Here are some reviews of albums that I've gotten a hold of recently. Any submissions are welcome, even if they've already been reviewed. Enjoy - pogo
The first Bikini Kill album I heard was the Bikini Kill half of the Huggy Bear/Bikini Kill split. To be honest I was less than impressed. I made this judgement that the reason Bikini Kill was so popular among Riot Grrrls was because they were a woman band and the fact they were average was beside the point. This album makes me wish I wasn't such a dork.
All I can say is "WOW!" Bikini Kill is heavy as fuck. I may not agree with everything Kathleen Hanna says, but I'm not about to write this off. The best lyrics are in Blood One and Tell Me So. Musically, I think Hamster Baby is crazy, and Bood One, Magnet, and Tell Me So are great. My friend Mark, who convinced me to get the album, has a video of Bikini Kill, and he says that Tobi Vail doesn't use distortion when singing Hamster Baby live, and it sounds like the album. Scary.
Kill Rock Stars 120 NE State #418 Olympia, WA 98501
Hmmm. Not hardcore or punk despite the skull with mohawk. Your basic bar rock and roll. Driving bass line seems to be the same through out most of the songs. Vocals are ok for rock & roll, lyrics are mostly horny guy lyrics. These guys do to 'Hungry Like The Wolf' what 7 Seconds did to '99 Red Balloons' but in a rock & roll way. Excellent cover, pretty weird. The song after it is good too, it reminds me of Squeeze somehow.
Chunka - Chunka. Boston HardCore will never die. When one band dies, the next generation of kids will pick up their guitars and scream into the mic. Chunka - Chunka. Dive is cool if you like the chunka - chunka sound that's pretty prevelent. They're cool but they're not breaking new ground. Lyrics are way emo, guitar is kinda on the metal side, good drummer tho.
Jim Hutchinson Evolution Records 368 Walnut Street Shrewsbury, MA 01453
The only thing I can really say that's gonna be negative about this album is that Hoover is much better live. But it's not their fault. No plastic is gonna capture their intensity. It's still a great album.
It seems Dischord and it's bands are getting more arty as time goes on. Just look in the CD booklet or check out Lungfish if you don't believe me. Hoover is emo to the point where the lyrics probably only make sense to the band. Tunes that stand out are Distant, Electrolux, Shut, Cable, and Cuts Like Drugs.
Dischord Records 3819 Beecher St NW Washington D.C. 20007
Hrm. Kill Rock Stars is like a gamble with me. 60% of the time I end up liking an album, 40% I don't. I really really liked their side of the spilt with Bikini Kill, but this just isn't as good. There are some good songs here, like "Shaved Pussy Poetry", "Her Jazz" and "Teen Tightens". Still, even though I like the spilt with Bikini Kill, their bad stuff is a lot better than having to listen to another bad Slayer clone band any day.
Kill Rock Stars
Wow. This CD is 79 and a half minutes long. Talk about bang for your buck. I had heard of Ignition before, but I have never listened to them. I think they are one of those bands that grows on you. Sorta like Grey Matter. Not that they are bad, but I think it takes a while before all you notice all the interesting things about them.
I don't like Alec MacKaye's voice as much as Ian's, but it's still distinctive and good. I think Chris Bald and Chris Thompson were part of Embrace (incestuous Dischord bands for you), but I like Ignition much better than Embrace. Hightlights for me: 'Buy And Sell', 'Consequence' and 'Lucky Thirteen'.
Dischord Records
This is music to die to. There are three songs on this 7". I can't figure out what the titles of any of them are. Both sides of start of and end with a female jazz singer who sounds like she was recorded in the 20's. The singer for Indian Summer has a great voice which sounds best when he is either talking or outright screaming rather than in between. The side with one song is truly amazing. A very slow song , which reminds me of 'sweet & low' by fugazi, that builds to a cresendo.
Repercussion 3871 Piedmont Ave, Box 312 Oakland, CA 94611
This is the first MDC album I've listened to. Hey, I can't be up on _everything_. I think the thing that stands out the most for MDC in my mind is their lyrics. Very very political, but with a sense of humor that makes swallowing them easier. Musically MDC is a bit to metal for me to be really into them. They are heavy in a way the sort of grates on my nerves.
