R.I.P. CC

sorry fans but i'm going to be in for a long hiatus for all the right reasons.

Agalloch "The Mantle"

Agalloch is a mix of Black Metal and Prog Rock. Really atmospheric with sick vocals and sounds great on a good sound system with the volume up really loud.
Favorite Songs- "The Hawthorne Passage" "I Am The Wooden Doors" "A Desolation Song"
8/10

Animosity "Shut It Down"

False metal at it's finest.
Favorite Songs-"Intro" "Grey Skies" "Fake Blood" "Instilling The Affliction" "Life Advocate"
8/10

Kinks "Lola versus Powerman and the Money-Go-Round, Part One"

This album just makes me feel like growing a beard...a big manly beard.
Favorite Songs-"This Time Tomorrow" "Strangers" "Lola" "Apeman" "Rats"
8/10

Coconut Records "Nighttiming"

This is Jason Schwartzman's solo project where he played all the instruments and sang, with guest vocals by Kiersten Dunst and a list of other big names. The songs all have a different style to them, one goes from disco-y to folk to poppy indie and are very catchy.
Favorite Songs-"West Coast" It's Not You It's Me (remix)" "Summer Day" "Back To You"
9/10

Four Year Strong "Rise Or Die Trying"

Speaking of Pop-Punk bands with mosh parts, have you heard of Four Year Strong? Since it takes Set Your Goals forever to come out with a new record, these dudes will keep you satisfied until then. Vocal wise FYS has a little more of a hint of Fallout Boy instead of New Found Glory and the mosh parts are a little heavier with more double bass with tons of gang vocals thrown in (with guest vocals of Mat Bruso formerly of Bury Your Dead) If I only had one word to define this album it would be "FUN"
Favorite Songs-"Heroes Get Remembered, Legends Never Die" "Bada Bing! Wit A Pipe!" "Beatdown In The Hey Of Happy" "Maniac (R.O.D.)"
8/10

Have Heart "The Things We Carry"

This album has to be one of the most powerful hardcore records I've ever heard, the lyrics/music/singing is top notch and showed a lot of passion for what they believed in. The writing for this deep and I can never bring myself to ever skip a song while listening to it, not even the interlude, it starts off strong and ends strong closing the album very appropriately. Their follow up "Songs To Scream At The Sun" is a whole different story and what i mean by that is its a story that's not as good and was somewhat of a let down.
Favorite Songs-"What Me Rise" "Armed With A Mind" "The Unbreakable" "Something More Than Ink" "The Machinist" "Song Of Shame"
10/10

Set Your Goals "Mutiny"

Set Your Goals really blew up just after releasing an E.P. and this Full-Length. Mixing Pop-Punk with hardcore, they really started something new and it shows with all the SYG clones out there (Bands that play pop-punk with mosh parts). All The songs are well done with each of the tracks going to the next smoothly making it seem like one really long catchy song.
Favorite Tracks- "This Very Moment" "Mutiny" "We Do It for the Money, OBVIOUSLY!" "To Be Continued..." "Echoes"
9/10

Good Charlotte "Good Morning Revival"

Good Charlotte takes a different route for their fourth studio album ditching Pop-Punk for a Dance-y Pop Rock sound in which they pull off really well. The lyrics aren't the best where it sometimes seems like the singer Joel Madden is giving you hot tips on relationships but the music going along with it plus the singing pretty much makes up for it. In my opinion this is GC in their prime and it's a shame their next album isn't expected to sound like this but aimed to please the fans they let down with this album.
Favorite Songs-"Dance Floor Anthem" "Misery" "The River" "Victims Of Love" "Where Would We Be Now" "Beautiful Place"
10/10

Tegan & Sara "The Con"

Their fifth studio album shows that they're not slowing down any time soon delivering after their breakthrough album "So Jealous". Tegan & Sara are like no other with their dark indie-rock songs about heartbreak with two female vocalists (who are twin sisters) you can't sleep on this band!
Favorite Songs- "The Con" "Back In Your Head" "Burn Your Life Down" "Like O, Like H" "Dark Come Soon" "Call It Off" "Nineteen"
9/10

Dashboard Confessional "The Swiss Army Romance"

Amazing songs with heartfelt and honest lyrics. All of the songs carry a lot of emotion with each of them being distinctive where you can tell each song apart, Chris Carrabba goes all out and starts something new and bringing "Emo" music to a new level before it got butchered from being a style of music to an emotion or a way of explaining how people are.
This album should be listened to in its entirety.
10/10

