The Shaking Hands
The Shaking Hands
Kiss of Death (2009)
In my recent Kiss of Death reviews there's been a steady diet of pop-influenced beard punk. Expecting more of the same, Gainesville's The Shaking Hands threw me for a loop with their late '90s street punk anthems. The band would be at home on a Give 'em the Boot or Old Skars and Upstarts comp, with their tendencies toward tough … Read more
The Shaky Hands
Lunglight
Kill Rock Stars (2008)
It's raining today. No sun. Shaking angly tree branches. Impenetrable sky rising up out of the ground. Hourless glide from late morning to dusk. I've been in bed all afternoon, admitting how sick I've gotten over the last week. Fucking autumn: always makes me think of Portland. Portland used to be my girl. Well... Portland used to be the girl … Read more
The Shame
The World Is Ours
Profane Existence (2013)
Profane Existence kicks off their Limited Edition Single Series—a subscription service that delivers a new 7” each month—with The World Is Ours, a brand new EP by the The Shame. Considering The Shame are an Oi! band, it seems like an odd selection for a label that deals primarily in anarchist-fueled crust punk and metal. However, it’s not completely outside … Read more
The Shins
Chutes Too Narrow
Sub Pop (2003)
Since I've only heard a couple of songs from last year's solid debut, Oh, Inverted World, this review will be free of any mentions of "sophomore slumps." Chutes Too Narrow deserves better than that. The album completely shatters this notion to the point that it doesn't deserve recognition. That said, the entire album feels like a soundtrack to some wonderful … Read more
The Shins
Port Of Morrow
Aural Apothecary (2012)
Spring has arrived. The sun pours through the sky. Pollen blankets the surroundings. The streets suddenly become more occupied. Much has happened in the world since last spring. Even more has occurred in the five years passed since we were last offered a new album from The Shins, a band whose spring-like sound sonically reflects the seasonal transference.In the world … Read more
The Shins
Wincing the Night Away
Sub Pop (2007)
Mainstream indie pop may not be as popular as it was when "New Slang" dominated the world a short while ago, but that hasn't stopped The Shins from continually engineering contagious, almost viral, songs that affix themselves to your temporal lobe and snub your best attempts to remove them. "Sleeping Lessons" opens the record with a soft, nearly alien, series … Read more
The Shits
You’re A Mess
Rocket Recordings (2023)
With their origin dating to the late ‘10s, I was quite amazed to find in Discogs that this is only the fifth instance of a band named The Shits. However, I am not taking into account the many out there who feel the need to adorn the famous noun with an adjective. The Sniveling Shits, The Tough Shits, the list … Read more
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 … Read more
The Sick Lipstick
Sting, Sting, Sting
Tiger Style (2003)
Everyone enjoys a little no-wave now and again, right? Anyone who is into The Red Light Sting, Arab on Radar, or Black Cat #13 will enjoy this. In fact, half of The Sick Lipstick is composed of members from Black Cat #13, and they have done a split with XBXRX. It seems like music this cool can only come from … Read more
The Sidekicks
Awkward Breeds
Red Scare Industries (2012)
Cleveland, Ohio's The Sidekicks have always had it in them to make a record like this. It’s their most polished, mature, and best to date. There is not one bad track out of the eleven here. It’s musicality at its most honest.Taking the influences from past acts like The Replacements and Elvis Costello, The Sidekicks created 2009’s Weight of Air … Read more
The Sidekicks
Happiness Hours
Epitaph (2018)
The Sidekicks are a band that I still pay attention to past my “punk only years”—you know, the years of my youth when only punk music and anything within that sub-genre mattered to me. I know, how naive. But it was also naive of me to brush off The Sidekicks as just another sub-par punk band. Throughout the years I … Read more
The Silks
Last American Band
Independent (2013)
When I first caught The Silks playing in a friends living room I was amazed at the raw energy these guys bring to a live show and as we have learned time and again, one of the hardest things to pull off as a record producer is to capture that sound and feel in the studio. Well I'm happy to … Read more
The Slackers
Don’t Let The Sunlight Fool Ya
Pirates Press (2022)
Forget all the silly fourth wave hashtags for a minute. The Slackers have been playing old school ska/dub/rocksteady since 1991 now. Don’t Let The Sunlight Fool Ya is their whopping 15th album (depending how people count the early self-released material). They’re not “prolific,” though. They’re hard workers. There is a clear working-class New York vibe that permeates their every song, … Read more
The Slackers
Peculiar
Hellcat (2006)
Yes, this could be considered a ska record, and yes, ska really is not as popular as it was a short time ago. But forget all of that genre prejudice, The Slackers are a different breed of band. Their smooth arrangements, jazzy interludes, and uncannily humable tunes allow them to transcend the musical genre of ska. If you have ever … Read more
The Slackers
Redlight (20th Anniversary)
Pirates Press (2017)
Has it really been twenty years since this album made its way out into the world? Time does fly by when you are living life, but Redlight does not sound like a two decade old record in the least bit; the Slackers still sound down right in the moment with their second album and that in it of itself is … Read more
The Slackers
Self Medication
Indication (2008)
You might not like ska music, but The Slackers are the exception to that rule (at least for me and probably should be for anyone else) with their smoother sound and laid back vibes which incorporate a variety of sounds across many different genres from jazz to salsa to soul, which all create the amalgamation that is their distinct style. … Read more
The Sleeveens
The Sleeveens
Dirtnap (2024)
You know how most records start out with an absolute banger? It sets a mood, for sure, but it often feels like the band doesn’t top it as the full album plays out. I’m definitely not saying that The Sleeveens deliver a dud with the first song here, “Give My Regards To The Dancing Girls,” but I am saying that … Read more
The Slow Death
Born Ugly, Got Worse
Kiss of Death (2011)
When The Soviettes’ Annie Sparrows voice starts Born Ugly, Got Worse devoid of instrumentation, it’s a crisp and honest delivery that complements leader Jesse Thorson’s heart-wrenching style. But once the full band kicks in for the second verse, it’s clear that The Slow Death have driving punk rock at their heart and soul, with as many singalongs and middle-fingers as … Read more
