The band's latest album is a powerful rock'n roll record. Lyrically, Brian Fallon's words have become more personal and introspective. While still reminiscing of old times spent with friends, he is left wanting more and ready to move on.
Musically, the band still express their strong loves for soul, classic rock, and classic punk, as well as [obviously] New Jersey.
Everyone always talks about the band paying homage to artists like Bruce Springsteen and Tom Petty. This still continues, but songs like "Stay Lucky," "Boxer," and "The Queen of Lower Chelsea" show a much stronger comparison to The Clash than ever before. In fact, the latter's guitar riff is so close to the classic, "Straight to Hell."
The Court Tavern, Church St., New Brunswick "Hub City" punks, etc. is all paid homage to on "The Diamond Church St. Choir." If you listen closely, you could even say the guitar riff is comparable to Iggy Pop's "The Passenger."
The album closer, "We Did It When We Were Young," is so unique for this band in that it sounds like, Brian Fallon, Johnny Cash, Brandon Flowers, Bruce Springsteen, Joe Strummer, Tom Petty, Iggy Pop, and Tom Waits are all in one studio singing together.
My personal favorite track is "Old Haunts," a song that expresses the ultimate theme of this album.
"So don't sing me your songs about the good times
Those days are gone and you should just let them go
And God help the man who says
If you'd have known me when
Old haunts are for forgotten ghosts."
New Brunswick's own return with the follow-up to their 2009 full length, Meet Me at the Bottom.
This time around, new vocalist Dan Maxwell takes over the mic. Maxwell's vocals pretty much sound like Matt Pryor (The Get up Kids, The New Amsterdams) fronting The Loved Ones. However, it's less Philly, and more Jersey, a la The Bouncing Souls. It's also less rock, and more post-hardcore pop, a la Jawbreaker.
"CSJ" is a great opening track, with passionate vocals from Maxwell. The song almost tells the listener, "Hey! We're back...and here's what we got."
Possibly my favorite track is the closing, "Brocomotive." It's more of a "there you have it, now we want to get out on the road and play it!" song.
Most of the 6 songs have huge choruses and catchy vocal melodies, which is what I've always loved about Let Me Run.
It's a shame that Dan Maxwell did not enjoy the record enough to stick around. The band will be hitting the road this summer with singer #4.
Buzzsaw guitars and gravelly, abrasive vocals return on Off with Their Heads' Epitaph debut. In Desolation is the logical progression from the band's last album, From the Bottom.
It's slightly more polished than the band's previous work. However, it's still 12 songs that clock in at around 3 minutes each. It's still fast, four-chord tunes with sing-along choruses. It's still plain old, fun, punk rock.
For the most part it sounds like the same Off with Their Heads, who have pretty much lived on the road for the last few years. except now they brush their teeth. Make sense?
My favorites are: "Drive" and "Trying to Breathe." The latter spotlights frontman Ryan Young's voice at its peak.
This was one of my most anticipated albums of 2010, and I'm happy to say that it has lived up to my expectations and hopefully everyone reading this.
Far is one of those bands who never fit into any genre and that's what is so special about them.
The biggest accomplishment I feel from this record is that in 2010, I can still connect with just about every word and sound the band makes.
Many of the songs on the album are classic Far, which is amazing because it's been about 12 years since the last album, Water and Solutions. When I say "classic Far," I'm referring to the driving anthems mixed with semi-acoustics, all laced by Jonah Matranga's powerful and sensible pipes.
There are even some surprises like the heavy and hooky "Deafening" and "Dear Enemy," as well as the ambient and abstract "If You Cared Enough."
The beautiful title track (which is an ode to fellow Sacramento-ites, Deftones' bassist, Chi Cheng, who has been hospitalized since November 2008, following a car accident) contains some of the singer's best lyrics:
"There is no car crash, there is no blood...In the daytime we're dead, but at night we live."
"Give Me a Reason" is one of the best songs of the year in my opinion; and hopefully, Jimmy Eat World is listening to this this record [and that song in particular] as they finish their new album, just as they listened to Water and Solutions in the 90's.
Basically, At Night We Live is exactly what "post-hardcore" should sound like, ...whatever that means.
One of my favorite punk sub-genres is mid-western emo. I really enjoy listening to bands like Braid and The Promise Ring.
Look Mexico are originally from Tallahassee, Florida, and have relocated to Austin, Texas. While they are not from the mid-west, they sure are heavily influenced by that scene.
