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Our latest album reviews, featuring the records we've most enjoyed (or not) over the past few weeks.

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Browse our album reviews according to score: Highest (9.5/10 or more) or Lowest (2/10 or less)

The Shore

The Shore
Maverick (2004)

Could it be that my computer has a secret quality music detector and it was trying to warn me? My computer isn't that advanced, in fact, most of the time it is just dysfunctional. It is sufficient enough to play a CD, however, this time it refused to play The Shore's self-titled debut album. The CD drive made an awful noise and then became morbidly silent. After about five attempts which included some yelling and violence, it played the album. Congratulations A&R man Scott Patrick Austin; you've found a combination of the Verve, Coldplay, Train, and Filter all in one within the Shore. Too bad it sounds like it's all been done before and it has been. Everything on the album sounds too formulated which takes away all the passion in the songs that songwriter Ben Ashley tries to conjure up. When will major record labels stop searching for the next Beatles, the next Nirvana, the next Radiohead? Those bands already existed/exist; they should concentrate on more interesting talents. Three-piece bands can get along most songs without a guest musician. The Shore is comprised of vocalist/guitarist/songwriter/mandolin player/timpani drummer Ben Ashley, bassist/keyboardist/congo drummer Kyle Mullarky, and underachiever drummer John Wilmer. They … Read more

Parts & Labor/Tyondai Braxton

Rise Rise Rise
Narnack (2004)

Brooklyn strikes again with this 2-for-1 bargain from noise rock provocateurs Parts & Labor and loop-based composer Tyondai Braxton. Rise … Read more

The Colour

The Colour is Out and About
Monarchy (2004)

"The Colour" are out and about - I guess. Yeah, okay. Center singer dude here sounds kind of like Robert … Read more

The Veils

The Runaway Found
Sanctuary (2004)

Finn Andrews, the vocalist and guitarist of the Veils, once posed alone in front of a cemetery. The building behind … Read more

Camera Obscura

Underachievers Please Try Harder
Merge (2004)

With the state of pop music looking more and more depressing with every year, it is always nice to hear … Read more

Ween

Live In Chicago
Sanctuary (2004)

Note:If you need to really know how I feel about Ween as a band, please refer to my review on … Read more

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One from the archives

Southpaw

Just A Spell of Feeling Nothing
Independent (2021)

There is a lot of productive ways to spend a pandemic lockdown: 1. Grow your own windowsill herb garden 2. Watch all the seasons of Law & Order and make note of how many episodes pass the Bechdel test (spoiler alert: it’s two). 3. Make an album with your mates. Ok, calling 1 and 2 “productive” is a bit of a stretch, but making an album most definitely qualifies and that’s just what these boys from Glasgow have done with Just A Spell of Feeling Nothing. “The Beginning Has No End” eases us wordlessly into a dream state with swirling guitars courtesy of David McNeil and Bernie McGrath before “Erosion” sends us plummeting back to consciousness. It’s this kind of dichotomy that’s the album’s core strength. Take “One More Throw” … Read more

More album reviews

Terror

One with the Underdogs
Trustkill (2004)

Terror might be the only band that could have had a successful career in music without playing a single show. The band's demo made its way online via their website and created a tidal wave of positive reviews that praised the band as the "saviors of hardcore." After the release of the demo, the band's first set of shows included … Read more

The Cure

The Cure
Geffen (2004)

Even if you're in a band whose career spans almost 30 years, there is a first time for everything. This is the first time the Cure have released an album on Geffen instead of Elektra Records. After self-producing many of their albums, they handed over the reigns of producer to Ross Robinson, who has produced for the likes of Limp … Read more

The Dillinger Escape Plan

Miss Machine
Relapse (2004)

The Dillinger Escape Plan (DEP) certainly have been enjoying the good life since releasing their last full-length, Calculating Infinity, back in 1998. The band was hand-picked by Mike Patton to tour alongside one of the bands they openly idolize, Mr. Bungle. A mutual respect between the two bands eventually led to DEP recording an EP, which contains Patton's musical vision, … Read more

