Vanna are kinda like the dudes who partied really hard when the party started, and are still trying to keep everyone in that fun drunken state at five in the morning when everyone else is clearly over it. Post-Hardcore has, or at least needs to, evolve past this.

West Of Memphis gives a slight glance into what is truly an incredible story regardless of which side of the fence you sit on. That will however have an effect on whether or not you buy this record however as proceeds go to the West Memphis Three.

There seems to be a resurgence of the singer-songwriter in the punk rock scene of late and now Vinnie Caruana offers his take on this sound. Whilst it is by no means original or mind-blowing, it certainly isn't horrible either. Caruana can write a decent melody and if you need some more songs to yell along with in the pub at the end of the night, 'City By The Sea' has six of them.

There really aren't too many misses when looking over the playlist with most artists doing well to steer away from a standard replication of the songs chosen making 'Like A Version' Volume 8 a worthwhile use of the airwaves.

Every now and then the ‘Punk Goes Pop’ series will unveil a gem or two, and that certainly is the case on number five. These tracks make the whole process, which is tired and way past its use-by date, worthwhile in a small way, preventing us from completely writing them off just yet.

Vision of Disorder clearly grew up in a different time to the new generation of hardcore bands. Somehow they've managed to retain their youthful energy, yet their wisdom shines through in this meticulously crafted set of songs. Aggression is achieved not through production tricks or histrionics, but through genuinely powerful performances and lyrical directness.

Drink. Sing. Live. Love. is a more proficient effort from Versus The World. The band seamlessly weaves between post-hardcore and pop punk; each track slotting in perfectly to add to the record’s overall landscape. Versus The World have picked up right where they left off in 2005 to provide a slick collection of transmissibly optimistic tunes.

Veil of Maya are a fitting band on the Sumerian roster. And 'Eclipse' again reinforces the group's standing in this new-wave of metal where bands, influenced strongly by traditional elements are giving their own take on things. 'Eclipse' is an engaging listen. Perhaps, hollow in particular points but as a general statement, studio album number four gets an easy pass mark.

The issue of attracting bigger name bands still seems to be a problem for ‘Punk Goes Pop,’ which when coupled with the fact that pop music these days sucks, it is hard to see this series ever climbing out of the hole. It seems as though they are now flogging the dust that used to be the bones of a very dead horse.

As mentee John Lingard said, “Mixtapes are all about discovery…the gift of new music never gets old.” And that is definitely the case with Mixtape. It is bound to be very hit and miss depending on personal preference, but there is definitely something to cater to everyone’s musical preferences. The CD provides a great and exciting look at some up and coming talent in the music industry. Just like every other compilation CD, there is a treasure chest of musical goodness waiting to be explored, so see what you can find.