Okay, by popular demand, the reviews have returned. This really isn't very current. I found it in a draft folder on my computer at work. I had written most of these last year, probably when I wasn't busy. Since I haven't not been busy at work since last year it would seem I never got around to posting it. I always intended to add a few more reviews and lost track of it. I updated it with a few current gems, but the rest really serve as a warning on what not to listen to. I've gotten a lot of music lately and this is certainly not as all encompassing as I'd like it to be. This just is a few tidibits. As always... if you disagree, you're wrong.
Circa Survive – On Letting Go
No, it's not out. Maybe the mp3 fairy put it under my pillow. You need to run out and get this when it is out because it'll turn your brain to shit (TM Jack Black). It's just a swirling mass of inspired vocals and sick guitar work. If you don't like this, I don't care. There are a few parts that remind me of Cave-In too, which is a good thing.
Fall of Troy – Manipulator
There's a lot of good on this album, tempered with shit I just cannot get into. It has the potential to grow on me, but they'll be kicking a good part around and then it degenerates into madness. There's no doubt these guys are proficient musicians, but sometimes it sounds like Rush meets hardcore. I don't know. Sometimes I just want them to stick to the good parts and stop with the retarded rhythm nonsense marathon. Kind of reminiscent of the first Sound of Animals fighting disc (see below).
Deftones – Saturday Night Wrist
Good to see these guys back in form. The self-titles Dtones disc put me to sleep. It just sounded like one song over and over. It seems like they got some hooks back on this one. "Hole in the Earth" really grooves and "Pink Cellephone" is just… worth a listen.
Tiger Army – Music From the Regions Beyond
I don't like Tiger Army. My wife does. I never liked that whole "you've got punk in my rockabilly, no you've got rockabilly in my punk!" type of thing. I really don't like rockabilly, that may be the reason. I did like when Morrisey was doing it, but he's also the only person who could really pull of a pompadour since Elvis. But, I digress. This album isn't bad. It sounds like they've been hanging out with AFI a whole lot which makes this a pretty decent listen. Probably better than the last AFI album! There's a song or two that sound very 80's. I have no idea if Tiger Army fans will dig this, but my wife digs it… so that must be a yes.
Saosin – s/t
What a fucking letdown after all that waiting. I don't mind that there's no screaming, Cove's voice sounds great. But some of these songs? There's a lot on this you've heard already. They reworked No Angel/New Angel AGAIN and it's really bad. The song "You're not alone" is awful. Beyond awful. They're were striving for a level of awful never before seen and I think they exceeded it. Picture something really lame on American Idol. Now multiply that by 100. Multiply it again by 246. Divide it by 3. Now square it. That may be just around the level of lameness of this song. They also did a really bad rendition of "Bury your Head" for this CD, which they admitted they half-assed. Okay, well the record company really wanted that song on the CD so why not be agreeable and just make it decent? Just re-record it exactly like it was? That being said, a lot of the other tunes are good rockers, like "Collapse", "Voices" and the 300th version of "Sleepers". The biggest drawback is the production. It has a very Def Leppard/Bon Jovi-esque sheen to it. It's polished to perfection, which is probably what they were going for, but I preferred when this band had some rough edges.
CSS - Cansei De Ser Sexy
Oh crap. This is so awful. Indie nonsense cheerleader music. This may be the most annoying thing I've heard in a long time. And trust me, if you had my boss, then you'd know I get annoyed alot. Fuck whoever's idea this was.
These Arms are Snakes - Easter
Whoa. This is good. REALLY good. I've always heard good things about this band, but I've never actually gotten a chance to hear them until now. I'm glad they live up to the hype. Discordant and technical in that mid-90's Touch & Go way. If you dug Drive Like Jehu, you should jump on this like it was naked.
Eastern Youth - 365 Step Blues
Kind of reminds me of Bruce Springsteen... if he was japanese. I'm not feeling the rootsy japanese jersey style.
XBishopX - Suicide Party
Well recorded, crushing 80's style old school hardcore. It's pretty awful, but recorded well. And the cartoons on the cover would never make you think that this was the type of music contained within.
Black Helicopter - Invisible Jet
Eh. I wish I could put my finger on what the sounds like besides "indie." I can't. It isn't bad, but it just doesn't do much for me.
Fiest - Let it Die
Whenever someone you don't really like at your job recommends a CD to you, it's because they think they have superior musical taste. They don't. They're just an asshole who likes particularly shitty music. And this is what happened here. Fuck this lousy loungey Jetsons music.
