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

A Little Something Most Of You Are Already Aware Of

Tonight, I do not have an album for you. Most of you are already aware of this link, as I've been posting it practically everywhere I can, but I just love showing this off to you people.

My band and I recorded our first song last week and I'm posting it here for you guys to check out. I'd really appreciate it if this could be used as a feedback center, but I understand that most of you don't really like posting comments on things, so whatever. If you find time, let me know what you think, because I'd really appreciate it.

Either way, I've got to recommend watching the Flowers visualizer with this because it is SO badass.

Anyways, here it is!

Fireworks For Luna - It's Happening (2009)



http://www.fireworksforluna.bandcamp.com

Downloads available on the site. Again, gimme a little feedback! There should be a second song up soon, but until then, I'd just like to know what everyone thinks about what we're doing.

Ugly Is Beautiful

I've waited so long to put this album up! It's one of the best I've ever heard and it's seriously fucking awesome! So check it out!!


Cursive - The Ugly Organ (2003)

Cursive's music sounds like it was soaked in some kind of developing fluid; like they recorded the music on tape, brought it into a darkroom and produced it into photographs. Every song sounds like it was drenched in every single color of red and black until the photo came out looking like the negative.

Tim Kasher's vocals are full of fire and intensity; his songs about his messy divorce mimic his every emotion: the guitars squeal through a punk-like-but-mostly-indie emo record, the cellos... Oh the cellos are beautiful, and the rhythms start and stop through every heartbeat. Every song makes up a part of this album, definitely one of my oldest favorites, definitely one of the bands that got me into the entire indie genre. Listening to the album from front to back gives me such a tremendous feeling; the last song's gradual rise and fall is absolutely stunning, when matched with the other songs.

Recommended songs: Red-Handed Sleight Of Hand, Art Is Hard, The Recluse, A Gentleman Caller
Genres: Indie, Emo, Punk
Link: http://www.mediafire.com(SLASH)?2nmmtm3imok

Okay, We're Back Online!

I lost the ability to access this account for a while, but now I'm back and with a very quick review for a very good cd. It's a classic, so get it while the gettin's good! Brand New's newest album, Daisy, leaked, but I won't be putting it up here until after it's already out. Sorry guys, I'm not running a leak website, and I think bands really hate it when their albums are out before the publish date, so I'm going to try and do them as many services as I can.



Brand New - Deja Entendu (2003)

So, apparently not everyone has this cd... Also, some people think that Brand New is kind of lame or something? Dudes, get with the program. This cd is so excellent on so many levels; it's a catchy record with thoughtful, interesting lyrics, and, yeah, spot on musicianship from the New York quartet, led by lead vocalist and guitarist, Jesse Lacy.

The record is, uh, yeah, technically a seminal "emo" work... but, it's NOT like My Chemical Romance or any of that nonsense... It's much more like Cursive or Jets To Brazil; fun, interesting music with lyrics that have a lot of thought put into them. Kind of closer to indie or punk, I would say.

Here's a sample track to give you an idea of what they're like, but I can't recommend this album higher, it's a great piece of music and I find myself listening to it pretty frequently these days. Enjoy you guys!



Recommended Tracks: Sic Transit Gloria... (Glory Fades), Guernica, The Quiet Things That No One Ever Knows
Genres: Indie, Punk, Emo
Link: http://www.mediafire.com(SLASH)?zzdminmr2yd

It Commands You!

The Mars Volta are getting fairly famous, but what a lot of people don't realize is that the two main members of the band got their start in an awesome punk group called At The Drive-In. I even like ATDI a little more than the Mars Volta, to tell the truth. This is my favorite album by them!



