hearing them continue you better themselves. If you were hoping for "Sic Gloria Transit" its not here. Neither is "The Quiet Things That No One Ever Knows." or anything they've ever done. Its miles better. Miles better.

-Aaron Hale

Me First and the Gimme Gimmes
Love Their Country
Fat Wreck Chords
8/10

Me First and the Gimme Gimmes are a super group of a sort. Comprised of members of prominent 90's skate punk bands like NOFX, Lagwagon, Swingin' Utters, along with ex-No Use For A Name guitarist turned Foo Fighter, Chris Shiflett, the project began back in 1995 as a way for each member to play music with their friends The band has a name for themselves crafting punk rock covers of classic rock, pop, 60's tunes, show tunes, and now country songs with their new effort, Love Their Country.

The album comes after a much publicized session of booing from Pittsburgh baseball fans regarding a performance in front of what was described as the band's biggest crowd yet. How does it fair? I reckon it's a pretty solid album. The Gimmes have nothing to be ashamed of.

Now, I'll be honest here, I'm not a fan of most country. I've only actually heard two of the original tracks. Still, with the Gimme's audience, I doubt many listeners have heard most of these songs. Like most songs the Gimmes cover, they're not bad songs by any degree. In fact, as always, I like the Gimme's selection. "Goodbye Earl" is an eerie song by the Dixie Chicks regarding the murder of an abusive husband, a really cool song I otherwise would have never been exposed to. "She Believes In Me" by Kenny Roger makes for the perfect pop-punk song with it's huge, catchy chorus. Each time I hear this song; I can't help but sing along. It really displays Slawson's vocal prowess. "(Ghost) Riders In The Sky" takes the perfect amount of country seasoning to Me First's fast "forbidden beat" style skate punk. "On The Road Again," a Willie Nelson classic, sounds like it could be the perfect tour song for countless poor, unsigned bands. "

Of course, not every song is a hit, the country-tinged intro track; Garth Brooks' "Much Too Young (To Feel This Damn Old)" takes too much time to gather pace. It's excellent as an album intro, but as a stand alone track, it's pretty lackluster. More so, "Annie's Song," a John Denver cut, makes for a bland, forgettable Gimmes track. Oh, and Hank Williams' "I'm So Lonesome I Could Cry" comes out like the worst Real McKenzies song on Earth. (For those unfamiliar with the McKenzies, they're the poor Scotsman's excuse for the Dropkick Murphys.)

Overall, it's not my favorite Gimmes album, but it's certainly not bad at all. Love Their Country is highly advised for fans of both country and punk, or people who just love fun, fast punk rock.

- Joe Hoey

Coolzey
He Did EP
Public School
8/10

Now, having a white rapper around is one thing, but a rapper who drops rhymes about working with your hands and respecting the Earth? That's sounds silly. It's not, though. This little EP that dropped in my lap is pretty slick. I had to read Coolzey's bio to find out that he was a white dude from Iowa. Banjo-beats should most definitely become the fashion heading into the new year. Couple the sweet beats with rhymes that, well, rhyme and add in your catchy hooks and you have a solid rap EP (Yes, rap, think more Biz Markie and less Lil Jon.) Great white hope? Probably not, just good times. That's all.

-Jonathan Yost

Sean Lennon
Friendly Fire
Capitol Records
9/10

Fuck. I actually wanted to hate this. I did. I thought this was a feeble non-talented attempt to cash in on a famous name, like the Hulkster's daughter, but instead, I get smacked in the face with proof that music is passed through the genes. Mellow pop songs that just help everything blend away. Not pop songs like the manufactured pseudo-punk horseshit running around, but pop in the vein of, well, fuck, the Beatles. It's so damned good! It's an album that you put on while you need to get some shit done, and it just helps the time go by so much more pleasurably. Delicious melodies, amazing arrangements and pristine recordings are making me think that John and Paul are somehow his real parents. Fucking weird, huh? If you're gunna download a song to scope it out, get Tomorrow. It's gunna go on every lame mix-tape you make in an attempt to get into that hottie's tight-ass pants.

-Jonathan Yost

The Concubine
Abaddon
Corrosive Recordings
5/10

Whoa. My favorite part of metal bands are their song titles. Concubine went into naming their songs with about 36% as much effort as other bands. The Conflagration of Shangri-La is a good one. Shape is not. Hyperthralldom is also decent, but the inconsistency in evil song titles is also found in their tunes. Shifting between a standard duh-duh-duh metal chunks and super-sweet guitar squeals, I can't really get a feel for these guys. Fairly solid, but seeing as how I'm in a happy-go-lucky mood, that may be a reason why I'm not as into these guys as I could be. They're pretty metal, and if you're super pissed at your parents, your ex, or the government, this may actually be for you.

-Jonathan Yost

Bad Astronaut
Twelve Small Steps, One Giant Disappointment
Fat Wreck Chords
8.0

Thirteen Ambitious Songs, One Giant Triumph.

Bad Astronaut, a band comprised of members of Sugarcult and Lagwagon, present thirteen new songs, their first presentation since the passing of Derrick Plourde, who was also a founding member of Lagwagon. The latest: 12 Small Steps, One Giant Disappointment.

Here's the punchline to the joke: Lets take two bands a certain reviewer might not have ever liked. Combine them, and call them Bad Astronaut. Invariably, this should have been a disaster, and about half way through the first track, I was already coming up with clever ways to insinuate that the title was not only fitting, but quite ironic. This normally ain't my cup of tea, but there's definitely a lot here that I could dig. The second song, "Ghostwrite" has definitely got a lot of bark to It's proverbial bite, "Stillwater" starts off a little shaky, but rectifies a little bit before the half-way mark. This cd has a split personality going on, both recorded before and after the demise of their late singer, "you saw something to live for, I saw more then hands with splinters from sticks." from track five "One Giant Disappointment" is delivered with a sense of endearment and honesty you can't help but pausing for a second, and admiring their sense of remembrance.

"Minus" is just good. Nothing else you can say about it, except that it's really, really good. Whats impressive is their ear for atmosphere. Airy and wistful. Touches of sentimentality, but completely gracious with their offering. On the turn of corner, they can pick up a ballad-esque song (San Francisco Serenade) into a driving pop rock song. "Violet", and "Go Humans" are just not that enjoyable compared to the rest of the disc. "The 13th Step" ends the disc quite solidly though salvaging the very few mis-steps that occurred on "...Disappointment" Overall, whats more then impressive is the musicianship. The drums are fantastic, not overpowering, and never get plain. The guitars are melodic but not plain. The synthesizers are enjoyable, not annoying. "...One Giant Disappointment" is an extremely solid, impressive effort that completely took me by surprise. By the end of the album, I was completely aboard. Taken for what it is, a documentation of ambitious songwriting, and a touching homage to a fallen friend, this should be stuck in my CD player for a while.

-Aaron Hale

The Transit War
Miss Your Face
Orange Peal Records

It's been months since I got to review anything I actually liked, and the term "post-hardcore" denotes, to me, something that should be prison -raped and left to bleed to death. There are just far too many terrible bands who claim to be post-hardcore (Chiodos, for example), so whenever I hear it used as a descriptor I just switch off. So then, since the words that stuck out to me on The Transit War's purevolume page were "melodic post-hardcore", I initally just rolled my eyes and moved along. But... when I did get around to giving it a proper listen I found I quite liked it. Post-hardcore can still fuck off though, because this is some kind of power-pop/punk rock/soul bastard child, and shouldn't be tarred with that shitty brush.

Most of the album is emotionally charged, without being screamy or really, really gay. Lyrically, I'm not all that impressed because it's pretty standard fare. The emotional content is conveyed primarily through melancholy lead vocals that switch tempo a lot and are intermittently layered with harmonic backing vocals which prevent them from becoming stale while simultaneously keeping them in line with the uplifting guitar melodies. It's hard to compare this CD to anything in particular, because it seems to draw influences from so many sources - from Boys Night Out to Hot Water Music. Alright, so it's fairly chaotic, but so what? I like chaotic, and there's a constant, overlying focus that prevents you from ever really getting thrown off course.

Stand out tracks are 'Radar' (which, incidentally was the preceeding single), 'Desiree, Safe!' and 'Operator', though one of my favourite songs on the album is probably the closing track, 'Safety In The Air'. This last song is much more structured and formulaic in its approach, as well as being of a much lower pace than the majority of the album, and I think it's an excellent finale. Honestly, though? There's no real filler here. Some of the tracks are similar to each other, but that's easily forgivable because they still stand on their own just fine. Miss Your Face isn't brilliant, but god damn, it's alright.

- Dave Ainsworth

The Hold Steady
Boys and Girls in America

Solid material, but nothing that will make you orgasm.

The songs in this album have pretty well arranged pieces… and it doesn’t suck. However, your jaw is not going to hit the ground, and start telling everyone, "Bloody candy canes! You NEED to hear this band! They're brilliant!" I find it hard to imagine a musician contemplating how "The Hold Steady" came up with such original and impressionable music.

Honestly… because they did nothing exceptional. Sure, in a world of garage bands that consider holding a beat (quote) next level shit (end quote) this band might seem impressive… but honestly, my only thoughts walking away from this album was, "Well… at least it didn’t suck." So let’s get into the details. The first thing that came to mind when hearing the lead singer, Craig Finn, was that the voice needed more PASSION and POWER. The missing link of burning emotions is only too evident. And I have a theory…. They do not really care about what they're singing about.

That’s a pretty harsh idea to place on a band, but I want you to read a few lyrics from a song off this album called "Hot Soft Light".

Here are guys
With wild eyes when they ask to get you high.
There are girls
That will come to you with comfort in the night.
That’s right.

We started recreational.
It ended up all medical.
It came on hot and soft and then
It tightened up its tentacles.
The band played sabbath bloody sabbath
You thought it was stoney and adorable.
It started in the vestibule.
It ended in the hospital.

I don’t know your reaction when reading these lyrics, but I said, "What the hell are you talking about?" Apparently we find out after reading a interview with Brian Howe, that the band wanted to tell stories, or have lyrics that are "universal". What story is that? What does it mean? How is it universal? How is it personal? Are they mad? Happy? Do they hold angst of any kind? I’ll come right out and say it.

