BOTCH “Unifying Themes Redux” CD

This is a re-issue of the band’s long out of print collection of early 7-inch material, compilation cuts, and other rarities, providing an incisive look at the germination of Seattle’s legendary ass-kickers. Originally released by Excursion Records in 2002, it features sixteen ferocious tracks that only Botch could deliver, complete with weird samples, postmodern anxiety, and unstoppable riffs.

CASUALTIES “UNDER ATTACK” CD 

NY’s punk veterans return with a brash, brutal new album; thirteen tracks of blistering punk rock, produced by Bill Stevenson (Black Flag, Rise Against, Suicide Machines).

METRIC “Live It Out” CD 

Toronto’s Metric has the ability to appeal to fans on a number of levels: the group captures the likeability of Elastica with the cheekiness of Blondie and then mixes that new wave style with just enough of a growling guitar to give it some oomph. Since their last release, the acclaimed Old World Underground, Where Are You Now?, Metric’s sound has morphed slightly; this follow-up is a little more guitar-based and slightly less electronic than their last, a move likely to broaden their fan base even further.

HOLD STEADY “Boys And Girls In America” CD 

Damn you, Hold Steady! How can any band be this good? Boys and Girls In America is the third straight chain-smoker from everybody’s favorite Brooklyn bar band. Has anybody made three albums this great in three consecutive years lately?

ISIS & AEREOGRAMME “In The Fishtank” CDEP

“In The Fishtank” is an ongoing project of Konkurrent, an independent music distributor in the Netherlands. Chosen musicians are given two days studio time and freedom to do whatever they like musically. On this edition, while both bands are known for their love of metal and post-hardcore with an experimental and spherical approach, they not only show these skills here, but they also add an impressively high level of purity, roominess, and emotion. It’s the analog warmth that makes the songs tender, organic, imminent, and fragile.