set adrift "from the inside....into nowhere" (2011)

set adrift are a newer band from the ukraine that i dont know much about.....in fact their the first ukrainian hardcore band ive ever heard........anyways they know how to do it right! 90s throwback style in the vein of alot of revelation bands but with hints of something more emotive lurking beneath the surface......excellent stuff.......if this is any indication of the overall quality of bands comming out of the ukraine, im going to have to check out more stuff from there soon.........keep the spirit alive boys.........

from the inside..........

sans aids "loaners" (2010)

another one of those newer gems ive uncovered through bandcamp.....these guys hail from edmonton alberta and play some dog-eared melodic indie rock/noise-pop......im not really a noise-pop afficianado  and the only band playing this kind of stuff that i have any real ear time with is/was iran. these guys are a bit more poppy and  lighthearted than iran was/is......i think pavement is a pretty good comparison, the kinda disheveled  noisy guitar lines especially, the vocals are decent.....the drums, guitars, vocals,....none of these things alone would be really noteworthy, but when combined, they make a beautiful sound.......these canuks know how to make good music and i wouldnt mind seeing them do it live at all.........

loaners

big'n "spare the horses" (2011)

i was e-mailed this one.....you know you must be having an effect if people are starting to send you stuff for review......anyways big'n is a longstanding noise rock outfit from chicago and this is apparently the first thing they've released in a while. this is my first time actually hearing this band, ive known their name for a while, but just never got around to it before........reminds me alot of shorty if al johnson had adopted a drunk cowboy persona instead of  the "crazy autistic guy" thing he did/does so well.....music is on point and rockin, vocals are gnarly, overall good effort here.......id say its worth a listen or three, especially if you really dig that chicago shit from the 90s.

spare the horses

hey

i just made a facebook group for the blog


hopefully this link works


http://www.facebook.com/home.php?sk=group_210834305622836&ap=1

brazen/kevlar split cd (2000)

more euro goodness here........its switzerland meets sweden on this split........brazen is first up with two songs exhibiting a sound in transition from their noisy, moody beginnings to the more melodic beast they would become on their "orphaned" lp.....still moody and noisy but much more polished musically and, most notably, vocally.......still an excellent outing that dwarfs alot of other band's best efforts......sweden's kevlar follows them up with two rockin catchy offerings of their own......kinda heavy, swingin rock with slower introspective parts and an overall poppy sensibility.....very good stuff.......recommended listening.

split

bev.clone - Take No Prisoners TV - June 2007

their whole set.

BEV.CLONE

ive always been a fan, but the freakout face in this vid is just hilarious.

the ivy crown "after so much red wine" (1999)

one of the forgotten bands in michigan's 90s emo pantheon. ivy crown hailed from east lansing and existed between 1997-2002, i got to see em play once, in a basement in kalamazoo with wallside and quixote...very good live.....their style was on the lighter side of the indie-emo spectrum, but not totally polished like, say, a band like king for a day or jimmy eat world......"calling back the taurus" is the best song on this cd and reminds me a little bit of current for some reason, which is a very good thing.......the rest of the tracks are a bit more in the cursive/mineral vein, melodic sunny day driving tunes.......one of those bands that just never caught on for some reason...........check it out!

after so much red wine

less life: demo (2011)

from out of nowhere (at least to me) comes this little slab of ferocious hardcore from members of black kites.......kinda reminds me endeavour.....tight and hyper with a pleasing thickness to it all......tom is really doing all he can to keep the 90s alive in new jersey and i applaud his efforts...excellent pissed off stuff...if you love the crazy throw-yourself-around mosh, 90s style, youll eat this up like a windmill to the face........

less life

procession "fade" (2011)

from grand rapids michigan........fucking excellent band here,  indie-shoegaze with a huge amount of heart.......one of those bands that makes me reassess my "new music generally sucks" stance..........very sincere heartfelt lyrics over flowing, melodic music with beautiful vocals. there seems to be a couple bands that really hit me in the sweet spot every decade/half decade or so.....bands that literally bring the emotion out of me and make me feel what they feel.......10 years ago it was to dream of autumn, lovesick, and the assistant, before that it was constantine sankathi and current, now it seems these guys (and gal) might be that band.......if their live expirience is anything close to what this record has given me, then the deal is sealed.......lucky i get to see em next month......unfortunatly it seems some members are moving away for school and other obligations.....i just hope they stay together and work some more sonic magic together because (imo) the world NEEDS bands like this.........

fade........

pswingset demo (2011)

another new band, this one from austin with a 3 song demo.........they play that tuneful, lonesome midwest style....the band they are in closest proximity to soundwise would definatly be proudentall (IMO) they have the same inventory of musical mannerisms as that band, from the loafing-down-a-dirt-road summer day rock of "husk" to the more moody complex style of  "bokeh"......after a long time of thinking this kind of stuff was dead and by the wayside of the current musical landscape, this band is a welcome sound to my ears.......great plains rock back in effect....even if they hail from somewhat south of that area......the best part is i get to see them play these songs next month! yay me! for the band all i have to say is keep up the good work and continue to be the new standardbearers of this sound.....(and put out a full length soon!)

