Touché Amoré – Parting The Sea Between Brightness And Me

- by Thomas

Holy shit! I think Touché Amoré’s latest is even better than last year’s “… To The Beat Of A Dead Horse”! They rip through 13 songs in less than 20 minutes on “Parting The Sea Between Brightness And Me”. While everything is still heavy as fuck, they’ve subtly introduced more melody into the songs which makes them hit home even harder.

Jeremy Bolm is still trying to exorcise all of his demons at once in two minutes or less while dispensing all of his unwanted organs at the same time. Raw, passionate and frenetic are just a couple of words that come to mind while listening to this album. If you are into bands like Defeater and La Dispute, you should have no problem getting jiggy with Touché Amoré.
Score: 8 out of 10
http://www.deathwishinc.com
http://www.toucheamore.com

Otep - Atavist

- by Thomas

Back when nu metal was a big thing, there was this one band who tried to be different. Fronted by a woman who calls herself Otep Shamaya they indulged in ultra-heavy riffage and poetic yet socially aware lyrics. They didn’t make much of an impression on me back then and their subsequent albums never gave me a reason to change my opinion.

Seeing as she’s now surrounded by an entirely new band, the previous guys didn’t see things go anywhere either and called it a day. They were the smart ones because there’s nothing good to be found on “Atavist”. Unless you’re looking for Xerox copies of Pantera riffs and still the same inane lyrics shouted by a very distorted voice.

They do try very hard to come across as something more, something deeper but seem to forget that you have to write decent songs these days to even be noticed.
Score: 2 out of 10
http://www.victoryrecords.com
http://www.otep.com

Left Lane Cruiser – Junkyard Speed Ball

- by Thomas

Are you planning a road trip through the Southern states of the US and in dire need of a new soundtrack because you have already worn out your old Black Keys and Jon Spencer albums? Well, pick up “Junkyard Speed Ball”, the latest album by Fort Wayne, Indiana’s twosome Left Lane Cruiser.

Just like on their previous releases (2008’s “Bring Yo Ass To The Table” and 2009’s “All You Can Eat”), you can expect to hear plenty of punked up blues like on opener “Lost My Mind”, “Circus” or “Shine”. Freddy J IV still shreds like crazy on his slide guitar while Brenn ‘Sausage Paw’ Beck still handles the drums and shit. This time around they got a little help from Black Diamond Heavies’ James Leg on the slower songs. The addition of a Hammond and electric piano is a nice touch and helps round out their sound more on the slightly more mellow cuts like “Giving Tree” and “Pig Farm”.

Three albums down the line, Left Lane Cruiser is still on fire and out to prove that being a two-man band is no excuse to not set things ablaze. We’re still fans!
Score: 8 out of 10
http://www.alivenergy.com
http://www.myspace.com/leftlanecruiser

Grant Hart - Oeuvrevue

- by Thomas

Back in the day a band named Hüsker Dü released an album called “Land Speed Record” and wrote punkrock history. They did that several more times with albums like “Zen Arcade” and a bunch of others. Then Bob Mould and Grant Hart got into a fight and Hüsker Dü was no more. But not before influencing a whole mess of other bands like… well, pretty much every alternative band that was around in the 90s.

Both Bob Mould and Grant Hart started a solo career after that with varying degrees of success and now there’s this Grant Hart collection of rarities from between 1988 and 1995 with a title that has to be one of the worst puns ever. It’s a compilation that is not really that good because there are a shitload of good songs missing on here. The songs that did make the cut are messy live or radio recordings of his own songs, a couple of covers including Willie Dixon’s “I Just Want To Make Love To You” and some very average new songs ‘thrown in for fun listening’.

Best to forget about this album and order a Hüsker Dü album instead!
Score: 5.5 out of 10
http://www.hazelwood.de
http://www.granthart.com

Noise By Numbers – Over Leavitt

- by Thomas

A couple of Chicago punks (including Dan ‘Vapid’ Schafer) who have previously spent time in acts such as Screeching Weasel, Riverdales, Methadones, The Bomb, All Eyes West, Textbook and Light FM, started Noise By Numbers a couple of years ago and have just released their sophomore album.

