reviews:
Kid Dynamite: Shorter, Faster, Louder
Kid Koala: Carpal Tunnel Syndrome
Kittie: Spit
Korn: Life is Peachy
Korn: Issues

Kid Dynamite: Shorter, Faster, Louder Kid Dynamite recently broke up. Shit. Well, there goes yet another good punk band to be replaced by an MxPx clone... Still, they recorded this album before the breakup. This is undoubtedly punk, with eighteen songs in twenty-five minutes, screamed vocals, semi-automatic guitar riffs, thumping bass, and pounding drums. The songs go by in a blur, so nothing really latches quickly, but with a half hour as a playtime, it's not like you'll have to worry about when you'll get around to listening to it. If you like your punk stripped, raw, and powerful, get this.

Kid Koala: Carpal Tunnel Syndrome This is hands-down the most imaginative album I've heard in a long time. Kid Koala is set apart from his mixer and electronic music peers by using records, and only records. There are no smaplers, no keyboards, no machines of any kind, just him scratching on this record, and it's purely wonderful. The things he manages to come up with are amazing, with beats of every kind sparsed throughout. It's also very funny in parts, with strange dialogue inserted into random spots, telling of DJ-mocking culture and sexual frustration. The album also comes with a comic book, telling the story of Kid Koala mixing, with some other stuff along the way. And that's really what this album is, mixing with some other stuff thrown in. He does this so well that the album is nearly flawless, always keeping your attention focused on his insane spinning and scratching skills. Top ten this year? I think so.

Kittie: Spit So this is the all-chick band that the 'net has been raging about! They have gotten some of the biggest hype this side of Slipknot, and haven't avoided the comparisons either. Yet, they aren't really similar. This is a good CD though. Some more of that "nu-metal," "Alt-metal," whatever the shit you wanna call it. Morgan Lander. Remember this name. You will see it in years to come, if they don't fizzle (which they most likely will). She goes from screaming and growling ("Get Off (You Can Eat A Dick)" and "Spit") to singing very beautifully ("Brackish"). For an all girl band, they do pretty damn well. The instrumentation is above average, surprisingly. Much better than other all chick bands like L7, most of which blow. I suggest you listen to this first. It is an acquired taste, but if you like it, you'll love this musical entree.

Korn: Life is Peachy Jon Davis has had a shitty life. His one way to cope with all the malfunctions of his persona is to let it out musically. New Korn lacks emotion that the old shit has, like this. This is pure, raw, unadulterated emotion. "Twist" starts off with a tweakfest that gets you in the mood. "Chi" is named after the Deftones bassist. "Wicked" guest vocals God aka Chino Moreno from Deftones. "Good God" is a rant on all those fuckers out there who piss you off. "A.D.I.D.A.S." is a possible teenage anthem, as it stands for "All Day I Dream About Sex." The emotional peak to this album is "Kill You", where Jon goes off on his stepmother for messing his head up. He had a dream of fucking her and killing her. Some may find this funny, I find it sad. Someone in that position to a young mind and people are fucking him up, causing a dream like that. All in all, this gives you a great listen. There are some downpoints, but I love the high points so much that it's worth it.

Korn: Issues I was thinking about the ways I could begin this review. One of them was "What the fuck is this?" Another was "Is this some kinda sick joke." The best one, in my opinion, was "Don't waste your money on this." This is like a Korn parody, accentuating all the bad aspects of this band. The lyrics are a joke, nearly mocking everything that had a such deep meaning in earlier recordings. The music also isn't very good, focusing on heaviness more than hooks. "Hooks?" you may say. Yes, when Korn starts trying to appeal to a mass audience, they've become part of pop-culture, keyword being "pop." They require a hook, of which this disc has none. Compared to other pop music out there, this isn't very good. Compared to old Korn, this is downright terrible. Go buy another copy of the eponymous.