Madina Lake
Madina Lake Attics To Eden [3/5]
The attraction of Madina Lake is also their downfall-they’re frustratingly impossible to label. Since the Chicago quartet’s 2005 inception, they’ve been teetering on the brink of mega-stardom while desperately searching for their own identity; thus far, they’ve been unable to make the leap. So the question is, will Attics...
Peter Bjorn and John
Peter Bjorn and John Living Thing [4.5/5]
PB&J isn’t just the name of a delicious sandwich; it’s also the initials of a band with one of the best whistle intros ever, thanks to their 2007 hit, "Young Folks." While poppy Swedes Peter Bjorn And John aren’t just breezing through the follow-up to 2007’s Writer’s Block,...
The Thermals
The Thermals Now We Can See [4.5/5]
Is there life after President Bush for a band as politically charged as the Thermals? Their previous effort, 2006’s The Body, The Blood, The Machine, was a zealot-bashing concept album aimed at Bush’s understanding of the man upstairs, with tracks as subversive as “I Might Need For You...
Metric
Metric Fantasies [4/5]
Metric are one of those bands who never seem to go wrong. A few of their songs may be dismissible or lackluster, but it’s easy to agree that each album they release is well-crafted and undeniably likeable. The majority of the adoration has been heaped on 2003’s Old World Underground, Where Are...
Mastodon
Mastodon Crack The Skye [4/5]
On Crack The Skye, the spastic raging of Mastodon’s slavishly overrated Blood Mountain evaporates into the ether. The Atlanta quartet’s fourth element-themed concept album is a turbulent vapor trail of focused jams that’s much closer to the group’s high-water mark, 2004’s Leviathan. Skye tells the tale of a modern-day paraplegic...
The Decemberists
The Decemberists The Hazards Of Love [4/5]
When it comes to literary, folk-rock eclectica, the Decemberists have parlayed the stuff of upper-division English Lit classes into tongue-in-cheek pastoral-pop grandiosity like few others. For the band’s fifth studio album, The Hazards Of Love, Colin Meloy & Co. have assembled a 21st-century concept album with roots in...
Tiger Army reveal dates for Octoberflame 09
Tiger Army have revealed the dates for their annual Octoberflame festival. Octoberflame consists of four headlining shows at the end of October — including Halloween night — in Los Angeles and Anaheim. The supporting acts are handpicked by Tiger Army front man Nick 13 and guests are announced throughout the months leading up to October.
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Manchester Orchestra - Mean Everything To Nothing
Manchester Orchestra Mean Everything To Nothing For a substantial stretch of 2007, it was mandatory in certain circles to pledge your devotion to Manchester Orchestra-even if you hadn’t heard their debut full-length, I’m Like A Virgin Losing A Child. After all, Brand New’s Jesse Lacey liked them, and Jesse Lacey doesn’t like anything (well, except...
The Used premiere new video
Check out the long-awaited video for The Used‘s newest single "Blood On My Hands." The song will appear on the band’s upcoming album, Artwork, which hits stores September 1. The Used “Blood On My Hands”