It's Time To Party with Noah W.K.

The Orion Experience - Cosmicandy (Sweet Records)

It is sad how an extremely poppy, electronic sounding music with excellent instrumentation can turn into a boring and slightly un-listenable record just based upon it vocals and lyric content. The songs would be excellent if they were instrumental tracks or had different vocals laid over them, however this album does not have that. The vocals are annoying and seem forced. The lyrical content is less that uninteresting. This album had some potential… I think.

All Star Assassins - Toe Tag In Teen Town Tonight! (Rally Records)

“Toe Tag In Teen Town Tonight” is tremendously terrific in twenty ways, taking toe tapping tunes and transforming them into much more than the tedious teen tracks of today. All alliteration aside The All Star Assassins accurately accomplish in achieving bringing astonishing songs to the awesome quality that was awaited. Damn… did it again. In summation, Rally Records has done it again by bringing awesome pop punk to the masses. (Noah W. K.)

V/A The Funhouse Comp Thing II (My Fat Ass Productions)

This compilation is one of which that is much more than just music, it also yields a story to tell. The story in this case expressed on two compact discs is that of the Seattle, Washington punk rock n roll music scene. The Funhouse is a small venue / night club in Seattle where many of the area’s greatest acts have graced its stage. These two discs are jammed packed with unreleased tracks of some of these bands who have had the opportunity to pass through the venue and leave its inhabitants with a feeling of camaraderie and a feeling of belonging. Since this is the story of the Seattle area of course some of these punk tracks are sprinkled with grunge goodies and bring Seattle its fathering sound. However with any compilation you will of course get stuck with plenty of undesirable tracks specially when there are fifty of them to go through, however this comp is also packed with gems such as tracks from The Anxieties and The Cute Lepers, both appearing on disc number two. Buy this comp and learn about some cool bands from the area and the history surrounding it.

The Jetty Boys (Rally Records)

Over the past few months I have heard tour stories from different bands who have passed through town praising the names of a three-piece outfit from Sheboygan, Wisconsin; the name of the band being The Jetty Boys. The Boys deliver thirteen unforgettable tracks blessed by super smooth vocals and guitars to match. Through the few times I have given this album a listen this has quickly become one of my favorite albums of the year to sing along with. My favorite part of this album however is the overall production of it and especially the guitar sound. Amongst all the standout tracks on this album “Candy Coated” and “Telephone Man” which appear back to back have easily become staples on any mix I make. E.F.Y.

Faraquet - Anthology 1997-98 (Dischord Records)

Hammerlock - Barefoot & Pregnant (Steel Cage Records)

This band from the Bay Area sing rock n roll songs that should only be heard from the ever present juke box found in shady bars from those old 1960’s horror movies. Southern tinged melodies make this album unbearable to me. I do not want to have to listen to this ever again. Not good.

Labor Party - Hellhound Down (Steel Cage Records)

If Tim Armstrong sang his punk anthems infront of a rock n’ roll band from the 70’s you would hear the sounds of Labor Party. You decide if that is a compliment or and insult.

Troublemake – “Feral” (http://stnorth.myweb.usf.edu/)

Sloppy lo-fi bedroom recordings never sounded so good before. However before even getting to the actual music here, I would like to commend this band on the overall look of this demo, with a cardboard lyric sheet (each one hand numbered to 50) carefully holding the demo inside. Lucky enough for the lyric sheet , because believe me when listening to this you will need it, to fully understand what is exactly going on the first few times you give it a listen. I don’t mind the lo-fi sloppiness at all specially compared to what I find to be the downfall of this album and that being the lead guitars. They simply imitate the other instruments, never straying too far from the original formula and always sticking out like a sore thumb. However besides the artistic looks of the overall packaging, my favorite part of these four songs most definitely are the socially fitting and heartfelt lyrics, sung with emotion and angst similar to the sound of early Unseen albums. A complete opposite from all the stereotypical stuff we hear today, this demo has great songs despite its recording inabilities.

The Jammy Dodgers – “Skive Off” (Rock-It-Records) *And Transmissions Audio Zine #2*

The audio zine comes complete with 19 tracks from 19 different people, pouring out their feelings for all to hear. Stories about friends, hardships, death and last but not least Michael Jordan and the theme of breaking up, each one so different from the last and different from the next. Punks can do more than just strum guitars and yell into microphones, they have a voice, a real voice and something to say. And thanks to this audio zine, their voices shall be heard. Most complete overall release I have ever held in my hands, ever.

