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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)

Death Cab For Cutie

Transatlanticism
Barsuk (2003)

The members of Death Cab For Cutie equal far more than the sum of their parts; this much has been evident since a small, unknown label from Seattle named Barsuk released Something About Airplanes back in 1999. In the four years since that record, the band has released three 7" singles, two EPs, four full-lengths, and one compilation of singles, resulting in an astounding amount of songs numbering in the low 60s, most of which are of great quality, in terms of songwriting, performance, and the band's own in-house production capabilities. The band's consistency is their curse though, as every record is greeted with hesitation, as if this might be the record where the band flops. Transatlanticism is not that record. In fact, I might go out on a limb and call it their best record. Ever. It's a thematically linked set of songs that recalls heartbreak and sorrow better than nearly any record I've heard in recent days, because the entire theme is plausible: distance between lovers that tears the affection to bits. There's no melodrama, no rage, just the captured sound of loss amplified and made beautiful. Unlike their other records, this isn't the kind of record to … Read more

Jay-Z

The Black Album
Def Jam (2003)

Oh, the farewell. There are two kinds of retirement in music. The first is the graceful bow out of the … Read more

Horse the Band

R. Borlax
Pluto (2003)

We are a generation that grew up with Mario, The Power Pad and the o so godly Nintendo Entertainment System … Read more

Against Me!

As the Eternal Cowboy
Fat Wreck Chords (2003)

A nice hodge-podge of genres. I'm not going to get into the "genre" argument, though. This album is too good … Read more

Under A Dying Sun

Supernova
Substandard (2003)

Having carved a comfortable niche in the San Francisco Bay Area, by playing shows almost constantly for three or so … Read more

The Strokes

Room On Fire
RCA (2003)

The first words to leap out at you on the sophomore LP by the Strokes are "I want to be … Read more

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One from the archives

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 Poison the Well, From Autumn to Ashes, Thrice and others that have crossed over to major labels and in turn have gained the adoration of those far removed from the hardcore scene. Now the sound that was once innovative has become "the next big thing" and with that tag, is virtually unlistenable in most cases. Alexisonfire is no exception to my stance on this sub-genre. Aside from the fact that … Read more

More album reviews

Some Girls

The Blues
Deathwish Inc. (2003)

This one didn't immediately catch me like The Rains did. After maybe a half dozen listens, I think I'm starting to get it. I guess my main complaint is that some of the songs sound too similar to each other, but that starts to fade on closer examination. Oh well, first impressions are key often times. I'm also bummed that … Read more

Explosions in the Sky

The Earth is Not a Cold Dead Place
Temporary Residence (2003)

If Explosions in the Sky's previous LP, Those Who Tell the Truth Shall Die Those Who Tell the Truth Shall Live Forever, could be called one thing, it would be called "derivative." Not that it wasn't an incredible record crafted by a band on top of their game, but let's be honest: it simply regurgitated ideas that the forerunners of … Read more

The Unseen

Explode
Better Youth Organize (2003)

The Unseen: street punk for the masses. You could probably write this band's back history wihtout even knowing them. Hundreds of EPs, 7"s, and rare no-longer-in-production releases. Been around since the early 90's, all members have mohawks and/or dyed red hair, and their sound is influenced by bands like The Exploited. Lead single "False Hope" contains the line "Fuck the … Read more

Andrew W.K.

The Wolf
Island (2003)

I'll keep this short so you kids will understand me. I want the time back I spent listening to this. I feel cheated, robbed, and insulted. This is neither fun nor funny. It's devoid of any worth. It's stupid, it's banal, it's bland. So why does it get a 1.3? Two reasons: one point for not being pop-punk, a point … Read more

Zombie Apocalypse

This Is A Spark of Life
Indecision (2003)

You've probably heard of Zombie Apocalypse because you like Shai Hulud. Well, then in a sense you've heard this whole thing. It sounds like a bunch of unused Shai Hulud parts played at 78 rpms. There are a bunch of samples, practically one in each song, which aren't that funny or special. Side projects are fun because you can hear … Read more

Multiple Authors

Coheed and Cambria

In Keeping Secrets of Silent Earth: 3
Equal Vision (2003)

I guess I'm one of the few people in the world that don't really like Coheed and Cambria. Sorry. But here's to all those that are with me in saying that Coheed and Cambria are overrated. The first track starts exactly like JR Ewing's song Graduation Day, but with a different ring of the phone, and when the phone is … Read more

Multiple Authors

Coheed and Cambria

In Keeping Secrets of Silent Earth: 3
Equal Vision (2003)

IN KEEPING SECRETS OF SILENT EARTH: 3 REVIEW A one act play CAST: Sean Apartimus.....our humble narrator Claudio.....our noble hero, leader of the clan Coheed Will Writinpahpsung.....elvin, Coheedian clansman King Concepticus......ruler of the kingdom Cambria, holder of the cherished concept album scroll Bordalon Pretentious.....brother of King Concepticus, but he smells of foul intentious! Boran Structuron.....the executioner, a dastardly fellow, and … Read more

A Perfect Circle

Thirteenth Step
Virgin (2003)

And so, our alt-rock heroes in a Perfect Circle return for the second installment, to see if the dreaded sophmore slump can be overcome. The band's first record was one of the last hopes of the dying breed of aggressive guitar-driven radio rock that was received to a fair amount of hoopla, understandably due to a handful of incredible tracks … Read more

The Distillers

Coral Fang
Warner Bros. (2003)

I hate the Distillers a lot less than I'd like to proclaim.....or do I? I'll admit, on each of the Distillers' previous works, I could find a song or two that was actually rather enjoyable. Amongst the array of other punk revivalist bands, the Distillers manage to stand above a good portion of those other bands who really have nothing … Read more

Himsa

Courting Tragedy and Disaster
Prosthetic (2003)

When I first downloabought the new Himsa record, I can't lie, I had really low expectations for it. I'm not a big fan of metalcore, and I've never liked anything by Himsa I've heard in the past. To my surprise, within the first couple tracks, I found myself quite entertained. Himsa really bring nothing new to the table at all, … Read more

Multiple Authors

Thursday

War All the Time
Island (2003)

Thursday is an odd band. They released their first record, Waiting, to complete apathy. Then, Full Collapse arrived, and suddenly Thursday found itself in the odd position of being everyone's favorite new band. Granted, there's many better, or more interesting bands out there; Thursday, starting with Waiting, never attempted to be the most challenging or innovative. They've always worked to … Read more

Multiple Authors

Thursday

War All the Time
Island (2003)

Of all these "emo" bands around right now, Thursday is the one that continually disappoints me. I see in Thursday the potential to do something good, but the band keeps falling into the same pitfalls and trappings of a genre that's been exploited and dumbed-down for the masses one too many times. The ideas they have are continually squashed by … Read more

The Dismemberment Plan

A People's History of...
Desoto (2003)

First off, the Dismemberment Plan gets props just for the fact that this record came out. Consistently innovative while they were active, the band is being just as interesting, if not more so, posthumously, by posting all their songs on their website and having fans download them and remix them. As far as the remixes here go, they either fall … Read more

The Postal Service

Give Up
Sub Pop (2003)

Ben Gibbard has butterfingers lately. No, I'm not accusing him of having an affection towards a particular candy bar, I'm refering to his ability to maintain musical quality. The newest Death Cab album is being met with mixed responses from critics, unlike their previous efforts which gathered an admirable amount of critical acclaim. Not only can that be said looking … Read more

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