January Purchases Overview

This is another section that I think I will be including on a regular (monthly) basis. Here I'll basically go over the album's I've purchased and give a few lines on each. These won't be reviews, just simple short opinions.

Guff - Symphony of Voices: I don't find myself listening to straight-up pop-punk that much anymore, but there are always exceptions. I had never listened to any other Guff albums before Symphony of Voices so I didn't have much to compare it to, other than to say that these guys are a nice balance between early 90s pop-punk and the changes the genre has undergone in the 2000s.

Fake Problems - How far Our Bodies Go: I really can't believe that I missed out on this wonderfully gruff folk-punk back in mid-2007. Not much more to say than that this was a great investment.

Chuck Ragan - Feast or Famine: Yet another great album that I somehow managed to miss out on last year. At this point I'm going to conclude that Hot Water Music's breakup was one of the greatest breakups of all time. First three of the members went on to make The Draft in 2006, and now the fourth member makes a great solo project. Times are good.

Mad Dog Cole - Ultra Violence: Well, it took 2 months to arrive, but I finally received my copy in early January. Probably my favourite streight-up old school Psychobilly album of 2007.

Okkervil River: Black Sheep Boy (definitive version) - Rather than pick up the band's critically acclaimed 2007 album, Stage Names, I figured that I should introduce myself to the band through their previous efforts. Now I really can't wait to get Stage Names.

The Death Riders: Soundtrack for Depression - Something I've been meaning to get for a long time, and when I saw it for $9.99 I think someone was telling me it was about time.

Dusty Rhodes and the River Band: Self Titled - I'm still partially undescided about how much I really enjoy this album. On the one hand it has a great country/folky flare; but on the other, the lead singer's voice feel's mismatched for the genre. Fortunately they have another vocalist who also gets some time in the spotlight and more or less saves the album.

Look Mexico: This is Animal Music - I'm also a little up in the air about this album. Instrumentally the guitaring kind of reminds me of Minus the Bear, but again, the vocals leave me a little amiss. But in this case I'm not really sure what it is... I enjoy the songs individually but consistently get bored of the album..

Crime in Stereo: Is Dead - I had never given this band any attention in the past because of their incredibly generic sound. But then in 2007 they teamed up with the producer from the previous Brand New album, and created this experimental masterpiece.

Andre Jackson Jihad: People Who can Eat People are the Luckiest People - I reviewed this for my University's newspaper last week, couldn't say enough good things about the band's interesting take on folk-punk and their comical yet political lyrics.

Rentokill: Antichorus - This band is almost a little too gruff for me (you wouldn't know it from their lead single though), but not quite. I haven't listened to it that much actually, but I think it's something I'll be revisiting frequently in the near future.