Elevate Difference

Reviews tagged punk

Skull Star “Pretty In Pink” Sheet Set

My approach to interior design is somewhat offbeat. Between my bright purple walls, baby blue sink and curtains made from Halloween-themed fabric, I like my décor to be fun and reflect my tastes. I enjoy working around the house, and it's always neat to find home and garden items with character. Needlesstosay, I was absolutely thrilled about this sheet set. Made by Sin In Linen, the Skull Star "Pretty In Pink” sheet set is not only bedding that features skulls, but it is also PINK. Bright, vivid, awesome pink. As a Goth with a love of pastels, this was right up my alley.

Soxy Throw Pillow

It’s sultry, it’s sexy, it’s foxy... it’s soxy. This throw pillow from Sin in Linen—purveyors of stylishly unique bedding—features a modern pin-up queen lounging in striped knee socks and wearing a come-hither expression.

Racehorse

Admittedly, I was a little taken aback when the sweet, ‘60s-inspired pop came through my headphones. Could this be Holly Ramos, former frontwoman of the punk band with hardcore roots, Fur, who acquired street cred from schmoozing with the greats and playing backup guitar for Joey Ramone? Although her debut solo album is sweet, poppy and lyrically simplistic, it is refreshingly honest and brilliant.

Hats Off to the Buskers

The View’s Hats off to the Buskers opens with “Comin’ Down,” a ruff and raw garage sound with a catchy hook and muffled vocals. “Superstar Tradesman” is no different and continues along in the same vein. The comparisons swirl overhead as the music continues. I hear Jet, Phantom Planet, The Strokes, The Sex Pistols and Fishbone. “Same Jeans” and “Don’t Tell Me” are lighter and more mainstream.

Both Before I’m Gone

Nas says hip-hop is dead, but after checking out rock trio, Girl in a Coma’s debut CD, Both Before I’m Gone, rock fans can relax. After the dismantling of Sleater-Kinney and Le Tigre, devoted fans of female rockers have been waiting for an act that follows the legacy of these two pioneers, but doesn’t sound overproduced. While other bands (who shall rename nameless) sell out by featuring their songs on over-hyped summer movies, there are still bands with a woman at the mike that scratch and claw and kick for their independence.

Live at Club Europa (4/12/2007)

You're not fooling me, Panthers. Despite your new, more marketable album The Trick, I know you're still the kind of absurdist intellectual revolutionaries who want to think things over and then go fuck them up--just with a little more focus on style this time round. Front man Jayson Green's voice, more a hybrid of punk-50s, screamo-wail than a grating hardcore rasp, packs a whopping punch into a single verse.

Live At Oslo Jazz Festival

Overall this is a good album. It is unlike anything else I've heard. There is some heavy political content here. I admit it was lost on me. I am not very political and, anyway, I could not understand most of the lyrics. I can read the song titles, though. There is one song called "Capitalism Stole My Virginity." It does not take much insight to know what that's about. The song is a wild free for all, with shifting tempos and a cacophony of horns and percussion. Most of the songs are the same way. The lead singer puts out a lot of energy and passion. He never slows down or lets up.

Sister Spit: The Next Generation (4/18/2007)

Some of you may have heard about the original Sister Spit tours in the mid- and late-1990’s. The tours were organized punk-rock band-style: a shoddy van with nights spent sleeping on floors of anarchist collectives and punk houses, but instead of music these tattoo-clad queer folks delivered words from their newly published books.

Living with the Living

In a day where so many previously non-political artists are taking a stance to assure themselves a Grammy nod, Ted Leo’s refreshingly authentic social commentary shines through in his music just as much as it has for the past decade. The strict vegan, along with his band The Pharmacists, released his fifth full length studio album, [Living with the Living](http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B000MQ55DO?ie=UTF8&tag=feminrevie-20&linkCode=as2&camp=1789&creative=9325&creativeASIN=B000MQ55DO).

I Wouldn’t Trade That for Anything

I didn’t know what I was in for when I agreed to review Agent’s I Wouldn’t Trade That for Anything. Self described as melodic hardcore, rooted firmly in the Long Island sound, but strongly influenced by '90s indie rock bands like Braid, my initial response was mixed. The music has a very punk feeling to it - hard driving guitar riffs with vocals that were barely audible unless you turn up the volume to ear-splitting decibels that could permanently alter your eardrums.

