Review: Riot
Riot “Through the Storm” (Metal Blade) Riot, huh, I thought they must have been long dead. Maybe it’s a different Riot? No, sounds pretty much like the Riot of the eighties. I didn’t particularly care for Riot then I can…
Tag issue-25
Matt Skiba & Kevin Seconds
Matt Skiba & Kevin Seconds “Split CD” (Asian Man Records) I pretty much always hate splits, but this one is fantastic. Matt Skiba is the lead singer for Alkaline Trio and Kevin Seconds (like you didn’t know) is the lead…
Review: Meshuggah
Meshuggah “Nothing” (Nuclear Blast) It’s been a long wait for the Meshuggah fan. 1998’s release of “Chaosphere” and first US tour opening for Slayer cemented these Swedish musicians as one of the most critically heralded metal acts of the century.…
Review: Naam Brigade
Naam Brigade “Early in the Game” (ArtistDirect) Philly hip-hop from a group that’s been around. Decent beats entangled with very average, radio-style flow. The title track and first single, “Early in the Game”, features guest vocals by Freeway is easily…
Review: Nickel Creek
Nickel Creek “This Side” (Sugar Hill) Nickel Creek had phenomenal success in the crowded country music field with their debut eponymous album. It had sold 600,000 copies in the two years that led up to this release. Fans of progressive…
Review: The Kaisers
The Kaisers “Shake Me!” (Get Hip Recordings) The Kaisers go in for a very melodic, song-oriented approach to garage rock. Their result is very reminiscent of the early Beatles sound. This Fab Four approach is increasingly evident climaxing long before…
Review: The Librarians
The Librarians ““The Pathetic Aesthetic”” (Pandacide) Sick as hell of pop-punk but still have a taste for infectious, good-time melodies and hyperactive playing? Then thank God for the Librarians. Enough smart stuff and informed reverence for the history of pop…
Review: Lo-Hi
Lo-Hi ““Say it More”” (Tiger Style) Boss Hog drummer Hollis Queens picks up the axe and the mic again for another round of Lo-Hi. This time with a full band and the results are outstanding. Fans of all the related…
Review: Love Life
Love Life ““Here is the Night, Brothers, Here the Birds Burn”” (Jagjaguwar) Baltimore’s Love Life are the black thorn in the side of an indie-rock scene bloated with dull exercises in neo-prog technical prowess or paint-by-numbers displays of so-called “emotion”.…
Review: Manic Hispanic
Manic Hispanic “The Recline of the Mexican Civilization ” (BYO Records) Manic Hispanic is a unique punk rock cover band from Southern California–way south, actually North of the border. However, this is not your typical cover band. Manic Hispanic is…