Given Spoon’s reputation for consistency, it’s not a surprise that Transference is good. However, it manages to be good in surprising ways. This time, the band’s quest to get to the heart of their songs led them to take matters into their own hands and produce this album themselves -- a first, which seems somewhat remarkable, considering the band’s tight control over their sound. The single “Got Nuffin” preceded Transference by six months, and its stripped-down rock was the first hint that this album might not continue Ga Ga Ga Ga Ga’s meticulous production and pop songcraft. As marvelous as the precision of that album was, the rough edges here are refreshing. Transference’s title may refer to subconscious emotional shifts, but these are some of the most direct and uncompromising songs Spoon has written. They have all the gritty promise of demos

(in fact, many of these songs are basically demos), with a roomy sound that just underlines their urgency. Compared to Ga Ga Ga Ga Ga and Gimme Fiction’s polish, the Who-esque “Trouble Comes Running” might as well have been recorded on a four-track, while “Goodnight Laura”’s intimacy and imperfections make it a braver and more vulnerable lullaby. Any veneers in Britt Daniel's writing have been stripped away along with the sonic gloss, revealing songs that are more emotional, and filled with more emotions: “Written in Reverse” is the fieriest Spoon song in years, all bashed pianos and snarled vocals comparing the odd happy moments in a dying relationship to high school poppers. “I Saw the Light” is pure, in-the-moment discovery with an expansive instrumental coda that’s just as impassioned as Daniel's vocals. While Spoon’s music is almost always economical, it’s rarely simple, and Transference throws their complex contrasts into high relief. They ask the big question “Is Love Forever?,” but the more the beat hammers down and the more Daniel repeats “are you quite certain, love?” the more elusive the answer seems. “Who Makes Your Money?,” on the other hand, cloaks another tough question in a sinuous groove and spacy keyboards. Spoon take a zigzag path with each album, and Transference often feels like an equal and opposite reaction to Ga Ga Ga Ga Ga’s immediacy. But just because the band’s pop side isn’t the focus here doesn’t mean that moments like “The Mystery Zone”’s insistent groove aren’t earworms in their own way. Even if these aren’t Spoon’s easiest songs, they still deliver the best things about the band -- smarts, wit, hooks -- without any difficulty.

1. "Before Destruction" 3:17
2. "Is Love Forever?" 2:07
3. "The Mystery Zone" 4:59
4. "Who Makes Your Money" 3:45
5. "Written in Reverse" 4:19
6. "I Saw the Light" 5:32
7. "Trouble Comes Running" 3:06
8. "Goodnight Laura" 2:29
9. "Out Go the Lights" 4:37
10. "Got Nuffin" 3:59
11. "Nobody Gets Me But You" 4:57

The long-awaited fourth Lostprophets album, The Betrayed, is well crafted and polished for commercial appeal like its predecessor yet darker and more apocalyptic in tone. The first half of the album is solid, boasting half a dozen great songs filled with punk attitude, overpowering riffs, and memorable hooks. In some ways, it's the best Lostprophets album. No question about it, the band's previous two albums, Start Something (2004) and Liberation Transmission (2006), were blockbusters. The latter was particularly successful. Produced by Bob Rock, famous for his work on Mötley Crüe's Dr. Feelgood (1989) and Metallica's Black Album (1991), Liberation Transmission topped the U.K. albums chart and won the Kerrang! award for Best Album of 2006. Moreover, the Lostprophets were named Best British Band by Kerrang! for two years straight from 2006 to 2007. At this point, the Lostprophets were eager to follow up the chart-topping success of Liberation Transmission with a new album. In 2007 they played several new songs live and began preliminary recording sessions. They wanted to work with Rock again, but the Canadian producer was unavailable. Ultimately, the Lostprophets produced The Betrayed by themselves at the Los Angeles home of the band's bassist, Stuart Richardson, between 2008 and 2009. Over the course of this multi-year recording process, they scrapped a lot of material, ultimately selecting a dozen songs for the 45-minute album. The first half of the album is uniformly excellent, in particular the full-throttle rockers "Dstryr/Dstryr," "It's Not the End of the World, But I Can See It from Here," and "Next Stop, Atro City." Though less invigorating and perhaps too pop-oriented for some fans, the U2-esque "Where We Belong" and the ska lilt of "For He's a Jolly Good Felon" are also first-rate.