Cursive - Happy Hollow
I got the MP3s of this before the album came out and I was really dissapointed. Now hearing the album, I'm still dissapointed. I really liked Cursive's last few discs but I hate when rock bands add horns and this is all really obnoxious. Cursive shouldn't write happy songs. Tim Kasher is only good when he's miserable, depressed and very drunk.
Ataxia - Automatic Writing
This sometimes reminds me of Jesus Lizard with more intelligible vocals and longer, meandering songs. And sometimes it reminds me of Seam with less intelligible vocals and longer, meandering songs. This goes nowhere. I'm all for 10 minute songs, but guys... DO SOMETHING.
El Ten Eleven – s/t
Awesome instrumental stuff that is reminiscent of tristeza.
Sonic Youth - Rather Ripped
This album is the best thing that the band has done in a very long time. Granted, there's minimal distortion and practically all of the trademarked dissonance has been removed from their songs... but everything rocks and it's impossible not to get caught in the web of catchy melodies on this album. The band sounds really refreshed and revitalized.
The Sound of Animals Fighting - Tiger & The Duke/Lover, the Lord Has Left Us
Two albums, one band. Two different reviews. Tiger & The Duke is awesome. An agressive blast of progressive post hardcore with consistenly shifting time signatures, cool re-ocurring themes and great vocals from Anthony Green. It's also an EP with only 4 actual songs. Lover on the other hand is a bloated mess that goes on and on with no end in sight. It's a shame since the EP showed promise, but the project seemed to lose focus with 14 tracks to spread itself out.
Pearl Jam - s/t
You liked Pearl Jam. Every single fucking person with a pulse thought they were the best band between 1991 to 1994. So unless you're a 15 year-old obsessed with Panic at the Disco who don't even know who Pearl Jam are, stop being a shithead and claiming you never liked them. You definitely have a copy of Ten somwhere. This album, despite what critics would have you believe, is not Ten. Nor should it be, Ten sounds incredibly dated now. This is the Pearl Jam of today, which is to say pretty much the same Pearl Jam of the last ten years. This album is solid, well-produced, with a shitload of anthemic singalongs which the band hasn't exactly been writing recently. It is not better than Riot Act or Binaural, but it is a good album. But hey, if everyone needs to believe that this is the best album since Ten so that they can achieve some kind of commercial comeback then I'm all for it.
Rise Against - The Sufferer and the Witness
Good Tunes, but they all tend to run together. Ready to Fall is catchy as hell, but the album doesn't have as much separating one song from the other like on Siren Song.
Cartel - Honestly
Honestly, do I even have to say how bad this. Utter crap.
American Minor
Eh. This defines music that I don't care about. Southern rock that is neither very interesting or displaying any decent songwriting. Sorry kids, I'll take Lynyrd Skynyrd or the Allmans over your boring schtick every time. Now have a whiskey and go bang your cousin.
Robots in Disguise - Get Rid
This is really awful and annoying. It's like if you took that squeaky thing that Cindy Lauper did with her voice back in the 80's and put it on a constant loop to really bad casio keyboard-like drums. But if you like that sort of thing, this CD, and a loaded gun are for you.
Dios(malos)
Jangly. Quirky. Reminds me of My Morning Jacket. None of these are things I particularly like.
John Vanderslice - Pixel Revolt
Vanderslice was in some band. I can't remember. I still occasionally get e-mails about his doings since I asked that band to play a show about 6 years ago. Anyway, this is ok. It reminds me of Belle & Sebastian and is very minimal overall. It's pretty mellow. Delicate is the best word I can use to describe the stuff. I can't get into it.
Cerveris - Dogeared
I'm digging this. Indie stuff. Kind of shifts from some laid back acoustic stuff, to some really mellow stuff like Low, Elliot Smith and Red House Painters, to more rocking tunes. There's a few songs with Corin Tucker from Sleater-Kinney which is cool. Steve Shelly from Sonic Youth is also on here, and a few other indie big names. His voice reminds me of Lindsy Buckingham. Really. I like Fleetwood Mac though. Turns out this guy was in Hedwig & The Angry Inch... weird. Good album.
Shrift - Lost in a Moment
The first tune is cool. Girl singing over some electronic beats, very world music influenced. She's switching languages here. I'm not really digging it though.