Originally published in Punk Planet September/October 2006 The Jesus Lizard’s third full-length, released some 14 years ago, simply is without rival. A pummeling, explosive record, it’s one of those rare discs that connects those who’ve discovered it. We all remember the blood-curdling thrill of being ripped out of our seats by the jackhammer rumble of the album-opening [...]

Originally published in Punk Planet September/October 2006 Bizarre, bizarre, bizarre. Chamber music constructed around D&D’s eight schools of magic may not seem like an ideal premise for a record but Owen Pallett pulls it off and he does it with astonishing grace and seeming ease. Channeling Van Dyke Parks as readily as Stephen Prina or Xiu Xiu, Pallett [...]

Originally published in Punk Planet September/October 2006 The Chicago-area collective/Tim Kinsella pseudo-solo experiment offers up 10 tracks of textured folk ballads, knotted full-band fare and laid-back, jangly post-something vaguely in line with June of 44’s Anahata. The group’s press material and its label’s website go out of their way to stress the record, all 36 minutes of [...]

Originally published in Punk Planet September/October 2006 Yes, the sophomore effort from this one-man studio project quickly defines itself with an enveloping succession of fragile, synth-driven pop soundscapes. But it’s not until the sixth of the disc’s 14 tracks — the intoxicating “The Last Noise” — that it starts pacing down roads toward a higher plateau. Just [...]

Originally published in Punk Planet September/October 2006 Numbers steals the show on this rumbling little two-song battle of the bands, where the weapons of choice appear to be tinny dance rhythms, shrieked vocals, electronic beeps and Moog whirring. Pro: Numbers’ temper-tantrum “Nothing matters/ but what I want” refrains. Con: The shrill close to Adult.’s “Monologue,” which [...]

Originally published in Punk Planet September/October 2006 Boilerplate pop-punk from a trio that hits the right poses but sometimes ambles half-hearted through the proceedings. Tracks occasionally hint at a bluesy undercurrent or hidden wells of melancholy but most the 11-song outing is safe with a capital S, circling around fuzzy guitars and the usual head-bopping refrains. [...]

Originally published in Punk Planet September/October 2006 The Knoxville quintet follows up 2002’s All Things Small Produce A Spark with a handful of studio-nurtured ditties that pop-pop-pop! In case your mood’s not elevated instantly by perky guitars or Ben Folds Five-style vocal melodies, the group throws in sleigh bells and hand-claps for good measure. Elsewhere, faux-80s chart-rock (“Sea [...]

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