WHO: Former Member WHAT: Manageable Scratches WHY: For those of you who don’t know, Former Member is a punk rock duo consisting of Jason Shevchuk and Will Yip. The former is front man extraordinaire of bands like Kid Dynamite and None More Black. The latter is producer extraordinaire working the controls for bands like Mannequin Pussy and Turnstile. That alone makes this album worth checking out. Together they make up a powerful hard-hitting punk rock combination that sounds like a...
WHO: King Gizzard & The Lizard Wizard WHAT: KG / LW WHY: I don’t know if these are meant to be consumed as separate albums, but considering how productive King Gizzard and the Wizard Lizard is, I’m pretty sure this is one album. KG / LW is the best release this band has had in years, combining everything that they do well (psychedelic rock, metal, and prog) into shorter songs following a overarching theme. KG / LW rocks and pulsates...
WHO: Mannequin Pussy WHAT: Perfect WHY: Mannequin Pussy is one of the most exciting punk bands around at the moment. They’re just one of those bands where every element of their music comes together and elevates the songs: they probably have the best drummer in punk rock, and this is a wonderful complement to the bass playing which sounds big and tight. Singer Marisa Dabise’s vocals are powerful and passionate. Perfect, the follow-up EP to their massive hit album, is...
WHO: Down By Law WHAT: Lonely Town WHY: One of my loves when I was coming up in my punk days that I keep falling for every time they release a new album. As one of the best bands to surface from the Epitaph 90s era, Down By Law has kept going for more than 30 years, still releasing their own brand of pop punk. It’s also a very special era in Down By Law history as the punkrockacedmyfightsong lineup...
WHO: The Bronx WHAT: The Bronx VI WHY: The Bronx don’t have a single bad album. Not many bands can claim that. Fewer punk bands still. Bronx VI brings with it everything good that you’d expect from an album. It’s riff heavy, it pounds mercilessly, it simmers and builds, it’s filled with great musicianship on every level, and it knows not to take itself seriously. That threatening aura is still there, but this time, you can sing along to it....
Here we go, dear readers! It’s been a hell of a year and hopefully the worst of it is over. Things are slowly opening back up, social events are possible to some degree, and some of us are even going to be able to go back to school in person. Hopefully things will continue to get better. A new year, of course, brings with it a new Back to School guide from us at Ground Control Magazine. Will it be...
WHO: Vicious Dreams WHAT: Selftitled WHY: We try to stick to the newest releases on the Spotlight column, but this album is just too good to pass up. Vicious Dream’s Selftitled sounds like the Rezillos but louder, snottier, faster, and tighter. Vicious Dreams tread’s the thin line between threatening and fun, like a rollercoaster ride. Except this one goes on for 30 minutes and will leave you wanting more. Hear it on...
WHO: Death From Above 1979 WHAT: Is 4 Lovers WHY: DFA1979 is one of those bands that’s both hard to define and instantly familiar when you hear them: giving off an aggressive, threatening aura that’s also easy to dance to. It’s also just two Canadian dudes making all this noise. “Bursting onto the scene” in 2004 with their debut album, then taking a decade-long break, this band has stayed the course with each consecutive release, bringing juicy riffs and heavy...
WHO: Scott Reynolds WHAT: Chihuahua in Buffalo WHY: In a perfect world, Scott Reynolds would be a rich man. His skill as a songwriting is unmatched. His career has led from ALL, to Goodbye Harry, Pavers, and now his solo venture. No one tells a self-contained story in one song better than Reynolds. His latest Chihuahua in Buffalo is a straight-up acoustic album of new songs and revisits of his older material. They’re about relationships, dating, struggle, and loss. It’s...
WHO: Bracket WHAT: Like You Know WHY: If you’re a Bracket fan, you’re either a lover of pop punk, the Fat Wreck sound, or both. Like You Know if a new old album, meaning it’s an album that was meant to be the follow-up to their stellar debut 4-Wheel Vibe that never surfaced after their label went under. Now, it’s finally here. Why wait till now, we’ll never know, but Like You Know is a time capsule both in composition...