“All guitar strums were down” Avem proudly announces in the liner notes of their EP Nerdin About Birdin. For the uninitiated, Avem has embraced Ramonescore – a sub-genre of a sub-genre that embraces the fast, furious and melodic sound ofRead more…
Taxi Girls – Coming Up Roses
Taxi Girls is a power trio from Montreal. After seeing them perform at Pouzza Fest earlier this year my first instinct was to compare them to west coast indie darlings Cub, but after a few listens I realize I’m wayRead more…
Poison Fountains – Terminal
If you ever wondered “what would the Misfits sound like if Danzig got into sci-fi instead of horror?” have I got an album for you. While it’s a blink-and-you-miss-it affair (9 tracks in 15 minutes) Poison Fountains’s Terminal is hookyRead more…
Eve 6 – Grim Value
Let’s talk about Eve 6. Earnestly. Unironically. With love in our hearts. Before we get to their newest album Hyper Relevisation (we’ll get to that later on. I promise) I wanna dig in on Grim Value. And just the EveRead more…
Tales from the Bargain Bin: Zebrahead – MFZB
There are a ton of bad pop-punk albums out there. Most of them sprung up in the late-90’s in the wake of the success of bands like Green Day, NOFX, Pennywise but really mostly Green Day. Suddenly you couldn’t turnRead more…
Brody Dalle – Diploid Love
“Diploid Love” is the latest record from ex-Distillers frontwoman Brody Dalle and the first released under her own name. In 2009 she released a self-titled record with her band Spinnerette and her latest album has a similar sonic palette. ForRead more…
Tales from the Bargain Bin: No Doubt – Return of Saturn
In the mid-90’s, No Doubt was an omnipresent force. Their album “Tragic Kingdom” had blown up. The first two singles “Just a Girl” and “Spiderwebs” enjoyed plenty of airplay on alternative rock radio and Muchmusic. But it was “Don’t Speak”Read more…
Tales from the Bargain Bin: Goo Goo Dolls – S/T
People love to rip on the Goo Goo Dolls. They have had some of the most persistent ballads on alternative rock radio. First there was “Name” from 1995’s “A Boy Named Goo” and then there was “Iris” from the “CityRead more…
Joyce Manor – Never Hungover Again
For their third album, the quartet from Torrance, California have progressed without the sacrifice of the charm that made them so endearing in the first place. 10 quick blasts of punchy, hooky melodic punk that induces loud sing-a-longs and raucous pogoing,Read more…
HSY – S/T
HSY’s self-titled EP is a dissonant, grumbling mass of noise. The production values are on the lo-fi end of the spectrum and the howling, atonal vocals sound like they were recorded inside a tunnel. It’s a throwback sound. An uglier,Read more…