Dead season

An excellent, if mostly lost to memory Canadian band. Made a huge impression on me both times I saw them.

Because its appropriate for tonight.......

Q and not U. "Kiss distinctly american"

Heres a band I never gave a second thought about because they were popular with the same dopes who thought at the drive in were some kind of earth shattering revelation in music. I recently decided to take a listen to some of their stuff and found it to be pretty good....not up to the massive hype this band got in the early aughts but certainly better than I expected. They wear all their influences a little too brightly on their sleeves but they are very good at what they do and "kiss distinctly american" is what I would consider to be their high point........probably because it sounds exactly like proudentall at their best....

A Little tidbit

Me (with the big forehead) upfront during examination of the's set when they played the Weston in 2002...........suicide note, wolves, forstella ford and with arms still empty played as well. Wolves stayed at my house that night which later figured in some weird and unnecessary internet drama that I only half remember today and is probably better left undiscussed......

Seki - "before the last song at wounded hill" (2002)

Heres an old obscure band from the bay area that played thick hazy dreamo........the sound here is almost identical to castor...If I didnt know better and came into this totally blind id think these songs were outtakes from "tracking sounds alone" the two bands are so much alike. In any case this stuff is fantastic and well worth a listen or 60.......

Schnauzer (Cleveland hardcore)

.Cleveland comedycore. Perhaps not for everyone.

Rapider than horsepower "what's our visibility?" (2005)

A damn good record from a damn good band. 

Monday songs

Noise rock night.

Sunday morning music

Perfect jams.

Song of the day saturday

"Mike stipe, now he has bugs....."

Been listening to a shitload of TITD recently. "Willpower" is a top 5 album all time of any genre.

Song of the day

Things I've been listening to lately

Thought I'd make a post about some records/bands I think are tops in 2019:





Lanterns "end time blues" (2016)

I listened to this album more than anything else over the past year or so. Easily not just the best album of 2016 but the best album of the past 3 years. In 10 years people will rediscover this gem and wonder why it didnt sell a billion copies and get a ton of airplay. If you could find the perfect middle ground between tenement and no knife, this record would occupy it. Replacements-esque melodic punk meets dreamy hook filled indie rock. Wall to wall jams from top to bottom with "spaceman falls","bad dreams","sonic you" and "bad thoughts time capsule" being the standout tracks. Check it out:


https://lanterns.bandcamp.com/album/end-times-blues








The life and times self titled (2017)




The kings of space rock drop their latest lp and its excellent. If you've heard TLAT before, you know what to expect. Atmospheric jams and dreamy riffs. Standout tracks include "we know" "killing queens" and "I am the wedding cake"


https://thelifeandtimes.bandcamp.com/album/the-life-and-times











Enoument "composure"(2018) & "lie"(2019) tapes



Enoument are a band from Cardiff, Wales. They play rough edged melodic emo/hardcore in the vein of Alloy, Rusty James or small dog frenzy, the vocalist even has a very aaron Hobbs-esque quality to his voice. Excellent stuff in a style that hasnt really been played much by anyone in the past 15 years or so.



https://enouement.bandcamp.com/music

Found some photos...

So the couple 35mm rolls I had rolling around in my drawers werent the goldmine I thought theyd be 😥 (I was certain I had a full roll from a pg99/TDOA/LLBNF/Tion/Scumbrigade show from the summer of 2000 but NOPE).


Anyways heres a few photos of the band atrium from summer 2002.







These I'm pretty sure were from a show at muggs in ypsilanti with pg99,the wake,the parallax view, clark, black dahlia murder (before they blew up) wafflehouse* and American nightmare (who jumped on the show after theirs at the refuge in detroit got cancelled).....why I only have 4 pics from that show when I'm certain I took more than that remains a mystery to me......anyways atrium were a short lived, dual vocalled melodic black metal/hardcore band from detroit who put out a cdep which is the only thing I'm aware of them having released. Even though I lost the CD a long time ago and havent heard them in over a decade, I remember them being very good live.



Bonus: me circa 1999:

Hey folks

This is the first time in a while I've done anything here, just letting you (assuming anyone still has this blog bookmarked and is following me) there is some new stuff to come in the next month or so.

