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New Reviews (May/June)
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Astpai Corruption Concealed (Under Deceptive Slogans) Jump Start
Fucking raging and energetic political, Richmond style punk from Austria. Corruption Concealed… is definitely one of the better albums I’ve received not only in the past month or so, but possibly years.
Mixing elements of ’88 style punk rock attitude with heavy doses of early nineties East Coast hardcore, this album crashes and shakes like a high magnitude earthquake, rarely even slowing lower than ‘Holy Shit’ speed…whew! Right now, members of Paint it Black, Strike Anywhere and Kid Dynamite are flashing gratuitous amounts of thumbs up action.
With the exception of “Wuenscht Du Waerst Laengst”, for which I obviously don’t understand the lyrics as I don’t speak German; all the songs are of heavy hitting subject matter. Astpai draws from a well stocked cache of socio-political subjects including war, sexism and vegetarianism. Add in the ample thrashing, heavy handed drumming and scathing vocals and you have yourself a pretty well rounded release. CS
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Celestine At the Borders of Arcadia Milkweed
Celestine hail from Iceland and are absolutely brutal. At first, I had this pegged as a metalcore album until I actually got about halfway through the first song, “Despair” and discovered that At the Borders of Arcadia is largely devoid of anything resembling hardcore influence at all.
I actually found that refreshing in a way as my mailbox is usually inundated with metallic hardcore faux pas which, for the sake of my own sanity, I usually ignore. This is pure, punishing metal with tons of gloomy undertones and intricate rhythms. Not something I normally get into, but well played enough where it kept my attention for awhile.
There were no lyrics posted with the artwork for the album, so I cannot decipher the screams and howls that are going on throughout these six songs…I don’t even know if the words are being sung in English or Icelandic. But it sounds intense and angry, so I’m assuming the vocalist is expressing cathartic sentiments or maybe just raging about how much he hates McDonalds hamburgers…I’m not sure.
I can’t in good conscious say this is an amazing album and it’s going to be playing in my stereo often, but I can say that it kept me entertained while I loaded the dishwasher and cleaned the stove. I’ll call it pretty good for a style of music I generally don’t understand. If you’re into driving, elaborate metal; I’d recommend picking this up. However, this isn’t really for me. CS
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Dirty Money Far From Home Thunderstruck
It’s just not fair. The population of Gainesville is 243,985(MSA) while the population for Columbus, OH (where I reside) is 1,754,337, yet somehow they have a metric shit-ton more cool bands than we do. I don’t know what’s going on here, but I can’t help to think it’s something underhanded. As punishment to Gainesville, I think Dirty Money should have to relocate to the Ohio capital.
Dirty Money plays straight forward, honest tunes that just about anyone can enjoy, especially if you like gruff, melodic punk rock, and if you don’t…I don’t even know why you’re looking at this site. But, if you do, then Far From Home is probably in your record collection already. If not, it soon will be.
“1-2-3 Fest!” gets the party started with an upbeat pace and raspy vocals, which sets off the ‘feel good…fun times’ attitude that is displayed throughout Far From Home. The band takes it down a notch for “Ride Easy” a little smattering of Americana, not unlike the stylings of fellow Gainesville residents and folk luminaries Against Me, before hammering out the rest of the album.
Far From Home is a great introduction for Dirty Money and I’m definitely looking forward to hearing more from these guys. Hopefully somebody will send me their upcoming split with GDP. Anybody? Anybody? CS
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Equal Vision Presents: New Sounds 2008 (CD/DVD)
What an outstanding little package from the long running and well revered Equal Vision Records. This is for the most part an outstanding DVD with almost an identically matching CD. The equation here is a music video with a song, and the a different track from the band on the CD. This is pretty consistent minus a few bands.
