ROCKIST	HOME | REVIEWS | INTERVIEWS | BANDS ON TOUR | LINKS
BEST OF THE NEW BEST OF 2003 BEST OF 2002 BEST OF 2001	A B C D E F G H I J K L M N O P Q R S T U V W X Y Z
Waifle - The Music Stops, The Man Dies Waifle took the name of the album from the answer to a riddle: a tight-rope walker fell to his death when the music that cued his act suddenly stopped. The title serves as a metaphor for the young hardcore bands that take their cue from others and not from themselves. The opening track elaborates on this idea by expressing the band's feeling that hardcore and the niche marketing of 'emo' music has become just a mirror of the industry it should be rebelling against, mainstream culture. "We have lost our sight...our vision...we buy and sell...we are trendy as fuck...Waifle exists for the purposes of passion and love for music, the independent scene, and what once existed between....Hardcore must once again be about pouring your heart into every facet of life." With that passionate plea, Waifle launches its Native Nod in a metally HC tornado. "You burned a hole by losing face." Lots of emotion on display here, mostly the angry kind and I love it. Very creative, intelligent, and powerful words with scream-y vocals and both melodic and harsh guitar barrages that only further display the dedication to progress this band exemplifies. (Magic Bullet Record Company)
Waifle - (breakfast violence) 7" Now I feel bad about not being able to help these guys out with a show last summer. The music is loud, if the sentiments and social justice this band supports would probably label them pinkies. Mostly screamed vocals over metal-y HC with a dash of wiry guitars. The price you pay will be returned tenfold in the enjoyment you get out of the booklet, a companion to the songs you get with the 7". (The Magic Bullet Record Co.) Washdown - s/t EP Criminally overlooked and poorly publicized, these five songs rank among the strongest debuts I've heard in a while. Coming out of the gates like a potent mixture of the MC5, these Tampa boys represent just about everything I like about rock -clever lyrics, catchy hooks and backup vocals, and a great live show. The best band you didn't hear in 2002. (Lookout!)
Wheat - Hope and Adams Clean sounding guitars, a calming voice, catchy beats, and melancholy lyrics...and I like it? Like a less bouncy Sea and Cake or a happier Red House Painters. Modest-sounding at times and majestic at others. "Don't I Hold You" could well be one of the most romantic songs since that song from Titanic. It should be danced to all the cooler proms this spring. This is a stunningly well produced album and is well-worthy of any accolades it has received thus far. (Sugar Free Records)
White Hassle - Life is Still Sweet Say the band name Railroad Jerk and you usually see people lurch and quiver in an inexplicable manner as they grimace the words "the Matador band." I never really saw the appeal of that band or met anyone that could attempt to describe it to me. And White Hassle is the singer and drummer of that band? You're kidding me. It's well evident that they went through some kind of musical rehabilitation before cutting this EP, because this is some of the best pop I've heard from the city of New York in a long time. How long? It's been 20 minutes and I'm still trying to remember a New York pop band that changed my world. The stunner is the first track, "Watertank" which could easily be an outtake from Billy Bragg and Wilco's Woodie Guthrie sessions, but for the fact that its a bit catchier and more memorable than most of those tunes (as much as I love them). You may also detect a bit of Violent Femmes in there too (singer/harmonica/guitar player Marcellus Hall is from Minnesota if that explains anything - what the hell else was he going to be into?). I love the combination of the harmonica and the turntables. That's worth finding this EP alone, but the track that follows it is a great one as well. It's a song about how there's all this conflict surrounding us, but the life's rewards are just as apparent. "Just forget what I said last week, Life is still sweet" You got your Beatles cover ("Let It Be") complete with scratching, harmonica, and prairie-dog tempo. And two B-sides, including a quiet ditty, and an instrumental tune built around a harmonica solo. (Orange Recordings)
Wolfie - awful mess mystery This is not your father's pop and roll. That is, unless your dad is one of the Bay City Rollers. I had liked their 7" on Grand Theft Autumn so when their fellow Illini and pals Sarge came around, I decided to pick up the disc. I'm certainly not disappointed. This is light and happy-go-lucky, with a dash of nostalgia for the golden minutes of synth-pop thrown in for good measure. Go Sailor and Tullycraft fans take note: this could be your next favorite band. (Mud)
MORE REVIEWS . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .