Cooler Kids “Punk Debutante” (Dreamworks) At first listen “Punk Debutante” is a superficial album filled with bubble-gum dance hits perfect for same-sex and underage venues. Then it ends up in the CD player to kill time in traffic on the…
Corn On Macabre ““I & II” (The Magnet Bullet Record Co) Twelve minutes of blistering hardcore sure to rip you a new asshole. I had my CD player on random and this one came on right after Elliott Smith and…
David S. Ware String Ensemble “Threads” (Thirsty Ear) It may be Ware’s string ensemble, but he is still blowing horn in this group. He has three string players with him. One of which he is much identified with: bassist William…
Dead and Buried “The Company I Keep” (Spook City) While Dead and Buried’s music is relatively tight for chunky, double bass hardcore, the vocals don’t seem to have much to offer. It’s the same exact tone and pace for every…
All State Champion “Is It Nothing To You” (Five One Inc.) These four are the postest of the post-hardcore genre. They have embraced the DIY ethic that post-hardcore bands are known for. They have had every door possible slammed in…
Amps for Christ “The People at Large” (5 Rue Christine) Have you ever not know much about a CD only to put it in and find you’ve come across one of the most eclectic things you’ve ever heard? Well, that’s…
Anadivine “Self-Titled” (Side Cho) I get embarrassed when a band I’ve never even heard of blows me away. I like to think I’ve got my finger on the carotid artery of the punk scene, so when a band slips through…
Anathema ““A Natural Disaster” (Koch) It seems as though most of the bands that once pioneered the death metal scene have all but abandoned it. In Flames, Opeth and the Gathering all began rooted heavily in death metal but have…
Audio Learning Center “Cope Park” (Vagrant) This album could be the textbook example in an actual audio learning center. Lets say Audioslave decided to admit defeat and go back to school for some much needed musical advice. The three boys…
Authority Zero “Andiamo” (Lava) Popular punk. Is that a feasible category for description? I think you know what I’m talking about. Mainstage Warped Tour punk. Catchy punk with lots of pop hooks. Cooler than Good Charlotte, but coming up short…