SINCE THE FLOOD- Valor and Vengeance

With lyrics addressing the old hardcore standards of blood, family, revenge and respect grunted over barrelling riffs and breakdowns, Since the Flood are obviously not in this for the fame or the money or the chicks. There are no foot long fringes in sight, no hint of clean singing to appease any easy listeners. They mean it (man) but are absolutely unabashed at who knows it and that is just the sort of refreshing the growing-staler-by-the-day scene needs right now. A sort of honest and earnest brand of hardcore that very few of todays 'hardcore' bands actually employ.

That doesn't mean 'Valor and Vengeance' is straight ahead boring though. The pace is quick but not hurried and there are large chunks of guitar melody to colour the venom. All ably brough out by Ken Susi's fat production. The Unearth guitarist's influences can felt throughout as the distorted growl and inventive breakdowns of his band appear often.

No new wheels then but when a good old engine sounds a healthy as this, that doesn't really matter

MY AWESOME COMPILATION- Actions

Simplicity. One of the most overlooked qualities of good music, but one that My Awesome Compilation have in spades. Verse chorus verse may be a much maligned method, especially in these days of mathcore madness, but the class of tracks like 'Set to go' and 'Put up a Fight', despie their over Britishness and complete lack of fuss, is undeniable.

'Actions' is an album of delicious and memorable vocal harmonies, shimmering guitar and keyboard fun. Not exactly a recipe to make the band Britain's next great white hopes but certainly one with enough delictae uniqueness and wholesome honesty to ensure a loyal fan base and lasting success.

It's a long shot but MAC could be very big indeed.

FALL OUT BOY- From Under the Cork Tree

I hate Fall Out Boy. Since I listened to 'From Under the Cork Tree', the Chicago quartet's third album I can't get their sun punk melodies out of my head.

Lead singer, Patrick Stump, possesses a Marmite of voices, sounding as breathless as a teenage kiss but singing images of smiles with every line while the rest of the band do their best to win The Band That Sounds Most Like Everybody Else competition.
'Summer Song' and 'Get Busy Living...' rock and roll along on the kind of Morrisey mope that Bayside and Copeland also employ.

'Nobody Puts Baby in the Corner' speeds in sounding like No Doubt before skipping a beat into Blink punk territory, it may be a landscape laced with sarcasm rather than toilet humour, but this is instantly hummable stuff.

As most tracks arrive on the same skittery guitar noise there is a temptation to reach for the skip button but every song, left to sprint finish or slowly unravel, reveals a hook looking to screw its way into your brain.

From the opening track, to 'Dance, Dance', to first single 'Sugar, We're Goin' Down', these songs are going to sound amazing sung by thousands of arena goers and Warped Tour ticket holders. All that and then some beckons for FOB if enough people hear this album, even by accident, because one listen and it's in there, drilling deeper, until you have to know the lyrics, until you're dancing in your room.
In the middle of America while a thousand other misty-eyed lovers that have lost are finding emo, Fall Out Boy have found the sense of humour to laugh of their broken hearts and have some goddamn fun.

Makes sense to me.

THE NUMBER TWELVE LOOKS LIKE YOU- An Inch of Gold for an Inch of Time

A four track storm front of horrible, unblinking, wheezing noise only interrupted by Hades sounding vocal embellishments or shrill fret wanks. And a cover of My Sharona by The Knack. Awesome.