Avair
April 24, 2012
Avair is a two piece band born from the same pit that birthed Black With Sap (ahem, Southeastern Idaho). If I had to describe their sound, I would say 1994! meets Ape Up! with some extra emotional edge. It’s some damn good stuff. The band handmade 100 cassettes of their first release, Fathers, which we will be selling in the BWS store very soon. 15 of these are a deluxe version, packaged in a custom shadow box with all sorts of cool shit. Sean and Alex really knocked these out of the park. Check out both versions of the tape here.
The band and I are in the process of booking a Northwest Summer Tour. If you can help out in any way with one of the dates below (or think we should change the route up a bit), please email Sean at avairtheband@gmail.com. Here are the days we’re looking at:
June 15 – Idaho Falls, ID (@ The Wax House)
June 16 – Missoula, MT
June 17 – Spokane, WA
June 18 – Seattle, WA
June 19 – Olympia, WA
June 20 – Portland, OR
June 21 – Eugene, OR
June 22 – Boise, ID
June 23 – Salt Lake City, UT (Crucial Fest 2012)
p.s. I love you.
Mockingbird Wish Me Luck – Living Weakness 7″
March 21, 2012
This 2 song 7″ was released as part of Run For Cover’s subscription series. MBWML is a Canadian band that makes some gravelly punk rock. It’s moody, it’s melodic, and I think it’s super well rounded. In my opinion, this is the best “under the radar” band making this sort of music right now. If they ever record a full length, I’ll be all over it. These 2 songs are particularly brooding, relying on guitar leads that are kinda low on the register and strong, cathartic choruses. Another great release for a young band with loads of potential. If you like this, check out their last 7″.
Hoods Up! – A Collection of Recordings
November 21, 2011
This one’s a blast from Black With Sap’s collective past. Hoods Up! is one of the many musical endeavors that spawned from our group of friends that never reached its full potential. Yeah, it’s a shameless plug for some friends, but in my defense, this band hasn’t existed for years and everyone else should love this shit as much as I do.
Anyway, Hoods Up! was the moniker that Brett Hawkins recorded under for a short time. At its inception, the band was a shouty two-piece with Ryan De La Rosa (of Fern and Moss and Delores) on guitar, but Brett continued to write acoustic songs before moving on to other projects. These songs are undeniably catchy, charming, funny, and endearing as all hell. They were basically an emo two-piece that didn’t take themselves seriously and wrote music that was fun to play. What’s not to like about that? Brett and Ryan both have tons of recorded music, but I wanted to put together some songs they wrote together (plus a few extras). Download it, listen to it, dig it. Never fucking grow up.
New Stuff
September 25, 2011
I’ve been neglecting the blog and albums that I’ve been meaning to post are piling up. It’s much easier for me to throw all of this shit into one post.
Shark Bait / Adaje – Split Cassette
This is a split for two bands from St. Louis (I think?). Adaje plays technical, fast-paced hardcore with dueling guitars that remind me of Hot Cross. Shark Bait plays upbeat, catchy emo with some great sung vocals. I really enjoy the guitar work and urgency in their songs. This cassette is only 3 bucks and features 2 songs from each band. Download it for free on the bandcamp page and order it from Carucage Records.
Sainthood Reps – Monoculture
When Dylan was first describing this band to me, he said they sounded like a mix between Nirvana, Daisy-era Brand New, and These Arms Are Snakes. Throw in a little Jesus Lizard, and I think that’s a pretty accurate description. This is album is some sort of amalgamation of grunge, shoegaze, punk, and post-hardcore. I think it’s pretty great. This band is from Long Island, NY, and interestingly enough, this album is out on Tooth and Nail. Anyway, I’ll be checking them out at the Fest this year.
Deer Leap / The World Is… Split 12″
I know this album is everywhere, but Greg from TWIABP emailed us to ask if we could post it. The band is pushing it, so I have no problem helping to spread good music. Both sides of the split are great. The World Is kills it as always, and I was surprised how much I like the Deer Leap songs. Download it. Buy it up. Go see the bands.
