boys life - departures and landfalls

so this band has that whole 90's midwest emo thing going on. they formed in 1993 in kansas city, mo, and this album was released in 1996. they did a split 10" with christie front drive, which is pretty sweet. i guess if i had to compare these guys to someone it would be christie front drive, or ethel meserve, which was previously posted on this blog. this album is really great. probably not one of my favorites, but when i feel like listening to some good ol' 90's emo and don't feel like listening to mineral or something, i'll usually put this on.

this album feels good.

get it

superchunk - here's where the strings come in

this band. i don't even know where to begin. these past few posts, i've just decided to post all of my favorite albums ever and even if they're not "rare" or "indie" or whatever, they're all the best things i've ever heard. anyway, THIS is one of my favorite albums of all time. top five this time. up there with something to write home about by the get up kids and most owen albums. this might be number three.

ANYWAY. this band started in north carolina in like, 1989. let me just tell you. i saw them thursday. definitely one of the best concerts i've ever been to (up there with the get up kids, yet again). mac ripped SO HARD. there was so much poging in the crowd i couldn't even take it. ever heard of merge records? yeah, they started that. rules, right? this band i guess never had a huge "hit" per se, but they were pretty popular. maybe their hit was "hyper enough" which is the first track on this album. every song on this album is great though. check out their videos, super 90s, even david cross appeared in one.

they didn't play shows for years and years, but they started playing festivals over the summer, and they just released a new album "majesty shredding" a few weeks ago, which is really good. they're doing their first tour in forever, and it was like they never stopped not touring. i feel like they would be just as good if i saw them 15 years ago at their prime.

anyway, let me introduce you to yr new favorite record.

love it

the american analog set - know by heart

first and foremost, this is one of my favorite albums of all time. perhaps even my top 20, maybe 15. this album just sounds so warm. perfect for driving home on chilly nights, right before you fall asleep, or when you're trying to concentrate on something else, but feel like you need some other noise in the room with you. they're an indie band from austin, texas, formed in 1995. what i think is really cool about them is that they prefer recording analog, instead of digitally. you can totally tell. they have a sound that cannot be matched by anyone else. this album came out in 2001. some of my personal favorites off of this album include the title track, "know by heart", as well as "aaron and maria", and "the postman". this album rules. just check this out if you like music at all, i suppose.

listen

get it

jamie said i should post in this more.

i'll do my best to try, we shall seeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee!

sorry for sucking at this since may and then probably before that. i'll try to get this blog rockin' and rollin' again.

xoxoxoxoxoxo delia

sig transit gloria - discography

this is sig transit gloria. definitely my favorite band right now. these guys grew up in my neck of the woods, actually. not too far from where i grew up. they were around in the 90s (duh, why else would i put them on here?) but they have recently been playing a few shows here or here. unfortunately i haven't been able to see them since they've been playing together recently, so i can't really say how they are now, but back when these albums were released, gosh did they rock. very keyboard driven, emo pop, i guess. not too different from the get up kids, or the anniversary. i guess they broke up because they knew each other since they were in elementary school and they were gettin' sick of each other.

anyway, these two albums are two of my favorites. the ep is probably the best, but i found that the more and more i listen to the self-titled, the more i prefer it over the ep. the ep opens up with "wide open window", which absolutely rules. actually, every song on that ep rules. pretty much every song on the self-titled rules too. all i can say is listen to the ep loads, then once you feel like you've heard those a billion times, switch over to the self-titled and have it blow yr mind.

lastly, if you're in chicago on new year's eve, they're playing a 21 and up show at reggies with the smoking popes. it's like, 30 bucks, but it'll be a good time.

listen

download

aden - hey 19

so, don't get "aden" confused with that shitty band "aiden". they are absolutely nothing alike. aden was formed at the university of chicago in 1995. they are a cutesy folk/indie band. they aren't incredibly well known, though i think more bands need to sound like this. this album the perfect thing to listen to while riding your bike or sitting out by the pool or walking along the beach. again, a summer album. they also have these little electronic parts in their songs. the third song "country bar in the city" has this cute part at 1:21. the more i listen to it, the more i can totally tell that it's a chicago band. i really like the song "(rock me now) rockulator". their tunes are playful and will make you bob your head to the rhythm. the lyrics are witty and smart and this is the type of album that you would want to have on vinyl, it would spin so well (but i have yet to find it!). anyway, roll yr windows down and tap yr foot and enjoy the summer!

listen to it

hood - cold house

i think what i love most about this album is how organic it sounds. though many of these beats are electronic, there is something very minimal about it. the soft vocals covering electronic shifts and a developing drum beat. hood is an experimental band from leeds that started in 1990. this album was released in 2001. i guess they can be compared to bands like mogwai or boards of canada. their music is pretty ambient sounding with lots of glitches in it. this is their fifth album, which is the most well-known album of theirs. as of right now, they do not have any plans to release anything.

listen to it

the secret stars - self-titled

so this is geoff farina from karate. he co-founded this in 1993 with jodi buonanno, and it's pretty sweet cause they have that whole guy-girl duo singing thing going on. it's really minimal music, but really pretty at the same time. most of their songs are acoustic. i was driving down this really pretty road the other night and it was foggy and the air was super humid and getting chilly, and my friend put this album on and started singing along and everything could not have been more perfect. really. just listen to this album.

