The band plays an intense brand of thrash that takes into consideration the hardcore of acts like D.R.I. and earlier Raised Fist. The tracks blow by like nothing (with the average song lasting about a minute and a half), with the production of the disc allowing the band to sound a lot like they were playing all these songs live. Of course, the all-in choruses speak much to layering, but…
If your liner notes say that Conor Oberst helped you, then chances are that your album will be absolutely fantastic. Hard rocking post-hardcore music from an all-star band (individuals come from The White Octave, Bright Eyes, Desaparecidos, Lullaby for the Working Class, Cursive). All parts of this act together make pieces of art out of their songs. “Play On Words†has a haunting chorus that is completely made up in…
While I am always leery of those bands that eschew new, better ways of recording, I still try to give the bands the benefit of the doubt. The Cringe use all analogue recording for “Tipping Pointâ€, and “California†is the first track that most individuals will be familiar with when they first hear The Cringe. The track is a noisy type of rock that has hints of Blur, Goo Goo…
The intensity in which The Cringe start off “Scratch The Sruface†was really a surprise, in that there was no lead-up to the track, just Rob’s guitar leveling the audiences from the first riff. “Been Alone†is much more of the same radio-friendly type of rock that really has polluted the nation’s airwave, but done in a slightly more palatable style. There is a certain amount of musicianship that is…
Crime in Stereo come forth with the same type of open-air guitars that individuals have learned to expect from the band. Tracks are relatively quick, but the effect that they will have on a listener will not disappear quite as quickly. During tracks like “I’m On The Guestlist, Motherfuckerâ€, the band moves into the realm previously only traversed by acts like Rise Against. The guitars are still distinct, a hallmark…
The clarity in which Crime In Stereo constructs their tracks on this EP is simply amazing; everything is meshed together perfectly to allow a track with a speedy tempo and hard-hitting beats the same ease of discovery as the average pop-punk sound. The speed does not slow during “I’m On The Guestlist Motherfuckerâ€, where Crime In Stereo assumes a slightly Rise Against meets Strike Anywhere type of sound. The gritty…
With the same sort of detached-from-punk style of Fugazi, Crain looks wistfully back at the wall of sound bands to make a track that feels fit for the Nation of Ulysses-era as much as the later-Fugazi era. The vocals on tracks like “Monkey Wrench†even incorporate a little bit of Danzig to what is already a hard-edge sound. The great thing about “Speed†is that even (almost) 15 years after…
With a band name like Crackjaw, what first hits individuals during “Giants From The Stereo†is confusing, to say the least. What the band starts the disc with is “Cameoâ€, and the song shows Crackjaw as a band that mixes emo with a hardcore brand of screaming. Crackjaw may be a “Giant From The Stereoâ€, but the band has the ability to create interesting music in a musical genre that…
There has been so much in the way of material lost since the advent of recorded music that it is not funny. Saying that, there has been a Herculean effort in the last twenty or thirty years to ensure that no morer material is lost, resulting in material such as “Forever: The Complete Motown Albumsâ€. This 87-track collection is further cleaned up and provided to listeners and individuals that may…
Off the top of my head, there have been three good “punky†Japanese (or Japanese-American) bands that I’ve been introduced to before Coquettish: The Polysics, Peelander-Z and Laughing Cunts. Coquettish makes four, as their style of music is influenced by the hardcore punk of the mid-nineties, specifically Rancid. Rancid seems to be a big important to Asia and Japan, as China’s biggest punk export, Brain Failure also takes heavily from…
The Cooper Temple Clause has no idea that brevity is a good thing, with their average song being over five and a half minutes. As such, Loose doesn’t have songs as much as it has pieces with individual movements, demarcated when The CTC decide to go on a different tack. The Spartanness of the beginning of “Talking to a Brick Wall” moves into a Placebo/Oasis style of vocals, supplied by…
There is a wonderful beginning to this Demonstration cd, as a shrill guitar solo goes into a rough metal delivery, with the influence of old Fear Factory, Coal Chamber, and Clutch to provide the listeners with an excellent moshing album. The contrasting use of guitars in the cd work better with the changing odf tempos. While both of the guitars are clearly heard, the bass is concealed through a double…
Almost like the metal put forth by Hydra Head, the opening to “Audio Flame Kit†really expands on the mentality of Corm before really brining in a simple indie or rock set of vocals. Essentially, one can look into the osuls of these individuals, who would eventually become Q and not U, The Elusive and The Maginot Line. The drums finally come in in a major way during “Architectureâ€, really…
The emotive brand of rock that Cordova plays on “Lie Until It Becomes The Turth†draws equally from the deeply affecting brand of rock put on CD by the Deep Elm bands of the early 00s and vague hints of the emo structuring present in heavy proportions in the current period. “Some Killers Are Fashionable†has a pseudo-dance rhythms snuck behind the splashing drums and intense vocals on the track.…
Copeland has come up with “In Motionâ€, a disc that uses tracks like “No One Really Wins†to mix the current “emo†sound with both indie and power-pop like Weezer. The nuanced strings and dreamy feel of a track like “Choose The One Who Loves You More†really allow for lead vocalist Aaron to strut a very cultured style to eir vocals. What is probably the biggest difference between “In…
At time reminiscent of 1980’s-era Goo Goo Dolls, Copeland puts out an emotion filled disc in this, Copeland’s debut CD. Tempered by events surrounding the lead singer, Aaron Marsh, Copeland busts forth on the national scene from their new home base of Atlanta. Jangly guitars and splashy guitars weave a tapestry that is completed by the familiar-sounding voice of Aaron Marsh. Aurally similar to such acts as Starflyer 59 and…
The screamed-out vocals that open up “Reign Lunacy†seem to be the perfect match for the super-sonic guitar licks that will remind listeners of both Fu Manchu and Queens of the Stone Age. Thus, “Chaos or Bust†opens up with a very familiar type of sound that will allow a high amount of cross-over. The repetition of the drum beat on “Crapple Pie†really give the disc a different flavor,…
Do it yourself rap. How could I not love it? While the production of the track isn’t the best, the track plays itself pretty much like I thought it was. The lines laid down by both Coolymack and Vegas are pretty mediocre, and the main thing that I found myself listening to was the extremely fresh backbeat behind it. Don’t get me wrong, this track could conceivably be on BET…
I’ve gotten into many an argument about how revolutionary Converge was, and “You Fail Me†starts out in a way that backs my argument perfectly – while they are not immediately able to be thrown in a genre, they are not changing the face of music with each note of “You Fail Meâ€. In fact, “Widows†is a track that lacks anything in the way of harmony and song-structure, and…
Controlling The Famous plays a brand of rock that does not lean specifically to any one genre; the tracks are all proper without being boring, but might be a mite too anti-septic for popular success. Minor hints of Weezer insinuate the music on “Two Birdsâ€, but largely, what can be heard on the disc is pure Controlling The Famous. Controlling The Famous’ big rub comes in the intense backing-beat that…