699 total search results — Page 18 of 35
Crybaby – Drag Me Under
Review — August 15, 2016
Crybaby are one of those punk bands where you could fill a review with subgenre tags and namedrops and every review would pick a different one to highlight. There’s a lot of stylistic variance, a lot of influence, but it comes together as Crybaby instead of some hyphenated slurry of …
Mikey Erg – Tentative Decisions
Review — September 12, 2016
It took all of three seconds into Tentative Decisions, about 10 seconds before his unmistakable voice, to ID the record as being made by Mikey Erg. Drummer/guitarist/vocalist in bands ranging including but definitely not limited to The Ergs!, The Dopamines, Worriers, The Slow Death, and …
Spokenest – Gone, Gone, Gone
Review — September 26, 2016
I have a type, and it’s short and fast. I’m partial to it and probably less picky. It fills a need that my constantly fidgeting digits and bottomless coffee mug cannot. Besides, short and fast is just better. Duh.Spokenest are seemingly built on that same concept, playing finger-bleedingly fast …
The Hussy – The Volar EP
Review — October 3, 2016
The Hussy keeps changing on me. That’s cool, though. Bands are like babies: they grow and change and…eventually abandon you in the old folks’ home. Er, whatever. The point is that over the Wisconsin duo’s lifetime they’ve shifted from abrasive noisy garage-punk to more melodic but tonally challenging garage-punk, which …
Low Culture – Places To Hide
Review — October 10, 2016
Screens, (2013) was damn near perfect. So what does Low Culture have in store with their second LP? It’s not disappointment, that’s for sure. Places to Hide continues their run of modern garage-punk that’s run through the melody filter and cleaned up of the fuzz and distortion, …
Various Artists – Dead Bars/The Tim Version - split 7"
Review — October 17, 2016
A limited edition split of two not-super-active bands that are Fest staples for this writer, this EP from No Idea Records combines Seattle’s Dead Bars and Tampa’s The Tim Version head to head, or head to ass or however literally one takes the physical conceptualization of a 7”.Dead Bars …
Dean Ween Group – The Deaner Record
Review — October 24, 2016
I’ve never met Aaron Freeman and Mickey Melchiondo, the two-headed songwriting duo of Ween, but I have my own speculation about who contributes what based on their output in other projects. That guess is that Gener does the Pink Floyd styled space-prog-pop while Melchiondo, aka Dean Ween aka Deaner, …
Sims – More Than Ever
Review — October 31, 2016
Sims is something of a firebrand on his early work, spitting political vitriol and pointing fingers outward and in on records like Lights Out Paris and Bad Time Zoo. This time around, the Minneapolis rapper is looking even more inward on the new More Than Ever, a …
Toys That Kill – Sentimental Ward
Review — November 7, 2016
It’s nice when your favorite bands surprise you. It took six years for Fambly 42), so I wasn’t ready for Sentimental Ward yet (though apparently it’s already been another four years). Fambly 42 acted like no time had passed and the same holds true here, on Toys That …
Pinned In Place – Ghostwritten By
Review — November 7, 2016
One (of many) differences between indie rock and punk is generally the sense of humor as it relates to self-awareness. Considering that other reviews namedrop Built to Spill frequently in the RIYL section for Pinned in Place, it’s a nice touch to start the record with the song “Built to …
Big Eyes – Stake My Claim
Review — November 14, 2016
As much I knew I’d like this record after spending some time with Almost Famous and seeing the band live a few times, I was hesitant to review it. There are certain sounds I have trouble describing. So while I enjoyed Almost Famous, it had this hard to summarize …
The Blind Shake – Celebrate Your Worth
Review — November 14, 2016
I’ve covered The Blind Shake for most of their career so far. Over that time it’s been a steady growth often focused on syncopated and rhythmic rock: forceful, punchy, and precise. The kind of rock that you can set your watch to, while still angry and striking a deeper chord. …
Arms Aloft – What a Time to Be Barely Alive
Review — November 21, 2016
Midtempo punk sounds like such a boring idea.And sometimes it really is.But when it works, it’s hard to top. The chords are still powerful and concise, the frustration and fury still present, but it’s more tempered when the tempo drops down a bit and more powerful when it …
Coathangers – Nosebleed Weekend
Review — November 28, 2016
A lot of the bands I listen to have gotten older and slowed their productivity so it’s nice to realize that The Coathangers are already releasing their fifth album even it’s already been a decade for the Atlanta-formed trio. On Nosebleed Weekend the band takes a bit of a curve …
Shallow Cuts – Empty Beach Town
Review — December 5, 2016
Sometimes I want to add a lot of back story, my own perspective coming into a record. While that certainly shapes the experience, sometimes you have to let it stand for itself. Shallow Cuts tie into a number of other bands: Dan Padilla, Madison Bloodbath, The Gateway District …
Bullnettle – Bullnettle
Review — December 5, 2016
I discovered This Is My Fist at the tail end of the band’s run, which was unfortunate in that I didn’t get to experience new material or live shows. Throughout that band’s material, vocalist Annie Saunders was the clear standout in the group, her ability to make a message connect …
Attention – !Attention!
Review — December 12, 2016
Do you like long song titles that are loosely related to the subject matter, along with gruff vocal singalong punk? If so, !Attention! is right at home. I haven’t seen the band but it’s easy to picture them playing a Durty Nelly’s set at The Fest as drunkos spill half …
Drakulas – Raw Wave
Review — December 12, 2016
At this point Riverboat Gamblers have enough side projects that there’s almost an expectation of sound before listening, that unifying factor between all the different bands that have spidered from the source band. Introduce Drakulas, who released an EP on Red Scare Industries last year and now come with a …
Sex Stains – Sex Stains
Review — December 19, 2016
Sex Stains put it all out front on the opening “Countdown to…” which is as much a confrontational statement of purpose as it is a song. The speak-sing nature and rambling tone set the stage instead of opening with a thundering riff or singalong hit. The band is equal parts …