The Killers

Hot Fuss
Island (2004)

I want to bash the Killer's debut Hot Fuss so much. The press sets them up easily for a beating; there's enough hype to fuel the world for a month or two and they focus on singer/songwriter/synthesizer Brandon Flowers. How could someone from Sin City have the last name Flowers and be in a band named the Killers? I looked … Read more

Oceansize

Effloresce
Beggars Banquet (2004)

A lot of my friends feel they have a duty to recommend me music. I don't mean to sound conceited, but I'm quite an educated individual when it comes to music of multiple genres. So when a friend suggests something to me, it's more often than not something I've already heard. But if I do have a weak spot in … Read more

Fall Out Boy

My Heart Will Always be the B-Side to My Tongue
Fueled By Ramen (2004)

Yo, this CD title sucks. It doesn't even really make sense. Also, fuck the packaging. It's not the average size of a jewel case, so it won't fit on my CD shelf. I have around five hundred cds, and they are taking up three full shelves on a good-sized bookcase, but next to those three shelves are a small pile … Read more

Zao

The Funeral of God
Ferret (2004)

Some would call Zao the musical embodiment of a soap opera. Even in their early years, they went through two lead vocalists and countless other band members. Their defining moments, however, were when vocalist Dan Weyandt entered the band and recorded Where Blood & Fire Bring Rest, Liberate Te Ex Inferis, Self-Titled, and Parade of Chaos. The drama didn't end … Read more

Alexisonfire

Watch Out!
Equal Vision (2004)

Back in the late nineties a handful of bands like Shai Hulud and Poison the Well began blending technical metalcore with more melodic, Midwest-style emo, building a sound that for the time was pretty innovative. After gaining a large amount of popularity, newer bands began emulating this style and making it more and more watered down. These are bands like … Read more

Jesse Malin

The Heat
Artemis (2004)

I love Ryan Adams - in a musical way. When I heard that Ryan Adams's partner in crime, Jesse Malin, was releasing a second album, I was excited. They are not only cohorts in the Finger (shh...they don't want you to know), but they also share the same roots. Boy falls in love with the punk scene, but then matures … Read more

Takaru

There Can Only Be None
Alone (2004)

While to some, hardcore is a type of pornography that involves penetration and giraffes, for others it's a style of music, even a lifestyle. When punk and hardcore were originally birthed, they were fast, radical, aggressive, and socially conscious forms of expression. Twenty-odd years later, punk and hardcore have all but lost their edge. For one, neither is all that … Read more

LKN

In the Leap Year
Greyday (2004)

LKN is the side project of Laura K. Newman, who could previously be found playing in the Pensacola, Florida act, Stellamarie. This is her second full length under the LKN moniker and with it, she pulls out all the stops to see that she gets noticed. This album was recorded in several different studios with different gear setups, which detracts … Read more

Cast Aside

The Struggle
Deathwish Inc. (2004)

Remember those spelling/definition tests that you had to take in grade school? You know, the ones where they ask you to give the definition of a word or use it in a sentence. I always loved those, maybe because I thought they were so easy. Okay, term one: "irony." - "Michael, an individual who is not straightedge, enjoys countless bands … Read more

Melee

Everyday Behavior
Sub City (2004)

The West Coast seems to have an air of a free spirit that allows songwriters to write various types of music there. About two years ago, I started listening to several California pop bands including Phantom Planet (pre-garage-band-wannabe stage), Rooney, the Like, the Waking Hours, Everybody Else, and Rilo Kiley for their great pop sensibilities. Melée is a pop band … Read more

Meshuggah

I
Fractured Transmitter (2004)

Meshuggah is one of those bands that make me want to grow my hair out and head-bang for hours on end. When I was around the age of 11, I wanted nothing more than to sport some long flowing locks. Why? At the time, I was attending private school, so we had a fairly strict dress code, one that included … Read more

Reviews by score
Browse our album reviews according to score: Highest (9.5/10 or more) or Lowest (2/10 or less)