Epinions Recent Reviews for joenormal

punk rock for the thinking man

Wed, 29 Sep 2004 03:14:24 GMT

rating: 5/5 by: Epinions Author joenormal - Released in 2000, this 6 song e.p. provides the listener with an excellent introduction into the sound that is Good Riddance without having to go out and spend the money on an expensive full-length album. If you've never heard of this quartet from...

punk rock and it won't stop

Fri, 17 Sep 2004 18:57:09 GMT

rating: 5/5 by: Epinions Author joenormal - This is the Hives debut album released back in 1997 and boy does it differ from their later albums. This album is fast, fast and faster with a true 'garage sound' to boot. The production on this album is very similar to the stripped-down recording found...

'geek rock' live

Thu, 5 Aug 2004 20:39:02 GMT

rating: 5/5 by: Epinions Author joenormal - John Flansburgh and John Linnell team up with a crew of accomplished back-up musicians to put together a live show that is a must for the whole family. Recorded back in 1998, this collection of live tracks is edited and ready for listening enjoyment...

San Diego emocore quartet's 1st e.p.

Sun, 20 Jun 2004 22:47:33 GMT

rating: 5/5 by: Epinions Author joenormal - Counterfit hails from America's Finest City and puts out a product that the city should definitely be proud of. This e.p. is filled with 5 emotionally charged songs that provide the perfect intro into what this quartet is all about. The album kicks...

awesome import from L.A.'s best eccentric band

Fri, 14 May 2004 16:38:40 GMT

rating: 5/5 by: Epinions Author joenormal - Why this album was never released here in the United States will always be a mystery to me. This is a collection of remixes, demos, live versions and a medley of covers. Oddly enough, this is a Japanese import from Warner Brothers Records complete with...

weezer meets early blink 182

Tue, 11 May 2004 22:33:22 GMT

rating: 5/5 by: Epinions Author joenormal - Remember when Blink 182 was funny? Yeah, I know, it's been a while, but try and you'll have a good idea of what Nerf Herder is all about. Nerf Herder takes the music of Weezer, circa the blue album, and combines it with the humor that was Blink 182, back...

power-pop, indie rock at its finest

Mon, 10 May 2004 22:21:33 GMT

rating: 5/5 by: Epinions Author joenormal - From America's finest city comes a band that truly knows how to blend power pop with indie rock. San Diego's Congress of the Cow emerge as a band of dualities. This quartet combines dreamy guitar lines with heavy riffs and melodic bass lines with...

the descendents show their age

Mon, 10 May 2004 17:12:46 GMT

rating: 2/5 by: Epinions Author joenormal - Some things, like wine, age well. Unfortunately, the Descendents clearly do not fit this category. This is not to say that this album is a complete waste. Compared to much of today's pop-punk, "Cool To Be You" clearly is not a bad album. However, if you...

one chord wonders rule!

Mon, 10 May 2004 15:19:37 GMT

rating: 5/5 by: Epinions Author joenormal - The Adverts were only around for three years, but managed to provide quite an influence on punk rock between the years 1977 - 1979 with such hit songs as "Gary Gilmore's Eyes" and the aptly titled "One Chord Wonders". This album is the definitive...

pop-punk vets back after 8 years

Sat, 7 Feb 2004 08:11:52 GMT

rating: 5/5 by: Epinions Author joenormal - The Descendants are back! It's been 8 years since the boys released Everything Sucks (Epitaph, 1996), but this E.P. shows that some things ARE better with age. The line-up still features Karl Alvarez on bass, Stephen Egerton on guitar, Bill Stegenson on...

swell (epic, even) poppy, yet sensitive, indie rock

Tue, 21 Jan 2003 07:42:30 GMT

rating: 5/5 by: Epinions Author joenormal - ...from the ashes of Three Mile Pilot and Heavy Vegetable emerges San Diego's finest indie rock band, Pinback. I say indie because it is tough to categorize Pinback and put them into a category like say, emo.

First of all, Pinback is a band...

can't believe it's not butter

Wed, 15 Jan 2003 07:13:31 GMT

rating: 5/5 by: Epinions Author joenormal - Directly from Santa Cruz, here's the Lonely Kings 1st album off of Fearless Records released in 2000 (their 2nd album overall, their debut "Creed" was released in '97 off of 'The Scene Records').

The Lonely Kings are a pop-punk band that...

'taco bell' would be a better name

Fri, 22 Sep 2000 19:51:30 GMT

rating: 1/5 by: Epinions Author joenormal - Being from Southern California, I should have known better than to expect decent Mexican food in Oregon of all places. But, I am an optimist and my friends, Pat and Greg, assured me that the food was pretty good at this particular restaurant. I was soon...

