40 Below Summer
The Last Dance
5/5

Who it's for: The Last Dance is for anyone who wants more than just a one hit album, and for anybody who wants to feel a connection to the artists when listening to it.

This CD/DVD combo packs a punch! The DVD documents 15 live performances, along with individual band member interviews regarding the conclusion of the band and their last show together.
The album itself features 9 tracks that are all unique and powerful. It’s difficult to even choose one that stands out amongst the rest because they are all extremely good; however, two tracks in particular that deserve honorable mention are “Tell Me Now” and “Anxiety 101.” Both come equipped with emotional lyrics that many listeners can relate to on a regular basis, and a smooth, heavy arrangement of all the instruments combined. The closeness of the band members really shines through on this record, as there is a certain harmony present while listening to it.
It would’ve been a shame since it was previously announced that the band had broken up, but now that they’re back together look out for new material.
- Amanda Pereira

Brazil
The Philosophy of Velocity
3.7/5

Who it’s for: Fans of progressive rock music.

The most critical part of music, in my opinion, is the vocals and, more specifically, are they any good? An easy way to judge a band is by how their singer performs and how his vocals fit in with the accompanying music. In the case of Brazil vocalist Jonathon Newby, his higher-pitched, off normal style of singing would not fit into a conventional band’s sound but blends incredibly with Brazil’s ethereal sound.
With The Philosophy of Velocity, Brazil has put together a coherent unit of flowing songs with a great overall theme. There isn’t a song that feels out of place even though there is plenty of contrast throughout.
- Dan Bilicki

The Dan Band
Ho: A Dan Band Christmas
3.3/5

The filthy wedding band from Old School, and erstwhile chick-song-singing novelty troupe, present 30 minutes of antidote to Sufjan Stevens Christmas anthology. Mucho tongue-in-cheek, its at its best when smooth and cheesy (“Ho Ho Ho,” “Get Drunk And Make Out This Christmas”?) and a bit wank when they go all Fountains of Wayne (“I Wanna Rock You Hard This Christmas”). Perfect for potty-mouthed elves. Merry Christmakwanzakah!
- Kid Lupin

Meshuggah
Nothing- Special Edition 2 Disc Set
5/5

Who it’s for: The metalhead of the household

It’s Meshuggah’s 2002 album Nothing, but with a much better mix. Guitar tones are crisper and the vocals come across a lot more viciously. It appears some added percussion has been peppered into the mix too. As much as it’s called Nothing, you get something, that’s for sure, something more than the album’s original release. The new version of Nothing includes song lyrics and titles, as opposed to the blank pages of ‘02’s liner notes.
To make this package even sweeter, a bonus DVD accompanies the Nothing album. Here you’ll find all of Meshuggah’s official videos and some live stuff (including songs from Nothing, their latest album Catch 33, and their classic Destroy. Erase. Improve. albums) captured at the 2005 Download Festival in the U.K.
This album is essential to any Meshuggah fan and any metal head’s collection. The Nothing Special Edition sounds MUCH better than its predecessor and it’s very much worth owning.
- Michael Kopko

Reset
No Worries No Limits
3/5

Who It’s For: Your little sister who is replaying old Simple Plan CDs until the new one comes out

In case you are unaware Reset is the name of the original band made up of Chuck Comeau and Pierre Bouvier of Simple Plan. This is before all of their poppy days of fame to come. The music is a little heavier and for those of you who can’t stand SP, Reset is the way to go. The album itself is a combination of two old Reset discs which were originally recorded in the late 90’s. Since Bouvier is still on vocals it’s reminiscent of SP, but the lyrics are a bit more mature (I know how weird that sounds), the music is a bit heavier, and the production isn’t overdone. It’s 25 very raw sounding tracks. Most Simple Plan fans will probably get a kick out of No Worries No Limits. Most older siblings who are sick of hearing “I’m Just A Kid” will appreciate the punkier side of these two. If you are one of those people who loves finding new music for others this Reset disc is perfect. It’s being released by Reset’s label Union Label Group in a time when fans of SP are salivating for something new.
- Stephanie Joudrey

Slipknot
Voliminal: Inside The Nine
3/5

Who it’s for: Your friend that’s both the collector and the one that likes a challenge.

