Yardwork – Brotherer
November 21, 2012
Yardwork are a band from North Carolina that I’ve never seen get any attention. To my increasing delight, they seem to be pretty active lately. Describing their sound can be a little difficult. First and foremost, I suppose they’re a folk band. Yet, at the same time, they seem to appeal to twinkly emo fans equally well. They’ve got a huge sound and the music captures much of the energy of punk and hardcore without being abrasive or agressive in the slightest. I know, it sounds like a pretty forced combination on paper, but I’ll bet that just 30 seconds of this album is all it takes for you to feel it. This is a great band with a unique sound and they should be way bigger than they are.
Title Fight – Floral Green
September 5, 2012
Here’s what you’re going to do. You’re going to preorder this album. Then listen to it once through. Then sit in awe of how much better this band has gotten. Then, put “Head In The Ceiling Fan” on repeat, and get weird. You can thank me later.
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.
Des Ark – The Very Prettiest Pain (Daytrotter Session)
August 20, 2012
When I saw Des Ark play on their tour with Pygmy Lush in the Spring of 2011, I was blown away by the versatility of singer/song-writer Aimee Argote. The band blew everyone’s hair back with three or four energetic songs as a full band, then rushed to the center of the crowd with acoustic instruments in hand. After a handful of hushed, intimate acoustic songs sang in an almost campfire fashion, the trio returned to their electric instruments for a manic, rowdy finale. Two of the acoustic songs really made an impression on me, and I scoured the internet for recordings for weeks following the show, but to no avail. I had all but forgotten about it until I heard Des Ark’s recently posted Daytrotter Session. Lucky me, the last two songs are the songs I fell in love with over a year ago and have not heard since. The performance really illustrates that Aimee is just as talented as a folk singer/song-writer as any other style of music she chooses to play.
Foxing – Old Songs
August 20, 2012
Here’s the debut 3 songs from Saint Louis’ Foxing. As a self-described beard-rock, these guys strike me as a solid mixture of the intensity of Duck Little Brother Duck with some of the heart-on-your-sleeve 90s emo worship you’d expect from Empire! Empire! These songs have a distinct ability to simultaneously tug at your heart strings and kick your head in. Aside from these songs, they’ll be putting out a split with Send Away Stranger, which I’m already really excited to hear. Definitely keep your eyes peeled for more from these guys and support them and Carucage, who will be releasing some material from Foxing in the near future. Until then, go see these guys and support them any way you can.
Also, Josh from Foxing writes over at Boss Koala. Be sure to check his blog out regularly. They’re consistently writing some of the best reviews and posting about great new music.
The RCSN – This Must Be The Sunks
July 31, 2012
The RCSN (recession) is Zach Schwartz, vocalist/guitar-puncher/song-writer extraordinaire of Glocca Morra. With this solo project, Zach shows some versatility by crafting bummed-out, lo-fi pop tunes in his bedroom. Rather than relying on sugary pop melodies like so many bands playing this kind of music, Zach builds his in layers, focusing on more complex melodies and progressions that are more angular in nature. The lo-fi production helps rather than hinders the songs, creating a varied palette of textures and tones. By writing solid pop tunes and ignoring many of the conventions that make this type of music seem boring (like, say, the overused surf rock aesthetic), RCSN has made bedroom pop seem fresh and interesting again.
Side Note: This tape is out on Ranch Records, which is ran by Sam Rudich. Yeah, like the Snowing song (Sam’s actually the guy holding the cat on the cover of Snowing’s full length). Sam’s on tour with Kite Party and Glocca Morra right now, and he’s a really great dude. Everyone on that tour is really great, for that matter. Go see the bands and buy some stuff from Sam. Like me, you could be pleasantly surprised by buying a release you’ve never heard of.
Sirs – Self Titled
July 3, 2012
Best band/album since the death of Bear Vs. Shark. This band is seriously hitting their stride, and I’m loving it. Excellent song-writing, better recording quality, phenomenal playing. Please, please don’t let this band go the way of every great emo band and come to an untimely demise.
DIIV – Oshin
July 2, 2012
I’m sure the hipster hype machine is going crazy over this band, but that shouldn’t deter you from giving it a try. This album will be the companion to my hazy post-graduation summer. DIIV (pronounced “dive”) is the side project of Beach Fossil’s tour guitarist Zachary Cole Smith. To me, this band sounds like the bastard child of Cloud Nothings and Real Estate: melodic indie pop songs with just the right amount of shimmer and reverb. The whole album’s got a very laid back/washed-over feel that just feels so appropriate for summer, yet still remains interesting and engaging in its entirety.
Wild Moth
May 29, 2012
Summer must be here or something, because we’ve been neglecting this blog. Too much sunshine, responsibility, and beer. Well, I’m breaking the silence with a band that I am super stoked about: San Francisco’s Wild Moth. These 3 dudes play some visceral and noisy post-punk. Upon closer inspection, one realizes that these songs really have a lot more depth and diversity then is readily apparent. Melancholy melodies and punk agression are washed over with a haze of fuzzy distortion and reverb. I really love the muddled disposition of this band and their aesthetic as a whole. Their self-titled 10 inch was released by our partners in crime The Ghost is Clear Records, and their newest 7″ will be released by *gasp* Asian Man Records! I highly recommend purchasing both. Below is a song from their Asian Man debut and a link to their Bandcamp, where you can download everything they’ve released for free.
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!).
Black with Sap 