At The Drive-In - Relationship Of Command (2000)

This album picks you up by your face and shakes you around through discordant guitar lines, shaking drum beats, soaring vocals, and labyrinthian words. ATDI are a punk band at their heart, but their music seems to stand on a genre of its own design; the band puts you at the epicenter of a hurricane of sounds that carry you far, far away from home. Lead vocalist Cedric Bixler-Zavala's singing matches well with guitarist's Jim Wards occasional shouts; their vocals dance around Omar Rodriguez-Lopez' intricate guitar melodies.

This was the last album by At The Drive-In before they split up to become Cedric and Omar's The Mars Volta and Jim Ward's Sparta. This album is the culmination of 7 years of hard work and it shows; it's a beautiful record and it defines its own genre. I love listening to this cd and I always forget to tell people about it, so now you know! Pick it up!

Here's a song! You guys seemed to like that from before:


Recommended Tracks: Arcarsenal, One Armed Scissor, Sleepwalk Capsules
Genres: Punk, Rock
Link: http://www.mediafire.com(SLASH)?4kto0mzutyt

Mike Ups The Punx

I see a lot of you like McLusky and The Weakerthans! This is good news for me because so do I! Also, I think a lot of you might've liked having less talk and more rock? Or maybe it was the youtube video? I'll try to shave down what I have to say, regardless.



Against Me! - Searching For A Former Clarity (2005)

Up the punx. Or the selloutz. Or whatever. Against Me! are an anarcho-folk-punk band turned poppy-but-still-bile-fueled-punk turned pop-punk-crossover smash, but what a lot of people neglect is this cd, which is far and away my favorite of theirs. Their first real full-length, Reinventing Axl Rose, is highly regarded as their best, the follow-up, As The Eternal Cowboy, is highly regarded as OMGSELLOUTZZZ. This album is their response to their annoying, hateful ex-fans, so it's quite angry (but it's also slightly less punx, music-wise, so it evens out).

Essentially, this is the point directly before Against Me!'s tranformation from underground punk band to being on the Billboard charts, so it's a GREAT place to start if you're interestde in getting into them. It's furious, but dancy, heartfelt, but sarcastic and tongue-in-cheek, and it's both energetic, but subdued. Absolutely transfixing album that slowly erodes from the anger of Miami, into the quiet, beautiful outro of a title track. Just a great record.

Recommended Tracks: Miami, Pretty Girls (The Mover), Joy, Problems, Don't Lose Touch
Genres: Punk
Link: http://www.mediafire.com(SLASH)?zm5wyydjjmz

The Weakerthans Make Me Weakintheknees

So that Mountain Goats cd down there is really just so so so good. You guys should pick it up. It's got hardly any downloads yet and it really bums me out.

Also, you may have noticed a decline in postings (you probably didn't), and that's because, well, I don't want to run out of albums. This blog will only be active 3-4 days a week now, instead of 5. Sorry. Onto the album!!

A lot of people downloaded that other Weakerthans album (But I Can't Remember The Sound), so I figured I would put another one of their albums up for everyone. Again, you guys, this is my all time favorite band. They're just fantastic.



The Weakerthans - Left And Leaving (2000)

This is the album that changed everything for me; I remember it very well, when I finally decided to listen to it (I had been listening to Reunion Tour on repeat and figured it was time to put something new in). I was in the car, riding from some town in Pennsylvania back home, and put the headphones in. By the title track, I was completely unable to contain myself anymore. Their lyrics were always spot on, their music was always fun and enjoyable, and the mixture of the punk ethic with the indie sound comes out as beautiful as I would hope. This is more than just a collection of songs.

Between the fast pop-punk of Watermark, to the practically spoken-word Without Mythologies, even leaving room for some country twang in My Favorite Chords (probably one of the best songs ever written), The Weakerthans always do it exactly right. Literally every single track on here is emotionally charged, perfectly worded, and musically coherent to the song. One moment that really stuck out for me is the chorus of Aside ("Leaning on this broken fence, between past and present tense") and how it related to the album title. Just genius and just beautiful. The album ends with "neon lights and slinking purple skies," and [left and] leaves you with a need to put it on repeat. Honestly, this is just a fantastic album and I couldn't recommend it higher. They're seriously my favorite band for a reason, and I guarantee that, eventually, I'll have all of their albums up, and you should get them all!