It's been a while.

Might start up again.....depends on how I feel physically.

hey people.

Sorry for the lack of updates this year.....just been out of it for a while...not really much drive to do anything for several months....inspiration comes and goes in spurts for me and at some point, I'll get back into the swing of it, but for now I'm just gonna let it ride, at least till I get my urge to be constructive back...

top 12 of 2013

Well I haven't posted in months....just not really had the drive to do much, but in any case, I'm back with my best of 2013....I wasn't very active, both when it came to reviews or shows, still, there were plenty of records that caught my ears....




12.

Perfect pussy - I have lost all desire for feeling

I probably should've reviewed this months ago, in any case, Meredith's new band takes up where shoppers left off and then some. Its just a bit more melodic this time around...can't wait to hear/see what's in store for this band....



11. Boilerman - loss leaders



Best pop punk record of the year. Nuff said.




10. Technicolor teeth - teenage pagans



Members of tenement bring us the best dream/fuzz/shoegaze record of the year.




9. Goddard/giraffes giraffes split "10





Two great bands from mass team up for a great split. Mathrock madness.



8. Late bloomer lp


North Carolina ragged tuneful indie rock harkening back to the 90s. Great stuff that gets better with repeated listens...




7. Hate vacation ep




Philly powerhouse with an all star lineup....ragged and ugly...just the way I like it.





6.speedy ortiz - major arcana





Unfortunately I missed these guys twice so far...hopefully that streak won't last...one of the absolute best records of the year from one of the best bands of the year.






5. Dreamdecay - nvnvnv




Epic noisy moody record from Seattle's best band




4. Gay kiss - fault






Arizona dudes playing some of the most vicious hardcore I've heard this year...top 5 record easily.





3. Cloud rat - moksha




Great friends playing great music. Not much more I could ask for out of a grindcore record than what's in this record.



2. Cousins - bathhouse




This Milwaukee outfit narrowly missed my top spot...dudes put out the best punkgaze record of the year.....there's nothing bad I can say about this record, its pretty close to perfect..





1. Red hare - nites of midnite





My record of the year...Sean brown, jason Ferrell & co show the kids how its done on 2013's hardcore tour de force....but with the pedigree these dudes have, would you expect any less? Also best dischord record of the past 10 years.






I guess thats it for 2013....I'll see ya on the flip side....hopefully I'll be more active in 2014...

rice chips at 1AM……..life is sorta good.........theres a half bottle of smirnoff on the counter.....ive only been what you could call “shitfaced drunk” once in my life……im alone and i could easily get there again, but im just not one to take leave of my senses (if i dont have to)


off to bed.........

so stressed - attracted to open mouths (2012)

hey people, im back...at least for the moment.........the subject today is a band from Sacramento, CA, called so stressed.......i had no idea who they were until i got an email from one of their members who linked me to their record....after a listen, i can say that i enjoyed it  a pretty fair amount with room to like it alot more with subsequent listens........what we have here a sort of lo-fi punk/noise/indie rock thing.....a decent amount of influences comming together here.....i can hear overtones of dreamdecay, hints of milemarker, little flecks of calumet hecla and giraffes giraffes, even a tiny drizzle of small brown bike....despite all of these seemingly disperate sounds popping up, it all seems tied together pretty well throughout......i wouldn't mind seeing these guys (and girl?) live at all......i bet they'd be pretty fun........im perfectly fine recommending this record as it is and im sure with subsequent listens that recommendation will only get reinforced........check it out!

so stressed - attracted to open mouths

R. vomisa cassi ep (2012)

now that im on a mini roll of sorts, heres an album from R. vomisa cassi, who hail from budapest hungary......this came out last summer, i was unaware of it till a nice dude from the band directed me to their band camp from tumblr........5 songs of fast chaotic hardcore with prominent high end and a melodic undercurrent flowing through the sound.....reminds me alot of  those old german bands on love records like sog and stale.  the vocals sound like a little kid at times and it takes away from the music somewhat, but overall this is a good outing from a band thats very new to me.....check it out.