The writing is only semi-logical, requiring a stretch of the imagination to make it fit. A large stretch. To me, it seems like the lyricist, (also Craig Finn) basically thought of whatever rhymed, and said, "eh, good enough" and threw it in the song. (If you don’t agree… don’t make me pull out the lyrics of "Some Kooks") How can you really be feeling your own music, if you don’t really know what you want to say? (As a note, I’ve heard them say they are wanting to continually improve their music… and I’m a critic, which is a very easy thing to be, so I don’t want to hear it from you Hold Steady fans.)

There is also an incredible sense that the band is aiming towards mass success, and thus overtly makes massive use of POP SONG FORMULAS. "Pop song formulas" You ask? Yes… you know songs that sound like their from the late 80’s, with a happy upbeat "it’s Christmas time!" vibe.

The song on this album "Chill Out Tent", which is may be one of the highlights of this album, is the story of two individuals who trip out on too much drugs at a rock show. They meet briefly in the Chill Out tent, and then never see each other again. (Can't help but remind me of a little ditty called "You're Beautiful" by James Blunt.) It is my formulated opinion (whatever that means), that the reason this song is more favored, is because it actually has a coherent story, with lyrics that make sense. If the Hold Steady can produce some good compelling stories out of their next album... I think we'll have a hit on our hands.

The band has sincere potential, but requires fine tuning.

Considering all of what you just read, just remember, who the hell am I? An arm-chair critic? Judge fo yourself. Seacrest Out!

-Alexander Davar

The Polyphonic Spree is one of those bands that either strike you, and when they do your pupils dilate, you instantly grow your hair to epic, curly lengths, burn your clothing and worldly possessions, and don a neat white robe while dancing in a field of flowers, and sunshine. Or, you think its pretty fucking gay, and grow a passion for Dragonforce. Something like that.

The Wait EP lives up to its name, almost ironically. Two of the five songs are off the upcoming "The Fragile Army." and, well, you get to wait for it. Get it? Clever devils. The other three songs are covers of Nirvana (Lithium) The Psychedelic Furs (Love My Way) and Tripping Daisy. (Sonic Bloom)

Wait. Tripping Daisy? The band that Tim DeLaughter, the lead singer of the Polyphonic Sprees old band? As in the band he was in, before this one?

At first, upon reading this, I just thought of the likes of Morrissey, and Danzig, with massive fucking egos covering their previous respective bands. And It upset me, a lot. I didn't think that a band could do that, tactfully of course. But the jokes on me. They did a wonderful cover of the Furs, and Tripping Daisy, so...I guess it should be over looked. No matter how pompous it seemed.

The original songs are very good, and pretty standard Polyphonic Spree M.O. No chugga-chugga break downs, no angry screaming, no reverse mullet inducing tunes to be found. In the first song, an original, Mental Cabaret, the lyrics are haunting, and sickeningly sweet. Everything is done so perfectly well here. It shows a band just becoming more solid with what they've done over the years, and really getting a better hold on their craft.

On "Love My Way" they do very well in doing justice to covering the Furs, as well as Tripping Daisy. But then they get to the Nirvana cover. I cringed when I read the track listing. Really, fuck Nirvana hard. Thank god Cobain wasn't too big of a junkie to figure how to blow his head off, cause I had my doubts he could even do that.

But then I heard it. A wall of sound. Waves crashing, epic, bringing to mind almost Fantasia with a sex drive. I played it five times in a row, astounded in how amazing this song was. I forgot completely about Nirvana, and suddenly, it became a song I'd never heard before but knew all the words to. They have made Lithium into their own song. Not doing a justifiable cover, no, one-upping it, and making it better. The EP closes out with the second original song. "I'm Calling" ends this ride, which now feels completely epic to a gentle, and wondrous close. The only problem with this EP, is that its an EP. Five songs weren't enough. Watch out for the Fragile Army. It's going to be huge.

- Aaron Hale

There's a lot of charm in story telling, but where we live today, the art has become somewhat tainted. Especially in the aspect of musicians, who want to cut their teeth on the Broadway wool. A lot of bands fail in this aspect, (Look at the last release from Coheed and Cambria as evidence) and most just get a through the songs of the story, and sound a bit burnt out halfway through.

But then theres something almost untouchable about a Japanese folk story, such as the one of the Crane Wife. Basically, it changes through the tellings, but the central theme is that one day a poor man opened his door to find a wounded crane with an arrow in it, laying at his doorstep. The man took the crane in and nursed it back to health, and one day let it free. After he releases the crane, a beautiful woman appears at his doorstep. They become wed, but in an effort to get money, she offers to weave beautiful clothing, with the catch that he must never see her while she weaves the clothing.

They begin to live comfortably, and the man, overcome with greed, fails to notice his beautiful wives rapidly diminishing health, and instead makes her weave more and more. One day he peeks in on her weaving the clothing, to see how she makes the silk so desirable. Before his eyes, he sees a crane plucking feathers from its body, and putting them to loom. The crane sees him watching her and flies off never to be seen again.

Still with everything? Kind of a lot put onto a plate, especially when its the first offering from the Decemberists, to their new home on a major label, Capitol Records. With a few of the songs breaking off into several parts of a sub chapter, its a major risk taken from a band who normally could get away with such artistic freedoms.

But this CD, with its beautiful musical arrangements, and Colin Meloys truly beautiful voice, its so very easy to get lost in its lush, very meloncollie songs. From the opening track, until the final moments, it feels inspired. It leaves you inspired, and wanting more. The Island, clocking in at 12:26 minutes long takes you on a journey full of tumultuous moments, biting lyrics, and the accompaniment of strings to sooth the frail mind.

On the next track, the duet with Laura Veirs shows nothings changed with a band that has made its mark as a band that will do only what it wants, not what the label says the need to do to sell records. It gets a little repetitive, which really is the only thing that slows down "Crane Wife". But by the time the final track comes up, "Sons And Daughters," I find myself restarting from the beginning. Is this the best from their catalogue? Maybe not. Is this record of the year? Possibly not. But its got a great shot.

-Aaron Hale

I've never been a Sparta fan. I really loved At The Drive-In, and, when I'm very drunk, on occassion, I might throw on the Mars Volta. Sparta comes at you with Threes hard, and for the throat. Truthfully, this is a very solid album, and may be a contenter for a slot on many peoples favorite albums of the year. Harmonies that stick, guitar work thats not over polished, vocals that still have a hint of rawness to them, and drum work that enhances, not overshadows the rhythm section.

About half way through though, it gets a little boring, and feels like the ideas have been meshed together either too sloppily, or run on for far too long. Threes is an extremely valiant effort. It shows, and shines, on this album, as it picks the pace back up towards the end, and finishes very fluently, to cap out this extremley solid effort.

- Aaron Hale

Refusing point blank to take this seriously, I actually quite enjoyed it for a little while! I wanted to laugh the entire way through it, but since that can only be a good thing I'm quite happy reviewing it. Basically, these Italian elf-bummers stand there, pitting metal riffs against classical and operatic music, singing about dungeons and magic swords, dragons and all-knowing wizard overlords. Hahaha! It's funny stuff! Ignoring the fact that I'm not really into much metal anymore, this is actually quite well put together - both musically and in the scope that they're trying to achieve, which is rather epic. In the release notes they're cited as being "film-score metal", which is pretty spot on. You can imagine this soundtrack ripping along to the imagery in Lord of the Rings or, uh, [that other one with a midget in it] quite easily. They have song titles like "The Mystic Prophecy Of The Demon Knight", "Bloody Red Dungeons" and "Echoes From The Elvish Woods", for Christ's sake! Hahaha! Ahahahahaha! Eeeeeeeee! Crazy bloody continentals. Would I buy this? No, I wouldn't. In fact the only guy I think would enjoy it to that degree is the IT guy at my work. But it was a giggle while it lasted (about an hour, then the novelty wore off).

- Dave Ainsworth (*Editors note - Yes, he's British. Racket's worldwide, don't you know! - RacketBoss*)

If Poison the Well and Jimmy Eat World got drunk and had a spontaneous jam session together without any premeditation whatsoever, they might sound a little bit like this. Only probably a lot better. I'm not really sure what to make of this album, because putting aside the fact (for now) that - instead of 12 different songs - we seem to have just one long piece of music with motifs that barely change from one track to the next, I actually found myself quite liking the harmonic bridge and chorus sections for a while (but then, I have been listening to a lot of absolute wank lately). It's that gutteral screaming shit that kills it.

It's just not fast enough for me to enjoy the grunting, shouting, and those noises that sound like wrectching? What are they called? Those. Get rid of them, they're fucking terrible and completely devoid of conviction. After a while I found it slightly tolerable, mostly because I just drowned it out and started thinking about cracking out a swift one. But I had to wait another twenty minutes for my pleasure because they just droned on, and on, and on. They can pretty much fuck off after the first 3 songs, because you'll have heard everything this album has to offer. It will probably appeal to fans of Atreyu and Avenged Sevonfold, but it's nu-emo by numbers and I'm never spinning it again.

-Dave Ainsworth

Ever watch a basketball game, or any sports game? Tv, in real life, whatever. You know how they have Queens "We Will Rock You/We Are The Champions."?

Theres a reason for this: Freddie Mercury was flamboyant (albeit homosexual, so I guess it goes hand in hand) but there was something outstanding about Mercury and Company. They were firm believers in putting on a SHOW when they played theaters. A flair for the dramatic, sometimes cheesy, and so over the top, they became torch bearers of more anthems than all the United Nations combined.

But it doesn't stop there. Alice Cooper, Marylin Manson, GWAR, all these bands have something in common. Theatrics.

A resurgance is upon us: The revival of vaudeville, the revival of grandoise, of incorporating story telling, a theme throughout the entire album.

Green Day with "American Idiot", anything Coheed and Cambria touches, Cursive with "Happy Hollow". Now, with My Chemical Romance jumping on with there latest Reprise offering, "Welcome to the Black Parade", they offer up there take on cancer.

I've read a lot of music "purists" take on this recent album. For an exsample, just go ahead, and search PunkNews.org's take on it.

And Im guilty of it too. This is not something I would've paid for. The single and title track is annoying, and it seems like they are entierly indebted to Hot Topic, and fashion as a whole.

I recieved a copy, pro bono, from Reprise records, and laughed. Oh, boy, did I laugh. My first instinct was to take it into my local independant record company, and hock it, and pick up the latest Lawrence Arms offering, "Oh! Calcutta", which, if you haven't heard, is a strong contender of best album this year.

Part of me would like to deviate, and just fan boy over the Larry Arms instead, but instead, I decided Id listen to this cd, and have a few good laughs.

