Label: Shout! Factory Released: August 21, 2007 John Lennon once said, “If there wasn’t a fight, it wasn’t a good gig.” So, what is it if no one even moves? Lennon was clearly arguing that a sterile show is never good and sterility is exactly the problem with SXSW Live 2007. The DVD is a collection of songs from shows… Read more »
Label: Team Science Records Released: July 24, 2007 Houston’s Papermoons, the duo that is Matt Clark and Daniel Hawkins, make music that is soft and gentle on the surface, but moves with subtle power. Their debut EP contains four songs (five on the CD) of indie folk beauty that mix layers electronic drone and traditional instrumentation. In just a single… Read more »
Label: Sony BMG Released: July 31, 2007 With a title like Viva Las Vegas, I suspect many people’s expectations are very low, associating this with the lounge lizard Elvis. However, that turns out to be an off-base assumption. The truth is this album captures Elvis during his second-wind. True, the young, hungry singer from the days before the Army and… Read more »
Label: Australian Cattle God Released: May 15, 2007 Lozen, a two-piece from Tacoma, Washington, take their name from an female Apache warrior and prophet. The name fits, because the music is simple, making a visceral connection more akin to prophecy than science. Enemies Against Power doesn’t rely on complex rhythms or highly technical playing. Instead it sticks to simple riffs… Read more »
Label: Our Neighborhood Records Released: April 17, 2007 (or thereabouts) Not since the Minutemen has a band been able to combine such wild abandon with such a high level of musicianship. This three song EP is quite a ride, without a note of music or a second of time wasted. The pace changes are almost too much to keep up… Read more »
Label: Red Leader Records Released: July 3, 2007 Because Dear Tonight hails from Brooklyn, I suspected they’d be at least somewhat about hipster cool cleverness and indie rock irreverence. The reality though is that there’s no sheen of cool over this band. In fact, there’s no sheen of anything at all. This is hardcore at its genuine, honest best. Following… Read more »
Label: Cruz Del Sur Music Released: July 2007 Though Slough Feg’s name is derived from Irish mythology, they’re really at the forefront of the NWOSFHM (New Wave of San Francisco Heavy Metal). What that really means is that they’re from Frisco and they love Iron Maiden. This is the band’s sixth release, but the first one I’ve heard. Even from… Read more »
Label: Sire Released: July 10, 2007 It’s always weird when a band you liked from their early days ends up with a major label deal and a lot of hype to back it up. Such is the case with Against Me! From the days of Reinventing Axl Rose, they showed a passion that few bands can match, but their real… Read more »
Label: Ace Records Released: August 7, 2007 Superdude seems to rely an awful lot on his reputation. Unfortunately for him, that reputation isn’t very current. I don’t even think it was ever all that substantial. His entire being seems to stem from some time he spent at the Factory with Andy Warhol. I’ve heard of the Factory, of course, and… Read more »
Label: Mystic Records Released: 1985 Punk covers albums are a dime a dozen these days, but back in 1985 this album was a pretty good novelty. Twenty mostly fine efforts were committed to vinyl under the tag line, “Our favorite bands mutilate your favorite songs.” How true that was. Some of the covers are typical choices and some are more… Read more »