September 2013 Musical Review

[hellboy]

I never did an August review, since I only had a handful of records to cover, so I thought I'd bundle them together. Then on top of that What.cd is having a bunch of staff picks that I'll be grabbing, so I thought I'd get Sept out the way a couple of days early (and before I have another dozen albums to listen too).

Without further ado:

Girls Against Boys - The Ghost List (EP)
I was a big fan of these guys back in the day, and even got a chance to see them live. I hadn't heard anything about them for years, and then discovered they have reunited for a bunch of shows (not Oz so far however) and an EP. The EP was pretty good, almost like they'd never left. Not sure what the future holds for these guys but the EP is worth a listen. 7/10

A Perfect CIrcle - Mer De Noms (Demo)
Not much needs to be said about this - it's much the same as the original but with a few minor differences. Army is a cool track that I hadn't heard before. I'm not really going to give this a score, but the original I'd give a 9/10

Artic Monkeys - AM
A workmate insisted I check this out. It wasn't as bad as I anticipated, nor does this really do much for me. 6/10

Buffalo - Volcanic Rock
Don't really remember why I downloaded this. It's retro styled rock, and it's done reasonably well, nor is it particularly compelling. 6/10

Daughters - Daughters
Not sure how to describe this band. Kinda post-punk math-rock type stuff. Thought I'd check out this album as they are touring early next year. WIll definitely see them. 8/10

Deltron 3030 - Event II
Been a long time coming, and personally I wasn't disappointed. I think it's actually a more consistent album than the first, however doesn't hit the same highs. 8/10

Doomriders - Grand Blood
Need to listen to this a little more, but first impressions are excellent. At least a 7/10 for now

Fuzz - Fuzz
Don't really know much about this band, but certainly one of the more surprisingly good albums I've heard this year. Strong contender to make my top 10 of 2013. 9/10

Kadavar - Abra Kadavar
Wanted to check this band out since they are touring later this year. They are some stoner rock from Europe. Didn't do much for me, though a couple of tracks were decent. 6/10

Melt Banana - Fetch
The Tool support act that everyone loves to hate. This band is much better than most give them credit for, but this album was a little all over the place. Great in parts, bland in others. 6/10

Melvins - Tres Cabrones
Best Melvins album since A Senile Animal. 8/10

Nirvana - In Utero (20th Anniversary Edition)
The best Nirvana album, and a great reissue. It'll surprise no one when I say I prefer Albini's mixes. 10/10

Pearl Jam - Lightning Bolt
Pearl Jam put out another by-the-numbers record. They still have the ability to write songs I enjoy these days, but it seems that most of their albums seem to be at least 50% filler. 6/10

Pixies - EP1
Unusual EP, and seems to be a little divisive amongst fans. Half of it is quite good I thought, the other half missed the mark a little. 7/10

Placebo - Loud Like Love
Surprising not terrible. A long way from their best though. 6/10

Protest The Hero - Violition
Not sure where I set with this album. Musically I was pretty impressed - the band are tight and talented. Vocals go from good to terrible and I expect will be a barrier for many who might otherwise enjoy them. 7/10

Red Fang - Whales And Leeches
Another good album from these guys. Can't help but feel they can do better though. 7/10

Russian Circles - Memorial
Finally a post-rock instrumental album that doesn't put me to sleep. 8/10

Sasquatch - IV
Stoner rock from LA. Solid but nothing special either. 6/10

Sepultura - The Mediator Between Head And Hands Must Be The Heart
Title taken from the Fiona Apple book of retardedness. Album is decent though, and yet another example of Sepultura turning out better work than Max Cavalera. 8/10

Skeletonwitch - Serpents Unleashed
Cool album title, bland album. Will most likely be deleted from my collection soon enough. 4/10

Sleigh Bells - BItter Rivals
Haven't really listened to this much, as it's the kind of music I need to be in the right mood for. Early impression is that it's not their greatest work. 6/10

Swans - Young God
Felt like I needed to listen to more of their work. I probably should have picked something else. 5/10

The Julie Ruin - Run Fast
Interesting retro-poppy album from Bikini Kill's Kathleen Hanna and her buddies. 7/10

Tumbleweed - Sounds From The Other Side
Was a little disappointed at first, but it grew on me over repeated listens. One of the pioneers of Aussie stoner rock. 7/10

Wooden Shjips - Back To Land
West was one of my favorite albums of last year, but I was pretty disappointed with this. 4/10

King Crimson - Beat
The version I downloaded was very poorly encoded. No score.

Andrew Mason - Hardly Workin'
Steve Albimi said this was good in a recent interview so I checked it out. Not sure if he was taking the piss or not, but I probably need to listen again before rendering final judgement. 5/10

The Breeders - Pod
Downloaded in preperation for ATP. I prefer this over Last Splash, but the band in general doesn't hugely excite me. 6/10

[MOG]

You forgot Pelican's new album, Forever Becoming, which is fucking excellent. You also missed Jesu, Rosetta, Ulcerate, Ulver and Ellende.

[hellboy]

Thanks, I'll download the Pelican album and look into Ulver and Ellende. Jesu and Ulcerate are boring. Not sure why I missed Rosetta, but I'm guessing I reviewed them in the last month.