HTR – “Let It Die” (www.holytrinityriver.com)

Bluesy, heartfelt, stripped down, no frills, rock. Those are the first adjectives that come to mind upon my first listening to this album. Each song sung from the heart, with a southern feel. This three piece produce a big sound, however each song is way too repetitive and leaves me bored and wanting it to end. Nothing special here and after a while this straight forward rock starts wearing you down. Luckily there are only four songs. Zzz.

The Wonder Years – “Won’t Be Pathetic Forever” (No Sleep Records)

I think it would be a safe assessment to say that the Wonder Years have not missed or added a beat since the release of their last album “Get Stoked On It”. However, I did not enjoy the cheesy pop/ hardcore songs glued together by lame and almost forced synth last time, nor do I enjoy it this time. Cheap Set Your Goals / A New Found Glory rip off. The only highlight of these four songs is the few brief lines that Zolof The Rock And Roll Destroyers’s lead singer Rachel Minton belt out. Besides that this album does absolutely nothing except make me want to listen to early NFG.

The Gossip – “Live In Liverpool” (Columbia Records)

I have never heard of this band but I am guessing they are pretty big if they are releasing a live cd/dvd through Columbia Records. Oh well. The Gossip play a mixture of experimental pop and soul all tied together with very strong female vocals. None of these songs really stick out to me but you can definitely hear some crowd participation through out the record and I think that is pretty cool. The recording of this album is amazing and outrageously clear sounding. I am actually enjoying the clarity of the music over the actual music that is being played. I don’t really have anything bad to say about it, and also not much good. It’s pretty cool I guess.

Stark – “Put It Into Your Head” (Kicking And Screaming Music)

Female fronted groups have never done much for me with few exceptions, Stark further prove this and do it in a way where they replicate Blondie in a unbearable way. Playing fast punky songs that are made un-listenable to me by these horrible female vocals. Blondie was all right, but you are not Blondie. Better luck next time.

Jr. Juggernaut – “Ghost Poison” (Suburban Home)

With the way that Suburban Home is trying to clear out all of their back releases, you would figure they have some awesome releases in sight. Well if you are like me and made that assumption, you are both right and wrong. Jr. Juggernaut play that same style of country-twang’d punk rock exemplified by Drag The River and Lucero. This isn’t such a strong release, but it does have its moments. I find this style or sub-genre of punk rock very boring and think it all sounds the same. Well, I guess you win some and lose some, I am still waiting for Suburban Home to release the new LaGrecia album. Now that is going to rock, and rock hard it will! (Noah W. K.)

The Nojons – “Night Of The Nojons”

The Nojons are a punk rock band in the vein of T.S.O.L, who sing songs about aliens and the living dead. I never really cared much for lyrics I couldn’t relate to but this is actually pretty entertaining. It is interesting that they seem to be pretty enthusiastic about the topics they sing about and that is the one aspect that I find to keep this album still slightly above par. This seems like a very fun band and I actually wouldn’t mind seeing this band live some day, but for now “Night Of The Nojons” will suffice. (Noah W. K.)

John Walsh – Demos/ Complete (myspace.com/americasmostpositive)

Featuring members of some of Ohio’s finest (Dopamines, Team Stray, and The Seedy Seeds), John Walsh, the side project turned live band speed through 15 songs in just over 16 minutes. Playing an updated version of that old hardcore we all grew up with in the vein of Minor Threat, Gorilla Biscuits and SSD, John Walsh sings songs about positivity, and love of friends. With vocals reminiscent to that of Kevin Seconds and the positive theme of Good Clean Fun, John Walsh seems to be a really fun band I am sure would be a blast to see live. Highlight track for me is definitely “Tips For Just In Casers!”. Buy this demo and when the new Dopamines record comes out buy that too!

Evil Twin – Radio Salvation (Flotation Records)

The only true way to describe how this album hits is by remembering the sounds of early glam rock in the vein of the New York Dolls, mixed with the melodic hard rock aspect of such bands like Van Halen. With explosive guitars the music kind of overrides the vocals, which in this case I believe to be a good thing, with songs with less than desirable lyrics sang with no enthusiasm. If only they were able to bring the high energy of the music to incorporate with their lyrics this band could be more than just satisfactory.

