Southpaw Nation: 2005 Year-in-Review

Monday, February 20, 2006

2005 Year-in-Review

(music)

against me (searching for a former clarity)

See review.

clutch (robot hive/exodus)

The follow-up to last year's Blast Tyrant, Robot Hive/Exodus picks up right where BT left off. Why don't more people jock these guys? I was thoroughly bummed I missed them play live (again). And this time we even had tickets but were sick.

sleater-kinney (the woods)

See brief reviewlette.

heavy trash

I do still enjoy the Blues Explosion's records, but last time I saw them live, their schtick seemed really tired and they didn't really seem all that into it. They've gone from being one of the best live shows I've ever seen to this day (saw them twice in 1993 on the Extra Width tour and a couple times after that to just being kinda boring. But, when I saw Heavy Trash live they were a blast and it looked like Jon was actually having fun again. So, I wouldn't mind if he retired JSBX and started this full-time (and maybe he has, as the JSBX website seems to be gone). This is a fun album and band that sounds basically like JSBX crossed w/ the more rockabilly-tinged Speedball Baby (Matt Verta-Ray's main outfit).

screeching weasel (reissues)

See all but one review here. KTM review here.

lillingtons (technically unsound boxset)

See review.

shook ones (sixteen)

See review.

propagandhi (potemkin city limits)

I still have a soft spot for the John K. Samson lineup's dynamic, with the harder edged punk riffs of Chris Hannah vs. the melodic stylings of John-John (now putting out shoegazer anthems with The Weakerthans. These days, you've got ex-I Spy bassist Todd Kowalski's hardcore thrash vs. Chris Hannah's thrash metal. Even so, I like this album way more than Today's Empires, Tomorrows Ashes and it's hard to argue that this isn't their best album musicianship-wise. They totally shred, bro, no matter how grumpy they are.

western addiction (cognicide)

Kind of an honorable mention since I know the singer/guitarist, but I actually do like their album. 80s-style hardcore. That lumberjack guy singin' and strummin' seems to a lot different than the J. Crew dude I went to college with though.