The Streets “A Grand Don’t Come For Free” (Pure Groove / Universal) So, you’ve made a groundbreaking hit record and have been dubbed, by all of the major pop pubs, as “the next big thing”. Your style a fresh meshing between UK Garage…
Hard-Ons “Very Exciting!” (Bomp! Records) Like the Dwarves? Then you probably already own some Hard-Ons. “Blender punk” is what I dub this. Meaning, they throw all these punky styles into the mix and depending on what track you hit, you…
Herschell Gordon Lewis & The Amazing Pink Holes “Herschell Gordon Lewis” (Smog Veil Records) This two-song CD EP includes video clips. The two tracks are the themes from Lewis’ films 2000 Maniacs and Moonshine Mountain. “The Godfather of Gore” himself…
Jimmie’s Chicken Shack “Re.present” (Koch) If the fact that the lead singer cunt from Staind shows up on this record isn’t enough, one of the chumps from Creed also pitches in to make this record what it is. Jim Haha…
Jude the Obscure “The Coldest Winter” (One Day Savior) Sometimes there’s not much you can say about a CD. Sometimes you can just say that a band is loud. And heavy. And angry. And fast. Really fast. Sometimes you can…
Kid Commando “Holy Kid Commando” (Ache) This is the Swedish dual guitar and drum trio’s debut album. Holy Kid Commando is the sound of soldiers marching in to battle with themselves. Johan Lagerlof’s hostile vocals are the shouts of the…
Killswitch Engage “The End of Heartache” (Roadrunner) Killswitch Engage is one of these brilliant bands that meld their influences so well it becomes their own machine. There is metal. There is hardcore. There is that melodic element woven in there…
Dead Poetic “New Medicines” (Solid State Records) Dead Poetic rock the house. Employing the scream/sing dynamic like A Static Lullaby and Thrice, Dead Poetic tear the cover off their eleven-track sophomore effort, “New Medicines”. While technically sharp and polished like…
Deerhoof “Milkman” (5 Rue Christine) Damn… if you count their 2000 live album “Koalamagic”, this is Deerhoof’s seventh full-length since 1997. Some would say they’ve “matured” since early noise excursions such as “The Man, The King, The Girl” with more…
Detachment Kit “Of This Blood” (Frenchkiss Records) Perhaps the greatest factor of existing on a prosperous independent label, and working and living within the top tier of independent rock music, is that artists control much of how their record will…