The only confusing thing about this wonderful combo is that it's titled New Sounds 2008, when the majority of these songs/video were release in The Year of Our Lord (2007). In fact none of these songs came to be in 2008. I know because I own most of the release. Now I know it's a little much expect 2008 jams in the form of video already, so I've over looked this minor detail. Shit, the DVD even contains Concubine by Converge circa 2001. I now officially have this music video on three different DVDs. Once again, it's a great video so I'm not complaining.
This Equal Vision trip in the Delorean was a special one for me and helped in some ways to sow my youthful roots once again. To some this may even be a collector's item, to others an unwanted emo drink coaster. As for me, I thoroughly enjoyed it. This album or DVD would be ideal when having a house party. Other highlights include: The Fall of Troy, Bear Vs Shark, Circa Survive, and Dear in the Headlights. PM
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Empire! Empire! (I was a Lonely Estate) Year of the Rabbit 7” Count Your Lucky Stars
When I see an album that is largely considered to be ‘indie’, I generally pass it on to Pat for review as he is more acquainted with that genre of music and just more tolerant of it in general. But every once in awhile I get a good feeling from an album and hang on to it; and nine times out of ten my musical Spidey Sense pays off. And that’s certainly the case for this album.
Year of the Rabbit is a nugget of pure gold; a masterwork of beautiful off-time melodies and uplifting harmonics. This 7”, for me, is a pretty bold and powerful introduction of Empire! Empire! (I was a Lonely Estate), despite the fact that’s only two songs. Usually, I require a little more to fully form a solid opinion of a band…but these guys got my number in short order.
“Year of the Rabbit” and “IDK My BFF Jill” are two amazing songs that somehow got me to do something I rarely do…relax. I grabbed a cup of coffee and sat back and just chilled to these songs several times in a row. I always feel like I’m a bit on a fence post, defending my attitudes towards indie rock, but these guys gave me a little respite from the usual genre-playing-review game and allowed me to just enjoy the music. I probably won’t put this on the record player too often, but Year of the Rabbit will definitely have its time and place. CS
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Glass and Ashes S/T No Idea
Everyone's favorite West Coast ruffians are back and at it again with the anticipated, but certainly not overzealous self titled album. This album promises just as much carnal blood, spit, and fears as the first LP "Aesthetic Arrest."
If you're not familiar with this No Idea family band let me explain through my excellence and expertise in creative writing. These guys are Johnny Be Good talented with a knack for destructionist styles. Not chaotic enough to lose your apatite, but not clean enough to take to a picnic. Think Hot Water music with a dash of Converge.
This album in particular pushed the envelope a little further. They step outside of their comfort circle for a few songs and moments to show us a more technical 'less punk' and 'more rock and roll' sound. They include more melody which is delivered in appropriate doses. A perfect balance that shows they can move around a little with out compromising what they are well know for. Fucking destruction! We at Diatribe recently interviewed these gentlemen so please check it out soon. PM
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Killing the Dream Fractures Deathwish
I can’t remember the last time I heard an album from a metallic hardcore band that didn’t start off with a largely meaningless roar. It’s pretty pointless and pretty redundant and although Fractures starts off in the exact same fashion, it’s the only annoyance this album creates for me.
What you hear on this album is by no means groundbreaking; you’ve heard shit like this before and you’ll hear it again, but Killing the Dream try to keep it varied and exciting. Of course you have your requisite raspy throated screams and howls and tons of mosh worthy breakdowns, complete with community screamed parts; it’s the atmospheric shit going on in the background that really defines what this band is about, for me.
Just behind the cacophony of pissed of instrumentation lies a wall of swirling, pulsating noise and manic guitar squelches that, no matter what’s going on in the song, is ever present just at the corner of your mind. Aesthetically, it would be something that’s almost an afterthought, but it keeps dredging itself to the forefront. Everything is solid on this album; everything sounding great and well executed, but it’s those little bonus things that keep Fractures from being the next Hope Conspiracy album…not that Hope Conspiracy are bad; in fact, they’re fucking awesome. But like the Highlander, there can only be one.
