January 2012
5 posts
3 tags
Ever notice how...
Blasting The Wonder Years can cure almost anything?
Annabel/Empire! Empire! (I Was a Lonely Estate),... →
Emo-centric record label Count Your Lucky Stars recently released a 4-way split between the bands Annabel, Empire! Empire! (I Was a Lonely Estate), Joie De Vivre, and The Repitlian. I…
9 tags
Atomic Potato - The Atomic Brainwreck EP →
This is my band’s new EP. You should definitely check it out.
8 tags
Ben Idle - Our Drummer is a Crazy Fucking Pop Punk...
Lee Corey Oswald- Moon Songs →
Lee Corey Oswald is a folk punx duo that has expanded into a full-band for it’s LP debut, Moon Songs. They hail from Portland. The songs are honest, catchy, and heartfelt. It was released on cassette…
December 2011
10 posts
Make Do and Mend - Part and Parcel →
Pop punk-ish band Make Do and Mend from Hartford, CT have recently released a cool little acoustic EP featuring four old songs re-imagined acoustically, one completely new song, and one…
10 tags
Idle and the Bear cover Jon Has Anxiety by The...
8 tags
Scrap Kids- All That I Can't Be →
I’m a bad reviewer, guys. We have this huge waiting list right now that we’ve been doing our very best to get through, but tonight, something happened. I was talking to my friend Tim McGowan when…
Grand Hotel Paradox- Louder Than Lyrics →
Do you guys remember Grand Hotel Paradox? You should. This is such a great band. It seems like just yesterday I was sticking their stickers all over the United States (Send in a picture if you ever…
Adaje/Shark Bait Split 7" →
This is quite possibly the most interesting release I’ve listened to in a long time. Adaje, a strange mix of progressive and the 90s, paired up with Shark Bait, who are kind of like 90s emo, but not….
Declaration - Searching For the Answers →
There are two very important things that the band Declaration (Pee Records) have taught me today: Hardcore punk bands from Melbourne consist of members that appear as if they belong…
Greenland is Melting - Where Were We →
Greenland Is Melting are this folk punk band from one of the few folk punk capitals of the United States, which of course would have to be Gainesville, Florida (home of The Fest). Upon…
The Story So Far- Under Soil and Dirt →
Honestly, it’s hard NOT to like The Story So Far. With their super-catchy melodies, strong harmonies, heartfelt vocals, and powerful lyrics, I can guarantee you’ll find yourself bouncing along with…
Prevenge/Dig It Up Split 7" →
I love split records. I love listening to the new songs, the experiments, the covers, and the co-work. Lots of times, I discover bands solely because they did a split with a band I already like. This…
November 2011
13 posts
Mindset - Midnight Sky →
Mindset are this hardcore band from Melbourne, Australia that happen to sound an awful like a mix between Set Your Goals and Kid Dynamite. Earlier this year, in April, Mindset released…
2 tags
livfersure:
Desert Song-My Chemical Romance...
Sirs/Run, WALK! split 7” →
Today’s Idle review is this awesome post-hardcore split co-released by Topshelf Records and Holy Roar Records (UK). The two bands represented on this release are Sirs from New York and…
Hightime- Ishi Prende →
Hightime is an awesome ska-punk band from Adelaide, Australia. They’ve been playing together since 2009, and recently signed to Pee Records to release their debut album, Ishi Prende. Nina is an…
The Decline- Are You Gonna Eat That? →
The Decline, in short, rock out. They play melodic punk with a powerful backbone and clever lyrics. Oh, and I love Australian accents. It’s pretty much just a winning situation across the board. This…
5 tags
A version of the song I posted the other day. This...
