This ex-threesome now known as a seven-some has formed a concoction featuring one shot of synthesizer, one cup of outer space, 1/4 cup of rock, and a tea spoon of the vocals of Joey Cape (who you'll recognize from Lagwagon). "Houston" is the band's follow-up to the their EP otherwise known as "Acrophobe, but this most recent full-length is in a universe of it's own combining computers with sequencers and the unique voice of the head astronaut Mr. Joey Cape. To top it off... top of the line drum machines can be heard as well as the harmonica blowing of John Popper of Blues Traveler. Bad Astronaut has proven itself to be the all-star team of space cadets featuring band members from Nerf Herder/Swinging Utters/Sugar Cult (Marco 72), a previous drummer of Lagwagon (Derrick Plourde), a producer/engineer (Angus Cooke), Joey Cape, and three other's whose past is left myterious due to fear of prosecution by the NASA police. "Houston" is an album filled with hit, and one that doesn't deserve to try to be classified by a reviewer. It needs to be heard and will sure be appreciated. Emjoy.

Madcap - East To West
Side One Dummy 2002

It's amazing how far a band can come in just over a year. Madcap has truly come from "east to west" with their sound, and has developed it into a nitty gritty punk rock machine. Yes, "Stand Your Ground" was a quality freshman production from the band but "East To West" is in a leage of it's own. It's not a shock that some may not like their sound, but those fans of raw punk (real punk) will be fans of this latest release. Even those of you who have yet to hear Madcap should give the disc a rotation or two. The boys behind the barbeque at the 2001 Warped Tour have put together what should definately be labeled as one of the most solidified punk rock albums of 2002. They're a band that play for the love of the music and not for the fame, but hopefully "East To West" will earn them the respect they have been deserving of since being established. One thing which is evident from the beginning of "East To West" is that the newly divided vocals of Johnny and Alfredo of Madcap are surely a step in the right direction. The balance and flavor is richer and different but at the same time, they keep that tone that has helped them become Madcap. Twelve tracks, four talented punks, no disappointments, PRICELESS!

All American Rejects - S/T
Doghouse 2002

By far the most exciting and standout release of 2002. From the second their debut album began to spin I knew it was something special and I began to listen intently. The most astonishing fact about this band is that it's not just a one man show. The blend of vocals is amazing and the duo from Oklahoma is truly a Mid-Western class act. The fusion of electronic beats, and incredible (yet not lame) pop melodies makes this duo an act to be admirted by many. This eleven track collection of synth-pop anthems is sure to have you wanting more. Not one song is the same, and each is an experiment in the realm of so many diverse genres. Their lyrics may be an overview of their fucked up relationships but they express them in a way which shys away for the whole emo "my girlfriend broke up with me" trend. The way they combine their indie rock background with their synth-pop extravaganza and power-pop punch has made this an album in a league of it's own that will suprise many, and disappoint none.

Formerly known as Eiffel, Vaux is essentially a post-hardcore progressive rock band with 6 people. With that aside, I'd like to say that this album is really refreshing to hear. It's great to hear a post-hardcore band that doesn't go overboard with the screaming. The vocals on this EP are very tasteful; there is screaming when need be, but the majority is just singing, and both are done extremely well. The vocalist's voice even resembles Thom Yorke of Radiohead fame at times, which I also enjoyed. The instrumentation of this album is incredible too. The drums are very creative, and the guitar work is some of the best I've heard in awhile. Everything on this EP simply goes together quite well. The song lengths are a plus too, with the shortest song being 3:43 and the longest one 5:59. Another neat thing I noticed was the song titles and the order (Everday, We Speed, On, To the End). Pretty clever. Catch these guys on tour with Snapcase and Boy Sets Fire this fall, and be on the lookout for their full length out in early 2003, I'm quite sure it will be a worthwhile purchase.

Rocket From The Crypt - Live From Camp X-Ray
Vagrant 2002

On the verge of 3 stars, "Live From Camp X-Ray" just missed due to the disappointing short length of the album. It didn't seem like it truly finished when the last track played (26 mins playing time). Come on guys! I barely heard from you all year, then you appear from Camp X-Ray with in my opinion an imcomplete record. In true Speedo (vocals) fashion though the band chomps into the first track "I'm Not Invisible" like a shark eating a fat dude off the coast of Florida. In "Get Down" the band uses repetition in a way I've never heard before amd they do it so precisely that you'll be checking your cd to check for skipping. "Group Sounds" their previous album began to catch the attention of a younger crowd, something that Rocket From The Crypt can't always manage to do. I hope that Rocket From The Crypt's five zillionth releases with catch your attention and gain your apprecation like it has mine. Camp X-Ray seems to be a pretty happening place this time of year so stop by and check it out when you get the chance.

