Teen Demon – A Bunch of 7″s
August 24, 2012
While killing time on the internet today, I stumbled on this great punk band from Brooklyn. They play a type of fuzzy, melodic punk. Equal parts Dinosaur Jr. and Black Flag, sprinkled with more contemporary peers such as Fucked Up, Hoax, and Titus Andronicus. A few moments on their Clean Dreamin’ 7″ even remind me of some old Level Plane bands. Anyway, they seem to be churning out 7″s faster than the seasons can change; with 4 released in the past year, they appear to be coming out strong from the proverbial gate. Check a few of these 7″s out on their bandcamp and support ’em if they ever roll through your town.
For Serious This Time – Weird Life
July 27, 2012
Here’s another great record I picked up for a few bucks at Amoeba. I fell in love with this band after they released When You’re In It a few years back but, for whatever reason, forgot to keep checking to see what these guys were up to. Last year, I stumbled upon their latest, Weird Life and was immediately reminded of how awesome these guys are.
These 6 songs find the band further expanding their catchy punk anthems. If you’d like to hear what the love-child of Glocca Morra, Kite Party, and Algernon Cadwallader would sound like and dig songs about dealing with post-college life with a glass-half-full attitude, you certainly should check this out. Also, be sure to order a copy from FSTT’s own Life on an Island records.
These dudes just got back from a short tour, but if you’re from the north east, be sure to catch one of their shows.
Animal Skins – B EP
May 14, 2012
Alright, so this post is long overdue. In fact so overdue that I’m no longer sure how active they are. Regardless, this band of guys from the great city of Boise, ID accomplished something really awesome with this EP. Imagine Botch with some punk-inspired grooves and an overarching stoner-metal influence. Really impressive blend of technical know-how with an intentional lo-fi sound. I’m not sure how they acquired a picture of my uncle for the cover of this EP, but that’s cool, I guess.
I happened to catch this band in Missoula, MT in one of a few of their iterations while they were playing a couple shows with our friends, Corsair Wolves. They played a show that I would describe as haunting. During their entire set, most of the people peacefully drinking their beers in that basement became afraid for their safety in the most pleasant way possible. Anyway, I hold this band in high regard and hope they continue to put out awesome stuff at some point. Also, a few of the dudes are now playing in another really cool band called Sinews that will hopefully getting some more stuff done soon.
Follow the link below to download both the B EP, as well as the A EP (which is also pretty cool), and maybe message about buying a physical copy (the big cartel link doesn’t work!).
Ancient Sky – T.R.I.P.S.
January 27, 2012
Anyone else miss Verse En Coma? Yeah, me too. Well, maybe you didn’t know but members of VeC went on to form Ancient Sky (also featuring members of Darkest Hour, Ghastly City Sleep, and Majority Rule). Although T.R.I.P.S. is Ancient Sky’s sophomore album, it sounds like an entirely different band than the one that released the S/T record. For me, the S/T left a lot to be desired. I had lofty expectations considering the individuals involved and the labels that put it out. On T.R.I.P.S., Ancient Sky takes the psychedelic weirdness of Black Angels, grunges it up with some Dinosaur Jr. vibes, and even sprinkles a touch of reverb-y stoned blues on the top. Where other similar groups fail is in their drawn-out, long-winded repetition. Ancient Sky cuts all that nonsense and consistently is changing things up in their songs. If you enjoyed that Solids tape that we posted last year, you’ll dig this as well. Get into it and then pick up a copy from LOUD BABY SOUNDS or SONS OF VESTA.
Parquet Courts – American Specialties Cassette
January 25, 2012
As you know, we here at bws are big Teenage Cool Kids fans and fans of anything those former/current(?) Dentonians touch. Here’s a prime example. One of Andrew Savage’s new projects is this noisy, psych-punk project known as Parquet Courts. The content is pretty varied, ranging from Woodsist influenced psychedelics to more straight-forward punk. The weirdness of Guided by Voices dry-rubbed with Sonic Youth’s more punk influences would be the best way to describe it. This may not be for everyone’s palette, but it’s tickling my taste buds. Pick up a copy from Night Moves Cassettes by emailing : nightmovin [at] gmail.com.
Three Man Cannon – Nelson
September 20, 2011
I don’t know why this band has flown below everyone’s radar. I happened to download their album yesterday after a series of random link following after downloading Kite Party’s newest album (which is also amazing–>buy it). I think it had something to do with both labeling their albums as fxc, I don’t know. But seriously. Three Man Cannon. These guys are apparently from Philly by way of Scranton, PA. The best way to describe this band is a snotty combination of This is a Long Drive… era Modest Mouse, a touch of singing that calls to mind John Darnielle, a sprinkle of Oh My God, Elephant, and definitely some Lee Corey Oswald, too (Read the marriage of Against Me! and Tigers Jaw). If any of those ingredients are things that you like, you will enjoy this band. This band brought me out of my blogging hibernation, carried me triumphantly from the dark depression brought on by my first set of grad school finals, and reminded me that I am so fucking sick of “twinkle.” I might add more to this later but I’m stressing out over Organization of the Cell, so goodbye for now, my dearest internet friends.
RRC #2: Fucked Up – Mixtape Volume 2: II
July 10, 2011
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.
RRC #1: Fucked Up – Mixtape Volume 1: Generations
July 7, 2011
This post is the first in a series, Rare Ripped Cassettes (RRC), that will allow me to share my rare, cassette only releases that I’ve ripped. Stay tuned for more Fucked Up, Boat, and Literature.
Generations is the first in a series of four mixtapes put out by the prolific, somewhat mysterious, and ever-impressive Torontonian(?) band Fucked Up. This one was released as their album Hidden World was being written and recorded. Included are a bunch of alternate versions of songs, live radio sets, covers, songs by other bands, demos, alternate mixes, etc. It’s pretty cool and there’s some pretty interesting stuff on the tape and written in the insert that adds to the enigma that is Fucked Up. I spent probably 3 or 4 hours ripping this myself and splitting it into tracks based on the information the insert had written in it. I also scanned the insert so you can also read a little more about this awesome tape. Not only is the banter pretty entertaining, it contains a couple stand-out cuts such as “Ban Violins” and the various radio interviews and performances. Also, be sure to pick up their newest album, David Comes to Life, which is easily the best album released this year. Enjoy.
Buy David Comes to Life and other goodies.
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.
Black with Sap 