Descendents - Everything Sucks (punk): Because I enjoyed the San Francisco punk sound of “Cool to Be You” so much back in June, I picked this one up from secondspin on the cheap. It’s the same brand of pop-punk that I expected, but because it’s 15 years older than “Cool to Be You” it has a slightly more punk feel. In the punk tradition, most of the tracks clock in under a scant 2 minutes, forcing the end of the album on me long before I’m ready for it, but the tracks are so crammed with fun that I didn’t have a problem leaving it on repeat. The thing that I find most amusing about the album is that if you click on the cover to get the 30 second samples that Amazon offers, you can listen to “Coffee Mug” (one of my favorites) almost in it’s entirety (it clocks in at 34 seconds). You can also hear the whole of “Eunuch Boy”, which is a mere 19 seconds. go ahead and listen to Milo say “Mugmugmug”. I always get a kick out of it. B+

Devildriver - The Fury of Our Maker’s Hand (metal): Devildriver, I’m almost embarrassed to say, evolved out of the crappy mallcore band, Coal Chamber. This is their second album, (Their first really isn’t worth bothering with) and it seems to indicate that the band may be trying to pull away from mallcore and into more into straight metal sound. Unfortunately for me, the album seems to be transitional. Sometimes it feels like metal, and other times, I imagine legions of black haired teenagers in giant pants getting this album free with every case of eyeliner. Normally, just the thought of falling in with those pussies would be enough of a reason to send me running in the other direction, but Last.fm relates the band very closely to Lamb of God (which I can sort of see), they’re on Roadrunner (which I can respect), and I’m a big fan of potential. Even though I can’t pick out any decidedly bad parts, I think this album is just OK and nothing to write home about. Unfortunately, no matter how many times I hear it, I can’t seem to put my finger on what I don’t like. I’m starting to suspect that it could be something stupid like the type of distortion they use might sound too much like other mallcore bands (Korn, Slipknot), but I just can’t say. If they continue on their track to getting heavier, I could seem myself picking up their next album. C+

Entombed - Morning Star (metal): The Swedes might not have been doing anything in the arena of world domination in the last thousand years, but I no one is going to say that those Viking genes don’t create some of the best metal available. I got my first introduction to Entombed in 2003, and included them in my Apocalypse compilation disc. When I first reviewed them I said they were “death metal lite,” which is probably why I like them. Musically and lyrically, they’re very similar to the Haunted and Slayer, which are almost thrash/death transitional bands. In the case of Entombed, this means gore-soaked, yet understandable screaming that sits in between death grunting the ear splitting falsetto of 80’s metal thrown over dropped-tuned guitars blazingly jug jugging in an almost thrash-like metal. And that’s the type of formula that hooks me like crack hooks whores. B

Fu Manchu - Start the Machine (stoner): If any band makes me want to grow a biker mustache and wear red tinted sunglasses while sliding across the hood of a lime green ‘70 Hemi ‘Cuda, it’s Fu Manchu. Despite this being the Fu’s ninth studio album, the tracks are as full of fuzzy guitars and cowbell as they ever were (If you recall, the Fu posted 10 tracks to the Six Disc Cowbell compilation). For fans of original stoners like Black Sabbath, or more modern stoner rock offshoots like Wolfmother, Fu Manchu is a perfect fit. While I think that there may be better albums in their catalog, I hardly think that this album shows any real deviation from the format that makes them so fun to listen to. B+

The Hives - Barely Legal (garage): I can tell you that every time I cross the threshold of a used record store, I somehow completely blank out on which Hives album I’m missing. I’ve done this a million times. In a moment of clarity, I broke the cycle and added the missing album directly to my lala want list. And I was dumbfounded when someone agreed to send it to me. The Hives are a Swedish garage punk band, which thanks to Jay, I have had the fortune of listening to for what seems like a billion years now. This CD is an absolute gem of garage punk. It blazes through 14 tracks in a mere 27 minutes, making it more of an EP by today’s standards, but it is one hell of a great ride. I really love the other Hives albums for their upbeat garage sound, but this is by far my favorite because it draws it’s energy more from punk side of the house than the garage side. I can’t stop my foot from pushing on the gas or my hands tapping on the wheel when this disc is in. A-

Integrity - To Die For (metalcore): I was first introduced to Integrity by the mighty Jonah Jenkins back in 2002, and at the time, I thought it was just too heavy for me. As years have passed, I find that the band is now on the tamer side of my metal choices. Unless you are a East coast style old school metalcore, this album is pretty much trash. It’s crappy vocals over metal that is indistinguishable from other hardcore bands like Sick of It All or Slapshot. I don’t think it’s bad if you’re a fan of old school metalcore, but it’s really, really basic stuff. Juggy juggy jah jah ARRRRRRRRGGGGHHHH. C+

Jamiroquai - Traveling Without Moving (funk): I seriously have no idea what to make of Jamiroquai. It’s sort of funk, it’s sort of disco, and it sort of reminds me of Stevie Wonder. There are string sounds, horn sounds, funk bass, and a high voiced male singer, but this album was made long after the disco funk era. Musically, I think it’s very similar to a KC & The Sunshine Band or Earth Wind & Fire disc, so I couldn’t understand why #1GF! didn’t like it, but this is the first album that she shut off for being, and I quote, “a little too gay” for her. Whatever. Too gay or not, I like this album. With the exception of two out of place, almost experimental tracks in the middle (8 and 9), the album flows right along in a smooth, well-produced, disco-funk groove. B