DVDs are generally easy to figure out. You get a menu, you get choices, you pick and you watch. Unless you’re watching this DVD. Figuring out how to get to an actual menu alone can seem like it’s taking hours and when you finally figure it out, the frustration alone can leave you less than interested. So instead of popping in the first disc, which is basically a montage of, well, I’m not quite sure; throw in the second disc and watch the performances and the videos. If you feel like watching the interviews with band members, Google pics of them without their masks first, because you’re not getting any kind of explanation about who’s who. A good concept that lost something in the execution.
- Alyssa Caplin

A Santa Cause – It’s a Punk Rock Christmas 2
Various Artists
3.5/5

Who it’s for: People who like holiday-themed songs played by pop- punk bands.
Sounds like/Looks like: Christmas carols getting the pop-punk cover treatment.

Featuring 26 songs, all from different artists of the pop-punk genre, A Santa Cause 2 contains a robust mix of old and new Holiday tunes. While some bands are more widely recognized names than others, heavy hitters like Sugarcult, Scary Kids Scaring Kids and Spitalfield deliver the goods with their contributions.
My highlight of an overall rich album is MC Lars’s “Gary The Green Nosed Reindeer,” an upbeat song about Rudolph’s illegitimate brother who has to save Christmas after Rudolph goes jihad.
The worst part about this album is that it won’t receive a widespread release as it is available only on Myspace (http://www.myspace.com/asantacause). A portion of the proceeds from this festive compilation will be going towards the Cure Autism Now Foundation; but I’m sure more could be generated if it was available in your local record store.
- Dan Bilicki 

Various Artists
The Classic Album DVD Series by Eagle Rock Entertainment
U2, Bob Marley and the Wailers
4/5

Who it’s for: Any 70’s and 80’s music enthusiasts
Looks like: A documentary of different bands making their most successful record.

This is a great video series for music enthusiasts who are curious about what went on behind the scenes of some of their favourite band’s most successful albums. Featuring artists such as U2, Bob Marley, Eric Clapton and many others, the classic album series is takes the viewer on a tour of the life of the band during the making of the album and into the production studio where the producer explains the producing strategies of this particular album while breaking down the individual tracks.
This series is informational and fun and a great gift for all music enthusiasts.
- Julie Hunter

AFI
I Heard A Voice
4.5/5

Who it’s for: Your teenage sibling who lives on message boards hoping to get the chance to talk to their favourite band.

Regardless of how you feel about AFI you have to give them credit for 2 things. Their live show and their love for their fans. With I Heard A Voice they’ve combined the two and put together a package filled with their entire stellar set at Long Beach Arena this September as well as special features including a collage of fan submitted pictures. The performance of “God Called In Sick Today” will make you try and find a way to their next show. Added to that you have mini interviews with both the band and their fans. Look out for the easter egg in the DVD, you’ll find four mini movies that were most likely taken from the band’s recent scavenger hunt.
- Alyssa Caplin

Coheed And Cambria
The Last Supper: Live At Hammerstein Ballroom DVD
4/5

Who it’s for: The Coheed And Cambria fan who’s in it for the music and not the storyline.

The aptly titled Last Supper is most likely the last Coheed And Cambria release that will feature drummer Josh Eppard and bassist Mic Todd, since their departure from the band this summer, which is a shame because as one of the best rhythm sections around right now, this DVD showcases the entire band at their best. Although you may get distracted at times by Claudio Sanchez’s hair, the focus is on the music and performance instead of the never ending storyline that’s attached to the band. The special features aren’t much, their newest videos and clips of an interview with Claudio interspersed between songs; but the concert footage alone makes it worth it.
- Alyssa Caplin

Hedley
Try This At Home DVD
5/5

Who It’s For: Anyone over the age of 18 who loves nudity, foul language and Hedley.

