Halloween Megapost

I spent most of my day at work rocking out to the creepiest unnerving music I could with respect to the holiday. Here are some of the artists that reflect the mood nicely:



Creep On Creepin On by Timber Timbre
Preview:
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Untitled CDR by ///▲▲▲\\\ (pronounced "Void" or "Horse Macgyver"....apparently...?)
Preview:
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oOoOO by oOoOO
Preview:
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Water EP by Salem
Preview:
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Fest

Everything about Fest was amazing, the only bump in the road was after it was over and we were ready to head home.  So, here we are in the airport in Jacksonville waiting for our flights home instead of driving back home in our caravan.  It's unfortunate (and expensive), but it was something that we had to roll with.  In the end, it was aalllll worth it.  Expect a massive update with not only pictures and video of great bands but also new bands that have yet to hit the intewebs.  I need a day or two to recooperate first.

Crude Drawings of Dicks - Demo (2011)

soundcloud.com

Radio Show Week 5: Win A Great Big Pile of Leaves' Live From the Living Room 7"!

We asked, and you answered! This week we will be giving away a vinyl/digital copy of a Great Big Pile of Leaves' Live From The Living Room 7".  Just listen to us at WUMD from 7-8pm EST tomorrow (Tuesday), and we will hopefully have a more interesting way for you guys to claim the prize. A Great Big Pile Of Leaves recorded this EP at a party in the living room Jesse Johnson's (Motion City Soundtrack) place. It will either be a translucent blue record or, who knows, maybe you will get treated to the test press that is one of a kind! These 5 tracks showcase A Great Big Pile Of Leaves in an intimate live setting:

1) Vampires In Love
2) Meet Me at the Mall, Bring Your Swim Trunks
3) A Few Screws Loose
4) We Don't Need Our Heads
5) Comin' From Tucson

 We will also be spinning newish material from Owen, Look Mexico, Russian Circles, Future Islands, Murs, and more!  See you tomorrow!

Ghost Town by Owen (2011)

Kind of Like: American Football, Mansions, Empire!
Genres: Indie, Emo
Preiew: Bandcamp

Hey, look, it's the new Owen record that came out a month or so ago.  It's that guy from American Football.  They announced preorders for the vinyl record version.  That reminded me to throw it up here.

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Real Americans Spear It EP by Look Mexico (2011)

Kind of Like: Portugal. The Man, Empire! Empire!, Minus the Bear, Local Natives
Genres: Math Rock, Indie, Emo,
Preview: Bandcamp


A lot of people have dismissed Look Mexico after they moved on from that hip 90's emo sound with the album To Bed With Battle.   I still really enjoyed that album for the same reasons I like indie bands like Portugal. The Man.  Let's face it, you can't make a living off of being a noodly emo revival band, and I learned a long time ago that I would sell out a million times over if I could and you shouldn't shame bands that do so.  But, the thing is, Look Mexico hasn't even sold out.  They still have their own genuine sound, and it's still catchy and enjoyable as hell.  They show their roots from time to time as well.  Also, it gets stronger as you go through each song.  I wasn't sure how I felt about it from the first song, but I found I was liking each song better than the last.  The noodly transitional instrumental "Where were you, Vince?" is one of the instances where there older material bleeds through with new life.  Then after, listening to the last song, I went back and started it over and found I liked the first song more than I initially did.  So, it's a grower.  And it's also only four songs, so if you have a spare 15 minutes, you don't really have an excuse to not try it.

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Eyelid Movies by Phantogram

Kind of like: Sleigh Bells, Starfucker, Washed Out
Genres: Chillwave, Trip-hop, Psych Pop, Electronica
Preview:

"PHANTOGRAM is a trip-hop/psych-pop duo which formed in 2007 in Saratoga Springs, New York, United States. The band consists of Joshua Carter (guitar, vocals) and Sarah Barthel (vocals, keyboards). Their music can be described as a culmination of unique street beat rhythms, psychedelic melodies and organic textures." -Last.fm

I don't know why i have been so drawn to female vocals in music lately, but Phantogram crafts their sound with a lot of style and ambiance. At times this album reminds me of the dark atmosphere characteristic of groups like Portishead and even Massive Attack. Recommended!

