Disappear!

Desaparecidos - Read Music. Speak Spanish (2002)

So, you're kind of interested in Bright Eyes, but can't get past when Conor Oberst is a little whiny sometimes, yeah? Okay, fair.

But did you know that he had another, noisier, punk band in the early 2000's? Desaparecidos is made up of Mr. Oberst on guitar and vocals, and a band of other Saddle Creek musicians (Landon Hedges of The Good Life, Denver Dalley who primarily wrote the music on this record with Oberst on lyrics, Matt Baum, and Ian McElroy), many of whom appear on other Bright Eyes albums.

The music on the album is pretty hard; almost a complete 180 from the normal approach on Bright Eyes' records. The lyrics tackle the issues of poverty in the nation, usually in the form of vignettes surrounding the lives of men and women dealing with each other and their financial struggles. Here's a song, to give you an idea of what I mean:



Recommended Tracks: Man And Wife (The Former), Survival Of The Fittest (It's A Jungle Out There), Hole In One
Genres: Punk
Link: http://www.mediafire.com/?wfgiy4mtmwi

So Proud!

The Mountain Goats - Heretic Pride (2008)

It's no secret that The Mountain Goats are not only one of my favorite bands, but one of the best bands making music these days. Led by John Darnielle, the prolific, nasally singer-songwriter of the band, the Goats write albums that sweep across huge arid Texas plains, in volatile homes owned by warring lovers, and just about anything else.

Heretic Pride, however, is entirely non-linear. As a matter of fact, the songs don't connect at all. They're all just songs. Beautiful songs. Folky in their meanings and intentions (songs about kung fu movies, love, horror story writers, serial killers, desperation, etc), full on rock in their delivery (awww yeah), these songs are just fantastic. One of their best albums, one of my favorites from the past few years.

Here's a song to give you an idea of what I'm talking about:



Recommended Tracks: Sax Rohmer #1, Heretic Pride, Lovecraft In Brooklyn, Marduk T-Shirt Men's Room Incident
Genres: Rock, Indie, Folk
Link: http://www.mediafire.com(SLASH)?dyl3x3qmezm