Their latest effort, To Bed to Battle, is clearly one of the best albums of the, and the band's best work so far. They have perfected their sound, which [according to my ears] incorporates mid-western emo (similar to Braid), post-punk (similar to Modest Mouse and We Are Scientists), a bit of a Minus the Bear/Maps & Atlases/This Town Needs Guns guitar-sound, and a sprinkling of the Florida-esque melodic punk.
The album-closer, "Just Like Old Times" is one of my favorite songs of the year. It's prominently influenced by mid-Western emo. On top of that, it's one of the band's strongest tracks, when it comes to lyrics, harmonization, and instrumentation. It's a great showcase of Look Mexico's talents.
I spoke of the band draws different types of influences, which makes it hard to really classify exactly what kind of punk or alternative rock band they are.
FANTASTIC! That's a huge reason why I'm a fan.
Also check out: "You Stay. I Go. No Following" and "I Live My Life a Quarter Mile at a Time"
The Get up Kids have returned with plans to release three EPs over the course of this year. Simple Science is the first of the three and the first release since 2004's Guilt Show.
While different and uncomparable to anything else in the band's catalogue, Simple Science is definitely the next logical progession for The Get up Kids and some of their best songs.
The band states that apparently, "almost no computer technology was used" in recording, which spotlights the analog aesthetic of this record. At times, the sounds are bit similar to that of Nada Surf and Spoon.
Everything sounds quite raw and unpolished,especially Matt Pryor's vocals. Guitar distortion and roomy drums standout on a record highlight, "Keith Case."
All four tracks are memorable for me personally. My only real complaint with the EP is that it is only an EP, and I'm anxious to hear more.
After an EP that reminded me of Incubus meets The Movielife meets Glassjaw and a full length that reminded me of Incubus meets Glassjaw meets The Receiving End of Sirens, Envy on the Coast return with their sophomore album that contains some of the best music they've have made yet. Also, it still sounds like Incubus and Glassjaw, but that's the kind of band they've clearly always been.
This album follows member defections and other songwriting standstills, but clearly these setbacks have not affected the music negatively.
Although the band has obvious influences heard in their songs, Lowcountry is the best example yet of the band's original blend of post-hardcore and alternative rock.
Standout tracks include "The Devil's Tongue," "Head First in the River," "Southern Comfort," "Numb," and my personal favorite, "The Great American T-Shirt Racket." The latter's lyrics are some of the best and catchiest from frontman Ryan Hunter.
This album is definitely one of my favorites of 2010 so far. It's post-hardcore that isn't afraid to be catchy and NOT "scene!"
Daryl Palumbo and Brandon Boyd should be flattered after hearing Lowcountry.
On Good Morning, Magpie, there are about 3 or 4 upbeat songs. However, the heavy and dark lyrics we have grown to love from Murder by Death are still existent throughout the entire album. In fact, the lyrics are so good on the latest effort from this band that after each song, oen feels like they have just finished reading a novel.
Murder by Death has always been known for their excellent musicianship, but on this album, it's really showcased more than ever. This is really the album just pushes them from being a great post-punk or indie rock band to a great band in general.
"Foxglove" is the perfect example from the album that portrays the band's new level of achievement as musicians. The song is definitely a more mature project. It's both simple and complicated, making the listener want to join in on the excitement, yet fall asleep at the same time.
Other favorites of mine include "White Noise," "The Day," and "Piece by Piece." These songs capture the evolving sound of the band, and also are great examples of how the band can place set their music in a certain period. while making it sound modern.
Native are a post-hardcore band from Indiana, who's sound is similar to being in a battle royal with the likes of Minus the Bear, Refused, At the Drive-In, and Jawbox.
Minus the Bear sounding-guitars sound the four corners of the wrestling ring, laying down a musical foundation that the listener cannot escape. Refused-esque spastic shouting vocals whips the listener back and forth of the ropes and closelining without showing any mercy. At the Drive-In styled lyrics and instrumentation outsmart the listener, disallowing the listener to come up with any counter attacks. The youthful, yet alternative, energy of Jawbox, keeps the band's momentum moving as they continuously pummel and leap off the top turnbuckle, destroying any chance of the listener winning matchup at all.
If you cannot make a connection to professional wrestling and have no idea as to what the hell I'm talking about, I'm just trying to say that Wrestling Moves is an intelligent album that keeps on firing at you from start to finish, constantly keeping the listener thinking. While doing so, the album leaves room to breathe during beautiful strings of music.
