 TIM
BARRY - 40 Miler (Chunksaah)
All killer and no filler: That's how Chris Mattern
sums up Tim Barry's fifth solo album. With gritty
musicianship and lyrics that make you feel you've
grown up with the characters in his songs, Barry crafts
punk rock that is both intensely personal and yet
somehow universal. His best yet? That is Chris's assessment.
Read his review here...
 DROPKICK
MURPHYS - Goin' Out In Style CD/DVD (Warner Music)
Phil Rainone takes on this career-spanning 2 CD
and DVD package from the kings of Celtic punk, Boston's
Dropkick Murphys. All the favorites are here, and
the DVD will have you feeling like you're right
there at Fenway Park watching the show. If you're
a fan, you need this. If you like Celtic flavored
punk rock and somehow haven't discovered the Dropkick
Murphys yet, this collection will bring you up to
date. Read Phil's review here
 fIREHOSE
– "lowFLOWs: the Columbia Anthology (’91-’93)"
(Columbia/Legacy)
Columbia has emptied its vaults and packed everything
that fIREHOSE released on the label on this nicely
packaged 2-disc set. Mikey Erg provides an inventory
of the guys who made flannel the national flag of
the indie underground. Read his review here...
ALMOST THERE - Abandon The Ship (almostthererock.com)
The Jersey shore trio Almost There's first full-length
mixes Nineties rock tropes with impeccable harmonies,
power riffs, and singalong melodies. It's an impressive
debut after a string of successful EP's. Read Jim
Testa's review here...
 SCREAMING
FEMALES - Ugly (Don Giovanni)
Paul Silver proclaims Ugly as the first
must-hear album of the year. Yes, this is the album
that the New Brunswick garage punk trio made with
legendary recording engineer Steve Albini, but the
focus remains on Marissa Paternoster's distinctive
and emotional yowl and fearless shredding, as well
as the flawless rhythm section. Screamng Females
don't depart from the formula they've crafted over
their first four albums here, they embrace and embroider
it. Read Paul's review here...
 LEE
RANALDO - Between The Times And The Tides (Matador)
Sonic Youth guitarist Lee Ranaldo releases his
first solo album just as his band of 30 years seems
to be falling apart. Mark Weinberg finds Ranaldo's
first full-length rock excusrion an entertaining
diversion - not world-shattering or ground-breaking,
perhaps, but a good way to take your mind off the
impending divorce of indie rock's favorite couple.
Read his review
here...
 EVERY
TIME I DIE - Ex Lives (Epitaph)
Every Time I Die's Ex Lives focuses on
the themes of betrayal and loss, interspersing frontman
Keith Buckley's primal screams with post punk melodies.
Deb Draisin says it's fast, catchy, and mixes in
just the right amount of mystery, making it one
of the standout releases of 2012 so far. Read her
review here...
 NADA
SURF - The Stars Are Indifferent To Astronomy (Barsuk)
You might remember Nada Surf's hit video for "Popular"
but you might not know that the band has enjoyed a
long and fruitful career beyond their single moment
in the MTV spotlight. Rich Quinlan writes, "Nada
Surf are not angry about growing up, they are embracing
it with an honest acceptance. The Stars Are Indifferent
to Astronomy is a strong statement from a band
still worthy of the public’s attention."
Read his review here...
The blogosphere has been raving about the looped
electro-pop of songstress Grimes,
but Paul says he just doesn't get the hype. But he
is moved by several especially soulful tracks from
the collaboration between Kevin Kinney &
Tje Golden Palominos, and also sounds off
on new releases from Public Jones
and Saint Lucia. Jangly guitars and
a light garage edge distinguish the latest effort
from The Bats, which Paul recommends.
He also has kind words for NJ's bubbly Boy
Things and the epic, swirly Margo
& The Nuclear So & So's. He also
reviews new releases from The Explorers Club
and buzz bands Perfume Genius and
Polica.
Read
Paul's column here...
You'll be hard pressed to find any information online
about the oddly named Vertacyn Arc Materializer,
but Rich says the group's debut is "a bizarre,
poppy, trippy, effervescence jaunt of a record."
