25 October 2009

23 October 2009

Witch Hunt - Blood Red States (2006)


This is what I'm listening to tonight. Loudly.
An anarcho-punk band from Philadelphia with dueling male/female vocals that work fantastically.
It's angry, aggressive, and loud.

http://www.myspace.com/witchhunt
http://www.last.fm/music/Witch+Hunt

Ghost Mice & Saw Wheel Split



Split album of Ghost Mice and Saw Wheel.
Ghost Mice features Chris Johnston (founder of Plan-It X records, the label or former label for many of the bands posted here). Kinda cheap (in a good way) folk-punk - just dual male/female vocals, acoustic guitar, and violin. The songs are really good, and I don't think the inherent DIY-ness of it does anything but make it better.
Just as a matter of interest, when I bought a few CD's from Plan-It X a while back, the package came with a hand-drawn picture of what appeared to be a pirate cat saying "Thank You Very Much, <3 Chris" (the aforementioned Chris Johnston). Buy from Plan-It X and maybe you too will get a picture.

Saw Wheel is RJ Cresswell, formerly of One Reason. Sounds similar to Rumbleseat or Chuck Ragan.

The singing throughout this album is... not spectacular, but i think it works.

http://www.plan-it-x.com/
http://www.last.fm/music/Ghost+Mice
http://www.last.fm/music/Saw+Wheel

18 October 2009

Gay Witch Abortion - Maverick

Gay Witch Abortion is a band from Minneapolis. I don't know much about them, but they could win in a hilarious band names contest. They sound kinda like a mostly instrumental, louder Black Keys on speed with amps that sound like they're about to explode.

http://www.myspace.com/gaywitchabortion
http://www.last.fm/music/Gay+Witch+Abortion

Pg. 99 - Document #8 (2001)


Pg. 99 was a hardcore punk and/or screamo band from Sterling, Virginia, around from 1998-2003. They had a total of 14 releases, titled Document #1 through Document #14. This is, obviously, their 8th release. They formed as a 6-piece band and had as many as 14 people at one point.
Loud and awesome.

http://www.last.fm/music/Pg.99

Cecil Otter - Rebel Yellow (2008)


Cecil Otter (aka Jake Smith), a member of the Doomtree hiphop collective, makes music comparable to Sage Francis, Aesop Rock, etc. Good, interesting, hiphop.
The first track honestly creeps me out a bit but the album as a whole is excellent. I found this via SXSW 2009.

http://www.doomtree.net/cecilotter/
http://www.last.fm/music/Cecil+Otter

17 October 2009

Jordaan Mason & The Horse Museum - Divorce Lawyers I Shaved My Head



The most recent album of Toronto musician Jordaan Mason. It kinda sounds like a cross between Foot Ox and Adrian Orange to me. That is to say, it has a similar weird aesthetic to Foot Ox, but with slower, layered sounds as per Adrian Orange.
His website describes the album thus:
14 songs that tell the story of a failed marriage between two people of confused identities and genders, complete with suicidal horses, shotguns, carnival horns, a henry darger-inspired glandolinian war, unexpected male birth, semen, haircuts, sickness, and the end of the world in 1990.
http://www.myspace.com/jordaanmason
http://www.last.fm/music/JordaanMasonTheHorseMuseum

Arrows - Knives Are Falling From The Sky (2007)


Arrows (currently known as Cursed Arrows), released their debut album in 2007. Featuring husband-and-wife duo Ryan Stanley (formerly of The Vermicious Knid) and Jackie Stanley, Arrows draws influence from Nirvana and The Pixies to some extent. It's loud, towering, emotional, and thoroughly enjoyable.

http://www.cursedarrows.com/
http://www.last.fm/music/Cursed+Arrows

09 October 2009

Fake Problems - It's Great To Be Alive (2009)


The most recent album from Fake Problems. Normally I would refrain from posting the most recent album of any band, but this album is just so outstanding from start to finish I've been listening to it several times a day for like 4 days. This album is a huge evolution from their previous album, while still being easily recognizable as the same band. Singer and primary songwriter Chris Farren retains his Tom Gabel-esque vocal tone while the songs branch out into all sorts of different sounds while remaining fully coherent and distinctive.
There is not a bad song on the whole album, but "You're A Serpent, You're A She-Snake" stands out as my favourite. This band deserves more attention.

http://fakeproblems.com/
http://www.last.fm/music/Fake+Problems

Jumbling Towers - Classy Entertainment (2008)


I don't know how best to describe Jumbling Towers. They're like some fucked up circus... punk... thing. It's ridiculously catchy though. Definitely unique; if the description appeals to you give it a listen.

http://www.jumblingtowers.com
http://www.last.fm/music/Jumbling+Towers

Lemuria - Get Better (2008)


Lemuria is a pop-punk band from Buffalo, NY. Featuring dual male/female vocals and a can't-put-my-finger-on-it rhythmic unusualness, this is Lemuria's only full-length album. They also released a few LPs and splits (with The Ergs and Kind Of Like Spitting), as well as a compilation album of said LPs and splits.
I hate to use the word 'cute' to describe music cause I think it puts people off a bit but Lemuria is pretty cute. Really good though, make no mistake.

http://www.last.fm/music/Lemuria

03 October 2009

Dirty Three - Ocean Songs (1998) & She Has No Strings Apollo (2003)

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I used to like instrumental post-rock a lot. Now I mostly don't. I do, however, still love the Dirty Three. They're an Australian band who differentiate themselves from the legions of cloned post-rock bands by the absolutely stunning violin playing of Warren Ellis (also known for his long association with Nick Cave, including working with him on the soundtrack to The Assassination of Jesse James).

I bought a violin in an attempt to be as awesome as Warren Ellis, but it hasn't worked yet as I am godawful at violin.

http://www.anchorandhope.com/
http://www.last.fm/music/Dirty+Three

01 October 2009

Hot Snakes - Automatic Midnight (2000)


The debut album from Hot Snakes, a post-hardcore band from San Diego that was around from 1999-2005. They're like a punkier Drive Like Jehu, which is fitting as this band was formed by two members of Drive Like Jehu after they split up.
The thing that really stands out to me about Hot Snakes is their unusually interesting guitar parts. Not in a meedely-meedely guitar solo way, but in an extremely harmonically dramatic rhythm guitar way.

http://hotsnakes.com/
http://www.last.fm/music/Hot+Snakes