That Was Something – BEARS! (Oort Records)

When the first note hit I thought there was a female vocalist in the band, but once the next syllable came in I realized this was just another album written and recorded by guys who idolized, the same bands every girl in high school loves to sing and dance along to. With melodies that try to compete with those of Jimmy Eat World, That Was Something falls quite short. I am sure that if this album came out when this genre of pop rock first became popular this could be a hit, but since they are the millionth band in 2008 to release the same album this will be another release that will fall to the wayside.

The Press Corps – Urban Truth, Rural Myth (Flotation Records)

When I here these new glam inspired garage band, I wonder why they are doing what they are doing. Most of the time I feel as if one day after listening to their favorite New York Dolls album they decided to get all their friends together and try to imitate exactly what they had done. The problem is, they don’t have that sincere feeling that helped these influential bands get the name they earned themselves. Yes the musical capabilities are there, the musicianship really is pretty good, but the thing that always turns me off of this stuff, is the lack of meaning in the lyrics and the lack of attitude in the vocals. And let me tell you something, if I am going to listen to anything like this, it better have some damn attitude.

The Walkup – Down On The Pacific (Reynolds Recording Co.)

Why is this new dance/rock/punk infusion so damn popular in New York City? Every song has the same beat to get you to shake your tail feather along to, nothing stands out and this is nothing we all haven’t unfortunately heard before. Sorry guys I hate to tell you but this style of music isn’t doing anything for anybody. This reminds me of the stuff that they play on fuse, just not as good. And I don’t think that stuff is good either.

Russian Circles – Station (Suicide Squeeze Records)

Better than hearing some whiney dude singing about god knows what, The Russian Circles come at you with 6 space rock, jazz/metal influenced songs timing in at a little under 45 minutes. I know this is only my opinion but I think a band is just noise without vocals, my reasoning for this is that anyone can just pick up an instrument and make noise with it, but most of the time it is the vocals that can make or break a band. Nothing against these fine musicians here (by the way this is some of the best musicianship I have heard in a while) but I get very impatient listening to this waiting for the hook to lead into heart-felt vocals but I never get and it gets quite frustrating. Imagine being in a dentist chair on Mars and you will hear the sounds of The Russian Circles.

The Crash Moderns – Goodnight Glamour Good Morning Disaster (myspace.com/thecrashmoderns)

Taking that old power-pop sound we all love with driving guitars and catchy melodies that bands such as The Cars and Cheap Trick made popular. The problem is a lot of bands try to go in this direction and usually their releases never see the light of day. But I think this will be the contrary for The Crash Moderns who rock like Bowling For Soup, SR-71, and The All American Rejects. The musicianship is exactly what you expect, nothing to write home about but sometimes simplicity is the key and the Crash Moderns demonstrate exactly that. For most of these songs I could picture one day in the near future seeing a hip music video for on MTV, or Fuse, especially the second track “Pimp My Life”. An all around good job, by a band stuck in a genre that seems to be getting weaker and less exciting by the minute.

The Method To My Medium – "The Sincerities EP" (Thriving Records / Eastwest)

Yuck! Just what we need another band that sounds like all the others that are taking up the space on our airwaves. Same old beats, same whiney singer, new band name; they are all the same and I hate it! Pop melodies with screaming backing vocals and the same guitars that featured on every Taking Back Sunday album. Boo!

The Pyramids – The Pyramids (Hydra Head Records)

What is this? Is this music? What is going on? I demand answers! I really don’t know what to say about this but it’s giving me the creeps. It sounds like the backing track to a bad sci-fi horror movie. If you are into this type of stuff by all means pick up this album, but I this is not something I would recommend unless you are looking for a soundtrack to play in your haunted house next Halloween.

The Kidneys – The Kidneys (myspace.com/kidneys)

Upon doing research on this band, I find out that the person singing his heartfelt lyrics and rocking the gee-tar is none other than Bad Religion drummer Brooks Wackerman. Combining elements of vocal-focused rock n’ roll such as Elvis Costello with instrumentation that is reminiscent of Bad Religion / Descendents’ earlier, more hard-hitting tunes, Brooks find his own unique sound and makes it marketable. From start to finish, you never know where the next song is going to take you; it’s like a guessing game of sorts in which no matter what happens. you will always win. If you ask me, this is one of the best indie albums I have heard in a long time, and I believe that fans of all music could all come together and agree that Kidneys is one amazing rock band.