Recommended tracks: Aside, Watermark, This Is A Fire Door Never Leave Open, Left And Leaving, Exiles Among You, My Favorite Chords (okay, yeah, I know. They're seriously all awesome)
Genres: Indie, Punk, Folk, Rock
Link: http://www.mediafire.com(SLASH)?ymymjq5q14t

The Band That Broke Punk's Heart

Little introduction: It's taking a lot of strength not to put the Jets To Brazil cd up for a second time; seriously, if you don't already have it, it's so worth it to get it now. I've been listening to it nonstop since I put it up last week.

Anyways!

So, I saw this band a few months ago with fellow Hallelujah-blogger, Brooks, and his younger brother, Andy. Andy was also at the Ted Leo show that I wrote about last week and he asked me to upload this album. I don't normally do requests, but this one was submitted in person, so I'll make an exception... Also, I had already uploaded it because I knew I was gonna put it up.



Los Campesinos! - Hold On Now, Youngster... (2008)

Los Campesinos are an eight piece indie-pop/punk band; their name is Spanish for The Peasants or The Famers; however, they are from Wales and do not have any songs in Spanish... Instead, their music is a sort of indie-pop that kind zig-zags between the borders of punk and total insanity. Every song sounds like it might fall apart and descend into total madness at any given point, but at the same time, each song also sounds like it could be played on some shitty top 100 radio station if the ridiculously distorted guitars, glockenspiels, or manic speed were removed. Basically, they're a punk band whose songs are so unfairly catchy and enjoyable to listen to, that you can't help but enjoy it.

The band released two FULL cds in 2008; "Hold On" being my favorite, "We Are Beautiful, We Are Doomed" is also pretty good, but this one is my favorite. The guitar lines are intricately woven between violins, glockenspiels, synthesizers, gang vocals, and, of course, the hilariously off-kilter lyrics sung through Gareth's registerless voice. His excited shouts are pulled back by Aleksandra's quiet, tuneful backing vocals. The song titles are so funny, and the lyrics match perfectly; they're just great songwriters and the songs are always perfectly put together.

Altogether, this album is easily one of the best from 2008 and is so much fun to listen to. If you ever get a chance to see them live, I recommend checking them out. They're a great time and I love this album so much. Check out the recommended tracks to get an idea of what the song-titles are like. Just great.

Recommended Tracks: Death To Los Campesinos!, Don't Tell Me To Do The Math(s), This Is How You Spell "Hahaha, We Destroyed The Hopes And Dreams Of A Generation Of Faux-Romantics," You! Me! Dancing!
Genres: Indie-Pop, Punk, Rock, Experimental
Link: http://www.mediafire.com(SLASH)?zloeeugczdz

Concert Review Pt. 2 - Dem Pharmacists

So after Titus left the stage, there was a brief intermission before Mr. Leo himself walked out. He walked up to the microphone and thanked the crowd (" 'Anks!") before immediately kicking into "Little Dawn," one of the best songs on Shake The Sheets (available below). For those who don't already listen to him, Ted Leo is kind of an ex-punk-but-still-kind-of-punk guitarist who sings in a fairly high register. By the end of the first or second song, he already broke a string on his guitar and got out the secondary one... an identical instrument (beautiful Gibson 335, absolutely fantastic sound).

Seeing him and the Pharmacists play live is, quite literally, like having your face rocked off. They play smart, energetic punk that has about as much in common with The Clash as it does with Thin Lizzy and Okkervil River. It's nearly an amalgamation of the energy of punk, the epic power of classic rock, and the literate, forceful intelligence of indie rock.

