Yeah, It's All Relative

Wowzers, I forgot about this

2010-04-21T19:48:00.003-05:00

Howdy folks,

This is the first post of 2010! Better late than never right? I miss Justin and our musical debates, and this blog served as a medium for us to prove ourselves to ourselves. Nevertheless, I still feel compelled to continue to write about how I feel to whatever extent possible. And so, my favorite album of 2010 thus far is Toro y Moi's 'Causers of This'. Diane, and chillwave, say it isn't so! I will only say this once, this album is not a fair representation of chillwave. As Chaz said in an interview not too long ago "Chillwave is for people that go to the beach all of the time, I only go like once a year". It is however, a wonderful creation in the style similar to flying lotus and crew. There is just something very clean and precise about this album that I can't get over! Buy it Now!

A bit late for this, but it deserves recognition.

2009-12-02T16:18:00.003-06:00

There was a friend whom I stayed with in Austin Texas who had never heard Don Caballero before. I'd be in the same position as him if I hadn't been introduced, because at first glance, a band of that name wouldn't seem like a band, either that or, it would seem like your typical Screamo band that brews itself in as opening bands for "bigger" bands of the same genre. This is neither though. They're quite a well known band to most people I talk to about music, but if you've yet to hear them, you should.
Now, one thing I don't understand is all the negativity being shot off on various music haunts on the internet about their newest album Punkgasm. It could be that there are vocals, but for fucks sake, the vocals are actually good (I compare them to Justin Broadrick of Jesu). The vocals are clean, fitting, and the song remains the same. Seriously, give this album a listen and then read all the elitist shit people are posting on last.fm. And maybe for comparison, listen to one of their top tracks, The New Peter Criss Jazz, one of the most boring and unentertaining songs "indie" fans have ever given so much respect to. And the worst thing about it is that people attribute it to a change of members. Not the same band, granted, but it's still great and the outfit deserves to be called under its desired moniker. I think people are being rather snobby, and that says a lot on account of for one, I define the "music snob" character, and secondly, since when were math rock fans able to be so subjective? The genre is almost indistinguishable within itself. I can't tell you the difference between a Piglet song and a LITE song. Here's finally something that I enjoy and breaks away from the typical path and fans are almost uniform in being hypercritical. Well not me, I'm a maverick.

Here's a link to the album on myspace. It's the legeal and easy way to get things done. I don't actually have a computer anymore.

Don Caballero-punkgasm

CONSTANT STIMULATION

2009-11-30T19:03:00.008-06:00

One of the few bands that hasn't left me after a solid month or two of listening is Animal Collective. Usually bands with such an audio gimmick don't stay too long on repeat in my head. It started with Fugazi, a band that's sound can never be duplicated, and I can no longer listen to them without company. I don't know if everyone listens to music in the same fashion, but each song is it's own experience, which might be opposed to those who look at an album as a whole. Indeed, I do like to perform surgery on albums and render some songs non-listenable and others incredible, but it takes talent to have an album with a sound all it's very own have such value of listening to again, it takes a lot of talent to be a band and have an album where there is no such thing as a bad song, and it takes godly talent to have all of those things on every single album. And from listening to all of Animal Collectives "Works" (works being much more fitting as I think some of the things I hear seem to manifest itself beyond music) I don't think I could ever give this band the praise they deserve.
For all of you who have already listened to the band and are excited as I am to hear from the band that I think will one day be as influential as the greats of Classic Rock, there's a new EP out. You can find it here. I've listened to it, and I don't really know what to say. It is an EP, of course, so this is only a little taste, but I don't doubt that my expectations of better songs will be met when the full length is released.

If you've yet to give this band a listen because of their popularity or name, and believe me, I've been there, take it from me and give this band a listen. The following tracks are the last tracks from their three most popular albums and in chronological order with each albums release date.
Off the Album Feels

Off the Album Strawberry Jam

The following link links to the track "Brother Sport", the last track on Merriweather Post Pavilion. Fucking record labels.

Click here

Here again.

2009-11-20T19:55:00.004-06:00

Hello folks. How are you all doing? Great.

It's been a long time. So I think it's time to have a little talk about psych rock. The genre that I find most varied. Most psychedelic music fans would agree, true or not, that psych- or pschedelic can be slapped onto any genre to make it into a subgenre. I happen to be among those psych-rock fans who believe that psychedelic music has a lot more variation in style than any other genre of music.
I'm going to post five psychedelic video's that vary in different styles. Enjoy:

I especially like the video to this song

I hope that does it.

It's been awhile, but....

2009-02-13T17:09:00.007-06:00

Lately I've been feeling incredibly in touch with the music I love, mainly because I've had some personal problems and everything that confine me to the art. I hate to sound cocky, but there is just a true and definitive appreciate I have for music that I can't even describe. Upon realizing this I also simultaneously discover that music is for some people the only thing in the world that loves them. Music always nurtures, and when I say that, I don't mean that it's always there to console you, but it helps the emotions and thought of people grow (for better or for worse). In my own personal experience, the music I listen to and enjoy is the sole reason for why I am who I am. If you're reading this and thinking "You let music define you? You're gullible, weak, inhuman, not able to think for yourself" you are misguided.I could argue for eons about how nobody is their own soul in such a "worldly" place like the world. No one who has a soul and appreciation for art is free from its forging into your mind. It is omnipresent. It does not have to be for music, but at least I know for myself it is.

Why am I saying this? Because while I can respect all music I feel as if not everything is music. This is an extreme elitist view by some standards, but the quality of music or at least the majority of it is dependent on its intent. Music is art, not a commodity. You cannot create art for money, because it isn't art. I can no longer look at a Kinkade painting and feel as if he's talented because he's been churning out the same mystic landscaping shit for decades now. It is clear that he does not make art as an artist but rather a businessman. For relativity's sake: If a religious leader preaches for the purpose of gaining capital rather than promoting a certain belief, he is seen as a fraud. The spiritual aspect of art aside, the determining factor of whether or not music is music is intent. Did the artist make this to make a statement? Or did the statement just come as a product of capitalism? It's not wrong to make money, but what is wrong is when artists paint or perform seeking commission. Art shouldn't be viewed as something that we can create and sell. Are they artists because they're indie or are they artists because they can create something that penetrates the soul rather than coin-purses? You might consider me being over analytic, but as I stated before, music is much more to me than something you can sell me. If you're reading this and unfamiliar with anything other than the shit they're selling you on the radio, tune out and use your resources to see through a different window, because if you always look through the same one, you'll always have the same view. You may choose not to agree, but you can always have an understanding. Understanding is change. Music is change. Change the world by discovering something new whenever you get the chance. Not fond of something? Try to peer inside the soul of the people who listen to it. Will it disgust you? Maybe, but at least you know now.

