Thanks to Lil Zoe for pointing these out to us. We already did an Algernon post here, but these were not included. The live set is really great and really captures the energy of an Algernon show. The 7" includes two different, apparently early versions of "Serial Killer Status" and "Katie's Conscience"; worth the download. We played with these guys not too long ago and they are really great nice guys so support them! Buy stuff from their any of the million distros that carry their shit:
David Bazan has always heralded special attention in the independent music scene. For as many die hard Pedro the Lion fans as there are, there may be just as many running for cover as soon as they hear the word "Christian". The most common fallacy attributed to Bazan's body of work is that simply because he is a Christian his songwriting is somehow tainted. As one who doesn't believe in a supreme being, I can still say: entirely untrue.
Instead of writing songs that warrant group sing-a-longs and cheesy camera close ups of teary eyed teens holding their hands above their heads and singing to Heaven, Bazan's songs often directly confront his faith and the idiosyncrasies he faces as both a Christian and the modern man. Perhaps the best example of this is in "Letter from a Concerned Follower" (Progress EP, The Only Reason I Feel Secure), which directly questions God's ability to remain relevant in the modern world:
It's weird to think of all the things That have not been keeping up with the times It's ten o'clock the sun has just now Begun to set the western hills on fire
And I hear that you don't change How to you expect to keep up with the trends? You won't survive the information age Unless you plan to change the truth To accommodate the brilliance of men, the brilliance of men
Some folks think we're better now Social evolution's new synthetic will Will keep us on a straighter path As better men use brand new math With no wrong answers
I'm just a little bit worried Do you have some sort of plan? Have you been finally defeated By the cunning of these fully evolved men?
And I hear that you don't change How do you expect to keep up with the trends? You won't survive the information age Unless you plan to change the truth To accommodate the brilliance of men, the brilliance of men
It seems that far too often people are willing to write of Bazan's work as shallow and close-minded, but these individuals are guilty of the same narrow-mindedness as a Christian refusing to listen to hip-hop or punk rock. Although Bazan narrates his depressing tales from a Western Christian point of view, the themes in his work and his struggles with his faith are universal.
Certainly, on tracks like "Slow and Steady Wins the Race", Bazan's Christianity come to the forefront. Starting off with the line, "All the way to Grandma's house/I stayed on the narrow path/While my brother wandered off/Deep into the woods..." it serves as a sort of parable for the straight life vs. one of faithless hedonism, but even if one cannot buy into the story of personal salvation offered up by Bazan when he sings,
And when I get to Heaven I'll be greeted warmly Surrounded by the angels As Jesus takes my hand
one cannot help but recognize the unbridled passion and longing in his voice as he delivers the lines.
But it is the juxtaposition of such songs with scenes like the ones described in "Rapture" (Control), which kicks off with Bazan's signature warble: "This is how we muliply/Pity that's it not my wife..." that allows us to explore the darker side of his struggles with faith and morality. As much as he is a Christian man governed by his faith, he is also a visibly mortal individual, concerned with far more than simply Jesus.
Like "Bad Diary Days" (It's Hard to Find a Friend), a perfect bitter break-up song; an account of a man who slowly comes to realize his girlfriend is cheating on him. And "When They Really Get To Know You They Will Run" (also on It's Hard...) takes a sarcastic look at Western culture's fascination with personal beauty:
i don't like girls the way they are so shave their legs and make them look like movie stars then we can pretend it's natural
put on whatever makes you attractive if it's not you then do it for the sake of fashion your friends like a certain you that's who you've got to be
Some are put off by Bazan's lyrics. Others, simply his faith. Others still cannot get behind his bassy voice and deceptively simple song structures. I for one cannot get enough!
I am missing basically all the singles and the Christmas singles, if anyone has them I would really appreciate being able to add them to my collection!
P.S. Keep on the lookout for a post of David Bazan's post-Pedro output, including live performances, and a rare pre-Pedro demo.
Here is an old video of David performing "Diamond Ring", a favorite of mine.
First off, I would like to say that Kidcrash and The Kidcrash are the same band.
