I Love Your Lifestyle EP by I Love Your Lifestyle (2013)

Kind of Like: Algernon Cadwallader, foxing, Send Away Stranger

Genres: Indie, Emo, Pop Punk

Preview:

This EP from this Swedish band is pretty fantastic,  I've had the chorus to "Christopher Robin" stuck in my head all day.  It also sounds impeccably polished, and rightfully so because it is yet another product of Joe Reinhart from out of the infamous Head Room in Philadelphia.  Every time I feel like I should be growing tired of this kind of emo/twinkle crap, I always here a band like this that puts their own little tweak to the genre that gets me bopping back along to it.  Plus, these guys seem like they are nice cool guys that actually do lead fun lifestyles.

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worst.summer.ever by Del Paxton (2013)

Kind of Like: Braid, Weatherbox, American Football

Genres: Indie, Emo, Pop Punk

Preview:

These guys have been in a few other bands from upstate New York, but the one that I was familiar with was Month.  Month was a pretty good band, but I am liking these guys more.  Solid harmonies, strong fuzzy tones with some very American Football-esque clean parts, and great mixing/mastering overall to tie it all together.

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Pachangacha's Weirdhead LP Teaser

What a Time to Be Alive by Scout (2013)

Kind of Like: State Lines, The Sidekicks, A Great Big Pile of Leaves
Genres: Indie, Emo
Preview:


I miss the old embedded bandcamp players, where you could pick whatever color you want for the background and font.  Now you only get to pick between like eight generic colors, how boring?

If you are looking for something that will reel you in easily and have you singing along after a few listens, then here is a new-ish New York band for you.  Think of catchy anthems that are similar to that of State Lines.  I swear, I thought of the bands in the "Kind of Like" section before I even saw this event for their album release show (which you should probably go to if you like any of the bands mentioned in this post).

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Forgettingism by Lions (2013)

Kind of Like: Damiera, Look Mexico, Pennines

Genres: Math Rock, Pop Punk, Indie, Post-hardcore

Preview:

So, I have a bit of time waiting for my NHL 14 - Early Access to download, and I just caught wind of these guys from Tennessee.  I have never really heard of them up until now, but they sound incredibly tight butthole.  Everything sounds nice and mixed/mastered well and there are some really great riffs going on that just makes me like them right off the bat.  Check these guys out!

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Demo by Charlie the Knife (2013)

Kind of Like: Elliot Smith, CSTVT, Caravela, Tony Clark

Genres: Indie, Emo, Ambient

Preview:

Charlie the Knife is the solo project of Will McEvilly, the guitarist from CSTVT.  It's pretty exciting seeing anything related to said band come out, and this demo could really be a formal EP.  The sound quality/production is much better sounding than what a lot bands try to pass off as an EP.  Here is a description from Will: "..the project is occasionally ambient/often cheesy power pop about living/behaving poorly in Chicago.  My girlfriend told me it sounds like Elliot Smith meets Cursive and my "too punk for anything" friend said it sounds like something that would be popular on Saddle Creek ten years ago." Listen Here:

Catholic Guilt by Vulture Smile (2012)

Kind of Like: The Get Up Kids, Waytaker, You'll Live

Genres: Indie, Emo, Screamo

Preview:

A really accessible indie band with hints of emo/screamo influences.  Imagine You'll Live with quite a bit less screaming.  They are from San Jose; too bad about the Sharks (sorry, not sorry; you have demonized the Red Wings in recent years).  Hockey rivalries aside, check these guys out!

This Must Be The Sunks by The RCSN (2012)

Kind of Like: LVL UP, Stereolab, Native America
Genres: Pop, Ambient, Indie
Preview:

This project is the solo effort of Zack Schwartz from Glocca Morra.  After helping establish a portfolio of timeless emo/punk material with said band, it seems that this solo material is a more laid-back outlet for dreamy ambient indie music.  Wait, Glocca Morra already is pretty laid-back in their own right. Oh well, enjoy this release from last year and he also has a teaser track for an upcoming release.