"Welcome to the Black Parade" opens up with the sound of a heart monitor beeping, and then the strumming of an acoustic guitar.

Lets stop right here.

Whats before us is either a band thats trying to add depth, or revealling a love for decadent music making. What path will they take? Lets find out, shall we.

Its a dead ringer for everything Queen ever did. Dead ringer, except take away Freddie Mercury, and put in a Billy Corgan look alike. Theres a lot to hate about this band. A lot. This first song is one of them.

The next song kicks in with a flatline. "Dead!" then rips into a dead ringer Brian May riff. But somethings different; the lyrics are biting.

The lyrics are delievered quickly, chock full with harmonies in all the right places, and really...its good. Its damned good.

The next track is a throw away track. Too repetitive with its musical arrangement, with the polished vocals is just strained, and really, just has too much to follow from "Dead!"

But then, as too salvage the misstep, "The Sharpest Lives" builds on the ambiguity that My Chemical Romance seems to build for themselves. What bothers me most is, the begning, of the song isn't even all that bad, except that the intro is the same exact one as one of there songs off of "Three Cheers...", check out "To the End". Really, its not a bad song, its just hard to get passed that nagging realization.

Next is the title track. Skip it. Infact skip the track after that one as well. "House of Wolves" follows up, and hits hard. In my opinion, this song is the best one of the entire album. In full effect, you come to realize what My Chemical Romance is doing with "Welcome to the Black Parade", and yeah, you've been suckered in. Its a rock opera. Produced by none other than Rob Cavallo, who had his hands in on Green Days "American Idiot."

"Cancer" is the subject of the entire story. This song is so corny, and over the top with its arrangements, that its like watching Weird Als movie, "UHF". Its so bad, you can help but love it.

"Mama."Liza fuckin' Minelli. Really. Who thought of that goddamned pairing? Was Striesand that busy? You couldn't exhume Liberace, or pull Elton John away from his coke, and rap sessions? "Mama" is hilarious, and thoroughly enjoyable. Thoroughly. With lyrics like "mama we go to hell!", you know that My Chemical Romance is NOT taking themselves too seriously, adding to the theatrics, going over the top, achieving more, and more with every tongue-in-cheek delievery, and lush musical accompinaint. Really....Liza Minelli though. But it fits, and it fits so damn well.

The next track, "Sleep" is good, but not as great as some of the other tracks, but it fits nicely where its at, to give you a second before MCR take off again, into "Teenagers".

Then "Teenagers" full of swager, attitude, and again...a flair for over the top. This song is ace, and don't doubt it, especially with him screaming "Teenagers scare the living shit out of me."

"Disenchanted" bring the tempo down. The swagers gone, but the anthematic feel to it shines brightly on this track. This song would kill on the radio, and is a pop gem. The chorus will stick, and stick for a very long time. A reflection of growing up, and being nostalgic, "It was the roar from the crowd that gave me the heartache to sing." and "I spent my high school career spit on, and shoved to agree. I watched my heroes, sell a car on tv. Bring out a gulliotine, we'll show them all what we all mean." This track delivers well.

It then goes into the final listed track, "Famous Last Words", bringing the story to an end. When Billy Corgan, ahem, Gerard Way sings "I am not afraid to keep on living, I am not afraid to walk this world alone!" you believe him. This coming from the band who wasn't alright, now sings a decidely different tune, and it ends this cd well. Every story needs an ending with a touch of hope shrowded with bleak matters, and death, cancer, life, and death is not meant to be regarded in monotonus tones. Even when Freddie Mercury was diagnosed with AIDS, he penned one of the best songs of Queens career, in "The Show Must Go On."

Then the hidden track, which is simply called Hidden Track on iTunes Music Store. This is such a bullshit track, that its good. Good for a laugh, and thats what its meant for. "The doctors and the nurses adore me so / but its really quite alarming cause im such an awful fffffffuuuuuuuccccccccckkkk. I gave you blood, blood, gallons of the stuff/ I gave you all that you could drink, but its never been enough"

Gerads voice wains on some of the tracks. The subject matter becomes forgetable on numerous amounts of the cd, and the begning is shit. But, by the end, this is the most solid effort they have ever produced. Humor, and touching at the same point, because they dont take themselves seriously, like oh say....U2.

You'll pass this cd up, most likely. Most of you. Most of you would view this as something "for the kids." Maybe it is. Maybe it isn't. Maybe its not even for us. Its...egad, a FUN record.

And besides, its better than listening to the mind-fuck of a band, the Killers, who apparentally also put out a concept album.

-Aaron Hale

The Hope Conspiracy
Death Knows Your Name
Deathwish Records
9/10

I'm going to be pretty honest… This album slays. I'm not one for "extra hard" hardcore. I generally like my hardcore to be more Kid Dynamite, less Converge… However, the Hope Conspiracy is an exception.

Right from the start, the Hope Conspiracy took me in. The "calm before the storm" beginning for "They Know Not…," the album's first track, leads into an explosive opening, with the vocalist claiming "Guilty! We're all guilty!" in the loudest, most angry bellow I've ever heard. Just after hearing this track I knew I was in for a ride.

So, it opens well. How does the rest of the album fair? Well, you're pretty much treated to 32 more minutes of the same super pissed, dark toned hardcore. Some tracks stand out more than others, like "A Darkness In The Light," "Animal Farm," "Suicide Design," which have very distinctive, striking sounds. "So Many Pigs, So Few Bullets" is probably the best, most pissed track on the entire disc. I mean, just look at the title… Overall, this whole album is really tight. It kind of has an "album" feel. It flows really well.

Everything about this release is awesome. I mean, just look at the cover. Tell me that isn't cool looking. The only other hardcore release that's hit me as hard as Death Knows Your Name this year is Sick of It All's Death to Tyrants. If you're into hardcore, check this album out.

Plus, I mean, shit, if the Hope Conspiracy says you're guilty, you're guilty goddamnit, and you know it.

The Falcon
Unicornography
Red Scare
8.5 out of 10

  One of the most anticipated records of the year here at the Racket bullpen has been the Falcon’s debut full-length, Unicornography. We’re all huge dorks for the Lawrence Arms, Rise Against and the Alkaline Trio, so when we found out members from all three would be collaborating on a side-project, well, let’s just say our collective pants were filled with various fluids.

2004’s EP God Don’t Make No Trash –or– Up Your Ass With Broken Glass was a blistering 12 minutes of pop-punk that, through a process that involved breaking into practice rooms and pirating ProTools, was recorded for $0 (and sounded like it). Despite the rag-tag production, it burned bright with the most raging tunes singer Brendan Kelly has written since his days in the Broadways.

With that in mind, Unicornography’s relatively clean production was the right way to go. The songs are much more nuanced, ambitious, and diverse this time around, and the little unobtrusive flourishes here and there really add to the album overall. Numbers like “The Longshoreman’s Lament” and “The Celebutard Chronicles” are scorching punk songs, but even they make concessions to melody, and it works. The latter’s chorus of “baby, don’t you wanna throw it up now?” comes across as a dead-eyed mantra indicting society at large’s sheep like behavior towards the world-class bulimics splayed across the front pages of every tabloid in America. In other places, the album incorporates tinges of classic rock. The heartbreaking “R.L. Burnouts, Inc.” could be vintage Springsteen (just minus the over emoting), while “La-Z-Boy 500,” for all its skewering of the NASCAR demographic, owes more than a little to the country-rock of the 70’s.

This is (unsurprisingly) one of the best albums of 2006. You’re sure to be hearing about it again when the Racketeers start putting together their end-of-the-year lists.

-Matt Corbett

Strike Anywhere
Dead FM
Fat Wreck
7.5 out of 10

  For those of you not in the know, these Richmond dudes rose from the ashes of a group called Inquisition to release a killer EP called Chorus of One. It was followed up by the stellar "Antidote/Alseep" single and the jaw-droppingly good Change is a Sound, which I think will stand as one of the best punk album of the 00's. Then came 2003 and their second album, Exit English. Most bands suffer from the dreaded sophomore slump, but this was one of the worst. All of the grit and nimble explosiveness that had defined their earlier sound was replaced by shinier production, riffing, and songs that sounded lethargic and forced. While some tracks were winners (like the tasty "New Architects"), most of the album was boring, and many thought it sounded the death knell of the band that had at one time seemed invincible.

Dead FM is a return to form, sort of. Much of Dead FM is an amalgamation of Strike Anywhere's first two LPs. While the band brings back some of the hardcore intensity of their early days, the guitars are still clean. It's a compromise, but it works more than it doesn't, especially on "Hollywood Cemeteries," with Barnett howling "I found out all my heroes are just parasites!" over a rollicking bassline and a melodic guitar part. Speaking of Barnett, he’s back bringing the pain at the mic. His voice is the band's best weapon, and his commanding, throaty emoting is as much an instrument as the bass or drums.

The album as a whole finds the band stretching the limits of their formerly restraining classification as a hardcore band, and it mostly works. “Prisoner Echoes” wraps its message of dissent in a tasty rocker that has a *gasp* hummable melody. “Allies” effectively uses harmony, and “Sedition” alternately runs sharp and soft. Closer “The Ballad of Bloody Run,” while veering somewhat into Warped Tour territory, Barnett’s plea to “let me be the last one to grow up numb” is surprisingly affecting. The only serious misstep is the single “Instinct,” which sounds like fucking Fall Out Boy.

While the band may never equal or exceed their previous work, Dead FM is a worthy entry into their discography and an LP well worth checking out. That is, unless they aren’t down for the ‘core enough for your tastes. In which case, stick to xTriumph Through Victoryx.

-Matt Corbett       

Heavens
Patent Pending
Epitaph
6 out of 10

  Anything Matt Skiba does from now until the end of time will be compared to the Alkaline Trio. He could fart on the subway, and some shitsuck kid with five pounds of shoe polish in his hair would sneer and go “his farting was so much cooler back in the Maybe I’ll Catch Fire days.”

That said, the last two Alkaline Trio albums have been disappointing, especially the laughable Crimson. Skiba’s lyrics have gone from being the kind that any drunk with an ex can cherish to the type of macabre horror-movie imagery that would make Glenn fuckin’ Danzig cringe. I know it’s a metaphor, but I can only stomach so many songs involving blood before I have to put on a Parliament record.