pswingset demo

fear is the path to the darkside "only the dead have seen the end of war" (2002)

after reaching the pinnacle of engineering and craftsmanship in high end automobiles and firearms, the germans  decided to use their considerable skills perfecting evil, epic metallic hardcore in the early 2000s......the result of what im sure where weeks or perhaps months of rigorous testing and exipirimenting in a cutting edge recording studio was this album, which i effortlessly place at the very pinnacle of the genere. the sound quality, the lyrics, the vocals, the riffs, the overall song structure......like a factory-fresh porsche or HK P30, its flawless in all aspects and outperforms its competition by huge margins.......this is what modern metallic hardcore should be and 9 years on, its still fresher than 98% of bands operating on or near the same wavelength today........members of stack/universal and a few other bands set out to make the perfect record and succeeded with flying colors. a MUST LISTEN.

only the dead have seen the end of war....

great like cake "stall ion italian" (2010)

great like cake are a newer band hailing from san diego, however they are steeped in that city's distinct indie/DIY musical tradition.....the sound here isnt all that far off of tanner, aminature, no knife or the hot snakes...a more recent and closer sonic comparison would be fellow san diegoans, lanterns.......nervous, elastic riffs over tight drumming topped off with decent vocals. to my knowledge this is their first release, hopefully there are many more to come..........

stallion italian

refuseniks "nineteen to the dozen" (2004)

new bedford, MA hardcore....as played by ex members of all chrome/voices forming weapons/glory fades.........melodic in an 80s DC hardcore way (scream, maybe minor threat/teen idles) with some more dischordant modern roughness to it at times ala assfactor 4 or any of mike kirsch's bands....even a  blastbeat or two ..."nosebleeds" is my personal favorite tune on here......12 tracks that fly by in a blurr of  frenzied melody....really good stuff........

19 to the dozen

american tourists "kinder des zorns" (2005)

another obscure band from germany.........this one, as far as i know, made up of ex lebensreform members....kind of a weird mix of pop punk and the fast thrashy shit lebensreform did so well.........like a toned down lebensreform thats opened themselves up open to  influences ranging from muff potter to assfactor 4.......the thrasy bits are on point but the pop punk numbers are sometimes a bit clumsy.........but in all this is a good record by a band i know next to nothing about......(no idea if they are still active)

kinder des zorns

fell types demo (2010)

here we have an introduction to a new band from DC......the fell types play rather gentle, yet flowing  indie-emo stuff like it was done in the mid 90s, recalling  the ghosts of evergreen, man i fell in love with, old hearts club, ect......they are the first new band ive heard to take up that legacy and actually get it right.....everything here is excellent, rough edges are intact and they have the makings of an excellent live band........cant wait for them to hit the midwest...hopefully sometime soon............also hopefully a full length is in the works.....4 songs just arent enough......this group of individuals gets my full endorsement with flying colors.

demo

rolo tomassi "hysterics" (2008)

so ive heard this band's name tossed around a few times but always confused them with that older chicago band of the same name, or another chicago band called we ragazzi or in some cases, the trans megetti.........i thought they were probably some crappy indie rock band.......finally a dude i trade downloads with on soulseek told me to check em out so i have.....they seem to be a band with a pretty decent sized following playing some pretty huge shows......and i guess their last album was produced by the guy who did the last britney spears album? (this is bizzare territory for me)....i did some googling of band photos before i listened to this and i thought "fuck...its gonna be another paramore or some other such nu-emo bullshit", after a few listens ive found out, somewhat pleasantly, this band is not that (although the overtones are there)......anyways they are from the UK and play that million-chords-in-a-single-song style that seems to be all the rage in certain sets today......i would liken them to the assistant, but with alot more polish and alot less compelling lyrics.....in other words a pale shadow of that new jersey band that poured their energy and hearts out live and left you in a sweaty satisfied haze when it was all over......i shouldnt really make that comparison till ive actually seen rolo tomassi live, dont wanna sell them short because this record is actually pretty decent.....and im not really even too much into this "tech core' shit anymore......my 8-9 years ago self would have probably been MUCH more enthusiastic about this band, but even then, i dont think they wouldve passed muster with the bands who originated this style back in the late90s/early 2000s......on an unrelated note, i also think having a cute girl as your vocalist will get your band MUCH more attention in the media than a band of dudes doing the same thing (not meant as a slight to the band at all)..IE: paramore...(their vocalist, eve, seems to be somewhat of a fashion icon already)..........anyways in this era of my chemical romances and fall out boys these guys and gal play like fucking einsteins by comparison......and i recommend this record.

hysterics

Enjoy The Silence - Depeche Mode - ( at the top of WTC )

not gonna front...i love these guys.........immortal tunes right here.......

rusty james "save the last dance for me" (1996)

one of my all time favorites.........rusty james was a german band (featuring members of age, abyss, and morser) that did jawbreaker better than jawbreaker..this is a seminal album for me..ive been listening to this constantly for the past 13 years or so....it sticks with me like few other records have.....best pop punk record from europe's best pop punk band ever...the samples from rumblefish make it even better.....love records was the shit, everything they ever released was pure gold.......HIGHLY RECOMMENDED!

save the last dance for me