And Then There Was You
And Then There Was You
Indianola Records
Powerful, melody-driven, three-and-a-half minute ditties propel this album above and beyond the muck of what has sadly become the post-punk/hardcore scene. The extremely adept rhythm section of Alex De Renzis (drums) and Steven Vasquez (bass) ably set up the template for the twin guitars of Bret Swenson and Eddie Castineira. They in turn set up the soaring vocals of Armando Soler. The ten tracks all prove to be endearing sing-alongs; only the first, "The Beloved," perhaps seems too kitschy. Everything else rocks pretty hard — "Star Struck" and "The Devil vs. Father Moore" deserve to be played on repeat.
Black:Guayaba
No Hay Espacio
Machete Music
Black:Guayaba exists somewhere between Miami and Puerto Rico and plays a hard-driving form of Latin rock that relies more on the rock than on the Latin. This disc contains 13 Spanish-language songs that do their job. "Peso de Amor" has a definite Living Colour sound going for it, while some other tracks get a bit of the middle-period U2 treatment. The rest I guess I can just compare to Soda Stereo and Maná. This is not a bad effort from La Isla del Encanto.
Dreams You Die In
The Ties That Bind
Significant Records
myspace.com/significantrecords
This is a five-song EP of angry Miami-style hardcore similar to Minor Threat, Cro-mags, or, locally, Trust No One and DNME. The twin-guitar assault of Nery and Gino glides well over the rhythm of Vladimir and Patrick, with Adam's vocals leading the onslaught and guiding the few gang vocals. This is available as a seven-inch, which I suggest you seek out — because it's what hardcore is all about! Still, the CD has slightly more informative packaging. "Why Couldn't We Play Catch" is a scathing father/son commentary, and "Follow Your Leader" tackles the usual scene politics. Fun.
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