Ever since Skiba abandoned Chicago for LA like a total dumbass, he's been living with Joe Steinbrick, aka That Weird Looking Dude Who Used to Play Bass for F-Minus. Since both are huge post-punk dorks, it was only natural that they would begin working on bleak music together. When I first heard they were collaborating, I was half-expecting Skiba's now-ho-hum lyrics to be paired with the crustie thrash that's F-Minus' stock in trade. In other words, just what we needed - another hardcore band singing about blood and dying.

Imagine my surprise when the leadoff single "Another Night" was released. It was actually a rather enjoyable slab of Depeche Mode-influenced pop-punk. "Another night with your head in the oven/Simmering like a heat wave over you/Sweat drops hiss at the bottom/Blood droplets cook like glue" is as good as any opening verse you'll hear this year. For the most part, the more ridiculous lyrical tendencies Skiba developed on the last few Alkaline Trio albums, and Steinbrick has actually written a couple of decent, layered songs.

“Patent Pending” could be an Alkaline Trio remix, but don’t hold that against it; it’s actually a fairly good song. “Watching You” has a chorus that gets stuck in your head, and “Annabelle” has whiffs of some of the mellower Smiths’ songs. It’s when Skiba and Steinbrick go full-bore into the Bauhaus worship that this album is derailed. Skiba’s vocals on “Gardens” and “Counting” aim for his lower register, and all I can say is thank God he usually sings higher. It’s trying to be moody and spooky; instead, it comes off as ridiculous. One can only imagine what he would have done with the throwaway instrumental “Doves.”

As far as side projects go, there have been worse, but there have also been a lot better, too. Only give this a spin if you’re either a Trio fan or if you’re burned out on all your Depeche Mode and Sisters of Mercy records.

-Matt Corbett

8mm
Songs to Love and Die To
Curb Appeal
1 out of 10

What if somewhere, some horrible scientist was in a laboratory combining Michelle Branch and Evanescence? Well, he’d be wasting his time, ‘cause 8mm beat him to the punch. Granted, this kinda shallow, naked cash-grab of a genre-mash is to be expected from a band from LA, but still. Songs to Love and Die To (a pun, whoop-dee-fuckin’-doo) is an overproduced, melodramatic groan-inducer that makes me wish it was possible to die of boredom. Attention musicians of the world: putting the sustain on piano notes that are five or six seconds apart does not equal depth or soul in the same way that making a photograph black and white does not make it art. Cheesy, ever-present strings, breathy vocals, and some hack work on the acoustic guitar all fill up the dead space, and it’s all as soulless as whatever claptrap Julia Roberts is in this year. This is the kind of music selfish, spoiled cunts listen to when they’re mad at their boyfriends. A nameless editor at Racket has stated his desire to have sex with his girlfriend to this record; please write to inform him that it will be difficult with two vaginas. (Oh great, here come the letters from the angry lesbians who read the site during their breaks at Starbucks.) If you pay money for this album, I will come to your house and squirt superglue into your ears, because you obviously don’t use them.

-Matt Corbett

Ignite
Our Darkest Days
Abacus Records
8.5/10

How would I describe the new Ignite album, Our Darkest Days? Well,
kickin'. Why kickin'? Well, the word just kind of relates to the whole
package. I mean, kickin' is a pretty cool phrase, but I doubt you'll
see very many kids saying it nowadays. I kind of think this applies to
"Our Darkest Days." I doubt you'll see your buddy in that Avenged
Sevenfold shirt spinning this one; however, that doesn't make it a bad
record. What Ignite have to offer on "Our Darkest Days" is a very
solid melodic hardcore album. When I say melodic hardcore, I don't
mean like Rise Against, or anything. Instead, it's kind of like if the
new Good Riddance actually had some balls.

While I don't believe "Our Darkest Days" is as good as "A Place Called
Home," I do think it's pretty damn good. Between the call and answer
fury of Let It Burn, the soaring vocals of My Judgment Day, the pure
hardcore of Are You Listening?, the surprisingly enjoyable Sunday
Bloody Sunday cover, and the mellow, feel-good acoustic closer in Live
For Better Days, there should be something for everyone in here.

Our Darkest Days is refreshing, because between Strike Anywhere Clone
A and Kid Dynamite Wannabe B, melodic hardcore is getting kind of
generic. I mean, I dig No Trigger, but come on? That band (and many of
Nitro Records most recent signings) isn't covering any new ground…

So, after you get done playing Dead FM, the Sufferer and the Witness,
Survive, Canyoneer, the Troubled Stateside, Mutiny!, or whatever other
melodic hardcore album you've been digging in 2006, give Ignite your
attention. These dudes deserve it.
-Joe Hoey

The Distance
The Rise, The Fall, and Everything In Between
Abacus Records
4.5/10

Woah. Uh, Abacus should be pushing this shit with commercials on MTV2
every time you change the channel. Damn. They could make this band
huge.

That said, I'd liken these dudes to The Used, but that would be kind
of mean, because they don't totally suck. Every once in a while I
found myself tapping along, and almost even singing along to a chorus
or two, usually the songs I'd expect myself to hate.

Yeah, I'll admit it, while this album overall isn't very good, it's
definitely not the worst album of the year. In fact, I know some kids
who might not mind this, and I think I might recommend this album to
them. More importantly, I could find myself coming back to a few
tracks on this every so often. For what it's worth, they do at least
do this kind of music well. "Inspired By You" is a catchy song, as is
"Let It Rain." "Broken Promises" also delivers. Honestly, I think this
band is better off when they're not trying to pretend they're
hardcore. When they fit themselves into the cliché "pop-punk/screamo"
category, they fare much better. If I remember right, this band used
to be on Bridge Nine, so I'd think they would be able to shell out
some better hardcore tunes. However, this is not the case.

Oh, and uh, the album art… Ugh.

-Joe Hoey
       

The World/Inferno Friendship Society
Red-Eyed Soul
Chunksaah Records
8.5/10

  I’d like to begin by saying I’d only heard one track by this band prior to hearing this album, and that was their good, but not very fulfilling Rock Against Bush song, “The Expatriate Act.” That said, almost every track on “Red-Eyed Soul” blows “The Expatriate Act” away. Opening with the kinda jazzy “Brother of the Mayor of Bridgewater,” and ending with the explosive “So Long to the Circus,” this album does not disappoint.

The World/Inferno Friendship Society play a version of punk rock with horns n’ shit, and accordions, which is generally referred to as “circus-punk,” whatever that means. Personally, I hear hints of Broadway with some jazz, and a bit of Bosstones, if you can imagine that.

While I do like this album, there are times when it kind of blends together and there quite a few forgettable tracks. “Me V. Angry Mob,” “The Devil’s Ball,” and “Please My Favorite Don't Be Sad” come to mind. More importantly, “Only Anarchists Are Pretty” is just plain annoying. It starts off cool enough, but then about halfway through, it becomes an annoying, overblown sing along. The song is about two and a half minutes too long, and that’s way too much bullshit for me to enjoy.

My personal favorites here are “Your Younger Love,” “Me and the Mad Monkettes” “Jerusalem Boys,” and the closing track, “So Long to the Circus.” I’d recommend this album, though I could easily see many people flat out hating it.
- Joe Hoey

Dead To Me -
Cuban Ballerina
Fat Wreck Chords
3 outta 10

  When two of these guys were in a band called One Man Army (Get the irony?,) I can’t expect too much from them. Flowing with Bro-Rock at it’s worst, all I can think of is how their name is a self-fulfilling prophecy, Dead To Me are now dead to me.

Warped Tour 2006 Comp
SideOneDummy

  What I love about these Warped Tour comps, and most punk comps in general, is that I get to hear bands that everyone says I should check out, new music from bands I love, and re-affirm hatred of bands I hated two years ago. Examples: Daniel, you’re wrong, Chiodos sucks, The new track from NOFX makes me want to get the new album, and yup, I’m still saying “Fuck Atreyu” with pride. You get two discs with tons of good shit on ‘em for like $8. It’s a pretty rockin’ deal.

P.O.S
Audition
Rhymesayers Entertainment
8 out of 10

  P.O.S. rules pretty good. Having opened for both Atmosphere and Minus The Bear, you can get a pretty good idea on the stylistic range of P.O.S. Politics, girls, and talking about being poor. These are things that both punk and rap have in common. Add in distorted guitars and clever raps, you have P.O.S. Well, I could go into how badass each of the songs is and try to think of more adjectives, but I think P.O.S. rules pretty good should suffice.

Near Miss
Testing The Ends of What They'll Put Up With
Takeover Records
6 out of 10

With the energy of At The Drive In, but with a background in Bad Religion, Near Miss score one hell of a direct hit with this album. Shit-tons of rock keep this album right on track. Starting off with Serious Mess, the album gives me hope for the future of punk music.

-Jonathan Yost

Goatwhore
Metal Blade Records
6 outta 10

  With a name like Goatwhore, you can’t expect anything less that 97.3% evil. I was not disappointed. It’s a good thing I listened to this in a wide open space, because had I listened to this in the comfort of my own home, I probably would have to buy new furniture. Any song on this album can be picked for that scene in the movie where the coked-out alcoholic snaps and starts throwing lamps and punting babies and shit. So, if you’re a coked-out alcoholic, and you’re looking for your time to shine, here’s the album for you.

The Slow Signal Fade
Steady
In Music We Trust            

            This crap sounds like Alanis Morissette kicked Karen-O’s ass and joined the Yeah Yeah Yeahs in a really, really awful sense. “Steady” is droning, repetitive, and wholly uninteresting. Any redeeming qualities of this album are completely lost on me. This lousy band seriously made me listen to the same half-assed riff for like 3 minutes until I was so distracted by the shitty production that I shut down both physically and emotionally. Thank God Johnny Walker Red was here to resuscitate me! This album isn’t just bad or unoriginal like lots of bands are; it’s simply cripplingly irritating. Fortunately, the (presumably) Down-Syndrome afflicted female singer is drowned out by the bitterly annoying guitarist most of the time. Seriously, if you suck the herpes off a hobos shaft as a band, the very least you can do is attempt to play in tune. Is that really too much to ask?
            This shit is terrible. I wouldn’t pay 2 bucks for this cd, even if it came with nachos, a case of booze, and a free tank of gas.

