I Am Abomination - To Our Forefathers
To Our Forefathers A fine line exists between glossy boy-band emo and legitimate entries into the world of progressive emo-rock. Yes, a ton of bands are doing the prog-emo thing, and most aren't doing it so well. On one side, we have bands like Sleeping With Sirens who inadvertently turn themselves into a parody, with...
Veara - What We Left Behind
What We Left Behind The anthemic pop-punk championed by Blink-182 and New Found Glory in the '90s (and whose legacy goes back to early '80s O.C. progenitors the Descendents, the Vandals and the Adolescents) is pushing past its freshness date (and perhaps well beyond, depending on your perspective). Familiarity breeds contempt; these days, energy's hardly...
Foals - Total Life Forever
Total Life Forever In the two years since this Oxford, England, outfit recorded their razor-sharp debut Antidotes, it would appear that they've collectively seen a ghost. Or they exhausted themselves in the flurry of touring and hype that followed the 2008 release of LP1. Either way, something has to account for the haunted, desiccated sound of...
MURS & 9th Wonder - Fornever
Fornever After making the leap to a major label with 2008's MURS For President, MURS is back on the indie circuit with Fornever, his fourth collaboration with 9th Wonder. The ex-Little Brother producer's presence is always a plus, and that's still true with this disc–the old-school soul vibe of the title track is completely infectious. Lyrically, MURS...
Framing Hanley - A Promise To Burn
A Promise To Burn Framing Hanley are best-known for their cover of Lil Wayne's "Lollipop." In their hands, the rap-pop hit became a creepy modern-rock dirge that sounded like junior varsity Korn. The vibe of the Nashville band's 2007 debut, The Moment, wasn't quite as crisp; the album often sounded generic and monotonous as it copied...
The Dead Weather - Sea Of Cowards
Sea Of Cowards The Dead Weather's 2009 debut, Horehound, was teeming with surprises, possibilities and dirty, yet engaging blues-rock vibes that referenced the best rock music made in the 30 years prior to the release of the Rolling Stones' Exile On Main Street. Much of Sea Of Cowards is pretty on-point and burning: Vocalist Alison Mosshart (formerly of Discount,...
To Speak Of Wolves - Myself < Letting Go
This Greensboro, North Carolina-based Christian metalcore band have all the tricks down–their full-length debut, coming on the heels of last year's Following Voices EP on Tragic Hero, kicks off with drums that sound like they're coming through a cell-phone speaker, but then it gets all heavy 'n' shit and frontman Rick Jacobs starts gargling his own blood....
Acid Tiger - Acid Tiger
Acid Tiger Given their inclusion of Converge and United Nations members, Acid Tiger will surely garner attention. Yet they share scant semblance to the aggro-blitz of either. Acid Tiger's songs ooze a sultry swagger that is more at home in '70s porn flicks (or '80s arena-rock concerts). The band hit their stride when they inject...
We Are The Union - Great Leaps Forward
Great Leaps Forward We Are The Union display the same penchant for horn-assisted, modern pop-punk on their sophomore full-length as they did on their DIY debut, 2007's Who We Are. But is it as much of a positive step as its title might indicate? To some extent, sure. Their most impressive traits respectively improve in some...