band, album: PJ Bond, You Didn't Know I Was Alphabetical
label: Black Numbers
for fans of: Wilco, Ninja Gun, Bright Eyes

cd review: Genius is a hard thing to measure. I'm pretty sure I'm no genius and if the old saying, "it takes one to know one" is true I'd say PJ Bond aint a genius either. Instead, Bond is just a guy who has done the punk thing, then the indie thing, and has now moved onto the neo-folk/alt country thing. Read more ....

band, album: Failures' Union, In What Way
label: Paper + Plastic
for fans of: Lemonheads, Gin Blossoms, Goo Goo Dolls

cd review: A few years ago I was at a Dark Romantics / Look Mexico show in Tallahassee. The venue was a tiny hole-in-the-wall that, on a good day, might hold 200 skinny people. However, on this particular night, it was dead: just me, a few friends, and a few strangers. Read more ....

band, album: Flogging Molly, Live At The Greek Theatre CD/DVD
label: SideOneDummy
for fans of: Irish fiddle punk, Dropkick Murphys, The Pogues

cd review: All generic and cliche praise aside, Live At The Greek Theatre showcases this legendary band at their best as they play songs from all of their albums spanning a 90 minute set. The sound quality is good. The performance is probably among their best, featuring warm crowd interaction and astute musicianship. And the videography is great. Read more ....

band, album: The Neptones, Planet Of Surf
label: Deep Eddy
for fans of: surf instrumentals, Dick Dale, Route 66 Killers

cd review: Planet Of Surf is the quintessential fun surf CD. It conjures up images of everything from beach parties to car commercials to 60's surf-sploitation films. The heavy tremolo and pronounced reverb give the album that traditional surf sound and the steady flowing tempos add that bop and groove that everyone loves. The band also adds some well-placed keyboards and synthesizer effects which helps distinguish spookier the songs, particularly the title track. Read more ....

band, album: Overnight Lows, City Of Rotten Eyes
label: Goner
for fans of: The Queers, The Germs, Circle Jerks

cd review: They've turned sucking into an art form. Overnight Lows makes the kind of music most people don't get. Your mom wont get it, neither will your 'cool' uncle - don't be fooled by that pony tail. But if your friends don't get it you need new friends. The concepts of clean chord changes, singing on key, and writing meaningful lyrics are completely foreign to this band, and they rock because of it. Read more ....

band, album: Paper The Operator, Goodbye God
label: Viper Bite
for fans of: Death Cab For Cutie, Child Bite, Prizzy Prizzy Please

cd review: It sounds like Paper The Operator is pushing for a spot on the Joyful Noise roster. On Goodbye God the band takes a crack at the arbitrary and moody sound exemplified by many Indiana bands - I love that sound. It's not that they miss the mark; actually they come quite close to a bull's eye, but they could be more angular and aggressive. Read more ....

band, album: Remain Opposed, Time Waits For No One
label: Pee
for fans of: Ignite, Strung Out, Comeback Kid

cd review: This Australian quartet has a lot of punk rock virtue that could be mistaken for lots of novice mistakes. By that I mean, in true punk fashion, they throw care to the wind and lay their music out with rapid fire aggression giving little thought to staying on key or keeping perfect time. It's not an insult, an entire genre and several generations are built on this foundation. Read more ....

band, album: Rooms, Self-Titled
label: self-released
for fans of: Sounds Like Violence, Television, At The Drive In

cd review: So good it's almost hard to write a review for it, Rooms' s/t reminds me of a less aggressive Sounds Like Violence or early History Invades. These nine songs are intricate, moody, dark, and poppy, showing the band is aware of new wave, but, thanks to their suave modernity, don't exactly fit into the genre. Read more ....

band, album: Snack Truck, Spacial Findings 1-7
label: Rorschach
for fans of: Stationary Odyssey, Irepress, Scale The Summit

cd review: Birthed in Richmond, VA right around the time I was living there, I'm sorry I never got to see Snack Truck on their home turf. From what I hear (both from witnesses and from the CD) these fellas put on a must see show. Using two drummers, a guitar, keyboard, and some random sounds (but no vocals) Snack Truck is a noisy creature and Spacial Findings 1-7 does a great job of showing it. Read more ....

band, album: George Tomsco of the Fireballs, Harlee Guitar
label: Deep Eddy
for fans of: real surf, The Eliminators, The Ventures

cd review: Surf guitar, in my opinion, is the most all around enjoyable style of music out there. It doesn't matter if you're playing or listening, the tremolo and reverb coupled with those cool D to G string jumps are simultaneously relaxing and exhilarating. Read more ....

band, album: Worn In Red, In The Offing
label: No Idea
for fans of: The Esoteric, Planes Mistaken For Stars

cd review: Yet another VA band makes the list. Worn In Red hails from my old haunt, Charlottesville. The press sheet and various blogs pin them down with a comparison to Planes Mistaken For Stars, but I'm totally hearing the Esoteric's With The Sureness Of Sleepwalking all over this album. Read more ....