Long Since Forgotten - All The Things You Said
RocketStar 2002

What a pleasant surprise... this is beautiful music. And I had never even heard this band's name before, shame on me. Long Since Forgotten is an emopop band. Nowadays almost every band is being (or wants to be) compared to Jimmy Eat World, but in most case that comparison rather far-fetched. However, in this case the comparison seems valid to me. More specifically, Long Since Forgotten reminds me of the fragile sound of Jimmy Eat World in the "Clarity"-era. "All The Things You Said" comprises a great amount of easy-listening ballads with outstanding vocal harmonies (e.g. "Call You Later", "Once More"), but there's some up-tempo goodness too ("What She Said", "Some Sort Of Meaning"). The great production brings the finishing touch to this great record. I hope that we'll be hearing more of this band.

Hot Water Music - Caution
Epitaph 2002 

I'm officially a Hot Water Music fan. I didn't dig there half of their split with Alkaline Trio and hated "A flight and a crash" but "Caution" just contains a sound that does it for me. Whatever you do proceed with no caution, instead stop reading this review right now and either go to cdnow.com, interpunk.com, or your nearest record store and pick this bad boy up. The band wastes no time, instead they rip into "Remedy" which is sure to turn more than a few heads and win over more than a few new fans. As the album proceeded and energy kept rising the admiration I didn't have for the band before suddently appeared. "Trust Chords" is another track that sticks out in my mind with comparisons of Down By Law and Dag Nasty coming to mind. I think it was stated best by Jason Hot Water Music when he said "Musically, we've never wanted to define ourselves at all.", and every track is evidence of that. Pick any of the twelve tracks on "Caution" and it could be considered a "single". There's no one hit wonder in this disc which will be a relief to many. Each track tells a story and is a journey down a long, complex, and punk rock covered road.

Staring Back - On
Lobster 2002

UI've often told people that nowadays, if you want to be a good band, either A- play something different, or B- do what you do extremely well. This is especially true if you are in the pop-punk genre. Staring Back fall into that "do what they do extremely well" category. This is a great cd. I admit that lately I've been less and less prone to listen to pop-punk, but this album has really grabbed me. It has a more mature sound, and Matt Evans vocals don't have that overprduced sound to them, at times they even sound strained, which is even better. The band does this whole pop-punk thing with a different approach in a way that I can't really put my finger on, all I know is that I like it. The songs on here show a lot of variety as well too. "Haunted" is a good example, with half of it being spoken vocals that turn into yelling at the end. It kinda reminds me of Strike Anywhere. Another thing about this cd that sets it apart from other pop-punk acts is how technical the musicianship is. It sometimes leaves you wondering "How in the world did they think of that part?" It almost seems that there aren't verses in some of the songs, but rather different bridges and then a chourus, which is good because it makes the songs less repetitive sounding. That's always a plus. This album has a more melancholy vibe, as opposed to overly happy, and that's good too. In fact, it ends on a rather dark note with the closer "The Problem With Fire." If you are sick of bland pop-punk, buy this cd.

Unsung Zeros - Moments From Mourning
Eulogy 2002 

You know when you're in your car and you're playing music and you're not really paying that much attention to it, but you kind of get into it as much as you can cause you're trying to pay attention so you don't get into an accident? This is the kind of album that you should listen to in the car.

(Vanessa)

Solea - S/T
Defiance 2002

The band with ex-Texas Is The Reason and Samiam members. They must hate me for bringing that up once more and I can't blame them - it doesn't tell you anything about their music. Solea's indie pop is not as depressing (that is not meant in a pejorative way) as the music of the aforementioned bands. Solea would fit well on the VagrantRecords roster between bands like The Anniversary, Koufax and Hot Rod Circuit. Not exactly what I am looking for in a band but I hear that Solea's good in what they do. If I had to name a stand-out track, I'd say "Smile". That one has a good pop-feel to it, but don't serve me a CD that's stuffed with this kind of music.

I caught the guys for a bit at Warped Tour this summer, and was quite impressed to say the least. Every song was full of energy, and they seemed to be having a good time. It was also to my knowledge that these guys are good friends with My Hotel Year, who I highly enjoy. This cd however, does not sound like My Hotel Year, but that is not a bad thing at all. What you have here is 11 rocking post-punk rock tunes along the lines of Hot Water Music, and with a lot of variety. But maybe a little too much variety. While the pace of the cd is set by the opening track "Part of It", other tracks like "Turncoat" nearly throw off the flow of the cd. The majority of the good songs on this album are the faster tempo ones, such as "Too Soon" and "So Different". I really like this album, but I feel it could be so much better. Some of the verses on certain songs tend to be rather blah, usually due to the vocals, and then the chorus comes in and it's amazing ("Greatest Story" is a good example.) I just feel the vocals on a lot of verses on this album bring the song down a level. On "Slow Down" for instance, the vocals on the verses are really lame, and then the chorus comes in, and it's like "well, now it's good." I know it sounds like I don't like this album, but I really do. The choruses on these songs definitely make it worth the purchase, and the closing track "Ascension" is very well done. Some more positives are the back ground vocals and guitars, which tend to compliment each other rather nicely. The production is good too. I just wish there were more songs like "Part of It" and less spoken and echoing vocals. This cd is still worth having though, fans of Avail and Hot Water Music should definitely pick this up.

