Various Artists
New York vs. New Jersey: Punk Rock Battle Royal
Crafty (2007)
Throughout the 90's pop-punk was an essential part of most punk and hardcore kids' record collections. Even those whose tastes leaned toward the heavier side of the underground spectrum had a special place in their heart for certain Lookout Records gems. Throughout the early 2000's it seemed that the pop-punk of earlier years had been replaced by a soulless, overproduced … Read more
Various Artists
Northless / Light Bearer - Split LP
Halo of Flies (2012)
Lightbearer and Northless are two bands that tend to resemble parallel curved lines. They share bits and pieces stylistically but never quite touch. Where Lightbearer create atmosphere and spice in some brutality within their artistic and literate story-songs, Northless avoid pretense by creating brutally lurching pieces. So when you bring these two bands together it may be hard to see … Read more
Various Artists
Okkyung Lee & Christian Marclay Amalgam
Northern Spy (2016)
OK, here we are dealing with an absolutely stunning collaboration. In a live setting, cellist Okkyung Lee, an excellent improviser who has worked alongside artists such as Jenny Hval, Swans, John Zorn and Cecil Taylor, and Christian Marclay, a visual artist and composer, master of turntablism, meet to create an Amalgam, a combination of the most strange, bizarre metals that … Read more
Various Artists
Oneida & Rhys Chatham - What's Your Sign?
Northern Spy (2016)
Collaborations in the experimental music domain always bring something interesting to the table. Oneida is a great experimental rock band, encompassing elements of noise rock, psychedelia and krautrock, as a method of crafting a diverse sound. Having released a plethora of records, mostly through Jagjaguwar, they are now putting out their first collaborative full-length with Rhys Chatham. Chatham is a … Read more
Various Artists
Our Impact Will Be Felt: A Tribute to Sick of it All
Abacus (2007)
Let's face it; if you're a hardcore kid and you DON'T like Sick of it All, there's something really and truly wrong with you. For over twenty years, Sick of it All have been consistently releasing albums and 7"s of unwavering quality, and touring the world relentlessly. With the band's somewhat recent signing to Abacus Recordings, the label decided to … Read more
Various Artists
Our Roots Our Pride
Still Life/Youth Crew (2008)
This is a piece of history, as the name of the album might suggest. Our Roots Our Pride: History of Italian Positive Hardcore and Straight Edge Movement 1989-1995 contains thirty-two songs by six different artists that were all prominent during Italy's straight edge hardcore movement from the early-to-mid 90's. All of these bands are a completely new introduction to me. … Read more
Various Artists
Planning For Burial / Lonesummer- Split
Music Ruins Lives (2011)
Could there possibly be any more strange a pairing than the two artists that participate in this split release? Sure, there might be; but you would be hard pressed to find such a diametrically opposed sounding pairing than this split. Where they like a similarity in sound, Lonesummer and Planning For Burial display an intriguing level of mindset synergy not … Read more
Various Artists
Police Bastard & War//Plague - Attrition split LP
Profane Existence (2011)
Attrition brings together two punk bands from opposing sides of the Atlantic Ocean—England’s Police Bastard and the United States' War//Plague. Most of the material was recorded at various points in 2009 but not released on vinyl until May of 2011, when Profane Existence Records pressed up a couple thousand slabs of wax to unleash to patched-up masses. Former members of … Read more
Various Artists
Post Teens / Rose Cross - split 7"
Dead Tank (2015)
Nice little split 7” here from Dead Tank that I’ve admittedly been sitting on way too long. Technically this is a 2014 release, although I don’t think it started hitting the shops until 2015. Rose Cross is really awesome. One of my favorite discoveries of this past year. They’ve been around for a while but I wasn’t acquainted with them … Read more
Various Artists
Punk Goes Crunk
Fearless (2008)
The Punk Goes series has been running since the start of this century, beginning with metal and running through pop, acoustic, the 80's, the 90's, and now culminating with crunk. There have been some good renditions over the years: A.F.I.'s "My Michelle," Reach the Sky's "Sometimes," Coalesce's "Blue Collar Lullaby," and High the Lights' "Hey Jealousy" come to mind. On … Read more
Various Artists
Raging Nathans/Reaganomics - Midwest Duress
Rad Girlfriend/Red Scare Industries (2020)
2020 was a rough year -- so rough that I somehow stumbled across two different EPs from last year that end with songs about removing people’s faces. With that noted, I’m certainly curious what abstract and gory trends 2021 will bring…Anyway, Midwest Duress features Raging Nathans (Ohio) and Reaganomics (Illinois). Raging Nathans play modern pop-punk with a strong ‘90s influence. … Read more
Various Artists
ROBOCOP / DETROIT - Dead Language, Foreign Bodies Split LP
Give Praise (2012)
sharing similarities that reside more than just their names Robocop and Detroit both play blinding fast powerviolence indebted grind. While neither band have anything besides a name in relation to Michigan they share a relationship with Grindcore Karaoke which may give somewhat of a clue as to what the listener could be in for. Maine's Robocop take up the first … Read more
Various Artists
Selvans / Downfall of Nur - s/t Split
Avantgarde Music (2016)
Both Selvans and Downfall of Nur are prime examples of the quality of underground black metal. Both bands do not register their sound with the bitter traditional approach of the genre, and rather temper with mellower tendencies. Selvans depicted thoroughly their understanding of the folkish side of the genre in their excellent Lupercalia album, while Downfall of Nur attempts in … Read more
Various Artists
Sin Bad / Bad Wig - Split EP
Kitchy Spirit (2019)
Sometimes I am just a lazy slouch. This review is not just a bit late, it is almost a year overdue. When I make a promise, I make it with the intention of keeping it. This is one of those examples. Luckily for me I never promised when I would review this EP, so I don’t feel to bad about … Read more
Various Artists
So Cow/Squarehead - Out of Season
Inflated Records (2012)
Out of Season is a two-band split 12” from Inflated Records that presents two Irish Groups, So Cow on Side A and Squarehead on Side B. It pairs two up-and-comers, delivering successful and enjoyable mid-tempo power-pop for the most part.So Cow is a three-piece (previously one-man band) who plays 1960s influenced poppy stuff with a bit of modern quirk and … Read more
Various Artists
Sound City - Reel To Reel
RCA/Roswell (2013)
Sound City Studios was a recording studio located in the industrial heart of the Van Nuys district of Los Angeles and was the recent subject of a love letter of a documentary produced and directed by by rock deity (and apparent expert multi-tasker) Dave Grohl. The documentary covers the history of the studio and more specifically, the custom Neve 8028 … Read more
Various Artists
Starkweather/Concealment - Split
Translation Loss (2018)
After seven patient years Starkweather releases their third split Divided by Zero with Portugal’s Concealment. The two-song split cements itself with every listen as masterful. Like a vitamin, it’s not to be consumed on an empty stomach, or listened to with impatience. But brevity being the byproduct of vigor, and in summing up an emotionally exhausting 49 minutes of listening … Read more
Various Artists
Symphony Of Distraction / 69 Enfermos - They Came From Faster Space Split
Morning Wood Records (2018)
Recently I picked up my longboard from the barn where it was in hibernation for quite some time. I have been cleaning the bearings and other necessary maintenance. All the while looking out the window checking if the weather was adjusting to the meteorological time of the year: spring! Why this urgent need to skate? A long answer short: this … Read more
