The Allstonians, "One Day"
The Allstonians produced two fantastic albums in the heart of the third wave, their self-titled record and Allston Beat. Both were fine, tuneful examples of what the third wave did well, horn driven tunes that borrowed liberally from ska history. There were a few moments when the lyrical approach was a little bit on the smug side (a common problem in the third wave), but overall, both are albums I still listen to frequently to this day. After the collapse of Moon Ska records, the Allstonians disappeared for six years, only to come back with a new record. Alas, the shine just isn't there any more. We don't get the fun solos, the horn playing is mostly just simple ensemble work, and the songs aren't especially memorable.
Kowloon Walled City, "50s Dad"
FUCK YEAH NOISE ROCK
Got a good slice of the ol' Five Songs universe going here. Kowloon Walled City are very much playing the old Amphetamine Reptile tradition here, sounding a lot like vintage Unsane on their second record, Container Ships. This is just easy listening to me, all grumbling de-tuned guitars and distorted bellowing. I heartily recommend this record if you like this song.
Polvo, "Every Holy Shround"
Between the outstanding Today's Active Lifestyles and Exploded Drawing, Polvo put out the excellent Celebrate the New Dark Age EP. This kind of release, 25 minutes of really solid tunes, just doesn't seem to happen that much any more. Or it probably does, and I'm just a clueless bozo. Anyway, Polvo often gets dumped in with math rock, thanks to the weird tunings, but honestly they're primarily just indie rock in the late Sonic Youth style. Nothing wrong with that!
Black Dice, "Kokomo"
This is how Load Blown opens, setting the right tone for the record. It's disorienting and disconcerting. The rest of the album kind of continues in this vein, all dirty synth loops and repetition. This album kind of seems like it would be my shit, but while I think it's ok, it doesn't do that much for me.
400 Blows, "The Root of Our Nature"
Lotta noise today! If I'm going to get repeated figures in my music, grubby distorted guitar loops are more my jam. This entire album kind of continues in this vein, sounding like malfunctioning heavy machinery the whole time.