- KYS: 70
- User: 93
- 82
Gallows - Death Is Birth
Six months after the abrupt departure of frontman Frank Carter, Gallows have rechristened themselves and emerged with ‘Death Is Birth’. The brief, four-track EP is a competent display of hardcore punk, showcasing the washed- down, gritty production values and powerchord, hard riff grooves championed in their earlier releases. However, the EP’s occasional lapses into overt experimentation cripple its coherency, and the noticeable loss of personality within the music itself detracts from its memorability within a very crowded genre.
- KYS: 65
- User: 45
- 55
Gym Class Heroes - The Papercut Chronicles II
It would appear that Gym Class Heroes are well and truly locked into their new mainstream sound abolishing any hopes of a return to their underground indie rap roots. Things could be worse as they perform the mainstream sound well, and I would rather hear this on the radio than Bruno Mars, but like most sequels, ‘Papercut II’ doesn't live up to the original.
- KYS: 60
- User: 70
- 65
Gomez - Whatever’s On Your Mind
Gomez have decided to play it safe on album number seven. In the past, they’ve proved they’re capable of distilling a range of musical influences, ranging from alt-rock and blues through to electronica and post-punk, into a unique musical blend. However, Whatever’s On Your Mind is very neatly packaged and predictable in comparison to past albums. While it’s catchy at times, it also comes off as rigid and calculated due to the fact it was essentially written via an exchange of ideas in cyberspace. What was once fresh and exciting is unfortunately a little stale this time round.
- KYS: 65
- User: 70
- 68
Gay Paris - The Skeleton's Problematic Granddaughter
Gay Paris are certainly a unique band that have merged rock, country, blues and funk to create something that people will either love or hate, there isn’t really an in-between.
- KYS: 66
- User: N/A
- 66
Gray Young - Staysail
Gray Young are still so unknown to me, my misguided efforts to gather intel have rendered me quizzical. ‘Staysail’ tells me that they’re probably not yet seasoned campaigners, but that they do have untapped potential. The album is full of imbalance and uncertainty. One second it is lulling you into a sound slumber, and the next it is a freight train as the crescendo begins to mount momentum. That is the beauty of this raw, independent music that, perhaps, will be heard by too few.
- KYS: 77
- User: 60
- 68
Green Day - Awesome As Fuck
Anyone who saw Green Day on their December 2009 run through Australia will be in a world of familiarlarity watching this the Awesome As Fuck DVD. Awesome As Fuck captures the textbook Green Day performance perfectly and includes some live rarities to set it apart from 2005's Bullet In A Bible which was a greatest hits affair. Differentiation in the CD and DVD tracklists gives the fans more value for money and while it doesnt quite have the production value of Bullet In A Bible, it's a solid live showcase and should help tie-over fans until their next studio release.
- KYS: 70
- User: N/A
- 70
Gideon - Costs
'Costs' is a considered and decisive debut release. Obvious potential is self-evident. So too promise. But both still need to be built upon. At the moment the sound is clear but not yet unique. A decent album this time around but if the overall style sounds the same in the future then longevity starts to become questionable.
- KYS: 97
- User: 63
- 80
Glassjaw - Our Color Green (The Singles)
Sometimes, comebacks disappoint, this one certainly does not and is evidence that Glassjaw's time was never ready to be over, there is plenty of juice left in the tank as these are some of the best tracks the band has ever written and recorded. After listening to 'Our Color Green' it is safe to say that the forthcoming album will be nothing short of brilliant.
- KYS: 50
- User: 58
- 54
Good Charlotte - Cardiology
It is definitely evident that Good Charlotte have grown since their last offering 3 years ago, but although they have grown up, listening to them now its heard to think that they were the same band who wrote those influential pop-punk songs years ago. Although it is evident what the band is trying to do with this album, they are not the same band they were back then and neither is their music.
- KYS: 87
- User: 78
- 83
Grown Ups - More Songs
With a bio that begins with “If Grown Ups was your collage professor, “More Songs” would be Advanced Emo Mathematics with a refresher course in Punk Philosophy”, you could tell that the album was going to be memorable. “More Songs” is a fantastic debut album from the band, which isn’t going to be forgotten by me anytime soon. I am excited to see where this band goes in the future.