Listen here

(Classic and New) Enter (2006) and Empros (2011) Russian Circles

Kind of Like: Red Sparowes, Pelican, Isis
Genres: Post-rock, Math Rock, Metal
Preview: Spin


Enter is the classic.  When I first heard it, it blew my mind and it made me so excited for this band and what would come next.  When I heard Station was being released, I was looking forward to their next step.  But, when I finally got my hands on their sophomore effort, I was left disappointed.  There were a couple good songs, but overall it was not nearly as memorable and intricate as Enter was.  Looking back, I think this was directly attributed with the lineup change that happened during the time frame Station was released.  Brian Cook (Botch, These Arms Are Snakes) was inducted into the band after their bass player left.  The band started writing material for Station shortly after, and I really don't think the chemistry of the trio had been solidified.  That's my theory anyways.  Geneva came a couple years after and I found that to be an improvement from Station.  Now we have their latest release, Empros.  I am only a couple songs deep, but so far I like it about as much as Geneva.  I have a hard time thinking there will ever be material that compares to Enter, but at least they are taking steps forward from Station.  So, I decided to not just include Empros,  but also Enter.  It's their newest release and their greatest release, respectively.  But I will keep listening to this album in it's entirety, as hopefully you will too.  Their albums are best listened to as a whole.  Thanks to Music as Heroin for the Empros link.

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Enter (2006)

Empros (2011)

New track from Terracotta Blue

Kind of like: Air France, Beat Connection, Robot Science
Genres: Chillwave, Electronica, Hip-hop

Terracotta Blue has posted a new track from upcoming debut LP, Takoma Park, set to be released 11-1-11. The track is entitled "White Cloud" and can be streamed HERE. Keeping with the same feel found on the EP Million Sunsets, "White Cloud" has a very laid back tempo and chill atmosphere created through layered electronics, reverb effected vocals and a general pulsing vibe. Definitely looking forward to hearing the rest of the album.

DL link for "White Couds"

Bones in the Soil, Rust in the Oil by Pretend (2010)

Kind of Like: Rooftops, Shapes like Dinosaurs, Pennines, Joan of Arc
Genres: Post-rock, Math Rock, Emo, Experimental
Preview:


These are a few guys from SoCal.  They are currently working on a follow-up to this albm, and after listening to this, I couldn't be more excite.  Even more excite than Borat.  Kinsella-esque

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Life in the Trenches by The Embassy (2011)

Kind of Like: Boat Club, Air France, Delorean

Genres: Electronica, Pop

Preview: 

This is another Swedish duo that apparently had a lot of influence on Air France; a band I have been listening quite a bit lately.  After not many Americans noticed their early 2000 efforts, they are poised with this album to break some ground after many other Swedish dancy/pop groups have started to gain more popularity over here.  The video above is....interesting, I guess, but the song featured on it isn't some of the strongest stuff this album has to offer.

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Crooked Voices by Engineer (2011)

Kind of Like: Young Widows, Ed Gein, KEN Mode
Genres: Sludge, Mathcore, Hardcore
Preview: Bandcamp

"From Syracuse, NY, Engineer is compromised of three brothers and a brutal dude behind the drum kit. For those unfamiliar with the group, they play an intelligent and extremely loud blend of sludgy-hardcore and noisey, experimental rock that call influences from the likes of Knut, Breach, Anodyne and the Amphetamine-Reptile back catalogue (i.e. Helmet, Unsane, The Melvins) while maintaining a sound that is distinct, original and very much their own."
-Last.fm

I'm a late to this release; it came out way back in June.  I'm glad I decided to give it whirl now though.  Engineer delivers a hard as fuck, dissonant and truly unique album to a genre I haven't visited in awhile.