1. "If It Wasn't for Hate, We'd Be Dead by Now" 2:19
2. "Dstryr/Dstryr" 4:29
3. "It's Not the End of the World, But I Can See It from Here" 4:20
4. "Where We Belong" 4:37
5. "Next Stop, Atro City" 3:02
6. "For He's a Jolly Good Felon" 4:43
7. "A Better Nothing" 4:47
8. "Streets of Nowhere" 3:26
9. "Dirty Little Heart" 5:44
10. "Darkest Blue" 3:51
11. "The Light That Shines Twice as Bright..." 5:52

In 2008, the first album from These New Puritans appeared, presenting a band of young Brits who had clearly soaked up the lessons of brainy post-punk outfits like the Fall, Wire, et al., not only in terms of the Burroughs-esque, cut-and-paste approach to composition and the terse, angular riffs and rhythms, but in the tendency to approach an album like an art-school project, with an armful of theories behind each decision. Fortunately for all concerned, These New Puritans -- like all powerful musicians -- operate on a level that connects emotionally and viscerally before the cerebral side is even engaged, so the whole thing plays out in a non-pretentious way. That's how it is on their second album, Hidden, as well, but the band hasn't been standing still in between releases by any stretch of the imagination. Where the first album was full of blaring guitars and powerful drums -- however minimally arrayed and artfully deployed -- Hidden is a different beast entirely; in fact, it's tempting to say that it's barely even a "rock" album, except for the fact that no other descriptor seems to fit any better. In place of those Fall/Wire riffs of old, Hidden offers a greater emphasis on electronics; in fact, there seem to be scarcely any guitars at all. And where its predecessor hit you over the head and knocked you down with its ideas, Hidden -- true to its title -- prefers to sneak up on the listener. Some of the most striking features of the album are the brass and wind orchestrations. Three atmospheric, orchestral instrumentals subdivide Hidden -- one at the top, one at the middle, and one (also including Steve Reich-like percussion, wordless choral vocals, and a brief dash of spoken word) at the end. The wind players pop up at a couple of points in the "band" tunes, too, and it's a fair guess to say that co-producer/former Bark Psychosis frontman Graham Sutton has something to do with it all. Sutton's presence is also significant in that his old band's sui generis art rock is as close as you'll come to a precedent for what's happening here, aside from perhaps late-period Talk Talk. Besides the brass and winds, the synths and programmed beats that mix hip-hop, dubstep, and drum'n'bass styles are the dominant sonic presence. "Fire-Power," meanwhile, finds singer Jack Barnett spitting out a restless tumble of words over a beat that wouldn't sound out of place on an M.I.A. record, while "Hologram" takes things in yet another direction, using jazz piano in combination with winds and more of those Reich-like lines. Ultimately, Hidden is the sound of an ambitious young band as eager to use every tool at its disposal as it is to avoid studiously doing what's been done before.

1. "Time Xone" 2:07
2. "We Want War" 7:23
3. "Three Thousand" 2:49
4. "Hologram" 2:23
5. "Attack Music" 4:48
6. "Fire-Power" 3:20
7. "Orion" 4:31
8. "Canticle" 1:12
9. "Drum Courts–Where Corals Lie" 6:14
10."White Chords" 3:42
11. "5" 4:33

On their 2009 release Supporting Caste, Canadian natives Propagandhi seem more interested in the challenging prog metal laid down in the Great White North -- in the form of such genre giants as Rush and Voivod -- than continuing the group's earlier punk-emo leanings. Granted, there are still enough elements of their emo past that they won't be confused with Kamelot anytime soon, as well as having Black Flag/Descendents drummer Bill Stevenson on board as producer. But there's no denying that the members of Propagandhi are quite adept at their instruments compared to other emo bands -- especially on such tracks as the album opener, "Night Letters," and "Tertium Non Datur." Supporting Caste shows that Propagandhi are not afraid to expand their sound a bit, but the real question is, how far can they go without befuddling their early fans?

