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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)

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 a need to stop-start near constantly, and by a singer who slips from just-passing into intolerability more and more frequently. War All the Time is an edgier and more aggressive record than Full Collapse, but that's really not saying much. What it really comes down to is that I simply don't believe a word this guy is singing, and the lack of being able to connect with an audience in this genre is deadly for any band. If the entire point of the "emo" movement is to be emotionally revealing and vulnerable, it's a definite problem when one's vocal delivery is as fake and monotone as it is here. While not being as idiotic as also-rans Thrice or as downright insulting as From Autumn to Ashes, Thursday still suffers from the same problem of having every song sound exactly alike, … 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 … 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 … Read more

Hella

Bitches Ain't Shit But Good People
Suicide Squeeze (2003)

Hella is less a band that be thought of in terms of "good" and "bad" as they are a band … Read more

Multiple Authors

The Rapture

Echoes
Universal (2003)

The Insound Tour Support Vol. No. 1 packed a few wallops of fantastic music that drew my attention; one of … Read more

Multiple Authors

The Rapture

Echoes
Universal (2003)

Something needs to be said about the infiltration of this dance rhetoric in the punk scene. I'm guessing some part … Read more

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One from the archives

Arson Anthem

Arson Anthem
Housecore (2008)

200 Words Or Less

Arson Anthem has quite the pedigree with members of Pantera, Eyehategod, and Superjoint Ritual in tow. Phil Anselmo, who is joined by Mike Williams of Eyehategod, Hank Williams III of Superjoint Ritual, and Collin Yeo, spearheads the four-piece group. The project came to be after Anselmo and Williams sat around listening to lots of Negative Approach, Poison Idea, Discharge, and others. Interested yet? Arson Anthem blasts through eight songs is eleven minutes. You don't have to be a math major to know that means you're in store for some super short songs. And that is just what you get, seriously short and fast-paced hardcore/d-beat ragers. Williams is quite visceral on the mic; these are some guttural screams. And when you partner them with Anselmo's heavily distorted, sludgy, blistering riffs and … Read more

More album reviews

The Fire Theft

The Fire Theft
Rykodisc (2003)

Sunny Day Real Estate was a great band. No one contends with this or argues with this. They fell into that elite category of bands that not only managed to shape one particular sound, but an entire genre of music. Their greatness is further embellished and heightened by the fact that they released a terrible record which doesn't detract from … Read more

Rise Against

Revolutions Per Minute
Fat Wreck Chords (2003)

Hmm.. I'm sure this band have a large enough fanbase, I really am. I bet there's a ton of kids that love Rise Against (should that be xRxAx maybe?) and will refuse to hear anything bad about their music. However, as an outsider, I'm afraid I'm going to upset hardcore fans. I listened to this record a lot. I did … Read more

Hella

Total Bugs Bunny On Wild Bass
Narnack (2003)

There are two sides to Hella: the side that plays around with the imagination through the use of conventional instruments and the side that plays around with the imagination through the use of electronics. Although I prefer the former, the latter is pretty good and that's definitely what their new album, Total Bugs Bunny on Wild Bass, is. More specifically, … Read more

My Morning Jacket

It Still Moves
RCA (2003)

My Morning Jacket pulled it off. They have officially won me over. Recently signed to RCA, they released their third full length to surprisingly, a lot of press coverage. After giving this a couple run throughs, I can clearly see why. Starting the record off with a twangy trill from a guitar and vocals with more reverb than you can … Read more

Into the Moat

Means By Which the Ends Are Justified
Lovelost (2003)

After hearing The Dillinger Escape Plan's Calculating Infinity, I had no idea that this style of weird timing technical metal influenced chaos could become a trend, mostly due to the fact that creating this music requires a lot of talent. It took a few years, but to my surprise, this sound has begun to rise from a few bands, such … Read more

Multiple Authors

Stylex

Auto Focus
Action Driver (2003)

I'm not really sure why Stylex are as unknown as they are. I mean, they do this neo-new-wave (or whatever you call it) thing better than most of the bands that white belted scensters are drooling over (ahem... Hint Hint) these days. If you mention them to anyone from outside the Toledo/BG area, they just blankly stare, or pretend to … Read more

Multiple Authors

Stylex

Auto Focus
Action Driver (2003)

Stylex is going through an identity crisis. After their EP False Start, I was ready for more of the same, great, new-wave dynamite explosion recorded on the compact disc medium. The first song, "Out of Focus," holds a lot in common with that EP. It's loud, chaotic, and moves along at a brisk pace. Unfortunately the rest of the CD … Read more

As I Lay Dying

Frail Words Collapse
Metal Blade (2003)

Combining the hardness of nu metal and the catchiness of pop punk, metalcore has been created. Similar to the way ska died, and everybody moved to the pop punk, perhaps this is the new installment in music that will make kids feel "underground" without having to go any further than the local Hot Topic. Walk no further than a Tower … Read more

Elvis Costello

North
Deutsche Grammophon (2003)

By now, if you haven't heard or at least heard of Elvis Costello, something is terribly, terribly wrong with you. Emerging as a part of the punk movement in the late 70s, Costello's combination of biting wit, sociopolitical consciousness, and his amazing songwriting has led to him being heralded by many as the best pop songwriter since the Beatles. The … Read more

Please Inform the Captain, This Is A Hijack

Please Inform the Captain This Is A Hijack
Empire (2003)

Hardcore is a genre that is known to be stifled in it's own mediocrity. Creativity is frowned upon, in fact, in the hardcore scene it seems as if everything is backwards. Mediocre, stagnant bands are often regarded as the best in the genre, and creative bands that take risks are usually scorned. With that in mind, it's great to see … Read more

Grandaddy

Sumday
V2 (2003)

Once again, Grandaddy travel down the familiar road of attaching a human face on technology for the sole purpose of denouncing it. In a shockingly ironic way, Sumday's pleasant, mid-tempo/mid-range vocal melodies and soothing rhythms make it ideal music for programming. With lines like "I'm wondering if I'll ever know/if I'll be better than I was before/when I surface through … Read more

Q and Not U

X-Polynation/Book of Flags
Dischord (2003)

Sometimes I find myself shaking my ass, clapping my hands, and just plain out getting down. I can say that, for 80% of these moments, Q and Not U is the soundtrack to such ass shaking. Sure Different Damage didn't provide nearly as many ass shaking moments but when it provided one, it far surpassed any of them on No … Read more

The Appleseed Cast

Two Conversations
Tiger Style (2003)

Not looking to rest on their laurels of having three of my favorite CD's ever(LLO 1 & 2, Mare Vitalis), The Appleseed Cast defected to Tiger Style records for their newest effort, Two Conversations. The concept of Two Conversations is one of broken hearts and rekindled love. The first five songs of the record are about a relationship that is … Read more

Rocky Votolato

Suicide Medicine
Second Nature (2003)

Zed recently turned me onto this guy, and I've become fairly obsessed with his work ever since. The formula is simple, and been used a million times before - a man, his voice and an acoustic guitar. I'm not going to claim to be an afficienado of the whole singer/songwriter thing, but I know what I like, and I like … 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)