The Hatepinks – Plastic Bag Ambitions / 2005 TKO / 13 Tracks / http://www.hatepinks.free.fr / http://www.tkorecords.com / Reviewed 29 June 2005 The Hatepinks play a fleshed out version of 77 punk, mixing equal parts Ramones with Germs to make a very intense and bouncy style of punk for the new millennium. Tracks like “Microwave Drugs†literally pull the guitars straight from “Atomic Gardenâ€, but really push forward the tempo to…
Doing covers of jazz classics in a heavy metal vein might seem odd, but to be real, this is just a noisier version of a traditional jazz band. What they qualify as “Heavy Metal†on this disc is as tame as a Doors record, and about as clichéd as those California hucksters. I can say I have a fan of the decision to make the bass lines audible as per…
Jon Hassell – Maarifa Street: Magic Realism 2 / 2005 Nyen / 7 Tracks / http://www.maarifastreet.com / http://www.takticmusic.com / Reviewed 18 May 2005 “Maarifa Street†starts out with “Divine S.O.S.â€, a track that seems just as influenced by jazz reminiscing on the Pink Panther theme as it is by ancient East Asian sounds. Each of the tracks on this disc are given the proper time by Hassell, with the average…
Something that strikes me about The Heavenly States is the tremenous amount of restraint that they maintain throughout the earliest states of the disc. While lead vocalist Ted strains eir vocals during tracks like “Pretty Lifeâ€, the entire band’s output is very sedate. Tracks like “Black Comet†are so dense that they can work on four or five distinct levels without blending the distinct instruments into a muck. The density…
Harlots – The Human War Machine / 2006 Self / 2 Tracks / http://www.harlots666.com / harlots666@yahoo.com / Reviewed 24 August 2006 “This Is A Test…and No Flesh Shall Be Spared†is recorded in a very rough way. The heaviness of the track could be due to the guitars and drums playing off of each other, or it may very well be that the distortion created by the recording of these…
Hard Skin – Same Meat Different Gravy / 2005 TKO Records / 13 Tracks / cuntchops@theoldbill.com / http://www.tkorecords.com / Reviewed 12 March 2005 Hard Skin is one of the most solid and impressive oi! Bands to come out ever, which is even more of a feat since their music is technically a “send-up of oi musicâ€. Much like their ideological brothers Stars and Stripes (and to a lesser degree Manic…
A Heartwell Ending starts out their “Trust Us We Lie†with some of the most genuine and impressive new emo since Amber Pacific cut their “Fading Days†EP. Whether the band is able to live up to that comparison for the rest of the disc is the $64,000 question. While the vocals created by A Heartwell Ending are good purveyors of information, they also work admirably with the guitar works…
Hanover Saints – Murdertown / 2006 GMM / 15 Tracks / http://www.thehanoversaints.com / http://www.gmmrecords.net / Reviewed 19 May 2006 Each of the songs on “Murdertown†is really clean and clear for streetpunk music, but at some point there is nothing harder and more fun than what the Hanover Saints put onto this disc. The first track that will hit listeners over the head repeatedly has to be “The Crosshairsâ€. From…
Hannah Marcus – Desert Farmers / 2003 Bar None Records / 10 Tracks / http://www.bar-none.com / http://www.hannahmarcus.com / Released January 2004 / Reviewed 24 November 2003 While Hannah’s press release and CD is plastered with the fact that ey has worked and toured with Godspeed You Black Emperor!, “Desert Farmers†starts out with “Laosâ€, a track that warmly greets people with a coherence that GYBE! would hate. Synthesizers ebb and…
The inclusion of a more electronic sound to a hard, modern rock sound is something that I’ve personally never heard in the genre. Kudos to Bulletproof Messenger for having the cohones to blend together this style, making “Arm Yourself†an intense, impassioned bit of rock that soars on the wings of this electronic side. Nowhere is this captured as well as during “Lose It Allâ€, which bounces back and forth…