There is always side effects to discovery, though. Taking anything too seriously can lead to dangerous instances, so I always keep this in mind. People become attracted to an art form, embracing all activities and stigma's that are in connection with the artform. sometimes these people later on think that they have been corrupted by music. But have they really? Has art been the inventor of a belief for these people or just a facilitator? I have to choose the latter. Art is not responsible for the actions of other people. Satanic metal, skinhead punk, goth rock, all of these genre's have been seen as taboo because they preach certain messages that are not identifiable with most dwellers of society. But back again to spiritual conclusions, in a religious aspect, is the preacher responsible for faith or is god? Most would say it was the God, more than a catalyst but a direct action of a divine power. Music, spiritual or not, is not the insanity itself, but granted, the host of insanity.

I bring this up because personally, someone very close to me told me that I was headed the wrong direction in my life because of my "Left wing bullshit and the music you listen to". this was highly offensive to me, it hurt me inside. I almost felt as if music had manifested human form and betrayed me. But then I got to thinking about what I posted above, and I decided that if it was the music tainting my mind, then my mind is fucked anyway and I might as well let it take its course.

I have some music to thank for this way of thinking, because I enjoy it. I am content with being a liberal minded asshole, I'm enjoying the path to hell. Mainly, I have to thank Cap'n Jazz. I've been constantly listening to this band for four years now and recently, if my friends can believe it, even more so than ever. The first time I heard this band, it was like a seed had been planted in my ears and a gorgeous sunflower had begun to sprout. Here was a band making music to present an emotion or feeling, a story but in the words of a rambling 17 year old.

Musical bliss for all to hear. Enjoy:

-J

PS: Diane, begin posting more bullshit, please!
PSS: If you can figure out which hardcore band and what song I took a quote from in this post, You get +1xxx internet screamo points!

Why Stephen Malkmus rules so much.

2008-08-29T20:14:00.008-05:00

It's simple really. He's probably the one guy on Earth you could get drunk and play Scarbble with. He's also, in my opinion, the frontman of PAVEMENT, that band that did no other: epitomized and set the standard for 90's indie rock and the indie rock model. Pavement was a trendsetter and made a point by having a great following and enough of one to call musician a career, yet not have extreme commercial success. Maybe Cut Your Hair got a couple of MTV plays, but that meant nothing. You could still be Indie and show your face on MTV in the 90's. It seems so long ago.

But regardless, the simplicity and happiness and perhaps memories that spawn off Pavement's eccentric twist on ROCK AND ROLL is one that should be enjoyed by any one who likes any kind of independent artist and thinks that conventional Pop has no place in the independent realm. Wrong. Listen:

By the way, this video is packed with more of that 90's nostalgia.

-J

PS: This post is dedicated to a friend.

Grizzly Bear makes me Giddy

2008-07-25T00:43:00.004-05:00

Grizzly Bear makes me so giddy, I get chills whenever I listen to them. It's quite scary downright nonsensical. I start to giggle feverishly and think about what I would say to all the members in the band if I were to meet them. Haha.

In all actuality, I admire their use of extraneous instruments not common in the lo-fi, indie, acoustic whatever you want to call it genre in creating their sound. It's reminiscent of Animal Collective in the sense of spontaneity, but they are still able to relay a sense of down home country euphoria.

This Brooklyn Based group contains four memebers, Ed Droste, Christopher Bear, Chris Taylor, Daniel Rossen, all of which, I think are brilliant in their own musical sense. I do have a fond admiration for Mr Ed Droste, who, before going to NYU and embarking on a musical career took a year off to work in Africa, (talk about man after my own dreams). Plus, these guys are good friends with TV on the Radio, the Yeah, Yeah, Yeahs, and all those other cool brooklyn bands.

Their new album is still in recording, but they graced us with an idea of how the album will sound on David Letterman last night...

Here's one of my favorites:
boomp3.com

-D

Why I don't go to Warped Tour as told by some one on the Warped Tour.

2008-07-17T11:15:00.004-05:00

This is an unusual post for me as 1) there is no music and it's not a cheerfully laden review 2) I am blogging about some one else's blog.
I'll start with my own interpretation of Warped tour before I ever read this blog entry. Under aged females and males, big black hair, hot because it's summer, whining, bitching, overly priced food and water, merchandising, record company representatives, and a 1/1000 ratio of Bands I'd like to see/Bands I'd heckle the shit out of.

Aside from the horrid line up, the stupid scene surrounding it and the 0.0000001% chance I'll spot a diamond in the disgusting ruff that is Warped tour, not even some of the performers can handle it. As this blog implies, the organizing and generosity of the people who put on the show (and if ANY ONE is putting on a show, it's the hair stylist, because fuck if any of the bands could play music) is much appreciated but the patrons are yes...annoying.

A band I've never heard of and probably have no interest in hearing, Broadway Calls, has a blog in which they repost MC Chris's experience of the Warped Tour. here are some excerpts that explain my contempt for warped tour with out me having to go or having to know much about it:

This tour is not really what we expected....and by that, i mean it's not that fun. We knew it would be hard work, and we have always been a hard working band, so that doesn't bother us...it's the whole environment is fucked.
When there are 60 bands a day, and a majority of them are made up of either Christian jocks that play REALLY HEAVY MUSIC for jesus, or pop bands with the only thing separating them from boy bands like Backstreet Boys are their de tuned guitars hanging from their shoulders, it's hard to be comfortable. I walk around at night sometimes after the shows. Back by the busses. BBQ in full effect. I look around, and quickly realize that the only difference between this and a huge frat party is that all these idiots play music. Bad music. Unfuckinglistenable music.
If i sound angry and bitter, it's cuz i might be.. just a little. I want to be on a punk tour, with good bands that care more about the quality of their songs, than the quality of their hair products. More about music, and less about signing underage titties.

Unfuckinglistenable. I like that.

To justify I have no regard in terms of hate for the actual tour itself, but rather the people who go and perform, I will say I will agree with Chris:

Don't get me wrong. It's not all bad. There are some absolutely amazing people out here, and some incredible bands.
The founder of the warped tour Kevin Lyman really helped us out with our bus problem. Everyone in production, and behind the scenes are great.
Against Me!, Beat Union, Set Your Goals, Every Time I Die, The Bronx, Gaslight Anthem, Bedouin Soundclash, The Aggrolites... these are all great bands. Real bands. Real dudes. Exactly the type of bands i would love to travel with all the time. Unfortunately, these bands aren't really the kind of bands that bring thousands of kids out everyday, so we get thrown in with all the trash.

Yep. Sad reality of ignorance and the stigma of a useless scene.