Anyways, Kidcrash is four piece based up in Washington, originally from New Mexico. They play some really original mathy screamo, and used to be a pop-punk band. Their first album, New Ruins, is on iTunes, but Kidcrash has this to say about it:
"Please don't order this cd (New Ruins). After spending more than $10,000 of our own money recording it, Lujo Records continues to try to justify their right to continue to collect 100% of the royalties from mp3 sales, after four years of selling the album on itunes and amazon. At one point we requested a box of cds for a show, they sent them way too late and they didn't arrive for the show. We never ended up selling them, but according to them we still owe them $400 for those cds and with that included they are still out about $500 recouping their $2000 investment. Reality is, we are still out about $8000, and they are honestly out maybe $200-$300 and have plenty of copies of the cd left. But there is no way for us to know how much they have made off of the sales of our mp3s. We have, on multiple occasions demanded that four years is long enough, and that the mp3s be removed from itunes. The response has been a load of bullshit about how we will get 50% of the royalties once the label recoups. But we don't want those royalties, and don't want to make money for those music monopolies. Amazon.com does not have the legal right to sell our mp3s and continues to after hours and hours of phone calls; we never signed anything granting Lujo Records the right to sell our music on iTunes, so when the time comes and we want it taken down, they have no right to refuse to respect our wishes. After all, they dropped us in a myspace message, why are they holding on so tight to our music. The only way we can force this to stop is by giving away this album. We wouldn't ever want to encourage people to listen to this album with the belief that if you like Jokes that we think you'd like New Ruins. So it is only posted here in protest of Lujo Records' lack of consideration for our wishes and legal rights as the composers, and REAL financiers of the record. DO NOT BUY IT!"
After releasing New Ruins, they progressed wonderfully with every ensuing release, including the rare EP "I Haven't Had a Date..." and the self titled 2006 demo. Their full length Jokes is a screamo masterpiece. They put up all their recorded music on Denovali a while ago, including rare pre-New Ruins demos and releases put out by the band early in their career; however we didn't download them before they were taken down. If anyone has these releases, please comment.
If you like what you hear, buy their shit off of Slave Union and Denovali or whatever, BUT NOT ITUNES!
Here's a video of them doing A Conduit Rather Than A Vault.
Jerome's Dream were a three piece emo violence outfit that existed from 1997-2001 in Connecticut. Leaving behind two full lengths, and a fistful of 7" releases (and even a 5"), Jerome's Dream stylistic impression on the genre has not gone unnoticed. Their earlier records were much like their live shows: fast, loud, and short, heavy on the feedback and technically impressive. Vocalist Jeff Smith refused to use a mic at shows (or while recording supposedly), which is pleasant enough when you see a folk-punk band doing it, but truly astounding when a screamo band pulls it off. After reportedly passing out in the booth while recording vocals for the Orchid split 10", the band's direction took a turn. Their second full length, Presents, featured no screaming by Smith, who instead used heavy effects on his voice to add a kind of atonal lyric to the songs. Musically, "Presents" was their most well-produced, and perhaps most musically mind blowing output. Below you can snatch their entire discography.
This is a blog posted earlier this year on the official Jerome's Dream myspace that kind of sums up what the band was all about, especially to the members themselves.
2008
it's been a long time since this band has played. just as many, if not all of our peers' bands as well. and though we are scattered about, the fact of the matter is, is that we were here, and this shit has made its mark. and i think that's a powerful thing, as the internet was hardly a leveraged platform for promoting music; it was the interwoven community of young kids who gave a shit about creating a culture and a community based upon the idea of DIY ethics and execution.
looking back, it was a very special time that simply cannot be "carried on", or emulated. the conditions of the current music world won't allow it. i mean, it seems that you need to have credentials that you otherwise wouldn't have even considered then, as an independent band. today, indie bands seem to be on par with majors, and once again, i think the internet has closed the gap, because it has consolidated resources unavailable then; marketing, promotion, distribution, video; it's all on line. everything is becoming digital. everything. and it's kind of fucking nuts.
and i'm by no means saying it's good or bad. i am saying that, though it's only been 7 years, since our end (and the end of many others), the dramatic shift in how music in general is handled and received, has created an even greater disconnect between now and then.. and i think this particular era in hardcore that we were privilaged to be a part of, wasn't documented properly, as it never is i suppose... but that creates an even greater mystery of what its culture and community was like.. in my opinion, it was one of the most impactful eras in punk, that is also the most under appreciated and overrlooked. which is just fine with me. because, those who were there, know what was, and those who were not, can look inside the music and only imagine the physical and emotional force it had. photos do not do justice. it was very hands on. it was very personal.