Dragonforce
Inhuman Rampage
Roadrunner Records            
10/10

           Holy Crap. When I first heard this album, I thought they were joking. This sounds like the music you’d want on your Ipod while riding a fire-breathing dragon into a massive battle. . . you know, the kind of battle that’s got catapults and battering rams and maidens and fire and all that crap.
Beyond the novelty, the instruments are all rocked with amazing talent. I’d be surprised if this band didn’t burn down every venue they played by how awesome they are (as opposed to Great White, who burned down venues ‘cause of how much they suck). The guitars are probably made of rad lasers, the drums puke flaming land mines, and the keyboards breathe fire on all opposed to the awesomeness that is Dragon Force! Mostly the rad laser guitars, though.
Did I just hear a record scratch sample? This album has everything! The Yin to Cradle of Filth’s Yang, I’d spent 40 bucks on a cd that rocks this hard. Go and buy it, you little jerks. Free pair of spandex flame pants with every purchase.
-Michael Gunther

The Blood Meridian
Kick Up The Dust
V2
6/10

 The debut effort from Blood Meridian, “Kick up the Dust”, reminds me of a collection of White Stripes songs recorded by an envious and marginally less talented younger brother of Jack White. It’s certainly roots rock-ish. It’s not overly produced, and the lyrics are reasonably emotive without entering into “Gauged ear city… Population: Warped Tour” territory.
Still, it could be much worse. Track 7 shows a vocal range I would have loved to have heard on more tracks. The rest of the songs sound limited, and when harmony does sneak in, it sounds like an awkward church sing-a-long. Whatever though, this album has its applications. It just needs some stronger vocals.
Bonus points for use of the slide guitar, Negative points for not tuning the damned thing first.

-Michael Gunther

Thom Yorke
The Eraser
XL Records

0/10            

How bad is Thom Yorke's new solo album? It makes me want to listen to Radiohead, and you all know that I would rather get kicked in the junk by an NFL punter than listen to Radiohead for more than 30 seconds. Seriously, if it weren't Thom Yorke and just some MySpace dweeb fucking around on ProTools, no one would give damn. The first thirty seconds sound like someone discovering the piano for the very first time, and it's downhill from there. Throw in what sounds like cicada noises (a more forgiving friend assures that these are “laptop clicks,” which is one of the single gayest things I’ve ever heard) and you've got a record that would be a snoozefest if it weren't so irritating. If you’re like me and think Yorke sings like an autistic kid who is in the process of having a stroke, you’ll find no surprises here. This is the kind of record you would make if you never left your room and had never listened to music before.

           When that throwback troglodyte Harry Connick Jr. said rock 'n' roll was "music that requires very little knowledge and not much talent," this must be the shit he was talking about. It's like fuck music for robots. If you blow a load listening to someone put one-note Casio beats over a dial tone, this will be your new favorite album. There's no rhythm, no melody, no charisma. Nothing to recommend it. If you were thinking about buying it, give your $15 instead to a homeless man to buy drugs. It would be a more positive social act.

- Matt Corbett

Roger Alan Wade
All Likkered Up
Oglio Records           
9/10

Baby Shambles
Down in Albion
Rough Trade Records           
8.5/10

Ah Pete Doherty, is there anything you can’t do while loaded out of your skull on crack and heroin? Baby Shambles is the side project of Libertine’s frontman/crackhead Pete Doherty, and they are seriously good. The blatant obviousness of how hopped up the band is during the entire record just makes the fact that they could remain upright to record the 16 tracks that make up Down in Albion that much more amazing.

The melodies on every track are more infectious than Racketeer Brandon (Scumbag Brandon, not More Different Brandon), and if you could make out what the hell Mr. Doherty was singing, you’d be singing right along.


Look, I get lots of free cds from labels, and the rest of my music I tend to find on ITunes,
but I went to the Hollywood Tower Records just for the privilege of giving Baby Shambles my twenty bucks. Hopefully, they’ll use it to get more wasted and make some more amazing music. Now touring Europe. Pete will be the guy with a needle hanging out of his arm.  

-Michael Gunther

Cradle of Filth
Nympetamine
Road Runner Records
7.5/10

 I’m largely unaccustomed to death metal, mainly because I don’t like being yelled at and yelling at me is what death metal usually does.
“Nymphetamine” is now the only death metal album I listen to on a regular basis. Cradle of Filth is fast, aggressive, and downright frightening while maintaining some sense of melody and a great sense of song in general. Dani Filth occasionally sounds like one of those floaty eye-creatures from “Doom” when he screams, but it somehow works quite nicely. “Nemesis” is the highlight of the album, but “Gabrielle ” kicks some serious ass as well.
Like, seriously, it will probably kick your ass, even if you’re really big and listen to chugga-chugga-hardcore. Bonus points for creative and gratuitous use of profanity throughout.
-Michael Gunther

Cannibal Corpse
Kill
7/10

· The Time To Kill Is Now – Fight Club would look like March of the damned Penguins compared to what would happen if he were right next to me.

· Make Them Suffer – Is it possible to graft swords to my arms a la Baraka in Mortal Kombat II? Maybe I could jab lazers in my eyes…

· Murder Worship – How can I destroy his yet to be conceived children?

· Necrosadistic Warning – I will shave his ugly face right off!

· Five Nails Through The Neck – The Taliban and Al Qeada know nothing about hatred.

· Purification by Fire – I want to mosh on his organs.

· Death Walking Terror - The Discipline of Revenge – Blacked out for a bit, sorry. Who’s blood is this? Can I sell this?

· Brain Removal Device – Incomprehensible savagery is occurring within my mind.

· Maniacal – I will destroy everyone and everything that has ever brought a smile to his shaved off face.

· Submerged in Boiling Flesh – I am somehow able to conjure demons made of pure evil.

· Infinite Misery – Turns out you can make weapons from the bones of your enemy. Rock ass!

-Jonathan Yost

Head Automatica
Popaganda
4/10

Never actually having listened closely to the band Head Automatica before I wasn’t fully sure what to expect when I sat down to listen to their CD, but I had no expectations of drowning myself in bubble gum pink lyrics for the musically naive teeny boppers that this band seems to be targeting.

I listened first to their single "Graduation Day" for the new album Popaganda. I initially watched the video due to the fact I had no idea what these boys looked like. As the video started, I secretly wished these boys played as well as they dressed. Obviously my standards were not met. Starting off with what would have been a great quirky keyboard song with funky riffs and actual worth-while lyrics, the "Graduation Day" song plummets downwards and sinks to the levels of a mediocre dancey pop "rock" scene that most girls these days fall so easily into.
Following my not so hot first impression of the band, I move on to hopefully better songs. My hopes are soon dashed as the song "Scandalous" comes through the speakers. I'm almost one hundred percent I have heard this song before, in one of those romance comedies my friends drag me to. The song contained over-exaggerated vocals and repetive lyrics like the rest of the album is full of. The band goes for an angsty, "druggy" side in their song "K Horse" but it just doesn’t work for them after all their aforementioned pop disasters, oh, I meant songs.

Understanding where the band initially got it's fame from, their "Beating Hearts Baby" song, which was hacked, slashed, murdered, and used to death on Myspace over and over again, I would have thought they could have come out with some better sounding tunes. You have to at least give the band kudos for trying. I like though how somewhere mixed in with the seemingly never ending poppy guitar and lame choruses, that I swear Hilary duff has used at some point in her career, they made an attempt for both of the following: a religion and a politics song. YAY! A little clap your hands controversial song all about the big G-O-D and whether he's real, blah blah blah. It's actually cute in a pathetic kind of way that they are mixing in some "hardcore" politics about religion and the current world situation shown in their possibly dance-worthy song "Egyptian Musk". (which if it hadn’t slow down towards the end with the lead singer going off on how you should.. "look around, look around", I might have truly enjoyed.)

The band shows some promise though, with a couple interesting ideas just wrapped unfortunately in cotton candy. If they made it possibly a little more rougher they could find a bigger following other than all the committed , but musically challenged girly fans who mistake these songs for really amazing alternative hits. Mostly if you need a pick me up from being dumped by your cheating boyfriend and the cookie dough isn’t cutting it try some Head Automatica, Popaganda, if you have to. But seriously give the cookie dough another shot.

-Caitlin Looney

Artist: Tilly and the Wall
Album: A Hundred Miles Off
Label: Team Love
Rating: 9/10

"Sometimes you just can't hold back the river!" croons Tilly and the Wall, over a medley of acoustic guitars and upbeat drums. Can't you just see the chorus of kids holding their hands up and yelling? I don't know about you, but I’d rather be up and dancing to this music than writing about it. Bottoms of Barrels is one of the most fun, poppy albums I've heard in a long time.

It's obvious that they had a great time recording these songs and the good feeling rubs off almost immediately in the album's openers, "Rainbows in the Dark" and "Urgency." The energy stays high through “Bad Education” until the low-key, harmony-filled and foot-stamping “Lost Girls” which features the band’s stellar female vocalists. Then comes “Love Song,” which is the highlight of the album and a beautiful 3-minute trip with Derek's vocals and guitar coupled with more background harmonies.

The fun starts up again in “Sing Songs Along” with the declaration “we’ll wake up your mothers/we’ll start a commotion.” The song is an ode to youthful shenanigans and idealistic freedom that is guaranteed to make you feel like being 20 years old, drinking and dancing with your friends again. Unless you’re already 20, in which case you’ll just want to round them up and have a party. If you're younger than that, well, what's stopping you?

In case you couldn’t tell just by listening to them, the band hails from Omaha, Nebraska, home to Bright Eyes' Conor Oberst and Saddle Creek Records, the former home of Rilo Kiley. So it’s not surprising that you can hear strong traces of influence from the former in “Love Song” and "Brave Day," another folk-pop campfire singalong.

Now that you’re done reading about it, here’s a challenge: try to listen to this album without singing along, stamping your feet, or clapping. No actually, it might be easier just to go with it. Just let the indie pop love in.

-Diana Salier

Artist: The Walkmen
Album: A Hundred Miles Off
Label: Record Collection
Rating: 6/10

Alright boys, this isn’t funny. What did you do with Hamilton Leithauser? Did you leave him passed out on the L train last night? Bob Dylan is a great guy and all, terribly influential, but Hamilton is hot and I think it’s safe to say that we want him back.

The first thing you’ll notice when you listen to A Hundred Miles Off is that Leithauser has taken the Dylan drawl and made it his own. And no matter how hard you try, it’s really hard to ignore the similarity. You can hear traces of it throughout most of the album, but it’s immediately apparent in low-key opener “Louisiana,” “Lost In Boston” and “Brandy Alexander.” The best parts are when we get the old familiar Leithauser shouting and spitting out the lyrics to “Emma, Get Me A Lemon” and “All Hands and the Cook.”