1. Night Letters
2. Supporting Caste
3. Tertium Non Datur
4. Dear Coach’s Corner
5. This is Your Life
6. Human(e) Meat (The Flensing of Sandor Katz)
7. Potemkin City Limits
8. The Funeral Procession
9. Without Love
10. Incalculable Effects
11. The Bangers Embrace
12. Last Will and Testament

Regardless of whether or not the state of the world would had improved since their 2000 record, it's almost certain that Propagandhi would have found something to rally against for their fourth studio album. But the mid-2000s were very far from perfect, and with all of the era's questionable politics and injustices, it's no wonder Potemkin City Limits finds Propagandhi as outraged as ever. Even the album title makes a statement, as politically a Potemkin village generally alludes to a false construct that hides an unattractive situation. References like this start with the title, continue into provocative quotes and commentary in the liner notes, and then absolutely overwhelm the lyrics. So unless you simply enjoy the sheer passion behind the band's delivery, you better be up to speed on turn of the millennium politics to really understand the fuel of each song. (Don't worry, though, the guys thoughtfully include a plethora of reading material inside to help you along.) And though Propagandhi's past humor seems to be completely gone and replaced with raw anger and bitterness, the band still has plenty to say. Nothing is safe from their outrage, from military recruitment ("America's Army (Die Jugend Marschiert)") to hypocritical musicians ("Rock for Sustainable Capitalism") to war profiteers finally being held responsible for their actions ("Iteration"). Sentiments concerning the war in Iraq can be heard on "Name and Address Withheld" and "Fedallah's Horse," while a cold war between the U.S. and Canada is hypothesized in the lead track, "A Speculative Fiction." The frustration and disillusionment that seemed to be settling in throughout their last effort, Today's Empire, Tomorrow's Ashes, develops further within the angry constructs of Potemkin City Limits. Their message, however, comes across as no less focused or urgent because of it. On the contrary, the songs seem all the more pressing as performed with the weary energy of a defiant band fighting the good fight for almost two decades. Do the band a favor -- read up on world events and take a stand. Propagandhi can't continue carrying the banner alone forever.


1. "A Speculative Fiction" – 4:14
2. "Fixed Frequencies" – 3:58
3. "Fedallah's Hearse" – 4:00
4. "Cut into the Earth" – 3:41
5. "Bringer of Greater Things" – 2:45
6. "America's Army™ (Die Jugend Marschiert)" – 4:42
7. "Rock for Sustainable Capitalism" – 4:12
8. "Impending Halfhead" – 1:14
9. "Life at Disconnect" – 3:23
10. "Name and Address Withheld" – 3:21
11. "Superbowl Patriot XXXVI (Enter the Mendicant)" – 0:36
12. "Iteration" – 5:19

It's been five long years since Propagandhi last released an album. In the interim, much to no one's surprise, the world has not become a better place; thus, the return of this trio to action comes as welcome relief for those in need of a shot of political rejuvenation. During Propagandhi's hiatus, bassist/vocalist John departed, replaced by the rather more verbosely monikered Tae-Bo Todd the Rod Kowalski. But what hasn't changed is the group's attitude: They're still raging...oops, one is tempted to say anarcho-punks, a tag the band members loudly disclaim, so let's say agit-rockers. Certainly rock is a sturdy enough genre to hold the trio's predilection for slamming hardcore into speed metal, then thrashing it to death with a good old punk rock beat. And while they may not be as melodic as many of their fellow Fat bands, they aren't beyond writing a damn catchy chorus. Beyond the high-energy, fists-in-the-air music, Today's Empire, Tomorrow's Ashes delivers up vituperative lyrics on a variety of hard-hitting subjects. Like most next door neighbors, the members of the Canadian trio are well aware of America's foibles, and are more than happy to make their opinions known. Previously, however, there was enough irony and wit to the lyrics to suggest that deep down, they'd forgive us, if only we'd straighten up and stop bringing the whole block into disrepute. But it's apparent that Propagandhi are losing faith in America's ability to change, and the battle is beginning to wear the band down. There's much less humor here than in the past, the frustration is obvious, the anger rawer, and a dispiriting depression seems to be setting in. Yet hope may still conquer all, and the group has enough faith in its fans to believe that the fight is not over yet.

