Get Warmer by Bomb the Music Industry.

Stucksksi:

I've been sitting here trying to think about something to say about Bomb the Music Industry. Something aside from the fact that they're awesome. Or that all their music is free. I also don't want to go on about how they're one of the paragons of the DYI movement.  So you know what, fuck it. Go to this link, download their albums, and experience the revolution yourself: http://quoteunquoterecords.com/btmi.php

(P.S. if you need some convincing, check out these tracks)

kurtkurtkurt:

BTMI is one of my favorite bands right now. They're everything right with music. Get warmer was a great album. Download it and everything they've made.

RATINGS:

Stuckski: 9/10
kurtkurtkurt: 9/10

Hank Williams - The Complete Hank Williams (Disc 2)

kurtkurtkurt:
Pretty much you can probably look at the last review and get the just of what I think of the album. It's fantastic (go us for differing in opinions recently!) My Bucket's Got A Hole In It is probably one of Hank's most recognizable songs (it's well deserved.) Quite frankly I still love this.

Stuckski:

Gee Willikers, thanks Kurt, another Hank Williams album!
        We reviewed one of the other discs in this collection earlier, and I managed to somehow avoid being negative about an album in a genre that I have little patience for. Those halcyon days of tolerance are now irrevocably over however,  as I'm rapidly losing patience with ol' Hank's country twang. There are still some 'islandy' guitar riffs that remind me of the beach and warmer climes, but it no longer makes up for all the other little irritants.
         Every time Hanks voice cracks while singing I want to reach down his throat and punch his vocal chords. Every time the fiddle starts into it's infuriatingly predictable bits, I  just want to.....HOLY SHIT IS THAT CHRISTIAN BALE ON THE COVER, WHAT THE FUCK!?


RATINGS:


kurtkurtkurt: 9/10 (it's all good)
Stuckski: 3/10 (guitar's still good)

Anti-Flag - The Terror State

kurtkurtkurt:
Politically driven punk is their game and they aren't afraid to shy away from it. Several of their songs, Mind the G.A.T.T. and Operation Iraqi Liberation (O.I.L.), even use some of President Bush's speeches riddle throughout them. As a punk band I've always admired that they kept a healthy mixture of aggressive vocals and harmonizing. Overall pretty solid.

Stuckski:
 I've always been pretty suspicious of politically charged bands, mostly because I think that limiting yourself to writing about just one topic restricts the kind music you can create. I don't mind political songs, but I think NOFX is an example of a band that does manage to address politics without getting pigeonholed as purely political punk: for every Murder the Government there's a Bob, if you will.
So when I saw this album popping up on the review list, my first thought was: "Oh fuck, here we go, another boring hour of somebody screaming angrily". Thankfully my fears where misplaced, and The Terror State is a hugely enjoyable album. I can't vouch for the lyrics, as I never really pay attention to them, but the music exceeded my expectations at every turn. Well, honestly it didn't start out all peachy; after the comparatively weak first two tracks  (Death of A Nation and Fuck the Flag), I was about ready to throw in the flag myself. They seemed to confirm my fears: no one was quite screaming yet, but it wasn't much more than shouting over a generic punk beat, nothing new there. However, I reminded myself of my sacred duties as a reviewer and pushed on... and to my great surprise encountered Mind the G.A.T.T.; The musical progressions were switched up to something a little less predictable and the band actually started singing and even harmonizing. It was lovely. The album continued to switch it up between shouting, visceral punk and some more subdued tracks, even throwing in the acoustic Protest Song.
Twelve short songs later I was disappointed not to have any more of the album to listen to.

RATINGS:

kurtkurtkurt: 8/10
Stuckski: 9/10

Yann Tiersen - Goodbye, Lenin! OST

kurtkurtkurt:
This is a quaint little soundtrack. I absolutely love all of the songs with the strong woodwind and brass sections. Birthday Preparation and The Dutch Mark is Coming were both gorgeous, the latter of which seemed to have an orchestra as well. Unfortunately the piano driven pieces were all kinda boring to me. You had such power and intrigue with the woodwinds (you don't get to hear them used as much nowadays) but the piano was made strictly for the backing up the movie I suppose. Whatevs still pretty cool.

