The Buzzcocks
Flat Pack Philosophy
Cooking Vinyl Records
Street: 03.07
The Buzzcocks = The Vibrators + The Smiths + Joy Division + The Pansy Division
It’s always nice to hear old bands releasing new stuff that’s just as good as the songs that made them legendary. Although none of the songs on the Buzzcocks’ newest album are as recognizable as “Orgasm Addict,” they’re still damned good. The album consists of songs that ask the age-old question of what went wrong, sprinkled with some songs about consumerism and the idea of Big Brother watching you. Who cares what the song matter is; the guitar riffs, drum beats and synthesized sounds are upbeat and make you want to dance your ass off. This is what pop punk should sound like, not that Good Charlotte bullshit that is on sale at your local Hot Topic. –Jeanette Moses

Calexico
Garden Ruin
Quarterstick Records
Street: 04.11
Calexico = Wilco’s little brother
At first glance, it is evident that the new Calexico effort is a departure from the band’s previous nine records; say “buenos noches” to the characteristic Chicano stencil art. Instead, we have a colored sketch of a crow on a wire looking all Saddle Creek-y. True to initial perception, the band has left behind some of its dusty twang on the road to cleanliness. Just as Wilco transitioned from the alt-country of Being There (which was already a substantial departure from Uncle Tupelo and the supposed genesis of the No Depression genre), Calexico seems to be captivated with the potential of well-penned pop songs. To say that this record is the band’s most accessible is no stretch. Unless you’re a Calexico fan, in which case it’s probably the most banal. –Justin Thomas Burch

Cinemechanica
The Martial Arts
Hello Sir
Street: 05.23
Cinemechanica = bad seafood + jogging + guitars competing for attention
This record is a spastic dud. If you were ever stuck in a waiting room, killing time by trying to imagine what it would sound like if a set of sexually-frustrated teenagers desperately in need of Ritalin got together and wrote a 31-minute album in six minutes and dedicated it to Dream Theater, then your daydream has spawned a band, you asshole. On the upside, this is what it sounds like inside the guy from Fallout Boy’s head when he violently pukes into his silly hat after drinking a few too many pre-show wine coolers. On the promo sleeve that accompanied the record, some fool is quoted as saying that the track “’I’m Tired of Paul McCartney’ makes the Mars Volta look like a pack of mewling babes.” Even the band member’s mothers know this couldn’t be further from the truth, as I’m sure they try not to discuss how they think the band composed of their collective offspring is absolutely fucking stupid. –Sucka MC

ClearviewKills
Wrap This Around Your Neck
Orange Peel Records
Street: 06.14.05
ClearviewKills= Glasseater + My Chemical Romance + The Used
You know when you go to a show and you’re super-stoked to see your favorite band play, but there are four other bands before them? ClearviewKills is the band playing before your favorite band. You stand there and tap your toes and bob your head a little bit because you know that they’re playing their hardest. ClearviewKills is thrashing around the stage, singing/screaming, and you think they sort of sound like a cross between a hardcore band and those whiny post-punk emoish bands that are coming out these days. Then your legs start to get tired, and you yawn a little bit. At least the screaming parts are a deeper scream instead of that high-pitched annoying banshee-ness that’s ubiquitous in the genre. You give them pity claps because you know you couldn’t be up on stage playing those tunes, and they drove here all the way from Pittsburgh, but really, you just want to see your favorite band. –Peter Fryer

The Cops
Get Good or Stay Bad
Mount Fuji Records
Street: 02.26
The Cops = Mad Cap + T Rex + The White Stripes
This band is a great example of the way rock n’ roll should be played. The muted bass, distorted guitars and raspy vocals work well together. The lyrics are pretty fucking boring and not very well written, but thankfully the album consists of just about as many instrumentals and solos as it does lyrics. The fact that the Cops play rock n’ roll that you can shake your ass to makes the shitty lyrics bearable. I suppose most people don’t care much about lyrics when they’ve been dancing so hard they can’t breathe. It isn’t like they could sing along anyway. (Kilby Court 04/06) –Jeanette Moses