It sounds like all of the above-mentioned bands all mixed together. So if you like any of those bands, check it out.
smile like a switch
March 15, 2010
SIX GALLERY "I Was Trying to Describe You to Someone" (February 23rd, Bridge Nine)
(www.myspace.com/sixgallery)
Here's a healthy balance of sparkling guitars, played at lightning speeds (a la Minus the Bear, Maps & Atlases, etc.) and exciting stories told by soothing vocals that cry and whisper (Think of Envy on the Coast, Lydia, The Jealous Sound, and Silversun Pickups all in one).
Six Gallery is a post-hardcore alternative rock band that was formerly an instrumental act who just recently brought in a vocalist. I just discovered this band within the last month, and the addition of the vocals makes me not the slightest bit curious to hear them as an instrumental act, haha!
While listening to this album, I was constantly thinking to myself, "This could have been something very tiring, dull, and sloppy." I could have easily not been a fan of the album if it weren't for it just sounding so good!
I mean the breakdowns could have been generic and precitable, but instead they are identifiably organized and energetically balanced. The guitar and bass intertwine throughout the album beautifully like vines. The vocals and the guitars are not constantly jocking for position, but are rather balanced like a nutritionist's diet.
Standout tracks include: "Bermuda Triangles," "A Little Nativity Scene," "Built to Last," and my personal favorite, "Smile Like a Switch" (the album closer).
Ironically, the album is titled Breakthroughs in Modern Art because it actually is just that.
not dead
February 28, 2010
CRIME IN STEREO "I Was Trying to Describe You to Someone" (February 23rd, Bridge Nine)
(www.myspace.com/crimeinstereo)
Bands change. Not all bands, but some for sure. There has always been an agrument between fans, "They suck now! They were good until they changed."
Another apparently "important argument" is, "What is punk?"Is changing punk rock? More importantly, is staying the same and following "punk rules" truely punk?
Over the weekend, I spent a lot of time listening to "Boxcar" by Jawbreaker. This song pretty much sums up all of this waste of time arguing. Why are there rules in punk when punk was created to break rules? I feel the latest album from Crime in Stereo is this year's "f--- you!" to the "punk police"!
Some bands are obviously into changing more than others (i.e. Thrice, Brand New, etc.). We can now include Crime in Stereo to this list. Crime in Stereo Is Dead, the last album from the band, was almost a pre-lude to the epic changes the band were ready to make in creation of this year's I Was Trying to Describe You to Someone.
A few melodic hardcore gang vocals and sing-alongs still remain, as well as lyrical references to earlier material (see the "Republica," where Kristian Hallbert sings "I think I'm starting to..." referring to "...relate, I to these troubled states" from an older track, "I, Stateside"). The band even included a reworked version of an older track, "Dark Island City." The new version is slowed-down and elongated.
Musically and vocally is it very easy to make a comparison to Brand New. However, in addition to the fellow Long Islanders, similarities can be drawn to 90's post-hardcore and grunge (like Jawbox, Dinosaur Jr, Nirvana, and Quicksand). The lyrics tell a great story of life in post-break up mode, without being Bamboozle-pop sounding and without being too shoegazy. In addition to the break up story, there are [possibly anti-] drug references and attacks on the "punk police!" Take a look at some lyrics to "Drugwolf":
"You call to say the anchor weighs
The ocean down to control the waves
I'm getting out of Gotham
All these cops are starting to bring me down."
Basically, it's just great "alternative post-hardcore." Or better yet, if we're still labeling music, it's just "AWESOME!" Haha!
"Who's punk, what's the score?" is a line from the aforementioned Jawbreaker song, and I feel like asking that after each listen to this Crime in Stereo album.
It's almost as if The Clash have been reincarnated in the form of Outernational. These New Yorkers are making it fun to dance to political punk rock once again. From their fusion of punk rock, hard rock, reggae and world-music to their record artwork, it's obvious that Outernational have taken a few notes from The Clash. Do you think the artwork for Eyes on Fire was maybe inspired by The Clash's Sandinista!?
For this EP, the band worked with Tom Morello (of Rage Against the Machine, Audioslave, The Nightwatchman, Street Sweeper Social Club) behind the boards. With Morello in the studio, he also contributed guest vocals on the fighting song, simply titled "Fighting Song."