R. vomisa cassi

boilerman - loss leaders (2013)

today im back with another new record. this time from chicago's boilerman, who i've been into for a while now.......they possess a skillset that seems to have died out for the past decade: crafting excellent pop punk tunes that are rough edged, stripped down and memorable without the extraneous sappy shit/polished sound that alot of bands who go this route had....this record pretty much continues the band's flightpath over the past couple EPs and tapes......just fucking top shelf pop punk, not much more to say about it than that.....its not the most innovative sound, and hasn't been for a long time, but they do everything right and pretty much max out the potential of the genre.....if you want cutting edge math grind, look elsewhere.......if you want tunefull catchy pop punk thats still rough enough to earn the hardcore tag, by all means, check this shit out..........definitely a top ten record of the year.

boilerman - loss leaders

speedy ortiz - major arcana (2013)

well after a month and a half im back.....computer problems have prevented me from doing much of anything. that has been somewhat remedied, but my posting will probably still be sporadic for a while......anyways this record is the best thing i've heard this year, edging out amazing offerings from red hare, gay kiss, even cloud rat.........its that good.......speedy ortiz have nailed the 90s alt-sound with perfection. frontwoman sadie dupuis  has a voice that falls somewhere between tracy bonham and juliana hatfield (IMO) and has a knack for writing awesome lyrics. the band is just so fucking on point musically and lyrically...i haven't heard anyone playing stuff like this this good in years.....every song is amazing.  after a few listens, i'm having no trouble putting this record at the top of the pile for 2013........definate must listen.

speedy ortiz - major arcana

technicolor teeth - teenage pagans (2013)

keepin the momentum going today, on the menu right now: the debut lp from appleton wisconsin's technicolor teeth (featuring members of tenement). they play a heavy melodic blanket of sound that sounds like its literally oozing along....its really good, though you may want to break up this record into portions, cause its a long listen (at least for me it was) this isnt really like much that i've heard before. to my ears its fresh, weird and original sounding stuff.......of course i don't really have a backgound in the more psychadelic side of rock, so they could be just ripping off bands ive never heard, (but i dont think so) its a fine album, and i hope i get to see them live sometime soon. check it out.

technicolor teeth - teenage pagans

late bloomer - s/t (2013)

keeping on a steady roll with new stuff, heres another new lp from another great newish band......late bloomer are a band from north carolina whose demo i reviewed a year or so ago.....this record builds upon the early 90s indie sound displayed on the demo and adds to it.....dinosaur jr, treepeople, built to spill, all are heavy influences here, melodic disheveled rough edged rock with smartass lyrics......thats the nuts and bolts of late bloomer and they do it better than most.....this is something i could recommend wholeheartedly to everyone. listen to it on a nice drive through the country or on the way to a show......its a really great album.

late bloomer - s/t

dreamdecay - n v n v n v (2013)

another killer record finally works its way into my suddenly robust review cycle......what we have here is a brand new album from one of Seattle's best current outfits, dreamdecay, whos last offering, "fern" was an outstanding work in its own right.......they've evolved  in an even more moody weirdo direction in the noise rock realm and to me, this is a great thing, twisted chords, nimble rhythms giving way to tribal pounding, echoey distorted loudspeaker vocals, steady basslines, all comming together to make some amazing, even epic listening........songs that go from twisting moody crawls to towering bludgeoning........these are my impressions after one sitting with this album, im sure ill be able to find even more nuances as it sinks into my consciousness with subsequent listens.....one of the most original bands making music today....taking influences from everywhere and truly making them their own......easy top 10 record of the year so far for me and possibly top 5 with more listens......check it out.

dreamdecay - n v n v n v

swimsuit - s/t (2012)

another record that i completely ignored until recently........i knew fred thomas (lovesick and a billion other bands) was in this band, but i thought it would be something that i wouldn't like (IE:  i thought it would sound like saturday looks good to me) they even came up here and played sekoitus fest last year (they played on the second night when i didn't have any cash to come back cause i was saving up for michigan meltdown the next weekend) i still held off for another few months after that....then around the turn of the year i finally got the record and listened to it and i was immediately addicted ........catchy surf rock-pop with mostly sweet female vocals....fred sings here and there (a much different experience here than lovesick, at least to my ears) and the recording is top notch......i need to learn to not sleep on stuff cause it seems im missing out on alot of things.......anyways this shit is great and it probably would've made my top ten last year had i not slept on it...........now im just hoping i get another chance to see them in a live setting.........highly recommended........