Amy Ray and Friends: Benefit for NOA’s Battered Women’s Shelter (3/2/2007)

It was a packed crowd for two shows at the listening room on Dahlonega’s town square for two great shows to raise and awareness for an important social problem. An evening with Amy Ray, who was named the 13th most influential lesbian by AfterEllen.com for her solo albums that do not shy away from controversial topics such as the Christian right, homophobia and violence against gays raised money for the local battered women’s shelter in town.

Songs From Under the Sink

Mischief Brew describes the 14-track album Songs From Under the Sink as a “collection of anthems, ballads, marches, love songs, hate songs, and lullabies” written over five years, from 1997 to 2002. It is a “lost LP,” resurrected or “finally brought up from the cellar-or, from under the sink.” These descriptors help identify this album as being a non-identifiable hodge-podge of sorts, with a variety of distinct sounds. Some are “hot and spicy, some are just as fresh as the day they were written, and others may have passed their expiration date a bit.

Ladyfest South (January 25-28, 2007)

Ladyfest South is always a blast because it is back to back lady talent for a good cause. Ladyfest South 2007 happened over four nights at four venues in Atlanta and featured over fifty music and spoken word acts. This year’s beneficiaries are The Rock N’ Roll Camp for Girls and The Fund for Southern Communities. Thursday January 25, 2007 - Eyedrum Art Space Phat Man Dee from PA is amazing and fun to see. She sports interesting costumes and sings cabaret camp and pop.

Bored of the Dance

Punk rock infused with Irish folk slash gypsy rock slash drunken anthem is what you'll get when you listen to Meisce's Bored of the Dance. Lead singer Pete Jay has a very distinct vocal talent and offers a sharp contrast to the Irish folk rock of past. Jay's voice is reminiscent of that of the lead singer of a Russian heavy metal and industrial rock band Rammestein. Violins and mandolins are played fervently like electric guitars, and I can't say I've ever heard an accordion sound so hardcore. Hard and heavy is not what Meisce is all about though.

B.I.K.E.

In case you thought B.I.K.E. was just a movie about bikes… well, it is, but you might be surprised at the ground it covers. From filmmakers Anthony Howard (Tony) and Jacob Septimus, B.I.K.E. delves into the lives of the members of the Black Label Bike Club in New York City. Access to the Black Label New York subculture is mediated by Tony and his desperate attempts to gain entrance to the elite ranks of Black Label. Both filmmaker and main character, Tony becomes the epicenter of the film.

Smash the Windows

I have truly never heard anything like Mischief Brew. Much of their music pairs such disparate elements as a heavy-metal bassline and a twangy mandolin, and a study of the lyrics reveals a similar discord: an aggressive expression of anti-establishment anger, under which lies a genuine desire to celebrate freedom and individuality. Their music feels at once like a barroom brawl and an intelligent, textured cultural critique. While Smash the Windows incorporates solid musicianship and strong production, the vocals miss their mark.

Venus

The opening and strongest tracks on Venus. “Venus” and “Now You Know,” from this five-piece band from Ohio are catchy, energetic and fun, setting the atmosphere for the rest of this pop-punk album. As the title implies, the songs are about love, but so much so that it delivers a kind of monotony, which drives the listener away at times. “Blue Coat, Black Hair” reminds me of Billy Talent with its faced-paced, hardcore sound and screaming vocals.

Grrrl

_“I can’t believe that I have to go back to high school. I saw a whole bunch of ‘cool kids’ at the movie theatre today. They looked at me like I was a freak and then acted like jerks by yelling and throwing food all the way through the whole movie. This is what they think rebellion is. They also think it’s rebellious to take tons of drugs, have unsafe sex, and go to secret parties in farmer’s fields.

Divorce Songs

With a title like Divorce Songs, I expected the music on this album to represent feelings of separation or disunion, and United States did not disappoint. The Brooklyn post-punk band, which is likened to Fugazi, Cursive and Sonic Youth, presents eight jagged anthems about struggling and surviving in the city.

Cantankerous Titles and Obscure Ephemera, Volume 1

This DVD of short documentaries by Joe Biel was probably the best thing that’s come in the mail for me this month. I mean that; I don’t even get a lot of bills! Maybe, as someone who enjoys interviewing people, I am a bit biased, but I really enjoy the subjects Biel presents, as well as the way personal commentary figures in, yet is not contrived.

