The Saddest Landscape

So The Saddest Landscape came out of retirement a while back and everyone flipped their shit. I had the chance to play a show with them in Delaware and I was blown away by their drummer (who I believe is a new addition?) and how fucking awesome their bassist is. Mike is one of the coolest dudes ever. I actually got the chance to kick it with him again when I went up to Boston earlier this fall, which was really cool.
I'm sure that anyone reading this knows who The Saddest Landscape is, seeing as they are one of the older screamo acts. Since they are back in action I suppose you could say that they are one of the longest running screamo bands around, but their break lasted like seven years or something. I never really got super into TSL, but I always liked their music. If you really have no idea who this band is, their sound is similair to post-rock screamo bands like City of Caterpillar, A Day in Black & White and Pianos Become the Teeth. This year alone they have released three albums as of now, two of which are splits and one is a full length. They also were featured on the newest Connections compilation. Below is everything that they have put out, as far as I can tell. They play shows and shit again, so go check that out, and please make sure that you give The Saddest Mike a high five. Heres a video.



If you have an album that I don't, please let me know and I will put it up here. Word.

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You Will Not Survive


The Saddest Landscape / Funeral Diner


The Saddest Landscape / Pianos Become The Teeth


The Saddest Landscape / If Footmen Tire You, What Will Horses Do?


Connections Pt II


I Don't Want To Miss You Anymore


The Saddest Landscape / Trophy Scars


Lift Your Burdens High For This is Where We Cross


The Sound of The Spectacle


All is Apologized For, All is Forgiven (pre '09 Discography)


A Promise Was Made


The Saddest Landscape / The Pine

Funeral Diner

Funeral Diner was a screamo band that encompassed punk, melodic hardcore and emo music to create a legendary sound that has influenced a good number of your favorite bands. They were from the general San Francisco area and were active from '98 to '08. In their ten years as screamo royalty they put out like 20 releases and toured Japan, Europe and The United States. Amongst other bands, the dudes in Funeral Diner played/play in ...Who Calls So Loud, Takaru, Portraits of Past, and Nexus Six. Below is everything that they put out except for an album called "Three Sides Dead", which is a compilation of their songs on their splits with Staircase, The Shivering, and Nexus Six, as well as a compilation called "Inspiration From Forest". They also have a song on The Emo Apocolypse. Heres a live video of "My Fists Smell Like Graveyards".



Word


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Split with Ampere


Split with Staircase


Split with The Shivering


Split with Zann


4-Way Split with End on End, Under a Dying Sun, and Endzweck


Split with The Saddest Landscape


Split with Dead City


Split with Evylock



Split with Raein


Split with Welcome The Plague Year


Doors Open


3" Tour Demo


The Swept Under


The Wicked


The Underdark


...Is Dead


Difference of Potential


The World Of The Forms


I just Want to Feel This Way Forever

Portraits of Past

Portraits of Past is a screamo band from San Francisco who had their first run from '95 to '96. They got "big" after they broke up, and then around '08 they started playing again and shit. They went to Japan in 2009 and released an EP called "Cypress Dust Witch". These dudes went on to form, amongst other bands, Funeral Diner and ...Who Calls So Loud. Fuck Yeah.
They did a split, a demo, two comps & an Lp, all of which were compiled and made into a discography cd that was put out by Ebullition Records. "Cypress Dust Witch" was put out by Excursions Into The Abyss. Below is all their shit and a video from a 2008 show in Berkeley, CA.



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Discography


Cypress Dust Witch

...Who Calls So Loud

photo from Barclay House show August 26, 2008 by Megan Lloyd, Baltimore area Photographer


After tenuring in influential bands such as Portraits of Past and Funeral Diner, the members of ...Who Calls So Loud formed a new band in the wake of the Funeral Diner break up and quickly put out a full length double 10" and a four song 12" EP in the matter of a year before suddenly breaking up.

What the band leaves in their wake is a twelve song discography spread out between two records and an all-encompassing discography cassette released on Utarid Tapes earlier this year. Due to their previous projects, ...Who Calls So Loud had a devout following before they even released their debut LP. They released their self titled double 10" amidst a flurry of critical acclaim and fan support.

The band's sound expanded upon the framework laid down by Portraits of Past and Funeral Diner to create a dense, epic, and dark soundscape on their debut LP. Impressive, dynamic drumming and a growling bass tone frame the frantic, yet restrained and intelligent guitar playing, which often makes compelling use of rhythmic shifts, and delay-washed introspective passages. The vocals are great, filled with powerful emotion and consistent motifs and themes lyrically.

The jewel of their discography in my opinion, though, is their self titled 12" EP. Each side features two songs: one instrumental intro song that leads into two of their finest and most diverse songs. On the A Side, the glitchy "Hey, I'm Outside" leads into what is the snappy, snare-driven "M'ed Palms", the band's shortest proper song. On the B Side, the moody, weird "Resonant Grain Silo" leads into the epic, nearly 9 minute long "Lark Vs Rascal", which in my mind is the band's best song. It swirls and builds, decays and re-blooms, successfully uses post-rock elements, and showcases the band's ability to write an absolutely beautiful yet crushing song without ever becoming too redundant and drawn out.

I had the privilege of seeing these guys play Barclay House in Baltimore on their last U.S. tour, and I'm glad I did.

Buy the 2x10" from Robotic Empire

Buy the 12" LP from Protagonist

...Who Calls So Loud on Myspace

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...Who Calls So Loud 2x10" LP (2008)



...Who Calls So Loud 12" EP (2008)