The Sleepers – Comeback Special (Pravda Records)

The album opens with a bang of that loud hard hitting classic rock guitar sound that sounds like it is being churned out by a wall of Marshall Amplifiers. With an overall sound comparable to rock acts of the 70’s such as AC/DC, it is hard to not think about Angus Young in his schoolboy outfit hopping across the stage. Although The Sleepers seem to draw lots of influence out of these huge arena rock bands, they seem to have forgot the most important part, and that being the catchy, sing a long, chorus’ that everyone in the arena can pump there fist and chant along with. All in all… I am bored.

Georgian – “No Practice Demo”

The name of this demo says it all. As the old saying goes, practice makes perfect, however in this case I don’t this the saying will hold its ground. They play a little too fast for themselves and the lyrics are screamed or yelled to the point where you can’t make out what they are saying. They remind me of the band Los Crudos… except I kinda liked that band. Not a single song stands out.

The Jealous Girlfriends – “The Jealous Girlfriends” (Good Fences Records)

I don’t understand the obsession with bands that sound like they are floating around in the clouds with their instruments and are singing half asleep. It is albums like this that drive me crazy Maybe I don’t get it; no, I know I don’t get it. Maybe I am not hip enough to get it. This sounds like Brooklyn hipster music at its finest and it drives me up the walls. If it weren’t so irritating, it would put me to sleep.

Featuring an ex- member or members of one of my favorite Buffalo, NY bands - The Failures’ Union - how could The Exit Strategy do wrong? The answer is that they can’t, with fun, quirky guitar work similar to that of Fugazi and strong vocals that sit perfectly layered in between all this exciting music. The vocals remind me very much of the recently broken-up New Jersey band of teens called The Medics. All in all this is a completely solid release from an awesome, rocking, up and coming indie band.

SON LUX – At War With Walls And Mazes (Anticon)

Classical music mixed with pop music, laced with bits of electronica, all tied together with a hip hop feel with depressing vocals. Needless to say, I am as confused as you are. This is something you’d expect to hear in the background of some artsy movie. Not something I would ever chose to listen to, but it’s harmlessly interesting, to say the least.

JOE JITSU – The Perfect Life (Top Five Records)

EVERY AVENUE – Shh, Just Go With It (Fearless Records)

Move over Fall Out Boy. This band out of Michigan is going to give all those MTV pop bands a run for their money with this release. It really seems as if Fearless Records has narrowed its audience to middle school girls. And for them that might not be a bad idea because I can see this being a staple in any of their collections. I mean, c’mon, it sounds exactly like everything else that has a music video on TV. That would explain why not a single song on the entire album stands out from the next. Is there such thing as being too radio friendly?

CITIFIED – The Meeting After The Meeting (Eskimo Kiss)

A group of outstanding musicians come together and create some of the most boring music to date. Although I am positive college radio will eat this up, I think I’d rather eat glass. Nothing against the artists, they are clearly great musicians but its like listening to a twenty-minute joke and still not hear the punch line. You can wait all you want but it’ll never come.

ILYA MONOSOV – 7 Lucky Plays, Or How To Fix Songs For A Broken Heart (Language Of Stone/Drag City)

Song after song of broken hearted sad ballads. At times it gets quite ridiculous with all the random accompanying instruments but his vocals are what ties it all together. In a deep, hushed voice Ilya tells stories of heartbreak and each story keeps you on edge wondering where he is going to go next. My personal favorite song here is “Tricycle”. It opens with intense acoustic guitar leading up to the vocals where he begins singing about how is reminded of ... yup, you guessed it, his tricycle and how he used to capture butterflies. I don’t know for some reason I keep going back to this song and don’t want it to end. Its weird and dark and there is just something about it that keeps pulling me in. I can’t explain it. Buy this album and you will understand exactly what I am talking about.

PRETENDO - ][ (Country Club Records)

Pretendo play a sort of experimental pop music that seems like a mix of forces between Jimmy Eat World and Sonic Youth. For me there is simply just too many things going on here at once, all coming together in headache form. I’m sure this is something stoners across the country will enjoy but for me I’d rather just stay away. If you are a stoner in your late teens to mid twenties, there is a great chance you will love this, but then again you’ll probably never hear since you’d rather spend your money on things that are illegal and mind-altering. To each his own. (Noah W. K.)