Hardcore kids will love Fractures, fake hardcore kids will pretend to understand it, and I’ll certainly throw this band a bone by popping this album in occasionally. CS
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Mannequin Men Freshrot Flameshovel
This struck me as a very classical 'The' band with out the 'The' in the band name. Examples include: The Vines, The Hives, The Strokes ect. Unlike these bands it's possesses a more eerie undertone. This is accomplished by strange guitar pedals and at times screechy vocals. Lyrically it's very down the middle with catchy/memorable choruses and pseudo-witty verses. Perfect for the unimaginative hoards.
Track #4 entitled "Pigpen" is very high school surf-rock oriented. Once again maintaining this very bluesy and down played appearance via sound. It really does have all the ingredients of classic rock band revived with a new 'I don't care' attitude. These bands are starting to become a dime a dozen in my opinion.
It poses question like: Is there room left in this now overplayed music niche? The answer is simple. Yes, because people love this shit. I'm just not one of them. So one kudos for Mannequin Men for a least putting out sometime consistent, and one stern head shake for the category of originality. PM
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Moneen It All Started with a Red Stripe DVD Vagrant
It All Started with a Red Stripe features live performances, several music videos and tour journals and a good bit of footage of the band goofing off. Fans of Moneen will probably be stoked on this DVD but newcomers, like myself, will most likely be confused.
This is my first experience with Moneen. This, for the most part, is kind of awkward but the upside is that seeing live footage of a band is a great way to get a good grasp on what the band really sounds like. You get a chance to see through all the possible Pro Tools bullshit and really get to the root of the songs.
I can’t say that I’m terribly impressed with the band’s music; they kind of tread on the overtly radio-friendly side of the street that I rarely walk down, but Moneen seems to play their songs with passion and put on a pretty energetic performance. I was almost positive that “Don’t Ever Tell Locke What He Can’t Do” would be an awesome song simply based on the Lost reference, but was sadly let down. I was fairly enamored with “Start Angry…Stay Mad” though, but unfortunately for them, it’s not enough to convince me to purchase any of their albums. Not bad for what it is, but I’ll have to pass.
The footage on this video is clear and the sound quality is excellent, the rest I’ll leave to you. CS
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V/A Ohio Hardcore Vol. 1 Crossface
This compilation showcases some of the best tracks from the best hardcore bands in Ohio, and quite possibly the country. All the bands are varied; from the super aggressive metallic hardcore jams to the traditional styled youth crew anthems. This album hits you from all sides.
Columbus’s Kingsblood and For the Proud perfectly encompasses the hard hitting capital city sound while bands like Crossface, Gladiator and Take No Prisoners tout the metallic edge of Cleveland style hardcore. No matter what your taste in hardcore is, you are sure to find at least a couple of bands you’ll enjoy on this release.
My personal favorite tracks on Ohio Hardcore is the two songs by ‘Americas Most Positive’ John Walsh who play fast, super positive songs with a heavy pop influence and Heads Held High, a band that is bringing back the spirit of bands like Gorilla Biscuits and Minor Threat.
I don’t normally review compilations, but I had to make an exception with this release as I was interested in how the burgeoning Crossface Records would fare with this massive project (they nailed it!) and because the state of Ohio, and it’s amazing hardcore bands, have a huge place in my heart. This needs to be in the collection of every serious hardcore fan. CS
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Panic at the Disco Pretty. Odd. Decaydance/Fueled By Ramen
I want to preface this review by reminding readers what we do here at Diatribe. We strive to be as forthcoming and brutally honest a humanly possible. We put aside variables like music stereotypes, and band hairstyles/costumes. However, these can be used as funny punch lines. Basically we want to assure you we’re listening and judging by musical merit alone. Why does our opinion count? Because we have a website, and you don’t!