Also, we’ve got 3 cassette releases in the works that we’re very excited for. More info on those soon.
Basement – I Wish I Could Stay Here
August 2, 2011
Basement is a band from the UK that plays gruff post-hardcore with leanings towards emo. They’re pretty reminiscent of bands like Lifetime and Saves The Day, and they get compared to Balance and Composure and Title Fight all the time. These guys are touring the United States this August with Such Gold and Daylight. Here’s the dates, go see them if you get a chance. This album doesn’t really bring anything new or revolutionary to the table, but I think it’s really enjoyable nonetheless. Definitely check it out if you are into any of the aforementioned bands. These guys are going to blow up in that scene, I’m sure of it.
After another dormancy of a few years, Raein is back with another full-length record. The reigning kings of the European screamo scene return with their best material to date. Where other bands within this same vein tend to rely on conventions, Raein discards and looks elsewhere for inspiration. Raein truly proves that on this album. This record sounds more inspired by bands such as Sonic Youth and Dinosaur Jr. than any 90s emo or hardcore bands. Bended notes, feedback, and walls of distortion are as common as the clean guitar parts, and each bit is highlighted by the production of this beautiful record. The prevalent bass adds a certain groove to this record that many within this genre lack. Shared vocal duties work extremely well for Raein. Most lines are done by both vocalists, adding noticeable elements of vocal interplay when one rises above the other. Don’t snooze on this one, it has the potential to be regarded as the magnum opus of European screamo.
Pick up a copy when this comes out. The entire project was self-produced and your support helps to cover some of those pesky production costs.
Mansions – Dig Up The Dead
June 8, 2011
So I’ve seen this album popping up all over the place, but until today, I never gave it a listen. That was a mistake on my part. To be honest, I’m not really sure how to best describe Mansion’s (or should I say Christopher Browder’s) sound. At its core, I would say this is an emo/pop album, but there’s really so much more going on than that label implies. Browder’s vocals are almost like a southern croon, but still really passionate. His lyrics are very personal and full of emotion, but it’s tasteful and never too self-indulgent. The instrumentation and compositions are very catchy, but still have a great deal of grit and lo-fi appeal. This guy is a great musician and a great songwriter, and I really suggest picking this album up. If you still have no idea what it sounds like, watch the video for single “City Don’t Care” below.
Small Brown Bike – Fell & Found
April 12, 2011
I am not entirely sure what to say about this album. Small Brown Bike are a band that’s basically reached cult status in the No Idea Records-esque punk/post-hardcore scene. When I was at the Fest 8, I met people who flew from all over the globe to see the band play a reunion set. After splitting up in 2004, they’ve reunited and released a new full length. If you are familiar with the band, this album will seem like a natural progression. It feels more modern, but it’s still very much like the old stuff. If you don’t know Small Brown Bike, picture the middle ground between gruff, emotive punk like Hot Water Music and more intense emo/post-hardcore bands like Castevet (or CSTVT, stupid damn name change). Yeah, that’s all I got. Check it out. There’s a reason these guys are so influential.
Dikembi – Chicago Bowls
April 4, 2011
Dikembi are a new band from Gainesville, Florida. I read somewhere that they have members of Wavelets, but don’t quote me on that. This 4 song EP is awesome for a number of reasons. First of all, they play some really catchy tunes that are a combination of pop punk and noodley emo. It’s nothing revolutionary, but it’s really well done and they keep it interesting (something that more bands along these lines should take note of). Secondly, the song titles are all clever play on words on players from the Chicago Bulls and weed lingo. What’s better than that? Lastly, it’s free. Get on it.
More Cattle Drums
February 24, 2011
I have watched this video at least 5 times today. The song hooked me almost instantly and hasn’t let go yet.
Tiny Engines is releasing Cattle Drum’s amazing debut The Boy Kisser Sessions with 3 extra songs. You can buy all the songs on itunes, or for only $4 on Tiny Engine’s bandcamp page. The 3 new songs, like the rest of the release, are really awesome. This band can do no wrong, as far as I’m concerned. The band says that they will be recording a full-length this summer. I’m stoked.
