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reviews section is done by Tom Schmidlin. The opinions expressed are his and are
in no way official opinions of Cincinnatishows.com or others involved with the
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Posted 4/12/04 |
| Against
Me! - as The Eternal Cowboy (FAT)
Not everything about Florida sucks. Case
in point: Against Me!, who have brought jangly angst-ridden street punk to the
masses by managing to keep the songs catchy without sacrificing the aggression
that seems so vital to the style. Not only that, the lyrics are excellent…they're
often funny, but not silly, and old themes (the breakup song, the rallying cry
song) are handled in fresh ways. It's true that at times the vocals sound a little
too Danzig-era Misfits, what with the whoa-ohs and what nots, but that's neither
here nor there, especially since most of the kids at the shows have never listened
to old Misfits anyway. Recommended If You Like: The Opposed, Dillinger
Four, Fifteen | | Jawbreaker
- Dear You re-issue (Blackball)
Jawbreaker is one of those bands that can
make or break a developing friendship. "Wow, we seem to have a lot of things
in common. So, do you like Jawbreaker? No? Well, fuck you, then." Even if
two people do like Jawbreaker, they tend to disagree on which album is "the
best." For me, it's always been "Dear You," so when I found out
about the re-release with bonus tracks and video, I was ecstatic, and it turns
out I had every reason to be. It's all still here: the wall of guitars, the perfect
lyrics, the Bob Mould-esque vocal layering, and gobs of post-punk pre-emo sincerity,
all of which combine to make one infinitely re-listenable disc. People always
ask you to pick a favorite album...Jawbreaker has made my answer an easy one.
Recommended If You Like: Lawrence Arms, Sugar, Blueline Medic |
| Punchline
- Action (Fueled By Ramen)
Punchline have a sound that's becoming a bit
too familiar these days: that safe, ultra-clean, emo-flavored pop punk with little
hints of chugga-chugga metal in the guitars. The production on this album is pristine,
and the melodies are hook-laden and quite singable (though the lyrics are disappointingly
bland). I must admit, if I was seventeen right now, I'd probably love this record.
You're a decade too late for the likes of me, fellas. Recommended If You Like:
New Found Glory, Brand New, Good Charlotte, hangin' at the mall, lip piercings,
bracelets, studded belts, etc. |
| Days
Like These - Charity Burns Green (Lobster)
Christian emo, with a singer
named, I shit you not, Angel. God must be punishing me. Yes, it has fantastic
production...but any engineer with half a brain and ProTools can make a band sound
clean these days. It won't make the songs any better. The real problem with this
disc, aside from the singer's annoying voice (I just can't bring myself to trust
a singer who doesn't play an instrument, with notable exceptions, of course...Milo
Aukerman, for example), is the downright pedestrian triteness of the lyrics. I
give you exhibit A: "Have you ever felt trapped/Or tied down/Have you ever
felt stuck/Or tied down/Have you ever felt trapped/Or tied down/Have you ever
felt stuck/Or strapped down." Leaving aside the obvious S&M joke...yes,
Angel, I have felt trapped or tied down...for the thirty-nine minutes and thirty-two
seconds I spent listening to this CD. Recommended If You Like: Christian
emo |
Posted 4/5/04 |
| The
Get Up Kids - Guilt Show (Vagrant)
Like most long-time Get Up Kids fans,
I was let down by their last album, the self-consciously toned-down "On a
Wire." I missed the hyper hook-pop that they've been doing so well ever since
those very first seven-inches. On "Guilt Show," they're back in full
force, and fans of "Something to Write Home About" won't be disappointed.
The major weakness of this band continues to be the lyrics...they're not awful,
but they could be better. They need to throw out their dog-eared rhyming dictionary
and see what happens. Recommended If You Like: Vagrant bands, Weezer, Superchunk |
| Bagheera
- Twelves (Asian Man)
Bagheera (fun to say, isn't it?) is a female/male
indie pop combo that will inevitably draw comparisons with Mates of State. That's
not a bad thing. Bagheera is every bit as catchy and bittersweet, and their sound
is perhaps more varied because of the slightly more experimental nature of their
music. Often they will include short instrumental interludes between the more
"standard" songs, and these are frequently interesting, and occasionally
pointless. Overall, I was very impressed with this album. Recommended If You
Like: Mates of State, Rainer Maria |
| Court
Date Monday - The Half-Life EP (Independent) 
I'll
just go down the list: the vocals are constantly wavering in and out of tune (one
of the few cases where I would recommend ProTools autotuning), the lyrics are
sappy, the bass is unimaginative, and worse, unsupportive of the other instruments.
The drums are stiff and inconsistent and the recording quality is poor, with a
"bad Mp3-like" hiss throughout. In general, the chord progressions and
"melodies" are not badly written, but they're buried under all of the
above. The guitars are the most interesting thing on the record, but they're not
enough to redeem this disc. The band seems young; hopefully they'll see this EP
as a learning experience and work to improve. |
Reviews
Archive
A
Faith Called Chaos - Forgive Nothing
Against Me! - as The Eternal Cowboy
Bagheera
- Twelves
Brazil - A Hostage and the Meaning of Life
Court
Date Monday - The Half-Life EP
Cross, David - It's
Not Funny
Down To Earth Approach - Another Intervention
Dynamite
Boy - S/T
Duvall - Volume & Intensity
Days
Like These - Charity Burns Green
Ee - Ramadan
Elvis Costello - North
Gamits,
The - Antidote
Get
Up Kids, The - Guilt Show
Helicopter
Helicopter - Wild Dogs With X-Ray Eyes
Jawbreaker
- Dear You re-issue
Lawrence
Arms, The - Greatest Story Ever Told
Light
Wires, The - S/T
Limbeck - Hi, Everything's Great
Lost
In Translation soundtrack
Nada
Surf - Let Go
Off
The Record - Nothing New
Punchline
- Action
Soviettes, The - LPII
Theraphosa
- Blondi
Yeah Yeah Yeahs - Fever To Tell
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