Kind of Like: Pride and Ego Down, whenskiesaregray, continent. Genres: Post-hardcore, Emo, Screamo Preview:
Holy shit, it's been a minute, right? I decided I needed to update my music library and I figured I would give this a post as well. I want to give a proper post for being gone for so long, but my laptop is about to die and my power cord is all the way in the other room, so this is going to be short for now.
These guys are part of what is becoming a very american-friendly screamo/emo movement in Germany. The first track starts kind of slow and didn't really hook me in right away. Once you get through the second song, you will probably will want to finish it because it just gets better from there. There are some pretty fun riffs in this and you would be wise to give it a try.
Kind of Like: Adaje, Lizards Have Personalities, Vowel
Genres: Screamo, Post-hardcore, Doom
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With the abrupt ending of Adaje last year after their full US tour and release of Yore Veils, I was left wanting more bands with a sound like theirs. It was screamo, but it was also concentrated chaos dripping with influences of doom metal and post-rock. After listening to this album by Chicago's Atalanta, I think I found a band with a striking similarity to that. Instead of ending however, it seems like this band is just beginning. If you are in Chicago, you can catch these guys with Droughts and William Bonney (second to last show ever) on July 19.
Kind of Like: Mahria,Disembarked, No Omega Genres: Emo, Screamo, Post-hardcore Preview:
The best part about doing this label and more specifically putting out international samplers now and then, is the fucking amazing talent I would've never heard from all around the world. These swedes absolutely kill it for me. This is the kind of emo/screamo that tends to hook me right away with disjunctive, dissonant, math-y riffs, but ones that tend to be more catchy than technical. Fuck this pretentious jargon. Just listen.
This three piece from Edmonton has jams that remind me a lot of fellow Edmontonians, Mahria. The vocalist reminds me a bit of Jacob Bannon where he yells instead of screams (Like in Hanging Moon). And there ain't nothing wrong with that.
This is their EP from 2012, but they also have live demos of new material that will give you an idea of what their full length is going to have on it.
Kind of Like: Whenskiesaregray, Tigerscout, Les Doux
Genres: Screamo, Hardcore
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This track is a teaser for The Most Sad's next EP, Subjectivity//Objectivity. They are from Concord, California, and if you dig the new track, you can download their previous releases for free on their bandcamp.
Kind of Like: Charles the Osprey, Giraffes? Giraffes!
Genres: Math rock, Emo, Screamo, Punk
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This is a pretty new band coming from out of Grand Rapids, Michigan. This guitar/drum duo will remind you of other guitar/drum math rock duos posted on here but with much more screamo/emo influence shining throughout the album.
Kind of Like: The Get Up Kids, Waytaker, You'll Live
Genres: Indie, Emo, Screamo
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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!
Crap, I wish I posted this before their U.S. tour started instead of now that it is halfway over. However, you still have plenty of chances to catch this band from Germany, and better late than never. They are playing a few of those dates with SRVVLST, and apparently both of those bands are going to be crashing at my place tonight. I hope these germans like shitty american beer because I can't afford a keg of nice stuff right now. Listen, download, and make it out to see these guys! They came a long way!
These guys made it on our Best of List for 2012 with their self-titled EP, and we have been strong proponents of these guys since first hearing that EP. It is very exciting to see these guys put out another really good EP in I Do Nothing But Regret The Fact That I Left. It features the song "Bewildered" which was on our very first International Sampler last summer. Give these guys a good listen because I really think they are on the cusp of a break out in the states.
Kind of Like: No Omega, Bastions, Comadre Genres: Screamo, Post-hardcore, Hardcore, Punk Preview:
This split is pretty brutal, in a good way. The Leyholder side reminds me a lot of No Omega's first little EP. Speaking of which, I heard their new album just came out. Maybe look for that in a little bit. This is my first time checking out Old Friends (I think). Their side is equally awesome for it's own reasons, it almost sounds like Chris from Snowing screaming in a hardcore band. Also getting a little Comadre feel in there. I would like to write more about this split, but the servers for Simcity are finally working. I'm a total nerd and need to get my fix.
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.
Kind of Like: Climb the Mind, This Town Needs Guns Genres: Emo, Screamo, Math Rock, Post-hardcore Preview:
I know a couple people besides myself that are going to be absolutely stoked about this album. I had no idea this band was still up to stuff, but I fell hard for their last little EP, Recur Breath (or whatever the proper translation is). This is their debut LP, so after that little cock tease of an album last year, you are getting your brains fucked out by this one. I know a few people have been requesting a new link for Climb the Mind but I had a really hard time finding all of that so I am not sure when I will get around do that, so for now I think this will tie you over. I just wish they sang in english, then it would be perfect because I could sing along along...
This file is locked, so look in the comments before for the code to extract it.
Kind of Like: Kidcrash, Birds in Row, Daitro, Baton Rouge Genres: Post-hardcore, Screamo, Post-rock Preview:
This is the latest release from French screamo outfit Aussitot Mort (Eng: As Soon As Dead). Think of the heaviness of Birds In Row but slowed down and more post-rock influences as well. They just finished up a Russian tour and are currently touring around France.
Kind of Like: Old Gray, Barrow, I really don't know Genres: Hardcore, Post-hardcore, Screamo, Folk Buy: Sea of Tranquility, Flannel Gurl Records Preview:
Evan from Les Doux is a pretty stand up guy, he wrote me a really nice sincere e-mail and that really goes a long way for me. I know both of these bands from previous reviews, so I'm sure I would've gotten around to this eventually, but anyways...
