Bear Lake – “DEMO” – It’s hard to provide a full on review of Bear Lake, the demo they provided consists of 3 songs, two of which are long instrumentals. I’m not the biggest fan of instrumentals, unless of course the music can over-power you with emotion and unfortunately these didn’t do anything for me. Otherwise Bear Lake provided me with one non instrumental Pennywise sounding skate punk, political minded song “Matters”. It too is heavily incarcerated by the love of instrumental solos and the same drum back beat as the other two songs. Sorry this isn’t much of a review, but it’s about in-depth as the demo I was asked to review.

www.myspace.com/bearlake

Specifically Toast - “Fear Of A Bot Planet “- On their introduction demo, Specfically Toast sharpen their pop hooks and instrumental prowess, though admittedly, they are still a far cry from being Screeching Weasel, The Queers, or MTX. Based on "Aluminium Bats and the Seventh Inning Grope.” obnoxiously long song title and references to and obvious MTX rhythm & hand clap rip off, one might dismiss Specifically Toast as another pop-culture damaged hipster-doofus Mr. T Experience wannabe band, but their song " No! It is the bad kind of puppy." erases any notion that Specifically Toast is just another stupid English, Mr. T Experience wannabe band. It just solidifies that they are an English band of young chaps that are heavily influenced almost to the point of fanatically by the power pop punk of the 90’s bands of Lookout records.  A kind of pop punk thesis set to a catchy beat, " So long, suckers!...uh...hello, suckers! " comes as close as any other pop punk song to explain why the band members are so sad about girls. Catchy and irresistible, the song has a touch of every pop punk mix tape through the 90’s. Although the rest of the five song demo is pumped up with other catchy tunes, Specifically Toast has not yet reached their own creative peak. This Demo is a good start for Specifically Toast, now all they need to do is decide what direction they want to go; Mr. T Experience wannabe band or a solid pop punk band influenced, but not defined by their musical heroes. After written the review I saw that Specifically Toast broken up, so much for the good start.

Braindead- “No Consequences”-  Braindead forge out a dense, metallic grind that sounds like a more streamlined version of Quicksand. The band's debut, “No Consequences”, relies as much upon metal as it does punk, but that makes the music all the more effective. Braindead’s attempt at punky fury simply isn’t as strong as their brutal, gut-level heavy riff-rockers. Vocalist, Stevie spews out enough angst-ridden lyrics, but what is important is how his voice fits into the dense wall of sound. Braindeads's music is about powerful anger and persistent hammering of dark riffs and “No Consequences” delivers the goods. Braindead's heavy metal influence is distinguished not by the band's hooks but by its precision -- they grind their riffs into the ground, never alleviating their intensity. “No Consequences” isn't as murky as say a Slayer album and it contains tighter, better-constructed songs, all of which makes for a deliberate lack of melody excusable. Then again, the point isn't melody -- Braindead is about sheer sound, in all of its distorted glory. If you like that sound, the album delivers the goods. post-hardcore heroes Braindead is a far cry from wildly compressed rock but its reliance on hardcore sensibilities and metallic guitars makes perfect sense in the context of the band's formation. Led by their singer Stevie & Drummer Chico, Braindead takes a familiar hardcore stance, with plenty of chunky breakdowns and rousing vocal yelps. Giving this album a bit more credibility is the influence of complicated metal structures throughout the ten tracks, mostly in the form of wailing guitars with alternately pummeling chord structures. Stevie's voice may not be in its best form here, but he can handle the stretches and he certainly puts his entire heart into every word he sings and screams. Braindead is unbelievably tight and there is not an inconsistent moment on this album, from the abrasive opening of "Sure Is Lonely Down Here” to the squealing harmonics of "Exercise In Bad Taste". Braindead starts out angry and loud and ends just as angry and loud, is all the proof I need to tell me they never hold back a thing.

