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Scott Walker

The Drift
4AD (2006)

Scott Walker - to those who know and love his music - is one of those towering figures of American culture that is as much the stuff of legend as an actual person, like Roky Erickson or Thomas Pynchon. Walker spent the late '60s recording four astonishing LPs of lush, overwrought continental melodrama, entitled Scott through Scott 4. These are … Read more

Angel Eyes

Something to Do with Death
Underground Communiqué (2005)

There's not a whole lot you can say about Angel Eyes that hasn't already been said about Isis. If Isis were an actual person, Angel Eyes would be its impressionable, suppler younger brother. The latter always gazing starry-eyed at the former with a love and devotion to rival the strongest of bonds. Ok, that's a stretch, but they really do … Read more

Slumlords

On the Stremph!
Lockin Out (2006)

The members of Baltimore based Slumlords have been around the proverbial block a few times and know their niche. On their previous releases the band wrote street punk influenced hardcore songs. The songs tackled both serious topics as well as everyday topics that could be joked about. On the Stremph!, is comprised of, you guessed it, a combination of street … Read more

Dance Floor Justice

Breaking the Silence
Double or Nothing (2006)

There are three things that make me like this band. One, they have a ton of Star Wars references in their music. Actually, besides having a song named with a semi-obscure line from the original movie, there is an entire song about Darth Vader - shame on you if you are so culturally unaware as to who that is. Two, … Read more

The Zutons

Tired of Hanging Around
Deltasonic (2006)

When a friend of mine first introduced me to The Zutons back in early 2004 I was not hugely impressed. To me, Who Killed… The Zutons? sounded a little too much like their labelmates The Coral's Magic and Medicine and I went so far as to brazenly call The Zutons "a poor mans Coral." With the release of their second … Read more

Bombshell

To Hell with Motives
Indianola (2006)

It's never really a good sign when the first thing that pops into my head when I listen to To Hell with Motives is "ugh." The CD starts off earnestly enough with a noise-laden track that actually had me hoping Deadguy Part Deux. Sadly that never happened as the end of the intro ends with some kid (I believe his … Read more

Madlib

Beat Konducta Vol. 1-2: Movie Scenes
Stones Throw (2006)

Before we can even dive into this review we must address the issue of the cataloging this style of music. When I first got into the genre I was told it was called "trip-hop." To me this sent the message that I wasn't allowed to experience it unless I was on some mind-altering substance. Next I heard it referred to … Read more

Future Primitive

Expression Sessions
Independent (2006)

Fuck fuck fuck fuck fuck. Fuck! Fuck! No, I'm not quoting Ceremony, but instead referring to the blistering pain in my pinky toe. What could have caused my toe to go numb and bleed all over my trusty vans shoes? I blame Future Primitive, and their debut release Expression Sessions. Hailing from the traffic jammed freeways of Southern California, Future … Read more

Oxbow

Love That's Last: A Wholly Hypnographic & Disturbing Work Regarding Oxbow
Hydra Head (2006)

When I reviewed The Very Best of Men's Recovery Project recently, I thought that there couldn't be a band less suited for a "greatest hits" release. Obviously, I had forgotten about Oxbow. To put it simply, Oxbow is one of the most intense and challenging bands in America today. Oxbow sounds like an uneasy mix of the delta blues at … Read more

The Draft

In a Million Pieces
Epitaph (2006)

What happens when you are part of an established, kind of well-known (definitely well-known in all manner of independent music circles) band and one of your fellow members decides to take a break? Well, in this case, you start a "new" band and immediately begin writing an album. This is exactly what The Draft is…Hot Water Music minus Chuck Ragan … Read more

Russian Circles

Enter
Flameshovel (2006)

Hearing a new band for the very first time can be an awesome experience - it can also be horrible, but that is not the case here. I had never heard of Russian Circles prior to seeing their name listed as an opener for a semi-recent Isis tour. Being curious as to what they sounded like, I scoured the Internet … Read more

Capital

Signal Corps
Iron Pier (2006)

Finally, Tom Corrigan has come back to his roots and fronts Long Island hardcore unit, Capital. I'm sure the name Tom Corrigan isn't the most recognizable name in hardcore but he used to sing in the criminally underrated Long Island outfit, Silent Majority. I don't think there was anyone this side of Ohio more excited than me when I heard … Read more

Thom Yorke

The Eraser
XL Recordings (2006)

I'm pretty sure Thom Yorke needs no introduction. As part of "that" band Radiohead he has helped make some the most beautiful, challenging and plain odd music of the last decade. So when it was announced that he had decided to release an album all by himself (he won't call it a solo project) it seemed like a bolt out … Read more

Baby Teeth

For The Heathers
Lujo (2006)

Baby Teeth made For The Heathers on a dare, with each of the three members of the band working in isolation from home. Sequestered with only imagination as a barrier, the dramatic differences between each member's effort is both a shock and a pleasant surprise to the listener that can only be understood as separate entities with only the name … Read more

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