Against Me. NEW WAVE.This is a fantastic album. Amazing production, tight playing, about as close to being a perfect combination of everything as you can get for a band that might be best described as punk/hardcore; although the more I hear it the more I think its closer to just great hard rock. Categories aside this album is brilliant, the culmination of years of real hard-yards by their singer songwriter who writes really clever lyrics and actually has a lot to say. About 3 forgettable tracks on the album, otherwise a brilliant release.
Les Savy Fav. LET'S STAY FRIENDS.This album takes a big cue from a lot of bands in my Early Hardcore list. In fact, a lot of these guys' tunes remind me of a more chilled out Minor Threat - but I am sure others would disagree. They have the raw energy that drew me to hardcore in the first place but they have the melodic component that keeps you singing along and going back for another listen. This is one album that when I heard I said out loud "holy fuck these guys have an edge"
and they really do, and that's rare these days. This shot of them playing it live tells more than 500 rambling words from me! It totally speaks for itself. Check their singer out, nut-strangler underpants and all! Now that's a dude.
Jawbreaker. 24 HR REVENGE THERAPY.My cousin Big El is the Jawbreaker expert, I am but a novice but this album got me into them. It has a real live feel to it - or recorded in a short time on an even shorter budget. It has everything about punk that I like, that fuck you attitude, that just in time playing, its a real art form that simply does not give two shits. I love that about it, the fact that bands like this just keep putting it out there and let the laws of attraction do the rest.
Easy All Stars. LONELY HEARTS DUB BAND.I missed these guys play live by a month mainly due to my bordering-on-spastic ability to read dates. Anyway. They made a name for themselves doing cover albums in dub reggae style of 3 great albums; Dark Side of the Moon, OK Computer and now Sgt.Peppers Lonely Hearts Club Band. There are some cracking tunes on here and if you like a bit of dub, or are even interested in just checking it out as a style then you should really get this album or any of their other two. Beautifully produced but not overdone, not too heavy on the dub and just fat enough to take you away. Really cool stuff. Really. Lennon would approve.
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