-J

There's love in these synth keys

2008-07-15T20:54:00.009-05:00

For me, The Anniversary drips with a twee attitude, take punk rock, mix it up with some synthesizer and some typical morose vocals, and you have some thing to be giddy about.

This is a hard article for me to write since The Anniversary in the course of the two albums they put out seem to draw influence from not just one scene. From the very Pink Floyd sounding outro to "The Death of the King", the purposely cheesy new wave sound in "Hart crane", and many more, this band can mean just about any thing to any one.

Before Panic! At The Disco, in fact since 1997 to 2004, The Anniversary rocked the synth, shared the vocals, and brought the cheese whiz. The Cheese Whiz, I feel that needs an explanation. See, Cheese Whiz destroys every thing. Have a nice tomato Spaghetti? With the push of a nozzle, your tomato spaghetti is no more. It's now an unfavorably tie-dye mixture of tomato, salty cheddar and wet noodles. So, this band destroys in the light-hearted rock kind of way. The kind you kiss girls to. Or boys. It's whatever really.

It's not surprising this band really started being a serious band when approached by The Get Up Kids and soon to be frontman for New Amsterdams Matther Pryor. I should note that James Dewees of The Get Up Kids went on to form the similar Reggie and the Full Effect. Too bad Reggie and the Full Effect SUCKS. So yeah, I'm stating that The Anniversary is as if you listened to Reggie and it was actually worth listening to.

All I have left to write about this sadly defunct project is that I really think it deserves more than a sad misrepresentation in Jason Oda's (Starvingeyes) oh so popular EMOGAME. IF you've seen this or played through The Anniversary boss fight, I'd just like to say that J. Oda can go suck a dick, his claims that the female vocals on the latter album "Her Majesty" are lacking is awfully inaccurate. The singing, the collective shouting, the chanting, is only more apparent and artful in Her Majesty, so fuck you, Jason Oda! And thank you for ignoring the 5 emails I've sent you about how you can't make an emogame and exclude Tim Kinsella.

Any way, don't listen to Jason Oda, don't read Pitchfork, don't even google their album reviews, Because I know this band rules. Trust me.

-J

Note: I couldn't get my beloved Boomp3 to just fucking work so I'm going to resort to Youtube for this one:

Warped Tour, What I'm pissed I missed, and

2008-07-13T20:44:00.003-05:00

What I'm happy I did.

So, I haven't been writing as much as I used to due to laziness, work, and preparing for school, but my writing hasn't been the only element that has suffered; my social life, including going to shows as well. A good example would be Warped Tour. Each year for the past 3 years, I've tried to go to warped tour to see what innovative things are popping up from the pop-punk and pop-hardcore bands, and try to give support to those obscure bands that luckily won a spot on warped tour. Well, I was too lazy to go this year, so a good friend April Rew, gave me the 411 on some of the bands that she thought was note-worthy. So let us begin with the bands

I'm Ecstatic I Missed

Set Your Goals

This band from San Francisco claims to be melodic hardcore, to the likings of Dag Nasty and Gorilla Biscuits, however, I just don't hear it. But what I do hear is the same intro on their singles. Anyway, they've been together since 2004 and have since toured with Anti-flag and their counterparts on warped tour. April says "all these rappin wangsta bangs"

Check Em Out 4 yourselves

ugh!

The Next Band is.....

Alesana
"Sweat drips in my eyes"

So this band is another one of those mistaken genre bands. This "screamo" band has been signed to fearless (what's going on with that label????, ie "Punk Goes Crunk", that's sad!) since 2006 and has toured with bands such as Sky Eats Airplane and lovehatehero. I don't know, everytime I see them, I think WTF is this, Hawthorne Heights with better technical skills? April says "he's like this ugly looking dude with a girl's voice and a constipated scream"

I'm not feeling too good.. Let's move on to something better:

The Bands I Wanted to See

Protest the Hero

This band is fire. A group of 5 from Ontario (Sum 41, anyone), has been touring together since 1999 intruding on every stop of their tour with infectious melodic lyrics which Arif Mirabdolbaghi (bassist) said are "akin to goddess worship in the tradition of Robert Graves" and spontaneous mathcore guitar riffs that are reminiscent of Dillinger Escape Plan and Trail of Dead, but more approachable. They are signed to Vagrant (dashboard,hold steady) and have just released their 2nd studio album "Fortress" in January. They have won many awards in Canada including "Best New Metal Artist" against their contemporaries Alexisonfire. I don't know what else to say but... they were probably the most promising band of that tour, and I missed them!

Gym Class Heroes

Best pop-funk-emo-rap-whatever you want to call them around. This group is from Geneva New York and is headed by MC Travis McCoy. Now, you are probably thinking, Diane only wants to see them cause she thinks Travis is hott. And that may be a factor, but not the only one. I admire their musicality and stage presence and the fact that their new album has a collab with Hall and Oats. I also wanted to see what Travis was going to say to the crowd about his recent arrest. Supposedly, he was arrested for assaulting a heckler when the dude called him the N-Word during his set in St. Louis. Mccoy hit the dude with a mic and got escorted by policia after his set. Anyway, he's free now and better than ever. Check out some of his old stuff before he was signed to Fueled by Ramen, its quite cynical.

That's All Folks, and again a special thanx to April, who finally said that "the best set BY far was every time I die"

-D

The impact of the crackle

2008-07-13T17:03:00.004-05:00

The impact of the crackle is heard definitely on the Old Hearts Club 7", it has a sincere vinyl quality to it. It may have to do with the steel guitar, the hushed voice, or just the low quality of recording. Regardless, this band puts a wonderful twist on a sound that's been used in their genre's past. Only past music makers haven't been as innovative.

Usually, to have your band described as innovative comes at a price. It may have a brand new sound, concept, gimmick, any thing that sets it apart, but it may not be any good. It happens all too often, and while it at times acquires fans, it doesn't acquire ones who could go for easy listening. But if you're still stuck in the car with mom or dad and don't feel it as unbearable to listen to the radio, but you still crave "indie" then this band goes out to your hearts. This bands sound is enjoyable to those right in the middle of seeking melody but at the same time a sense of discourse.

And may be if you're seeking some thing just to listen to at midnight or on a bike ride, this is to your heart too.

Old Hearts Club comes from the minds of creative indie kids from Cleveland Ohio who would eventually go on to form Six Parts Seven, where I guess they pushed the envelope more musically going into the Ambient genre. You can hear that it was inevitable in this older project of theirs.

Enjoy.

-J

PS: I could not find a picture of the band or album artwork. Sorry. There's a pretty neat picture of some hambeast.

boomp3.com

Some thing straight from the vinyl cabinet.