Four dudes from Canada’s west coast were released on the world and this DVD is solely made up of the craziness that they get into while touring the continent playing shows. Anybody who is a fan of Jackass will probably appreciate the madness they get up to such as tattooing their asses, getting stitches more then once, abusing each other constantly, playing with lighters and spray cans, food and fans, drinking pee, eating various disgusting things and so on. Try This At Home doesn’t really get into the depths of the band and their songwriting, but it shows you who these dudes are and why they love each other. It’s a laugh from start to finish with some lives clips throw in for fun. A few amazing moments include the amount of vomit that comes out of Dave on his 25th birthday and the amazing number of times Jacob takes his pants off for no apparent reason. Don’t buy this video for your little sister because she loves them! Just give it a chance yourself because it goes way WAY beyond that squeaky Canadian Idol persona Hoggard began with.
- Stephanie Joudrey

Metallica
The Videos 1989-2004
2/5

It took Metallica 3 albums until they decided to release a video. Fans were outraged but Metallica one for the dumbest bands of all time felt it was time to leap into the 80’s and make a statement. They had an idea that they felt strongly about so they made a video for "One" off of And Justice for All. Metallica wanted to make a video that was much different and more artistic than most metal videos, void of 10,000 screaming fans, scaffolding and fire. They accomplished this and then made about 5 videos after that featured 10,000 screaming fans. Then came one of the most significant moments in 1990’s music and possibly one of the most surprising moments in popular music itself, Metallica returned after a 5 year hiatus with a make over. One of the most cliché 90’s art videos ever made Metallica smear their pierced faces with acrylic paint for “Until It Sleeps” the first of many bad videos for the Load record. This DVD is essentially a retrospective of all of Metallica’s sins from the mid 90’s until now. They basically started making videos once they became whining pussies who wanted to try something new because they were bored of being skids.
- Jackson Main

Rise Against
Generation Lost DVD
3/5

Who It’s For: Fans of the band who are looking for an extra reason to believe in them.

If you love Rise Against because of their punk style or motivating lyrics, Generation Lost will give you another reason to love them. They are normal dudes just like you. The band documentary isn’t all flashy or fun, it shows four guys on Warped Tour who like playing, love their fans and miss their families. As far as some of the other DVD’s that have come out over the year Generation Lost is fairly uneventful. There isn’t any band craziness. Generation Lost does profile a few of the band’s fans, each one with a different story as to why they love the band, and shows you how genuine this band is in meeting their fans. It heart warming when you see frontman Tim McIlrath playing “Swing Life Away” with a fan backstage at Warped. Rise Against are giving you any frills, but really, any fanciness would go completely against who they are. This DVD is about showing them for who they are.
- Steph Joudrey 



Various Artists
The Nightmare Before Christmas OST (Double Disc)
4/5

Who it’s for: Your friend who has a Nightmare Before Christmas collection or your emo friend who just doesn’t get the obsession with the movie.

Since the movie’s original release over a decade ago, The Nightmare Before Christmas has spawned a cult following of fans and collectors, some of which are part of a few of the most popular bands around right now. In this special edition re-release of the movie’s soundtrack there’s a second disc with a handful of the movie’s songs redone by Panic! At The Disco, Fiona Apple, Marilyn Manson, She Wants Revenge and Fall Out Boy’s brilliant cover of “What’s This,” as well as a few demo versions of the originals. The first disc is the entire original soundtrack in its entirety. If only more soundtracks could be redone like this. Maybe the movie that started a massive underground fanbase will also be the start of a new musical trend.
- Alyssa Caplin

The O.C.: Mix 6
Covering Our Tracks
2.7/5

Who it’s For: Your 15-17 year old, O.C. lovin’ sister/brother who you’ve been secretly trying to get into Indie-rock for the last 3 years but still they come home with nothing but Fall Out Boy and Killers’ albums.

The problem with cover albums is they’re a lot like receiving a box of pot of gold. There’s going to be some with white, dark, even milk chocolates but in the end I’m going to eat all the caramels and nuts and be stuck trying to give away all my mint and coffee flavoured ones just to seem like I’m a nice, charitable guy. In other words, keep Goldspot’s super-pop “Float On” (Modest Mouse), keep Rogue Wave’s moody “Debaser” (the Pixies) and maybe for when you get really hungry keep Rock Kills Kid’s “I Turn My Camera On” (Spoon) and/or Mates of State’s slow chewy version of “California” (Phantom Planet). For the rest, well, make yourself look good. Because no matter what a good song will hold up, so enjoy what you can.
- Dan Hamilton