It’s called “Over Leavitt” and is filled with up-tempo songs that come with tons of catchy hooks, vocal harmonies and great guitar riffs. Holing up somewhere between the punkrock sounds of Naked Raygun and 80s indie-rock outfits such as Hüsker Dü and The Replacements, Noise By Numbers are very likely to make Bob Mould envious that he never wrote this album while he was in Sugar.
Score: 7.5 out of 10
http://www.jumpstartrecords.com
http://www.noisebynumbers.com

Night Birds – The Other Side Of Darkness

- by Thomas

It was a sad day for punkrock when The Ergs called it quits. Luckily some of them got together to form a new band called Night Birds. They’ve since been steadily releasing 7” and are about to unleash their first full-length. It’s called “The Other Side Of Darkness” and comes with 13 songs (lucky 13) that will kick your ass.

It sounds like some sort of lo-fi punk/hardcore/garage/surf mutation that rocks from start to finish with the title track and “Paranoid Times” as some of my personal favorites. Think of Adolescents playing Dick Dale and you’ll get the gist of it.
Score: 8 out of 10
http://www.gravemistakerecords.com
http://www.myspace.com/nghtbrds

Mogwai – Hardcore Will Never Die, But You Will

- by Thomas

Everybody’s favorite post-rockers are back with what is already album number seven for them. It’s called “Hardcore Will Never Die, But You Will” and the limited edition that I got consists of two CDs, one with the regular album and one disc with a 23-minute long cut that goes by the name of “Music For A Forgotten Future (The Singing Mountain)”, a soundtrack Mogwai composed for an art installation by Douglas Gordon and Olaf Nicolai.

While they will always stick to their formula of loud as fuck waves of noise that wash over you and come with equal parts melody and feedback, they do still like to tweak their sound. This time they seem to be fooling around a bit more with keyboards, which lend more warmth to the material. It’s especially noticeable in songs like “Mexican Grand Prix” and “How To Be A Werewolf”, songs that wouldn’t look out of place on a Sofia Coppola soundtrack. But other than that things sound familiar enough and still bring words like ‘epic’ and ‘wall of sound’ to mind even though that last one is actually more of an expression rather than a word. Fuck it, if only every band that starts out great could remain as good as these Glasgow natives!
Score: 8.5 out of 10
http://www.rock-action.co.uk
http://www.mogwai.co.uk

Vs. Rome – The End Is Important In All Things

- by Thomas

When Germans aren’t busy invading other countries or following a strange little man with a moustache, some of them like to make music. Vs. Rome is a band that hails from the Ruhr area and they just released their debut full-length, “The End Is Important In All Things”.

They play indie rock that at times leans towards alternative rock. But I’m pretty sure they’ve been listening to a fair amount of punkrock and hardcore when they were kids. The songs on here can be pretty loud with a fair amount of screams, yet they never forget to inject the whole thing with plenty of melody. Think LostProphets and you’re getting warmer.

With songs like “All Ending” and “Places”, they sure as hell prove that they’re a force to be reckoned with and “The End Is Important In All Things” is one nice calling card.
Score: 7 out of 10
http://www.arcticrodeorecordings.com
http://www.myspace.com/vsrome

New Lows – Harvest Of The Carcass

- by Thomas

Do you remember that opening scene from Terminator 2 where the robot-controlled vehicles roll over the battlefield and crush human skulls beneath their wheels? That’s pretty much the right mindset to be in while listening to New Lows’ “Harvest Of The Carcass”. Slowly bludgeoning you over the head with what could very well be the most pissed off hardcore/punk/metal hybrid I’ve heard in quite some time, New Lows sounds akin to an outfit such as Bolt Thrower. If that name from ancient times doesn’t ring any bells, try Nails and Trap Them on for size. Crude, rude and utterly pissed off… that about sums it up!
Score: 8 out of 10
http://www.deathwishinc.com
http://www.thelowestdepths.blogspot.com

Scale The Summit – The Collective

- by Thomas

Scale The Summit is a Texas-based threesome that thinks they don’t need a singer. Well, they’re wrong. Because no matter how clever their song structures are, it just becomes slightly boring after a while even in spite of all the atmospheric parts, jazzy interludes and Joe Satriani-inspired licks. Then again I’ve never been a fan of prog-metal and I gotta hand it to these guys… they don’t indulge in showboating which speaks in their favor. But even then “The Collective” can’t keep me interested.
Score: 5.5 out of 10
http://www.prostheticrecords.com
http://www.scalethesummit.com

The Carrier – Blind To What Is Right

- by Thomas

A hardcore band from Boston? Never saw that one coming! On “Blind To What Is Right” these dudes tear into it, determined to come out the other end covered in blood and guts. With piercing vocals and some serious low-end shredding, this is one ferocious motherfucker along the lines of what Defeater, Killing The Dream and Modern Life Is War like to put out.

