Brian Shultz

Self Defense Family/Fires Split EP Self Defense Family (né End Of A Year) release a shit-ton of music. It's hard to even quantify how many EPs and splits they've released this year alone, but they often tend to be worth one's while. This particular split with Fires is no different. Self Defense Family's two contributions […]

O’Brother Garden Window The real treat in letting O'Brother's sprawling debut full-length (11 songs over 63 minutes) unfold is just taking in every unexpected—and often harrowing—stylistic turn. The band uses a melange of brutal post-metal/rock, murky ’90s alt-rock, cinematic orchestral bits and mysterious, nuanced indie rock on Garden Window as a backdrop to an examination […]

The Hotel Year It Never Goes Out One would never guess that It Never Goes Out is actually a proper full-length if they weren't told. Instead, the Hotel Year’s debut LP plays like the compilation of an ever-evolving band with hints of real brilliance along the way. Opener “Our Lives Would Make A Sad, Boring […]

Lydia Paint It Golden Reunions are such the rage these days that bands barely even really break up—they just go away for a little while. Such is the case with Lydia. Arizona's most wistful indie pop-rockers called it a day last year, issuing one final installment of their dreamy, heartfelt compositions on an EP called […]

Coffee Project Concrete Boots EP Coffee Project, the pop-punk-flavored acoustic (and horn) outlet for Rehasher's Jake Crown and Less Than Jake trombonist Buddy Schaub, released their first full-length, Moved On, last year. While a fun and often-silly expression of alternate joy and catharsis, it was plagued by over-the-top vocals and a lack of surefire hooks […]

Junius/Rosetta Split EP Two of the most high-concept bands in post-rock come together for an engaging split release, each managing to retain unique identities in the process. Boston's Junius based their 2009 full-length, The Martyrdom Of A Catastrophist, on the astronomical catastrophe theories of controversial scholar Immanuel Velikovsky. In terms of music and mood, they […]

Various Artists Mixed Signals The ever-consistent Run For Cover Records celebrates its 50th release with a dozen tracks from a veritable who's-who of the best progressive punk and post-hardcore acts of the last half-decade. All but one song on Mixed Signals are previously unreleased; all but one are great at best, good at worst. The […]

Capital Givers Takers A variety of full-time careers and family lives will prevent Capital from ever becoming internationally renowned punk superstars—but Givers Takers proves they have the chops for such a plateau. The veteran quintet (among their many associates, Iron Chic and Silent Majority are perhaps the most well-known) are already a Long Island hardcore […]