Their set consisted of all the classics that I assume they play at every show; "Where Have All The Rude Boys Gone," "Shake The Sheets," and, of course, "Me And Mia." Every song was played passionately and the entire band seemed to be having just as much fun as the crowd. They rocked through a lot of new songs, as well. Leo noted after one song that it was the "first time we've ever played that one in front of anyone else." To balance out the really new songs, they also went through some oldies, like, "Timorous Me" from 2001's The Tyranny Of Distance.

The best part of the set, I would say, was the finale. While playing the last song of the night, Ted broke another string on his secondary guitar and decided to just give up with playing the instrument. He did straight vocals for the remainder of the song, and during the "guitar solo," he decided that he was finished with the guitar entirely. He grabbed the headstock, ripped it the rest of the way off, and began slamming the body against the stage. By the time it was destroyed enough, he thanked the crowd and left. The encore, suffice it to say, was performed on a different guitar, and was just as energetic and exciting as the beginning; they finished the whole set on "Shake The Sheets," one of the best songs from the album of the same title (uploaded below!). They really know how to put on a show, and I highly recommend stopping by, even if you've never really seen them before.

Ryan and I both left with chunks of Ted Leo's wrecked guitar and were so feeling the whole set (even though we didn't recognize a lot of the songs from his latest release).



And now the album!


Ted Leo And The Pharmacists - Shake The Sheets (2004)

Seriously, this is, like, punk's older brother. It's fiery, it's danceable, it's got provocative lyrics that make you think. It's just a good time, and I can not recommend it anymore than I do now! So GET IT!!

Recommended Tracks: Me And Mia, The Angels' Share, Little Dawn, Shake The Sheets
Genres: Indie, Punk, Rock
Link: http://www.mediafire.com(SLASH)?tnznzmyhoki

Wednesday Special! Longwinded concert review!

On Sunday, my friend Ryan and I drove up to The Ottobar to see Ted Leo and the Pharmacists play with Titus Andronicus. This is the review of the opener from that show along with the Titus Andronicus album! Tomorrow, I'll review Ted himself and put up my favorite Pharmacists album!

Titus Andronicus At The Ottobar (Pitchfork style, I guess, because none of this review really makes sense)

live picture from their myspace, to give you an idea of what they were lookin' like

Sunday morning, I woke up at 1 in the afternoon and saw a few texts from Ryan sitting, unread on my phone. "Yo dude, bonarroo is a no go, still up for ted leo tonight?" from 10 that morning. "Dude are you up?" from noon. Sweet. I talk to Ryan and we plan out the trip; I buy the tickets and we're good to go. At about 7:45, we're on the road, with Hearts Of Oak blasting as we roll up I-95. Conversation turns to beach plans, summer vacation, and how likely we are to do some Mardi Gras business next year (Ryan goes to Tulane, down in New Orleans).

We arrive at the Ottobar around 8:30, in time to catch the last song from Sleeper Agent. Dude looks like he's having a heart attack on stage. I give him props for that. There's about 15 people in there and one of them is Andy, Guest-Reviewer Brooks' brother. So Ryan and I talk to Andy for a while before moving up for Titus Andronicus' set. I had seen Titus twice before this show, so I knew what I was getting into, Andy had seen them a couple times as well. Ryan, however, had no idea what was slowly lurching onto the stage.

Lead singer Patrick Stickles has a beard that encompasses his face, he's wearing sweatpants, and a Ponytail t-shirt. "This is, like, our fifth time playing The Ottobar this year. We just can't keep ourselves away," he quietly speaks into the microphone before pulling out a harmonica and going directly into "Joset Of Nazareth's Blues." Yeah, dude. Then he starts yelling nearly incoherently through the song while playing guitar. It sounds just like the record! They blaze through almost all of the "hits" from their debut, The Airing Of Grievances (there's really only, like, nine songs on the cd, so playing through all of the songs except for the two slow ones is pretty much like playing the hits), including "The Enemy Is Everywhere," which I've never heard a recorded version of, but I've seen them play it every time I've seen them. They also play a new song as well as a Cock Sparrer cover. I think every single mic stand on stage fell over at least twice during the set because of their, as Ryan put it, "epileptic spazzes" while playing. So fucking awesome.

