Like Bats
“Midwest Nothing”
(TBD)

It’s weird to think that Like Bats hasn’t put out any new material since 2010’s “Look On the Bright Side,” let alone a proper full-length. Maybe it’s because I never stopped listening to their records, but here we are, 2012 and they’ve put out “Midwest Nothing,” a record in which the Hoosier three-piece is coming into their own.

Looking past the The Lawrence Arms-esque sound that they’ve established on “Bright Side” and their demo, Like Bats has musically gone for songs that are either breakneck or slow and heavy. Still intact, however, are the catchy melodies and unforgiving, self-deprecating lyrics.

Check “My Favorite Kind of Cigarette,” a song that begins as your standard pop-punk fanfare before slowing down to an off-time part where singer Mike Duda screams “What am I? Some shitty song you used to hum?” There’s also an electric version of their previously released acoustic song, “Double or Nothing,” that has found some new life on this recording.

By and large “Midwest Nothing” is great debut LP for Like Bats. It’s consistent and it shows the kind of potential that this band has within its grasp. Even a song like “This Haunted Life,” which throws off the pacing of the record, is still a great standalone track. This is easily one of the better records of the year, pop-punk or otherwise.

— Ryan Pangilinan

Placeholder
“Nothing is Pure”
(Better Days)

A few months ago when Totally Crushed Out interviewed Coastal, we knew that they would be a band that was on the precipice of breaking big, particularly in their brand of revivalist emo. Now armed with a new name (fuck lawsuits, amirite?) and a new full-length, the rebranded Placeholder is sure to keep the momentum going.

What’s great about Placeholder is that they have their sound down pretty well. Their songs are structured incredibly well and the lyrics are nothing, if not simultaneously heart wrenching and honest. Check “What this Means,” “Resent,” and Sunny Day-esque “Written.” These songs are concise, straightforward, and above and beyond most bands’ debut records.

For me, however, the stand out track is “Stay Correct,” which recalls the Get Up Kids’ “Four Minute Mile” aesthetic. It’s catchy as it is raw. It’s chilling how brutal this song is.

Placeholder wears their influences very clearly, but that’s not a bad thing. They’re obviously not going to reinvent the wheel, and there’s something to be said about a band that just writes good fucking songs. If you know what’s good for you, you’ll give “Nothing is Pure” a shot.

— Ryan Pangilinan

Childish Gambino
“Camp”
(Glassnote)

As a fan of comedy, I can say that Donald Glover is probably one of the most unique voices out there right now. Not only is he sharp in absurdist comedy (Derrick Comedy), but even in performing in a commercial situation (30 Rock, Community), Glover has a chameleon-like ability to adapt well.

For his long-running hip-hop alter ego, Childish Gambino, Glover falls ridiculously short.

Part of the problem is that the internet fame that has given the Gambino moniker credence is based on the idea that the project is good because it’s Donald Glover. Let’s not lie to ourselves; at best, it’s mediocre.

Like so many other actor-rappers, Childish Gambino is difficult to take seriously because he apes Atmosphere and Kanye West so badly, which makes his full-length, “Camp,” incredibly difficult to listen to.

“Firefly” is more-or-less every track on the album. Glover Gambino talks about fucking chicks, being a black kid who’s not accepted, and makes social media references. With its catchy chorus, it’s pretty much the only song that you need to listen to.

Most of “Camp” is certainly ambitious, but Glover’s purposefully unrefined style is grating and annoying. Other rappers like Jim Jones and Malachi from Group Home are emcees that are rough around the edges, but are innovative enough to stand out. Glover’s rhymes, which are largely misogynistic (“I’m in her ass like sodomy” REALLY?), is something that I imagine would appeal to people who listen to Odd Future and this kind of off center, shock rap that all the kids seem to like these days, but I wouldn’t really call this shit hip-hop.

One of Glover’s lines goes, “I rap about my dick and talk about girls that are fly.” If I wanted to listen to that, I’d at least listen to Big Daddy Kane. That dude can rap.

—  Ryan Pangilinan

Saves the Day
“Daybreak”
(Razor & Tie)

The long-gestating album from pop-punk legacy act, Saves the Day, has finally gone from rumor, concept and interview fodder to an actual record that you can upload onto your iTunes.

For years, Saves the Day, and singer/guitarist Chris Conley in particular, have been the subject of staunch criticism, whether it was Conley’s changing voice, the band’s revolving door or their inability to stay musically consistent post-“Through Being Cool.” For all the shit talk that flies through the internet, however, I can’t really name a bad Saves the Day record. Certainly there are ones that I favor more than others, but I can say that that has to do more with cherished memories and nostalgia than anything else.

That said, “Daybreak” opens up with a ten minute title track, which is really five songs in one and acts as both a recall to its predecessors in “Sound the Alarm” and “Under the Boards” and a jumping off point for the record. “Deranged and Desperate” is easily the album’s centerpiece – a catchy Nirvana-esque guitar riff paired with Conley’s melodic hook.