New Red Archives
I think people will either love or hate this band. The singers voice sounds 'pleading' to me, but i see how someone could see them as winey. Heavy at parts, very good drums. The best song off this is Tangled, which is a very long song which seems to have two parts. Very nice.
Gern Blandsten 305 Haywood Drive Paramus, NJ 07652
My friend xine wanted to go see RLT/SOT just because they have such a cool name. Too bad she missed 'em...
Washington Bullets 7" is good but boring. Not punk, not hardcore. Rock 'n roll with great lyrics. There isn't much energy on it. This is their first 7" and doesn't have Bobby Sullivan in the band.
Bad Man's Grave 7" is great. Bad Man's Grave sounds kinda like funk without going the Red Hot Chili Peppers way. Cooking With Anger is what makes the 7". I don't think Bobby Sullivan sings on the first side, but he is definatly on the second. Awesome song, really beautiful.
Rain Like the Sound of Trains seems like a band that could speak to punks and non-punks alike. Cool.
RLT/SOT Rebel Music 1725 Irving St. NW. Washington, DC 20010
Should I compare this to Crass or to Thatcher on Acid? Hmmm... Well it's a combo of both. Much more poppy than Crass, but it's got those same old Crass lyrics. "Take Your Elbows Off the Table" is a good song that starts off slow and gradually gains energy. Lyrics are about just how great civilization is in Steve Ignorant's eyes (read civilization sucks moose cock). "Sad Life" and "Goodbye To All That" also stand out. Too bad you have to buy the CD to get 'em... what's up with that anyways???
Allied Recordings No address yet...
review by: Brendan Crill (ST201585@BROWNVM.BROWN.EDU)
Sinkhole's "Groping for Trout" is an excellent CD that proves that you don't need to be wimpy to be emo. From the opening punch of "Leaner Days" to the introspective "Canker", the band's first CD release maintains a powerful energy level throughout its 12 songs. The strong guitar sound combined with skillful drumming and a tight rhythm section makes this album an uplifting listening experience. Check it out! It's on:
Ringing Ear Records 9 Maplecrest/ Newmarket NH 03857-1401.
You can get in touch with several of the bands members via email:
Jon: j_clark@unhh.unh.edu
I'm confused on this one. I thought the purpose of punk rock and all that jazz was to say something against rock opera bands like the Who, Pink Floyd, and Yes who's songs all sounded the same and went on for hours. Well, lookinglasself is only 25 minutes long but it's all one song. Well, it's actually 9 different songs, but they are almost the same, so if you blink you won't notice the change. Then again it's new school straight edge, so it's pretty far away from "punk rock".
Musicaly, Snapcase remind me of Outspoken. They use the same sort of mildly distorted vocals spoken during quiet sections of the song. They're not exactly breaking new ground here. Same chunka-chunka guitar noise. Actually I like most of the songs on the album, it's just that I was expecting more from a band that I'd heard a lot about. And the packaging for the album, while environmentally sound, sucks.
Victory Records P.O. Box 146546, Chicago, IL 60614
I didn't like this 7" as much as the one on Lookout! Spitboy still have good songs and are heavy as fuck, but they seem to be unfocused on this one. The best song on this is Word Problem. Todd and Adrienne sing different parts of the song which i think is neat. Also, the packaging is not that good.
Allied Recording PO Box 460683 San Francosco, CA 94146
Holy Shit! I like Steady Earnest even more than Bim! The album starts off with 'Off And Running' and doesn't let up. Dan Vitale's vocals are so amazing. SE are much more a ska band than Bim Skala Bim, all of the songs on the album have a ska or rocksteady beat, with lots of horns. The Mighty Mighty Bosstones should listen to this album cos this is how you do ska. It's hard to suggest highlights off this album cos every song is great!
dvs Media 21 Commonwealth Terrace Allston, MA 02146
Neat. What got me on this album was What Was Wound. After this soung I started paying attention. All Souls Day is great too. I have only listened to this a couple of times, so I don't have too much of an opinion on it. Hopefully after seeing them on the 23rd I will have more of one.
Kill Rock Stars
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