August 30, 2007

The Dear Hunter Act II: The Meaning Of, And All The Things Regarding Ms. Leading [4/5] It takes the Dear Hunter majordomo Casey Crescenzo a few songs on his band’s first full-length to move into territory that’s as inspired as where TDH took us with their debut EP last year, Act I: The Lake South,...

Bleed The Dream Killer Inside [1/5] Granted, Los Angeles’ Bleed The Dream have endured hardships ranging from the unremarkable (replacing their original singer) to the tragic (the 2005 passing of drummer Scott Gottlieb from cancer). But behind new vocalist Mark Holmes and drummer Tom Breyfogle, they’ve undergone a sonic shift, trading in by-numbers screamo for...

The Automatic Automatic Not Accepted Anywhere [3/5] Bummer, another dance-punk record, right? Not so fast. Like most things the Brits invent, Americans popularize, then the Brits improve on, this record from Welsh four-piece the Automatic Automatic sounds like something familiar you’re hearing for the first time. At it’s best-like on the pounding rocket-blast ride of...

Ryan Adams Easy Tiger [3.5/5] In the press release that comes with this album, famed author Stephen King calls Easy Tiger “the best Ryan Adams CD ever,” but that old man is out of his mind. This is not the best Ryan Adams CD ever. Sure, it’s good, but if King would’ve just come out...

1997 …A Better View Of The Rising Moon [3/5] Although it seems probable that this Chicago quintet, perhaps Victory’s response to the Hush Sound, is named 1997 because that’s the year all the members were born, it is actually that gleaming sparkle of youth that gives the group’s prancing pop numbers their fervor. Despite a...

The Fold Secrets Keep You Sick [2.5/5] If imitation is the greatest form of flattery, a whole lot of bands are going to feel great when they listen to Secrets Keep You Sick. Granted, it’s hard to make your mark in the jam-packed pop-rock world. But instead of working at doing just that, these good...

Queens Of The Stone Age Era Vulgaris [4/5] It’s been four years since MTV tried to steal Queens Of The Stone Age from desert stoners and expatriated Kyuss fans and two years since Lullabies To Paralyze debuted at No. 5 on the Billboard Top 200, and somehow the trip-rock collective have clung fastidiously to their...

Porcupine Tree Fear Of A Blank Planet [3.5/5] Porcupine Tree’s latest earnestly pursues the Holy Grail of so many prog-rockers: To create a modern-day Dark Side Of The Moon, an album about the isolation of everyday living that is nevertheless best enjoyed alone, through headphones. It’s a tribute to singer Steven Wilson’s ambition that the...

Pissed Jeans Hope For Men [3.5/5] Alongside Canada’s equally awesome monikered Fucked Up, Allentown, Pennsylvania’s Pissed Jeans are one of the few acts pushing the envelope of punk rock in 2007. Equal parts aggressive, discordant and experimental, the 10 hypnotic tracks on Hope For Men are equally reminiscent of Black Flag, Sonic Youth and the...