1. "Mate Ka Moris Ukun Rasik An" – 3:03
2. "Fuck the Border" – 1:31
3. "Today's Empires, Tomorrow's Ashes" – 2:37
4. "Back to the Motor League" (mp3) – 2:40
5. "Natural Disasters" – 2:04
6. "With Friends Like These, Who the Fuck Needs COINTELPRO?" – 3:23
7. "Albright Monument, Baghdad" – 2:27
8. "Ordinary People Do Fucked-Up Things when Fucked-Up Things Become Ordinary" – 2:17
9. "Ladies' Nite in Loserville" – 1:45
10. "Ego Fum Papa (I Am the Pope)" – 1:38
11. "New Homes for Idle Hands" – 1:44
12. "Bullshit Politicians" – 1:33
13. "March of the Crabs" – 1:56
14. "Purina Hall of Fame" – 4:43

Coming back for round two, Propaghandi continue to fight the good fight against "the man" and stir up a little trouble with Less Talk, More Rock. The music is as aggressive and fast as ever, but rather than completely focusing on their sound, the message is a hundred times more significant. And on this soap box, we can find songs that deal with homophobia ("Less Talk, More Rock"), animal liberation ("Nailing Descartes to the Wall/Liquid Meat Is Still Murder"), racism ("The Only Good Fascist Is a Dead Fascist") and every other "ism" out there that inflicts tragedy and oppression towards those who are just trying to make an honest living. A portion of the proceeds will go to Food Not Bombs, People Acting for Animal Liberation, AK Press and the Winnipeg Naturopthic Clinic. So not only will you learn something from this record, but the purchase alone of Less Talk, More Rock will help out some worthy causes.

1. "Apparently, I'm a "P.C. Fascist" (Because I Care About Both Human and Non-Human Animals)" – 1:47
2. "Nailing Descartes to the Wall/(Liquid) Meat Is Still Murder" – 1:04
3. "Less Talk, More Rock" – 1:37
4. "Anchorless" – 1:39
5. "Rio De San Atlanta, Manitoba" – 0:39
6. "A Public Dis-Service Announcement from Shell" – 1:25
7. "...And We Thought Nation States Were a Bad Idea" – 2:24
8. "I Was a Pre-Teen McCarthyist" – 2:32
9. "Resisting Tyrannical Government" – 2:15
10. "Gifts" – 2:03
11. "The Only Good Fascist Is a Very Dead Fascist" – 1:10
12. "A People's History of the World" – 2:21
13. "The State-Lottery" – 2:13
14. "Refusing to Be a Man" – 2:40

A bunch of hardcore anarchists on Fat Wreck Chords? You mean they've expanded beyond the realm of signing bands that sing primarily about girls, beer, and partying? Propagandhi have "smash the state" written all over them and they want to be taken seriously rather than branded as another generic NOFX-wannabe band. How to Clean Everything accomplishes more than escaping the carbon-copy labeling -- it also puts their message on a high pedestal so it can be heard loud and clear. And in the midst of all the "throwing the monkey wrench in the system" rants, they still have a little fun at the expense of all the bubble gum pop-punk bands that flood the market and even their own label. With How to Clean Everything representing Anarchy 101 to a mass audience, Propagandhi aren't afraid to show the world that a government coup can be fun and educational at the same time.

1. "Anti-Manifesto" – 3:36
2. "Head? Chest? Or Foot?" – 2:04
3. "Hate, Myth, Muscle, Etiquette" – 2:43
4. "Showdown (G.E./P.)" – 3:47
5. "Ska Sucks" – 1:50
6. "Middle Finger Response" – 2:23
7. "Stick the Fucking Flag Up Your Goddam Ass, You Sonofabitch" – 2:51
8. "Haillie Sellasse, Up Your Ass" – 4:11
9. "Fück Machine" – 3:06
10. "This Might Be Satire" – 1:34
11. "Who Will Help Me Bake This Bread?" – 2:41
12. "I Want Ü 2 Vant Me" (Cheap Trick cover) – 2:47

How to Clean a Couple o' Things is a 7" EP released by Propagandhi alongside their debut album, How to Clean Everything. The artwork consisted of photos and text stuck over the NOFX release The P.M.R.C. Can Suck on This!. Later, NOFX used the already-layered artwork for their Fuck the Kids EP and added a few more things to it.

One of the titans of 90's political punk. I'm one of those guys that prefers the poppier sound of early Propagandhi to the more serious, hardcore turn they took when John Sampson left to form The Weakerthans. I still like the new stuff, just not as much as the old stuff, although the new album Supporting Caste, does have a few nods towards the old sound.

The B side of this is a nice little patriotic ditty to play for you friends ansd family on the Fourth Of July.

1. "Pigs Will Pay"
2. "Stick the Fucking Flag Up Your Ass, You Skinhead Creep"