2008-07-09T19:06:00.003-05:00

Don't let their vocals that resemble a mental patient's banter confuse you, Don Martin Three is about as emotional of a band as you can possibly get. Just imagine a fish eye lens, one you can attach to your camera, or imagine staring at the rear view mirrors of a bus, amidst a sea of operating buses. Look to the sky, the atmosphere blankets a child who resorts to the sky for the answers, and Don Martin 3 has the answers.

Hah, I bet you thought it was God. No, an obscure punk band that existed from 1993-1996 from St.Augustine Florida wields the solutions to life's problems, dazzles, and intricacies. Not God.

Let's not over estimate the sincerity of Don Martin 3's acute lyrics, they were rumored to mock other bands with in their genre, hence why their first LP sounds so much different from the following 7". Who cares. Crust punks and emo kids can't devote all of their time to misanthropy and poetry. Some times they just have to play around, and that's what Don Martin 3 did for all the 90's DIY kids. It's some thing missing in the current scene.

Yes, I'd like to critique the current "DIY" scene.I would just call it a scene at this point, a useless vie for popularity and status, again. It's not unusual for any formulaic revolution to turn a complete opposite and go corrupt and void of meaning. But DIY, an ethic that could have lasted, has not.

What i'm saying is, DIY, as a scene, has become some what of a riddle to me. How a band can at the same time be DIY and make profit from the sale of T-shirt's at hot topic is baffling for me (black flag), and how a musical act that can only speak of the deliciousness of cheeseburgers and taco's in their lyrics can participate in such scene. Call me close minded, but thats not productive, I might even say it's an impediment on an otherwise thriving scene, counterproductive. I can't tell you the last time I was at a DIY venue where a band was discussing issues. Not even issues, but a personal expression of the way a person interacts and perhaps, copes with society.

That's what Don Martin 3 was about. As a culminating remark: UP THE FUCKING PUNX!

-J

boomp3.com

Guest Post- Deftones

2008-07-09T10:06:00.004-05:00

This following post was written by a good friend of mine that doesn't like Brazillians and thinks that he will soon take over the world, yes, he is what we call crazy. Luckly, his music taste hasn't suffered at all and in fact quite brilliant... and so the following post will be by him:

"Deftones were ground breaking, formed in 1988 and have been a band for this long is remarkable
and produces constant tunes
a little to love for everyone, they scream (chinos famous eagle crys) too get the adrenaline pumpin, then slow songs too calm you down... easy drum beats to complex beats...
it is pretty much if your a fan, if you become a fan, you are a fan for life
(at least in my eyes)
and there shows can be good if chinos (singer) voice is in the game but no matter what they are fun bc they do random stuff
(ex. Chino started rapping at the last show i went too singin mike jones in the middle of My Own Summer funny shit)
his lyrics are random and hardly make sense at times but at the same time are genius
They're best stuff stems from their early years
check out their self titled album
THEN WHITE PONY, tunes like knife party and passenger is why i fell in love with deftones, although passenger is a song that is taken as a song about gay sex between chino and tools lead singer but who knows the lyrics keep you guessing, btw tools lead singer is featured in that song
white pony won them awards but i dont think is their best
but saturday night wrist (newest album) should be your last resort to listen too although it holds its own
they have crap loads of cds and to be honest i havent even heard all their stuff

I could go on and on
:)
remeber old to new..

and if rumors i hear are true, they are working on new album?"
- Nick Mondi

pps: Yes, Diane hasn't posted in a while.... don't worry I've got some album reviews lined up, I just need time to type up me thoughts!

-D

I put my media playero n random and this is what I got

2008-07-07T11:51:00.002-05:00

I got The Jim Yoshii Pile-up. This band is still active and plays and lives on the sunny West coast and according to Last.fm, which looks written by the band, they want to play for, yes, you. That must mean me, or it could mean you, who knows? The fact they are still isolated to the west coast because their music hasn't reached any further is disappointing to me, especially since this band has been active since 1999. And they've had a split with the ever popular XIU XIU. I should mention that that same split was recorded by Chris Walla of Death Cab For Cutie. That's 9 years in the scene and this stuff hasn't lifted off yet, and I wonder why with such a valuable source, the internet. May be people still like shitty music.

This band with all nine of its albums I think go through nice processes with in their music that I like to call "swirls". Yeah, because it feels like the music has formed an aura around you when you're listening to it and it may seem like it's swirling.

I've enjoyed this song, I put it on a lot mixes that I make because 90% of my music collection sucks to every one else. And, well, it's just a good song to me.

-J

boomp3.com

A band I know nothing about

2008-07-04T19:04:00.002-05:00

I guess the record label is defunct. I know this is off their only released 7". Too fucking bad, it rules. Had one 7" put out by Fountainhead records, the only other thing I know about Ipecac, is that they are from Richmond, Virginia. If you have any information on this, let know.

Enjoy it, I guess.

-J

boomp3.com

I've ditched my pumps, my mullet, and my Nintendo and traded it in for Acid.

2008-07-03T17:13:00.008-05:00

Kraut Rock said the drug was the music. I don't think they're exactly right, but if you're able to develop an altering of conscious from music, Bardo Pond is the band to do it with, I'd assume. They're a multi-gender band from Philadelphia who rocked through the '90's, beginning in 1991. Though not the beginning of a truly odd and still enigmatic music collective, this band expanded the sound of earlier bands, one of the biggest influences I notice is the '90's psychedelic music's strikingly similar sound to Sun City Girls. The sounds of the desolate lands, perhaps post-apocalyptic or just remote.

The female vocalist, Isobel Sollenberger, has a nice mumbling but at the same time mesmerizing. Definitely Mars Rock, space rock gone dirty, a cowboy stand off on the sun, an encounter with God at the end of the universe. But don't take my word for it, this is always open to interpretation which is the beautiful thing about music making an abstract artistic expression as a whole. I'm referring to avant-garde, which is also a loose term. If you have any objections to me referring to this band as avant-garde, go on ahead and explain to me why it isn't successfully, and well, from there, I think I'd blow my own fucking brains out. There's no wager on your behalf, I promise.

Maybe praising this bands eclectic and flurry of a sound isn't just as it is in fact, drug-inspired music. That is to say, it's 99% likely Bardo Pond were taking part in the consumption of drugs, heavy or petty, thank whomever remains above my own being for these harmful chemicals, because I quite frankly don't care what any one says or what any one has to retort: Music sounds fucking AWESOME when you're on drugs. But it's even BETTER when you're making the music. And I'm not asserting the statement that music doesn't sound awesome with out either instances, but drug induced and influenced music has a special surreal quality to it.

