Smoke Or Fire – The Speakeasy
Smoke Or Fire’s got a new album out now on Fat Wreck and it’s a good ‘un. The Speakeasy is the band’s third full length (and first in three years) of fast-paced personal/political punk that’s as edgy as it is catchy. It’s powerful music that’s meant to be played loud as kids sing and shout (Read more…)
Two Cow Garage – Sweet Saint Me
Y’all might remember that way back in 2008 I called Two Cow Garage’s album Speaking In Cursive my 13th favorite album of that year, so you shouldn’t be the least bit surprised that the latest from these Columbus, Ohio roots-punk-alt-country-rock-whatever guys will most likely be somewhere around there on this year’s list. Heck, Two Cow (Read more…)
Grown Ups – More Songs
I was going to write about Grown Ups’ EP (the simply titled Songs) until I got their full-length (the appropriately titled More Songs since it includes the 4 songs from Songs plus six more). This is tremendously good stuff so shame on me for not writing about these guys sooner. From what I understand, Grown (Read more…)
Good Old War – Good Old War
So, yeah, Good Old War’s sophomore album (which is unironically titled Good Old War) is out now and something you might be into if you’re a fan of great vocal harmonies, playful melodies, and unobtrusive (but engaging) indie folk instrumentation. What that really means is that almost everyone I’ve played either Good Old War or (Read more…)
Justin Townes Earle – Harlem River Blues
You may or may not have known that Justin Townes Earle’s previous album, Midnight At The Movies, was one of my favorites of 2009, but now you do. As much as that album served to really prove that Earle could step out from the shadow of his famous father, this album takes it a step (Read more…)
The Gamits – Parts
For me, one of the most unexpectedly awesome surprises of 2010 was hearing the new album Parts from Denver, Colorado’s The Gamits. Long considered by many to be one of the most underrated/under-appreciated pop-punk bands around, The Gamits called it quits in 2005 after a 9 year run but were reformed just last year by (Read more…)
Ted Leo & The Pharmacists – The Brutalist Bricks
I’ve long considered myself a fan of Ted Leo and whatever band he happens to bring around, but it’s really only with his latest album The Brutalist Bricks that I’ve actually realized just how much I like Ted Leo and the Pharmacists. I loved Shake The Sheets from 2004 and liked 2007’s Living With The (Read more…)
Superchunk – Majesty Shredding
As embarrassing and unbelievable as this may sound, the first Superchunk songs I ever listened to intentionally were from last year’s Leaves In The Gutter EP. WTF? I know, right? Somehow my similarly musically inclined wife also missed the boat. What’s wrong with us? From what I’ve heard, it wasn’t any sort of surprise to (Read more…)
Titus Andronicus – The Monitor
So I’ve been listening to the newest Titus Andronicus album, The Monitor, for the past few weeks and even after multiple listens, I can’t tell if it is great and pure genius or completely terrible. OK, that opening line was a little untrue, but you get the point, right? I’m leaning more towards great, but (Read more…)