Ryan pokes me and asks how the drummer manages to do what seems to be a fairly simple sounding beat, but makes it so ridiculously intricate, playing 16th notes back and forth on different drumheads and cymbals for what must be sport. The rhythm section for Titus Andronicus... which I guess is pretty much the entire band, is so tight and spot on. They sound like they should be sloppy, they look like they should be sloppy, but everything is perfectly in time and everything has more energy than most bands today. Again, awesome.

They end on the first track of the record, probably my favorite song from the whole thing, "Fear And Loathing In Mahwah, NJ." Stickles lightly strums the guitar, singing as clearly as he has for the entire night (odd, since on the record, the first half of the song is utterly incoherent), before stopping and stepping away from the microphone. The entire band looks up and after what seems like 10 full seconds, each member chimes in: "FUCK YOU." Suddenly the song is in double time, there are tapping guitar solos, and they play through until all of the effects are on all of the guitars and then they leave the stage with just echoes permeating through the amplifiers.

Ryan looks at me and I'm afraid of what he's going to say, because this is not his type of music. "They were actually really good, you gotta hit me up with this cd!" Here you go, homeboy.

Titus Andronicus - The Airing Of Grievances (2009)
(yes, it's named after Festivus)

Titus Andronicus is... well, I guess they're a punk band. But... I mean, not really. They're just cool. I definitely recommend checking them out if you like music that sounds like it's on fire... if that makes sense. It does to me.

Recommended Tracks: Fear And Loathing In Mahwah NJ, Arms Against Atrophy, Titus Andronicus
Genres: Punk, Indie, Rock
Link: http://www.mediafire.com(SLASH)?1ozmzfnt4zb

We Don't Need No Bodies, We're Here For The Souls!

The Mae Shi play... um. Indie-pop. But... it's kind of angry. And kind of has a lot of weird sounds. Like beeps and bloops. I guess I'll let this video speak for itself. If you like this cover of a Miley Cyrus song, chances are you'll like the album.





Onto the real review!

The Mae Shi - HLLLYH (2008)

When I first heard about The Mae Shi, they were associated with John Zorn (grindcore/jazz saxophonist, psychopath); they worked with him at his ridiculous "music improvisation games," which means that they can pretty much play ridiculously awful music that is supposed to be excellent because it's so complex and mind-bending that it's therefore good.

However, they play a sort of indie pop punk that is at times serious, but is mostly just playful. With songtitles like "Pwnd" and "7xx7," this album about the apocalyptic sort of takes on a more cheerful tone about the wrath of god. Overall, it's just fun to listen to: they have chops to spare, but they choose to hold themselves back just to keep the music enjoyable. You can tell they're powerful just by how intricately woven every song is, despite being quite simple, pop-wise. Between the vocal arrangements that sound like a full chorus (despite being sung by what must be a single dude), the synthesizers that were picked up out of the 80s, and that amazing guitar tone that sounds like it was formulated in a garage, The Mae Shi are one of the most fun bands I've ever listened to and deserve to be in your collection if you like having fun or listening to fun music.

Genres: Indie, Punk, Pop, Post-Punk
Recommended Tracks: Lamb And The Lion, Pwnd, Boys In The Attic, Run To Your Grave,
Link: http://www.mediafire.com(SLASH)?ymmhtzfugmi

No, Seriously.

I am having a ceremony tomorrow for how awesome I am. So I'm too busy to write a review, so here's a quick little something for you.

The Clash - London Calling (1980)

Fuck you, if you don't have this album already, then fucking GET IT. Like, NOW. I don't care what kind of music you listen to, whether or not you've written off this band, or any of that stuff. You NEED this album in your collection because all of your favorite modern bands exist solely because of this album.