Static Radio NJ – “An Evening of Bad Decisions...“ This album isn’t made up of sounds that nobody has heard before, but sometimes it's better not to totally reinvent the wheel anyway. Although a bit uneven, Static Radio’s debut is still superior to many of the pop-punk/hardcore/emo cross-over releases that have come out since the late 90’s. At their best, Static Radio brings first-class power pop sensitivity to the table - their blend of loud, fast punk aggression and poppy melodies are especially appealing on "Wake Up" & "Who’s Laughing Now" Also noteworthy is the bass driven hardcore-ish tune "In Your Dreams" which finds the band combining heavy guitar licks with a jaw dropping early Kid Dynamite sound. Not all of the tunes are memorable as the aforementioned songs and “An Evening of Bad Decisions...“has a few weak, pedestrian tracks. But when Static Radio are genuinely inspired, the listener hears their potential to be a top of the line punk band for years to come. Is this CD a five-star masterpiece? No, but it's a generally likable debut that has many more pluses than minuses.

Dead On Friday – “Hope It Was Worth It” The kids in the drive-thru and hanging out at half-pipes need to see  that the graybeards are bringing the big issue pain train. But it helps if those issues are bound to strong melodies, and in this department, Dead On Friday doesn't disappoint. "The Man Who Refused To Die" features a stinging lead guitar stature and a powerfully built chugging chorus; Opener "Every Day" is an ominous song with the sound of punk in a sterilized future. “Hope It Was Worth It” bursts into a million pieces with in the thrusting fist sound of "It Ain't A Party Till You Leave It" and "So Much Fun" The Dead On Friday harmonies rise and fall behind a pleadingly angry Dave in "Sonofabitchmustpay" and “Going To Hell”. The best song on this album might be "A Damn Shame" not surprisingly inspired by how the world  and society in general hasn’t learned anything from it’s past and is destine to repeat it ‘s past mistakes. The track is as powerfully melodic as it is pissed off and angry. “Dead On Friday has a lot of similarity to Bad Religion at their most venomous and unstoppable. It seems to me that with the demise of Bad Religion, Dead On Friday might be ready to take off were BR left off. Whether that ambitious challenge should really happen is undecided, and probably unnecessary. Unnecessary, because Dead On Friday seems to be at their best when standing defiant in the way of whatever hate and high jinks are currently inhabiting our collective psyche. Their tone and message aren’t much different from Bad Religion and based upon their musical style and ability to stand up for the common man, they are ready to have the torch passed their way. Watch out, evildoers – Dead On Friday is in your rear-view, and they're gaining.

www.myspace.com/deadonafriday

V/A - Merry X-Mas Dammit From The Double Down Saloon – As far as Christmas compilations go, usually they are just like a poor kids Christmas dreams, filled with potential and anticipation, but when the day comes the finished results leave you disappointed and thinking “That’s It?”. Well this Christmas compilation is a poor kids dream. The album starts off with a solid blast from the past with punk rock legends Murphy’s Law and their happy holiday song “Sock It To Me Santa” , which is the best song I’ve heard from since “Back With A Bong“,  The rest of  the 41 minute album is jam packed with a  full mix of original punk rock Christmas classics and some great punked up Christmas cover songs. Of the 17 songs there are many stand outs, but the top five for me (other than “Sock It To Me Santa”) would be in no particular order;

“Santa Baby” by The Dirty Panties

“Santa Was A Cross Dressing Nazi” – The Vermin

“I’m Getting Nothing For Christmas” – Peccadilloes

“Christmas In Las Vegas” – Richard Cheese

“X-Mas Medley” – The Las Vegas Allstars

This album needs to be a stocking stuffer for every punk rocker on your Christmas list. If not, go ass fuck yourself with Frosty’s frozen carrot.

