A little band called Plow United
I first heard Plow United in 1996 courtesy of my freshman roommate and became an instant fan of their ramshackle East Coast thrash pop. We played the shit our of their second record Goodnight Sellout on his crappy turntable. So I ended up with both of Plow’s pre-breakup albums and a bunch of their split (Read more…)
Glory Bound – Glory Bound EP
This 8 song EP is a must-have for fans of gruff and sometimes folksy punk rock. I mean, it reminds me of Crimpshrine, early Against Me!, and other bands that have done this sort of thing before with a little (maybe) Defiance, Ohio and some Rumspringer thrown in for good measure. You’ve got catchy songs, (Read more…)
The Riot Before – Rebellion
I like The Riot Before’s new album Rebellion better than their last one, Fists Buried In Pockets, which I also like a lot. On first listen, I wasn’t sure, but it’s grown on me quite a bit. Rebellion is a more direct and in-your-face record than its predecessor and relies less on subtlety in the (Read more…)
Rumspringer – Empty Towers
Empty Towers is the Rumspringer full-length that I’d been eagerly awaiting since they released their self-titled EP last year. The band is from Tempe, Arizona but their sound is a universal and completely unhinged from their geography. Rumpsringer’s brand of good old fashioned pop punk is as awesome as it is imperfect. The vocals are (Read more…)
12 Days of Christmas MP3′s for 2010: Day 11
Less than 10 days until the big holiday is here and then gone. Is all your shopping done? Are all your Christmas cookies made? Don’t worry, we’re not close to being ready either. Despite all the preparations this year, it just sorta snuck up on us. It’s the routine that we all get stuck in. (Read more…)
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…)
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…)
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…)
Riverdales – Tarantula
Hey! Did you know that the Riverdales released their fifth album of Ramones inspired pop-punk in 2010? Well, they did and it sounds exactly like you would expect it (and want it) to. The album is called Tarantula and in addition to being awesome, it might have the best artwork of any album released in (Read more…)
