Review(s): Ratatat, Reach The Sky x2

Ratatat - Ratatat: There are a lot of aspects of this band that I like, but it lacks something. Most noticably, words.

Reach The Sky - Open Roads and Broken Dreams: If you've heard one Reach the Sky song, you've heard them all.

Reach The Sky - Transient Hearts EP: I've heard them all.
(* date unkown)

Review(s): R 'n' R, Rocking Horse Winner, Rush

R 'n' R - Infamous and Notorious: Hardcore-styled, and poorly yelled, vocals don't match up with the traditionally-styled rock instrumentation making for a frustrating listen.

Rocking Horse Winner - Horizon: How I long for a new Rilo Kiley record.

Rush - Moving Pictures: Like a species thought to be extinct, Prog-Rock escapes from the grasp of worthlessness to taste the sweetness of redemption.
(* date unkown)

Review(s): Rush, Running Like Thieves x2

Rush - Retrspective, Vol. 1: Volume 1 is more than enough Rush for any one person.

Running Like Thieves - Same Time Next Year: They're running like thieves because they just stole your hard earned money. Unless you stole the album and then they stole your precious time.

Running Like Thieves - The Approval of the Crowd: ...is something they don't care about.
(* date unkown)

Review(s): The Snobs, Patti Smith, Slipknot

The Snobs - Control EP/School's Out, Let's Skate: Owes much to Minor Threat, but beyond being sixteen, this band is nothing special.

Patti Smith - Trampin': Having no frame of reference, this is a pretty decent, yet unappealing record.

Slipknot - Slipknot: Who nu this wouldn't be all bad?
(* date unkown)

Review(s): Suicide Note, Shai Hulud, Sick Of It All

Suicide Note - You're Not Looking So Good: This isn't sounding so good.

Shai Hulud - That Within Blood Ill-Tempered: The niche created by this band's earlier works apparently didn't sell enough records.

Sick Of It All - Blood, Sweat And No Tears: Almost twenty years on, this disc lacks the urgency in undoubtedly had in '89.
(* date unkown)

Review(s): the pAper chAse, Soul Coughing, Sparta

the pAper chAse - god bless your blAck heArt: It just doesn't feel like an album, which is a shame.

Soul Coughing - Lust In Phaze: The Best Of Soul Coughing: You know when something is cool for the first five minutes and then becomes annoying? I was annoyed for 75 minutes.

Sparta - Porcelain: Still not as good as The Mars Volta.

Review(s): VAST, Street Dogs, The Stills

VAST - Visual Audio Sensory Theatre: A vast improvement over his second album.

Street Dogs - Savin Hill: It's slightly reassuring to know that even if Dropkick Murphys still had Mike McColgan singing that Rancid's newest record would be their main source of inspiration. It's also slightly disturbing.

The Stills - Logic Will Break Your Heart: Logic sure breaks my heart, because I can't figure out the allure of bands like this. All I know is that I like them.

Review(s): Suicide Note, Suicide File, The Streets

Suicide Note - Come On, Save Me: ...from this terrible band.

Suicide File - Twilight: I really enjoyed their first EP and their live show. However, they are certainly at the end of their twilight here.

The Streets - A Grand Don't Come For Free: Part of the allure of his first disc was the in-your-face attitude. Yeah, about that, gone.

Review(s): Sufjan Stevens, Sun Kil Moon, Supertouch

Sufjan Stevens - Seven Swans: I'm really, really starting to like Sufjan Stevens. I look forward to hearing more.

Sun Kil Moon - Ghost Of The Great Highway: It won't change the world, but I enjoyed it.

Supertouch - The Earth Is Flat: The level of enjoyability is flat.
(* date unkown)

Review(s): This Bike Is A Pipebomb, Tina, Age 13, Spoon

This Bike Is A Pipebomb - Dance Party With: This sounds like a wonderful sing-along record, except that I cannot understand the words.

Tina, Age 13 - The Alcoholic Father of my Inner Child: Broken Rekids turns out a mediocre disc with flashes of greatness.

Spoon - Girls Can Tell: Songs 1-2.5: This is pretty good, but I don't know if it has much lasting appeal. Songs 2.5-11: This is such shit, it sounds exactly like Koufax, one of the worst bands ever.
(* date unkown)

Review(s): The Tyrades, Tortoise, This Bike Is A Pipebomb

The Tyrades - The Tyrades: Punk in general is boring. For whatever reason this female-fronted group manages to keep it interesting. It no suprise that it's on Broken Rekids.