Illumination Ritual by The Appleseed Cast (2013)

Kind of Like: Moving Mountains, Old Canes, Explosions in the Sky
Genres: Indie, Post-rock, Emo, Experimental
Buy: Graveface 
Preview: Pitchfork

Nowadays, it takes a lot to pull me away from school and label stuff to come visit this humble, little blog.  Appleseed Cast are just plain pioneers, and they have sense of nostalgia attached to them that few bands can emulate because, well, they have been around for awhile!  Mare Vitalis came out over 10 years ago, and there are songs on there that blow plenty of bands out of the water to this day.

I am only a couple songs into this release, but I really like it so far.  Sure, it isn't exactly groundbreaking, but it is fuckin' Appleseed Cast and they still have that sound that sets them apart, but there are hints of maturity along with an experimental vibe that bands tend to get to as they age.  Everyone come out of hibernation, come out from under the rocks and bad news, and greet the spring with this great album.

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Foxing/Send Away Stranger split 7"

Kind of Like: Empire! Empire!, Joie de Vivre, Hunter Gatherer | Nai Harvest
Genres: Emo, Indie, Post-rock, Screamo
Buy: Carucage
Preview:


Both of these bands have been featured on this blog recently.  I have been fortunate enough to have one of the guys in Foxing, Josh, be a frequent visitor to this site, and he has sent me tunes along the way.  Hunter and Gatherer was the first band of his I listened to and it was pretty rad post-rock.  This split has been sitting in my inbox for about a month, and I am just now getting to listening to it.  But holy shit, this is one of the better split 7"s that have come out in the past year.  As with previous efforts (by both bands), just really great thematic development which is what really gets me invested into a band, but these songs are something else.  Pick this one up on powder pink or black vinyl.  I was about to say this weird ambient, tinkling part is really kind of overdone though, but I realized my music player just moved on to Frances the Mute by Mars Volta without me noticing.  Whoops.

Sore Subjects EP by Best Practices (2013)

Kind of Like: Sirs, Dikembe, Weak Teeth
Genres: Punk, Indie, Pop Punk
Preview:


I saw Best Practices when they were just starting out.  Chris (Weak Teeth) helped set up a show in Providence when Peace Be Still came into town, and he got these guys to play.  Since then, Tiny Engines has put out a record of theirs and they just released this little diddy.  Getting a Sirs vibe in a really good way.

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All Hail Bright Futures by And So I Watch You From Afar (2013)

Kind of Like: Fang Island, Adebisi Shank, You Slut!
Genres: Indie, Math Rock, Post-rock
Preview:


ASIWYFA's last release in 2011, Gangs, was easily one of my favorites from that year.  As far as fast-paced, epic, math rock goes, these guys along with Adebisi Shank are the front runners.  If you don't like Adebisi Shank, you definitely won't like this because as soon as the intro track starts, that's who I started thinking of.  That and Invalids because the track is called Eunoia (Quick trivia: Eunoia is the shortest English word containing all five main vowel graphemes).  This album hasn't come out officially yet, so all the links are disappearing fast...

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Cool Wild Whatever by Send Away Stranger (2011)

Awesome Denver Nuggets shirt right there.

Kind of Like: Joie De Vivre, Nai Harvest, Dowsing
Genres: Emo, Indie
Preview: 


Really solid EP right here that could have easily slipped through the cracks for me.  I'm glad it didnt because I am only halfway through and I am really enjoying this.  The gradual breakdown/outro in "Not Called a Ghost Boat" is something that that is sticking out for me.  The vocals remind me a lot of Nai Harvest, and before the vocals came in, the music reminded me of Joie De Vivre.  A bonus in this EP is that Steven Gray from Dikembe makes an appearance in a song, and Mitch Soule from Guiseppe is in another.

