Author: anfnewsacct

Posted on: April 17, 2010 Posted by: anfnewsacct Comments: 0

The Honorary Title – Anything Else But The Truth

The Honorary Title – Anything Else But The Truth / 2004 Doghouse Records / 12 Tracks / http://www.thehonorarytitle.com / http://www.doghouserecords.com / Reviewed 18 September 2004 The Honorary Title play a style of college-rock that is reminiscent of Lucero, Weezer and early Goo Goo Dolls, back before the latter had completely turned into the adult contemporary juggernaut they are currently. The rich mastering of “Anything Else But The Truth” allows for…

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Posted on: April 16, 2010 Posted by: anfnewsacct Comments: 0

The Holy Mountain – Bloodstains Across Your Face in Decline (CD)

The Holy Mountain – Bloodstains Across Your Face in Decline / 2004 No Idea / 16 Tracks / http://www.noidearecords.com / http://www.noidearecords.com/bands/releases/holymountain_blood.html / Reviewed 28 January 2005 The pedigree on The Holy Mountain is impressive, taking members from Combatwoundedveteran and The Blackout Terror, but is “Bloodstains Across Your Face…” any good? Well, the music contained on this disc is beyond brutal, reminiscent of eighties-style hardcore with more than a little metal…

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Posted on: April 16, 2010 Posted by: anfnewsacct Comments: 0

Hollow Ground – Cold Reality (CD)

Hollow Ground – Cold Reality / 2006 Organized Crime Records / 6 Tracks / http://www.myspace.com/hollowground / http://www.organizedcrimerecords.com / Reviewed 26 April 2006 The rough opening that “Cold Reality” has is not a result by any lack of maturity or talent on Hollow Ground’s part, but rather a desire to keep step for step with established bands like Hatebreed. The screamed-out vocals that first assault listeners during songs like “Ill Fate”…

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Posted on: April 15, 2010 Posted by: anfnewsacct Comments: 0

Jolie Holland – Springtime Can Kill You (CD)

Jolie Holland – Springtime Can Kill You / 2006 Anti / 12 Tracks / http://www.jolieholland.com / http://www.anti.com / Reviewed 07 June 2006 To say that Holland’s vocals are not bizarre is to lie to one’s self. There is an interesting way that Holland chews eir vocals during “Crush in the Ghetto”. Most of the vocals are unaffected, but at the end of each line there seems to be this curiosity.…

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Posted on: April 15, 2010 Posted by: anfnewsacct Comments: 0

Damage (DVD)

While the character that Stone Cold Steve Austin plays whenever ey comes back to the WWE is beyond stale, I feel that the budding actor Steve Austin can take a lead role and change things enough to keep things interesting in a longer format. Damage is the first bit of evidence that I have for this, as Austin plays John Brickner. Starting out the movie as an inmate, Brickner realizes…

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Posted on: April 15, 2010 Posted by: anfnewsacct Comments: 0

Italian Japanese – The Lush, Romantic Weirdness (CD)

Italian Japanese is a very atmospheric band that uses silence just as much as instrumental compositions to craft “The Lush, Romantic Weirdness”. Despite the track only running a hair under four minutes, “Jeremiah” is an epic track. There is little more here than vocals, guitars, and very slight amounts of drums, yet there is a fullness here that requires that listeners go through the track numerous times to hear what…

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Posted on: April 15, 2010 Posted by: anfnewsacct Comments: 0

The Hold Steady – Separation Sunday (CD)

The Hold Steady – Separation Sunday / 2005 Frenchkiss / 11 Tracks / http://www.theholdsteady.com / Reviewed 26 April 2005 The Hold Steady start off “Separation Sunday” with a very confusing style that really mixes a Tim Armstrong-style of vocal and ska-influenced guitar riffs with a Talking Heads-like structure. In what seems to be an ode to a more pissed off Conor Oberst, Hold Sunday’s “”Cattle and the Creeping Thing” uses…

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Posted on: April 14, 2010 Posted by: anfnewsacct Comments: 0

Hit The Switch – Domestic Tranquility & Social Justice (CD)

Hit The Switch – Domestic Tranquility & Social Justice / 2006 Nitro / 12 Tracks / http://www.hittheswitch.net / http://www.nitrorecords.com / Reviewed 08 August 2006 Hit The Switch sounds a lot like Anti-Flag when it comes down to it. Of course, the vocalist does not sound exactly like Justin Sane, but there is enough in common with both bands to make an extended comparison. It is especially present (during tracks like…

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Posted on: April 14, 2010 Posted by: anfnewsacct Comments: 0

Hi Red Center – Architectural Failures (CD)

Hi Red Center – Architectural Failures / 2006 Pangea / 10 Tracks / http://www.hiredcenter.com / http://www.pangaearecordings.com / Reviewed 26 April 2006 Hi Red Center start off their “Architectural Failures” in a way that I’ve never heard a band start a disc. A high amount of electronic fuzz mixes with a lo-fi type of sound, only to have that amalgamation take on a much more noise-influenced sound. What results is something…

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Posted on: April 13, 2010 Posted by: anfnewsacct Comments: 0

Zach Hill and Mick Barr – Shred Earthship (CD)

Zach Hill and Mick Barr – Shred Earthship / 2006 5RC / 19 Tracks / http://www.killrockstars.com / Reviewed 22 May 2006 The eclecticism in which “Shred Earthship” starts shows that Hella and Octis are both live and well in this new release. There is no need for vocals during the disc as the composition has a vocal component already present; the guitar work present during tracks like “Desert Glass Bubble”…