Stuckski:

 All I have to say that I love the piano piece, perhaps because it always amazes me how one instrument can be used to evoke such a wide variety of moods. The tracks utilize pretty basic chord progressions and melodies, but combine to create the perfect accompaniment for the moments in the film. Watching Lara is a beautiful example of that. Not that the wind and brass tracks aren't great either! Decant is brief but evocative and reminds me of those old Disney cartoon soundtracks where the music follows the action (think of the rainy day intro to Bambi). I guess I just felt the need to come out strongly for the piano. Because Kurt.

RATINGS:

kurtkurtkurt: 6/10
stuckski: 9/10

Hang-Ups by Goldfinger

kurtkurtkurt:
I think the first time I ever heard these guys was in that movie King Pin Superman is on the soundtrack. Anyways these guys are pretty alright, they're up there with the other big 90s contenders of the ska/punk world. This album has, in my opinion, some of their better more memorable songs, but it was never as stand out as the rest of the the 90s scene.

Stuckski:
I'm in love with the nineties, and I ain't ashamed of it. The punk/ska from this era often gets overlooked, and even vilified as the beginning of the whole 'pop-punk' shit-storm that we're caught in these days, but -fuck it all- I still love it. Goldfinger is one of the bands (along with the Offspring, MxPx, Green Day, Dropkick Murphys, Reel Big Fish, and Blink 182 among others) that helped create in me a love for punk, and while I have branched out since then, these are the bands that I always come back to.

I bought Hang-ups and Turn off the Radio by Reel Big Fish at the same time from a second hand store. The covers looked cool, even though I hadn't heard of either of the bands. I think they cost me a combined $2.50. And that, boys and girls, is how I discovered ska. Hang-Ups isn't quite as good as the later 'Open Your Eyes'. But it is still pretty damn good.

RATINGS:
kurtkurtkurt: 7/10
Stuckski: 9/10

Dawn Metropolis by Anamanaguchi

kurtkurtkurt:

Man felt like I was in a video game. Seriously though made half an hour fly by with pure bliss while I was working. Matt links to all the songs below and I don't blame him. I aspire to be able to put down some phat 8bit sounds like that in my music. Props to these guys.

Stuckski:

26.1 minutes of Chippunk awesome. If you know Anamanaguchi at all it's from the kick-ass Scott Pilgrim soundtrack and Dawn Metropolis delivers with more of the same videogame awesomeness. They do a great job of combining instruments with the 8bit sounds to create a great mood in their songs.
What are the best tracks you ask? All of them, dear sir/madam. All of them.
Blackout City
Jetpack Blues
Dawn Metropolis
Danger Mountain
Overarrow
Tempest, Teamwork, Triumph (at sea)
Mermaid

Enjoy.


RATINGS:

kurtkurtkurt: 9/10
Stuckski: 10/10

Fuck World Trade by Leftover Crack

kurtkurtkurt:

These guys are probably one of my favorite bands right now. I tend to disagree with most of their extreme politics and opposition to all religion, but damn if they don't make good music. They're a mixture of punk/ska/death metal seamlessly going through all three in some songs. Their ska Gang Control and folk ballad Soon We'll be Dead are personal highlights for me.

Stuckski:

I don't know what to make of Leftover Crack, their music is kind of all over the place. I really don't like the songs where the vocals tend almost towards screamo, but then the next song will be an awesome softer, almost folk punk track like Soon We'll be Dead. In between are some real nice punk gems. Gringos Son Puercos Feos reminds me of some of the older NOFX material, which is always a good thing. And the hidden instrumental at the end of Operation: M.O.V.E. hit me in the right spot for some reason. I'd say the second half of this album is better than the first by far.