listen to it

surfer blood - astrocoast

this is definitely my favorite album of 2010 so far. every song is a total jam, their hooks rule and the reverb kills me every time. seems like they're just a bunch of fun dudes from florida. they put out "swim" in 2009 and it got a lot of praise from pitchfork etc (#37/100 on the best songs of 2009), though honestly it might be one of my least favorite songs on the album. i'm partial to "take it easy" cause the the little guitar riffs in that song are so catchy. also "twin peaks" is a great song, mostly because of the first 5 seconds of the song. also, the last song on the album "catholic pagans" is such a jam for riding your bike or enjoying the sunshine. needless to say, this is a total summer album. when ross showed me this band i couldn't stop playing this album for a few months. he describes them as "the singer of animal collective playing with pavement covering beach boys songs" and i'd have to say that's a great description of their song. surf rock 2010.

listen to it

track star - lion destroyed the whole world

all that i can really listen to lately is 90s alt, and track star is a pop-ish indie band from the 90s in california. they were together for 10 years, put out two full lengths and a few singles. i guess they toured with the promise ring and modest mouse, so that's pretty rad. i wouldn't say they sound like either one of those bands though. they're a bit slower, but they have some sweet guitar riffs stuck in their songs, not to mention every song is incredibly catchy. this is their second album and it was released in 2002.

listen to it

buy it

grouper - dragging a dead dear up a hill

this is my first post in a long time, gosh. but i've decided that it is summer and now that i have more free time on my hands i should probably try to update this at the very least once a week, cause i mean... what else do i have to do?

so anyway, grouper. i found out about this project maybe a few days ago and it is perfect for late nights and long drive through the woods with the windows of your car down and a light fog covering the streetlights. it's a solo project of this girl liz harris from portland, oregon. some of these songs have this eerie feel to them while she lightly strums her guitar and sings real soft over it. the second song on this album "heavy water/i'd rather be sleeping" is so quiet and dreamy sounding. as a whole, this album is pretty hazy sounding, but i don't think she overdoes it. this was her third album, released in 2008. this album is pretty, but not pretentious. it's sleepy, but not asleep. and pitchfork gave it an 8.2, so it must be pretty good (hardy har harrrrrrr....) (....but really, it's good!).

listen to it

last.fm

buy it

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.

listen
download

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)
download
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.

listen

myspace

buy it

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.

listen

myspace

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

myspace

buy it

i'm so sorry guys, this winter break has just been so busy! and not only has it been busy, i've just been super lazy. what i'm trying to say is that i'll be updating more frequently (hopefully) in the upcoming weeks. cool? cool.

sorry! (slackxcore)

lotte kestner - china mountain

lotte kestner is the solo project of trespassers william’s singer-songwriter anna-lynne williams. this is a pretty delicate record, and i definitely have to be in the right mood to listen to it - when in the right mood though, what a record! the first song is one of the saddest things ever, and it kinda sets the tone for the rest of an album. try mashing together joanna newsom and will oldham or something, and you might be close to what this sounds like. its pretty sparse; mostly just her voice and guitar (with the odd melodica and quiet woodwind instrument), but her voice is so sublime that she could get away with it completely a cappella. do not expect any urgency here. this is very gentle. very slow. like creaking floorboards. some heartache. some optimism. a bit like floating. it is a grower, and something you need to give attention. away you go...somewhere on your little shimmering boat.... cccrrrssshhhhbbbuuuuuhhh (the sound of waves, ya know? ya know!). “fainted twice / once like butterflies / and once like ice.” lovely.

download
buy
myspace

funeral diner - yeah, you remember that

you will not find me posting much screamo. in fact, this will probably be it. mainly because screamo is dead - europe killed it - my interest slowly waning as somewhere, some french dude is jaming repetitive octaves for seven minutes. even bands like funeral diner test my patience sometimes... i can remember always struggling to sit through the underdark. but. but but but. this song (yeah i know, just uploading one song. so what) from the welcome the plague year 7" split is probably the best modern 'screamo' song (in my opinion etc...blah). its got the totally INTENSE pummeling crunching all out kick in the balls attack mode riffage; the breakdown; the quiet sobbing ("...as if bleeding was even enough for you!"); and the off the chart epic punch in face ending that makes you want to cave your own face in. this is repetitive without being boring. inspirational without being tacky. relentless in its complete attack on the senses (and emotion) but without taking the listener for granted.

download
(i think its oop - prove me wrong and buy it somewhere)

ethel meserve - the milton abandonment

"Ethel Meserve was the name of a store on Allen Street in downtown State College, PA run by a woman of the same name. She ran the store for several decades selling various knick-knacks, home furnishings, lamps, candles etc. In the early to mid-90's, shortly after the band formed, she stopped running it herself when she became too old to manage her business. The store finally closed in the late 90's while the lady was close to a 100 years old, and the band itself found its end in 1998. Ethel Meserve = name of store = name of woman = name of band."

i remember i bought this cd pretty blindly from tree records (one of the best labels ever?). GOOD CHOICE. this band have done a handful of 7"s (yadin's hair is probably my favourite thing they've done), appeared on some comps too (post marked stamps), but this is kinda 'the' release. lincoln, hoover, boys life, drive like jehu, slint, native nod, june of 44, fugazi, 90s emo. - if you like this, get this. in fact, yeah, if i had to compare this record to another it would be departures and landfalls by boys life. it has the same tone/feeling. some quiet\loud moments. those total punch the air THIS FEELS GOOD moments too. the whole record starts and end with some cello. neat, huh. unfortunately tree records went bust a while ago. ken was getting rid of stock cheaply through the webstore for a while and then ebay, but now i have no idea where you'd pick this up. pretty essential though.

download
myspace

also, if anyone has rips of the 7"s please let me know. thanks!