It’s dark, pissed off and slightly depressing… in other words, just the thing to put a smile on my face after a long day at work.
Score: 7 out of 10
http://www.deathwishinc.com
http://www.myspace.com/thecarrierhc

Dave Hause – Resolutions

- by Thomas

Okay, so Dave Hause’s album is a little folkier than a Loved Ones album, but it’s not the solo acoustic thing I was expecting going into this release. Backed up by a full band, Hause rocks his way through the ten songs on “Resolutions”. But if you would’ve told me that this was the new Loved Ones, I would’ve believed you just like that. So I don’t really see the point of calling this a solo album.

But hey, is that a bad thing? Of course not! I love the guy’s voice and songwriting skills. In fact, songs like “C’mon Kid” and “Rankers And Rotters” are so good I even forgive the guy the lameass album cover. Which leaves me with just one question… where the hell is that new Loved Ones album?
Score: 7.5 out of 10
http://www.paperandplastick.com
http://www.davehause.com

Times Of Grace – The Hymn Of A Broken Man

- by Thomas

When Killswitch Engage’s Adam Dutkiewicz had back problems in 2008, he got bored and started writing songs for what would become “The Hymn Of A Broken Man”. He enlisted former KSE vocalist Jesse Leach to handle the vocals and did everything else himself.

The result is a metalcore album that logically comes with some Killswitch Engage echoes, but it just as well veers off the beaten path. Something you don’t get to write often while talking about a metalcore album. The biggest differences with your average, run of the mill scene release are that there are hardly any breakdowns on here and that there are a whole bunch of slower, atmospheric parts that help make this a varied album with a fresh sound.
Score: 7 out of 10
http://www.roadrunnerrecords.com
http://www.timesofgraceband.com

Gorillaz – The Fall

- by Thomas

When I’m on the move I do listen to music but most of the time I’m just looking at other people. Mostly those of the opposite sex. When Gorillaz are on the move, they put their iPads next to one another and record a new album. The result is “The Fall”, an album recorded on the “Plastic Beach” tour in the fall of 2010 during a 32-day stretch through North America.

It shows in the song titles (“Phoner To Arizona”, “Detroit”, “The Snake In Dallas”) and in a track like "The Parish of Space Dust" where they mix dub with a sample from some country radio station. They don’t open a can of guest vocalists this time around, just a little Bobby Womack alongside Delta blues guitars in “Bobby In Phoenix”. So yeah, this is not your typical Gorillaz album with cutesey songs like “Clint Eastwood”.

“The Fall” turned out to be more of an experiment that got out of hand, but the result actually isn’t half bad. Although some of the material on here does feel more like a blueprint for a song rather than like an actual song. So while it isn’t the best Gorillaz album out there, it’s entitled to its place in the band’s discography.
Score: 6.5 out of 10
http://www.emimusic.com
http://www.gorillaz.com

Jonathan Inc. – Lost:Time

- by Thomas

Apparently this Canadian foursome spent a couple of years writing and recording “Lost:Time” and while it didn’t turn out to be a timeless classic (like “Chinese Democracy”… haha), it’s definitely a charming album. If you’re looking for some sparkling indiepop, you’ll be happy to listen to songs like “Impatient”, “Astronauts” or “Best Bets”. They trickle along gently with nicely stacked layers of guitar and a keen sense of melody. The vocals by Jonathan Anderson nestle themselves gently in those layers and the drums are just pronounced enough to help advance the songs a the right pace.

Jonathan Inc. doesn’t rock out with their cocks out, but they did release an atmospheric indie album that is pleasant enough to sit through more than once.
Score: 7 out of 10
http://www.arcticrodeorecordings.com
http://www.jonathaninc.com

Eisley – The Valley

- by Thomas

After seven years on Reprise Records, Texas-based outfit Eisley moved on to Equal Vision where they recently released “The Valley”, an album that’s more rocking than some of the band’s past releases and one that leans more on guitars than piano. Which is never a bad thing.