Honestly, it's probably one of the best cds ever made and don't be embarrassed if you don't already own every collector's edition of it or whatever, but definitely check it out because it's seriously seriously great even by today's standards.

Recommended tracks: Rudie Can't Fail, Spanish Bombs, Wrong 'Em Boyo
Genres: Rock, Punk, Ska, Reggae, Folk, Indie, Awesomeawesome
Link: http://www.mediafire.com(SLASH)?zmwxyzkzga2

Final Thursday EPs (For Now)

Okay, I don't have nearly enough good EPs to keep this up, so they'll just be sprinkled intermittently whenever I can't think of what to put up. Awesome! Let's finish off that Mountain Goats kick and I'll round it out with ex-folk-punk band Rosa! Acoustic EP Day!! Woo!

The Mountain Goats and John Vanderslice - Moon Colony Bloodbath (2009)

The humorous title of this most recent Mountain Goats release hints at murder and space travel, but hardly delivers on either. Instead, you get a story that builds over the course of the album. John Darnielle of the Mountain Goats and Vanderslice trade vocal duties and create a very cohesive, warm, yet dark album. The music is almost entirely just acoustic guitars and voices, with each frontman performing a half of the album. The final song, when the bloodbath on the moon happens is the absolutely fantastic. The build up to it is stunning. Definitely a must-hear for anyone interested in either band.

Genres: Folk, Indie
Link: http://www.mediafire.com(SLASH)?m1jy2zidqmz


Rosa - I Mississippi You (2005)

This one isn't an EP, but it's only about 26 MB, despite having 12 songs, so it's tiny, but it's so very, very good. Not very many people have heard of Rosa, and the ones that have either listen to them all the time or are searching for them on the internet to this day. They sound like four kids who are just writing songs about whatever they care about. Passionate, playful, and rocking, these lo-fi, acoustic songs sound like they were recorded in a garage that, while being planted down in Tennessee, it dreams about houses in California. Listening to Rosa makes me feel like running away from home, hopping on a train to anywhere, and never looking back. The music sounds like if a couple punks decided they wanted to play folk-country, and that is so awesome with me.

Genres: Folk, Punk, Country
Link: http://www.mediafire.com(SLASH)?dkmzyzicnkz

Most Of The Killers Never Get Famous, Then It's Hard On Everyone

After graduating from NYU with a degree in English Lit and Creative Writing, Blake Schwarzenbach played with a seminal punk/emo band called Jawbreaker before ending the whole thing to start an indie/emo band called Jets To Brazil. Their first album is one of my favorites evereverever and I'm so excited to have it up here!


Jets To Brazil - Orange Rhyming Dictionary (1998)

Orange Rhyming Dictionary is so much more than a collection of songs, especially for a first album from a new band. Every song seems to be directly tied to the next one, despite having no actual cohesive reasons to feel that way. Each one seems to outline a lonely life in California, starting with an exhilarating drive down Pasadena in 1968 and ending with an introspective train ride away from a girlfriend or wife.

I could literally write for hours about this band and this cd, but I'll let the music speak for itself. Schwarzenbach's voice and songwriting feel just so perfect -- like he had all of these ideas and just let them come out exactly as he had them in his head. The music comes out as some kind of mixture between the poppy punk of his old band, Jawbreaker, and the exciting and intricate music and rhythms of the up and coming indie rock scene. Absolutely stunning.

Recommended Tracks: Crown Of The Valley, Starry Configurations, Chinatown, Sweet Avenue
Genres: Indie, Punk, Emo
Link: http://www.mediafire.com(SLASH)?z5jjyjztjmy
Recommended if you liked: The Weakerthans, Cursive, Joe Strummer and the Mescaleros

I Always Dreamed Of Classic Cars And Movie Screens

The Gaslight Anthem - The '59 Sound (2008)

I'll start this one off by apologizing to my friend Brooks, who probably wanted to review this album.

