Stylex “Auto Focus” (Action Driver) Stylex is a group of dissonant, annoying musicians, fusing synth-hop and Devo-like vocals into something that should never have seen the light of day. With quirky electronic elements and off-kilter guitar dynamics, “Auto Focus” is…
Teen Idols “Nothing to Prove” (Fueled By Ramen) The more I listen, the more I’m convinced that Teen Idols are huge proponents of MXPX. That’s right, you get the big choruses with lyrics that just about anyone will be singing…
Textbook Traitors “You Pull the Strings that Make Us Dance” (Magic Bullet) Savage screamo hardcore from Milwaukee, Wisconsin, of all places. Very early Three One G vibe. More energy and dynamics than a lot of bands that are aping these…
Owen “The EP” (Polyvinyl Record Co.) Owen is not actually Owen. Owen is actually indie darling Mike Kinsella. Kinsella is well known in the quiet side of the indie world. He has been a part of Cap N’ Jazz, Joan…
P.W. Long “Remembered” (Touch and Go) P.W. Long offers whiskey-soaked tales of country blues from doing wrong, to girl trouble and of course drinking oneself into a depression. His guitar work recalls a Hendrix-influenced Stevie Ray Vaughan and his vocals…
Rainer Maria ““Anyone in Love with You (Already Knows)” (Polyvinyl) Rainer Maria’s sound captures what emo sounded like before it crept onto MTV. It’s pretty, climactic, and powerful, and on this latest release, a live cd/dvd combo, they show us…
Ruth’s Hat “The Hitchhiker’s Guide to Rock and Roll” (Fast Music) Ruth’s Hat is a tough name for a band because when you’re typing the website it could easily be read as: ‘Ruth Shat’, which, I’m sure you’ll agree, is…
Jackass “Plastic Jesus” (BYO / Big Daddy) Jackass play hickabilly rock and roll that sounds like something new and refreshing at first, only to get bogged down in substandard songwriting. The cool, country influenced riffs that dominate the first few…
Various Artists “San Diego is Burning” (Loud And Clear Records) It was the case indeed that San Diego was on fire for several days last fall. No shit. With horrendous blazes erupting throughout all ends of the county, it was…
Mates of State “Team Boo” (Polyvinyl) Mates of State are husband-and-wife combo Kori Gardner and Jason Hammel that play spunky childlike drum-and-keyboards pop with slight attention deficit disorder. Case in point: album opener “Ha Ha” is three minutes of rollercoaster…