BLANK PAGES – On My Street (FDR)

I first heard this band when I was lucky enough to review the “About A Girl” comp where a bunch of shitty bands cover songs of great bands that have a females name in the title. Blank Pages covered ‘Elenore” by The Turtles and I didn’t like them then nor do I like them now. Usually I am a sucker for slow pop songs with an abundance of harmonies but there is just something missing here and I can’t quite put my finger on it. I guess I am just not interested. Sorry guys.

RED CAVALRY– The Geography Of Nowhere (myspace.com/redcavalry)

No we’re talking, indie rock with attitude. Quite frankly I was getting sick of this weird obscure boring music everyone seems so interested in making, but Red Cavalry comes and hits hard. With chanted vocals in the chorus of “Where The Blood Runs From” they will have you chanting along by the end of the song, leaving you wanting to go back to it and chant some more. “Anonymous” could easily be a radio single and should at least be in constant rotation on college radio. However towards the middle of this album I did start to slip and lose interest. The first grouping of songs were good but after that, it kind of lost its touch. Oh well.

D.O.A - The Black Spot (Sudden Death Records)

Yet another punk band I was never able to get into, Canada's D.O.A. rip through 14 tracks of in your face punk-rock with crappier lyrics than ever. These washed- up punks play Dead Kennedy’s-styled punk and do a sub-par job of doing that. The one thing that stands out on this album is the quality of the over-all recording; this style of punk rock was never meant to be produced this well, its just not punk sounding. If I’m going to listen to anything out of Canada today, it better be The Riptides, The Varsity Weirdos or The Hextalls.

THE FILTHY -Positively South Jersey (Boot To Head Records)

With all the buzz about bands coming out of New Jersey these days, The Filthy 42’s slide under the radar and some go un-noticed. It might be due to the style of music they play - influenced by the likes of Social Distortion, Rancid and Operation Ivy - is barely marketable except for in stores such as Hot Topic. Hopefully the punks won’t notice that each song is at least a minute too long, making the album kind of drag and seem repetitive. The spirit of ’77 seems to be back, and it will be the Filthy 42’s to lead the way and bring this sound back to the kids who still wear their hair in spikes across the country. UP THE PUNX!

JOE LALLY - Nothing Is Underrated (Dischord Records)

Since Fugazi’s indefinite hiatus, bass player Joe Lally has been recording songs and touring as a “solo” act. I put the word “solo” in quotes due to the simple fact that most (if not all) of the songs on Nothing Is Underrated are collaborations. Bringing in the best of the best of this indie rock post hardcore sound (meaning other members of Fugazi, Guy Picciotto and Ian MacKaye,) Joe Lally brings you songs that you can listen to no matter what mood you are in, following the similar mold of other Dischord acts such as Ian Mackaye’s band The Evens. However, Joe Lally simply blows most indie rockers today out of the water with his smooth bass lines, which are used more like a lead instrument than just something to keep the rhythm. And almost as smooth as his bass lines, his vocals carry you through stories and take you on an adventure; just as one amazing ride finishes, another promptly starts up again. This is just another album that makes me miss the powerhouse that Fugazi was. One could only dream for a reunion, but until that day this album will stay in my cd player and I am content with that.

THE SCURVIES - Nightprowler (Boot To Head Records)

Singalong punk rock in its cleanest form. These over-polished punk rockers from the great white north of Alaska play street rock with strong ‘70’s punk undertones. “Daggers,” a song written about gang life, makes me question the possibilities of gangs in Alaska. Even though most of the tracks on this album sound very similar (which is expected in this style of music,) the title track is by far in my opinion the worst track on the whole album. Being comparable in sound to punk acts such as The Briggs and The Ducky Boys, I would not be the slightest bit disappointed or surprised to stumble across this band in a local bar. Looking past the lack of interesting lyrics ("I’ve got the heart of a lion/ and the wings of a bat”)- this is supposed to be fun sing along punk rock, so the lyrics should be more memorable - I still believe this is the best thing to come out of Alaska since Scott Gomez. (Seriously what else has come out of Alaska?) Lets Go Rangers!

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