You can also hear Tom Morello's influence on guitarist Leo Mintek, especially on "New York Parasite." Mintek goes on a 13 -second wailing, which is reminiscent of a Morello solo for Rage Against the Machine or Audioslave.
Basically, Outernational have a style that is hard to find in punk rock these days: uniqueness. While they may slightly sound like a mixture of The Clash and Rancid, these bands I've been "dropping" are simply influences. Obviously musicians have influences, but to make something their own is quite an accomplishment. In punk rock, it's even harder to accomplish.
This five-piece hardcore band from Boston, Massachusetts returns with an EP only nine months following the release of their debut full length album, Travels.
I anxiously awaited the release of Travels back in February of 2009. Unfortunately, unlike many of the band's fans, was a bit disappointed. It wasn't that I disliked the
album. I had just set my expectations way too high.
When I heard this EP was coming to be, my excitement to hear the band was reignited. This time I set the bar in my mind a bit lower, and the sounds through my speakers shot way way up past what I was hoping for and expected.
The only thing I dislike about Lost Ground is that it only contains six songs. The end of the final track, "Beggin' in the Slums," leaves me wanting more. This usually leads to a repeat listen for me.
Like the debut from Defeater, Lost Ground is a concept record. The narrative is about a man's journey from enlisting in the military to post-war life. It focuses on the "prophet" from the song "Prophet in Plain Clothes" from the debut, Travels.
It's an honest and "real" hardcore record without the tired concentration on the friendship and family of a crew "who got their backs!"
In addition to the story, the band experiments slightly with their sound. They incorporate a bit of alternative metal into the mix of hardcore punk. This is unique because it's the more common type of metallic hardcore with chugga-chugga breakdowns. In my opinion, this gives the record a cleaner and biggerdynamic sound.
I'm a big fan of bands who can bend a genre like Defeater does here. It reminds me a lot of the last Verse album, Aggression, and even Rage against the Machine.
Check out upbeat tempo and driving guitars on the opening track, "The Red White and Blues." It's only the introduction
to the awesomeness that follows on track two, "The Bite and Sting," which actually uses a waltz beat and is my favorite track on the album.
everything in my life is for sale
January 24, 2010
BLACKLISTED "No One Deserves to Be Here More Than Me" (November 30th, Deathwish)
(www.myspace.com/blacklisted)
Putting it all on the line, and not giving a crap. That is "punk," if there is such a definition. That is the band, Blacklisted.
The Philadelphia band has changed their sound so drastically over the last 2 albums, they have done very little in the way of press and media interaction, and they released this album almost secretly. They've scored spots on stage alongside legends, and owned their spots, and they are creating music from many different artists of many different genres;...not just 3 chords.
No One Deserves to Be Here More Than Me was released only through the Deathwish Inc. online store in vinyl and digital formats. So unless you were already a fan of Blacklisted, you probably had no idea that this album even exists. The band didn't even post any songs online to promote the album (i.e. on their MySpace page, etc.). This whole scenario brought me back to the days when I would get a new album from a band I liked without having heard a single note beforehand.
The surprise was well-worth the wait. Although, Blacklisted experimented a bit on their last album, Heavier Than Heaven, Lonelier Than God, they still found themselves sticking with fast-paced hardcore speeds that would end, in many cases, under two minutes.
With their third full length, it's very difficult to NOT notice a strong comparison to Nirvana, in all aspects: musically, vocally, lyrically, and emotionally.
The album still contains a few numbers that clock in under two minutes, most notably "Everything in My Life Is for Sale" and "Palisade." However, the former contains a grunge guitar riff that could easily be mistaken for "About a Girl" or many songs on Nevermind, especially "Breed" with the similar feedback infested introductions.
There are also guest appearances by artists playing instruments other than guitars, bass, drums. And also singers who don't scream...imagine that! Most memorable is Melissa Farley's vocals on "I Am Extraordinary," on which frontman George Hirsch reminds us that Blacklisted are still a hardcore band by yelling the title repeatedly throughout the song in order to reinforce his point.
My personal favorite track is "Everything in My Life Is for Sale," probably because it's the closest to sounding like Nirvana, in my opinion; and I'm a sucker for grunge. Lyrically it sounds like Kurt Cobain could have written these words, and I'm a sucker for...well, you get the idea.
"I'm selling myself off. Everything must go, my skin from head to toe, down to my bones."
