It's Still Pretty Terrible by Dowsing (2012)

Kind of Like: By Surprise, pswingset, The Get Up Kids

Genres: Indie, Emo

Buy: Count Your Lucky Stars

Preview: Absolute Punk

A little over a year ago, I got my first listen of All I Could Find Was You.  I felt like it had a lot of promise, but I wasn't totally sold on this band yet.  This is their debut LP and also their debut effort with Count Your Lucky Stars.  I am only a couple songs in, and I think this album is going to solidify this band for me.  Put the sold sticker on me.

The recording quality is better than the EP, but the songs are just as catchy and solid.  The album cover is also one of my favorites so far this year.  I frequent Awkwardfamilyphotos.com, and this album cover just screams that website.  Love it.

Listen Here:

Dikembe premieres first song from debut LP!

It's no secret that we love Dikembe over here at SIGDaN, so you should know we are stoked to be getting a first listen of their debut LP on Tiny Engines.

Here is a stream of the song "We Could Become River Rats" via AP:

Solids- S/T 7" (2011)

Kind of Like: Dinosaur Jr., Sonic Youth, Cheap Girls
Genres: Garage Rock, Grunge, Indie, Pop Punk
Buy: Machette Records
Preview:


Got the chance to see this Montreal-based band in their hometown during Pouzza Fest.  They played pretty late; after midnight.  So, I caught most of their set and then afterwards joined the people flooding the streets in protest over tuition raises.  I had no informed opinion on the manner, but I wanted to capture as much as I could of it.

This band's set was sick.  From what I can remember the lights were out except for one bright lamp hanging from the ceiling that shone in one direction.  It hung just in front of the band so as the crowd flowed/surged back and forth towards the stage it was knocked and spun around as the band ripped their music.  It was a smaller venue called L'absynthe.  It had a really good vibe to it, and they had their own variety of beers they brewed themselves there.

Like I said, these guys were really awesome, and if you are from the states, you won't have to wait too long to see them.  Especially if you are going to Fest 11 in Gainesville, hint hint.

Listen Here:

StreamPad: Solids - "Blown Out"

The Food Chain by Chalk Talk (2010)

Kind of Like: Sirs, Palmkite, A Great Big Pile of Leaves

Genres: Emo, Indie, Surf Rock, Math Rock

Buy: Bigcartel

Preview:

I am back from being on the road with Peace Be Still, so there will be a ton of bands that I feel should be shared on here.  These guys are cool as hell.  It was really nice being at a show at their house, Babetown, in Amherst, MA.  It was the first house show of the tour, so we got a nice shower in and a couch to sleep on.

This CD was in the car and got a lot of play time during the long drives.  Actually, I think I am going to do a special post about just the music we listened to over and over in the van.  There are some real gems in there.

But yea, these guys make really fun songs and they even showed us a bad-ass burrito place.  Maurice inhaled a burrito with shrimp, beef chili and guac in it.

NUTELLA!

Listen Here:

StreamPad: Chalk Talk - "Two Balls and a Paddle"

Tubelord - Our First American Friends [2009]

For Fans Of: The Cast of Cheers, At the Drive-In, The Appleseed Cast

Genres: Indie, Math Rock, Emo

Websites: Facebook, Bandcamp, Lastfm 

Preview: 

Just found these guys on Last.fm, and was blown away instantly. Tubelord are four guys from Kingston upon Thames, England who got together back in 2006. Three years later, their debut album Our First American Friends was released. I haven't listened to the follow-up, Romance, which came out in 2011 quite yet; I'm focusing on American Friends for now. But once I do, if it's even half as good as this, you can bet on it making its way to our site!

