October 29, 2007

Minus The Bear Planet Of Ice [4.5/5] Not to discourage any up-and-coming indie rock bands or anything, but there’s really no point in trying anymore: Minus The Bear pretty much have the market cornered on being endlessly progressive, ridiculously inventive and most important, consistently catchy. But unlike 2005’s left-brained Menos El Oso-which was...

The Starting Line Direction Despite that he smokes more weed than B-Real and inexplicably sang “I’m gonna tear your ass up like we just got married” on the single from his band’s 2005 album Based On A True Story, Starting Line bassist/vocalist Kenny Vasoli may be the most underrated songwriter in the punk genre. Sure,...

theSTART Ciao, Baby [3.5/5} theSTART have weathered more hardships (near-constant lineup changes, canceled tours, record label ignorance) than most groups. But the core duo of Aimee Echo and Jamie Miller continue to soldier on with new band members and a new label-which is good news for fans of their punkish synth-pop. If previous records...

Project 86 Rival Factions [3.5/5] After an unsuccessful stint on the majors, Orange County’s Project 86 returned to Christian-rock citadel Tooth & Nail in 2004 and are back once more with a big, sexy sixth album that sounds a world away from both church and the clubs where they headline post-hardcore shows. With Eighteen...

Ozma Pasadena [4/5] Sometimes a little time apart is a good thing: When Ozma split in 2004, a could-be power-pop great seemed lost forever. But after separate vacations (and replacing drummer Patrick Edwards, who defected to Acute), the SoCal band are back without missing a massive, Weezer-esque riff, sweet hook or joyous lyric....

Mobile Tomorrow Starts Today [3.5/5] Canada is, like, so hot right now. It won’t be long before labels start dragging their omnivorous nets through the lesser depths of the country’s music scene. Get ready for a wave of Canuck bush-leaguers with European affectations and Americanized populist ambition. Thankfully, Mobile, while derivative, rise above...

Juliette And The Licks Four On The Floor [2.5/5] Whether you find Juliette Lewis’ wildly expressive stage persona endearing or embarrassing, there’s little doubt that it’s earnest. This girl means it, maaaan. And Four On The Floor, J&TL’s second full-length, suggests she’s starting to get it, too. The Licks’ slick musicianship-no doubt elevated...

Holy Roman Empire [4/5] Since the first sounds rippled from Holy Roman Empire, it was plain their potential far outreached most of their post-hardcore peers. And with The Longue Durée, the growing chorus of supporters singing their virtues (Rise Against’s Tim McIlrath-who cameos here-among them) ought to become downright deafening. From the steady...

Emanuel Black Earth Tiger [3.5/5] At their best, Emanuel are pure, unfiltered rock potency. On their sadly inconsistent 2005 debut Soundtrack To A Headrush, too-conventional defaults, an uncomfortable pseudo-ballad and the occasional brainless lyric prevented them from realizing that kind of dominance. Those missteps, not to mention the finger-lickin’ Southern riffage that pervaded...