With members of Observers and Clorox Girls among their lineup, it’s not hard to imagine what Red Dons sound like before ever hearing a note. Despite being somewhat obvious in their musical direction, this quartet still embody the essence of retro power pop. In fact, this record almost sounds like a bad recording from the pre-digital days… one you might hope sounded a little better, yet still enjoyed. They’re not re-inventing the wheel, but if this style is your cup of tea you’ll probably dig Death To Idealism.
Deranged Records

I have a very tumultuous relationship with the genre that has all but commandeered the moniker “emo”. Nowadays, instead of meaning chaotic, emotionally charged post-hardcore, the term seems more commonly used with poppy, pseudo-punk rock bands. Nevertheless, some of these groups actually make decent music… and The Dangerous Summer are one of this elite few. With a sound clearly influenced by Victory Records’ impact (think Taking Back Sunday and Spitalfield in particular), yet still enough their own to be interesting, these fellows have something pretty good going. Let’s hope they can keep the juices flowing beyond just an EP.
Hopeless Records

To Epica’s credit, their singer has a strong, lovely voice. That being said, one might hope that the band could keep up musically with her vocal stamina, and that such a talented singer would not need to rely upon appearing on the album cover naked in order to stay afloat. Sadly, this seems not to be the case. Congratulations, o sporter of tribal tattoos! Your self-objectification has canceled out the efforts of at least one self-respecting female musician. Evanescence’s musical arrangements are far superior to Epica’s, and their singer’s voice is just as talented, as well as…well, less naked. This is one case in which going with the mainstream version is your best bet.
Nuclear Blast