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Shutter Release by Lymbyc Systym (2009)

Kind of Like: El Ten Eleven, The Six Parts Seven, The Mercury Program
Genres: Post-rock, Electronica,
Preview: Myspace

I am always looking for more music that reminds me of El Ten Eleven, because I have exhausted their discography as of late.  This band is a perfect complement to El Ten Eleven, I love the fusion of genres post-rock and electronica.  They also have toured with plenty of bands that I already know and love including: Broken Social Scene, Crystal Castles, The Album Leaf, Her Space Holiday, The Books and This Will Destroy You.  Not really a new release, but if you are like me and haven't listened to this band until now, I would take this opporturnity to jump on the bandwagon.

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Love and Rockets Vol. 1: The Transformation by Murs (2011)

Kind of Like: Atmosphere, Blu, Fashawn
Genres: Hip-hop
Preview: rdio

This is Murs' first release after a release with Warner Bros, and it goes back to his independent roots.  On the first track he proclaims that he will ""take a million dollar and gather all the scholars to make a rocket ship out of old-school impalas", and that sets the tone for the whole album.  Some aspects of the album have a new feel to them like the continuous quick hi-hat hits that I find extremely annoying in mainstream hip-hop.  However, to make up for it, there are a ton of unique/catchy samples used in this efforts that occassionally have a throwback feel to them.  So far, the tracks that stick out to me are "Remember 2 Forget", "International" and "SKIBEATZ".  Murs is a great story teller as well.

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Her Exceptional Kindness by Merry Christmas (2011)

Kind of Like: Bravebird, Weezer, The Flaming Lips, Superchunk
Genres: Emo, Pop Punk,
Preview: Bandcamp

"if i had to boil down what merry christmas sounds like, i'd say: the flaming lips/weezer circa 1995 and other bands that used excessive guitar/bass feedback, guided by voices, getting drunk off of a 30 rack of bud light american flag cans, sebadoh, but less sad (and somehow more sad at the same time) ,superchunk ,a bunch of carl sagan fanboys"
-Merry Christmas

Since it is almost Halloween it is commercially appropriate to start bringing up Christmas.  Merry Christmas!

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Radio Show Week 3: win the new empire! empire! 7 inch

SIGD's radio show will be on from 7-8 EST tonight at wumd.org. We will be playing new music from Kidcrash, My Disco and many others. Also, tonight we will be giving away a copy of Empire! Empire!'s (weird punctuation) new 7 inch On Time Spent Waiting. It features guest lead vocals from Pat Ford of Collosal on one track plus three brand new other songs. It will be green record and come with a code to download the album digitally. Just listen to the show tonight and we will have instructions to call in!

Fire Like This by Blood Red Shoes (2010)

For fans of: The Joy Formidable, Nico Vega, The White Stipes, Nirvana, The Pixies
Genres: Garage Rock, Shoegaze, Indie
Preview:

This British duo plays a style that sounds nostalgic of 90's shoegaze and grunge but introduces a new touch without feeling forced or out of place. For just guitar, vocals and drums, there is no lack of energy or complexity; the magic is in the arrangements. Dynamically this is a very strong album and offers more and more surprises with repeat listens.

Listen here

Naps by Kidcrash (2011)

Kind of like: Native, Loma Prieta, Daniel Striped Tiger
Genres: Screamo, Post-hardcore, Math Rock
Preview: Denovali

Out of all the post-hardcore/screamo bands out there, I would have to say Kidcrash is my favorite.  I always enjoy their releases, and this one is not an exception.  They always have trippy as hell artwork; so I usually end up getting it on vinyl as well.  This EP is up there with the rest of their material.  As the leak of "Hibernationstate" indicated, this EP is more melodic as far as vocals go (excluding New Ruins).  I would still consider it yelling, but there is at least some melody to it and it isn't incoherent screaming drowned out by the guitars.  The vocals aren't really what's great about Kidcrash though, it's the guitar work and the thematic development/breakdowns (not like....metalcore breakdown, the breaking down of an idea/theme into a different feel).  Hopefully these guys tour soon, I would like to see them live at least once.

