Needles//Pins
Shamebirds
Dirt Cult (2014)
Needles//Pins are something different in the punk rock realm. Well, that’s not true. They’re entirely familiar and warm, yet they have that pizzazz—that’s what the kids are calling it these days, if you didn’t know. They play familiar-ish DIY punk with some pop sensibility, but there’s a little more attitude, a touch of that first person rock star swagger that makes their songs bratty and finger-wagging instead of egalitarian and or introspective. It’s a style that’s easily abused but, when done right, gives a welcome levity and sense of fun. It’s on Shamebirds in abundance, exemplified in “Losing Your Mind” with that classic ballsy rock strut to start it off and then cutting through Adam Solomonian’s delivery all the way through. The band is most successful when they take that showmanship and narcissism and combine it with a roughshod punk structure, as in “Far Better Off” or “I’m a Drag,” with its lyrics of “I’m going to die where I want to anyway.” The tone reminds me of the limited solo work I’ve heard from JJ Nobody. Even in “Hate When You’re Leaving,” which displays vulnerability, there’s that hip-shaking backbone.The more repetition in the songs, the less effectively it works. … Read more
United Nations
The Next Four Years
Temporary Residence (2014)
United Nations have been locked away for a few years now. Members have come and gone and we aren't even … Read more
Electric Wizard
Time To Die
Spinefarm Records (2014)
Somewhere along the way (and it's hard to say when exactly), but somewhere along the way Electric Wizard became more … Read more
The Proselyte
Our Vessel's in Need
Gypsyblood (2014)
Proselyte return with their newest EP, Our Vessel’s In Need, which also marks the first release for Gypsyblood records ( … Read more