www.myspace.com/woodshampoorecords

www.myspace.com/thevermin

Varsity Weirdos – “High School Teen Party” - It strange for a 7 inch to provide such an impactful taste of a bands sound. Every one of the songs on this record shows the bands influences, the bands musical range, and the ability expands from one particular sound without it sounding forced. Paying tribute to the genius of the Ramones and picking up where the Riverdales left off, Varsity Weirdos kick out some catchy, straight-up punk & roll of their own. The major difference they have from The Riverdales is that Varsity Weirdos doesn’t stick to a cookie cutter song structure and their songs show enough variance and energy you can listen to the full record with out yawning. Maybe it’s the pitch of the singer’s voice, the deliberate stop and start of frantic riffs or the small touches of individuality, but I would have to say my favorite song on this record would be “Lost Control”. With that being said this is a can’t miss record for any fan of The Ramones or great music in general.

www.myspace.com/thevarsityweirdos

            Also, I just want to add that It’s Alive Records does something that needs to be commended. Not only do they continue to put out a variety of great albums, but also make sure to include at least a cd-r of their records for reviewers. This may seem silly, but when I review albums I love to listen to them all the time and having the ability to put the songs on my ipod without converting them from vinyl is a nice touch. Not all record companies do this and where I personally am happy to receive anything for review, this little touch makes it that much more enjoyable.

www.myspace.com/itsaliverecords

Up For Nothing -“We’re Singing Our Last Breath” - In all honesty, maturity in Up For Nothing terms seems to just mean that the songs on this album skip much of the juvenile humor and have a noticeably bitter feel than past more lighthearted efforts. Even the album's title and accompanying artwork suggest sunny times are over. However, just because the guys appear to be past their teenage immaturity days, it doesn't mean that the songs on this record are any less catchy, driving, or sing along-able as past efforts. The opener, "We’re singing our last breath” aptly sets the album's pace, as frustration and doubt weave their way through most every song on “We’re singing our last breath”; but no matter how dark the aesthetic, the Up For Nothing that listeners know shines through regardless. Girls are still breaking their hearts multiple times over ("I feel you’ve witnessed all I am and all you wanted me to be, I guess that that’s the price I pay for wanting you to be here singing every fucking word with me” " from "Until Then"), and the band still loves rock & roll (note the standout, guitar-driven "Zero to Sixty"). Up For Nothing also takes aim at the state of music (the rollicking "Hell’s A Bottomless Pit”) and influences of pop culture ("Rob The Minister"), while packing plenty of personal introspection along the way. Despite its shadowy exterior, “We’re singing or last breath” doesn't really tread into any strikingly new ground but; it's still an album of well-executed, enjoyable punk that should please all concerned parties.

www.myspace.com/upfornothing1

www.myspace.com/courtesymurder

Off With Their Heads – “From The Bottom” While it still sounds like Ryan Young has been clearing his throat with gravel and whiskey allowing for his singing style to not budge much beyond a defined rant, Off With Their Heads takes quite a few melodic back roads during its trip down the Power Pop highway. After a relatively powerfully conventional opening salvo, OWTH launches into the enormous power chords of "1612 Havenhurst." that makes your heart flutter and mind race.  "Until The Day.." becomes the first of quite a few of Off With There Heads tunes to hammer almost incessantly on one churning guitar note as the rhythm section stops, starts, or rolls with fury underneath Ryan’s often impactful lyrical limericks. The formula never grows old, especially when it's paced with more tuneful moments and thought, it’s a 12 song album, that leaves you wanting more. Off With Their Heads certainly hasn't softened on this album. If anything, they play harder, louder and faster, the tunes detonate, one after another, like a volley of mortar fire. Still, the band knows how to incorporate pure pop sweetness into their relentless assault without ever coming close to cheesiness; rather, the broken-heart sentiments of songs like "Ten Years Trouble" and "For The Four" are made more poignant by their gruff delivery. All the intangibles are there: energy, conviction, and sincerity. Singer Ryan Young, always deeply guarded and skeptical of the government, apathy, and conformity, attacks those targets with articulate enthusiasm as usual. This album is so well written it takes a lot more intellect then the usual punk album to fully digest the lyrics and how deep they truly are. This album is without a doubt on the top of my year end top whatever lists.

5/5 Stars

www.myspace.com/offwiththeirheads