swimsuit - s/t

Red Hare - nites of midnite (2013)

this came out last month and id have to say this is the current frontrunner for record of the year.......yea, the new cousins album and the latest offerings from cloud rat and gay kiss are all neck and neck at the top, but these guys are out ahead a little farther.......been listening to this  almost constantly since i got it a few weeks back.......ex swiz/dag nasty/buetip/garden variety and retsonic personnel here. sean brown (dag nasty/swiz/sweetbelly freakdown) still sounds the way he did 25 years ago, actually listening to this record is kind of a timewarp back to the early 90s,  very much on the swiz tip and without much of a "modern" influence at all.....the songs are all powerful and catchy and the lyrics are interesting, clear and outfront........the mix is great (as can be expected of j robbins) and the recording is nice and loud. i cant find a bad thing to say about this record (maybe the songs are too short? haha)  anyhow, IMO, this is the kind of hardcore more bands should be playing, anything to reduce the amount of lousy crust and 80s throwback "hardcore" bands that are currently overstaying their welcome.......this shit is golden.

red hare - nites of midnight

cousins - bathhouse (2013)

ok, so this record just came out over the weekend (on cassette, the band is still looking for someone to put out the vinyl) and its blown me away. seriously haven't stopped listening to this since i got it saturday.....shoegaze perfection, the only two words in the english language that aptly describe this record.........if you don't know, cousins are a band from milwaukee who play great shoegaze punk. their "axthoxy" ep (2011, reviewed here a year or so ago) was great, but this record is a full staircase above that release in quality, which is saying something, because these dudes were already talented.....just really great mellow wall of noise sounding jams that hit the sweet spot everytime.....some might say it gets monotonous, but i love the fuck out of this shit.......i still have yet to see them, which sucks cause i bet they translate really well live.........in any case im not sure i have enough words to praise this record with. its just that good. i can see this record ending up in alot of top ten lists at the end of the year for sure......you need to check this out.

physical copies can be had here:  http://www.bridgetownrecords.info

cousins - bathhouse

tideland - lull (2012)

another one of those bands i probably should've known about (considering that they are ex pg99, and now by far my favorite recent ex pg99 project)  but who i just wasn't aware of for whatever reason......i will say playing catchup on this band's work has been an almost unparalleled pleasure, all of their records are so fucking good......anyways, "lull" is their latest offering, recorded late in 2012 and released at the end of that year, this record is alot more smooth, fluid and laid back than the previous two, up to this point, the band's formula consisted of  amazing rough edged melodies over a tight rhythm section with nasally, and at times, snotty sounding vocals.....think dinosaur jr, city of caterpillar and  treepeople fused into one beautiful beast......however this new album is on a different path, yet it sounds as good as anything they've released so far....shimmering shoegazy guitars crafting amazing melodies over rather calm vocals, all under an overarching clear, awesome production.....i cant stop listening to this (and the rest of their stuff) and i don't think you'll be able to either....one of the best things ive heard this year....A fucking + effort.

tideland - lull

speedy ortiz - sports ep (2012)

this is a record i discovered a while back (maybe 5 months ago or so) and have been jamming a hell of alot recently.....speedy ortiz is one of a rather sparse, but growing number of bands who have their eyes set squarely on  early-mid 90s indie rock and are carrying the style intact though the 21st century. loud, catchy awesome tunes that make me think of the breeders and archers of loaf, but somehow with more power behind it than either of those two bands.....these dudes and dudette are professional songsmiths who know exactly how to write a memorable tune that hits you in the brain and heart, meaning music AND lyrics are always on point, unlike so many other bands in this vast sea of mediocrity that passes for popular music nowadays.......speedy ortiz are among the most excellent bands going today and this record is a fucking home run. if i was less socially inhibited, id probably be running through the streets slipping copies of this album to everyone i met......its that good.

speedy ortiz - sports ep