Found this at a thrift store and noticed the lack of resources online that describe this thing. It's so obscure, that I'm the first one to scrobble the album on Last.fm. It's some run of the mill late 90s alt rock with a poppy edge to it, with a vocalist that sounds exactly like every vocalist of late 90s rock/punk bands. It's nothing spectacular or interesting, but it isn't bad. Though, it does sound all the same.

Very solid indie rock, with a post-punky energy that leans between the standard side and the revival side. Albeit predictable and run-of-the-mill at times, the vocals and the guitarwork are great, and the guitar effects they use creates a laid-back, new wave-esque atmosphere. The guitars are also jangle-y, and remind me of The Smiths in some ways. The drumming is solid too, as Arthur can either put an emphasis on energy, or compliment the slower, laid-back tracks.

Among the tracklist, ... read more

Tron were a band that formed shortly after the break up of honeydip, a Japanese shoegaze band in 2003. Some of the members formed Tron, and 2 years after releasing their danceable debut album, 'Big Wednesday 80s', Tron were back with an even groovier and more risk taking album, which is unfortunately their last. Out of all the dance-punk oriented efforts that came out of the mid to late 2000s, I think Tron made some of the best stuff in the scene. I have yet to hear anything similar ... read more

BOOM BOOM SATELLITES were a Japanese duo that were popular for their Big Beat work in the late 90s, and after 5 albums that dabbled in nu-jazz, big beat, or alt rock, I think 'Exposed' is where they finally figured themselves out. Their previous album, 'On', walked so 'Exposed' could run. It's a chaotic album that's in your face, with explosive choruses, punchy, danceable drums, distorted industrial guitars, and blaring synths. While alt-dance and new ... read more

This self titled EP is where Imagine Dragons got their actual start after their "non-canon" piano rock EP, and it's also their peak. The sound they developed consists of synthesizer driven dance rock (new rave) and catchy post-punk revival that definitely did not age well. That’s not a problem to me however, as I adore music from this time period. They took heavy inspiration from The Killers, and most of that can be attributed to the band’s music engineer, Robert ... read more

If 'Dance-gaze' were a genre, this album would exemplify it. This combination of alternative dance and shoegaze has been done before, a good example of that would be Chapterhouses' 'Blood Music', but Soundpool take a dreamier, better produced approach to the fusion. Usually, albums that fuse these two sounds lean more into one sound than the other. 'Mirrors In Your Eyes' sets a balance between the two, and I think they perfected the fusion on the album. ... read more

85 is definitely a high score for a JT project, but there's tons of reasons why I think this album's up there. There's this art poppy approach to most of the tracks here that really make it stand out from pop music at the time, and with the fantastic, soothing production from Timbaland; it makes the album submersive, with funky, catchy hooks, and often times the album goes for slower, more laidback direction. Without a doubt, these songs have aged very well. The hints of soul and ... read more

This band sure did love releasing 7" singles. The band's most popular single, 'Nine', was featured in Burnout Dominator's soundtrack, which explains the popularity. While 'Nine' isn't their best effort, it's a fun track with sass,
unintelligible vocals, a mathy song structure, and a danceable rhythm. Lyrically, it's weak, with Tom repeating "Lost, lost, lost, in a sea of conjecture!" for THIRTEEN lines, but the choruses and verses ... read more

There are hidden gems everywhere. Some you look deep into Bandcamp or Discogs, or you immediately find one with Bandcamp's 'New Arrivals' page. L Prospekt's self titled debut album is one of those hidden gems, an album full of danceable grooves, hooky treble-y guitars and great Russian vocals. It's some pretty safe post-punk revival that's of it's time with some electronic experimentation here and there, but sometimes less is more. Tracks like ... read more

The Koxx, a South Korean post-punk revival band, make their debut with 'Access OK', an album that's full of energy, catchy hooks, danceable drums, ear candy synths, and fantastic vocals from frontman Hyunsong. I never came across a boring or dull moment through the entire 48 minutes on the record, it's very engaging and loads of fun. It's also very consistent, which can make the record repetitive at times, though they do throw different elements into their sound without ... read more

This 7" has two of Forward, Russia!'s best tracks, 'Breaking Standing' has Tom's best vocals and songwriting, while 'Reflection Symmetry' is the perfect combination of their post-hardcore sound developed on their sophomore album, 'Life Processes', and the dance-punk sound on their debut, 'Give Me A Wall'. Both songs showcase the best of this band's talent and potential, they're addictive, energetic, and explosive. They ... read more

Fresh Hex is essentially a less hornier version of The Dare. This EP consists of solid and safe electroclash you can't really go wrong with. 'ready?' and 'merci' are the best and most original sounding tracks on here, but the others aren't very worthwhile.

Flawless re-recordings of some of their greatest songs, with most songs being improved upon compared to their album versions. Beautifully produced and mixed, these London Sessions make songs that I thought were already perfect, even better! Some of the best of Murphy's vocals are on here, and the mix really helps with putting an emphasis on them. They couldn't have done it any better.

'Nevertake' is Anberlin's first re-recording of their sophomore album, "Never Take Friendship Personal". Some re-recordings are fantastic; they polish the rough edges of the original recordings, and breathe new life into the album. Some re-recordings are pointless. If anything, they'd make you want to listen to the original recordings of the album. Unfortunately, 'Nevertake' is one of those albums.

What kills it for me is that Matty Mullins is ... read more

Some really good B-sides and remixes that didn't make it onto the album. If you liked Raise The Alarm, you'll definitely like this compilation. The standouts from here involve 'What You Like', which is probably my new favorite song from them. It's energetic, manic, and danceable in all the right ways. I've got no clue how it never made it onto their debut. 'Out Of Control', is another great B-side, it has that energetic and danceable sound similar to ... read more

The late 2010s were a weird time for rock bands. Groups like Fall Out Boy, Linkin Park, Thirty Seconds to Mars, and others would try to combine synths and electronics with their sound to make it modern and accessible to the masses. In practice, it seemed like a good idea, until you heard what failures they presented. T3B was also part of this trend, and they succeeded in some spots, such as the explosive 'Screamer' and 'The Kids Are Coming', but the rest of this album is ... read more

Never thought I'd see the day where I'd hear a fusion of jazz-rock and new rave, but here we are! These folks from the Windmill scene made both genres work very well together which makes for this energetic, danceable, and irresistible sound. Almost reminds me of Shitdisco with their manic vocals.

While I do respect the batshit insane nature of this album, this is just way too overstimulating. The choruses are blanketed in noise and repetitiveness, using the same abrasive sub-heavy formula on most of the tracks. It gets to a point where it becomes sloppy, and hard to concentrate on any of the rhythms with Jane's autotuned voice sounding slightly off-beat and out of place. That formula works better if used in small doses (albeit not by much), but instead the album opts to go all in ... read more

Surprised this is rated so low. 'Stunt Queen's sound consists of the rockiness from Four, and a light dosage of electronics from HYNMS. It's a pretty safe and catchy song, and they make it work pretty well, especially with that tambourine! The lyricism isn't that bad for a modern-ish Bloc Party song, and the vocals are pretty decent, but you can kinda start to hear that Alpha Games voice in him. At least the vocals here aren't as bad as they are on Alpha Games.

Even though Studio's ‘West Coast’ was released in 2006, it still sounds clean and fresh today. These two art-school graduates lived in the southwestern portion of Sweden next to the coast, and I think they wanted to recapture the feeling of being on Sweden's west coast through song. They fused what’s old and modern together, which in itself makes the record feel ahead of it’s time. There’s a lot to love about this album. Each track gives a coastal, airy ... read more