Streampad: Tubelord - Somewhere Out There A Dog Is On Fire

Peace Be Still East Coast Tour

Pick your poison, three spontaneous tour names

We recently pulled off everything relating to the east coast tour because we were about to cross the border and didn't want them to find anything on a google search.  We got over without any problems.  Brooklyn show was cancelled, we may possibly have a last minute show in Albany in the works for that day.  But if anybody wants to help out in that general area with a last minute show, the band and myself would be down.  We also solidified the 26th show.  Vermont is tonight, Burlington is a great city.  Pouzza was great as well, especially the rioting going on at night.  See you around?

other links:

5/22: Amherst: Facebook

5/25: Bethlehem: Facebook

5/25 Philly: Facebook

5/26 Wantage: Facebook

email if you wanna help with the 24th:

info@sigdrecords.com

You Blew It! - Grow Up, Dude [2012]

For Fans Of: Dikembe, Wavelets, Prawn

Genres: Emo, Indie

Websites: Facebook, Lastfm, Bandcamp, Topshelf

Preview:

Rather than announce You Blew It!'s first full-length myself, I will allow gentleman extraordinare Frank Doucette to do so (via Topshelf's website):

These Floridians are amongst the most stand-out bands heavily influenced by 90's emo (American Football, Cap'n Jazz...although those guys influenced everyone), and you should listen to them just for that if nothing else. Tour dates will be announced soon, and I hope I get to see them this summer. 

Prawn - "The Sea Song: A Demo Reel"

Short Prawn documentary on writing for their new record and preparing to tour overseas for the first time!

B.Lewis - Revised Interpretations Vol. 1 [2012]

For Fans Of: Bonobo, Elaquent, Miles Bonny

Genres: Hip-Hop, Beats, Soulful

Websites: Facebook, Bandcamp, Lastfm

Preview: 

You may recall B.Lewis from the Plug Ep post back a few months ago. Revised Interpretations Vol. 1 came out in March, and according to B.Lewis, it features interpretations of some songs he's been intrigued by in the last few months. These are some really solid beats he's got going. He's also doing a project with Miles Bonny, who I'm a huge fan of. You can stream Miles Bonny x B.Lewis here.

Streampad: B.Lewis - Left Disaster

Spirit Night - One Man Houses [2012]

For Fans Of: Tiger's Jaw, Cap'n Jazz, Husker Du

Genres: Indie, Garage, Emo

Websites: Facebook, Lasfm, Bandcamp

Preview:

While Poo's out at Pouzza Fest, I'll be holding down the fort here at home. There's a good deal of new stuff I've been meaning to post so be on the lookout throughout the day. Let's begin with Spirit Night from Brooklyn, NY.

Spirit Night is always Dylan Balliett, usually Pete Wilmoth, and sometimes other friends of theirs. Their sound is an interesting mix of emo/indie pop/lo-fi, with a little garage rock/punk added in there as well. You may have already heard their full-length debut, What We Will Be, back in 2010, or their Normal EP, which was released last year. Their newest, One Man Houses, came out earlier this year on Broken World Media (the record label run by Derrick Shanholtzer of The World is a Beautiful Place & I am no Longer Afraid to Die fame), and it is not what you would expect if you have heard them previously. I mean that in a good way - it's faster, catchier, and headed in a great direction.

I also enjoyed the B-side that was deemed "too shitty" to include on the album:

You can stream this album on their Bandcamp, download it below, and/or purchase it via Broken World.

Streampad: Spirit Night - Summer Clothes

Pouzza Countdown!

Pouzza is beginning in less than 24 hours and we have some information on where you can find SIGD stuff.

1) Peace Be Still is playing at 7:05 pm at Theatre Ste-Catherine.  Go see them, but get there early to see Reservoir beforehand.  It turns out PBS will be having three or four shows with them after Pouzza on the east coast.  Anyways, we will have PBS/SIGD stuff for sale there for a bit.

2) The Merch Mall is on Sunday at 11 AM, it's free to the public and at 11:30 there is a free tofu BBQ or something crazy.  But at the Merch Mall, we will also be selling SIGD related stuff and a slew of records for sale.

