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| Gaffer - Snow Falls Like Stars I really like this, but I have to listen to it in small doses. It's kind of a downer. I like June of '44 and Victory at Sea too and they make me want to do high-dives from bridges. Maybe this isn't music to necessarily enjoy, but to stimulate the synapses in your brain. They are able to create some really great moments where it goes from this rolling, interlocking guitar-and-bass part into a scream that sounds more pained than anything that Victory's got. It's heavy at parts, brooding at parts, and math-y at others...a nice reprise from one-speed ponies. |
The Ghost
- This is a Hospital Aggressive rock/punk that is at once dark, thoughtful, and tuneful. (Some Records) Give - The Dog Days of Summer EP Hard to believe, this band actually sounds like a cross between Fugazi and Soundgarden. Give like their rock with plenty of toughness, but not at the expense of the songs. This is a very strong debut from these Boston boys. |
| Gang of Four - 100 Flowers Bloom My experience with Gang of Four was rather limited prior. I had known of them as one of most political of the punk bands of the late 1970's. I had read about them. (The line that stuck out was from The Trouser Press Record Guide: "If The Clash were the urban guerillas of rock'n'roll, Leeds' Gang of Four were its revolutionary theoreticians." And I owned Mall, their second-to-last album and one I now know is not that representative of their history. This 40-song, double-album is impressive, double the count of their previous greatest hits album, Brief History of the Twentieth Century. Also impressive are the photos and liner notes, this time a history by Jon Savage (England's Dreaming), who does an excellent job of giving you a sense of both the musical and historical significance of the Gang of Four and their songs. This set also includes 7 previously unreleased recordings (demos, re-mixes, and live tracks.) The interesting thing I noticed as I made it half-way through the first album is that you feel as if you're listening to something important...;not in the sense that you should be listening to it because people say that the Gang of Four were important. No, this is "important" to the development of how one views the possibilities of music. The liner notes list a ton of bands that referred to the Gang of Four as inspirations; the greatest thing about these two stellar discs is that you are allowed to be inspired all by your lonesome self. (Rhino) |
Girls Against Boys - You Can't Fight What
You Cannot See Hey ladies!!! Good news...indie rock's leading hearthrobs return with their first full-length since the disaster that was 1997's Freakonica. If you'd written them off after that album, please come back to the fold! The guitar/keyboard/bass attack on this album is as fierce as it's been since "Disco Six Six Six" (from House of GvsB). Their verses are as wire-y as ever, the choruses BIGGER than they've ever been. And yes, you can still purr the lyrics to your lover. (Jade Tree Records) |
Gameface - Four to Go After thirteen years of touring and recording (twelve albums in total), these California boys have finally released an album with staying power. Aggressive and punchy enough to remain interesting, catchy enough to sing along to, Four to Go stradles the line between punk and poppy rock without coming off as random. Four to Go has a nice flow that makes for a great first listen, but the decision to put the vocals up in the mix allows the listener to discover the depth of the lyrics with repeated listens. Unfortunately, Gameface broke up in October 2003 for reasons unknown. RIYL: Samiam, Goo Goo Dolls, Jawbreaker (Doghouse Records) Garrison - s/t 7" A mixed bag from these tough yet sensitive guys from Boston. The bad news first: "24" sounds like ass and never should have made it out of the studio. I've rarely heard a worse drum sound. I'll cut them a little slack since I just read that these two songs are actually from a demo. The good news: these guys have promise. They show it on "you're devastated, i'm sure," an impassioned song that has some great things going on and some darn smart lyrics. They like the chugga-chugga guitars, but they also like the sappy parts and do both fairly well. I should mention that this is one of the guys from Stricken for Catherine, whose second and last CD was great. (Espo Records) |
The Goblins - Missing Fits Misfits completists take note! The story that the Goblins tell in the liner notes of this record is that are playing unrecorded Misfits songs from the tablature that was housed in The Coffin that resides at the Touch and Go warehouse. Now I won't kid you into thinking that the Goblins ARE the Misfits (vocalist Phantom Creeper is no Danzig, that's for sure), but this is a fun record full of two and three-chord punk tunes about drinking blood, murder, and horror. If only to satisfy your curiosity, you may be interested in what some serious Misfits fans can accomplish when they attempt to approximate their favorite band. (My Pal God Records) |
| Garrison
- Be a Criminal Hmmm...interesting...;a concept album about murder and the dark side of life. This Boston band shocked me with this good "concept" album about crime and all its manifestations. I had no idea they were capable of this. The music sounds like a combination of Shift, Jawbox, and Rival Schools. Tasty like brain. (Revelation Records) Gardener - New Dawning Time I don't care what their official story is, I know the truth about the recording of this album. It's not complicated really: during the long-stretch of time between Seaweed albums, singer Aaron Stauffer got together with Van Conner (apparently one of the more talented people from Screaming Trees), smoked a hell of a lot of pot around the campfire, and recorded a really great album. There are parts that verge on the psychedelic, but for the most part this is a pop album and wow, is it ever. Hooks galore...quirky at parts...female vocals at parts...Aaron harmonizing with himself...you can't go wrong with this one. Great for catching trout and roasting pigs on long poles. (Sub Pop) |
The Good Life - Black Out The Good Life began as a side project for Tim Kasher, the extremely talented guitarist and singer for Nebraska band Cursive. On this, the second album for the Good Life, Kasher welcomes his touring mates into the fold as the Good Life evolves from side project status into a full-on band. This album mixes it up a bit with the addition of various keyboards on most songs (whether they're necessary or not, only Kasher and his band mates can be certain as his songs seem to be strong enough to stand on their own). The constant from 2000's Novena On a Nocturn is Kasher's melancholy and talent for descriptions of life, love, and drinking. This isn't Kasher's best work. (That accolade goes to his singing, songwriting, and guitar playing on Cursive's Domestica, an album that everyone should have in their collection.) But the descriptions are so poignant that he deserves the acclaim we normally reserve for artists with much longer careers like Elvis Costello or Paul Westerberg. (Saddle Creek) Greg MacPherson Band - Bad Times Coming Back Again Greg MacPherson sounds like a guy you'd see in the subway station, belting out songs that sound like a mixture of Dylan, Springsteen, and the Clash. Very cool. I saw him open up for the Weakerthans and he was dynamite. (G7) |
GC5, The
- Never Bet the Devil Your Hand Gerty - Two Kisses in a Row |
Guided by
Voices - Best Of...Human Amusements at Hourly Rates If there is any band in desperate need of an album that compiled their best moments, it's Guided by Voices. Their twenty-song per album, two album per year average that they've been able to maintain the past ten years has created a discography that is difficult to navigate if you are new to the band. With their tremendous number of songs and baffling discography, coupled with a questionable editing (or lack of editing) process, GbV has been in need of this album for years. Luckily for us listeners, it's amazing!! That you can now get an idea of how great this band is without shelling out hundreds of dollars and dozens of hours is a wonderful thing. This album sheds tremendous light on just how good this band is. From their early lo-fi recordings to their recent experiments in larger studios with name producers, their songs shimmer with a brilliance cultivated by the band's love of rock and pop. Impeccable sequencing and spot-on song selection make this the best mix tape of the year., even if it's only one band's songs. (Matador) |
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