RATINGS:

kurtkurtkurt: 9/10
Stuckski: 6/10

Specials by The Specials

kurtkurtkurt:

My love for this band goes back to when I first truly started exploring music. It wasn't until middle school when I began to be able to use the internet to find music. Since there were a multitude of programs (Napster) that allowed ease to acquiring music I began to broaden my musical (ska) horizons. While they were hardly the first Ska band I ever heard and not the band that got me into the music (Five Iron Frenzy and a multitude of other Christian Ska bands take that title) this album gained a place in my heart the more I listened to it and I learned more about the genre.

As far as albums go The Specials' Specials is one of my favorite albums of all time.

A Message To You Rudy, Little Bitch and Gangsters are a good sampling from this album.

(Note to peeps. My version is the U.S. version so it includes their song Gangsters which is not on the original UK pressing.)

Stuckski:

Well, they're pretty...special. HAHAHAHHAHA...Get it?! Super cool joke there, I'm really topping myself this time. I've already mentioned my feelings about two-tone ska on previous posts (recap: they're good feelings), and the Specials are the kings of two-tone. Love 'em, and love this album. One a side note, when I spent about one second filling in as guitarist for my friend's band The Openers (who have since reached level 16 and evolved into Use the Boost, a chip-punk extravaganza), we covered A Message for You Rudy, and that is -to date- still the only ska song I know how to play. Who was that friend who's band I was in, you ask? Why nobody else but the fan-fuckin-tastic mr Kurtkurtkurt himself!


RATINGS:

kurtkurtkurt: 10/10
Stuckski: 9/10

Anthology of Releases: 2001-2003 by Career Suicide

kurtkurtkurt:

This album is great, it's an hour long and has 44 songs on it. These guys go from blitzkrieg fast with You Call this a Life? to the more traditional 80s hardcore sounds of Moron. Definitely pit material. Get ye some!

Stuckski:

If I had to describe hardcore punk in one word, I would probably choose "Energy". Hardcore is about leaving behind all the complicated affectations we add to our music and getting down to the raw energy underneath. I've never listened to Career Suicide before, but from the first track to last, I was sucked in by the raw chaotic simplicity of their music. I can only imagine how awesome their live show is! If you don't feel like moshing and headbanging while listening to this music, you are probably seriously deficient somehow. Seriously, go get yourself checked out.

RATINGS:

kurtkurtkurt: 9/10
Stuckski: 9/10

Shootenanny! by the Eels

kurtkurtkurt:

I couldn't put my finger on it for the whole album, but the lead singer sounds like Beck on certain songs (slow Sea Change era Beck). Anyways, these guys were alright, somber as hell, but alright. I'd definitely have to be in the right mood to listen to this over and over, or want to be in the right mood, or something. I'm not normally trying to be depressed so I can't say that it'd be too often. I did, however, enjoy having a horn section on the bluesy opening track All In a Day's Work. (well I just enjoyed that track in general I guess).

Stuckski:

If you're a lonely alcoholic -as I aspire to be- then Shootenanny provides the perfect soundtrack for your daily tryst with that bottle of liquor. Gentle and melancholy, it is especially effective if you're drinking to forget...well anything. The rough vocals go down surprisingly smooth when you chase it with some gentle keyboard and a shot of rhythmic guitar. If rum is your poison of choice, then I recommend chugging it to the sounds of Love of the Loveless, which will lead you smoothly into oblivion. If you're more of a vodka person, then Agony might be for you, a harsher sound for a harsher drink. If it's whiskey you're wanting, then fuck you. Whiskey is awful.

RATINGS:

kurtkurtkurt: 6/10
Stuckski: 9/10

Until We Die by A Global Threat

kurtkurtkurt:

Good news everyone!

This album is good just like the last A Global Threat album we reviewed. Now with more songs called Filthy Greedy Guilty. This album has a little less recording quality than the previous album we reviewed, which for punk doesn't mean a thing. "Hey you're gravely yell is a little better quality in this recording. Also when you're quickly playing as many chords as you possibly can do you think you could clean it up a tad?"