Hey, drugs and the beautiful people who fight for the expansion of 215 every day aside, this band is awesome.

Enjoy!

-J

A small note to readers: I am not a drug addict, but I have had my experiences. There is no need to take an illegal substance to enjoy this, I assure you.

boomp3.com

California at one time was about more than Laguna beach and cows.

2008-07-01T13:21:00.002-05:00

It was about JAMMING PUNK ROCK! Like, go to a fucking show and have it be a water park of sweat and you come out all dirty and disgusting, smelling like sweat, marijuana, cigarettes, and just basically, like you had a good time. and in between shows I guess if you had one of those grafitti pens you'd draw some thing cute or political on the wall.

Mohinder sets you in the mood, as Henry Rollins says: "I'm 40 and I want to fuck on the floor and break shit".

back when synth rock of any sort was unheard of at a DIY venue, it was left to these kind of punk bands to set the scene. To THRASH.

Sorry, it may not exactly be thrash, but god damn, I am having a hard time writing this, listening to this and not wanting to throw this computer monitor out of my window. Any ways, enjoy these these babies gone rock from the heart of Silicon Valley, California. They'll show you how it's fucking done!

-J

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BLASPHEMY

2008-06-30T14:12:00.001-05:00

Tell me what you think:

Also, I always thought "a jagged pulp runs through my veins" was the correct lyric.

The higher the guitar pitch, the higher the sweetness

2008-06-29T22:08:00.002-05:00

Street Smart Cyclist is far from defunct and has only released a self-titled demo, which received not only critical acclaim, but got every fan of the bands Cap'n Jazz, The Jazz June, M.I.J. or any other similar band asking about future releases.

Not surprisingly, this band comes right out of the midwest to show every one that messy, gruff, artsy, poppy, emotional rock and roll is still alive.

How ever, I'm not only posting this because I think these guys make an incredible band, but also, much like Still Life did back in the '90's, they got all their equipment stolen from them. What a fucking cruel world.

Go to their myspace and give these guys any thing you have so they can start jamming again: http://www.myspace.com/streetsmartcyclist

Enjoy!

-J

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Lync

2008-06-26T13:07:00.000-05:00

This is going to be good, Lync is one of my all-time favorite bands. Yet an other band that used Low Fidelity (Lo-fi) recording style. I don't think any other way would have been proper.

This is an Olympia Washington band that has message boards always ending up at the same place: Modest Mouse. Apparently I guess Isaac Brock, Modest Mouse frontman, played with Lync a few times and was a friend of the band.

All of that aside, this band gets compared to so many bands some times I feel they really could start their own 6 degrees series: Fugazi, Modest Mouse, Boys Life, Treepeople, etc. That can only say that Lync has it's own sound and you can't really compare it's sound definitively.

Lasting for 2 years (1992-1994) they are considered an influence to many bands, but most notable, Ben Gibbard of Death Cab For Cutie.

Enjoy.

-J

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Indie Rock does not define a sound.

2008-06-25T11:39:00.000-05:00

Here's how it goes: Dinosaur Jr. comes along, kicks some '80s alt-punk ass, but Lou Barlow gets his ass kicked out and resorts to his full time project Sebadoh. Pioneers of the fake genre "Lo-fi", Sebadoh used four tracks to create a very, shall I say, dirty but morose sound? Also, how many god damned "Lo-fi" pioneers are there? I've heard Pavement, Treepeople, Smog...what ever.

This band has been doing it's thing since 1989 and I give them major recognition for epitomizing the 90's "lo-fi" sound. Pioneers or not, this is what it was supposed to sound like.

-J

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Out on patrol but always in my heart

2008-06-20T21:36:00.000-05:00

Want punk rock? Action Patrol, the gimmick-y band that was just a bunch of friends fucking around and then became a band of friends just fucking around with fans and tours has plenty to spare. Awesome. Respect the Patrol, 1994-'96, RIP.

Certainly not a mile stone in punk rock, but certainly good for those dancin' days.

-J

PS: Diane, and every one else, if you're in the mood for some thing simple and fun, listen to it now.

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The Appleseed Cast will save a life.

2008-06-19T13:42:00.000-05:00

Whoa! A Deep Elm band often compared to Explosions in the Sky?

The Appleseed Cast is a true innovation to music, the beautiful guitar plucking, it's like American Football but made for people who feel some thing is missing from their lives. They would probably say "Nothing is gone, or wrong, it's perspective!". Perspective, indeed, and this band has a lot of it. From Lawrence Kansas, home to other great bands like The Anniversary, started in 1997 originally to sound just like bands Mineral or Sunny Day Real Estate. That is not too inventive, but as with most bands that are still involved in the scene after a while, the music will progress and will become more technical and more thoughtful.

This band took advantage of potential.

This song is "Fishing the Sky" from the album Mare Vitalis. An itneresting fact about this track is that it was released as a compilation track that was put together by Deep Elm to support Suicide hotlines. According to Deep Elm, "was hand-picked for lyrics that promote hope, faith, perseverance and survival as well as the understanding that you're not alone in feelings of depression, loneliness and doubt." This song fits that description, perfectly.

-J
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Every thing is shining and white and so abstractly beautiful.

2008-06-18T16:33:00.000-05:00

BOREDOMS can invoke a lot of emotion. Their musical style is Noise Rock, and it's never been a genre that qualified a specific sound. Boredoms is a prime example of this...wacky music genre and glorifies it for any one who ever thought that heavy experimentation was just noise.

Japan, which is also not a country that's been known to stay conservative in terms of art, is where these guys (and girls) come from. Putting every art form into motion, the effects of their music are a plethora, that revisits the gallery, the hills, the home, the church, any thing lucid, all in that tiny head of yours.

Boredoms also are so fucking good they got the honor of being the main act of Lollapalooza for a year. That's awesome.

Here's Super Are from the album named "Super AE". This shit is insane. (Note: There are TWO drummers on this album)

-J

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What happens when emo kids spend too much time in the wheat of the midwest

2008-06-18T13:54:00.000-05:00

ELLIOTT happens. If this band doesn't ring any bells then certainly you weren't too attentive to the indie/hardcore scene back during the late '90's, or you just were too young, like me.

Any way, as far as I know, this band was quite the talk of the scene, which is surprising considering they sound so generic. Yes, that was a very spiteful adjective, "generic", but we'll discover a lot of what become hardcore punk some where after 1998 is VERY generic. Simple guitar power chords and 4/4 rhythm.

But for such a generic band, they really had some thing in those common rhythms and guitar effects, some where in between, there's some thing they did, some thing unknown to me, that makes them addictive to listen to.

I think Elliott is a rare case of where a band can mold a generic sound, can mold simplicity, in to a masterpiece, simply by manipulating minute details.

