Kings of Convenience
Declaration of Dependence
Astralwerks (2009)
After almost five years since their last outing, the Norwegian duo Kings of Convenience have returned with their third full-length, Declaration of Dependence. Erlend Øye and Eirik Glambek Bøe are best known for weaving simple acoustic melodies into lush pop songs akin to a modern day Simon and Garfunkel. Although a return to this musical style is nothing new these … Read more
KK Null
Oxygen Flash
Neurot (2009)
You might not know who or what KK Null is (or his band Zeni Geva), but rest assured his twenty plus years of activity in music has given him the opportunity to play all over the world and collaborate with a variety of musicians and bands from Sonic Youth, Mike Patton (Faith No More, MR. Bungle, Tomahawk, etc), Steve Albini … Read more
Korova
Another Happy Customer
Victimized (2009)
Korova are a DIY hardcore band from Alabama. They wear their influences on their sleeve, with latter-day Black Flag being the predominant one throughout Another Happy Customer, though other 80s bands pop through their discordant surface. The minimal, noisy tracks separate the band from a number of their crustcore peers, but they definitely developed their songwriting from 80s thrash and … Read more
Kylesa
Static Tensions
Prosthetic (2009)
Is it really time for another Kylesa album? It may only seem like yesterday but it has been quite a while since their last album, Time Will Fuse its Worth, and the band looks intent on besting that effort in every way. Still set with its dual drummer line-up, Kylesa offer Static Tensions with its ten tracks of their crust … Read more
Ladyfinger (ne)
Dusk
Saddle Creek (2009)
I thought rock was a dead scene. The radio repeatedly fed me the term since my early teens, pushing different versions of the same band on the airways. Everything sounded like a watered down rendition of some seventies ideal I never cared about. Nothing I'd ever heard described as rock had any heart, let alone any balls. Ladyfinger (ne) are … Read more
Lamb of God
Wrath
Sony (2009)
Virginia metalheads Lamb of God have been a very inconsistent band as of late. They struck gold six years ago with their sophomore effort, As the Palaces Burn but they seemed to have stumbled a bit with their past two records. Their latest offering, Wrath has been hyped by the band as a "rawer and real sounding" record and that … Read more
Landmine Marathon
Rusted Eyes Awake
Prosthetic (2009)
One of the biggest pleasures of listening to Rusted Eyes Awake was to hear the music and not walk away with the opinion that this is just another modern U.S. metal band labeled with the death metal tag that actually plays nauseating post-millennial death-core. Landmine Marathon still does have some of those influences interspersed but for the most part the … Read more
Last Lights
No Past No Present No Future
Think Fast!/Mightier Than Sword (2009)
So often music defines our lives. We hear a song at a moment in our lives that no matter where we are from then on, we immediately recall the memory of when we first heard it each time it reaches our ears. We use songs and their meanings to help evoke how we are feeling when we might be unable … Read more
Laudanum
The Coronation
20 Buck Spin (2009)
Laudanum are a 3 piece band. I opened with that sentiment solely because once you hear what they do it becomes hard to believe. What Laudanum do musically is act as a noisey power electronics group that decided to play doom metal or vice versa. Everything is grimey, filthy and painful in Laudanum's collective world. This almost acts as someone … Read more
Let Me Run
Meet Me at the Bottom
XOXO (2009)
Hailing from New Jersey, Let Me Run is the latest in a series of bands walking the line between the punk, rock and roll, and the blues. The cues that Let Me Run take are some that many other bands before them have also had - Springsteen, The Clash, and Hot Water Music - but this four-piece find a way … Read more
Lewd Acts
Black Eye Blues
Deathwish Inc. (2009)
Lewd Acts finally release their debut full-length in the form of Black Eye Blues. And with their first long-player, the San Diego outfit makes good on all the promise of their early recordings. But in addition to their classic-hardcore inspired approach, we also get a few other musical nuances that showcase influences that weren't readily apparent on their previous recordings. … Read more
Like Wolves
Paths
Independent (2009)
Paths is the second 7" release from Rochester's Like Wolves. I really enjoyed their demo 7", but this is even better, showing immense promise for future recordings. Just as with the songs on their demo, "Live Wires" boasts some stellar guitar work, bringing to mind the hardcore meets rock approach of The Suicide File. Meanwhile "Saturate" and "Dying to Survive" … Read more
Lipona
Pigeonholed
Independent (2009)
In what's already been a solid year for punk releases, Lipona's new self-released EP, Pigeonholed might fall under the radar to most listeners but if you do come across it, I would strongly suggest giving it a listen. Pigeonholed is a short but sweet EP of some nicely executed punk rock with a bit of a hardcore edge. The lyrics … Read more
Litany for the Whale
Dolores
Teenage Disco Bloodbath/Perpetual Motion Machine/Molsook (2009)
John Cage was an avant-garde composer, poet, music theorist, artist, printmaker, etc. that was popular in the early part of the 20th century. "Litany for the Whale" was one of his many compositions. While I'm not certain this is where they draw their namesake from, California's Litany for the Whale offer up atmospheric, noisy, hardcore that pushes the limits of … Read more
Little Brazil
Son
Anodyne Records (2009)
Musician Landon Hedges spent the better part of the late nineties/early two thousands playing along side Saddle Creek's most prominent singer/songwriters Conor Oberst (Bright Eyes. Desaparecidos) and Tim Kasher (Cursive, The Good Life). Looking for a more personal creative outlet, Hedge's began writing songs under the moniker Little Brazil. While originally planned as a solo project, Little Brazil quickly evolved … Read more
Liturgy
Renihilation
20 Buck Spin (2009)
Liturgy is part of what may be referred to the new school of hipster black metal. Sure this is an unfair assessment in reality but when Xasthur gets noted time and again on Pitchfork of all places it may benefit to note what type of black metal each release is. So in any case, Liturgy is from Brooklyn and they … Read more
Living With Lions
Dude Manor (Reissue)
Adeline (2009)
Dude Manor was originally released two years ago on Black Box Recordings in Canada but it's now being re-released on their new label, Adeline Records where their full-length, Make Your Mark will also be re-released very soon. This up-and-coming band is looking to follow in the footsteps of former Adeline label-mates Broadway Calls as the label's next rising star and … Read more
Love Collector
My Baby Goes Waaah!
Big Action (2009)
What you get with Love Collector is pretty straightforward. Only a few seconds into "My Baby Goes Waaah!," the titular track on this 7", it's clear that this is a band that plays punk-fused garage rock, with lots of guitar, a few pedals, and lots of attitude hovering around the two-minute-per song mark. It's also the kind of rock where … Read more
