Oh, so that’s where Set Your Goals got their name from. `90s punk/hardcore act CIV (ex-Gorilla Biscuits / Youth of Today / Judge) finally saw their complete discography come back into print courtesy of Equal Vision. The appropriately titled two-disc set Solid Bond: The Complete Discography collects the band’s two albums and assorted EPs, plus live tracks, demos and an unreleased song or two. At 43 tracks long, the collection is surprisingly bouncy and fun throughout. The duds are few, the energy is high, and it’s about got-damn time these songs got back on the open market. [more]

Adrift in a landscape of emo, indie rock, hardcore, post-hardcore, pre-hardcore and countless other genres associated with punk rock and overall “independent music,” Philadelphia-by-way-of-Scranton band, the Menzingers, chose to stick with what they knew and loved. Borrowing from musical influences that many of us grew up listening to (and still do), yet many often attempt to distance themselves from, the Menzingers are probably one of the most honest young bands you’ll come across today. [more]

Classics of love make a dark day light
If you don’t believe the words then just look into their eyes" - Common Rider, 1999

Like a crystal-clear prophecy, self-fulfilled by a resolute thrust of momentum and passion, Jesse Michaels has returned to making music. [more]

I’ve been into Dinosaur Jr. since 1989, when I was eight. That’s right, I’m cooler than y’all. Okay, truthfully I got into them super late, like 2005 late. Allow me to explain (or skip the next paragraph).

My wife was running our alma mater’s radio station in the spring of 2005 and one day she brought home a Merge sampler of their Dinosaur Jr. re-releases; the CD had three songs from each of their first three albums. I was aware of the band but not sure what they sounded like. [more]

If you name your band Pregnant, you’d better be good. Luckily, this dirge-spewing Brooklyn trio shows a ton of promise on Wanna See My Gun?, their debut seven-inch for Don Giovanni Records (the Measure [SA], the Ergs!). Over the course of four songs / 11 minutes, Pregnant more than compensate for their dubious name.

The record’s cover features a photo of the band sitting in front of a New York Dolls poster, which might be a hint of the thrashing threesome’s proto-punk to come. [more]

Don’t let the name fool you -- this doesn’t sound like Cave In. It’s more along the lines of other Boston bands from the same period, like American Nightmare, and especially in the vocal department, Sex Positions. Mix that early `00s Boston hardcore approach with a healthy dose of musical adventurism and you’ve got the recipe that makes up these five songs.

The standout track here, for me, is side B opener, “(L)over,” which features some hard riffs and an awesome ending. [more]

Being in a band is just like being in any other relationship -- personalities need to mesh or things won’t last. Alden Penner and Nick Thorburn were in an all-too-brief songwriting relationship and together they were responsible for one of my favorite albums of all time, the Unicorns' Who Will Cut Our Hair When We’re Gone?, so you can imagine my dismay when they ‘divorced’ after one proper album. Thorburn moved on to a new relationship fairly quickly with Islands, who have put out one hella good album and another pretty decent one. [more]

Sonic Youth is not for everyone, and I’m not offended when people don’t dig ‘em. But no true rock fan can deny that Sonic Youth is one of the most uncompromising bands of the post-punk era while simultaneously being one of the longest-running, surviving and even thriving in the major label machine while keeping their core members intact and never succumbing to mainstream tastes. Even so, Sonic Youth returning back to an indie label tastes like freedom. [more]

Capital's Blind Faith 7" can be summed up by three familiar words: quality over quantity. There's only three jams to be had here, but they're so excellent that the record's curt length can be forgiven.

If you've heard both Capital full-lengths, you basically know what to expect here: slightly gruff, Silent Majority-esque (alum) melodic hardcore punk with a good creative flair and brilliant tempo changes. And this time around, the recording is hands-down great. [more]

It’s all too much / But sometimes it’s more than enough" - Venice Is Sinking – “Young Master Sunshine”

Though the first few months were duds (why, Bruce Springsteen, why?!), 2009 is starting to turn into an exciting year for music. I’ve got a solid 10 top going so far that consists mostly of surprises. As in, records from bands I’d either written off before (the Horrors, Morrissey) or just never heard of at all (the Pains of Being Pure at Heart). The latter designation is about to get an addition in the form of Venice Is Sinking. The Athens, Ga. [more]