reds is:means

this will be the last 'angry' album i post in a while cos i wanna keep this blog varied. quite an apt release, then, as this album is (like below) one of the most important hardcore/emo record of the last 10 years - yeah i went duur. i think this was released 2005'ish? feel free to correct me. either way it was a split-release with waking, clean plate, ape must not kill ape & sncl- good groups of guys then. as far as i know it is OOP, but i guess it might be in a distro somewhere or pop up on ebay. anyway, this is a fast, frantic, in-yr-face, verging on complete collapse, record. its kinda all over the place, but maaaan is it intense! there is proper feeling here; furious, angry, and chaotic yes, but it is dripping with passion. as cheesy as that sounds. these guys MEAN what they sing. and what they sing about is a big part of this record. you could probably listen to this completely oblivious to the political undertones but that would take away the real impact of what is a very lyrically frustrated album. for example, dividing unions is, i think, about same sex marriages - the stagnation of reform when it comes to accepting it, and the inability of various institution to evolve/progress. the narrative starts about the 'american dream', "...growing up i want to take part in the dream; a house, a kid, a life - be just like mom and dad. ill find the perfect partner to call my very own and we'd bound in matrimony." but it continues..., "your institutions have become a tool of exclusion - i want no part in it." it finishes with, "our life our ours, to live as we see fit, to love who we love, how we choose, without intrusion or your permission." other songs tackle the ideas of privacy, the intrusion of the state and notions of equality and other establishments (i even think i hear him scream about populism somewhere). this may sound preachy, but it isn't - its not done like that. it ain't vegan folk punx, guys. these are important and serious issues and reds manage to table their opinions without trying to form those of others. this may sound a little blergh, but they remain optimistic and positive in the belief that it isn't too late to change. cool, yeah.

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Stop it!! - self made maps

i think you might need to re tag this as 'stop it!!' not 'stop it !!' (the space, ken?). i forgot to do it before i zipped and uploaded it. anyway!

"... I think where Stop It!! really score is that there isn't really any other band out of the 'scene' they inhabit that sounds that much like them, which helps them stand out."

too true andy m.! this is such a good album that managed to slip under the radar of some people. members of stop it!! came from city of caterpillar and municipal waste, and then went on to form/join brainworms, cloak/dagger, pink razors and more. pretty good group of people then, eh? this record is pretty moody - but not in a CoC way, more like mixing fugazi with rodan or something and still managing to be epic (but only 1 song over 5 minutes). anyway, raspy vocals are pretty prominent here - someone give this guy a throat soother! some of the best sounding drums too - frantic! in fact, everything is thick as hell sound wise. it hardly ever gets muddy; everything sounds natural - the drums resonant and the guitars rugged but never gloopy. bass it tight! i don't know who mixed this record but it sounds HUGE. its got some major guts, man. packs a punch! super solid. there ain't a bad track on this either. most of it should get you fist pumping and slowly rocking back and forth, ya know. remove yr teeth is defo one of my faves - it starts with the shouting "...how many people in this room have had their wisdom teeth removed? i had them. can't fathom what it's like to be told the truth. and the captains abandoned ship. can you believe it. NO! they had to. NO! it wont do. NO!" and yr all like YES! nodding yr head and then it kicks back into a spoken word piece about writers and drinking and then he's all like "I'M NOT LYING!" and yr like NOOOOOO! and you just wanna wriggle on the floor screaming. S.S. betrayel is pretty epic too. the track i've always kept going back to since this record came out though, is the last - beethoven's funeral. the line about saying goodbye and not forgetting toothbrushes... man, so good! but yeah, in the last few months i've really got back into this record and i think that's because there's ain't many bands doing stuff like this anymore. perhaps a little strange it sounds more refreshing now than when it was released but there you go. this is easily one of the best records of the last 10 years when it comes to 'this' type of stuff. this record - backed hard. please buy it.

buy ($4.99 for the cd - lovely cardboard packing with a 12-page booklet)
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listen to the whole album on last.fm

p.s. eliot - inverted romance in our troubled minds

this band is the definition of cute chicks. even if the band is a quarter dude. this is one of my favorite albums of 2009, it's got that pop punk feel to songs that just make you wanna dance. kindof low-fi, really cool! definitely give this a listen, way too cute.

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the casket lottery - choose bronze

so the casket lottery was around from about 1997-2004, they had three full-lengths, three eps and a handful of 7"s etc, this happens to be their first full length released in 1999. they're from kansas city, so they've got that whole midwestmo thing going on.

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how do we jump this high? - deep stationary

this album is summertime. this album is bike rides. this album is rolling your windows down. this album is wearing hats to cover wet pool hair. this album is picnics. this album is adventures. this album is awkward moments. this album is sitting in the shade. this album is cut off jeans. this album is sundresses. this album is pretty perfect.

try it out

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