Review: Portastatic - Who Loves The Sun (Original Film Score):

Portastatic - Who Loves The Sun (Original Film Score): Upon first listen it's an unnecessary album release as it's not very cohesive. Set to the the backdrop of a film I can see a lot of the tracks working (in fact, I could visualize scenes as the songs were playing), but to listen to in album form just seems wasteful.

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Download Just Like A Real Book

Download Last Kiss Music

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Review: Lovely Lads - The Best You've Got:

Upon first listen it's a bit more melodic than their demo, but it's just as good, if not better and has better production.

Download The Battle Will Come

Download In Your Head

Purchase for $12.50

Review: Lovely Lads - Demo:

Upon first listen it sounds a lot like The Explosion with moments of early Dropkick Murphys and The Ducky Boys. In other words, it's an amazing album (10 songs) that's production keeps it from being a proper release.

Download Left Behind

Download Now I Wonder

Purchase, if you can find it

There's Bob Dylan

and then everyone else.

Review: Journey - Greatest Hits:

Upon first listen I can safely say that I won't listen to this album in its entirety ever again. That being said, you can't deny some of the hits that Journey generated and I'm sure to listen to some of the individual songs.

Stream a few songs and clips of the rest

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Review: Gomez - How We Operate:

Upon first listen there's a few good songs, but not enough that should generate the amount of buzz this band has.

Stream How We Operate, girlshapedlovedrug and Homoa Beach

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Review: Gnarls Barkley - St. Elsewhere:

Upon first listen it's a lot more solid than I had anticipated. Despite the excellent first single (Crazy), I was worried it would be the I Get Wet of the hip-hop crowd, but that fear was assuaged as Cee-Lo and DangerMouse put one hell of an album together.

Stream the entire album

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Review: Gauze - Equalizing Distort:

Upon first listen it's got some amazing music in there, especially in light of the fact that it came out in '86. Considered one of the best Japanese hardcore records ever, I was expecting a little more, but even still there was more than enough to like.

Stream Track 1, Low Charge, Pressing On (all non-album specific)

Purchase it if you can find it

Review: Foreigner - Complete Greatest Hits:

Upon first listen it's cheesy, but there's nothing endearing about it.

Stream clips from the entire album

Stream the entire album

Purchase for $13.18

Review: Elf Power - Back To The Web:

Upon first listen I was drawn into the web.

Download An Old Familiar Scene

Stream the entire album

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Review: Defiance, Ohio - The Great Depression:

Upon first listen this is as close to another good Against Me! album as you'll likely to get.

Download the entire album in a variety of formats

Purchase for $6

Review: Cold War Kids - With Our Wallets Full/Up In Rags:

Upon first listen you can certainly here the influence of many of today's most beloved bands. White Stripes, Radiohead and Interpol all come to mind.

Download Tell Me In The Morning

Download Hospital Beds

Purchase both for $12 (or $7 each)

Review: The Church - Uninvited, Like The Clouds:

Upon first listen I'm taken aback as I'm not sure what to think. I really liked a lot of it but can't really describe it. I think it's one of those records (and perhaps bands) that you must experience for yourself to pass judgement.

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Review: Review: Camera Obscura - Let's Get Out Of This Country:

Upon first listen it's a perfectly adequate indie-pop-esque record. Adequate.

Download Let's Get Out Of This Country

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Review: Avail - 4 AM Friday:

Upon first listen it has less of the cohesiveness a trule great melodic hardcore records typically possesses.

Stream Simple Song

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Review: Avail - Dixie:

Upon first listen it has more of the cohesiveness a truly great melodic hardcore record typically possesses.

Stream Scuffle Town and Clone

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Review: Avail - Satiate:

Upon first listen it lacks the cohesiveness a truly great melodic hardcore record typically possesses.

Stream clips from the entire album

Purchase for $11.88

Review: Arctic Monkeys - Who The Fuck Are The Arctic Monkeys?:

Upon first listen it's got less fire and brimstone than Whatever You Say... which is why it's released as an EP and not on a full length, though it's essentially a single for View From the Afternoon.

Stream the video for The View From The Afternoon

Purchase for $6.74

Review: Streets - The Hardest Way To Make An Easy Living:

Upon first listen (and beyond) I didn't really care for A Grand Don't... despite the critical praise it got then (and still gets). I loved Original Pirate Material, however, so I keep coming back for more. The Hardest Way is a blend of the two and had it come out before A Grand I would have been more tolerable.

Stream When You Wasn't Famous

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Review: Raconteurs - Broken Boy Soldiers:

Upon first listen it's not going the change the world, but it's extremely solid rock that takes a few listens to get into.

Stream Steady, As She Goes and Store Bought Bones

Purchase for $11.41

Review: None More Black - This is Satire:

Upon first listen this is the favorite of all the post-Kid Dynamite bands (maybe they'll do a reunion tour soon), but this release has them forgetting most of their punk past in favor of melodic rock leanings. Not that it doesn't work, because it does, just sometimes.

Stream With The Transit Coat On and You Suck! But Your Peanut Butter Is OK

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Review: Maritime - We, The Vehicles:

Upon first listen it's another hit or miss affair. Lots of positives but enough negatives to make it distracting. The biggest negative being their inability to 'rock out' when the moment dictates.

Download Calm

Download Parade of Punk Rock T-Shirts

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Coldplay

A video as cheesy and over-the-top as the music on their latest album.

Review: Lambchop - The Decline of Country and Western Civilization Part 2, The Woodwind Years:

Upon first listen the excellent songwriting doesn't keep the delivery afloat through the variety of styles it attempts. That said, the albums this band puts out (this being a compilation of miscellany) must be better and worth checking out.

Download The Distance From Her And There

Purchase for $10.43

Review: Islands - Return To The Sea:

Upon first listen it's a rather hit and miss affair that when it hits makes you start thinking album of the year and when it misses makes you wonder what the hell you were just thinking about.

Stream Rough Gem, Where There's A Will There's A Whalebone and Jogging Gorgeous Summer

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