So, has Blacklisted tried something different, and have they possibly broken the "rules of punk and hardcore." Maybe so, if that is even possible. However, I believe it is impossible, and I'm sure the band is not concerned with "losing credibility" They should be proud to be "IN-CREDIBLE."
It's been about 20 years and Dinosaur Jr. have formed, faded away, and returned...and all throughout continue to make amazing noise. The band is the perfect blend of post-hardcore, grunge, and melodic alternative rock. The latest album "Farm" continues to blend everything we've grown to love from Dinosaur Jr.... at times there's heavy 70's epic guitar, at times there's soaring distorted guitar. However throughout all 12 tracks, there are rich melodies and hooks.
"I Don't Wanna Go There" takes one gracious melody that takes me bobbing my head in a Boston bar, and then at about 4:15... J Mascis takes me on voyage to a bedroom of passion with the most beautiful woman in the entire universe, all by the way of one ridiculous instrumental solo that lasts until end of the song at 8:43. Of course, throughout the first four minutes with vocals, Mascis' lyrics are heartfelt and relatable for anyone who basically has a heart.
"You're the one who told me, you're the one who told me what to say. Would you come and hold me? Would you come and show me the right way? 'Cause I'm gone, 'cause I'm gone."
You can expect to hear the post-punk pop sounds that you love on "Plans" along with a great chorus and hook as well.
"I've got nothing left to be, do you have some plans for me?"
"Over It," the first single is a chapter taken out of the "Feel the Pain" book of hit radio tunes. Too bad there's no commercial radio station to acknowledge that. The single is accompanied by a great, funny skateboarding, bike-riding video too.
"i got lost in thought im over it,
all i almost lost not over it,
i got friends to get, get over it,
hasn't happened yet im over it,
now its time to dooo
all the things you say are true
i been waitin now we doo
wen i needed you came through,
can i run right into you
getin lost in nothin blue,
i need everything thats true
would you pick me over you"
Dinosaur Jr. is truely one of those bands that has a five-album library of music that I never get tired of hearing at any time.
bad blood better
December 19, 2009
BOB MOULD "Life and Times" (April 7th, Anti-)
(www.myspace.com/bobmould)
Bob Mould is one of the most influential artists in punk and alternative music. Throughout the 80's and 90's, his bands Husker Du and Sugar bent the boundaries of hardcore, punk, grunge, alternative, and rock music.
He has always been thinking outside the box and playing the genres a bit differently than they were "supposed" to be played. The same goes for his recent solo career and journey into dance music with projects like Blowoff.
Bob released another solo album this year that basically reminds us of the great music of the 90's that he so heavily influenced. In fact, if The Life and Times was released in 1995, it would have probably been a chart-topper, and if the Modern Rock/Alternative radio world wasn't going through an identity crisis, this album should have been a chart-topper this year as well.
I'm not just saying I enjoy this album because I'm a sucker for a great 90's tune, but the songs are actually great both lyrically and musically. Bob Mould does exactly what has made him who he is for so long now, and that's simply not give a crap! He just plays great honest pop songs and does not care what category the listener puts him in.
I personally don't put The Life and Times in any category other than: awesome!
Check out Bob's vocal tone on "Bad Blood Better" where he sings the words: "Bad blood better, no blood at all."
My favorite tracks are "City Lights (Days Go By)" which is a great late-night driving song, that forces reminision and motivation for tomorrow (or at least that's what it does for me, haha!); and the title track, which is just so emotional and...90's sounding!
I'm not a metal head by any means, but there is one band that I have the upmost respect for in the metal world and that is Converge. With their harcore punk sensibilities, the band create some of the most epic sounds I've ever heard. Plus, J. Bannon writes some of the best words whether you can understand what he's screaming or not.
With Axe to Fall, it's exactly what I would expect from Converge. It's almost as if no matter what the band does, it's never a terrible thing. They make everything sound fresh and mind-blowing, no matter if they are going so ballistic it's uncomprehendible or if they are slowing a tune down into acoustic balladry. It never sounds bad.
I really don't have much to say about this record, except that it needs to be listened to from front to back while reading along to the lyrics...much like how every Converge album should be listened to.
This album came out in the beginning of the year, which was a bit of a downer for me. By the end of the 2008, I had lost a few relatives, and a few close co-workers lost their jobs.
In the first few months of 2009, I had lost a close friend to disease he had been fighting for years, and I lost more co-workers/friends and a radio station that I was very thankful for and passionate about working for.