Unfortunately, a lot of the album lacks the usual intensity and energetic force that marked previous releases Everyone Who Pretended to Like Me is Gone and 2004’s Bows and Arrows. It was the dynamic intros on almost every song that made Everyone Who Pretended such a great album; A Hundred Miles Off has its fair share of intros but the band doesn’t pull them off with as much fervor as they’ve proven themselves capable of.

On the upside, “Always After You (‘Til You Started After Me)” is the only song with the kind of driving energy last seen from the band in Bows and Arrows’ “The Rat,” thanks to Matt Barrick’s frenetic, garage-punk drumming. “All Hands and the Cook” is another standout track that takes us almost all the way there with a slow, mid-tempo bass and drum build. The song doesn’t reach a discernible climax but it manages to sustain itself for over four minutes without getting boring.

The Walkmen definitely deserve some credit for broadening their horizons and looking into new instrumentations; namely, the foray into 3-minute punk songs with “This Job Is Killing Me” and the trumpet breakdown on “Louisiana.” A Hundred Miles Off takes some getting used to, and while it would be unfair to call it a vast improvement, it isn’t exactly a hundred miles back either.

-Diana Salier

Artist: None More Black
Album: This is Satire
Label: Fat Wreck
Rating:7.5/10

            I’ve always suspected None More Black is a crossover band waiting to happen. AC/DC fans (and there’s more than you think) could get down on the killer riffing; punk fans should be digging on the hoarse vocals and the tempos; modern rock fans…well, what the fuck do they know, anyway? They made Disturbed popular, those dumb freaks.
            While not the fireball that was their debut album, None More Black has expanded their sound towards unexpected territories. While there’s nothing on here that rocks as insanely hard as “Nothing to Do When You’re Locked Away in a Vacancy,” they do rock in the macro sense. Some of the songs, like “Who Crosses State Lines Without a Shirt?”, wouldn’t sound out of place in a roadhouse, even in spite of the orchestral bells inserted in the chorus.
            It’s those little flourishes that really distinguish This is Satire from its predecessor. It seems almost a shame that “Under My Feet” was chosen as the leadoff single, as it has the most in common with their earlier work. It’s almost like they’re afraid of showing off a sound that’s not entirely unexpected. One only has to check out Jason’s previous work in Kid Dynamite to see the signs. The whoa-whoa-whoa chorus of “Shiner” is all the proof you need to show that he wanted to make this record all along.
            And what can we say about it? When it works, it kills. “We Dance on the Ruins of the Stupid Stage” is a mid-tempo rocker, and probably the best song on the album. “With the Transit Coat On” is a live show headbanger waiting to happen. The wicked second half of “Yo, It’s Not Rerun” is brutal in the best possible way.
            For the large part, this album clicks. When it doesn’t, it falls flat. “I See London” sounds like some bedroom case trying to be Oasis, while “Majestic” is a painful stab at country-rock. However, it works far more often than it doesn’t, and hopefully it points the way towards a third album that will silence even the loudest of doubters. None More Black is a band on their way; This is Satire is the sound of a band almost there.

-Matt Corbett

Artist: Black Lips
Album: Let It Bloom
Label: In the Red
Rating: 7.5/10

            When I try to tell people about the Atlanta music scene, they interject with queries about Jermaine Dupri and John Mayer, and I’m forced to murder them before they can reproduce. And while Atlanta is mostly known for being the capital of the Dirty South movement, it’s also home to a thriving underground rock culture. Punk bands like the Carbonas, pop bands like the Selmanaires, garage screamers like Thee Crucials, alt-country sweethearts like Anna Kramer, and acid commercials like A-Fir Ju Well all get stirred up in the melting pot of Southern culture. After all, this is the part of the country that spawned pretty much any American music you’d care to name, so of course it’s a little schizophrenic.
            Of all the Atlanta bands, though, the Black Lips have carved out a rather unique niche. Combining elements of punk and psychedelica, they have forged a name for themselves outside of the notoriously insular ATL scene. Rather than go for the feel-good trippiness of bands like the Flaming Lips, the Black Lips sound like what happens when drugs go bad.
On their new record, Let it Bloom, the Black Lips move away from the overwhelming noise that characterized their previous singles and head towards a sound that draws as much from Nuggets as is does Rocket From the Crypt. Try to imagine the Dils covering “Paint it Black,” and you start to get the idea.
            That’s not to say it’s still not noisy as all fuck. Sounding like it was recorded after hours in an empty warehouse (with the recording equipment set up on the other side of the room), Let it Bloom channels the 60’s, especially on slower tracks like “Hippie, Hippie, Hoorah.” There are still the rave-ups, though: “Can’t Dance” is a fuzz-drenched attack on the senses, and “Fairy Stories” takes an uptempo pop song and makes it dance naked for money.
            Sometimes the production works against the album, however. The sound at times works against the songs, making some compositions start to run together. Also, even at 37 minutes, it seems a tad too long, refusing to make its point and leave. Slightly better production could really have brought some of these songs to life, but they’re lost in the murk. Overall, though, this is a pretty solid record that should get some asses shaking at your next sock-hop. So invite over the cute gal with the beehive hairdo and schoolmarm glasses, and dance until you’re ready to fuck.

- Matt Corbett

Artist: Drive By Truckers
Album: A Blessing and a Curse
Label: New West
Rating: 7/10

            I spend too much time fretting about Lynyrd Skynyrd. As a Georgia boy, I’m worried that since they’re how most of the rest of American views the South, I need to defend them against all scoffing Yankees, even the songs that were laughably bad. However, I propose that people stop using Skynyrd as a signpost (heresy, I know), and begin using the Drive-By Truckers. The Truckers are actually Southerners (as opposed to Skynyrd, who were from Orlando; anyone who says Florida is the South-with-a-capital-S is obviously from somewhere else) who sing about issues important to us Simple Men: marriage, death, drinking, etc.
            With A Blessing and a Curse, they’ve given us an album that’s solid, but not ranking with their masterpiece, Decoration Day. “Feb. 14” offers a tale of Valentine’s Day as only a son of a small town could tell it, and the mournful “Goodbye” makes me think of every rural town I’ve ever driven out of. Throughout, the guitar work is phenomenal. While not as compelling as fellow Southern rockers Lucero, the Drive-By Truckers offer a lot to a country that sees their neighbors in the South as hayseeds that never got over the Civil War. That is to say, the real new South.

- Matt Corbett

Artist: The Coup
Album: Pick Bigger Weapons
Label: Epitaph
Rating: 7/10

            I think Brett Guerwitz is turning into a b-boy. Either that, or even he feels bad about making money off screaming teenagers with their hair combed over their eyes in a style I’ve dubbed the St. Bernard look. Either way, he’s been evolving Epitaph from a hit-or-miss punk label into a mostly-miss punk label that signs incredible underground hip-hop acts.
            The latest is the phenomenal rap group The Coup, known to backpackers mostly for classic albums like Genocide and Juice and Steal This Album. Boots Riley is an incredibly gifted MC, and the beats are all funk-fried drum loops and wah-wah bass, the kind that make this corny white boy get low in his office chair. So why have they not attained anymore success beyond recognition by the hardcore underground rap fans? Look no further than “Head (of State),” in which Riley imagines President Bush and Saddam Hussein performing mutual oral sex upon each other. “Back That Ass Up” this is not.
            This is straight political rap. Even a party-starter like “Laugh, Love, Fuck,” with all its Parliament spirit, is a call to revolt. On “My Favorite Mutiny,” Riley declares himself “Kunta Kinte with a Mack 10.” Don’t worry, gentle readers. While this sounds like the work of someone who grew up with a Huey Newton poster above their bed, it’s delivered with a humanity that prevents it from becoming Public Enemy-like screeds. It comes across as nu-soul rappers who are just mad as hell and ain’t gonna take it anymore. Riley is like Mos Def in that sense – his politics are usually down-to-earth and more concerned with common-sense political reaction than agitprop.
            Like most rap albums, however, this one goes on far too long. Some self-editing could have prevented the inclusion of eye-rolling skits and momentum killers like “I Just Wanna Lay in Bed All Day With You.” Still, this is above and beyond what you could expect to find on a lot of contemporary rap albums, and is recommended both for fans of political music and funk-rap.

Artist: The Editors
Album: The Back Room
Label: Kitchenware
Rating: 5/10

            Here we go again with the depressed Brits. Just ‘cause their country’s gray all the time doesn’t give them the right to act like wounded sensitive types who just got dumped. I’m looking in your direction, Coldplay.
            The Editors offer a bit more (but not a whole lot) to the gloomy equation. Opener “Lights” is the best track on the album, offering a catchy guitar line and a great chorus (“If fortune favors the brave, I’m as poor as they come”). It is also far more energetic than what their peers have been offering up these days. Same goes for the paranoid “Fingers in the Factories” and the catchy-despite-itself “Blood.” The bass provides heft to songs that are hypnotically catchy, showing that they’ve learned their lessons from the early Cure.
            However, this album too often sinks into the melancholic pabulum offered by boring acts like Travis. “Fall” could be a Coldplay b-side (and really, is there any greater insult to songwriting?), and the closer “Distance” tries to combine bossa nova rhythms with Joy Division airiness, and it ain’t workin’. I hope they enjoy their brief moment as critical darlings, because it’s probably going to come to a close soon, and they will become mere footnotes in the history of the Renewed Wave.

Artist: Mission Of Burma
Album: The obliterati
Label: Matador
Rating: 10/10

            What is there to say about Mission of Burma that hasn’t already been said by a million others? They more or less invented indie rock (well, unless you count all the middle-class kids with dumb haircuts who masturbate every day to The Village Green Preservation Society), and they still play it better than all their progeny. To use a wildly inappropriate analogy, comparing Mission of Burma to modern indie rock would be like comparing Led Zeppelin to hair metal. The sons have nothing on the father.
            Despite having been broken up for twenty-something years, Mission of Burma reactivated in recent years, and they have been schooling their offspring ever since. Despite the fact that their reunion album, ONoffON was wildly uneven by their standards, it was still head and shoulders above almost all of their now-contemporary indie brethren.
            To put it succinctly, The Obliterati is their best work since their landmark album Vs., arguably the indie rock album. This album left me speechless in the same way that Fugazi’s The Argument left me speechless – an album by a veteran band that sounds more vital and urgent than anything else in their catalog. I know a rock critic is not supposed to say this, but I have absolutely no idea what to say about this album. It’s so breathtaklingly good on every level that to write about it seems like it would demean it. Please do yourself a favor and give it a listen. I’m sure once you pick your jaw up off the floor, you’ll want to play it again. And again. And again. One for the canon.

