Future of the Left
Fingers Become Thumbs/The Lord Hates a Coward
Too Pure

I’m unsure how to categorize the first single from Future Of the Left. They have a throbbing bass and drum sound that reminds me a bit of Jon Spencer, the vocals are both screamed and sung and I get a weird Cop Shoot Cop meets [...]

Only Crime
Virulence
Fat Wreck Chords

The followup to 2004’s "To The Nines", the latest from "supergroup" Only Crime has a bite of pop to it, but they still put most modern punk bands to shame. With a lineup that includes drummer Bill Stevenson (Black Flag, Descendents), vocalist Russ Rankin (Good Riddance) and members of Hagfish, Gwar, Converge [...]

The Queers
Munki Brain
Asian Man Records

Although The Queers have been hit or miss from me since they started, there’s almost always something about their records that hits me right. I usually enjoy their songs that venture into harder Ramones territory, but I’ve never been huge on the saccharine sweet love songs. Their [...]

Chelsea
Faster, Cheap & Better Looking
TKO Records

I wasn’t sure how well the classic band Chelsea would pull off a reunion record, but I’ll be damned if I didn’t love this CD. The lineup that recorded this (in 2005, this is a US release, it was previously not available here aside from an import) [...]

Orthodox
Gran Poder
Southern Lord

I don’t listen to tons of metal, be it of the death variety or even 80’s cheese style. I also don’t receive that many submissions for review. As sad as that makes me, it’s true. I do get some, it’s just not an avalanch of music that’s begging for my [...]

The Boils
The Orange and the Black
TKO Records

This 6 song EP isn’t going to appeal to everyone, hockey fans and folks already into The Boils will definitely like it more than most. The Philadelphia Flyers have played The Boils track "The Orange and the Black" (which sounds almost exactly like a Dropkick [...]

Picture Frame Seduction
Stop the Bloody Slaughter
Grand Theft Audio

An underappreciated band from the UK 82 scene, Picture Frame Seduction not only have a fairly recent album out ("Sex War"), but Grand Theft Audio has given them their usual treatment with a 28 track compilation. This CD includes their first album, 1985’s excellent [...]

Holy Molar
Cavity Search EP
Three One G

I listened to Holy Molar only to see if a band with that name and song titles like "You’ve Had More Kids Pulled Out Of That Thing Than A Burning Orphanage" could fail at entertaining me. They did and they didn’t. Featuring members of bands such as The Locust, [...]

Hatepinks
Tete Malade/Sick In The Head EP
TKO Records

Not being that in tune with the French music scene, I can’t say whether or not the Hatepinks are different from the norm there or not. I can say that there haven’t been too many French garage/77ish bands that have grabbed my attention in quite a while. Their latest, [...]

Blood Vessels
Blood Vessels
Teenage Heart Records

If there’s one thing I could say about the Allston/Brighton area of Boston, it’s that there have been many bands I’ve loved who have come out of there. One of the latest releases from this local mecca of rock are the Blood Vessels. Their first album is a self-titled, tightly produced [...]