Everything about this album feels right… from the way they combine driving rhythms with delicate melodies right down to the artwork, it’s all good. And of course there are the beautiful harmonies courtesy of Stacy, Sherri and Chauntelle DuPree that sound amazing! I have no idea how these guys flew under my radar for all these years but I’m definitely checking out their past releases now.

If you’re looking for some quality indiepop/rock with more emotion than your typical Dr. Phil episode, then you can’t go wrong with “The Valley”. And as a bonus the DuPree ladies are way more fun to look at than the good doctor!
Score: 8 out of 10
http://www.equalvision.com
http://www.eisley.com

Yellowcard – When You’re Through Thinking, Say Yes

- by Thomas

The gimmick with the violin has been getting old for quite some time and their last albums haven’t exactly been doing what they oughta be doing, but Yellowcard just keeps on going. And I have to say that they kick off their new album with plenty of energy. “The Sound Of You And Me” is followed by the first single, “For You, And Your Denial”, another song that’s pretty rocking.

Unfortunately the band chose to cater to their audience of teenage girls after that with a couple of slow, cheesy tracks like “Hang You Up” and “Sing For Me” that really don’t do it for me. “When You’re Through Thinking, Say Yes” is not a crappy album, but it simply does not contain any memorable songs. And it all sounds way too familiar if you’re even vaguely familiar with pop-punk where the emphasis is placed on pop.
Score: 5.5 out of 10
http://www.hopelessrecords.com
http://www.yellowcardrock.com

Favez – En Garde!

- by Thomas

You can always count on Favez to drop an impressive album and that’s once again no different with “En Garde!”. Their seventh already! They kick things right into gear with “Tearing Down The Highway” and don’t even as much as glance in the rearviewmirror after that. Notice how subtly I smuggled in that analogy about driving when talking about a song that has ‘highway’ in the title? It’s about as subtle as Favez gets in “Closet Astronaut”, a song that just like “Under The Sun” comes with a mellow vibe.

But these guys still know how to rock as well. Hell, they even get downright punky on “The Kids”, a song that comes witty lyrics courtesy of vocalist Chris Wicky. “Living In The Past” comes with a little bit of twang and wouldn’t have looked out of place on one of Wicky’s solo albums. Basically these guys are all over the rock spectre on “En Garde!” with catchy hooks and great melodies running as a constant throughout the entire album.

I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again… if these guys were from the US, they would’ve been a lot bigger rather than being one of the most underrated bands in Europe.
Score: 8 out of 10
http://www.twogentlemen.net
http://www.favez.com

Silverstein – Rescue

- by Thomas

Let’s be honest here… Silverstein has never been the most original or entertaining post-hardcore outfit out there. And on album number five, “Rescue”, they don’t try too hard to change anything about that image.

The poppier parts have become even more poppy and everything sounds even more streamlined. Lyrically the band deals with insecurities and relationships gone wrong. So basically the lyrics are as cliché as the music itself.

I strongly doubt Silverstein will win over any new fans with “Rescue” seeing as it’s the same album that every other band in the genre has already released once or twice before.
Score: 4 out of 10
http://www.hopelessrecords.com
http://www.silversteinmusic.com

New Pokerface - Swingers

- by Thomas

Since their last release, the Dutchies that make up New Pokerface have added a second guitarist. And while there’s probably some lame joke to be made about them going from a threesome to a foursome and releasing an EP called “Swingers”, I’ll just stick with saying that it quite nicely helps round out their sound.

On the band’s new 5-song EP you’ll hear some punkrock tunes that help bridge the gap between Blink 182 and Rise Against. There’s a lot of energy on here going hand in hand with some sweet melodies. And all this comes in a nice digipack. Someone get these guys a label fast!
Score: 7 out of 10
no label
http://www.newpokerface.com

The Love Me Nots – The Demon And The Devotee

- by Thomas

Oh goodie goodie… The Love Me Nots are back and right off the bat, they take you back to the 60ies when guitars were still buzzing and keyboards in music were not just used to dress up an otherwise shitty song. Vocalist Nicole still sounds like she can’t make up her mind to kiss you or slap you and honestly, I wouldn’t want to her sound any other way.