The Killers "Day & Age"

The highly touted Killers release yet another masterpiece being their third studio album they change just slightly from their previous "Sam's Town" but not really changing too much from what they're known for. Sure there are some songs I'm not really into like "Joy Ride" simply because it's too funky for my taste but the rest is just too good to sleep on.
Favorite Songs- "Losing Touch" "Spaceman" "Humans" "A Dustland Fairytale" "This Is Your Life"
9/10

Bright Eyes "It's Cool We Can Still Be Friends"

This song is obviously about agreeing to remain friends after breaking up, while singing about doing the same things they used to do but doing it as friends " Yeah, you still kiss me, but it's just on the cheek" as well as feeling that their friendship is fading all the while having the sense of being used until she no longer needs him "I'm only there so you're not alone" and then ending with the solution being alcohol "I'm going to get so, so drunk/That I pass out and forget your face/By the time I wake up... " this is probably my favorite Bright Eyes song because of how much emotion he pours into it and showing how much of an excellent songwriter he is, it just hits me really hard from how much i can relate to the lyrics.

Thumbsucker Soundtrack

Originally slated to make the music for this soundtrack was singer/songwriter Elliot Smith but sadly passed. Tim DeLaughter and The Polyphonic Spree was to pick up the pieces after the struggling director Mike Mills discovered them by attending one of their shows. The music provided compliments the film very well, the sound goes good with the "highschool teenager in suburbia life" and fits with every scene especially ending with the very powerful running scene with "Move Away & Shine" playing. With three songs left from Smith kind of gives you an idea of how the soundtrack could have been but in my opinion was better off left with the spree.
Favorite Songs- "Move Away & Shine" "Some of the Parts" "Scream & Shout" "Lets Get Lost" "Acceptance"
10/10

Heartsrevolution "Switchblade EP"

Heartsrevolution is a boy/girl band where the guy handles the music while the girl sings, they are very similar to Chrystal Castles but more poppy with the girls voice being..."cuter"
If you are into bands that provide sweet poppy dance jams with good beats, Heartsrevolution is for you. The only bad part about this EP is that they left out the song C.Y.O.A. which is a pretty weak decision.
Favorite Songs-"Digital Suicide" Wolves+Libertines" "Switchblade"
8/10

Land Of Talk "Applause Cheer Boo Hiss"

Female fronted Indie-Rock band from Montreal, very energetic music with hints of Sonic Youth as influence. Can't go wrong with this.
Favorite Songs- "Sea Foam" "All My Friends" "Street Wheels" "Breaxxbaxx"
9/10

Smashing Pumpkins "Mellon Collie and the Infinite Sadness"

A really impressive two-disc CD with tons of hits ranging from angry Alt-Rock to mellow stringy emotional songs with some tracks being better than others, it's still a good listen.
Favorite Songs- "1979" "Tonight,Tonight" "Zero" "Bullet With Butterfly Wings" "Thirty-Three"
7/10

Matt Skiba & Kevin Seconds "Split"

An acoustic split with Matt Skiba of Alkaline Trio and Kevin Seconds of 7 Seconds playing all the instruments on their individual recording.

Matt Skiba-Very catchy songs with bold heartfelt lyrics speaking his mind. This really shows how good of a musician Skiba is.

Kevin Seconds- Very upbeat poppy songs with tambourines, I really enjoy Kevin's part.

All of the songs are my favorite.
10/10

Cursive "Burst & Bloom"

This 5 song EP is Cursive at their finest, delivering catchy technical melodic jams with no skip worthy songs (even the interlude is a good listen). Perfect to listen to in the winter time!
Favorite Songs- "The Great Decay" "Mothership, Mothership, Do You Read Me?" "Fairy Tales Tell Tales"
10/10

Lydia "Illuminate"

One of my favorite releases of 2008. Lydia's sophomore Full-Length comes up sounding much better than their 2005 debut, Compared to their previous album "This December, It's One More and I'm Free" seems to have found a slight change in the lead vocals which ends up doing much better for them. The vocal style is similar to Anthony Green of Circa Survive fame but is a little more bearable. As for the music, Lydia brings a very mellow Indie sound and sets such a relaxing mood.
Favorite Songs- "Hospital" "I Woke Up Near The Sea" "This Is Twice Now" "Fate" "Stay Awake"
10/10