The Gaslight Anthem are a couple of punk kids from New Jersey who grew up on Bruce Springsteen and all those classic rock acts. Their sound is as if Social Distortion, Jawbreaker, and Bruce Springsteen were somehow completely mixed into one sound. They have the intensity and speed of a punk band and the midwestern charm of a rockabilly group, all while still maintaining the clarity and epic power that come with some of the rock and roll kings from the 70s and 80s.

This cd is defined by the imagery; the lyrics and music work together to describe a lost time in history (even the album cover looks like an old LP). Songs reference Springsteen, Petty, Dylan, Seger and nearly everyone else from the 70s and 80s. They depict taillights, old ferris wheels, high top sneakers, and sailor tattoos, completing the 50's imagery. You can practically taste the old days through the words. Brian Fallon's voice suits this absolutely perfectly and the rest of the band is spot on. They are the ultimate driving band and I expect you'll be seeing a lot of them in the future.

Recommended Tracks: The '59 Sound, High Lonesome, The Patient Ferris Wheel
Genres: Punk, Rock
Link: http://www.mediafire.com(SLASH)?czmyyy3zmjy

But I Can't Remember The Sound That You Found From Me

The Weakerthans - Reunion Tour (2007)

The Weakerthans are my all time favorite band. Their music has so much energy to it, John K. Samson's voice so much sincerity, and his lyrics so thoughtful. They are what I want music to always be; tender and warm while still being fun and enjoyable to listen to.

This cd, Reunion Tour, is their latest. It came out in 2007, and it was this cd that got me into them. I had listened to Left And Leaving once, but it didn't strike me. However, the opening chords on Civil Twilight had me hooked. Each song is a kind of mixture between punk and indie that literally sounds like they use their warm music to combat the icy winters of Winnipeg, where they live.

Every time I listen to this cd, something hits me so hard that I have to rewind it and hear it again. Today, it was a point in Relative Surplus Value, when Samson describes a pause while facing his boss as being as long as "an extra year of high school." Seriously, this is the sort of music that I can always listen to. And I could not recommend it any higher. If you don't have this cd, pick it up and be joyous because it's honestly the best release of 2007 (except for maybe Okkervil River's The Stage Names, you guys).

Let me restate that: THIS IS MY ALL TIME FAVORITE BAND AND THEIR NEWEST CD. That felt good.


Genres: Indie, Punk, Rock, Folk
Recommended Tracks: Civil Twilight, Relative Surplus Value, Sun In An Empty Room, Virtute The Cat Explains Her Departure, um every other song on it? I mean, seriously
Link: http://www.mediafire.com(SLASH)?0h3jzuzmdy1

A Few Thursday EPs

Sorry guys, I can't think of anything exciting to put up tonight, so maybe I'll make a habit out of putting up two little EPs every Thursday over the summer, instead of a full album? Who knows, let's try it out.

These two are some of my favorites, so I figure I'll put them out sooner than later. Enjoy, dudes!

Cursive - Burst And Bloom EP (2002)

This cd has got everything. Yelling parts, calm parts, cellos, cool sounding guitars, and some of the best lyrics this side of Omaha! Cursive are one of my favorites and this release is just fantastic. Anyone who likes music should definitely pick this up, it's one the best.

Genres: Punk, Indie rock, Emo
Recommended Tracks: Mothership, Mothership, Do You Read Me?, Fairy Tales Tell Tales
Link: http://www.mediafire.com(SLASH)?owdyqmk24nc





Arcs - Arcs (2006)

This is a band from Toronto (aren't all indie rock bands these days?) who I constantly find myself turning to when I'm in the mood to listen to something that has a hard edge to it and is big sounding, but not overdone. This band is just fantastic; catchy and fun, but serious.