Panic at the Disco stormed the musical scene in 2005 with A Fever You Can't Sweat Out, and just in time as similar heart-throbs Fall Out Boy, we starting to loose steam. It was very eerie. Almost as though the collective will of a Fall Out Boy famine had engineered these guys out of thin air. Obviously very poppy, catchy lyrics with a dash of whit and the occasional high note sealed the deal with fans then, but what about now?
The marketing was very clever behind this reinvented Panic. The edge was one borrowed from the Indie rock scene in earth tone/vintage packaging. Even the haircuts have changed and beards have been grown with a Srgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club mystique about them. As I prefaced earlier, this shit matters not to Diatribe. We’re Sherlock Holmes when it comes to ripping off masks and exposing music for what it is, and not how it appears.
The over all production of this album is great, and of course it would be. Softer melodies carry choruses into more upbeat verses a chemistry they didn’t really use as much before. Tame, is the word I’m looking for in comparison to the last album. Maybe even maturity? Lyrics are less self-involved and girl crazy. I still can’t get on board with the Fall Out Boy vocals, but I will admit the harmonies are on. Aside from the slight whininess and there bullshit marketing scheme I think these guys are excellent musicians.
Kind of makes you wonder how many people have bought this album and convinced them selves they like it, and how many have actually and thoroughly listened to it. That’s being said; is there real a difference between those two concepts? For now I guess it’s a Paradox at the Disco.
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Phantom Planet Raise the Dead Fueled by Ramen
To be honest, my first reaction to opening a package and seeing a Phantom Planet album was not a good one. I’m pretty sure the word ‘fuck’ was muttered a few times, along with some references to the female genitalia in regards to the band members. After the initial shock wore off, I made an oath to try to review this album without bias and as if I had never heard that annoying “California” song.
And I think I successfully did it…but I still found this album to be a steaming turd on a stick. Sorry uber-cool hipster fuckfaces, but it’s quite obvious that this is one of those bands that just tries too hard to be unique and cool and in the process just end up sounding like every other half assed group out there alternately jacking off to Beck and Beatles albums. Raise the Dead is completely devoid of anything remotely exciting or interesting and comes off as a cut-and-paste collage of all the worst parts of every bland and typical mainstream indie rock album you’ve ever heard.
Not that any fan of this band will take my review to heart; I’m sure they’ll snicker to each other about how ‘He doesn’t get it’ as they’re shopping for 1984 style clothing. You fuckers weren’t even alive in the eighties. Despite my better sense, I listened to this whole CD in a desperate search for anything that might sway my opinion on this band, and came up short. This is fucking garbage. Next to this album, that “California” song sounds like a magical unicorn farting in my ear. CS
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Pomegranates Everything is Alive
Lujo
The obvious first-listen stereotype is, “Hey, this is a
female vocalist.” Over the years I because more anticipant for female
vocalists. This may be attributed to my love for Jenny Lewis (Rilo Kiley).
This indie rock treasure also includes a sad yet fitting male vocalist
companion.
Ok, I’m kidding. It’s actually a guy with a very
high voice, and this scares me a bit. Although the blandest fruit in the
basket, Pomegranates maintain a solid affirmation of peaceful harmonies
and sturdy rock and roll. More energetic songs fall toward the end of the
album. Songs like Thunder Island really give the album the much
needed shoot in the arm via strange percussion and forte vocal lines.
All and all I give it 3 out of 5 skulls. Oh wait, that's some
other zine point system. We at Diatribe hope you can decipher the good from
the bad
based on your excellent writing. For fans of: Appleseed Cast and Mars
Volta. PM
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Reggie and the Full Effect Last Stop Crappy Town Vagrant
In explaining the weird geography of this map/album I think I've well described the music. This is a treat for anyone who is looking for something quirky or just altogether atypical. These boys are in a league of there own. My only suggestion would be to put all the softer songs at the beginning, and the crazy ones at the end or visa versa. Something to pander to those of us with a little more sanity. PM
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Title Fight Kingston 7” Flight Plan
It was about ten seconds into the first song, “Memorial Field” that I realized that these guys were not a bunch of roughneck, warm up pants wearing New York style hardcore heads like their tough sounding name had led me to believe.
