Bowling for SoupA Hang-over You Don’t Deserve (Jive)Just like your average teen film soundtrack, Bowling For Soup’s effort is full of bubblegum pop- punk and juvenile lyrics, and your mind might turn to mush if you listen to it on repeat. But it’s a surprisingly decent listen. Overplayed lead single “1985” has been known to […]
Jon Bruhm
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American Hi-Fi
American Hi-FiHearts on Parade(Maverick)“Even losers can get lucky sometimes,” sings Stacy Jones on “The Geeks Get the Girls,” American Hi-Fi’s first single from Hearts on Parade. The former drummer of Letters to Cleo and Veruca Salt stepped out from behind the kit to front the pop-punk outfit, scoring a major hit with 2001’s “Flavour of […]
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Dog Day
Published December 08, 2005. Dog Day Thank You (Out of Touch) Pop-rock hasn’t been this hot in years. Almost unbearably captivating, Thank You‘s 20 minutes contain a handful of addictively simple, straightforward gems. Completely lo-fi and unfortunately short, this debut by the half-Burdocks, half-Hold hybrid is, hands down, the best local album of the year. […]
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Kings of Leon
Kings of LeonAha Shake Heartbreak(RCA/BMG)Kings of Leon vocalist Caleb Followill said that Aha Shake Heartbreak contains songs about incidents that he’s ashamed of. This sentiment is passed on to listeners, who will feel the same way about wasting their time. The weakest sophomore effort (or lack thereof) since the Strokes’ Room on Fire, the band […]
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Twilight Singers
Twilight SingersShe Loves You(One Little Indian)When he was in Afghan Whigs, it was no secret that Greg Dulli was a big fan of cover songs. With She Loves You, Dulli presents an album full of his favourite classics, from Fleetwood Mac’s “What Makes You Think You’re the One” to Björk’s “Hyperballad.” The acts he covers—from […]
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Clutch
ClutchRobot Hive/Exodus(Universal)In an era where bands are condemned by their genre through comparisons to other similar-sounding artists, Clutch is exempt from classification. It’s simply impossible to lump this band in with anyone else. Sure, some of its songs may prompt resemblances to The Black Crowes, Black Sabbath, Monster Magnet, Queens Of The Stone Age, Soundgarden […]
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Franz Ferdinand
Published December 08, 2005. Franz Ferdinand You Could Have It So Much Better (Domino) While the new new wavers unleashed their monster post-punk debut slightly more than a year ago, they’ve managed to defeat the sophomore curse and to avoid outstaying their welcome with another stellar album. Not just your average dance rock band, these […]
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Rammstein
RammsteinReise, Reise(Universal)German industrial rockers Rammstein are one of the few non-English speaking bands that have made a dent in the North American market. Perhaps it’s because they experiment with different languages —the bulk of Reise, Reise is in German, but they take a stab at English with “Amerika,” and Russian in “Moskau.” Known for both […]
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Magenta Lane
Published October 14, 2004. Magenta Lane The Constant Lover (Paper Bag) Magneta Lane’s debut EP is a (mostly) solid six-song effort with catchy tunes, highlighted by Lexi Valentine’s attention-grabbing sultry voice and simple yet fun guitar riffs. Unfortunately, producer Jon Drew, who drums for Toronto rockers Uncut, really should have helped Magneta Lane out in […]
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Foo Fighters
Foo FightersIn Your Honor(RCA)While he’ll always be remembered as the backbone of Nirvana, Dave Grohl has been defined by his solo project-turned-band, Foo Fighters. Many Foo purists felt alienated when the band shifted from post-grunge heroes to mainstream rock kings following two solid albums, but the more marketable sound has netted the band some serious […]
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Nine Inch Nails
Published December 08, 2005. Nine Inch Nails With Teeth (Nothing/Interscope) Uh oh, Trent’s pissed off again. Granted, when our little tortured soul is unhappy, it means we’re in for a kickass piece of industrial metal. With his angry rhetorical lyrics and raging, blistering beats, With Teeth is definitely Reznor’s best material since NIN’s breakthrough classic, […]
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Heavy meadows
Heavy meadowsRemixes(Dependent)While on yet another extended hiatus, Halifax folkies heavy meadows have entrusted four of their babies into the hands of electronic whiz kid Andrew Duke and ex-Rebecca Wester Lukas Pearse, along with meds’ guitarist Seth Timothy’s obscure electro side project Free Couch, in order to create alternate interpretations of their songs. The results are […]