I was basically in a "what the hell should I do right now" phase. There's a song on Cursive's latest album called "What Have I Done?" and on it Tim Kasher sings "I've spent the best years of my life waiting on the best years of my life." That's when I knew I had to make a change and not sit and wait for certain people to MAYBE realize that they had made a mistake. I find the entire song to be pretty inspirational, even now when I listen about 9 months later.
For most of their career, Cursive has been faced with the challenge of appealing to multiple audiences. This is not because they have "sold out" or any of that crap, because in fact they haven't come even close to that. It's simply because they have been talented enough to produce music that the indie hipster scene loves as well as the modern punks.
The band's ability to feed to each of their fans on Mama, I'm Swollen with a balanced diet of mellow shoegazey sounds and post-hardcore angst, helped in what I would consider a pretty good year for Cursive, which included late night television performances.
To consider 2009 a breakthrough year for Cursive would not be inaccurate. The elitist fans may say "Cursive were already pretty big," but I saw more exposure for this band THIS year than ever. Bravo to them!
Not only did the band write a great album, but probably of one the best Cursive songs ever is on this album "From the Hips."
Also, check out "What Have I Done?" and "I Couldn't Love You."
Welcome back to the late 90's post-hardcore, or the influential time period of this genre that would go on to be known as "screamo", ugh.
Virginia's Worn in Red, bring us back to a time when this type of music need not a foot on a monitor accompanied by cut-off sleeve shirted, metal shredding. Instead, this band reaches for inspiration from pioneers like Refused, Planes Mistaken for Stars, Drive Like Jehu, and even early-Hot Water Music at times.
A more modern, mainstream "scene" comparison could possibly be made to Alexisonfire (one of the most mis-marketed bands out there in my opinion), but in most cases will not be for the latter's "scenester rep" and terrible band name. Take a listen however, and if you're like me you will find strong similarities in the screaming vocals.
Lyrically, the album contains some of the strongest, darkest, and most honest words I've read to music this year. I would reccommend listening to every track on this album. Tasting one track will only make you hungrier for another, just like Pringles.
Here's a sample of lyrics from the the opening track, "Vital Joys:"
"Our greatest strengths stem from connection to inherent bliss to shared humanity. This is not for our own good (or) defense against "historic flaw." Such fallacies or our design are truly what corrupt our lives. An economy of acts determines what we're worth. One can only win if they make the other lose..."
Cloak/Dagger, out of Richmond, VA, return with their latest full-length, Lost Art, after holding us over with a fun, untitled, 2-song 7-inch. Lost Art is just that. It's fine piece of art that will go unnoticed by most, but loved by the few who discover it.
It's also a great representation of the "lost art" of hardcore punk rock music. Obviously strong hardcore sensibilities appear in comparison to Circle Jerks, Black Flag, and even Bad Brains and Fucked Up. Meanwhile, Cloak/Dagger add a strong influence of fun rock & roll, similar to bands like Mission of Burma, Buzzcocks, Heartbreakers and more.
Does every song sound different from the next, nope not at all. It's simple punk rock, yet unique in the fact that it needs not impress any scene. It's also heavier on the melodic winding guitars than on vicious breakdowns.
"Frontdagger" Jason Mazzola's vocal delivery is more of a bellow than a scream and his lyrics really shine on this album. Tracks to check out include: "Billions Millions," "Dead Idols," Don't Need A," and "Lower Estada."
Some "punx" may question "Is it punk? Is it hardcore? Is it rock?" I know I'm pretty tired of those types of questions, and instead I ask, "What really is punk, and why does anyone really care?"
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THE GASLIGHT ANTHEM "American Slang" (June 15, 2010)
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OUTERNATIONAL "Eyes on Fire" (December 7th, Outernational)
DEFEATER "Lost Ground" (November 17th, Bridge Nine)
BLACKLISTED "No One Deserves to Be Here More Than Me" (November 30th, Deathwish)
DINOSAUR JR. "Farm" (June 23rd, Jagujaguwar)
BOB MOULD "Life and Times" (April 7th, Anti-)
CONVERGE "Axe to Fall" (October 20th, Epitaph)
CURSIVE "Mama, I'm Swollen" (March 10th, Saddle Creek)
WORN IN RED "In the Offing" (November 17th, No Idea)
CLOAK/DAGGER "Lost Art" (November 3rd, Jade Tree)