No, Title Fight puts me in mind of early and mid nineties emotional hardcore bands like Lifetime and The Movielife; which is pretty much what I’d prefer to hear nowadays. “Memorial Field” is fast and super poppy and while I enjoyed the musical pace of the song, the vocals were a bit too saccharine…a bit too Drive Thru records for me at first, but after a few more listens, that feeling dissipated and I began to enjoy the youthful feel to the song. The other two songs on the album are slightly heavier while retaining the pop influence.
All in all, Title Fight kind of made me wish I were an awkward teenager again so I could relate to the subject matter a little better and sing along with these tunes in solidarity. But people must get older and do stupid things like pay bills and go to work. Kingston is a top-notch serving of songs, and I like what I hear so far, but I’m going to need more than three songs to formulate an informed opinion of this band. I’m definitely eager to hear more. CS
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Tournament Swordswallower Trip Machine
Who the fuck is Tournament? Tournament is a punk rock band from New York who managed to release an album that is the sonic equivalent to having your ass handed to you. This album took me completely by surprise and I haven’t been able to stop listening to it in days.
Musically these guys are a bit all over the board. “SwordSwallower” smacks you in the face with fuzzed out guitars and climbing tempos and the vocals are gravely and full of grit. I have to say; the song makes me realize what a Husker Du and Planes Mistaken for Stars collaboration would sound like. “The Bad Word” grinds along with tons of swagger, quick stop and starts, machine gun drum rolls and dissonant shouted vocals. Energetic. Raw. Uncompromising. I love this fucking album. I must also admit that I feel a bit of a Dag Nasty element to the songs. Maybe it’s just me.
The Swordswallower EP is almost like a time machine taking you though all the best parts of the punk rock spectrum and its history. When doing reviews; I hate to cheapen them with comparisons to other bands…but in this case, Tournament has created an amalgamation of perfect classic sounds and took ownership of it. Despite my hearing different elements of other bands in this album…never once does it feel like a cheap rip- off. I am super stoked to hear more from this band in the future. CS
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Scream Hello Smart Stupid EP Red Leader
I think this EP is very appropriately named. I start to find something I like, a riff here, lyric there, and then I find something stupid as a listen on and it totally ruins the moment. Much like your girlfriends asking about you mother right before sexual intercourse. Scream Hello sounds like the less popular version of Jimmy Eat World.
So I’m not a big fan, but I do admire the energy I’m hearing behind this group. It just a tad mainstream for me is a sense of predictability. Again, this is not a bad thing. It’s just not my thing. The song entitled RRRRRRRRRRRR strives for individuality with a nice piano composition that actually finished rather strong. Aside from that I have to say I’m not really enthused about the ominous LP. PM
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Sleepercar West Texas Civil Defense League/ Doghouse
Jim Ward is pretty well known from his previous bands. Having played in visionary post hardcore band At the Drive in and his following indie group Sparta, Sleepcar finds him shifting gears, embracing his Texas roots and branching off into Americana tinged rock.
Anymore, everybody and their brother is doing the whole rock-goes-country thing to the point of running the shit right into the ground. But Sleepercar differentiates themselves from the pack by actually crafting soulful and catchy tunes, emphasizing songwriting over the usual rowdy drunken folk shenanigans.
The band is solid and the melodies are soaring, each song starts off right where the previous one left off flawlessly. The guitars work is minimal but stark; despite their being few times where the guitarists color outside the proverbial lines, they never cease to lay down a solid foundation. The steel guitar, for me, is what really brings each song alive; I don’t know what it is about that instrument, but every song ever written could us it.
If you’re looking for your stereotypical folk-punk fix, you better take a pass on this album. West Texas is a smart, poignant dose of traditional country with a lot of rock soul and even more unforgettable hooks. Sleepercar have come out of left field with a wholly enjoyable and amazing album. CS
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