Go out and get this CD. Then take it to your friends house and play it for them. I'll bet you twenty bucks they'll believe you if you tell them it's Homegrown. Then take the CD back and tell them they have to get their own and
go home and stick it in your CD player and be satisfied for 27 minutes. Bottomline gives you a good excuse to at least give that The Starting Line CD a rest for a bit.

Timetofly - Birth.Work.Death.
Rocketstar 2002

A dumb bandname, a dumb title and a dumb CD-cover but good music. Timetofly's vocalist kinda sounds like Travis from Piebald, stilted and unpredictable. Their music, sort of powerpop-ish, is diverse and entertaining but it never really blasts and that's a pity. Songs such as "Locked In And Hopelessly Fighting" and "Seemingly Grey" (jee, I love the effect on the vocals) showcase the talent of this band, but maybe they do lack an edge to make them stand out above the masses. But if you are a fan of Piebald, The June Spirit, Park or The Movielife (all of which are bands with very particular singers), you should give it a shot.

Roger Miret and The Disasters - S/T
Hellcat 2002

Roger Miret (one of the father's of New York hardcore) and the singer of Agnostic Front has returned with three of his buddies to form "The Disasters". Their s/t debut features a diversity we all would it hope it had, straying away from Agnostic Front and coming to closer to sold punk rock. The fourteen track are woven with a powerful punch that street punks can appreciate reminscent to "Do or Die" by The Dropkick Murphy's. If you don't find yourself pumping your fist or singing along to one of the standout tracks such as "Give 'Em The Boot" then turn it off, take a deep breath, and try again. Roger is joined by three punk rock veterans who are known throughout the scene. Rhys Kill (from New Zealand), Johnny Rioux (Bruiser's bassist, did work with Mike Ness), and Johnny Kray (NY Rel-X). After being produced by Matt Kelly of The Dropkick Murphy's it's no wonder it landed of Tim Armstrong (Rancid/Hellcat) who obviously dug these four guys and was smart enough to sign them. Roger Miret has formed a group which will prove itself to be anything but a disaster, and I think you should check them (the bearers of a sound we don't hear enough anymore) out.

Wafflehouse - Olympia
Forge Again Records 2002

This album gives me a headache, but it's in a good way. The headache is a result of the fact that I simply cannot comprehend the music occurring on this cd. There's just...so much of it. I guess the best way to describe it is post-punk/math-rock/indie/emo/whatever. Whichever you choose to call it, it rocks. This album is just crazy. There is so much going on, and I guess it's mainly due to the amount of vocals. Dan Ficorelli goes from whining to falsetto to screaming with ease, while the rest of the band provides backing vocals when need be. As far as instrumentation goes, it's top notch. The guitars are all over the place, as is the bass. The drums are really complex as well. Somehow it all comes together though, and the keyboards Ficorelli adds is a nice touch too. At first listen, the album sounds like a bunch of noise-filled random sounding music, but after a few listens, you really start to notice the detail of the songs. The thought put into this album really just blows my mind. Tracks like the album opener "Leviathan" and "Head Cage Store" really show what these 5 guys can do. There's even some guest female vocals and violins on a song or two for good measure. A banjo thrown in on the intro of the secret track was a nice touch as well. The lyrics are pretty much like the music that accompanies them: abstract, yet make perfect sense. This band has been around since early '99, and I'm sure they have plenty left in them, so I'm looking forward to that. If you are a fan of early At The Drive-in, you will more than likely have a good appreciation for this album.

Sanbox Rocks - S/T
DIY 2002

After a while you get sick and tired of listening to record after record by 3-piece pop punk bands. And the thing is, I wouldn't mind if they were at least good, but they're not. I made it though about two and a half songs and then I had to take this off. Now maybe it's not really fair because right before I stuck this in I had listened to about ten really awful 3-piece pop punk band demos and right now I'm just sick and tired of listening to the same stuff over and over again. Maybe you'll be able to stand this...

