(Belated) Review Round-Up Thursday: SometimeNever, !!!, Sick Of It All And Bonus Links!

SometimeNever
Father Hope

Our collective scream for something new has gained such volume that it has crossed the Atlantic ocean and reached England. Punk and hardcore is seeing a re-emergence not unlike the late '70s in the U.K. Bands like The Ghost of a Thousand, Gallows, The Computers and SometimeNever are creating new concepts of Rock “N” Roll that we are steadily devouring. SometimeNever’s newest album Father Hope (due out on August 16th) is a compilation of ideas stitched together to form a cohesive unit. Sub-genres of music are getting far too vast and it seems that every branch that stems from Rock “N” Roll is stretching its limbs in forty different directions. SometimeNever have seemed to put together an album that did not forget its roots. Father Hope has no qualms in branching out with experimentation all the while encapsulating the essential desperation of real Rock “N” Roll.

Mat "Runt" Barrot

!!!
Strange Weather, Isn't It?
Warp Records

!!! (pronounced Chk Chk Chk) is somewhat a pioneer of the dance-punk scene and August will see the release of the band's newest album, entitled Strange Weather, Isn't It?. !!! is definitely a band with some chops on them, but after checking out an... umm... advanced copy, I feel that Strange Weather, Isn't It? won't manage to live up to some of the previous entries in !!!'s discography.

My first impression was that Strange Weather, Isn't It? is essentially funk for white people (not that there's anything wrong with that). It has a lot of great guitar and bass parts, but the horns and vocals don't seem quite as into it.

The departure of John Pugh, Justin Vandervolgen and the tragic loss of Jerry Fuchs has also affected the band's sound. !!! has lost so many of the original members, that this album doesn't even feel like it belongs in their catalogue.

Still, if you liked the band's sound before Strange Weather, Isn't It? does hold gems like "AM/FM"", "Jamie, My Intentions Are Bass" and "The Hammer". So at the very least you won't leave feeling hollow.

In closing, good album with some great tracks, but it just doesn't feel like !!! anymore.

Gareth Sloan

Sick Of It All
Based on a True Story
Century Media

When I first listened to Based on a True Story in its entirety, I could not give the album enough praise. A friend of mine said “what do you expect from the most consistent hardcore band ever?” That got me thinking about all of Sick Of It All’s albums, and I came to the conclusion that they are not at all consistent. This band has been around since ’86 and have been releasing albums since ’89.  While almost every album has at least one great song on it (I am hard pressed to find one on ‘92's Just Look Around, though) no album released by SOIA is a standout classic where every song hits home with the same impact. Based on a True Story may be the exception to that case. Every song on this album crackles with more intensity than the last. SOIA have seemed to progress past the formulaic idea of hardcore that they themselves created to make an organic and raw emulsion of hardcore at its purest and most invigorating. Check them out at Foufounes Electrique on September 19th with guests Wisdom in Chains and Mongoloids (+more).

Mat "Runt" Barrot

BONUS:

As readers of the CJLO website will note, we are heavily involved in the promotion of the Fantasia film festival, now taking place. Interested in hearing about what you may have missed? Fear not, our intrepid BVST host Angelica is hosting a number of reviews over at her Tumblr, which you should check out immediately.