The Ramones do classic rock

Thu, 21 Sep 2000 22:13:49 GMT

rating: 5/5 by: Epinions Author joenormal - On "Acid Eaters", The Ramones pay respect to their various influences. This an album packed full of covers from rock anthems of the '60s (hence, the 'flower power'-esque title).

The album begins with the Ted Nugent cover...

A Channel That Lives Up To Its Name

Wed, 20 Sep 2000 23:56:15 GMT

rating: 5/5 by: Epinions Author joenormal - Comedy Central exists as the ultimate twenty-something, hip and witty TV channel. This is a channel whose content wanders from the unexpected (South Park) to the classic (Saturday Night Live, Kids In The Hall) to the just-plain rude (The Man Show)...

farewell to the dead milkmen

Wed, 20 Sep 2000 04:22:14 GMT

rating: 5/5 by: Epinions Author joenormal - Released in 1995, "Stoney's Extra Stout (Pig)" is the Dead Milkmen's final studio album. The godfathers of "mock-rock" have called it quits after more than a decade of creative, original and witty

"rock n' roll". But...

TRL - why is it so popular?

Tue, 19 Sep 2000 19:27:06 GMT

rating: 3/5 by: Epinions Author joenormal - For those of you that have lived in a cave for the past year, TRL (Total Request Live) is MTV's hottest show of the moment. Hosted by Carson Daly, MTV's latest pretty boy, TRL exists as a daily 'top ten' countdown of music videos voted on by you, the...

Archived Web Services Reviews: Aversion.com - an alt-rock site that screams "indie"

Mon, 18 Sep 2000 21:55:26 GMT

rating: 5/5 by: Epinions Author joenormal - Aversion.com is a website that serves a multitude of purposes for the alternative rock world. There are CD reviews, interviews, tour info, band info, a message board, a daily chat, and mp3s galore to sample from your favorite artists (as well, as plenty...

indie-rock and it don't stop

Sun, 17 Sep 2000 03:30:37 GMT

rating: 5/5 by: Epinions Author joenormal - "Hit Man Dreams" is No Knife's 2nd album and picks up right where their debut, "...drunk on the moon.., left off. San Diego's up-and-coming, alt-rock quartet provide you with the perfect follow-up to an incredible 1st album - diverse tempo...

a return to the roots

Mon, 11 Sep 2000 00:37:47 GMT

rating: 5/5 by: Epinions Author joenormal - On “Mondo Bizarro”, The Ramones reject the pop-rock that was their previous album, “Brain Drain”. This album marks a return to the glory days of the Ramones’ raw punk sound with the inclusion of mature and witty lyrics to boot. Released in 1992, more...

California - NoCal vs. SoCal

Wed, 6 Sep 2000 22:16:01 GMT

rating: 5/5 by: Epinions Author joenormal - California, in reality, exists as two separate beliefs, two separate regions and two separate attitudes - NoCal and SoCal. This argument/discussion is a common one among Californians and holds a great many truths and a great many rumors.

There...

indie-rock at its best

Fri, 1 Sep 2000 20:47:09 GMT

rating: 5/5 by: Epinions Author joenormal - Released in 1995, No Knife's debut album "...drunk on the moon..." is a must-buy for the indie-rock/emo-core fan.

From the choppy, harmonic and dueling guitars of Aaron Mancini and Mitch Wilson to the melodic, driving basslines of...

classic old-school punk rock

Wed, 30 Aug 2000 03:30:40 GMT

rating: 5/5 by: Epinions Author joenormal - Let me set the record straight - the Subhumans are punk rock. I'm not talking about commercial pop-punk like Blink 182, Fenix-TX, or the Offspring. No, I'm talking about punk rock that makes you think, makes you mad, and makes you react. I'm talking...

San Diego: an Alt-Rock guide

Mon, 28 Aug 2000 22:23:00 GMT

rating: 5/5 by: Epinions Author joenormal - San Diego, California is not the first city one imagines when they think of thriving alternative music scenes, but alt-rock is alive and well in America's Finest City. Sure, it's no San Francisco, but indie music does exist here in the land of surfers,...

21 b-sides & remixes

Wed, 23 Aug 2000 18:45:04 GMT

rating: 5/5 by: Epinions Author joenormal - "Super Black Market Clash" is the definitive collection of b-sides and remixes by one of punk's pioneering bands. The album is a sampler of the Clash's unique musical journey from its garage punk roots to its new wave/reggae evolution and its...