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Wolf's Law by The Joy Formidable (2013)

Kind of Like: Metric, Gaslight Anthem, Arcade Fire, The Pixies
Genres: Rock, Punk, Indie
Buy: Warner Bros
Preview:


The Joy Formidable's last release, The Big Roar, had a few really heavy, powerful, good songs on it, but in the end, I lost interest in it a few months after I first listened.  I have a feeling that this new album may be the same deal for me, but this "Bats" track is killing it right now, so who knows.  I would really like to see these guys live at least once because I have a feeling they would put on a really good show.  As long as it isn't someplace expensive like the Fillmore.  OoOoOo, it looks like they actually will be at the Loft in Lansing this April during their tour.  That shouldn't be too expensive and it is fairly intimate for a band of their popularity.  Hmmmmmmm.

Listen Here:

13.0.0.0.0 by This Town Needs Guns (2013)

Kind of Like: Pennines, Minus the Bear, American Football

Genres: Math Rock, Emo, Indie

Buy: Sargent House

Preview:

There was a time when I was obsessed with the UK based band, Pennines.  They had limited material out and then seemed to fall off the face of the Earth.  So, it was pretty exciting to hear that their singer/guitarist, Henry Tremain, was joining This Town Needs Guns as their frontman.  Not only did he have a great voice to begin with, but TTNG is arguably a much larger, better known band to hop on board with his talents. Now, I have yet to determine personally if Hank is as good as or better than their original singer Stuart. Stuart was a great fit for TTNG, but if there is anybody worthy to fill his shoes it would have to be someone like Hank Tremain.  Either way, the music/instrumentation is phenomenal which is the norm for TTNG.  But I am curious to see how they pull off some of these parts off live with only one guitarist officially.

Recently they changed their name to TTNG because of personal reasons.

Listen Here:

We're All Better Than This by Joie De Vivre (2012)

Kind of Like: Empire! Empire!, Dowsing, You Blew It!
Genres: Emo, Indie
Buy: Count Your Lucky Stars
Preview:


So, I got a little flack for not including this on the 2012 best of the year list.  Truth is, I just never got around to listening to it.  As luck would have it, I went to a show in with TWIABP and Empire! Empire! a week or two ago and they had a CYLS merch set up with a bunch of vinyl.  I saw this and thought, why not?  The record itself is a deep maroon color that I fell in love with.  After listening to it several times now, I definitely would have included this in my best of 2012 list, it would even probably break the top ten for me.  So, do yourself a favor and don't let this release almost slip by like I did.  Get it on plastic too because it is really sharp.

Listen Here:

Best of 2012: Indie/Emo/Punk

Well this is the longish one.  There are a whole bunch of albums from this past year that I haven't had a chance to spend quality time that probably belong on here, but they will be added into the archives once that time comes.  The first ones are just a bunch that aren't in any particular order and then there is the top 15.

  

  

  

  

  

  

15. Dimaggio

These up and comers from Italy put out these two releases this year that probably flew under a lot of radars.  In fact, I may be overcompensating by putting them so far up on my list so more people check these guys out.


14. Scherbatsky by Snowing

Really? You're going to put up a 7 inch that featured only one previously unreleased song? Yeah, I damn well am.  This was the final goodbye to a band that may continue to influence bands for a long time.  They remastered "Pump Fake" which made an already great song sound even better, and the other side is a new song called "Scherbatsky" that is a wonder in that it was never on one of their other albums.

13. Fade by Cloudkicker

When you're making an entire album yourself, you can really pump out material.  Ben Sharp does it all in his Cloudkicker project.  The highlight is the guitar work but he still has a knack for the entire composition in general.  Although I don't find this release as good as last year's Let Yourself Be Huge, it still is something to behold.

12. Ormai by Fine Before You Came

Another group of Italians!  I am part Italian, so maybe I have a bias (thanks Nana for all the gnoccis).  Or this album is just awesome, which it is.

11. It's Still Pretty Terrible by Dowsing

Dowsing has been around here quite a few times; they are from Chicago and myself from Michigan.  In fact, Saturday we are making the trek to Chicago to catch Coping's last show and these guys are supporting them!  However, this will be our first time seeing them since this came out.  Let the sing alongs commence!

