If you are wondering how a conglomerate like Universal/V2 Records could see to market “noise rock” as explored by the likes of Pink and Brown, Hella, old Sonic Youth, The Apes, etc then take a fascinating look here. How you can tame down and package screaming loud ultra-rock is demonstrated. Kudos, hats-off, Universal has marketed the unmarketable, eviscerated the gutless, castrated the iron-balls of rock. Mind you, this is much better than any grammy award winning pap (or most popular indie rock for that matter), but still, most songs have an obligatory break that makes some 50something year old fart Universal record executive reminisce about the time he blew Elton John. Most songs sound alike, except for the ones that are really lame, but theres no getting around the “packaged”, “safe for human consumption” feeling of it all. A perfect example of when a good band signs to a major.

FCCs: clean (of course). My Picks: anything by The Apes, Daisy Chainsaw, F/i, Hella, Pink and Brown, oh yes and tracks 2, 15.

1) screamy, but predictable, “loud”
2) old school sonic youthish, noise rockish, this one is okay
3) pseudo funky
4) decent intense rock until it washes itself down halfway thru, thinks its ironic and funky
5) predictable, but “intense”
6) indie rock with screamo vocs
7) vocals are just stinky, are they singing FCCS?
8) intense, intro, but craaazy rest! Oooh
9) this one has Evil 105 written on it
10) driving, but mundane
11) double time, slick, yawn, boring slick shit posing as noise rock
12) surf back-beat, cheesy guitar bridge
13) sounds like pop punk with a screamo vocals, “mellow” bridge, vocals just sound wrong
14) “mellower”, funky, with a really cheesy lame break/hook, has the nerve to title itself after a great Apes record
15) oh so different! Swingy bluesy for first half then “explodes” (imagine!) into a louder song