He also reviews new releases from the Chumps,
Joy As A Toy, and finds a real treasure in
the new album from Lost In The Trees.
The greatly underappreciated 90's indie rock combo
Dunebuggy from Hoboken return with
a never before release collection of tunes that displays
the mastery of pop hooks that this group commanded.
Read
Rich's column here...
All killer and no filler, that's the thumb's up on
the latest solo release from Tim Barry. Chris also
reviews the new EP from Chicago punk legend Marc Ruvolo's
latest project Fur Coats, and new 7-inches from the
Underlings, Mixtapes, and a split EP from Disconnected
and Crazy & The Brain. Also, Chunksaah Records
has finally released the long-lost final album by
Boston punks The Explosion, and Chris says it's more
than worth the wait.
He also reviews new releases from Queens noisemongers
Freshkills and punk rockers The Destructors.
Read Chris' column here...
MVD Visual's latest documentary release brings together
two things that our readers probably care a lot about
- rock 'n' roll and comics. The Story of Rock
N Roll Comics looks at those weird titles
that transformed bands like Kiss and Guns N Roses
into the heroes of their own comic books. Phil might
be a diehard Yankees fan but he's still excited about
the Dropkick Murphy's career-spanning
2 CD/DVD live collection Goin' Out In Style,
recorded live in the hated Fenway Park. He also reviews
new releases from the Spittin' Cobras, The
Wild, Black Earth, and Penny Winblood.
Phil finds nothing to be blue about Bring It On
Home, the brilliant new album of blues covers
from Joan Osborne. The n the new
album from garage rockers The Chrome Cranks
features "just the right mix of hypnotic, thrashing
guitars mashed up against the manic vocals,"
says Phil.
Read Phil's column here...
by Joe Wawzyrniak
 Brooklyn
singer/songwriter Matt Cranstoun
kicks off this column with an album that offers "a
tasty, tuneful, and thrilling blend of folk, soul,
rock, and gospel." Joe also reviews new releases
from Wooden Wand, Through The Sparks, Alec
Berlin, The Hollyhocks, Islands, Hellsongs, Tulipomania,
and Jersey pop rockers Digger Phelps.
Root Glen has taken up the challenge
of releasing a new EP for every season of this year.
Their new "Winter" EP gets a big thumbs
up from Joe, who also reviews new releases from Orpheum
Bell, Jack Brag, singer/songwriter Salim
Nourallah, Little Hurricane, Stars In Coma, and
singer/songwriters Marc Berger and
Katrin. Joe checks out two stellar new releases
from NJ's Dromedary Records, a solo album from singer/songwriter
Guy Capacelatro III and the new joing
from longtime alt-Americana rockers Cuppa
Joe.
Read Joe's column here...
 
by Tony B.
Tony has good things to report about the pop-punk
bass/drums duo Street Eaters, then reviews new releases
from By The Throat, Follow You Home, and Purple Melon.
Read his reviews here...
Noah likes but doesn't love the latest release from
Gateway District, and checks out new
stuff from Army Coach, Bob Burns, Candy Hearts,
The Carmines, Closet Drama, Dee Cracks, Deep Sleep,
Deertick, and the Dirt Slits.
Read Noah's column here...
By Michelle Rich
Michelle Rich joins the Jersey Beat.com staff with
her insights and opinions about music and whatever
might strike her fancy. In this initial column, she
reviews new releases by The Amboys, Art Institute,
Cecilia Celeste, Fed Up, The Parlor Mob, Transit,
and The Embracers. Read her column here...
 DAMIEN
ELLINGHAUS:REVIEWS
Damien provides a track by track assessment of the
return of violin-tinged pop punk megaband Yellowcard,
then does the same thing for the new joint
from Set Your Goals. He follows up
with a review of the latest release from Heartsounds.
Megadeath. Slayer. Metallica. Anthax. You don't need
a rock critic to cover a concert like that, you need
a Roman Catholic priest in full abortion regalia.
And failing that, an acolyte of the Dark Lord, ready
to interpret ever riff and undulating hip and tell
all of us who wait here at foot of the mountain what
it all means. Damien Ellinghaus looked the four Gods
of Metal in the eyes... and you're just going to have
to read his story to find out what happened.