Rocky Votolato "Suicide Medicine"

Rocky's second full-length as being an acoustic solo artist. He does very well singing to stripped down music with a harmonica and drums here and there,the vocals are pretty much the same to when he was in Waxwing but taking the vocal range just a tad bit higher at times showing just how powerful his voice can be while backing it with dark and personal lyrics. This Album is solid and will most likely not disappoint
Favorite Songs-"Suicide Medicine" "Light & Sound" "Montana" "Every Red Cent" "Prison Is Private Property"
9/10

Waxwing "Nobody Can Take What Everybody Owns"

Seattle's very underrated Waxwing's final release before calling it quits. This album picks the pace up a little compared to their previous "One For The Ride" but still has the mellow indie-rock sound. The vocals kind of remind me of Chris Carrabba of Dashboard Confessional but a little more raspy and less clear, but instead of singing mostly about heartbreak the focus is on a wide variety of different struggles.
Favorite Songs- "Colour" "Place Called Houston" "Records" "The Worst Kind Of Liars"
9/10

Morrissey "Viva Hate"

Morrissey's solo debut album released just 6 months after his former band's (The Smiths) final studio album "Strangeways Here We Come" showing that there is life after The Smiths. This debut is impressive, pretty much picking up where The Smiths left off with some slight changes obviously.
Favorite Songs- "Everyday Is Like Sunday" "I Don't Mind If You Forget Me" "Hairdresser On Fire" "The Ordinary Boys" "Dial-A-Cliché"
9/10

New Found Glory "Coming Home"

This record has a very special place for me, around the time it came out was when life just couldn't get any better, it was the icing on the cake to how it was then. This release hardly has any trace of their signature Pop-Punk sound instead they provided more of a soft pop-rock influence, all of the songs are well performed and I can imagine each of them being released as a successful single. Jordan Pundik's vocals are less nasally and are easier to understand, the style of the lyrics has faced some changing as well but everything is perfect. This album is wonderful and is probably my favorite NFG release.
Favorite Songs- ALL OF THEM
10/10

Crime In Stereo "Is Dead"

Crime In Stereo releases a very smart album, challenging themselves by having a more spacey atmospheric touch to it all the while not taking it too far but still sticking to the original CIS
sound.
Favorite Songs-"Almost Ghostless/Above the Gathering Oceans" "Small Skeletal" "Unfortunate Tourist" "Nixon"
8/10

Ink & Dagger "Drive This Seven Inch Wooden Stake Through My Philadelphia Heart"

In my opinion this is Ink & Dagger's best album having a dark vampire-themed mix of hardcore and punk.This release was really ahead of its time for when it was released (1997) and has a very rare sound,its a shame that this was and is still a looked passed band.All Hail The Almighty Ink & Dagger!
Favorite Songs- "Bloodlust" "Full Circle" "Caretaker" "My Ladylove"
9/10

Sing It Loud "Come Around"

Their debut Full-Length Filled with 11 tracks of catchy infectious pop-rock tunes with the songs from their first EP (with a non acoustic version of "Come Around") features guest vocal appearances by Justin Pierre of Motion City Soundtrack as well as Alex from All Time Low. The music played is very bright and uplifting although some of the songs cover shaky relationships it just makes it seem okay, but i do have to admit that there are some filler tracks but the ones that aren't definitely make up for them.
Favorite Songs- "No One Can Touch Us" "We're Not Afraid" "I've Got A Feeling" "Best Beating Heart" "Come Around"
8/10

Blink 182 "The Mark Tom & Travis Show"

Blink 182's live CD. They play all of their hits + joke songs and talk about nasty stuff, what more do you need? The recording is very clear and sometimes hard to believe that it was recorded live. The songs rule, the jokes rule, this album rules.
10/10

Pinback "Pinback"

This self-titled debut EP blows me away, very relaxing and mellow it just puts me in a good mood very "hypnotizing".I feel this band and album is very underrated and doesnt really get the praise it deserves.
Favorite Songs- "Crutch" "Tripoli" "Hurley" "Chaos Engine"
9/10

Aspirations "EP!"

