January 23, 2009

Static Thought The Motive For Movement [4/5] The Motive For Movement commences with the colossal “Faces,” a seemingly beefed-up Gang Of Four number with jagged, angular guitars and pointed socio-political musings. The song immediately makes clear the East Bay band aren’t afraid to inject different tones into their fiery hardcore punk, nor are they loath...

Static Radio NJ An Evening Of Bad Decisions [3.5/5] We’re all products of our environment, so it’s not surprising that melodic hardcore quartet Static Radio should hail from New Jersey. Like a cross between the Bouncing Souls and Lifetime, they veer between hardcore breakdowns and rousing anthems on their full-length debut. They display admirable finesse...

Shot Baker Take Control [3.5/5] Shot Baker may be less than five years old, but the Chicago band play with what seems like a decade of development and dedication to melodic punk rock. Take Control’s 11 tracks provide a thrilling ride through earnest, straight-ahead, Midwestern punk by way of Avail, Dillinger Four and the Chicago...

Polysics We Ate The Machine [4/5] Polysics’ synth-driven punk sticks out from the MySpace label roster like an autopsy photo shoved into a random issue of Nickelodeon magazine. The long-running Japanese outfit led by Hiroyuki Hayashi haven’t strayed from their excited pop leanings, though: We Ate The Machine is loaded with catchy hooks, frantic synthesizer...

Lee "Scratch" Perry Repentance [3.5/5] It’s not every day you encounter an artist so willing to take you from a track as lewd as “Baby Sucker” (an f-word-spewing rant that takes a stand against doing unspeakable things to his baby, his lady, his mother or even his daddy) to a song that calls on sinners...

Lagwagon I Think My Older Brother Used To Listen To Lagwagon EP [3/5] Self-deprecation aside, Lagwagon have indeed become an “older” band when held to the standards embraced by many young listeners. Though each year’s best albums often come from more seasoned bands, despite a popular obsession with shiny newness-this EP (all 19 minutes of...

Civet Hell Hath No Fury [3/5] Punk’s always made room for Runaways, and these O.C. females keep that hard-hearted-bad-girl attitude alive. Civet frontwoman Liza Graves’ gruff, scabrous roar plows through the racing surf-punk riffage and bucking rhythms like a bulldozer, backed by her bandmates’ boisterous vocals. While the old-school punk DNA is present, producer Julian...

Bridge And Tunnel East/West [4.5/5] Bridge And Tunnel’s heart sutures are fully on display during the 40-plus minutes of East/West, their debut full-length. With the band members harnessing a chemistry few others ever attain, East/West might bubble with hints of Ghosts And Vodka’s atmospheric math-rock riffage and Hot Water Music’s gruff, multi-vocal emotion, but it’s...

Left Spine Down Fighting For Voltage [3/5] As frenetic as it is frivolous, Left Spine Down’s debut full-length Fighting For Voltage spins like a chainsaw in an airplane hanger; there’s plenty to listen to, but the prevailing din can be overwhelming. Maybe that’s what the band wanted, and you certainly can’t argue that the amalgam...