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Adventure, Stamina & Anger (7") by This Town Needs Guns (2011)

Kind of Like: Cats and Cats and Cats, Maps & Atlases, Look Mexico
Genres: Indie, Math Rock, Emo
Preview: Bandcamp

This Town Needs Guns is a catchy ass band, if you are a fan of noodly math rock then you probably will like this.  My only gripe is that it sounds like two songs that could have been on their past record, Animals.  More of the same isn't necessarily bad, but it really isn't great either.  Some parts of these song sound practically identical to parts of songs from Animals.  Out of the two songs, "Adventures" is definitely the highlight.  I do think these songs show a little more maturity in song structure; it's a bit more complex, interesting, and unpredictable then the songs on Animals.  The guitar work is great, per usual.  This release doesn't really say too much about what direction there next LP will head in, if anywhere.  We will have to wait and see.


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Young & Beautiful by The Armed (2011)

Kind of Like: Converge, Botch, DEP
Genres: Mathcore, Hardcore, Noise Rock, Thrash
Preview: Bandcamp, Pizza

Apologies for the lack of updates.  There are several things in my way: school is heavy at the moment, I fried my laptop last week and am hesitant to buy a new one, work sucks, doing the radio show and hockey season started/Tigers are in the playoffs/Lions are actually good now/ UofM is undefeated/sports.  Right now I am updating on a shitty desktop computer.  Eventually I will get sick of using this and get a new laptop, but who knows.  That being said the new zine will probably be very small and come out right before Fest as some kind of a preview edition.  And then after Fest, I will probably have much more material to work with (interviews/photos/news) for a much larger winter edition.  Who knows, everything is in the air right now.

I was hoping Kenny would post this, seeing that this is his band and all.  But he is being lazy and/or modest.  This came out last week, but I was reminded to put this up when I saw the great reviews it was getting on Sputnik Music.  They are kind of moving forward from a straightforward mathcore/hardcore band like Converge to something more unique, with elements of noise rock/garage rock thrown into the mix.  That's my take on it anyways.  I think so far this album has gotten the most exposure out of all their work.  As one reviewer wrote: "It's good and it's free. Rips hard. Get it now."

Listen Here:

Radio Show Week 2

Click on over to WUMD.org and listen to the Sometimes I get Drunk radio show.  I think we have the hang of working the equipment.  So no more technical difficulties.  Starts at 7 Eastern.  We'll be playing new music from This Town Needs Guns, Cut Copy, Glocca Morra, and another new Armed song.

Of Whom I Always Think by Damascus (2011)

Kind of Like: Explosions in the Sky, GY!BE, Talons, Russian Circles
Genres: Post-rock, Ambient, Shoegaze, Metal
Preview: Bandcamp

This link popped up in the Turntable room I was in yesterday, and I tried them out.  They are like a lot of post-rock bands but they have more of a metal feel to them at times. The album, loosely based on the striving and struggles of Nikola Tesla, is available for free stream and download on their Bandcamp page.

Listen Here

Radio Show

Tonight at 7 pm EST, Lori and I will be doing a radio show at WUMD.  Just follow the link and then click on the internet radio option to listen live.  We will be playing lots of music that has been featured on here a long with some that hasn't and a preview of the new album by the Armed.

Lenses Alien by Cymbals Eat Guitars (2011)

Kind of Like: Deerhunter, The War on Drugs, Girls, Male Bonding
Genres: Indie, Shoegaze, Noise Rock
Preview: Myspace

The timing of the above photo, is absolutely perfect.  Something about it just bothers me, it's almost awkward to look at.  For the record, the lead singer does not look like that; this is a pretty unforgiving shot. But it's like a train wreck, I had to share it.  Along with their new album.  I first heard it on Turntable.fm and when I saw it was floating around on the interwebs, I decided to pick it up.  I don't have much time to write about it, but it's pretty rockin', brah.

Listen Here:

BBNG by Badbadnotgood (2011)

Kind of Like: The Odd Trio, Death Grips, Colin Stetson
Genres: Jazz, Hip-hop, Experimental
Preview: Bandcamp

Now for something different...

Hip-hop is notorious for sampling jazz in its songs.  A Tribe Called Quest, J Dilla, The Roots, Madlib; the list goes on and on and on.  These guys, Badbadnotgood, are a jazz band from Toronto that have switched things around.  They are reworking classic hip-hop songs into jazz songs, and the results are some seriously awesome jams and improvisations.  There is some great musicianship shown here.

Listen Here: