June 4, 2008

Man Man Rabbit Habits [4/5] If you think the mathy art-spelunking permeating most of Rabbit Habits is, like, totally original, you probably haven’t spent much time getting cozy with the back catalog of experi-gonzo visionaries Tom Waits and Frank Zappa. That said, Man Man aren’t outrightly derivative; rather, they’ve raised a lightning rod high into...

Head Of Femur Great Plains [3/5] Great Plains kicks right in with "Whirlaway," a tiny, perfect little song that plays like a secret mash-up of the Beach Boys’ Pet Sounds and the Beatles’ Revolver straight out of ‘66. The rest of the album is strong, but doesn’t quite meet the timeless quality of those first...

Adam Green Sixes & Sevens [3/5] Check the sky for locusts–an album featuring the Moldy Peaches recently landed at the top of the charts. Good timing for ex-Peach Adam Green: Nothing on Sixes & Sevens quite lives up to the giddy brilliance of the Juno soundtrack’s “Anyone Else But You” (although "Drowning Head First" echoes...

Murder By Death Red Of Tooth And Claw [4/5] Murder By Death sound like they lived a dozen lifetimes since 2006’s In Bocca Al Lupo-and not just because frontman Adam Turla’s ominous vocals have amazingly dropped down even further on the octave scale. While the band have spent the last eight years evolving their gritty...

Kingdom Of Sorrow Kingdom Of Sorrow [4.5/5] While it’s hard to imagine any record featuring Jamey Jasta (Hatebreed) and Kirk Windstein (Down/Crowbar) as well as alumni from both Black Label Society and Unearth won’t rock on some level, Kingdom Of Sorrow are one of those all-star side projects who deserve to be treated as a...

Flogging Molly Float [4.5/5] Just in time for St. Patrick’s Day, sage/guitarist/vocalist Dave King & Co. deliver 11 tracks destined to go down in the annals of Celtic-punk crossover music (if there is such a category) as a polished and full-bodied classic. Sure, Flogging Molly don’t deviate much from the Guinness-stained path they’ve paved over...

Pegasuses-XL The Antiphon [3.5/5] Don’t know if anyone could have seen this coming: Straight out of the mouths of Bomb The Music Industry!’s Jeff Rosenstock and We Versus The Shark’s Jeff Tobias, this is… Dance music? Maybe it’s not entirely surprising when you consider the intense musical output of Athens, Georgia (well documented by Rosenstock’s...

Bury Your Dead Bury Your Dead [2.5/5] The title of Bury Your Dead’s 2006 album, Beauty And The Breakdown, concisely summarized that record’s aesthetic–hold the beauty. The Boston-based band’s staggered riffs pummeled listeners like jab-cross combinations, with tough-guy vocalist Mat Bruso’s blunt delivery exacerbating the barrage. On Bury Your Dead, breakdowns serve as brutal codas...