If you're looking for something genuinely fresh (I tend to use this term on whim, but these bands really exhibit this to a more extreme degree), then this is the split for you. If you are tired of what is becoming somewhat generic screamo, then by all means you need to do yourself a favor and listen to this twangy take and see how it makes you feel. In all honesty, I listened to this maybe a month or so ago and it didn't really move me right off the bat, but I always try to give albums a second go which I did recently. It's visceral, good stuff and I am only listening to it more and more.
Now I need to get some errands done before my day saturated in hockey begins. Oh, how I've missed it...
Fuck yeah, hockey is back. Nothing to do with this album, but I just want you all to know that I am super happy this lockout bullshit is over. Which did you hate more, the lockout or the fiscal cliff? What load of melodramatic garbage we have been through.
Anyways, these guys put this out a couple years ago, but they are pitching it to labels for a vinyl release which is how I happened upon it. I have had it in my possession for a month or so now, but I just recently sat down and gave it my undivided attention. It is really great and I am glad these guys came out of hiatus to make it and that they are back to touring and what have you.
Kind of Like: Rites of Spring, Refused, Glasses Genres: Punk, Hardcore, Screamo Buy: Vitriol Records Preview:
It's only January and people are claiming to already have found the first contender for album of the year for 2013. Rightfully so, Comadre has some teeth on them and so does this album. There is a whole lot like about this and it is the freshest sounding hardcore/punk album I have heard in awhile. From hard riffs to blasting horns to curdling vocals, it covers a lot of ground.
I first heard of these guys this past summer when I was looking for international bands for the summer sampler. They are from Germany and this album is a great throwback It has the tone, speed and rawness from older hardcore bands but it still has some really fresh sounding riffs.
Out of all the albums on this list, this is the one that was around for the longest. I threw it up here way back in January and even thought it would've made the 2011 list if it had come out a month earlier. The past month, I got turned onto it again while perusing the archives. Still sounds great to me, if I do say so.
These guys squeaked into the best of 2012; you may notice that their feature is only a couple posts down from here. I think the initial review was good enough, but in short, Shark Bait has gotten progressively better since they first arrived a couple years ago.
Another face from the Summer Sampler, this female-fronted band released this album under the name Veils. Then a shitty band tried legal action against them, so they changed their name to Vales. Veils or Vales, this album was thinly-veiled awesomeness.
Speaking of Veils, there are these dopes. They stayed at my place for a weekend this past summer while they had some Michigan shows along their full US tour. They took turns blowing me to get on this list, but they really didn't have to, I was going to put them on here anyways. Who doesn't want to get blown though? But seriously, I was pissed when these guys released this album, toured like hell and then promptly broke up. I recently talked to Zoe and apparently there is a new band in the works, so let's look out for that next year, okay?
One of the first cool things I put up on this site was this band's self titled EP. So when I heard they were coming out with a full-length in 2012, I began foaming at the mouth. Then I got lockjaw and was holed up in the hospital for a little while, but the doctors told me that was unrelated. Anyways, this album turned out being great. When it came out, I broke out in a rash. Then it started hurting when I was peeing. How the fuck did they do that? I just know these guys are going to read this and it is not going to translate well at all into Swedish. Fuck it.
Native hasn't been doing shit since Wrestling Moves and Kidcrash is kind of being quiet too. So when their Canadian counterparts came out with this, it was a welcome gift. They have similar vocals to native but music more along the lines of Kidcrash. Either way, this is some hard, mathy goodness right here. Dip it in the water so it will slide down your gullet more easily.
This release has been consistent for me all year. When it comes time for me to move music off my phone to make room for new stuff, this always is left alone. I am really excited to hear their album coming out next year which will feature "Bewildered", a song not on this album but one you can find on the summer sampler.
A sort of pseudo-new full length, this album featured half new songs and half old ones from their previous EP. It made sense because they are just starting to get introduced to the US market so a lot of people haven't even heard their older stuff anyways. The new songs are great, I fake drum really hard in the car to "Callous". After the 1:30 mark the drummer just kills it more and more. Now we just need these guys to come visit the states with Birds in Row or something.
Kind of Like: Disembarked, Old Gray, William Bonney Genres: Screamo, Post-hardcore, Emo Preview:
Over the past couple years, we have seen Shark Bait really come into their own. I remember Still Growing getting posted around and thinking, these guys have potential but there is something I am not digging overall about it. Then they came out with their split with Adaje later in the year that featured a couple of really good songs. It even ended up slipping into our "Best Of" for last year. Basically, it showed these guys were taking great steps in the right direction which is all you can really ask for in a band. After almost a year of silence, they have come back with this EP. I am listening to it for the first time right now, but I already know that this is even better still than their previous work. There is still time that it could slip into the "Best Of" list for this year as well. It has been really great watching these guys over the past couple years. All there is left now is to see what they bring to the table with a full length release. You boys ready?
Both of these bands bring a lot of different genres to the table, and it's been a minute since I shared a couple of screamo band with you guys. I don't have much time for a proper review though, sorry. I will just say these are a solid couple of songs from two solid bands.
Kind of Like: Animal Faces, Jerome's Dream, Kidcrash Genres: Punk, Post-hardcore, Screamo, Math Rock Preview:
Kind of has the Jerome's Dream yelling at times, mixed with some Animal Faces kind of mathy punk. Just saw this on the chat box and really liked it. If you have been trying to get on here awhile, just keep at it. It's all about the right place at the right time, and when I want to update this I usually just go with something I get when I have some free time.
I can't really find much about these guys other than their bandcamp. All I know is they are from Oakland, California and they put this short but sweet gem out. Enjoy, because there won't be many updates as this semester winds down.