I am mentioning because there is one item in particular that will be have a very limited release for Pouzza:

Other then that, we will be cruising around checking out bands we dig.  If you see us, come say "hi!"

Big SIGD Records update

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Mallard - Winter Tour 2012

For Fans Of: Philadelphia emo

Genres: Emo, Punk, Indie

Websites: Facebook, Lastfm, Bandcamp

Preview: 

Mallard is a six-piece emo band from Las Americas, whose member names include: Doodle, Pooptrack, and El Latin Stallion. The group features ex-members of Footnotes (I highly recommend "I've Never Been To Easter Island"), Broski, Tycho Brahe (named after the Danish astronomer with a killer 'stache), and a few other bands that I'm not too familiar with. They're also really nice guys who have lent a much-appreciated helping hand with booking shows. Winter Tour 2012 was released back in February, and we're still jamming out to it in May. Even if you don't end up liking these guys, it is worth it to go to their Facebook, scroll down to the post from April 27th, and watch the video of one of the members getting down to The Thong Song. No really, watch it. 

Marietta/Modern Baseball - Couples Therapy [2012]

For Fans Of: Algernon Cadwallader, Family Might, Coping

Genres: Indie, Emo, Punk

Marietta: Facebook, Lastfm, Bandcamp, Tumblr, Twitter. 

Modern Baseball: Band Website, Facebook, Lastfm, Bandcamp, Tumblr, Twitter

Preview: 

This split features two up and coming bands from Philadelphia. 

Let's start with Marietta: according to their Facebook page, their interests include cats and beer. I hope that doesn't mean they like getting cats drunk (heh heh). You may remember these guys from a review we did of their demo back in February, wherein we mentioned how much potential the band had. They certainly delivered on that promise of potential with this release. 

Onto Modern Baseball: according to their Facebook page, these two have interests that include Christmas lights and cookies. Who doesn't love that? 

Combine the two together and you've got yourself a pretty neat split! I'm not sure if they plan on releasing this on vinyl or not, but I would hope so because I suspect a lot of people would want it after listening to it. Although the bands are similar to each other, they manage to maintain their own style while complementing each other quite nicely. 

Self-Titled EP by Revengineers (2012)

Kind of Like: Fang Island, Noisewaves, Robot Science
Genres: Indie, Electronica, Chip, Emo
Buy: Bandcamp
Preview:


I was going to wait until after work tonight to throw this up.  However, I just listened to this in the shower for a total of like three or four full play-throughs and I want to put it up now.  I already know that Hop Along, Joywave, Living Room, and these guys are going to make up the majority of what I listen to while I am on the road for the two weeks with Peace Be Still in a week or so.

I like "chip" music (music that uses nintendo sound effects), but it wasn't something I could listen to for long periods of time because it just sounded to synthetic being completely composed of video game sound effects.  This band from Rochester, NY takes music like Fang Island along with some mathy noodles and adds in the chip effects with modified nintendo gear to make something that is really great.  I need to leave for work and get started on another listen of this.

Listen Here:

StreamPad: Revengineers - "Exploding Threat"

Koda Vista by Joywave (2012)

Kind of Like: Air France, Robot Science, Neon Indian, Rubik
Genres: Indie, Electronica, Chillwave
Buy: Bandcamp
Preview:


This may be too poppy for some, but fuck it, I am really enjoying this right now.  Joywave is an indie pop band frm Rochester, New York and they are catchy as all get out.  They have a couple of pretty unique packages for sale on their Bandcamp.

The New Hire Bundle includes: 1) a Hi-quality download of "Koda Vista"in its entirety, and 2) a Physical 20-page 8.5"x5.5" "Koda Vista" lyric and art book.

The Director Bundle includes: 1) a Hi-quality download of "Koda Vista"in its entirety, 2) a Physical 20-page 8.5"x5.5" "Koda Vista" lyric and art book, 3) a Signed "Corporate Memo" on resume paper numbered to 100, and 4) Joywave Industries logo coffee mug.