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Posted on: April 12, 2010 Posted by: anfnewsacct Comments: 0

Hi-Fi Sky – Music For Synchronized Swimming (CD)

Hi-Fi Sky – Music For Synchronized Swimming / 2005 Seersucker Fantasy / 12 Tracks / http://www.hi-fisky.com / http://www.voobrew.com / Reviewed 10 May 2005 The ambient sound of Hi-Fi Sky takes some getting used to; each of the tracks on “Music For Synchronized Swimming” tends to play around a lot with the patience of the band’s listeners. If one is impatient, they will miss out completely on what is an even-handed…

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Posted on: April 12, 2010 Posted by: anfnewsacct Comments: 0

Hiding In Public – What Lies Ahead (CD)

Hiding In Public – What Lies Ahead / 2006 Self / 11 Tracks / http://www.hidinginpublic.com / Reviewed 29 January 2007 Hiding In Public play an odd brand of rock music. If anything, tracks like “Satellite” seem to be heavy in a tradition that includes acts like The Eagles and Bryan Adams. There is not a modernization of these influences, but rather Hiding In Public attempts to perfect the musical style.…

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Posted on: April 11, 2010 Posted by: anfnewsacct Comments: 0

Hide From Cleo – Coffee Dreams and Acoustic Beans (CD)

Hide From Cleo – Coffee Dreams and Acoustic Beans / 2006 Self / 17 Tracks / http://www.hidefromcleo.com / Reviewed 07 February 2007 Hide From Cleo comes out of the gates with a noisy restaurant sound, which kind of makes sense since the title of the track is called “Breakfast at Woodies”. The start is not the quickest thing ever heard, but the band is setting up listeners for the rest…

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Posted on: April 11, 2010 Posted by: anfnewsacct Comments: 0

Hey Tiger – September (CD)

Hey Tiger – September / 2005 Self / 10 Tracks / http://www.heytigerband.com / Reviewed 15 March 2006 I’ve never gotten why there are just so many bands coming out of New Jersey at any one given time. It seems like every second or third act is a Jersey band; is it really true that every citizen of the state has a band, oir is it some bizarre patch that individuals…

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Posted on: April 10, 2010 Posted by: anfnewsacct Comments: 0

Ari Hest – The Green Room Sessions (CD)

Ari Hest – The Green Room Sessions / 2006 Sony / 5 Tracks / http://www.arihest.com / http://www.columbiarecords.com / Reviewed 19 January 2007 Ari Hest has been talked about quite a few times in the last few months, and The Green Room Sessions” is an introductory EP to show everyone who receives it exactly what Hest is about. The style of music that is played during songs like “Upstairs” is a…

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Posted on: April 10, 2010 Posted by: anfnewsacct Comments: 0

Hero Pattern – The Deception EP (CD)

Hero Pattern – The Deception EP / 2006 Self / 6 Tracks / http://www.heropattern.com / http://www.myspace.com/heropattern / Reviewed 21 January 2007 Hero Pattern are smart. They start out their EP with a sub-1:45 track in “Don’t Even Miss Me”. The high amount of energy present in this track is a perfect introduction for anyone who has not heard Hero Pattern up to this point, and for anyone that might feel…

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Posted on: April 10, 2010 Posted by: anfnewsacct Comments: 0

The Higher – Histrionics (CD)

The Higher – Histrionics / 2005 Fiddler Records / 14 Tracks / http://www.thehigher.com / http://www.fiddlerrecords.com / Reviewed 12 April 2005 Brother, I was not expecting “Diaries” to come from a band that had released an album with this cover – shallow, I know but the music to be found on “Histrionics” is a brand of emo-rock that situates itself between Brand New and Hawthorne Heights. What is fun with The…

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Posted on: April 6, 2010 Posted by: anfnewsacct Comments: 0

Herman Rarebell – Too Late For Peace (CD)

Herman Rarebell – Too Late For Peace / 2006 Selfmadegod / 15 Tracks / http://www.myspace.com/hrgrind / http://www.selfmadegod.com / Reviewed 11 March 2006 The first few tracks on “Too Late For Peace” blast through their minute-plus lengths with ease, but “Observation” is a slower piece that really relies on repetition to drive its point home. What “Too late For Peace” (the track) really does for Herman Rarebell is break down the…

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Posted on: April 6, 2010 Posted by: anfnewsacct Comments: 0

Her Majesty – Memory & Loss

Her Majesty – Memory & Loss / 2005 Bittersweet Records / 8 Tracks / http://www.hermajestyny.com / [email protected] / Reviewed 09 April 2005 Her Majesty is a band that defies easy categorization. Dreamy pop looks back to the mid-to-late nineties, with tracks like “All This Beauty” taking cues from Feeder and Sean Lennon. The band is not content with just being two guitars, keyboards and drums but layers each track on…

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Posted on: April 5, 2010 Posted by: anfnewsacct Comments: 0

Hellshock – Warlord EP

Hellshock – Warlord EP / 2005 Profane Existence / 2 Tracks / http://www.profaneexistence.com / Reviewed 11 October 2005 Two tracks really make it nearly impossible to gauge the sound of a band, and while the two tracks of the Warlord EP (Warlord and Legion) are both of an extend track length (at least for a punk type of sound), this hypothesis still holds water. The music that Hellshock puts down…

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