Avair

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.

Download from Bandcamp.

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.

Bad Liar – Yours Truly

Bad Liar was the solo project for the Bay Area’s Jack Brown, guitarist of Until Your Heart Stops. It has since evolved into a full band, who just put out an EP that I fell in love with. Bad Liar expands upon the emo/punk sound that we all love so much with some excellent chord progressions, varied instrumentation, and exceptional tunefulness. The vocals sound like a cross between O Pioneers!!! and Bear Vs. Shark (so you know, basically the whole melodic & gruff thing). This release is coming out eventually on Condition Records. For now, you can pay whatever you want for it on Bad Liar’s bandcamp page.

Download or Buy from Bandcamp.

Mockingbird Wish Me Luck – Living Weakness 7″

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″.

Buy.

Download.

Lee Corey Oswald – Moon Songs

I’m going to keep this brief because I’m swamped with projects and finals. If you’re unfamiliar with Lee Corey Oswald, check out Dylan’s old post. This album is damn great. It’s 14 songs –  half electric and half acoustic. They play around in all sorts of genres and sounds and really do them all well. They’re on tour now, check out the dates here. Go see this band and buy this album on cassette while you’re there. This is easily among my top albums of 2011.

Download.

Buy.

New Stuff

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.

Buy.

Download.

 

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.

Buy.

Download.

 

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.

Buy.

Download.

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

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.

Buy.

Download.

RRC #2: Fucked Up – Mixtape Volume 2: II

Here’s my second post in the newly started RRC series. Once again, we have a mixtape coming from, in my opinion, the best punk/hardcore band around right now, Fucked Up. This second installment in their series of mixtapes brings more alternate and early takes from the Hidden World era, as well as radio interviews, live performances, and some pretty enjoyable banter. My favorite bits on this tape are the radio interview in which they discuss drug influence on Hidden World and the Protest the Hero dis-track. That’s right, old beef between tech-metal-hardcore Canadian band Protest the Hero and Fucked Up. It’s a pretty enjoyable listen. There’s also a couple of really good tracks by other artists on this one. In particular, their selection of Starjets’ “War Stories” is top-notch. Just like last time, I meticulously cut this myself and scanned the insert for your reading pleasure. Anyway, download this and look forward to the next RRC post, probably for Boat’s Hiss Like Your Idols.

Download.

Buy.

 

 

 

Mockingbird Wish Me Luck – Branches 7″

Mockingbird Wish Me Luck come from Kitchener, Ontario. These guys are my new favorite punk band, à la Hot Water Music, RVIVR, Small Brown Bike, etc. They just finished a Canadian tour with the awesome band Sharks, and as far as I know, this is their latest release. It’s only a 2 song 7″, but it packs a serious punch. Trust me, just pick this up if you are into any of the aforementioned bands. These songs are going to be on heavy rotation for me this summer, I can already tell.

Download.

Buy.

P.S. Go pick up their 2009 release “Goodbye Debris” right here while you’re at it.

Raein – Sulla linea dell’orizzonte fra questa mia vita e quella di tutti gli altri

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.

Download.

Small Brown Bike – Fell & Found

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.

Preorder.

Download.