Stone Sour
Stone Sour Come What(ever) May [4/5] Perhaps it’s foolish to expect any less from two members of Slipknot, but in today’s anemic rock scene, Stone Sour’s raw power is a damn pleasant surprise. Their second disc, Come What(ever) May, builds on their debut’s strengths, allowing frontman Corey Taylor to drop his mask in more ways...
Sufjan Stevens
Sufjan Stevens The Avalanche: Outtakes And Extras From The Illinois Album [4/5] You came. You listened. You felt the Illinoise. You even loved it-and with good reason. Since the release of Sufjan Stevens’ second entry in his so-called 50 States Project, Illinois, he’s become a sort of poster boy, not only for poetic, state-centric post-Americana...
Hellogoodbye
Hellogoodbye Zombies! Aliens! Vampires! Dinosaurs! [5/5] In addition to being nominated for Sexiest Vegetarian Of 2006 by peta2.com, singer Forrest Kline and his band Hellogoodbye have been busy crafting another shamelessly fun dose of their unique XTC meets Panic! At The Disco happy-rock. This follow-up to their 2003 self-titled EP this is simply one of...
Billy Talent
Billy Talent Billy Talent II [4/5] In 2003, Toronto’s Billy Talent delivered 12 dangerously caffeinated-not to mention ridiculously tight-slabs of pop-punk catharsis in the form of Billy Talent. And though the album turned them into award-winning rock stars in their homeland, stardom and cred stripes proved harder to come by south of the border. That’s...
Gym Class Heroes - As Cruel As Schoolchildren
Gym Class Heroes As Cruel As Schoolchildren It may seem odd to say that one of the best hip-hop records this year comes from a band discovered by Fall Out Boy’s Pete Wentz, but it’s the truth. As Cruel As Schoolchildren is nothing short of classic. Gym Class Heroes’ organic live instrumentation has come along...
Comets On Fire
Comets On Fire Avatar [5/5] There’s a lot more to Comets On Fire then Orange amps and slip-on Vans. Over the course of their career, the band have done for spacey resin-rock what At The Drive-In (and later the Mars Volta) did for post-hardcore by dragging something totally new, kicking and screaming, out of the...
Unearth
Unearth III: In The Eyes Of Fire [4/5] With 2004’s blistering The Oncoming Storm, Massachusetts metalcore mavens Unearth established themselves among the American metal elite with a disc, that cemented the perfect balance between the band’s hardcore and Euro-metal leanings. That equilibrium doesn’t seem as present on their latest, III: In The Eyes Of Fire,...
White Whale
White Whale WWI [4/5] Some whales are the stuff of legend, and this particular catch of nautical rock hailing from landlocked Kansas are no exception. With a lineup featuring Matt Suggs (Butterglory), Robert Pope (the Get Up Kids) and most of the members of Thee Higher Burning Fire, White Whale are the indie answer to...