it was very personal for us as a band. perhaps even self indulgent. but that's what we did it for. it was for our own survial and coping. the music was our platform, but the community is what allowed us to share and demonstrate what hardcore meant to us. whether it was understood or excepted is debatable. regardless, we truly believed in DIY. we believed in community and supporting our friends and each other. we wanted nothing more than to travel to whichever basement, living room, kitchen, or small venue that would have us, and play our music in front of people who we wanted to believe would take something from it.. and some of you have, and we nod our heads to you. and for those who never saw us, or any of the wonderful bands that we were lucky to play with, we nod our heads to you too, for just discovering this and paying attention.
this is a 5 a.m. rant. it is also the first "blog" i have ever written.
good night,
erik
Oh, and if you're sitting there thinking, "I don't believe this dude could seriously be heard without a mic. Bullshit!" Watch this video.
Ok. Sailboats is one of those bands that existed for a very short amount of time, had an extremely small number of releases (try one demo, two songs), and is surrounded by this sort of enigmatic fog. In this post I am going to try and clear up some of that enigmatic fog.
The official Sailboats myspace states the following: two of sailboats died in a carcrash the other dudes are in loma prieta now our demo has two not four songs were not a christian band the "lost" record is not available for press
Yes, it's true that members of Loma Prieta were in Sailboats. Yes, it's true that the four song version of the demo that floats around the internet features two bizarre anonymous techno-esque songs for some reason. Yes, it's true Sailboats is not a Christian band, and there supposedly is a "lost record" - an EP apparently that will never be pressed, according to the band.
As for the car crash, that is where we have to speculate. When my band played a show with L'antietam this summer, I was talking to Derek (guitar/vocals) later that night at a party about music and Sailboats came up. He informed me that there was in fact no car crash and that the dudes from Sailboats were just kind of playing a practical joke and that they got a real kick out of the fact that everyone believes it. Now, before I get comments saying, "well how does he know?" etc etc etc I would say, "He knows because he is friends with Loma Prieta." (They're going on tour this January and releasing a split so check that shit out!)
Now, onto the music. Soundwise, Sailboats is really sort of similar to Loma Prieta except that Sailboats is just way more fucking brutal. Where Loma Prieta is sometimes more interested in the noodly guitar lines and disarming clean parts, Sailboats is more interested in simply ripping your fucking face off. These two songs have become a sort of cult classic for a reason, so download them!
I was talking to my friend Reid today about how we each sort of discovered, well, for lack of a better term, "good" punk rock and DIY music, and I mentioned Mineral. Back when I was just a naive young lad listening to bands we won't mention on this blog, I somehow stumbled across Mineral. Along with bands like Sunny Day Real Estate, Mineral kind of kicked open a new door for me. I was immediately grabbed by everything that makes Mineral so amazing - the raw yet beautiful guitar lines, the wonderful compliment of the rhythm section, and perhaps most immediately by the unrestrained emotion contained in Chris Simpson's voice. He croons, shouts, and occasionally misses a note, but that's what makes Mineral all the more real and exciting when you listen to them.
From the gritty, under produced sound of "The Power of Failing" to the more streamlined, patient arrangements of "EndSerenading", Mineral's lasting power lies in their inevitable ability to crush you, every single time, at any given point, in every single song. I think my favorite Mineral release ever is still the "February" EP, however. The two songs contained on that 7" contain some of the most emotionally gut-wrenching tracks ever put to tape. The pedal solo (pedal solo you ask? shut up and download!) at the end of "February" still never fails to make me completely still and send chills up my spine.
Below I have compiled all their output. If you've never heard Mineral, do yourself a favor.
P.S. A quick note about "Three Times as Shy" - it's so lo-fi it's pretty much unlistenable, and it's been floating around the internet as a Mineral b-side ever since I began listening to them. Honestly, I can't tell whether or not it's Mineral. I don't really know. I've never heard any dialogue about it. I have uploaded it solely for any diehard fans who may have an interest.