The material on “The Demon And The Devotee” isn’t surprising if you’ve heard The Love Me Nots’ older work. It’s like listening to Juliette Lewis before she hooked up with that dude from The Mars Volta and starting using keyboards to dress up otherwise shotty songs. These dudes and dudettes call their music spy-fuzz-surf-gogo and that’s just fine by me… personally I would describe it as kickass but hey!
Score: 7.5 out of 10
http://www.badreputation.fr
http://www.myspace.com/luvmenots

The Underground Railroad To Candyland – Knows Your Sins

- by Thomas

If you don’t like the band name, chances are you won’t like their music either seeing as it’s equally quirky. Fronted by Todd Congelliere, URTC is a bit like an amalgam of his previous outfits, F.Y.P. and Toys That Kill.

Think indie rock with pop-punk hooks and a garage-y feel. These guys don’t overthink their tunes. They come up with a sweet melody, throw some distorted guitars and not so serious lyrics over them and then call it a day. Oh, and sometimes they’ll throw in some surf licks for kicks. Probably to then proceed by having a couple of beers and draw sketches of the costumes they want to wear during their next show.

But just because they are a fun-loving bunch, it does not mean they don’t know how to write a good song. They have a knack for writing hooks and while not your typical punk album, they definitely keep the ideals intact. If you’re looking for a fucked up soundtrack to the summer, “Knows Your Sins” is it.
Score: 7 out of 10
http://www.recessrecords.com
http://www.myspace.com/theundergroundrailroadtocandyland

Blackguard – Firefight

- by Thomas

Remember when Victory Records used to release kickass hardcore albums? Well, they still do from time to time. But in recent years they’ve been known to drop a couple of less than good albums as well. Take Blackguard’s latest for example.

“Firefight” is the band’s second album and it sounds like… shit, beats me to be honest! Imagine a couple of kids who are crazy about Children Of Bodom and Dragonforce starting a band and then forgetting to take their Ritalin. This album has ADHD written all over and the guitar and keyboard solos follow one another in an astounding tempo while the vocalist is screeching all over the place, sounding like a raven during its death spasms.

Saying that this album is not good could very well be the understatement of the year.
Score: 2 out of 10
http://www.victoryrecords.com
http://www.myspace.com/blackguard

Vs. Antelope – S/T

- by Thomas

The guys in Vs. Antelope aren’t exactly new to the scene, having previously spent time in outfits such as Jets To Brazil, Texas Is The Reason, J. Majesty and Big Collapse among others. Having been around in the music scene for so long can make a grown man tired. After all, rocking out is hard work. It would explain why Vs. Antelope’s debut full-length is kinda boring.

The guitars are buzzing along nicely enough though with a Dinosaur Jr vibe, the rhytm section is laidback and it all sounds okay thanks to producer Ian Love. But the vocals are unimpressive and you’d be hard-pressed to find a memorable hook on the album. It all just floats by without leaving much of an impression. And frankly, that just isn’t good enough.
Score: 5 out of 10
http://www.arcticrodeorecordings.com
http://www.myspace.com/vsantelope

Death Cab For Cutie – Codes And Keys

- by Thomas

Death Cab For Cutie has been releasing amazing albums for quite a number of years now and I doubt they’ll stop anytime soon, seeing as “Codes And Keys” is yet another winner. Opener “Home Is A Fire” quietly lures you into the album and prepares you for the title track in which Gibbard & co flirt with Oriental string arrangements. “You Are A Tourist” is a logical choice as first single with “Monday Morning” as a potential follow-up. And then there’s a song like “Unobstructed Views” that builds up nicely before Ben Gibbard finally opens his mouth about three minutes into the song.

Continually evolving without losing sight of what they were about in the first place, that’s what Death Cab is all about. After all these years, the guys have the perfect pop chorus down pat and like to wrap them in melancholic songs that never cease to touch you. Death Cab sounds amazingly sunny and sprightly for… well, being Death Cab. Honestly, I don’t really care whether the guys is depressed or happily married… as long as Gibbard keeps writing albums like this, you can count me in!
Score: 8 out of 10
http://www.atlanticrecords.com
http://www.deathcabforcutie.com

Red Hot Chili Peppers – I’m With You

- by Thomas

Five years after the band’s double album “Stadium Arcadium”, the Peppers are back with a new album and once again a new guitarist (Josh Klinghoffer… their eight one if I’m not mistaken). Did “I’m With You” turn out to be the album everyone was waiting for? The perfect follow-up to instant classics such as “Californication” and “By The Way”? Unfortunately, not even by a long shot.

