At Folsom Prison: Every Dream and Every Crisis Means the Rise
Nervousness and talent make the band’s third album a brilliant departure point from which to venture into unknown territories.
emo
Desaparecidos: Payola
Desaparecidos find giddy joy as they tear the establishment to pieces.
Blake Bliss: Friend, Enemy, Stranger
This album is so distraught and, I hate to say it, silly in its studied seriousness, that it’s what people might kick around as the punchline to a perverse joke.
The Best Emo Albums of 2014
Like emo's first wave, today's revival has taken issue with the category itself. But concerns over labels shouldn't get in the way of appreciating the connections between the subgenre's up-and-comers and legacy acts that reconvened like Y2K never happened.
Dads: I’ll Be the Tornado
I’ll Be the Tornado is an enrapturing album, and one that you simply must hear with your mind and your heart.
Empire! Empire! (I Was a Lonely Estate): You Will Eventually Be Forgotten
You Will Eventually Be Forgotten boasts some solid craftsmanship, which is quite endearing, but also has some wretched singing, making the proceeding seem rather average at best.
The Relapse Symphony: Shadows
This is the sound of a band making waves, and, despite its slight faults, it’s largely enjoyable and a soundtrack to your next backyard summer barbeque.
Tigers Jaw: Charmer
Adding new textures and the vocal talents of Brianna Collins, Tigers Jaw does the impossible, and that is evolve without leaving anything behind.
JPNSGRLS – “Smalls” (video) (Premiere)
The kinetic, off-the-wall music video for JPNSGRLS' infectious tune "Smalls" is available for viewing exclusively at PopMatters.
Owls: Two
Two is certainly a good album, and it’s absolutely the one Owls wanted to make. It’s just not always a record I want to listen to.
Krill: Steve Hears Pile in Malden and Bursts in to Tears
With this five-song concept EP, Krill proves itself a serious band that doesn’t take itself too seriously.
You Blew It!: Keep Doing What You’re Doing
With maybe the truest emo record yet to come from the recent resurgence of emo and pop-punk, You Blew It! call back to the height of the genre without getting too bogged down by tradition.