Snow Patrol
Final Straw
A&M (2004)
They are from Scotland. They have two other releases titled Songs for Polar Bears, and When it's All Over We Still Have to Clear Up. They have a deceiving song called "Chocolate" that is more about pining for a lost relationship than a Hershey bar (unless the songwriter has a fetish with all things made of cocoa). That was all … Read more
So They Say
Life in Surveillance
Fearless (2007)
Before taking my first listen to Life in Surveillance, as a stranger to the band I deemed it only polite to do my homework. So They Say is a rock band, a quartet, hailing from St. Louis, Missouri. They signed with Fearless in 2005, released their debut in 2006. They were met with much acclaim and toured with Atreyu. Huh. … Read more
Sodom
Bombenhagel
SPV, Steamhammer (2021)
For Sodom, 2021 has been a pretty productive year, as well as bringing out a mega remastered bells and whistles boxset of M-16 on its 20th anniversary they have also brought us this new EP. In their current line up as a 4 piece (since 2018); original member Tom Angelripper (bass/vocals), Frank "Blackfire" Gosdzik (guitar), Yorck Segatz (guitar) and Toni … Read more
Sodom
M-16 (20th anniversary edition)
BMG (2021)
German thrash metal giants Sodom have released a 20th anniversary remastered edition of their tenth studio album M-16 (2001), unleashed in three formats: a glossy CD mediabook, 2 LP 180gm orange vinyl and a deluxe boxset. The CD and LP releases contain two previously unreleased live tracks "Remember The Fallen" and "Blasphemer" from Wacken 2001 as well as some exclusive … Read more
Soen
Cognitive
Spinefarm Records (2013)
Albums from supergroups always make me feel torn. I am excited and worried at the same time whenever great musicians decide to collaborate, excited for obvious reasons but also worried because it would be a major disappointment listening to an album with a “dream come true” line-up that turns out to be mediocre. But with Soen there is no reason … Read more
Sofa
Source Crossfire
Constellation (2021)
The story of Sofa is interwoven with the rise of the Montreal experimental music scene. In the mid ‘90s Sofa made their first steps, staying within the underground and self-releasing a number of records. Their creative output found them moving all over the weird rock scene. From alternative and indie beginnings to post-hardcore and lo-fi implementations, Sofa has been cultivating … Read more
Sol
Let There be a Massacre
Ván (2007)
You know how to work that evil shit when you can make an accordion sound sinister. Even by the strictest of doom metal standards this is one gloomy-ass album. Like a lot of the pure metal coming out of Europe these days, Sol is the work of one man, Denmark-born Emil Brahe, who has created perhaps the quintessential album of … Read more
Sol Cat
Self Titled
Independent (2013)
Nashville based Sol Cat independently released their first full length album on bandcamp in mid February. The indie and rock scene in Nashville is a well kept secret thanks to the city’s reputation for country music and being home of so many major labels, but you won’t find any country influences here. The nine track self-titled release is all chilled … Read more
Sole
Live from Rome
Anticon (2005)
Decrying hip hop's more self-obsessed, corporate, "bitches n' bling" oriented side has become somewhat of an expected formality in the discussion of any Anticon release. Such is the "thinking man's rap" reputation the San Francisco based label has established for itself amongst the more discerning part of the record buying public that it's often held aloft as the antithesis of … Read more
Solilians
American Klezmische
I Heart Noise (2022)
The first time I listened to this EP I was waiting for it to properly start. I was already halfway through the second track before realising this was it. I was clearly not in the mood for this type of spacey music. Trying it again a couple of days later gave some better results. American Klezmische is the second installment … Read more
Some Girls
Heaven's Pregnant Teens
Epitaph (2006)
Some Girls is an enigmatic conglomerate of musicians that produce incredibly grating and challenging pieces of music. Considering the pedigree of this band, expectations for its output have consistently run high. Seriously, what would a listener expect from a band comprised of members of Unbroken, Swing Kids, The Locust, American Nightmare (Give Up the Ghost), and more? Most would probably … Read more
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
Some Girls
The DNA Will Have Its Say
Three One G (2005)
By now you know who's in Some Girls. The cred they've garnered through their previous bands at this point doesn't mean shit if the songs suck. Luckily for Some Girls, they don't suck. With each release they have gotten progressively weirder. The Rains was a grungy thrash EP. The Blues was similar to The Rains but offered a glimpse in … Read more
Something Fierce
Don't Be So Cruel
Dirtnap (2011)
Chalk up another one for the misleading band name file—Something Fierce makes me think violent and brutal, which definitely isn’t what this Houston group is after. The walking bassline and jangly guitars of the opening track on Don’t Be So Cruel establish a mood of calculated cool that relies on bounce and rhythm instead of aggression. To borrow from the … Read more
Sonance
Like Ghosts
Independent (2012)
Like Ghosts is the debut from Bristol based Sonance, a band so disgustingly heavy that they are currently drowning the car alarm that's been going off in my street for the past half hour. Writhing with sickness and masses of doomed out symphony, Sonance curl around the psyche with a terrifying grip and their tightly woven structures spin out into … Read more
Sonata Arctica
Acoustic Adventures: Volume One
Atomic Fire Records (2022)
Finnish melodic metal quintet Sonata Arctica started out in the mid 90s as hard rock band Tricky Beans releasing 3 demos under that guise before changing their name to Tricky Means a year later and going down a more power metal route than before taking influence from bands such as Stratovarius. Their first demo as Tricky Means, Full Moon, was … Read more
Sonic Youth
Daydream Nation (Reissue)
Geffen (2007)
When I first heard Sonic Youth, I didn't know about their formidable New York hipster cachet: Glenn Branca confederates, initially hated by Village Voice snob Bob Christgau, ex-No New York alumni (at least before Steve Shelley got behind the skins), etc. I had no idea that this was the band that bridged hardcore and the downtown gallery scene - how … Read more
Sonic Youth
Sonic Nurse
Geffen (2004)
Since June, I've been laboring over how to start off a review of Sonic Nurse. Now, it's December, and all I've come up with is a cliche about how I don't know what to say. Really, the only thing I can think to say is that Sonic Nurse is great. It's not flawless, but it is great. Style goes a … Read more