The Executive Bundle includes: 1) a Hi-quality download of "Koda Vista"in its entirety. 2) a Physical 20-page 8.5"x5.5" "Koda Vista" lyric and art book. 3) a Signed "Corporate Memo" on resume paper numbered to 100. 4) a Joywave Industries logo coffee mug. 5) a 1 share of stock from the Eastman Kodak Company and stock certificate*. *Ceremonial certificate only. Buyer will receive credit to purchase Kodak stock independently of artist. No stock transfer will take place between artist and buyer.

This has to be the first time I have seen stock shares involved in buying an album.  Did they make some kind of deal with Kodak or something?  I don't understand.

I know an album is good when I keep changing my mind for which song to put on the StreamPad as the music goes on.  This is getting pretty cliche to say now, but this is a great fun summer time ride.  Roll the windows down.  Stay thirsty, my friends.  Wait until you get home in front of a bonfire before you start knockin' em back though.

Listen Here:

StreamPad: Joywave - "Smokestacks"

This Town Needs Guns live in Paris!

New song by This Town Needs Guns performed in Paris. Sweet Jesus I need to see these guys live so badly.

Dream Journal by Living Room (2012)

Kind of Like: Ma Jolie, Signals Midwest, Junior Battles
Genres: Punk, Pop Punk, Emo
Preview:


Stumbled on this album while browsing through bandcamp.  Bandcamp is great for browsing through genres as long as you don't mind going through a ton of shitty music to find the good stuff.  These guys are from New York and from the looks of the videos from summer of 2011, it seems this album has been in the works for some time.

Taken with Instagram?

The cabin above is where the album was recorded, and to me that seems like an awesome place to hunker down and get the creative juices flowing.  This album is pretty solid and I look forward to hearing from more of them in the future.

Listen Here:

StreamPad: Living Room - "Blue Stars"

Key by pg.lost (2012)

Kind of Like: Barrows, Explosions in the Sky, Gifts from Enola
Genres: Post-rock, Instrumental, Sludge
Buy: Bandcamp
Preview:


This is the third album from Sweden's pg.lost.  If you are a fan of emotional post-rock, this will give you sustenance.  It is more visceral that EITS, I feel.  The guitars churn and whine.  It isn't exactly groundbreaking, but that doesn't mean it isn't a fun ride.  "Terrain" is not only heavy/powerful but extremely catchy which can be hard to come by.  Fortunately, it isn't hard to come by with this album because many of the songs on here are like that.

Listen Here:

StreamPad: Pg.Lost - "Terrain"

New Explosions in the Sky video for "Postcard from 1952"

Unfortunately, not many bands/artists that have a genuinely good touch/taste for cinematography have the funds or equipment to create breath-taking videos like this.  Fortunately, EITS is practically a household name now.  The best part? 5:37.

Head on over to the Huffington Post to get an exclusive look!

Hop Along - Get Disowned [2012]

For Fans Of: P.S. Elliot, Boys & Sex, Yes Please

Genres: Folk, Indie, Female Vocalist

Websites: Facebook, Bandcamp, Lastfm, Tumblr

Preview: 

Our sincerest apologies for the lack of posts as of late. We were busy tearing it up in Chi-town, but now we're back FULL FORCE with a really exciting album.

Hop Along started out as Frances Quinlan's solo project, and has since blossomed into one of the best female vocalist bands right now. Get Disowned was just released yesterday, and we  here at SIGD are very eager to share it with you! After taking a listen, we strongly recommend you to head over to Hot Green Records and purchase the LP. It is only $10. Thumbs up for supporting your artists! And if you happen to be from Philly and/or near the area next month, here's a link to more information about their record release show. Happy listening!

StreamPad: Hop Along - "Laments"

Do you know how to post videos to Facebook?

Better late than never, SIGD Records is on facebook.  Stay up to date!  Big things happening this summer!

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