10. Feeling Better by Nai Harvest

These lads form the UK put out this 7 inch this year, and are in the process of recording new material at the moment.  In fact, you may be hearing it soon...on our winter sampler.  Oops!?  No but for real, I listen to these songs way to much.  So this is(n't) new to meeee!


9. Giant Orange by Cheap Girls

When I went on the road with Peace Be Still, we kind of weren't prepared for the rides music wise.  We stopped at record shops and got cassettes and cds.  We listened to a lot of The Cure, The Police, Sirs, Algernon, and Chalk Talk.  We also listened to a fuckload of this album after picking it up from them at Pouzza Fest.  Maybe it's nostalgia, but this album makes me feel all sorts of good inside.

8. Future Reference by Legs Like Tree Trunks

I tried pretty hard to set something up for these guys in Michigan this past summer, but it didn't work out.  Honestly, I really wanted to see them which was a big disappointment.  I think this came out a little bit after that, and I was even more mad that I couldn't hear these songs live. Oh well, please come back guys!

7. NOPE by Coping

This is a farewell to a great midwest emo band.  In a couple days, they will be playing their last show at the Subterranean.  I hope to get some documentation of this, and maybe throw it up on here.  But I may be pretty fucked up.  Actually, seeing that we are staying nearby, I know I will be fucked up.  It's going to be a hot mess, in a good way.

6. Broad Shoulders by Dikembe

It's weird how things go.  When the Chicago Bowls EP came out, I was immediately hooked on this band.  Then their full-length came out on Tiny Engines, and I gave it a listen before it falling to the wayside.  When I started thinking about this past year's releases a month ago, I started listening to this again.  I kicked myself; why did I give up on it so easily?  Oh, Dikembe, we have been catching up this past month haven't we?

5. Awkward Breeds by The Sidekicks

So, this album is a pop punk dream.  It is just clear cut greatness, and it's so easy to sing along to.  There isn't much more to say, just a really solid and uplifting album that separated itself from the rest for me.

4. Sirs by Sirs

Back in August, there was a day in Grand Rapids that began with a house show that featured Sirs, moved down the street to Mulligan's where Glocca Morra and Kite Party played and then to the Pyramid Scheme for free pinball and Algernon Cadwallader.  It was one hell of a day/night and Sirs got it kicked off right.  I was afraid I was going to miss them to go catch Glocca; I had thought another band was starting and then SIrs was on next.  Well, a familiar song kicked in and I asked Matt Weaver next to me who this was because the song was awesome, and he said it was actually Sirs.  The song was in fact "Early Riser" and it had taken me a minute to recognize it.  Granted, I really started listening to this album heavily after I picked it up on vinyl that night.  

3. Eunoia by Invalids

It's hard to justify putting an album so far up here that was created by two guys that have never met eachother.  Or maybe that makes it even more charming?  Either way, the music speaks for itself.  There was a point where I would listen to "Steinborgium" at least once a day for a month.  The song is great before 2:35, but then it just gradually starts hitting on all cylinders for me.  The best part is that after I eventually got somewhat burnt out from that song, there were easy pickings for new songs to obsess over.  Seriously, when any of these songs pop up on shuffle, I am immediately immersed back into this album and just want to listen to the rest of this song.

2. Get Disowned by Hop Along

For the longest time, I thought this album would be the album of the year for me.  Frances has a way with her voice that can make knees buckle.  It doesn't hurt that she is also a great songwriter that had the help of producer Joe Reinhart to make every part sound as good as it could in the Algernon Warehouse.  Plus, she told me about some Korean breakfast place in Ann Arbor I never heard of that is really awesome.



1. Glocca Morra (1 and 2)

Just Married and Get Disowned were neck and neck for me until Glocca Morra spit out another great EP in An Obscure Moon.  Their delayed full length Just Married was good enough by itself; every song has a part in it that flicks something in my brain.  Obscure was a departure from that LP, but was still fucking awesome and had hints of Just Married scattered in.  My last.fm scrobbled for the past year don't lie, Glocca Morra has saturated my library/brain and for these two great releases.  I can easily say they were my favorite artist this past year.