Tortoise - Millions Now Living Will Never Die: I wasn't bored.

This Bike Is A Pipebomb - Front Seat Solidarity: A more laid-back effort with clearer words.
(* date unkown)

Review(s): Cold Mountain OST, Requiem For A Dream OST, Unit Pride

Various Artists - Cold Mountain Soundtrack: This would be awesome if it had any flow whatsoever.

Various Artsits - Requiem For A Dream: If I didn't love the movie, I wouldn't like the soundtrack.

Unit Pride - Then And Now: Back then, it was good to be really fast. Now, however, it just sounds incomprehensible and you wonder why people liked it in the first place.
(* date unkown)

Review(s): Drive Like Jehu, Waxwing x2

Drive Like Jehu - Drive Like Jehu: I bet that in 1991 this disc was awesome. Now it just seems like all the other bands they probably inspired.

Waxwing - For Madmen Only: Tolerable drivel.

Waxwing - One For The Ride: Leaps and bounds better than their previous effort, yet still lacking total listenability.
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Review(s): The Cooper Temple Clause, Countdown To Putsch, Corduroy

The Cooper Temple Cause - Kick Up The Fire, And Let The Flames Break Loose: It's difficult to listen to this disc, because every time they show a glimpse of competency, they shoot themselves in the foot.

Countdown To Putsch - Handbook For Planetary Progress: Even if City of Caterpillar wasn't phenomenal, this would still be bad.

Corduroy - Dead End Memory Lane: With buried vocals, I surmise, that bad songwriting is what you are trying to disguise.
(* date unkown)

Review(s): The Cansecos, Circle Takes The Square, Colleen

The Cansecos - The Cansecos: Comparisons to Broken Social Scene are not unwarranted, just ill-informed.

Circle Takes The Square - As The Roots Undo: When trying to do more than the guy next to you, do it. Don't pussyfoot around.

Colleen - Everyone Alive Wants Answers: I want an answer: why don't these songs go anywhere?
(* date unkown)

Review(s): Big Blue Monkey, Birdsongs of the Mesozoic, The Books

Big Blue Monkey - Truth In Separation/Big Blue Monkey/Story of the Year: I grouped these three EPs together because they show a nice progression of the bands quest to find that sound that will sell them out. Can you guess which one? (Hint: They changed their name to the songs on the EP of their eventual sound)

Birdsongs of the Mesozoic - Petrophonics: Post-Prog? Post-Bjork?? Who knows, but I downloaded three of the albums and the other two won't see a review for a LONG time.

The Books - Thought For Food: Not as engaging as The Lemon of Pink, but it could be worse.
(* date unkown)

Review(s): Juno, The Jesus and Mary Chain, Franz Ferdinand

Juno - This Is The Way It Goes & Goes & Goes: This band just changes & changes & changes with every song. Normally, this would be a detrimental attribute, but it works nicely here.

The Jesus and Mary Chain - Pyschocandy: Slightly more tolerable than My Bloody Valentine, the band they inspired the most.

Franz Ferdinand - Franz Ferdinand: Pitchfork is losing its credibility.
(* date unkown)

Review(s): Radiohead, Inspiral Carpets, Fuel

Radiohead - OK Computer: I thought that I was musically mature enough to (at least) appreciate Radiohead. I was right.

Inspiral Carpets - Cool As: More danceable than the Stone Roses, more focused than the Happy Mondays, yet this three-disc anthology fails to make an impact on a new listener.

Fuel - Moment To Excess: They'd be Water Music without Fuel.
(* date unkown)

Review(s): The Millenium, June of '44 x2

The Millenium - Begin: If I was the record executive that approved the first production budget that topped 1 million dollars, I'd want more than this.

June of '44 - Tropics and Meridians: Notasgoodasslint

June of '44 - Four Great Points: Better, but Spiderland is such a good record that it detracts from this one.
(* date unkown)

Review(s): Pink Floyd, Movietone, Circulatory System

Pink Floyd - Wish You Were Here: Pink Floyd gets too pretentious on their follow-up to the superior Dark Side of the Moon.

Movietone - The Sand and the Stars: I've come to expect and, accordingly, accept less from female (fronted) artists. Maybe this is why I enjoyed this record.

Circulatory System - Circulatory System: A bit hazy, a bit mediocre.
(* date unkown)