Stu McKillop of Daggermouth fame has a new band, they sample beats and sing over them. There are two singers a guy and a girl, Stu's voice is very raw and raspy you can hear a bit of Hot Water Music influence in it. The Girl's (Kirsten Harris) is more smooth and both go great together. This EP rules and I am stoked for the Full-Length.
Favorite Songs- "10729 King George Hwy" "Between Us" "Paulus Crescent" and the very good Jawbreaker cover "Accident Prone"
8/10

Glassjaw "Worship & Tribute"

This album is brilliant, Glassjaw gets a bit more creative on this one. The vocals are pretty unique and diverse but fits very well with the music and the drums sound ridiculously incredible on this recording(I can't stress this enough).The songs switch on and off from being heavier to a more melodic sound. All the songs deliver and shows tons of emotions through the singing/lyrics and of course the music.
Favorite Songs-"Ape Does Mil" "Mu Empire" "Pink Roses" "Must've Run All Day" "Stuck Pig" "Radio Cambodia" "Trailer Park Jesus" and "Two Tabs Of Mescaline"
9/10

Brand New "The Devil and God Are Raging Inside Me"

This really shows how much this band has grown musically compared to their first two albums. It seems as if they've changed into a completely different band but for the better (you can't really expect to hear your favorite weapon over and over again can you?) with a more technical and complicated dark "rock" sound ,it's really good to listen to if you've got a nice handful of time. The style of the lyrics has done some changing as well, abandoning songs about being a teenager to being more deep. Most of the songs usually start off slower with soft spoken singing and then picks up to a harder/faster pace with screaming showing a ton of emotion (hear "You Won't Know"). I'm really excited to see where this band is going and I'm stoked for the next album!
Favorite Songs-"Sowing Season" "Millstone" "Jesus Christ" "You Won't Know" and "Luca"
9/10

Poison The Well "Horns and Tails"

This entry will be a bit different, I will go over one song.
This is from 2002's "Tear From the Red" it's pretty much an in between acoustic more emotional track which is about (from what I understand) finally being over someone and not missing that person as well as finding reasons on why they didn't even like that person in the first place "thankfully I don't miss your skin, or the way you always have something to say"and in the middle"All I wanted to say was Fuck You" is just oddly relieving. Although this "metalcore" sound is probably gonna fade out within a few years, this song is probably gonna stick out more than the rest of them. If the singer ever decides to start an acoustic solo I would be the first person to buy it!

City & Colour "Bring Me Your Love"

Dallas Green/City & Colour's follow up to 2005's "Sometimes"
This album has just a tiny bit of a "folky" influence to some of the songs but doesnt have any drastic changes to C&C's sound. Very relaxing/mellow acoustic songs that just put you in a good mood...or it might make you sad. The majority of the songs are very catchy, and after a few listens it probably already has you singing along. His voice is wonderful and shows alott of talent in his singing and songwriting, this album is beatiful!
Favortite Songs-"Waiting..." "The Girl" "Against The Grain" and "Sensible Heart"
8/10

Weezer "Blue Album"

Weezer's 1994 s/t album has to be one of the most impressive debut's to ever graze this Earth. Being the third CD I've ever bought with my own money (5th grade) still gets more spins than any other album, and after 14 years of existence it still holds up very very well. Opening with the very catchy "My Name Is Jonas" just tells you that the rest of the songs are going to be golden.The Music, lyrics, and vocals are perfect and couldn't have been done any better.
Favorite songs - "Jamie" "My Name Is Jonas" "The World Has Turned And Left Me Here" "In The Garage" and "Holiday"
10/10

Arctic Monkeys "Favourite Worst Nightmare"

The follow up to "Whatever People Say I Am, That's What I'm Not"
Coming in with a different sound compared to the first full-length having a more "mature" slower indie-rock sound, every single song is absolutely solid with no filler tracks at all. The song order is great, with the tracks appropriately transitioning perfectly to the next (hear "If You Were There, Beware" to "The Bad Thing")
This album easily takes place in my top 5 favorite albums ever.
Favorite tracks are "Teddy Picker" "D Is For Dangerous" "Only Ones Who Know" "Do Me A Favor" "If You Were There, Beware/The Bad Thing" and "Old Yellow Bricks"
10/10


myspace.com/arcticmonkeys

World Collapse "Deutschland, Deutschland! Into the Night" EP

World Collapse is from Düsseldorf, Germany with ex members of true blue. This band seriously rules, i've slept on them for the longest time and decided to give a good listen and i havent stopped since. The music they play is kinda hard to describe, imagine Cro-Mags and Depeche Mode..yeah? kinda like that, listen to "heavens" and "into the night" to get a good idea of what they sound like. highly reccomended this ep gets a 7/10


myspace.com/worldcollapse