This is off "U.S. Songs", it's the instrumental track, but the whole album sounds some what if Hot Water Music got a little less gruff. That's a good thing. Hot Water Music was outplaying the Jawbreaker thing.

-J

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I FEEL LIEK SHREDDING CHEESE

2008-06-17T15:23:00.001-05:00

Cheese shred, that's the best expression to sum up the band GIRLSARESHORT, that has similarities to any kind of thing you'll see playing at your DIY venue with Kimya Dawson. I won't lie, those shows are always fun, it's hipsters, but they're not bad hipsters. Hipsters with ethics, and that's what girlsareshort are really all about. Rock and roll, lunchboxes, girls, cheesy cliche's, and peace. I like all of those things.

So get ready for that frisky feeling where every thing turns pink and every animal is tiny, cute, and portable, and life is some thing that is best portrayed by schizophrenics.

This song is off the album "Contact Kiss".

-J

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PS: Diane, that's a fucking long ass post, girl.

I'm no hipster, but

2008-06-16T19:35:00.000-05:00

I repeat, I am no hipster. Although I took a quiz yesterday, and it determined that I am a blipster...... And for that, you have to bear with me because I am always two months behind when it comes to new releases in indie music. I think its because I spend all my time deciphering lyrics from Mars Volta albums or spending time collecting Willie Colon salsa albums.

Here is my Hipster edition.

All the cool hipster blogs such as Gorilla Vs. Bear and I'm Guess I'm Floating have done their line up of their favorite albums of the year so far.

Well, I think I'm am well versed in indie music, and i think my attempt will be well justified. So... without futher ado.. here is my top ten albums of 2008, so far.

1.) Santogold-Self Titled

I anticipated this album way before it was released only because I saw her on MIA's myspace, and was intrigued by her myspace photo for her profile. Santi White, a native from Philly born and raised, worked as an A&R representitive for Epic Records, produced an album for Res an R&B artist, and was the lead singer of a ska group all before she teamed up with John Hill to produce her self-titled debut album. With the likes of Spank Rock, Diplo, and Switch all contributing to the album, its a mix of punk, reggae, afro-salsa, electronica, just about everything, in a tight little box.

Here is the second single of the album. L.E.S. Artistes, produced by Santi White, criticizes pretentious hipsters in Lower East Side of New York. For those who are confused about the video, it replicated the mass murder of color in The Holy Mountain by Alejandro Jordorowsky.

Le Smell Scene
The two following bands are from the smell scene in LA. The Smell is an all ages DIY avant garde club in downtown L.A. where bands like Health, No Age, Mika Miko, and others have recorded and created their own kind of scence.

2.) Health-Self-Titled

Just pure good noise rock, plain and simple. This group is out of California and are notorious for putting on free shows. They killed their performances at sxsw, which you can check out at pitchfork.tv. Oddly enough, their sound is distinct for using the Zoothorn, which is a permutation of microphone and guitar pedal.
My favorite single of the album is Crimewave.

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Warning: if you go up to Good Records and try to stir up a conversation with your regular run of the mill american apparel hipsters about the song, then you will hear about the crystal castles version. People say its the stuff. I say, its ok.

3). No Age- Nouns

So, I love these guys. No joke, they are hot stuff. And, this is the first "hipster" band i've known about before they have hit Dallas. Usually, I hear about bands and get into them months after they have toured texas, and it takes years for them to come back. IE Blonde Redhead, Bloc Party, Grizzly Bear... etc. there's been too many. Now, I have the chance to seem them live and you do too. They are playing at the Loft at Palladium on June 30th.. Don't miss it. I sure won't!

Anyway.. this duo is composed of Randy Randall on guitar and Dean Spunt on drums and vox, are signed to sub pop. They've been together since 2005, and have been performing together since. Think of them as a mix of Glenn Branca, Throbbing Gristle, Crass, and Maserati. Like I said.. Hot STuff.

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4.) Beach House- Devotion

This album has been rated the best album of the year by many blogs and many musicians, including one of my favorites, Edward Droste from Grizzly Bear said" that's a no brainer for me! beach house, devotion. I've listened to this album since I got it in the fall non stop until now. They rapidly climbed my most played tracks on iTunes to overtake many of my favorite songs. This is the type of music that just grows and ages with each listen in the best way possible. I never tire of it and I'm sure that 10 years down the road I'll appreciate it as much as I do now.". Thanks to Gorilla Vs. Bear for asking him that question. I think that explains their music enough.

5.)White Denim-Workout Gold

This band sounds like MC5 stepped out of a time portal that delivered them back to Detriot, Michigan and they came across albums from The Black Keys and the Latest Jack White releases and then felt inspired to release an album as well. I was shocked to find out that they too are from the lone star state. However, they are from Austin, so I guess that gives them a cool point. Give it a listen... You'll like it!!!!

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Man, this playlist is rockin!

6.) Vivian Girls- Self-Titled

Ok, so this heavily tatooted trio of girls from brooklyn sound like early Sleater-Kinney produced by Phil Spector before he got a hold of Miss Diana Ross and the Supremes. It's pop, plain and simple. Right now, its impossible to get a hold of their recent release. I think they sold out their vinyl months ago. However, they should be re-releasing their ep on In the Red sometime this fall.

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7.) Lightspeed Champion- Falling Off the Lavender Bridge

Besides my weird obession/crush with this guy due to his blog , his album is quite cute, quirky and wonderful, although his lyrics are comprised of teenage/young adult angst and whining. Trust me, it makes a good contrast. His album has been well-recieved in Britain, and it is gaining ground fast in the US due to his immaculate performances at SXSW. Mike Mogis and Conor Oberst from Bright Eyes gave him a place to stay and also helped him produce this album. Saddle Creek's the Faint, Tilly and the Wall, and Cursive all contributed to the album, while Emmy the Great was a guest vocalist. Yeah, I know what you're thinking.. why didn't Saddle Creek release this album.. well good question!

BTW... Yeah, its the same Devonte Hynes from Test Icicles. You know the song "Circle Triangle Square", well anyway, that band is defunct.... Thank Goodness (jk, I actually loved that song.... well I loved the whole dance-punk revival thing but thats for another time)!!!

8.) Hercules and Love Affair- (Self Titled)

Pure post-millennial disco at the heart. With the lead singer being Antony from Antony and the Johnsons you have to expect this album to be creative. Its been released on DFA. This album is the shit.. that's all I have got to say...