Unlike many long-running bands, Saves the Day haven’t really tried to replicate any of their albums (much to the chagrin of kids who discovered them during the “Through Being Cool” and “Stay What You Are” eras), though “Daybreak” certainly has a kindred spirit in being the most diverse record since “In Reverie.”

— Ryan Pangilinan

Cave In
“White Silence”
(Hydra Head)

Apparently, Cave In came out with a new record. I didn’t even know until today. I listened to it and I liked it.

By and large, I am biased towards Cave In. They’ve put out some of the most interesting metal/hardcore/punk/rock/whatever records in some time and they do it consistently. Even the RCA albums that most of their original fanbase hated have found new life years following their release. I’m typing this review as I listen to the album, by the way. It’s pretty good. I’m sure I’ll love it more in a year or two. Have you heard Stephen Broadsky’s solo records? Those are good as shit.

— Ryan

Fireworks
“Gospel”
(Triple Crown/WB)

It took me a few months to get into Fireworks’ debut “All I Have to Offer Is My Own Confusion” as much of piss and spit of their EPs had been glossed over with your commercial pop-punk sheen, but still, it was a pretty good full-length. For their second record, “Gospel,” the band slowed down a bit and the result…well, it’s pretty fucking boring.

I’m not going to mince words here: I’m struggling to get through this album as I’m writing this review. There’s nothing catchy on this album and their song structures have gotten even more predictable. I might be crucified by the Easycore set for this review, but sometimes you just have to call a turd a turd.

— Ryan Pangilinan

Nump
“#DailyMedication”
(454)

Despite its slightly dated Twitter hashtag reference, Nump’s “#DailyMedication” might be one of the best hip-hop records that you haven’t heard yet.

Nump’s party raps are best complimented with beats that take cues from pop culture, such as the case with “Medication’s” lead single “I’m Hungover,” which samples “The Office” theme song to the point where it might actually be better than its original source. The album’s title track is one of the stronger songs and is flanked by other songs about smoking weed.

While Nump topically comes off as a one-dimensional rapper, it doesn’t take away from the fact that he’s talented and that album, as a whole, is one hell of a party rocker. This is a record for people to dance to, not study. At 21 tracks, it’s slightly overwhelming (even with the ill-placed Filipino weed head intro), but it’s a pretty easy record to get into.

— Ryan Pangilinan

Mike Birbiglia
“Sleepwalk with Me (Live)”
(Comedy Central)

Though he’s a comedian by trade, Mike Birbiglia’s knack at storytelling has been a good launching point to allow him to transcend from doing bits to a fully realized oratorical essayist, so much so that not only has he performed stand up on the late night TV circuit, but he’s also been the sitting-on-the-couch guest, as well as a featured entity on NPR shows like This American Life and Selected Shorts.

“Sleepwalk with Me” is the recorded version of his live show of the same name, which he toured on last year, as well as the companion to his book of the same title.

Compared to the actual live performance, the audio recording is an abridged version, though for someone who hasn’t seen the show, the spirit of “Sleepwalk” is contextually sound. Unlike his previous recording, “My Secret Public Journal,” Birbiglia’s hour-plus story has several dramatic moments of self-realization and poignancy, though they’re executed in a way that highlights the humorous and absurd viewpoints that he sees them in.

“Sleepwalk with Me” is a solid enough recording to use as an introductory piece for someone who hasn’t heard Birbiglia before, and who knows? You might even get a simultaneous tear and chuckle out of that person.

— Ryan Pangilinan

Bayside
“Killing Time”
(Wind-Up)

Long Island-based quartet, Bayside, has always been a weird group to me. Truthfully, I wrote them off when “Sirens and Condolences” came out in 2002 because it seemed like a shameless rip-off of Alkaline Trio and the Smoking Popes. I probably didn’t really like the band until after “The Walking Wounded” came out and I interviewed them for High Voltage back in 2007. On that record, Bayside seemed like they were trying a lot of new things, such as implementing elements of Klezmer. This kind of subtle experimentation continues on to their latest record, and first for semi-major label, Wind-Up, “Killing Time.”

The album begins with the shredder, “Already Gone” and pretty much goes up from there. There’s no lull on the record. From that first track, Bayside rips through nine more songs, with gusto on songs like “It’s Not a Bad Little War,” “Seeing Sound” and “Mona Lisa.”

Over the years, Bayside has gotten pretty good at crafting their own sound, which follows a very similar formula, yet plays to their strengths, whether it’s Jack O’Shea’s killer noodling or Anthony Raneri’s melodically hypnotic voice. “Killing Time” definitely has a lot of new songs that will be regarded as fan favorites.

— Ryan Pangilinan