P.S.S. "Love My Way" was also on the "Fer Sure" Compilation, but I thought'd it be silly to up it twice. Just download the 7" version. Same goes for the Gloria/Parking Lot 7". But I like the artwork so here's that:
Here's a video of that timeless classic, "Gloria".
Here's an early video of them doing "The Ghost With The Most", please watch if you have never seen this before, it will make you love Daughters even more. Three words: angry. feminists. daughters.
This just made it's way onto the internet and thought Suis La Lune fans may be interested to hear their newest output. I will eventually be posting the other Suis La Lune releases on this blog. In case you missed my last Suis La Lune post, check it out here.
Order this shit off Suis La Lune's myspace and check them out when they tour the U.S. this March.
This Will Destroy is a post-rock band from Texas, and one of the more recent bands to appear on the post-insert-genre-here scene. However, drawing comparisons to bands like Explosions in the Sky, Mono, and Caspian wouldn't really do these guys the justice they deserve. Their sound is more ambient than Explosions at times (check out the self titled), and on albums like the Young Mountain EP, too formally constructed to conjure up any visions of Mono or Mogwai. They seem to skirt around classification, using pedal boards bigger than your living room and mixing in computer effects, expanding crescendos until the point of explosion, or building tension without ever expanding upon it, leaving you hanging on to see what will happen next.
P.S. If you're new to these guys and think you've never heard them before you very well may be wrong - songs like "Quiet" often pop up in the backgrounds of television programs - the other night I noticed it in the background of a football clip!
Last Saturday a bunch of friends and I packed into two cars and headed over to the Barclay house in Baltimore to see Outclassed, Army of Kashyyyk, and 1994. I was definitely stoked as fuck on the lineup because I love all those bands and hadn't gotten the chance to catch 1994 live yet.
I missed the first band but caught the second band and was really pleasantly surprised. Jonesin' plays really hooky pop/punk type stuff that fans of bands like Hot Water Music and Jawbreaker would really enjoy. They were on their way to The Fest in Gainesville. (I wish I was going! Check out the fucking lineup!) I picked up a 7" of theirs, featuring two songs you can hear by checking out their myspace. Outclassed played next, and really put on a great show. It seems like this time when I saw them everyone in the audience was a little more subdued and less drunk, but the singalong at the end of "Missing Teeth" was still epic nonetheless. 1994 was great as well. The drummer puked halfway through the set right next to his drum kit, but the guitarist assured us that "he always does that". Unfortunately I didn't have enough money to pick up their new album that just came out on Inkblot but I'm sure I will see them again so keep an eye out for it on the blog. Army of Kashyyyk played last as usual and destroyed. I just love their sound and the screamer has a great voice.
But enough babbling, let's get to the music. I got Outclassed's old CD which I missed out on last time I saw them due to a lack of funds. I have uploaded that along with their split with A Voice Like Rhetoric. The split features a slightly more refined version of "Do You Always Talk Like You Have Caviar In Your Mouth?" and is definitely worth the two seconds it takes to download. They also had copies of their 2008 EP which the Asian bassist told me were remastered and he threw it in for free. I thought it sounded pretty great the first time they released it, and when I stuck this in the CD player I seriously couldn't note any real difference between the first and second versions of the album, but I uploaded it anyway just in case anyone was interested or missed out on my first Outclassed post.
We are committed to bringing punk rock to everyone! however, you must (read: should) delete these files after 24 hours - they are the property of the artists who wrote the songs and are not really ours to give out! Please, if you like the album, support the artists! Don't just pirate, it's selfish!
IF LINKS DON'T WORK PLEASE LET US KNOW IN THE CBOX INSTEAD OF IN A COMMENT. WE WILL NOTICE IT FASTER. THANK YOU.
AUTHORITY FIGURES: Most if not all of the music posted on this blog is either out of print, DIY, or released by an independent label with no ties to major distributors or the RIAA. Just sayin'.
BANDS: If you want us to post your band (can't make any promises) or take a link down just let us know. Please include your band's name and the name of the blog in the subject line so we know it's not spam.
C - bluegrassish@hotmail.com
R - bunkerkidzzz@mail.com
