The Spotlight Syndicate
Forget the Static Past
Substandard (2003)
So I get this girl up in my room and we start licking each other's tongues, and before you know it, our clothes start to come off. But then all of a sudden, bam! I realize I need to put on some good love making music, or I ain't gonna get no gerjiner tonight. I start flipping through possible albums … Read more
The Stargazer's Assistant
Fire Worshipper
House of Mythology (2023)
Making their first appearance in 2007 with The Other Side of the Island, it felt like The Stargazer’s Assistant would just be a one-off. Luckily, David Smith, David Knight, and Michael J. York found something worth revisiting through the drone and ambient layers of their early release. Returning with their third record since 2016 in Fire Worshipper, The Stargazer’s Assistant … Read more
The Starting Line
Based on a True Story
Drive-Thru (2005)
I am glad that i am not a radio personality because my voice is less then stellar from being that guy you see in his car trying to sing along with his CD player. Yes, the album is that good. It's been 3 days and i already have the first half of the album memorized. I don't think we could've … Read more
The Starting Line
Direction
Virgin (2007)
I'm sure most people reading our reviews here at Scene Point Blank won't care about clicking on this album. The Starting Line is a pretty "mainstream" band; not something the readers would jump to buy, or even care to listen to at all. I know you're thinking that there was that slew of early 2000's Drive-Thru pop-punk bands that were … Read more
The Starting Point
It's Something You Learn
Independent (2005)
It's not often that I sit down to listen to a hardcore record from a band I'm completely unfamiliar with, and fall in love instantly. Two weeks later I'm sitting in the same seat of my Algebra II class playing chest-drums to "Let it Take You Home." The thought that there are hundreds of local hardcore outfits like The Starting … Read more
The Steal
The Steal
Get Outta Town (2007)
Fast, melodic, hardcore punk infused with melody. That is the short and sweet description of what you can expect from The Steal's debut full-length, The Steal, which is a fourteen-track effort that clocks in at just over twenty minutes. The Steal begins with "Breakout," a near two-minute slab of melodic hardcore that draws equally from the likes of Kid Dynamite … Read more
The Stooges
The Weirdness
Virgin (2007)
This metaphor has been used in other instances and with different figures at the head of the punchline. But believe me when I say that when the smoke clears after the apocalypse, be it biblical or manufactured, the only thing left alive will be cockroaches and Iggy Pop. Mr. Pop has had about as wild and varied a career as … Read more
The Storm
Relentless
Innerstrength (2007)
"I see the hate / It's coming down / Down like the rain." Thus begins the greatest song about rain and hate that has ever been pressed to vinyl. Of course I'm talking about the Judge masterpiece "The Storm" a song so amazing that it got a sequel, "The Storm II". Yes I said, "amazing" and to anyone that knows … Read more
The Streets
Everything is Borrowed
679/Vice (2008)
2008 was the year where journalists pushed and shoved each other to be the first to frantically lavish praise upon a rapper with the voice of a frog, underwhelming beats, and the lyrical talent of a self-obsessed sixth grader. Tha Carter III has made everyone temporarily insane, and it's going to be fun in about five years watching everyone listen … Read more
The Strokes
Comedown Machine
RCA (2013)
The Strokes have paved way since brushing the scene in 2001 with their instant garage pop classic, Is This It. What was an unlikely return a decade later, releasing Angles after a near five-year hiatus, the band evolved electronically. Undoubtedly influenced by frontman Julian Casablancas - following his solo synthpop debut, Phrazes for the Young, during the break - this … 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 forgotten." How literally this can be taken is anyone's guess, but for a band under the amount of pressure the Strokes have been, Julian Casablancas' turn of phrase might be the downright truth. Five children of fortune who formed a … Read more
The Suicide Machines
On the Eve of Destruction (1991-1995)
Noise Riot (2005)
The Suicide Machines have been a band for a long time now. Close to fifteen years, actually. In that time, they've released 6 studio albums, a retrospective compilation that included two new songs (2002's Least Worst of The Suicide Machines (1995-2001)), and even recorded a song with fellow Detroit "musicians" Insane Clown Posse while both groups were on Hollywood Records … Read more
The Suicide Machines
Revolution Spring
Fat Wreck Chords (2020)
Me: The Suicide Machines got really angry.[Looks at news coming out of Michigan.]Me: Oh, yeah. They should be.Flint’s waters crisis, militias, the widespread issues of race, violence and inequality across the US…Sure, this is 1990s-styled ska-punk. But it’s not your dance party, silly costume ska-punk. Much like Battle Hymns of 1998, Revolution Spring is angry and political. I kind of … Read more
The Sump Pumps
Revenge of The Sump Pumps
8Bit (2008)
With a name like The Sump Pumps, these guys are not exactly making it easier for you to check out more information on them online, unless you're interested in basement pump systems and the weird origins of this quirky quartet's name. Revenge of The Sump Pumps is nevertheless a good title for an album, especially when it's kick started with … Read more
The Swede
And the Swede
Shoddy Merchandise (2006)
God bless Matthew William Kohnle. Kohnle is The Swede. While I'm not sure if the name is a reference to his nationality (or if he is in fact a root vegetable), this project is solely his. With the exception of some bass clarinet by Todd Knapp and some vocals by Mrs. Kohnle, all songs are written, performed, and even recorded … Read more
The Swell Season
Strict Joy
Anti (2009)
A few years ago, a low-budget film called Once made quite the impression on international critics for its minimal and poignant love story, fleshed out by a heartfelt soundtrack and the charm of its non-professional actors. After humbly accepting an Oscar for Best Original Song, the stars and songwriters Glen Hansard and Markéta Irglová returned to their level of tertiary … Read more
The Swellers
Ups and Downsizing
Fueled By Ramen (2009)
The Swellers decision to sign to Fueled By Ramen Records was very confusing to say the least. Many were expecting them to sign to a bigger label after gaining some exposure with My Everest and touring constantly in support of it, but no one saw this move coming. Who would have thought that The Swellers would become labelmates with The … Read more
The Sword
Age of Winters
Kemado (2006)
Wow, talk about under the radar. Friends of mine have been telling me about this band for sometime, including IDB's (Industry Douche Bags) at that. So, I was a bit skeptical. Plus these guys are from the Texas. So, again anything that comes from the country of Texas is suspect (see the Vanilla Ice debacle for proof). When The Sword … Read more
