The Horrors
Strange House
Label: Stolen Transmission
Release Date: May 15, 2007
“Psychotic Sounds for Freaks and Weirdos” - that’s the adopted theme of the five-piece horror-themed garage rock band from the U.K. who go by the name of the Horrors.
The group’s anarchistic, organized chaos comes to life on their new album, Strange House. Opening with a cover of […]

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Billy Joel
Xcel Energy Center, St. Paul, MN
May 9, 2007

On his 58th birthday, wearing a sport coat and jeans and bald shiny head, Billy Joel took the stage at the acoustic marvel known as Xcel Energy Center in Saint Paul, MN, ready to rock the sold-out crowd of 19,000 for two and half hours and put […]

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Dungen
Tio Bitar
Label: Kemado
Release Date: May 15, 2007
Swedish psychedelic rock group Dungen release their third album Tio Bitar (”Ten Pieces/Songs”), next week.
In our review of 2005’s Ta det lugnt (pron. tay da loon - “Take It Easy”) and the band’s Minneapolis show, we used the term “alpenhorns of acid.” That’s not a visual to be throwing […]

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Black Rebel Motorcyle Club (BRMC)
Baby 81
Label: RCA
Back in September 2005 when we reviewed BRMC’s Howl and live Minneapolis show, we wrote:

On Monday night, B.R.M.C. took the stage at Minneapolis’ Fine Line Music Cafe with two agendas. A). Kick off with nü-BRMC: religious lyrics, American acoustic folky-blues, an unappreciative crowd, repetitive verses ala Dylan, and then […]

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Flatfoot 56
Jungle of the Midwest Sea
Label: Flicker Records
Release Date: May 15, 2007
Celtic punk from Chicago’s south side, Flatfoot 56 return from their Japanese tour with Flogging Molly this month to release their sophomore album, Jungle of the Midwest Sea.
Three brothers and a bagpipe player (who also plays mandolin, mind you), Flatfoot 56 heartily add […]

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Swati
Small Gods
Label: Bluhammock
NYC native Swati (which in Hindu means “birth of a star”) built on her Indian heritage and some instrumental improvisation to create a memorable, heart-tugging melodic milieu called Small Gods — portions of which are only descried after several listens.
Swati has restrung her twelve string guitar as an 8-string with doubled B and […]

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Chasing Victory
Fiends
Label: Mono Vs Stereo
Release Date: May 8, 2007
What happens when a cookie monster screamo band takes a step back and reevaluates their sound? You get Georgian post-hardcore rock group Chasing Victory’s sophomore effort, Fiends.
Rallying against untold obstacles with your standard status-quo early 20s resentment, Frontman Adam Harrell’s lyrics are now intelligible with vocal dynamics […]

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Mother Mother
Touch Up
Label: Last Gang Records
Release Date: May 8, 2007
In the past few weeks we’ve been awfully hard on So-Cal punk and modern rock bands for their lack of artistic integrity and zeal for creating unique music without Top 40 radio and dollar signs as a priority.
Upon listening to Canadian post-modern art group Mother Mother’s […]

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Fields
Everything Last Winter
Label: Atlantic / Wea
Release Date: May 8, 2007
With beach bum harmonies, soaring guitar, laptop layers and a thriving addiction to Radiohead’s creativity, Birmingham collective Fields have come a long way from the garden shed in Warwickshire where they found their start.
The band’s full-length debut, produced by Michael Beinhorn (The Bronx, Red Hot Chili […]

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Kwang
For What It’s Worth
Label: Root of All Evil Records

After getting some recognition and radio play with their track “I Can’t Take It” from last year’s Hung EP and opening for some major acts (Jackyl), the Minneapolis group enlisted Darren Jackson (Tapes ‘n’ Tapes, Kid Dakota) to product their first full length album, For What It’s […]

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