Album review
Never Enough
Turnstile
Turnstile don't seem especially worried about where hardcore is supposed to stop. Never Enough has heavy guitars, electronic passages, bright pop melodies and enough changes o…
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Reviews
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Album review
The Sufferer & the Witness
Rise Against
The Sufferer & the Witness gains much of its force from how quickly Rise Against can change the pressure of a song. The band move from restrained verses into racing choruses w…
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Album review
fromjoy
fromjoy
fromjoy fit a surprising range of sounds into this short self-titled record. Harsh metallic hardcore, fractured electronic beats and softer melodic passages sit close together…
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Album review
Bubblegum
Mark Lanegan
Hit the City makes a strong case for putting Mark Lanegan's voice somewhere noisy. The organ and guitars supply a rough forward motion, while PJ Harvey's vocal adds a presence…
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Album review
...For Victory
Bolt Thrower
...For Victory sounds like a band that know exactly how much movement a heavy riff needs. Bolt Thrower keep the guitars working firmly, with rapid picking and slower melodic l…
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A Thousand Suns
Linkin Park
A Thousand Suns asks to be heard as a sequence. Short passages, sampled speeches and changing electronic textures connect the full songs, making the spaces between them part o…
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Album review
Filth Pig
Ministry
Filth Pig makes things difficult for both Ministry and their listeners. The band slow down, move the guitars further forward and remove much of the familiar electronic activit…
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3 Rounds and a Sound
Blind Pilot
3 Rounds and a Sound is a gentle record, but the songs have more purpose than that description might suggest. Blind Pilot work with acoustic guitar, a light rhythmic touch and…
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I Want to Disappear
The Story So Far
There is hardly a spare second at the start of I Want to Disappear. “All This Time” arrives with a sharp drum attack and Parker Cannon already pushing his voice forward. The S…
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Naveed
Our Lady Peace
Naveed has a voice that is difficult to mistake for anyone else's. Raine Maida bends and strains his lines, often making a melody feel as though it might suddenly break free o…
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Album review
Memory Lame
Giraffes? Giraffes!
Memory Lame occupies little room on a tracklist but asks for plenty of attention. Giraffes? Giraffes! divide the music into six pieces whose ideas keep shifting. Drums and gui…
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Album review
The Death of Me
Polaris
Pray For Rain begins The Death of Me with an effective sense of anticipation. Echoing guitar notes leave room for Jamie Hails's voice before the rhythm becomes more physical. …
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Album review
The Finer Things
State Champs
Derek DiScanio is the reason The Finer Things rises above a crowded style. He gives State Champs' bright, fast songs a voice that can move from a rough edge to an open melody …
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Nucleus
Anekdoten
Nucleus combines a rough, forceful band sound with music that can become unexpectedly delicate. Anekdoten use distorted bass, guitar and changing rhythms to give their progres…
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Album review
The End
Mammoth
Wolfgang Van Halen does a lot on The End. He writes the songs, sings and plays the instruments, including the drums. The impressive part is how rarely the record feels like an…
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Album review
Metal Fatigue
Allan Holdsworth
Metal Fatigue combines a hard rock attack with guitar playing that moves far beyond familiar blues patterns. Allan Holdsworth's lines are fast and fluid, but the harmony is ju…
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Album review
Distant Satellites
Anathema
Distant Satellites changes its method partway through. Anathema first work with the open voices, piano and rising guitar arrangements that suit them so well, then let electron…
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Album review
Young Team
Mogwai
Young Team uses volume as part of a much broader sound. Mogwai can establish a calm setting with a few clean guitar parts and break it open shortly afterwards. The strength in…
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Singularity
Northlane
Singularity gives its tightly repeated guitar figures room to breathe. Northlane surrounds the low rhythmic attacks with clean melodies and atmospheric passages, making the mu…
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Album review
El Hombre
Pat Martino
El Hombre introduces a young Pat Martino who already understands how to develop a melody. His guitar moves quickly, but the lines stay clear and purposeful. Trudy Pitts' organ…
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Blink-182
Blink-182
Travis Barker's drums give Blink-182 its first invitation to pay attention. Feeling This opens with a rhythm that sounds physical and slightly strange, then makes room for Mar…
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Album review
Vs.
Pearl Jam
Go and Animal make a fairly clear opening statement: Pearl Jam have plenty of energy left after Ten. Vs. starts with the band pushing hard, with Eddie Vedder sounding angry en…
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Album review
Witness
VOLA
Straight Lines gives Witness an immediate physical attraction. The riff keeps circling with considerable weight, but VOLA allow the chorus to change the song's movement rather…
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Album review
Ontological Mysterium
Horrendous
The bass frequently steals the spotlight on Ontological Mysterium. While the guitars jump from riff to riff, the bass holds onto a melody or pushes the next section forward. T…
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