• BEST OF 2011: Beau Navire – Hours

    Not to say that it ever stopped being good, but it seems to me like the past few years have seen a considerable surge in the quality of screamo. A lot of the bands grouped with the “second wave” of screamo either broke up and moved on to other projects, or slowed down considerably, so …

  • BEST OF 2011: Giraffes? Giraffes! – Pink Magick

    We haven’t been shy about our love for Giraffes? Giraffes! in the past; the duo’s previous releases (2005′s SUPERBASS!!!! and 2007′s More Skin With Milk-Mouth) are both ambitious pieces of instrumental math rock that, while not polished, were raw in their display of competent composition and technical skill. More Skin‘s highlight was the epically climactic “When the Catholic …

  • BEST OF 2011: Animals As Leaders – Weightless

    2009′s self-titled record from the Tosin Abasi-controlled Animals as Leaders was a favourite among some of the Hearwax staff; all fans of his previous metalcore outfit Reflux were not only happy with the record, but stunned by its balance of technical precision and songwriting prowess. With assistance from Periphery‘s Bulb aka Misha Mansoor, Tosin had birthed …

  • LIVE REVIEW: DFA1979 @ Sound Academy

    The nature of the Ahab-like quest for a personally infamous white whale is a curious thing to study.  It has evolved into a literary trope whose existence and specificity has been transformed into a cliché.  Furthermore, it’s hardly complimentary to the person that ascribes this term to themselves.  It’s also particularly concerning, for it’s ultimately …