Artist: Angels and Airwaves
Album: We Don't Need yo Whisper
Label: Geffen
Rating: 3/10

            I’d like to find the twat who made the rule that to be considered legitimate, an artist has to be serious. U2 is considered a legitimate band to be treated with darlings by the critical community, but Atom and his Package is considered a gimmicky novelty, even though there’s no contest which one those with good taste would want to hear seven days a week. It’s also why the first couple Beatles albums kick the shit outta boring dreck like Abbey Road and The White Album. But I digress.
            This reasoning seems to be the driving force behind Tom DeLonge’s new band, Angels and Airwaves. DeLonge, who previously had been the guitarist in Blink 182 (the rock ‘n’ roll equivalent of Adam Sandler), seems to have decided that his former side project, Box Car Racer, wasn’t awful and self-serious enough. So now, he’s channeling his obsession with the Cure into record that screams “ART!” so loudly, I’m praying for deafness.
            The record is ten pounds of studio flourish crammed into a five-pound bag. Synthesizers, pianos drowning in reverb, echo effects out the ass, and big drum sounds pockmark the album like a lunar surface. Top that all off with DeLonge’s adenoidal whine and lyrics like “I’ll be your distraction,” and basically what we have is a reason to punish Robert Smith for the sins of the child.
            If you like the last Blink 182 album, then you’ll probably get a stiffy for this. Otherwise, you’ll recognize this for what it is: emo with arena ambitions. (Although, I doubt a real arena band would write a song called “It Hurts,” unless it was about some backstage gash riding Diamond Dave raw) At least Blink occasionally had a decent dick joke. Angels and Airwaves is like that annoying kid who always tried to read his poetry in English class, even though it was cliché and morbid. We Don’t Need to Whisper reeks of the worst kind of ham, and here’s hoping that a lack of success will encourage DeLonge to hang up his bombastic aspirations for good.

Artist: Against All Authority
Album: The Restoration of Chaos & Order
Label: Hopeless Records
Rating: 6/10

            Against All Authority and I go back a long ways. When I was in junior high, they were one of the first bands I discovered when I found punk, and have always held Destroy What Destroys You near and dear to my heart. I’ve always contended that their last release, 24 Hour Roadside Resistance, was a criminally underrated thrash-ska masterpiece, which is why I’ve been salivating in the six year interim for any new material from this Florida combo.
            Unfortunately, this may prove to be their Chinese Democracy. While moments of past AAA greatness peek through, the band sounds exhausted of ideas and bereft of the songwriting chops that made even balls-out punk numbers like “Toby” hummable. They even lack the storytelling that turned songs like “Alba” or “Nothing to Lose” into miniature character studies of the forgotten generation.
            What we’re left with is a band that sounds tired, both of themselves and making music. The title track jogs where it should sprint, and “All Ages Show Tonight” is yet another rumination on alienated kids finding redemption at punk rocks shows. Christ, are those ever old. “War Machine Breakdown” has some of the worst political lyrics I’ve seen this year. “Radio Waves” is catchy, and the melodic qualities are intriguing, if seemingly out of place with the rest of the album.
            The album reaches it’s nadir with the cheap-shot shout of “we’re all Brian Deneke!” Invoking Deneke is like the punk rock version of a politician invoking September 11th. It’s tacky and exploitative. While there are enjoyable moments on the record, this single moment leaves a bad enough taste in my mouth that taints most of the rest of the album.

Artist: Pretty Girls Make Graves
Album: Élan Vital
Label: Matador
Rating: 7.5/10

            When Pretty Girls Make Graves are on, they are on. The best moments of their last two albums were when the ringing, stinging riffs collided with a sense of urgency that you can’t fake, leading to some genuinely exhilarating rock ‘n’ roll. Unfortunately, those same albums were also bogged down with tracks that couldn’t maintain the momentum, and, accordingly, one’s interest.
            While showing some signs of improvement on Élan Vital, these criticisms remain largely valid. While the first half contains some of the most thrilling rock music you will hear this year, side two is given over to tracks that seem to drag on longer than they actually are. The thundering, racing drums rolls and epic surges of “Pyrite Pedestal” produce goosebumps, while fuzzy rocker “The Number” bleats out in the inarticulate fury that informs the best youth music. “Wildcat” is probably the best song on here, offering just enough push and pull to make it compelling. The dancey “Parade” and “Domino” are a different approach for this band that just works. The addition of a keyboardist was also a wise move, as the tinkling flourishes are often just what the song calls for.
            Unfortunately, there are a couple bombs. “Pearls on a Plate” seems to have “use me in a melancholic moment in a Wes Anderson movie!” written all over it, but the tempo is so leaden and the changes so few that one wonders just what the hell they were thinking. “Pictures of a Night Scene” sounds like the theme to “Halloween,” and doesn’t offer much beyond moody atmospherics that don’t go anywhere. With a little more work on the songwriting and a willingness to abandon some of their stubborn post-punk pretensions, and Pretty Girls Make Graves have the potential to make a classic. Until then, they just have messy moments of mediocrity amongst moments of greatness.

Artist: Defiance, Ohio
Album: The Great Depression
Label: No Idea Records
Rating: 9/10

            Anyone who spends more than a day with me will eventually hear my rant about Against Me! and how Tom Gabel is the rock ‘n’ roll messiah foretold by Chuck Berry in the Book of Johnny B. Goode. However, I always bristle whenever I hear someone describe Against Me! as “folk punk.” Just because they had double-tracked acoustic guitars doesn’t mean they were folk, even though some of their songs flirted with the form.
            To find true folk-punk, one need looks no further than the incredible Defiance, Ohio. Performed acoustically with acoustic guitar, drums, cello, fiddle, and upright bass, this is a group that has absorbed the Weavers as thoroughly as they have their safety-pinned forbears.
            The Great Depression is their breakthrough. Previous work, though showing a lot of promise, suffered from lack of strong songwriting and disjointed performances. However, they’ve evolved into a group that not only can write incredible original tunes, but play with the kind of telepathy that anyone this side of Fugazi would envy.
            “Oh, Susquehanna!” is a head-bopping ditty that turns the mandolin into an instrument of dancing while ruminating on walking over the buried dead, while “Trip and Stumble” is way more punk than anything the Casualties ever did. Every song is simultaneously informed by an Appalachian sense of tradition and the manic punk desire to destroy anything resembling tradition. I imagine they would get booed off the stage both at CBGB’s and a bluegrass festival and God bless ‘em for it.
I predict that this record will become as much, if not more of, a touchtone as Against Me!’s classic Reinventing Axl Rose for the defiantly DIY folk punk scene. This is a serious contender for the best record of 2006.

-Matt Corbett

Artist: The Adored
Album: A New Language
Label: V2 Records
Rating: 6/10

The Adored’s first full length album on V2 Records, A New Language, is a feat in itself. For the most part, the album’s Brit-Pop upbeat vibe leaves one feeling uplifted and refreshed. The first song on the album Tell Me Tell Me is musically meaty enough to land itself on any top ten lists out there. We Don’t Want You Around is sure to be a smash hit among classic punk fans.  The only bomb on the album would have to be, The Queen’s Head, it is a pitiful attempt at a misguided tribute to the Beach Boys. The song is as artificial as a breast implant. The only details zesty in the song are the few cuss words thrown in and the screams that the lead singer blurts out (ooh awe). The hooks are dramatic punk pop ballads that you will find your self singing in two hearings. Over all, the album wouldn’t be a complete waste of money. So slather on the sunscreen and hit the beach with this album in your tote and/or man-purse.
                                                                              - D. Watley

Artist: Roman Candle
Album:Wee Hours Revue
Label: V2 Records
Rating: 9/10

Love is an understatement for what I feel about Roman Candle’s album, The Wee Hours Revue. This album has songs reminiscent of the golden era of glam rock yet the soul of indie music. You Don’t Belong To This World is a love song that pulls at the heart without being sappy. Songs like I Can’t Even Recall and I’ve Got a Reason are the reasons why I will put this album on my nano ipod. The lyrical content of the album speaks to a broad audience. The plausible story lines and dreamy hooks are likely to keep one’s attention. The only glitch is the preachy undertones on love. Over all, this album deserves to be part of any well rounded music lover’s CD collection. (9 out of 10).
                                                                                    -D. Watley

Artist: Sleepaway
Album: Sleepaway
Label:No Milk Records
Rating: 5/10

Here’s a brief snippet of a conversation that can give you an in-depth insight into Sleepaway’s self titled full length:
Myself: Dude, if I wanted to listen to the Goo Goo Dolls, I’d go listen to the Goo Goo Dolls. I’ve never wanted to go listen to the Goo Goo Dolls.
Friend of Racket: I like the Goo Goo Dolls.
Myself: Yea, so do these guys.

-Jonathan Yost

Artist: Ane Brun
Album: A Temporary Drive
Label: V2 Records
Rating: 6/10

It’s like Beth Orton got lazy. Beautiful, but minimalistic songs that are destined to be in another Zach Braff film about trying to find your place in the world. Great voice, soothing songs, but for Christ’s sake, do not listen to this when you’re trying to work on a term paper or you wake up in a puddle of your own drool wondering what the fuck just happened.

Artist: Fernando
Album: Enter to Exit
Label: In Music We Trust
Rating: 8/10

Fernando Viciconte has yet to achieve the level of pretentiousness that drives him to become known as a singular name, but he's getting close. Fernando the man + members of the Eels + even more talented musicians = Fernando the band. Shifting focus between piano and sax driven ballads such as Mariana to folk ditties such as The Reluctant Deity, Fernando shows on One Trick Pony that they are no such thing. Enter to Exit is a fantastic pop-rock-folk album with plenty of spunk to go around. A perfect album for long drives (laboratory tested, mind you,) Fernando the band has created an album ready to be picked clean by all the young directors who fancy themselves the next Wes Anderson. Enter to Exit has definitely nudged it’s way onto my Top Ten albums of 2006. Whether their quaint tunes can keep them there is yet to be seen.