Boys Night Out - Broken Bones and Bloody Kisses
One Day Savior 2002

Tanaou - Primary Colours Series Extended Player Number One
DIY 2002

This EP is comprised of the first five songs that Tanaou has written. They've written in their bio that they're happy with these songs, but that apparently they're written a lot of songs since this with which they have "found their sound". The "sound" being something between The Used and Brand New. Musically, these five songs aren't bad. There is a good range of melodic and fast and they actually play well. The only problem I have is that the singer sounds like he's trying too hard to sing. Chris Carraba sings and doesn't sound like he's trying. Jesse from Brand New sings and doesn't sound like he's trying. If you listen to "Between a rock and a hard place" it's extremely evident that the frontman of this band is trying way too hard. Maybe with their new realized "sound" he's relaxed a bit. Other than that suggested listening would be track 3, "Where are all the satellites". The perfect song that encompasses the feel of this EP and which will help you decide whether or not you want to listen to more.

Oswego- S/T
BCore 2002

An intriguing album cover, don't you think? But what about the music? Indie/guitar rock, sort of Sparta, Fugazi-ish. A must-have if you can't enough of minor chords and falsetto vocals. But I think that this gets really boring after three of four songs. A like a little more coherency for table five please.

The Forgotten - Control Me
BYO 2002

Being a fan of BYO through all their roster changes, it's nice to see a solid band join the crowd. Hopefully they'll stay around for a while. With the band being tight friends with Lars and Tim of Rancid, it's no wonder that there is an obvious influence throughout their BYO debut. Previously filling spots on both the TKO and Knockout Records (Europe) rosters, The Forgotten are trying to be anything but "the forgotten". Trying to describe "control me." in words wouldn't do it justice. It needs to be heard, and soon to follow the listening process will be a good amount of punk rock appreciation. The Forgotten are another band in a growing list trying to bring back real punk rock (the punk rock many of us aren't old enough to remember) and are doing a damn good job. Since it seems like Rancid is on the outs, look for up and coming bands such as The Forgotten to leave their mark in your punk rock heart. "control me." definately deserves a listen, and I believe you'll agree with me that the band does BYO Records justice.

The Home Team - Time And Place
RocketStar 2002

This is all so pure, so fragile. Anything but original, but it feels real. Do you remember Hopeless Records' Digger? They've got that same thing going on. So yeah, I dig this. The simplistic songwriting, the wink towards sappy indie rock. These guys are so not rockstars. They probably like sitting at home in front of the fire-place drinking tea with lots of honey. Weston (RIP?) also pops up into my mind while listening to The Home Team. This is something for all you teddy bear punk rockers.

Lots of kids send us demos to review so I get to hear a lot of stuff and comparatively speaking Ruined By Reason is pretty good. You like hardcore? A singer that definitely has a pair of lungs and though you can't really understand what he's singing you're into the screaming? Fast music with extremely tight beats? Answered yes to even one of those questions? Then you might want to check these guys out.

Stavesacre - Stavz'-a-ker
Nitro 2002

Accompanied by a dark yet aggressive sound is So Cal's own Stavesacre. I've read the band's considered to be "the best band you've ever heard" but unfortunately I'd have to state otherwise. Besides AFI (ex-Nitro allstars) the labels roster has never managed to pop my cherry. I've given them all I have and every possible chance to come away appreciating the album but their sound can't even catch onto my belt loop. It's repetetive nature and blandness is definately one of the biggest ear sorers you get, especially after the last track "World To Wait". It feels like you had to wait for the world to make one full rotation before this cd ends. If you're a risk taker, or a fan of the darker more gloomy goth rock go out with your makeup on and give this one a listen. It's your choice, but I'm just telling you it's not a cd I'd go out and spend my lawn mowing money on.

All Systems Go - Mon Chi Chi
Bad Taste 2002

So by now you've opened up about 20 cans of soda and they've all been flat. You're expecting this next one to be flat too, but, to your surprise it's not. All Systems Go has fizz. Mon Chi Chi is brash stripped down rock and roll. With all the slutty chick singers, boy bands, 70's garage rock bands and Blink 182 wanna-be's that are being thrown at you, this album is a refreshing diversion.

The Hurt Process - Another Day
Loudspeaker 2002

Can you think of a band name that sounds more emo than The Hurt Process? I didn't think so. The intro to this record is piano ballad, so when I first heard this CD I thought, this is going to be something like Keepsake or The Juliana Theory until the first howls, yes, howls came through,... boy was I wrong. The Hurt Process combines hardcore vocals and "normal" vocals, I think they use two different singers for that because they are a six piece band. Well... some call it experimental, I call it crap. If I'd feel like listening to howls, I'd rent Aliens 3, thank you very much.

Lost City Angels - S/T
Nitro 2002

I really don't understand what all the hype is about. Spring Heeled Jack minus the horns and ska? The end.