The Flow Chronicles

Initially, The Flow Chronicles didn't seem like it could inspire me to do anything, but now I feel like wearing baggy pants and freestyling just for the hell of it. The author is really multi-dimensional, making me feel at ease and uncomfortable at the same time. It's about growing up and standing up, with Hermitt's first move to Seattle at only eighteen. "Interview with an actual, authentic lesbian" showed a different side of this brash, unapologetic woman. She made tactless a desirable trait, and self-discovery less painful.

Greenzine #14

Any radical unfamiliar with the art and writing of Christy C. Road by now should check this out, in addition to visiting her website at http://www.croadcore.org to get caught up. That being said, everyone already acquainted will know what to expect with Greenzine #14, but this proves to be a good thing.

C.Y.S.L.A.B.F.

Mika Miko’s C.Y.S.L.A.B.F. is a great example of what modern punk should be. It’s an energizing, loud amalgamation of sounds that many parents would apply the term “noise” to. Whether you’re a frazzled urbanite 20-something or a teen rocking in your parent’s garage the entire album does well in rhythmically pleasing your inner (or outer) rebel. The production quality left something to be desired.

Indestructible

When you think of Miami, you don’t often think of punk. I grew up in South Florida, I’ve come back here (for now). Miami is anti-punk – superficial, isolationist, materialistic. It’s possible to be punk in this city – to create and exist outside of the mainstream. Yet I’m always curious to see how others form their own identities, their own cultures, in a place that doesn’t do much to support them. This is what made me read Cristy C.

Revenge of the Killer Slits EP

The Slits are back! If you are not familiar with this band, the most recent release, _Revenge of the Killer Slits _EP, is a good introduction. For those who relished their punk and dub fusion back in the '70s, this sample of three songs is enough to get you back in the mood. Reggae calls are answered by techno-alternative dance beats in the first track, “Slits Tradition.” The beat is basic and backs up nicely the chanted lyrics and bits of spoken word. The Slits even find room for a couple of quick jazzy riffs.

Galaxy is Out of This World!

Galaxy is a trio from Toronto, a land that seems to be catapulting all its potential stars across the upstate New York touring void and smack dab into our city. Emma McKenna, Maya Postepski and Katie Stelmanis bang out the brooding, plangent guitar rhythms and alternately pretty and snarling vocals of a young Sleater-Kinney, and in the painful absence of that band, S-K fans may be eager to turn to the raw rhythms of another female band with similar talent and political conviction.

Outer Space

This 10-song album is the first full-length recording for DC hardcore band, Mass Movement of the Moth. Post-apocalyptic lyrics about civilization crumbling amongst all its technology, this band offers music that is simultaneously melodic and chaotic, beautiful and messy. Layered and complex, this album presents classic hardcore with a dance-y keyboard edge that makes the band seem like they are doing something new with a genre that can get a bit tired.

I Will Have an Army of Clones. We Will Be So Charming.

Tina Seamonster’s new book, I Will Have an Army of Clones. We Will Be So Charming., a collection of blog entries from her website, is an exploration of change. It maps with sweet intensity the shifts between weight gain and loss, pregnancy and childbirth. This is not, however, an online journal that is interesting only to the immediate family and friends of the blogger.

Gorgeous Enormous

Carolyn AlRoy is a practicing therapist, and her day job obviously inspires some of her lyrics. For example, on the pensive “My First Mistake” she laments, “My first mistake was to make myself small, so that you wouldn’t be jealous at all.” But don’t be scared away from this gem of a pop album, as there are happier moments and a variety of styles.

Paper Television

You might hear the term “pop” thrown around in reference to The Blow’s latest album Paper Television, but don’t be fooled into thinking this is anything like conventional mainstream pop music. Think about it, when’s the last time you heard Lionel Richie’s “Dancing On The Ceiling” compared to post-punk, or Wang Chung’s “Everybody Have Fun Tonight” deemed anything like electro-clash? Somewhere along the line indie kids got the idea that it was cool to call their music “pop” simply because the lyrics were cheesy.
Connect With Us At
Goodreads
Our Comment Policy

Critiques of Elevate Difference and the content of any review on this site are welcome; however, we will not tolerate flaming, attacks, or any form of abuse. We appreciate constructive criticism and respectful feedback. Please read our full comment policy for details.

Make a Donation




Elevate Difference is a volunteer-run publication. If it inspires you to read a novel, see a film, or download an album, we hope you will donate to show your support.

Syndicate content