On their tenth studio album, the Red Hot Chili Peppers are recycling themselves and sound like a band just going through the motions. There are plenty of echoes of older material but it’s nowhere as funky or beautiful as it has been on previous releases.

Even the band’s first single suffered from that problem. “The Adventures Of Rain Dance Maggie” is not a bad song, it’s just not exciting at all. Tedious and bored are also words that come to mind. The same goes for “Annie Wants A Baby”, “Police Station” and “Meet Me At The Corner”. And don’t even get me started about some of the other songs on here.

Is it because of the absence of John Frusciante? Or is it that they’ve grown tired of it all? Whatever the case may be, “I’m With You” doesn’t sound Red Hot at all.
Score: 5 out of 10
http://www.warnerbros.com
http://www.redhotchilipeppers.com

Paul Dempsey – Everything Is True

- by Thomas

After having spent well over a decade as the frontman of Aussie rock outfit Something For Kate, Paul Dempsey felt the time was right for a solo outing. And when the dude says solo, he means solo… he wrote all of the songs, played all of the instruments himself and even co-produced it. That’s as solo as jacking off while watching clips on Youporn.

With a little bit of slide guitar here and some piano there, Dempsey neatly dresses up the mostly acoustic-based songs and shows he has a knack for writing pleasant melodies. Nothing on “Everything Is True” is going to be considered a classic but these pop ditties sure are pleasant enough on the ears without needing your undivided attention.
Score: 6 out of 10
http://www.missingpiecegroup.com
http://www.pauldempseymusic.com

Diamond Plate – Generation Why?

- by Thomas

Diamond Plate is a Chicago-based band that plays thrash metal like Overkill and Exodus used to. On their debut full-length “Generation Why?” these dudes start things off with some clips of news reports that paint a not so pretty portrait of the state of the world, before heading off into thrash territory with galloping drums and shredding riffs. They actually do a pretty good job but unfortunately they’re stuck with a terrible singer who started to get on my nerves about halfway through the first song with his incessant monotone screaming. A label name like Earache has never been more appropriate. Too bad because the music itself isn’t even half bad.
Score: 4 out of 10
http://www.earache.com
http://www.myspace.com/diamondplate1

Hard-Fi – Killer Sounds

- by Thomas

Hard-Fi is one of those bands that I never think of when looking for a fun album to listen to. Yet when I do end up hearing one of their songs, chances are I’ll end up liking it. That’s once again no different on “Killer Sounds”, the band’s third album.

Sure, the lyrics are inane. But the songs themselves are catchy as fuck and linger between rocking and danceable while echoing everyone from The Clash and New Order to more recent bands such as Kasabian and even Chase & Status. Angsty and anthemic is another way to describe “Killer Sounds” and while you’ll be hard pressed to find anything original on here, Hard-Fi did deliver an album’s worth of party songs.
Score: 7 out of 10
http://www.warnermusic.be
http://www.hard-fi.com

Brat Pack – Stupidity Returns

- by Thomas

A band named Brat Pack can impossibly not sound like a loud and snotty bunch of dudes. On their second full-length “Stupidity Returns” they come charging at you with a collection of songs that hold their own between older NOFX and RKL.

Despite the thick Dutch accent, “Stupidity Returns” is a very tasty slab of punkrock with great riffage and drums that sound like they’re involved in a high-speed chase. Being released in 2011 by a Dutch band will probably mean that this one won’t get the attention it deserves. Which is a damn shame if you ask me!
Score: 7 out of 10
http://www.shieldrecordings.com
http://www.myspace.com/bratpackontheattack

Octaves – Greener Pastures

- by Thomas

Octaves is one of those bands that does the whole screamo/metalcore thing pretty good. The bio sheet compares them to Dillinger Escape Plan and while that is true, I’m hearing more of a later Poison The Well meets The Chariot kinda vibe. Or maybe my ears are still just ringing from the show last night.

