Rocket From The Crypt / The Get Up Kids Split 7 Inch Vagrant By: Eric G. Ten years on and Rocket From The Crypt can still pull off its punkish blend of R&B and fifties rock and roll without sounding like it’s too far passed its expiration date. I doubt the same will be said […]

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Barcelona Zero-One-Infinity March By: Eric G. Nerds make the best synth-pop, I guess, because they know how to twiddle all the right knobs, and Washington DC's Barcelona revels in its own brand of nostalgic nerdiness on its second album, Zero-One-Infinity. Sonically, it's a step forward from the band's debut, Simon Basic, but the songwriting isn't […]

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The Softies Holiday In Rhode Island K By: Brooke McDermott Listening to The Softies is like sneaking into your big sister’s bedroom with a hairpin in hand ready to pick the lock of her diary. Hoping to find the secrets of her perfect life, you stumble upon a whirlwind of broken hearts, ghosts, advice, and […]

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Orbiter Mini LP Loveless By: Eric G. Orbiter is a Seattle-based duo dabbling in a trip-hop/electronic pop fusion that wouldn’t be out of place on your local adult contemporary radio station. I probably don’t need to tell you that that is not a compliment. There’s nothing edgy or risky about this 7-song EP. The bio […]

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Q And Not U No Kill No Beep Beep Dischord By: Eric G. Other than the infrequent Fugazi album, Dischord releases have not really been cause for celebration in recent years. Q And Not U categorically ends the bad streak, however. This is the best non-Fugazi Dischord release since Hoover's The Lurid Traversal Of Route […]

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Chuck Directed By Miguel Arteta Artisan By: Eric G. Buck is hapless. At twenty-seven he still lives with his mother who's been sick for years. She sits in a lazyboy and hacks up her guts while watching daytime talk shows. Buck's room is frozen in time- like that of a child who died at a […]

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French Kicks Young Lawyer Startime By: Eric G. This transplanted New York City quartet has its feet planted in diverging musical styles that culminate in a relatively catchy mix of grating punk, trashy glam rock, and British invasion harmonies. Admittedly, the French Kicks are not very original on the surface. How many glam rock rehashes […]

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