1986 - NIHILISM IS NOTHING TO WORRY ABOUT (Palentine Records)
I made the mistake of listening to this CD to and from the dentist’s office. And even though listening to it is a constant reminder of my pain, I still fucking love it. I don’t care that I probably looked like I was stricken with Down syndrome as I hummed the songs with a mouth still numb from novocaine; but perhaps I’ve said too much. Anyway, enjoy the soothing indie rock sounds of 1986, and take solace in the fact that your face won’t contort retardedly as mine did when you sing along.
ADAM GREEN - JACKET FULL OF DANGER (Rough Trade Records)
When someone looks like the lost member of The Strokes and draws a strong vocal and musical influence from Frank Sinatra, you know they’re going to fall under the \"shit you never heard before\" category in your music collection. However, what really sets Adam Green apart are his lyrics, which range from cryptic to comical. Basically, if Old Blue Eyes sang about whores, crack, and hairy women while letting Bob Dylan write the music, it might sound like Adam Green. Or The Go-Go\'s. I haven’t decided yet.
ARI SHINE - AGE/OCCUPATION (Meticulous Records)
Everybody seems to think this guy sounds like a young Elvis Costello, hence I feel obligated to do the same. But screw it. I’m gonna compare Ari Shine to Lazer Tag, because both are really cool.
BI-LEVEL - THE SONGBIRD (Amp Records)
Any band who incorporates \"see you later, alligator\" into their lyrics can’t be all bad. Bi-Level falls into this category.
INKWELL - THESE STARS ARE MONSTERS (One Eleven Records)
Kudos to Inkwell for their original song titles (\"Just Take The Monkey & Leave\", \"Jazzercise In A Tie\"). Even more kudos for actually having great music to back it up. You just don’t see those double-threat bands often nowadays.
NEAR MISS - TESTING THE ENDS OF WHAT THEY\'LL PUT UP WITH (Takeover Records)
You might say this band has one of the most applicable names ever conceived. (Sorry, that’s probably a little harsh.) Although, the bulk of this album is loaded with cookie-cutter emo tunes, it is salvaged when the band shifts to its fast-paced punk sound, especially in \"Serious Mess\". This album isn’t great, but it does serve as the perfect soundtrack when you’re trying to come up with a witty sentence to end a CD review.
THE SPORES – IMAGINE THE FUTURE (SideCho Records)
The Pro Tools-obsessed Spores bring an electronic sound to their full-length debut somewhat reminiscent of Björk or Garbage. If you’re looking for something a little more on the odd side, the band also has a live show that puts puppets center stage instead of the artists themselves. Even with the many catchy tracks on this album, The Spores-- like Gwar-- must be seen as well as heard.
VARIOUS ARTISTS - GO CAT GO! A TRIBUTE TO THE STRAY CATS (HairBall8 Records)
You can’t say much about this album that wouldn’t be said about any other tribute album. Casual Stray Cats fans will probably enjoy new interpretations of familiar songs. Hardcore fans may hate this album for screwing with music that was fine the way it was. I just can’t decide if it was a good or bad thing that none of these bands had the balls to cover \"Rock This Town\".
VARIOUS ARTISTS - HOPELESSLY DEVOTED TO YOU: VOLUME 6 (Hopeless/Sub City Records)
The sixth volume of Hopelessly Devoted To You does an almost perfect job of separating genres on its latest two-CD set. Disc one contains almost all emo and screamo bands, while disc two is loaded mostly with punk and ska. (My advice: stick to disc two.) Also included is a DVD that practically runs through the entire history of the label with over twenty music videos. At the end of the day, this compilation is like a Family Ties rerun. It may not be everything you ever wanted, but it’s good enough to keep you from moving your lazy ass to change the channel.
VARIOUS ARTISTS - UNSOUND (Epitaph Records)
Wondering what happened to Epitaph’s Punk-O-Rama series? Well, I’ll tell you anyway. Punk-O-Rama has been retired and replaced with Unsound. It’s basically the label’s way to showcase a broader range of artists, including genres from screamo to hip-hop, while still sticking with some punk mainstays like Pennywise and Bad Religion. My initial instinct was that this change would be even more disastrous than the removal of the outdoor playgrounds from McDonald’s. Luckily, I was wrong. Unsound has some great songs, and it’s still as inexpensive as Epitaph’s previous compilations. Now if you’ll excuse me, I’m gonna rock out to this album and remember a time when I could push little bastards out of Hamburglar\'s jail.