Run For It - No You Ain’t, We Is →
Run For It are this band from Pennsylvania consisting of members from Bangarang, Your Best Regret, and Straight Up! If you happen familiar with any of those bands, you’re likely…
Driven Fear- Contender →
Driven Fear, a hardcore punk band from Queensland, Australia, has made quite the name for themselves in the past couple of years. The five boys make hard-hitting, extremely fun songs that I enjoy…
7 tags
Timeshares - Bearable →
Timeshares are awesome. Timeshares are a punk band from New York. Timeshares have recently put their new LP ‘Bearable’ up for free download at If You Make It, and for vinyl purchase at…
Candy Hearts- Everything's Amazing & Nobody's... →
We love Candy Hearts. Using the words of Idle in our review of Ripped Up Jeans and Silly Dreams, “Candy Heart is a pop punk infused indie group from somewhere north east of us in the New York City…
Annabel- Here We Are Tomorrow →
Annabel is an awesome indie band from Kent, OH. I like them because we’re from the same state. (Alright, I guess I like them for other reasons too.) They released this on Tiny Engines last…
Mike Park- Smile →
If you’ve ever read any of our reviews, or have just even heard of our website, there’s a good chance that you’re familiar with the name Mike Park. Basically anyone familiar with any variety of punk…
October 2011
10 posts
The Bombpops- ...Stole the TV →
The Bombpops are one of the catchiest things I’ve ever heard ever. This is only their second EP, but they’ve already made quite the name for themselves in the SoCal scene. Poli van Dam’s voice sounds…
We Are the Union - Graveyard Grins →
We Are the Union are at it again! It seems like it’s been ages since they’ve put something out, but lucky for us it’s a great one. About a week ago, those crazy kids from Ann Arbor…
7 tags
PROGRESS
Robby and I are working on a couple This Is My Nightmare songs today and tomorrow. Drums are finished, gotta record guitars and vocals tomorrow!
Family Lumber - Look to the Sidelines EP →
I’m not 100% what kind of band Family Lumber is; I guess that’s the best way I could possibly start off my review of their new EP ‘Look to the Sidelines’. They’re from Long Island….
These Branches - The Payoff →
We reviewed an EP by this band These Branches not too long ago, and now they’re back with a followup release that will blow you out of the water (unless you’re not currently in the…
Officer Down - Thrown to the Water →
I don’t know how they pulled it off, but Officer Down somehow traveled to present times from the 80s. I’m assuming they did so in some sort of Econoline van with a flux capacitor and…
Big Big Buildings- Be Not Aglow - Review +... →
Big Big Buildings, the solo project of Adam McElreath, has been active in the Boston music & art scene for about six years now. Adam has been recording and self releasing his own EPs since he was 16…
Andrew Jackson Jihad - Knife Man →
To anyone familiar with all the Andrew Jackson Jihad releases to date, this new one, ‘Knife Man’, will seem long. REALLY long. At first, you’ll probably be all like, “ah, a formidable…
Challenges - We Ruined the Neighborhood →
Challenges are a few things. Firstly, they’re another one of those bands that are heavily influenced by New Found Glory, Blink 182, Set Your Goals, and all the bands that have emerged…
Drinking Mercury- Orcades →
Drinking Mercury, hailing from Lansing, MI, is an interesting combination of alternative rock and psychedelia… And it sounds great. The four friends work together to make a musical baby from sounds…
September 2011
12 posts
Boy Set Sail- We're Almost There →
Boy Set Sail is a 4-piece pop punk band from South Wales. They’ve been making music since 2010, and released this EP this past summer on I Am Mighty Records. Boy Set Sail is Gareth Jones (vox,…
Dan Webb and the Spiders - Much Obliged →
If I could sum up the album ‘Much Obliged’ by Dan Webb and the Spiders in only one word, my job would be a lot easier. But, alas, I must use quite a few more words than that. I mean, not…
SWTHRT- Compact Disk →
What started off as a senior graduation project for Becca High turned into one of the coolest bands I know… Becca (keyboards, vocals, percussion) and Karl Kuehn (guitar, vocals, bass, percussion)…
9/12. Never forget.
2 tags
The Bear interviews the girls of Through The... →
Read more about Through The Static and their first EP here. I didn’t proofread this because I’m lazy, get over it. Through The Static is an AWESOME pop punk band from the east coast, and the…
ATTN: Hardcore Kids of the World →
Billie Joe Armstrong of Green Day was removed from a Southwest flight due to his pants hanging too low. Let this be a lesson to all the hardcore kids I see at shows these days, showing your ass off…
6 tags
Wingnut Dishwasher’s Union cover that I just...
7 tags
This Is My Nightmare's Bandcamp Page →
I posted all the random demos that I upload to tumblr over onto my bandcamp page so you can download them if you’d like. :D
The Bear interviews Dave Beaudreau of Our Lives In... →
Our Lives In Motion (Worcester, MA) is one of the recent obsession-bands of Idle and I. I got ahold of their last EP, Stages, recently (read here) and we’ve been addicts ever since. It’s like…
4 tags
5 tags
This Is My Nightmare - Stoop Kid’s Afraid to...