Artist: Taking Back Sunday
Album: Louder Now
Label: Warner Bros.
Rating: 7.5/10

So, I used to like Taking Back Sunday. Tell All Your Friends was one of those CDs where you really like it, but are kind of ashamed of. Not quite a guilty pleasure, but damned close. I hated their last album. So much I’m not even going to bother looking up the title. But Louder Now brings Taking Back Sunday back into the realm of almost-ashamed-to-listen to from Holy-Jesus-This-Sucks realm. Make Damned Sure, the first single rolling off of Louder Now has just the right amount of melodrama to appease the emo bitches, and just enough anger to keep the hardcore kids putting electrical tape x’s on their hands at the shows. Singing about “double standards of suspicions,” TBS kicks Hawthorne Height’s black eyes and slit wrists in their pansy faces. Pound for pound, I got dibs on TBS to keep the fight against backstabbing girls and HH to go cry about some shitty state in the mideast.

Artist: The Futureheads
Album: News and Tributes
Label: Vagrant
Rating: 8/10

Artist: Pearl Jam
Album: Pearl Jam
Label: J Records
Rating: Sex in my ears (11 out of 10)

When I first heard that Pearl Jam was set to release their eighth studio album, I immediately set very high expectations. Their seven previous albums, having all achieved somewhere around top 5 status (three of them were number ones) in the US charts, were masterpieces to me - each of their own design.

With the first single, "World Wide Suicide," Vedder belts out emotional, aggravated vocals similar to those of "Do the Evolution" from their 1998 album "Yeild". Aptly backed by McCready, Gossard, Cameron and Ament; the song immediately topped the US 'modern rock' charts, and became the first song in Canadian history to digitally reach number one status after a free download of the song was posted on the band's official website.

Were my expectations met? Fuck no! If you judge an album by one song, you might find yourself listening to the likes of Nickelback or...something worse (if such a thing exists). So I waited until I got my filthy little hands on a copy of the album, gave it a firm listening to, and came to a conclusion.

Four years after their last studio effort, fifteen years since Pearl Jam first broke into the scene - they still fucking kick ass. At 41 years old and a chain smoker, I might add, Vedder still carries a powerful voice. His lyrical presence is still poetic, intelligent, wry and intense. The overal sound and quality of the album is like tiny single-celled micro organisms having world-shatteringly amazing sex on my ear drums. Bottom line: If you liked Pearl Jam even a little bit, you'll love this album. It's a refreshing change from much of the crap currently clogging up the airwaves.

Particularly amazing: "Parachutes", "Unemployable", "Come Back" "Life Wasted".

- Kim Worpek

Morrissey
Ringleader of the Tormentors
Attack/Sanctuary, 2006
10/10

           I’m sitting here writing a research paper on the economy of Norway. I couldn’t give less of a shit about Norway. I wouldn’t care if that whole fish-swilling island sank into the ocean. Is Norway even an island? I don’t know, and I don’t care, and I’m a fucking college senior, fer chrissakes.
            What is making this whole ordeal bearable (aside from Jaeger shots and a case of Old Milwaukee), is the new Morrissey album, which lemme tell ya kids, is a grade-A, USDA certified classic album. Hell, in ten years even Rolling Stone might recognize this fact when they release yet another list consisting of Baby Boomers jacking off to thoughts of their childhoods.
            Now, I hate giving albums perfect scores. We all know that the only two perfect albums ever made were Dear You and Ellington at Newport anyway, so why bother even allowing the possibility of giving a record a ten-outta-fuckin’-ten score, anyway? Seems like these days anyone’s willing to throw the perfection moniker onto any half-cooked bit of fatback that doesn’t consist of the musicians involved farting on a snare drum.
            It especially seems suspect granting it to Morrissey, an artist whose overall solo output can be deemed “consistent” and “solid” at best, and “indulgent” and “wha’-tha-fuck-izzat?” at worst. But Mozzer’s finally come up with a true iconic piece of work this time around, one that takes all the best elements of his previous work and discards some of the worse ideas (synthesizer backbeats? prog rock? “Tony the Pony?”) while finally screwin’ with the same-ol’ tired Moz mythology. But even when you get past the fact that the geezer likes fuckin’ (horror of horrors!), it’s not like it matters. As the man of the hour himself voxes, “I’ll never be anybody’s hero now.” That’s alright, Steven. Fuck heroes, anyway. Being yourself seems like the best artistic move you ever made.
            The artist-formerly-known-as-the-Smiths’-frontman sounds more in command of his voice than ever before. You’d have to return to such quote-unquote-touchstones as “I Know It’s Over” or “It’s Gonna Happen Someday” to find the (F)rank Sinatra of indie rock hitting those glorious notes the way his peculiar voice does. At his best, which is he consistently is throughout this album, Mozzer has a voice like the trumpet of Miles Davis – it may not always be technically perfect, but goddamn if it don’t cut a swath right to the sensitive spots of whatever internal organ you think regulates love. Even when he’s singing scat, you think not so much of dear departed Ella as you do the irregular beat of your own heart on those nights when you can’t sleep because the ceiling is way too (self-) absorbing.
            The songs show up, too, all vying to be the belle of the bipolar ball. “I Will See You in Far-Off Places” is heavy, and it’s like “Kashmir,” except I don’t fall asleep in the middle. “You Have Killed Me,” “The Youngest Was the Most Loved,” and “In the Future When All’s Well” comprise what will probably be the best straight ten minutes of up-tempo pop music that you will hear this year. “To Me You Are a Work of Art” is a song begging to be the closing track to every Matthew Good album you’ve ever heard. This record is jam-packed with father-stabbing miscreants who run wild in the streets while angsting about God, sex, and whether or not the boy will be happy. Now that’s more punk rawk than begging spare change and the first Stiff Little Fingers record, brothers and sisters.
             This might very well be the first Morrissey album I throw on the turntable explicitly because I’m happy. It’s easy to seek succor in the morose macabre of vintage Morrissey when your best girl is gone and you’re drunk and on the verge of tears and wanting nothing more than to escape behind a thin veil of Tennessee Williams-esque mendacity-as-excuse – sometimes singing “I Don’t Mind If You Forget Me” while shitfaced drunk is the only thing that can make you feel better about the whole thing (if you’re an English major, anyway). That’s not to say it’s some upbeat hippie jamboree where everyone sits in a circle and convinces themselves they should tolerate the idiocy of those around them in the name of being open-minded. Shit, a song like “You Have Killed Me” makes me want to dance myself down to the knees in my bedroom in those ugly new houses. The music turns the whole affair into depression-as-catharsis, but it’s way catchier than a bunch of Greeks in clay masks bemoaning the fate of some *yawn* doomed hero. Given the choice between Aeschylus and Ringleader of the Tormentors, there’s no contest at all with one you’d wanna dance to at a party.
            Throw in the fact that it involved Ennio Morricone, who’s second only to Prokofiev as the premier orchestral composer of the 20th century and the “balls-out-fellas” production of glam-survivor Tony Visconti makes the whole affair wholly engaging, and you’ve got in your cold little hands an elpee that is going to be remembered as the highlight of the Mozfather’s solo career. If Bowie made ‘em like this these days, maybe he’d be less of the joke he’s always been.
            Next thing we know, ol’ Steven Patrick Morrissey’ll be gnawing on ribeyes in no time flat. Cheers, you beautiful anglo bastard. You’re a charming enough man to pull it off.

-Matt Corbett

Lawrence Arms
Oh! Calcutta!
Fat Wreck, 2006
Score: 8/10

Whenever I meet some ignoramus (usually some woefully undereducated girl of whom I’m attempting to gain carnal knowledge) who thinks Green Day invented rock ‘n’ roll back in 1994, I have to tell them to stop ripping (so many) bong hits in a single day before throwing on some favored Lawrence Arms album on the turntable in an attempt to edyoo-mah-cate them. If LSD produced psychedelic bands, MySpace spawns people who only like The Nightmare Before Christmas. Their idea of pop-punk is mawkish, mewling pretty boys who have more hair gel than talent. Not the Larries, though. They play as hard as they drink, and thank god for that. This flagging genre needed a kick in the nards to save it from the angsters of love who would be helpless without ProTools, a rhyming dictionary, and run-on sentence song titles. Naw cuz’, these dudes, they got chutzpah to spare. “These Midwest eyes are dead tonight!” lead whatever Brendan Kelly hollers before insisting he be given the key to the city. Take a note kids. This guy claims to have heard the devil call him by his name, and you damn well believe his gravely intonation when you hear it. He takes chances on falling in love instead of curling up and obsessing over some broad who broke his heart in junior high. This record is jampacked with tasty riffs and hummable melodies that never degenerates clean-scrubbed pabulum. Lead backup vocalist Chris McGooch finally lets his voice go ragged for once, lending gravity to lines like the following: Losing sort of a past time Years fly right by with the drink It’s morning in this small apartment And I just threw up in the sink The coke is not settling anything And I’m as tired as I’ve ever been This, of course, before the whole thing explodes into a defiant singalong about carving out your own course and not being afraid to take chances. This is probably the most life-affirming record the dudes have ever hurled upon the record-downloading public, and hardly a depressing sentiment goes by without an upshot to prevent the whole affair from becoming a maudlin exercise in psychic self-abuse. Shit, maybe next time they’ll grace us with a country-ska album full of love-and-murder ballads. PS – Drummer Neil “The Steal” Hennessey totally tried to have sex with the girlfriend of Racket’s editor-in-chief during Racket’s interview with the boys. Just for the record, he determined it wouldn’t have been a good idea, though, once he realized Jonathan’s fists are like two kilograms of utter pain. So instead, he ended up getting all cuddly in the back of the tour van with Pope of Scene Journalism Mike Gunther, who described it as “the most magically traumatic experience of my life.”

-Matt Corbett

Angel Blake
Self-titled
10 out of 10

With his new solo project ANGEL BLAKE, Marko Tervonen (ex THE CROWN) proves that he still has plenty to offer the music world. Teaming up with Tony Jelencovich (TRANSPORT LEAGUE), and putting forth their self-titled debut, Angel Blake defies the typical death-metal stereotype. You won't find thrashy guitar riffs and indistinguishable, screaming vocals on this album. With a despondently charming vocal presence reminiscent at times, of His Infernal Majesty, or the 69 Eyes, Angel Blake swaps agression for melancholy, forming a unique rock/metal sound that anyone can fall in love with. Whether you're a fan of the genre or not, check out this album!! www.angelblake.com

-Kim Worpek