Whatever the case, if you like your music loud, dirty and dissonant with a hint of melody here and there, these guys have got your back. “Greener Pastures” is a shower of distortion pouring over you with tempo changes that are as abrupt as the drop in temperature when someone flushes the toilet. I know, it’s a terrible metaphor but I’m tired and slightly hung over.
Score: 6.5 out of 10
http://www.hotfootrecords.com
http://www.myspace.com/octaves

Pygmy Lush – Old Friends

- by Thomas

From the ashes of acts such as pg. 99, City Of Caterpillar and Malady comes Pygmy Lush. Whereas they were still kinda embracing their hardcore roots on their debut “Bitter River”, this time around they’ve really come into their own with the help of producer Kurt Ballou who tracked the album live in his GodCity Studio. The result is a dark and brooding motherfucker called “Old Friends”.

You can find these guys somewhere between folk and post-rock, probably doing something nasty that the daylight wouldn’t tolerate. Pull down the blinds, drink a bottle of whiskey, pop a couple of pills and you’re all set for “Old Friends”. Think My Morning Jacket, Bon Iver or Band Of Horses and you’re close. And a song like “In A Well” makes it clear that Elliot Smith is still very much alive in 2011.

“Old Friends” might not be the most lighthearted album you’ll hear this year and it may come with one of the ugliest album covers I’ve seen in a long time, but it offers just the right amount of consolation in dark moments. Or at the very least it lets you wallow in self-pity without looking down on you.
Score: 7.5 out of 10
http://www.lovitt.com
http://www.myspace.com/pygmylush

The Mountain Goats – All Eternals Deck

- by Thomas

Mountain Goats don’t bleat, they write beautiful folkpop songs that gently trickle along. That is once again no different on “All Eternals Deck”, already the band’s 18th album if I’m not mistaken.

No idea how John Darnielle keeps doing it every single year but I still have to hear the first bad Mountain Goats album. Longtime fans might still be pissed off that the production keeps on getting slicker every single time. But seriously, who cares when the songs come with lyrics this good? Observant, smart and witty lines wrapped in sweet melodies… if this was Facebook, I’d like it.
Score: 8 out of 10
http://www.tomlab.com
http://www.mountain-goats.com

Chixdiggit - Safeways here we come

- by Christophe

Chixdiggit has a new EP out. It's on FAT. It has seven songs. They're about fun topics, like "I Hate Basketball" or "Since You Got A Dog". Chixdiggit has been doing that for a long time now, you know, the snotty punkrock with funny topics. And they still do it good. Because this EP is good.

There you have it: a perfect example of a lame review for an awesome EP. Now I expect that what I wrote above doesn't really inspire you to check out "Safeways Here We Come". But honestly, you should. Because as always, Chixdiggit hits the spot with witty poppunk tunes.
Score: 8 out of 10
http://www.fatwreck.com
http://www.myspace.com/chixdiggit

Dan Webb and the Spiders- Much Obliged

- by Christophe

The third record by the Boston lo-fi punks is another good listen. Nothing has changed from the last records, and neither should it.
Oh, wait, you don't know about Dan Webb and his eight-legged freaks? Don't worry, you don't need to be afraid, even if you are arachnophobic.
Dan and his web-producing entourage are your friendly neighbourhood punk band, that you might be able to describe as a Boston take on the more accessible bands on Swami Records. I do hear some Sultans and Marked Men in it, but with enough Bostonian punk catchiness.
Score: 7 out of 10
http://www.gunnerrecords.com
http://danwebbandthespiders.bandcamp.com

Supercharger - That's how we roll

- by Christophe

Supercharger is a Danish six-piece playing straight up rock 'n roll in the vein of both Turbonegro and the late great Hellacopters.

Basically, with ingredients like Scandinavia, rock 'n roll and references to those bands, you can't really go wrong, can you?

But for some reason, Supercharger doesn't do the trick entirely.
Well it's not really "some" reason. It's plain and simple: all songs are over 3 minutes and a half. And seriously, that's not how I want my rock 'n roll. Keep it short and don't challenge my attention span, okay?
Score: 6 out of 10
http://www.vme-group.com
http://www.supercharger.dk

Gingerpig - The ways of the gingerpig

- by Christophe

Does Gorefest ring a bell? It was a Dutch death metal act, that was somewhat of a big act around here in the mid-90's, if I remember well.