Stuckski:

Hey there neighbor, still pissed about that Global Threat party I threw a coupla nights ago? Well that's too bad, because I'm crankin' it even louder tonight, and it's gonna get real! I'm gonna play an even louder album, and have even more fun. You should come over, I'll keep a fifth of vodka cool for ya. Hope to see you soon.
-Chuck the Punk


RATINGS:

kurtkurtkurt: 8/10
Stuckski: 9/10

Ok Cowboy by Vitalic

kurtkurtkurt:

Well it's electronica. I feel like I'm in a cyberpunk movie when I listen to it. It has a lot of drive to it. I guess it was nice to work too. I've also always liked distorted voices like in You are my Sun, I know that's what drew me into daft punk back in the day.

That said I'm just not too into most Electronica.

Stuckski:

I shudder to think of Kurt's reaction to this album. We both have soft spots for certain musical genres that are not shared by the other...mine is electronica, his is country. So consider this the revenge of the savage random gods for having foisted Hank Williams on me!

All right, on to the actual album. I love it. 'La Rock 01' came out the summer after my third year in high school in Belgium, and it was a huge party hit for that entire summer. Vitalic has been stuck in my mind as a creator of feel-good music ever since. This album is an energetic collection of electronica that keeps me pumped from start to finish. Vitalic keeps his instrumentation varied enough that I never get bored of any of the sounds, which is a trap many electronica musicians fall into.

RATINGS:

Stuckski: 9/10
kurtkurtkurt: 5/10

The Complete Hank Williams (Disc 1)

kurtkurtkurt:

I love Hank Williams. I love this old timey / cowboy / country.

Apparently the guy has had many women in his lifetime leave him. (Or one person a lot). Thus he writes his lovesick cowboy songs. So God Bless those women. His music just makes you want to lean back in your recliner, sitting on your porch of course, and relax. Smile big. Life’s good.

I Saw The Light Technically this is a Live version, but it's actually better than the album version.

Stuckski:

God, why does Kurtkurtkurt think it's a good idea to have about five billion albums by Hank Williams?! Well, the random gods have spoken, so I guess I shouldn't complain.

Actually, after listening I've gotta say there're a few good tracks on this disc. Some of the songs have a nice 'islandy' feel to them; what with that soft Hawaiian strumming going on in the background. I could definitely see myself listening to this while lazing in a hammock at the beach.

Still don't really like his more pure country stuff though.

Best Song: I Don't Care (if tomorrow never comes), I dare you not to imagine yourself on a Hawaiian beach after the guitars kick in about a third of the way in.

RATINGS:

Kurkurtkurt: 9/10
Stuckski: 5/10

All Killer No Filler by Sum 41

stuckski:

If you are one of the 7 or so people whom I consider my friends in this world, then there is one thing you know for certain: I love me the shit outta some Amaretto. It's easily my 4th favorite drink all time (1) for the simple reason that it's the nearest that alcohol gets to tasting like candy. It will also get you drunk as fuck pretty quick, especially if you mix it with Southern Comfort. All Killer has pretty much the same effect on my ears. Almost all the songs are catchy and easy to listen to, but are still solid enough to keep me coming back for more. And since I don't know dick about music, that is pretty much all I ask for. Too bad the rest of their albums aren't as good.

Best Song: Crazy Amanda Bunkface (and you all totally thought I'd go with Fat Lip)(1)In order the top 5 are: tea, hard cider, chocolate milk, amaretto, absynth.

kurtkurtkurt:

I think I was on my last year of middle school when this came out. Since I heard Asbestos Records was reissuing this on vinyl I acquired this baby about a week ago and finally decided to give the whole album a listen 11 years late. Lo and behold the random gods decided this was the first album we should review.The first half of this album seems to be stronger (It could also be that their singles were from the first half and I remembered them). “Never wake Up” graces us with some double time drums, and Fat Lip some Rap/Punk (which they got famous for, but it was only on this one song on the album). As of recently I can’t really get into the Blink 182 infused Pop Punk, which the latter half the album seems to resemble. So I guess the songs that have their unique sound are what stood out anyways.It’s catchy at least.

Never Wake up Personal fave of album.

RATINGS:

stuckski: 9/10
kurtkurtkurt: 6/10