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9.) MGMT- Oracular Spectacular

These dudes are Krazy Hot!!!! This duo hails from Brooklyn and is signed to Columbia Records. They met at Weselyean University, and the were formely known as The Management. Their album is like combining all the popular music genres from the 60's and 70's and then add a pseudo infront of whatever name you come up with for the combination. The album has been well recieved in Britian, ending up at number 12 on the British Pop Charts. Hopefully, they will have greater success here!

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10.) The Cool Kids- The Bake Sale

"With a Little Bit of Gold and A Pager"....this EP doesn't mess around. Straight up drum&bass, its sounds like it came straight out of the early 1990's reminiscent of the beats of Eric B.& Rakim but contains lyrics that are similar to Will Smith's earlier releases by when parents just didn't understand.The two cats that make up this group Mikey Rocks and Chuck Inglish hail from Chicago and Detroit Respectively. Their single "Black Mags" have been everywhere from commericals for Boost Mobile and rhapsody. Right now, they are signed to Chocolate Industries and hopefully their album will be coming out on that label soon. This is defintely one of the if not the hottest hip hop albums of the year!!!

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Well..... that's it...
Tell me what you think about my choices do you think they are "hipster', or is it some lame girls attempt of becoming pitchfork....

-D

its coming

2008-06-16T17:34:00.003-05:00

yeah, for all those that I have told about my upcoming post...

its almost here

It's always the same

2008-06-14T02:03:00.000-05:00

Have you ever just woken up with a song playing in your head, and it plays throughout the whole day....

OK so maybe i'm a freak, but Dinosaur Jr's "Not the Same" has been playing in my head All Day...........

However, its not the version from Where You Been, but instead from the live CBGB version with J. Mascis, the version that was remastered into Martin and Me but was missing the live version of "Not the Same"

Dinosaur Jr ( from Massachussets btw) have been around since the early 1980's but most of their success came during the 1990's. Their notable records are Green Mind and You're Living All Over Me. You could consider them your first wave of 1990's alternative rock, with the likes of Mudhoney, Toadies, and even the Pixies.

Anyway, the version that is posted today is from Where You Been, which is my favorite Dinosaur Jr. Album...

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-D

Kentuckians don't just eat gross Fried Chicken

2008-06-12T10:30:00.001-05:00

They also make really good classical/avant-garde collectives, one of which being RACHEL'S, a classical avant-garde band that uses heavy experimentation.

I know, personally, this music has touched me, but also has been a loved band from enthusiasts of all genres.

Now, sadly defunct, with their last release being a single track ominously named "Technology is Killing Music" in 2005, Rachel's released many albums soaking in beautiful eclecticism, skill, and experimentation. They even wrote music for a theatre production. Awesome.

Here is "Arterial" from "Systems/Layers", I suggest you buy this album over any thing I have posted on this blog so far. Even more so if you find it on vinyl.

-J

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I thought I would hate this but......

2008-06-12T10:21:00.001-05:00

This is a series of posts I will do every week. Just like they say, "don't judge a book by its cover", I tend to judge albums by their singles. DON'T DO THAT. I have come to the realization that record labels are wack and sometimes they put out bad singles that hinder their artists. Anyway......

Today's artist will be BLACK LIPS.

The band has crossed the DFWub in the past year twice, once headling and the other with the racouters. They come from the new wave of southern garage rock that is similar to the kings of leon and the black keys.

Once I heard their single 'Cold Hands' on their album Good Bad Not Evil, I was unamused... I thought they sounded like an off brand version of Alabama, but without the fly technical skills.... anyway lo and behold

O Katrina!

btw new favorite song !!!!!

LATS

2008-06-11T20:21:00.001-05:00

These guys are bunch of cool cats signed to Level Plane records (Record label of fine punk Rockn'Roll). They've had splits with Science of Yabra and spoken word masters Sinaloa, and have released a stunningly good LP, "TO YOUR HEALTH".

With emotional lyrics exploiting the fucked up social structure, this band kicks "Generic Punk Rock" out of the Generic section. With a cacophony of sounds, eclectic to a degree, they created quite a moving album.

Here is the final song off the "To Your Health" LP, a perfect spine-chiller.

(PS: This song is for every one out there who has had the most incredible day to begin with to have it shattered in a short moment, much like I experienced today. I cancelled plans with Diane, my accomplice in this blog, but also flaked out on the Mates of State show. Bummer.)

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Uranium 9 volt

2008-06-05T11:03:00.000-05:00

This band reminds me of a lot of what became hardcore following the year 2000, except that the band was alive circa '95-'98. Obviously drawing a ton of influence from bands like Julia and Don Martin 3, Uranium Nine Volt is a product of Brothers Bill and Greg Schneider, of the former Monsula.

With 4 releases (5 if you count their track "Split Derision" on (You're Only As Good As)The Last Great Thing You Did) one of which being a split with Ex-Ignota, this band tried for their span to rid of their pop punk title, and why they had to try so hard, I will never under stand. With no pop elements what so ever, this band defines emotional hard core. May be this is the root of the confusion. Or it could have been The Promise Ring. Who knows, and who cares even?

Any way, if you're looking for some thing with that nice gritty and "jangly" guitar, here it is. This is what I think of when I remember running around naked on my front lawn or watching Goosebumps on Saturday mornings or Pete and Pete or Space Ghost at night, and my 32-Bit Sega Genesis and every thing that was the 90's. Essentially, it's packed with nostalgia for me, personally. Some what of an unknown nostalgia, as I have only heard of this band two years ago.

Enjoy.

-J

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P.S. A bonus track by Julia, a similar band. So good. An emo essential.

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Meu Amor, Caetano Veloso

2008-06-03T17:58:00.000-05:00

So, these past couple of days have been sentimental to me because of the progression in life that I am about to take, but I have also been disappointed by people's actions around me as well. Whenever I feel like I am in these desperate moods, I turn to Caetano Veloso for comfort and encourgament.

Caetano Veloso was born in Santo Amaro, in Salvador Bahia, Brazil, in 1942. He championed the music movement known as tropicalia, a leftist way of art and literature used to critize the military government in Brazil during the sixties. His music was considered so radical that he was exiled out of the country. Though that was almost fifty years ago, Artists such as Beck and Devendra Banhart have cited Tropicalia as one of their main influences in producing music.

Today's tracks come from the two albums he produced while in exile in London. Caetano Veloso( A Little More Blue) and Transa. In the album A little more blue, caetano uses alot of simple acoustic guitar and basic samba rhythms to acompany the bass and drums. Transa is a little more electic pulling examples from the Beatles Sgt. Lonely Hearts Pepper Club, and vashanti bunyan!

These two songs will have you feeling saudismo ( sad nostalgia)

-D

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Kolya: Not just a common Indian name.