[The Boss]

Look out for LAUREL HALO's "CHANCE OF RAIN", released today. It came out on Hyperdub, home of BURIAL, so that's what you can expect.

[petemasterpete]

new deltron is alright and I liked it more off the bat than I do on repeated listens ... I feel some of the guitar part additions are unnecessary and missed the mark, and considering the original is a top 5-10 hip hop album ever for me, this was hardly ever going to reach that level

Tres Cabrones is solid ... nothing bad to say.

Russian Circles is quite good, but I stand by the fact that it's too fucking short ... If it was a new EP, OK, but it's a full LP, and as such leaves a bit to be desired.

Red Fang is good and they've expanded on their repitoire, but I agree they could probably do a little more ... solid listen but hardly going to be in regular rotation.

In Utero re-issue is solid and I agree with all of your sentiments ... although, there's nothing there that I don't already have.

No interest in Pearl Jam this time around ... quite middle of the road, underwhelming record, again.

Although I do like Jesu, it tends to be monotonous in nature ... new one is no different and no where near as good as Ascension or Conqueror

Kadavar blows and they spell their name with a "K"

Really haven't cared for any Sepultura releases for a loooong time, so even hough you scored it well, I'll probably give it a pass.

Will likely check out Fuzz on your recommendation, yet to listen to new Pelican (although I've not listened to them much at all since "the fire in our throats", and even that sparingly these days).

[N.Y.H.C.]

new deltron is alright and I liked it more off the bat than I do on repeated listens ... I feel some of the guitar part additions are unnecessary and missed the mark, and considering the original is a top 5-10 hip hop album ever for me, this was hardly ever going to reach that level

Tres Cabrones is solid ... nothing bad to say.

Russian Circles is quite good, but I stand by the fact that it's too fucking short ... If it was a new EP, OK, but it's a full LP, and as such leaves a bit to be desired.

Red Fang is good and they've expanded on their repitoire, but I agree they could probably do a little more ... solid listen but hardly going to be in regular rotation.

In Utero re-issue is solid and I agree with all of your sentiments ... although, there's nothing there that I don't already have.

No interest in Pearl Jam this time around ... quite middle of the road, underwhelming record, again.

Although I do like Jesu, it tends to be monotonous in nature ... new one is no different and no where near as good as Ascension or Conqueror

Kadavar blows and they spell their name with a "K"

Really haven't cared for any Sepultura releases for a loooong time, so even hough you scored it well, I'll probably give it a pass.

Will likely check out Fuzz on your recommendation, yet to listen to new Pelican (although I've not listened to them much at all since "the fire in our throats", and even that sparingly these days).

amen on your assessment of the new Deltron. kinda hard when you set the bar that high...

how bout some Virt with Del? LOVE this track.

[BBvideo 560,340][/BBvideo]

[petemasterpete]

finally just listened to the deafheaven record (sunbather) ... THIS IS NOT A BAD RECORD AT ALL

[UndKeineZwEier]

finally just listened to the deafheaven record (sunbather) ... THIS IS NOT A BAD RECORD AT ALL

Album of the year IMO

[hellboy]

I wouldn't say it's album of the year, but I enjoy it.

[The Boss]

Just hitting the first track on the album for the first time. Can I expect to have a good idea of the band based on this track?

Not bad so far, but not anything amazing.

[The Boss]

Well, that sucked.

[petemasterpete]

Well, that sucked.

did you listen to the whole thing or just the first scream-y track

[The Boss]

First track. Hence my earlier comment on whether or not that could be used to judge the rest of the album by.

[petemasterpete]

First track. Hence my earlier comment on whether or not that could be used to judge the rest of the album by.

to answer then, no, not at all

[petemasterpete]

new deltron is alright and I liked it more off the bat than I do on repeated listens ... I feel some of the guitar part additions are unnecessary and missed the mark, and considering the original is a top 5-10 hip hop album ever for me, this was hardly ever going to reach that level

Tres Cabrones is solid ... nothing bad to say.

Russian Circles is quite good, but I stand by the fact that it's too fucking short ... If it was a new EP, OK, but it's a full LP, and as such leaves a bit to be desired.

Red Fang is good and they've expanded on their repitoire, but I agree they could probably do a little more ... solid listen but hardly going to be in regular rotation.

In Utero re-issue is solid and I agree with all of your sentiments ... although, there's nothing there that I don't already have.

No interest in Pearl Jam this time around ... quite middle of the road, underwhelming record, again.

Although I do like Jesu, it tends to be monotonous in nature ... new one is no different and no where near as good as Ascension or Conqueror

Kadavar blows and they spell their name with a "K"

Really haven't cared for any Sepultura releases for a loooong time, so even hough you scored it well, I'll probably give it a pass.

Will likely check out Fuzz on your recommendation, yet to listen to new Pelican (although I've not listened to them much at all since "the fire in our throats", and even that sparingly these days).

EDIT: Pelican record is solid ... nothing to write home about, but a quality effort with some really nice low end parts

[The Boss]

First track. Hence my earlier comment on whether or not that could be used to judge the rest of the album by.

to answer then, no, not at all

Ah.

Not sure if I'm willing to give the whole album a chance after that, though.