cheval de frise - sans titre

a french math rock duo with an amped-up acoustic guitar and drummer. listen to these key signatures go nuts.

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the union ares (ex-kolya)

so i've only really got a hold of these tracks. kolya are one of my favourite bands. i remember when i first heard the LP i was kinda giddy. it was like hearing native nod for the first time (if you haven't heard kolya or native nod, i guess its kinda 'rhythmic' 90s emo). pretty gnarly. i think the 7"'s might even be better but whatever. they split up shortly after the release of their self-titled album and faded away pretty fast. this band, the union ares, is guitarist todd giles and bassist craig schechter. Apparently todd also playing in a bluegrass band called poverty line old time band, but i really have no idea. anyway - i picked up these tracks from andy sncl somewhere i can't remember. its 4 tracks. 2 recorded and 2 apparently live tracks from the fallout shelter (quality is pretty good). its worth downloading for the first track alone really. the bit at 3:11 is soooo good.

there appears to be pretty much no information about this band anywhere on the net.

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tar...feathers - make way for the ocean floor to fall to the surface

tar…feathers are from stockholm sweden. initially just marcus nyke but now made up of 3 or 4 members, live and on record. they play INDIE ROCK that’s not a million miles away from early modest mouse or wolf parade mixed with xiu xiu. lots of scratchy and stabby clean guitar coupled with funny yelping vocals. neato! this album sounds awkward. but a good awkward. like it was made by the kid that was never that popular in school but totally dug all the rad stuff like poetry and looking at the stars. he probably never had a girlfriend, instead opting for classic literature and painting. i dunno, its ACE either way, and he manages to pull out melodies like nobodies business - i wanna know where he keeps them! there are a couple of mediocre tracks (tada comes to mind), but on the whole this is very good. you may take a while to get used to the vocals. perhaps an acquired taste, yes. but if was it even there? and forever is quite some time don't getcha jiving then i just don't know what to think of you anymore.

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peter broderick - home

oh boy oh boy! this is an album for a chilly autumn day if there ever was one. although peter broderick started off in more neo-classical circles with his totally rad album float, this record is much closer to albums by bon iver or sam amidon (all three records were released in 2008. much of the praise went to bon iver - completely bypassing the two better records). quite like bon iver, peter broderick likes to layer his vocals. and what what lovely vocals! although mainly centered around him and his guitar; harmonium, glockenspiel, organ, vibraphone, banjo and a cello all make an appearance along the way. if that sounds a lot, it isn't. there's something very subtle about the whole record. its not bombarded with over production or unnecessary percussion. its a quiet album, but oh so glorious! the final track, games, is one of my favourites. the hum of what i assume to be a sort of pump organ is complete bliss. like someone pouring a mixture of what could only be described as 'cosy' all over you. the reverb almost swallowing you up whole. yummy. REALLY RECOMMENDED.

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the candyland carcrash - self titled 7"

the candyland carcrash were a short lived 90's emo band from virginia beach. this is their two track 7" which you will never find anymore. oopmo. but yeah, its pretty good emo/hardcore. if you dig bands like owltian mia and republic of freedom fighters you should give this a shot. also - the more recent uk band jupiter lander. sorry, i don't really know what else to say about this band! i listened to the first song from this so much over summer, and is probably one of my favourite emo songs. its got the noisy/messy start...then the slow slow slooowww and unbelievably sad middle middle bit where you cry into a pillow, and then the really angry bit at the end. dig it, yeahh.

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we all have hooks for hands - the pretender

with 9 members, this is such a large and fun band that i simply cannot get enough of right now. all they want to do is play happy indie pop tunes and clap at all the best possible parts in their songs. these jams are loaded with twinkly noises, a few keyboards, a few horns added in here and there, a violin and dueling drummers. expect this album to be full of tunes you just want to sing along to all day, because i can't see anyone getting this out of their head. the "i'm so glad to be alive" vibe you get off of this band is so infectious. the first song that hooked me right away off of this album was "elvis "mf" christ", but after giving this album a few more listens (a lot more listens), all of these songs are very well written with great hooks and melodies. not to mention loads of "bah bah bah"s and "la la la"s. this is complete "roll those windows down and blast this while you still can, before it gets cold". until then, i don't plan on taking this cd out of my car. 

overall: 9/10

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rainer maria - look now look again

sorry, i've been terrible at updating this lately. trying to change that though. chances are you already have this album if you're reading this, but they are probably one of my favorites when it comes to the whole 90's emo thing. i first bought this album out of impulse. i was in a small record store in dekalb a few years ago and recognized the cover as being a polyvinyl band, etc etc. before then, i have never heard this band, or really heard much of them, but boy am i glad i bought this record. it starts off as being a slower album with "rise", just a guitar part with caithlin de marrais singing, the drums kicking in after a while. but the album picks up with "planetary". my personal favorite song on the album has to be "breakfast of champions" followed by "i'm melting!". as a whole, this album is absolutely fantastic. by far the best release they put out. 

overall: 10/10, hands down

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