Contributions
Black Map - Driver EP
Black Map Driver EP Featuring a mix of members from Dredg (guitarist Mark Engle), Far (drummer Chris Robyn) and the Trophy Fire (vocalist/bassist Ben Flanagan) and pouring some Deftones over top of it all is a recipe for weirdness, but the talented lads in Black Map make that weirdness all their own on this debut EP. […]
Wolves Like Us - Black Soul Choir
Wolves Like Us Black Soul Choir Norway's Wolves Like Us are the very definition of a slow-burner. There's nothing immediate about their sound, and it takes a long time to really get them. The trouble is, their sound is such a prickly one—most people probably never thought they would want a band to sound like a mix between […]
Lydia Loveless - Somewhere Else
Lydia Loveless Somewhere Else The third album from Columbus, Ohio's Lydia Loveless betrays the young singer's age, in a big way. It also betrays labels: alt-country? No way. Indie? Nope. Classy, old-school, country-tinged rock? Well, yeah, but this doesn't sound like something your dad gets quietly drunk to on the weekend. It sounds young. And […]
Mustard Plug - Can't Contain It
Mustard Plug Can’t Contain It Michigan's long-running Mustard Plug are one of the best out there at combining high-energy ska with melodic pop-punk, but it's been a long time since they've put out a full-length. Luckily, the landscape of high-energy ska/melodic pop-punk isn't the most amorphous, so they still fit in just fine at the […]
The Lawrence Arms - Metropole
The Lawrence Arms Metropole The best punk rock matures with age; the best punk-rock bands accept growing up and resist the fight against it, using it to their advantage. The Lawrence Arms are doing just that on their sixth album. While the Chicago pop-punk band have always jumped back and forth between screamed, emotional punk (think the […]