Of course, death metal was the least of my interest back then, because I just discovered Ramones and they are still far better and harder than any death metal act... Seriously.

Anyway, the big man behind that metal band, Boudewijn Bonebakker started a new project, called Gingerpig. And this is their very first full-length record.

It's quite different from the Gorefest-days, as Bonebakker dives deep into late 60's and 70's rock in all its forms: sometimes psychedelic, sometimes straight forward, backed by a Hammond organ, bluesy at times,...

You know, if you were wondering if people still try to make records like Led Zeppelin, Deep Purple, Iron Butterfly...Well, they do. This album was apparently even recorded live in the studio, like in the old days.

The result is surprising, and actually very much fun to listen to. It almost makes me wanna grow my hair, wear flower-y shirts, sandals and say "far out" every two sentences. But I'm not gonna. I'm just gonna give this record another spin or two and enjoy classic rock like it oughta be enjoyed.
Score: 7,5 out of 10
http://www.suburban.nl
http://www.gingerpigrock.com

A Death in the Family- This Microscopic War

- by Christophe

There's more to Australia than AC/DC, Kylie Minogue or Parkway Drive. Yes, actually, Australia has a pretty big music scene with quite some notable artists.

Strangely though, there aren't that many good punk rock bands. At least, not that we Euro-trash know of. But that seems to change.

After reviewing the pretty solid effort put out by Grim Fandango, I got in total Aussie-vibe and put on "This Microscopic War", by Melbourne's A Death in the Family.

It was produced by Frankie Stubbs from legendary UK punks Leatherface. And it shows. Or, well, at least you can hear it. There is some Leatherface-ness on this record. Add Hot Water Music and Samiam, and an excellent production and tinges of alternative rock on top of the punk, and the outcome is a very good album.
Score: 7,5 out of 10
http://www.poisoncityrecords.com
http://www.adeathinthefamily.com

Grim Fandango - Birthmark Blues

- by Christophe

There's a game from 1998 called "Grim Fandango". It received great reviews, but the sales were poor.

I hope, for the sake of the Australian band bearing the same name, that they will enjoy a different outcome with their first full-length.

Because "Birthmark Blues" is a pretty solid album. The vocals are somewhat reminiscent of the early Hot Water Music records, or to Iron Chic if you want a more contemporary band to liken Grim Fandango to. Which, as you know, is always good, but not very refreshing.

Luckily, music-wise, the jangly guitars and early 90's guitar rock tunes add an interesting and (uh-oh , very lame joke alert!) ab-original touch to the Grim Fandango's tunes and the rather overpopulated Gainesville-esque bearded punk scene.
Score: 7 out of 10
http://www.poisoncityrecords.com
http://www.myspace.com/grimfandangomusic

The Plurals - The Plurals Today, The Plurals Tomorrow: A Futurospective

- by Jan

This is an American devil’s threesome (two dudes, one chick) that listened a lot to Dinosaur Jr. and Pavement. When they started their band, they also added a dash punk rock à la Dag Nasty and topped it of with a lot of lo-fi. Sometimes it works, sometimes it doesn’t.

All members contribute vocals with varying degrees of success. The female vocal is okay, that of one of the guys is strange but good, but the other one really didn’t have to add his shouting to the mix. Whether a song is likeable depends on who does the most singing, but even the best songs don’t seem to stick.
Score: 6 out of 10
http://www.gtgrecords.net

Kill The Young - Thicker Than Water

- by Jan

This is the third album of three brothers from Manchester. You’d expect a poppy, indie record after reading this first sentence, right? That’s exactly what Thicker Than Water is, but there’s a twist. Apart from the inescapable influence of Madchester bands of the seventies and eighties, the band also seems to draw quite some inspiration from early 90’s grunge bands.

I don’t know if it’s more how Nirvana would have sounded, had they lived in Manchester circa 1980 or the sound of Joy Division in Seattle a decade later.

If it’s up to me, indie hipsters will quickly denounce Kill The Young, because these guys have a ton of potential to win over a large audience. A band that doesn’t just use a sample of something that sounds very Red Army Choir-esque, but actually incorporates it into their song (aptly titled Revolution) deserves quite some credit in my humble opinion. Keep an eye out for these guys.
Score: 8,5 out of 10
http://www.sunnyweeksproduction.com/
http://www.killtheyoung.com