Genres: Indie Rock, Punk, Pop
Recommended Tracks: Ghosts Of Shopping Malls, I'm An A-Sharp
Link: http://www.mediafire.com(SLASH)?oungeynhz22





There you have it! Sorry this is so lame, guys. If you like it, though, LET ME KNOW! I'll start doing this sort of stuff more often if I hear that people like this sort of thing

Sometimes You Can't See The Horizon Between The Ocean And The Earth

Joe Strummer And The Mescaleros - Streetcore (2003)

Joe Strummer, rest his soul, died unexpectedly of heart complications in December 2002. You might remember him as the lead singer of The Clash, one of the greatest bands to ever make music. A few years before he died, he was touring and playing with his band, The Mescaleros. They recorded this, their best cd, Streetcore, throughout 2002. In 2003, it was released, and it being Strummer's last record is just the ultimate sadness.

This final cd is so world-wise and sounds like if London Calling were an indie record instead of a punk one. The music is very full sounding, has a lot of instrumentation other than the usual rock quartet sound. The songwriting is exquisite, this record is just a must. Joe Strummer was a classic figure, and this album is what I would consider the culmination of his life.

The most moving part of the whole album, easily, is the last song on it, Silver And Gold. Hearing Joe Strummer sing that about his ambitions and then add that he's "got to hurry up before [he grows] too old" is just too much knowing that this album was releast posthumously.

Oh, and if Long Shadow sounds like Johnny Cash, it's because Joe Strummer wrote it for Johnny Cash to sing... but then Cash died, as well. Its appearance on the record is a nod from deceased musician to deceased musician. Just a great cd.

Genres: Rock, Folk, Indie, Punk
Recommended Tracks: Coma Girl, Get Down Moses, Arms Aloft, Silver And Gold
Link: http://www.mediafire.com(SLASH)?mlnwyuzzmby

Praise Made In Haste (But Totally Deserved)

Good Luck - Into Lake Griffy (2008)

So, on Friday, I went to a 7-11 in Washington DC to see Bomb The Music Industry! play. One of the openers was a small trio called Good Luck. Consisting of one bassist, one guitarist, and a drummer, the small group managed to let their punky pop utterly destroy the small room.

Matt Tobey's emotional voice goes so well with the fast-paced, technical punk music that it's just obscene; his tapping guitar lines that act as bridges are so much more than I would've ever expected out of a punk trio born in Indiana. Not to mention Ginger Alford's powerful vocals on plenty of the tracks, just as well. Between the two of them, the songs are easily blazed through and the heartfelt lyrics are belted. Every song is a singlalong, every song is done perfectly. I'm very, very, very impressed with them and would say to keep tabs on this band; they're definitely going places.


Genres: punk, technical, lyrical, pop-punk
Link: http://www.mediafire.com(slash)?mztdocimnnd

Manchester Orchestra - Mean Everything To Nothing

So, I'm seeing this band tomorrow, so I'll write the real review then. Until then, just take this: This is my favorite album of 2009 so far. It's everything I wanted it to be and more. I'll post a few of my other favorites later in the week. REAL REVIEW COMING TOMORROW. Sorry, I'm fucking exhausted from seeing Bomb The Music Industry! in a fucking convenience store. Awesome.

OKAY, it's now two days from then and the show didn't happen, so here's my review:

This album is basically a rock album, at its core. Classic line up: one guitar, one bass, one drummer, one keyboardist, and a singer/songwriter/guitarist who knows exactly what he's doing. The bearded Andy Hull has a higher, soulful voice that perfectly compliments the hard drum hits and punkish guitar parts in the background. Songs are yelled and screamed, sung sweetly, and generally blazed through. This is my favorite album of 2009 so far and I invite you to check it out and enjoy.

Manchester Orchestra - Mean Everything To Nothing (2009)


http://www.mediafire.com(slash)?zndyahrnnua
Genres: Rock, Indie, Punk, Folk