Read
his column here...
 JOHNNY
PUKE SAYS SO...
Johnny reviews the latest from "America's greatest
cover band," the punk rock supergrouop Me
First & The Gimme Gimmes, who take us
to Japan for their new release. The masked naked guitarist
of the Dwarves known only as Hewhocannotbenamed
has released his first solo album, and you
can just bet it's right up Johnny Puke's alley. He
has less kind things to say for the regurgitated NYHC
of Ultraviolence. Johnny gives his
honest opinion of NOFX's "Cokie
The Clown" EP - hardly crucial but certainly
collectible? There's no doubt that Operation Ivy changed
punk rock forever, but what's frontman Jesse Michaels
done lately? His new band is called Classics
Of Love and Johnny says that classic, it's
not. Johnny also reviews the re-issue of a real classic,
Hot Water Music's No Division.
Read
Johnny's reviews here...
 THE
FRANCOS FILES
By Robert Barry Francos
The column formerly known as The Quiet Corners returns
for its Fall 2011 installment. When we realized Robert
was reviewing the likes of Spyro Gyra, D.O.A., Up
For Nothing, and the Dwarves as well as the usual
plethora of folksingers, singer/songwriters, and ethnic
music, we realized it was time to rename the column.
So click
the link and and check Robert's latest musings
on his quiet and not-so-quiet corner of Jersey Beat.
 I
SING THE MUSIC ELECTRIC by John Saavedra Jr.
John tackles the mixes messages of Heroes
Of The Open End and flips over the energy
and innovation of The Poison Control Center.
No Use For Humans, the brainchild of Steven
Honoshowsky, takes a lot of influence from 1980’s
videogame culture, the 90’s Eurodance scene,
and Vangelis’ amazing score for Blade Runner.
In his first column for Jersey Beat.com, John Saavedra
Jr. ponders these influences and how they affect modern
music. He also reviews new releases by two other indie-pop
auteurs, Shawn Fogel aka Golden Bloom
and the Weehawken, NJ artist who goes by the name
Graham Repulski. Read John's column
here...
 KATZ
CRADLE - Reviews by Andrew Katz
YESTERDAY & TODAY: Andrew provides
a look back at the barely-remembered 2006 release
by Jersey powe-pop kids The Class Of '98
and then jumps forward to listen to the new album,
a quantum leap forward in terms of wrangling the adolescent
angst and confusion of adolescencen in a focused example
of quality power-pop. Then, New Jersey's pop-punk
scene has a new champion in Man Overboard,
and the release of The Human Highlight Reel -
a sort of greatest hits that collects the band's EP's
with two new tracks - will hopefully introduce the
genre to a new generation of fans. But the reissue
of The Youth Ahead's For The
Ones That Got Away just makes Andrew think of
chicken fingers - bland fast good with little redeeming
value. Then Andrew provides a preview of the upcoming
EP from hixs favorite new hardcore band - HEROES.
"Praiseworthy pop" is how Andrew describes
the latest release from Ian Axel entitled
This Is The New Year." Nothing wrong with wearing
your emotions on your sleeve when those feelings are
expressed so gracefully and with such meaningful connections.
Andrew also tackles the new EP by the NJ duo known
as Botanical Bullets and finds it
is a welcomed relief, a breath of fresh air, a shot
of vodka after a hard day’s work... an overall
much needed originality that defies today’s
drab, cliché music scene.
Read
his reviews here...
 DEBORAH
J. DRAISIN -
REPORTS FROM THE FRONT
Reports from the field by our intrepid girl reporter,
Deb Draisin...
-
American PinUp interview
-
Snowpocalypse - Home For The Holidays - The Blizzard,
and finally, The Shows
- X Japan - Interview
- Leathermouth
- Interview
- Fairmont
- Transcendence CD
-
Fairmont - Interview
- Bern &
The Brights - Interview
-
Brine & Bastards - Interview
- Alkaline
Trio - Interview
- Jake
Szufnarowski, RocksOff.com
-
Theodore Grimm - Interview
-
Picture Me Broken - Interview
-
Theory Of Light - Interview
-
Any Day Parade - Interview
PAST INTERVIEWS & FEATURES:
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