2008-06-03T17:00:00.000-05:00

Do you like spoken word poetry? Do you like music? Awesome, KOLYA will like you too.
There's not much known about this band, at least on the internet, but they are really good. I tried my best to look on their label(Caulfield Record, Nebraska) website for more information but nothing comes up. This band is deemed unfortunately obscure.

They have a total of three "albums", the first 2 being 7"'s and the third being a full length self-titled. They all are, as far as I know, out of print, but I do know that the Self-titled can be purchased on iTunes.

This song is from their 2nd 7" which can be easily bootlegged off of slsk.

-J

P.S. The picture to the left is their self-titled album.

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Don't help me, I'm in space.

2008-06-02T09:18:00.000-05:00

What the hell is Space Rock? I don't know. Because when I think of Toledo Indie Rock band PAIK, I think of good times.

With band members that have Afro's and have some sort of an alliance with Black Rebel Motorcycle Club, it should be good.

-J

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There's at least one Boston band

2008-06-02T06:17:00.000-05:00

There's at least one Boston band out there that does not consist of meaty assholes who literally beat their happiness out of you at shows. Boston Beatdown memoirs aside, there was this really cool band that came out in 1994 with some pretty great tunes. They played their first show in 1995 at ABC No Rio in New York city, where Saetia also played their first (and disappointing last) show.

They eventually got signed by Ebullition records (Policy of 3, Orchid, Amber Inn) and went through a band change and released some music. The music released was the most peculiar take on emotional hardcore I have ever heard. That could rarely be a good thing, but it actually is. The songs in "Lighthouse in Athens" which they released 1995, are not formulaic what so ever. When you expect the vocalist to scream, he doesn't. When you expect a jam, it doesn't happen. May be this is a way of an emo band saying "Nothing ever goes my way." Regardless of whether or not the quirky twists and turns in this music "went" your "way" or not, it still went a good way.

Of course, Cerberus Shoal didn't break-up until 1997, after four incarnations of the band had taken place and the bands sound did the same. They went a bit experimental in their latter days, most likely the influence of drugs only preferable to Crust Punks (I'm pretty sure every one in the band had hopped a train or two).

Here is "Rain" by Cerberus Shoal, the last song on the 1995 LP, their first record released. What an odd record that was.

-J

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One More for today.

2008-06-01T18:58:00.000-05:00

Let's talk about a band that was around before I was curled up in my mothers tummy.

Alright, so, this is Moss Icon. How do I explain this: essentially the most exciting punk band, EVER. Really, They have a female on bass too, Just like Jawbox. Of course, typical of all defunct hardcore bands, they explode into a million other bands that people rarely care about. One I should mention is Grails, which is some wacked out experimental post-rock. It figures. I would venture to say, Moss Icon, and more specifically, this song, which pre-dates Slint, was the post-rock of it's day. Mid-80's.

-J
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I got this shit working

2008-06-01T18:30:00.001-05:00

All instrumental, was on the emo diaries comp, fun stuff, listen, got this shit working, COOL.

-J

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I'm Pissed

2008-06-01T13:12:00.000-05:00

When people are pissed, I recommend they listen to hardcore punk. No no, rise against, against me type stuff, I'm talking about underground dirty hardcore punk that scared disco dancers in DC during the 1970's. The one band I can think of is Bad Brains. Of course, there is harder stuff out there, but their lyrics are so fun and their riffs are so hard.... you can't help but want to mosh off your pissedness,

-D
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2008-06-01T08:53:00.000-05:00

See, let's see, see, I don't know much about this band. I know they were late 90's early 2000's and did at most two albums, and had a track on the 6th 'chapter' of the Emo Diaries compilations put out by Deep Elm records in 2001.

I'm pretty positive that enjoying the Emo Diaries compilations is some thing that should go under my Guilty Pleasures list, as it's not really Emo at all. Regardless, Indie Rock, Post-emo Indie Rock, Post-emo, what ever your elitist genre classifications entail, I think it's a pretty enjoyable piece of music.

It's like Thom Yorke accidentally fell in with Mineral some how.

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-J

Arlington Hip Hop Scene

2008-05-31T00:05:00.000-05:00

Is wack. No, i'm not talking about "my dougie" type stuff, I'm talking about real MC, Hip Hop, which doesn't exist in Arlington. I believed that community radio created a underground scence in Arlington that was just waiting for me to discover it, but to my avail, that was not the case.

The Speak Up battle contest was held at Celebration Station, a shady building behind the old rundown Six Flags Mall.. When me and my friend arrived, she was already ready to go, but I believed that the lack of cars was the true essence of being underground.

When my friend and myself finally mustered up the courage to go into the building... we were confused. We saw a lady, and she wanted to stamp us, we told her no.. that we were just there to see what was going on, but she warned us that if we didn't get the stamp then we wouldn'i be able to vote, little did we know, we weren't going to be given the opportunity to see what we wanted to vote for.

So we enter inside this weird disco-lighted room with alot of living room chairs with a couple of people siting in the first two rows. My friend then says, where are all the minorities, and we look around and the only people we see are white people smoking ganja and getting alcohol ( mind you, we weren't even carded). Now, i'm not saying that white people aren't allowed to attend hip hop shows but out of the 32 people there at that time, there was about 7 black people, 4 of them were either deejaying or running the show. The other 2 were drug-dealing crack, and the only lone one was stoned out of his mind. There were like 3 Latinos and the rest were white.

So the show was supposed to start at 9 according to the flyer, but nothing was happening. We went up to ask one of the hosts with dreads and she said that the was hoping that the show would start 10:30, so we decided to wait unitl then. While waiting we couldn't even communicate with each other because the deejay was so bad, and so was the sound system. Then I look to the bar, and I see this overweight woman given the man a lap/breast dance.... then I decided it was time to go..

So we left around 11:00 when the show was really supposed to begin at 9. My friend believes that it was all a cover up for safe drug dealing, since all the people that we saw buying drugs left before we did, but nevertheless....

I used to believe in arlington, now I don't!

I used to believe in community radio, now I don't

Will somebody please save/create the scene!

-D

I'm Back!!!!!! ( and Justin will soon be too)

2008-05-05T20:39:00.000-05:00

Hey, Iam back stronger than ever with sick music reviews to knock your socks off

It's been a long time

2007-11-11T12:37:00.000-06:00

So... I am not sure on how to use this thing, only because I have problems loading songs on this thing. I guess I am not a tech-savvy as I thought. It doesn't matter though, give me a couple of days.... and I will have this figured out fo'sho.

I Need To Make A Sound

2007-09-20T23:17:00.000-05:00

Hi

I'm so stoked to be writing this blog. This blog will serve for all my rants and raves about all types of music, stuff from Jay-Z to Alice Coltrane, and how its all relative!

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