“Sound It Out†is a track that provides a solid amount of energy with an ear for pop arrangements, allowing a wide swath of listeners a proper introduction to The Locals. Each element of the band hits hard, whether it the alluring vocals put forth, the splashing and all-encompassing drums, or the harmonies achieved by the guitar. Despite The Locals packing up shop on “Sound It Out†well before the…
“Ride†is an energetic bit of rock music that has all the fury of punk while having a more focused and sharp sound. There is little to compare The Cringe to; they come forth with a little of the progressive sound of Rush even as hints of Buckcherry struggle with AC/DC influences. The sheer eclecticism of The Cringe is something that will put listeners’ butts into seats, while the catchiness…
The Handshake Murders – Usurper / 2007 Goodfellow / 11 Tracks / http://www.thehandshakemurders.com / http://www.goodfellowrecords.com / Reviewed 26 January 2007 The hardness of the opening of “Usurper†shows The Handshake Murders as an actthat is heavily influenced by the hardcore genre. This is done to the degree that one can barely hear any metal influence present in the band’s first track of “Usurperâ€, “Dissectorâ€. The guitars finally kick in after…
Hammers of Misfortune – The Locust Years / 8 Tracks / 2006 Cruz Del Sur / http://www.hammersofmisfortune.com / http://www.cruzdelsurmusic.com / Reviewed 16 August 2006 Hammers of Misfortune start out “The Locust Years†in a weak way. The extended instrumental opening to the title (and opening) track is just too long to keep individuals interested and backing the album. The dual vocal assault that final starts out after a few minutes…
Hal – Hal / 2005 Rough Trade / 11 Tracks / http://www.halmusic.com / http://www.roughtraderecords.com / Reviewed 24 April 2005 Hal’s album is a mystery from the front cover. A montage of clip-art from the last century, in front of a white background really is the only visual tag for what is in store for the listener. What comes out when the individual puts the disc on to play is a…
Hail Social – S/T Hail Social – S/T / 2005 Polyvinyl / 9 Tracks / http://www.hailsocial.com / http://www.polyvinylrecords.com / Reviewed 18 July 2005 Hail Social’s music, especially their opening track “Hands Are Tiedâ€, seems influences by the dance move, in much of the same ways that created the popular beast that are The Killers. The all-out dance sound of the bass-heavy “Get In The Car†shows a band that is…
Our last review of a rap CD involved one of the individuals that Haiku thanks in eir “Blewâ€: Meaty Ogre. That CD wasn’t that impressive, but “Blew†starts off in a much stronger way. The first track on this CD is “Blueâ€, and the song is strong in the sense that it uses a more classic backing beat, all while the flow is some of the more fresh and current…
I should have expected experimental music from one of the Einsturzende Neubauten band members, but still, the opening track “Minnie & Me†shocked me at the first go around. The vaguely-tribal, ghostly vocals present on that track cannot be anything but disjointed, and I almost feel as if Hacke’s purpose with this track is provide a disjointed viewpoint. The second track, “Sister†is just the incorporation of Bon Jovi-esque guitar…
Haale – Paratrooper / 2007 Self / 5 Tracks / http://www.haale.com / http://www.musicandart.net / Reviewed 02 June 2007 While it may seem as if Bjork is trying to make a more gothic sounding effort in Haale’s “Paratrooperâ€, I would have to say that the overall sound is much more diverse and full that the average Bjork track. There is the same type of atmosphere present as ambient music, but there…
Gypsy Soul – The Journey / 2006 Off The Beaten Track / 11 Tracks /http://www.gypsysoul.com / http://www.worldsound.com / Reviewed 28 April 2006 Hints of Sarah McLachlan immediately present themselves in “Promises and Liesâ€, the opening track to Gypsy Soul’s “The Journeyâ€. This means that there are hints of country and pop rock, much in the same vein of Annette and Preeta. The style of the music that Gypsy Soul comes…