Traindodge - Wolves...

It’s no secret that I absolutely love the Norman, Oklahoma group Traindodge. So it should come as no surprise to anyone that their newest album Wolves was one of my most anticipated releases of the year. It has finally arrived, as it’s currently available straight from the band or you can order it through Ascetic Records. However, it won’t find its way into stores until August 22nd.

The album Wolves stands as the groups fourth full-length and the follow up to 2004’s mammoth double album effort The Truth. No, Wolves isn’t another double monstrosity, actually it’s only 10 songs and clocks in at just over 40 minutes. However, with Wolves I honestly feel like Traindodge have made an equally “large” sounding album in terms of depth and overall sound. It eliminates all the wandering found on their last album and tightens up the ship to make for one of their best releases.

It’s hard to say what I was really expecting for Wolves to sound like after hearing last years EP Under Black Sails, which I felt was a bit of a return of sorts to their earlier more hard rock/post hardcore sound. However, Wolves caught me by surprise with opener “Maze” which immediately establishes the bands overall inclusion of keyboards to their sound. As a matter a fact two of the albums tracks, “Twice as Lost” and “Clean”, are solely orchestrated by keys which serve as nice pieces for setting up some of the albums more rock driven tracks.

After playing together for quite a few years now, Wolves shows Traindodge really tightening up as a band. Jason Smith’s guitar playing has drifted more and more away from chugging riffs to a much more intricate style of playing that greatly lends itself to the albums much more progressive feel. As a whole though, the band just sounds really good together, whether it be from the production values or just the sheer number of years of being together. It really shines through on Wolves and at this point in their career they have taken a few steps forward with their sound, as displayed with the keyboards, a higher influence from various elements of classic rock, and a new found ability in pop songwriting. Wolves is the result of the band perfectly executing all of which they had envisioned their sound moving towards and including every bit of their past influences. It’s a superb effort from a band that has yet to disappoint.

Traindodge – Brushing of the Wings [MP3]
Traindodge – Wolves [MP3]

By all means if you enjoy this go pick up their new record though Ascetic Records, or just go see them at one of their shows. Also, currently through Ascetic you can pick up the reissue of their second album On a Lake of Dead Trees and their split EP with Dropsonic, Xerxes. Check out more on Traindodge over at their MySpace as well.

Nearing the End of July = Monthly Mix...

Yep, July is almost completely over and done with. With it came some great tunes that as usual have been mixed in with some old favorites. So in appropriate fashion for the coming weekend, here is the mix for July. Enjoy!

01 - The Meeting Places - Mumble
02 - Dead Elephant - Clopixol
03 - Unwound - Message Recieved
04 - The Flavor Crystals - Poolja
05 - MOB - The Fast Lane to Nothing
06 - The Beatifics - The Only One
07 - Honeyhander - Porcelain Veneers
08 - Cosmic Casino - The Phone
09 - Wolf Eyes - Human Animal
10 - Hope of the States - This is a Question
11 - Say Hi To Your Mom - Sweet Sweet Heartkiller
12 - Neptune - The Lighthouse
13 - The Diableros - Working Out Words
14 - Henry's Dress - Definitely Nothing
15 - Junior Boys - The Equalizer
16 - Minus - Leisure
17 - Someday I - Live for the Moment
18 - The Sky Drops - Green to Red
19 - Pulp - This is Hardcore

Download (.zip file)

Thirty Ought Six...

I recently busted out my copy of Hag Seed by the greatly under appreciated Thirty Ought Six and I felt like it was time to revisit the bands material on here. The Portland, OR group was founded in 1992 and consisted of members Sean Roberts (vocals/bass), David Blunk (guitar), and Ryan Paravecchio (drums). Leading up to their eventual first full-length album the group released the single “Huck”, the “Radon” split with Gern Blanston, and the 7” inch Eris. In 1994 the band saw the release of their first album Bosozoku through Candy Ass Records. The album resulted in a nationwide tour with emo staples Sunny Day Real Estate. The band had some success on the tour and found them selves with a bit more attention. They would shortly thereafter sign with Mute Records whom would release their second album titled Hag Seed in November of 1995. The album spawned two singles “Adamantine” and “Moreau”. After a stint of touring in the US and then over to London from ’95 – ’96, the band did their last run on Lollapalooza which following those dates Sean Roberts left the group thus pretty much ending the band completely.

Although fairly short-lived Thirty Ought Six released some pretty good tunes during their years together. Despite being lumped in with the majority of current emo groups of the time, their first album Bosozoku actually reveals an influence from the genre’s much earlier days. It featured a much thicker and dense sound that probably proved to be a bit to abrasive for much of the audience that the band was playing for at the time. Their second album Hag Seed was really a big step for them, it sounds much more accomplished and thankfully they didn’t drop any of the edginess and opt for a cleaner and watered down album. Instead they greatly expanded upon the sound of their first album, helped along with a bit cleaner production as well. The vocals from Sean Roberts are much more of a prominent player on Hagseed, allowing them to lend to the more emotive qualities of the band. One of the shining moments of the album is “Tourmaline”, which features guest vocals from Sunny Day Real Estate’s Jeremy Enigk. The combination of both Enigk’s and Robert’s vocals really blend well together making for an extremely awesome song.

Bosozoku:
Thirty Ought Six – Huck [MP3]
Thirty Ought Six – Dealt [MP3]

Hagseed:
Thirty Ought Six – Hag Seed [MP3]
Thirty Ought Six – Wheeler [MP3]
Thirty Ought Six – Tourmaline (feat. Jeremy Enigk) [MP3]

The album Hag Seed to me really is a hidden gem. It’s sad that the band broke up not to long after the release of it. If you can track down a copy of this through Amazon, eBay, or whatever it takes, I highly suggest you purchase it. The members of the band went on to do their own things after the band broke up. David Blunk still resides in Portland, OR and has played in local bands Bastinado and Roaring Lions. Sean Roberts went on to play in the short lived Umberhulk. Drummer Ryan Paravecchio who apparently packed up and headed for L.A. where he works as an artist/carpenter.

Tuesday Playlist: Random Covers...

For this weeks playlist it's a bunch of random covers that were basically pulled out of a hat. I find it's hard to enjoy most covers, more so if you are familiar with the original composition and like it. I usually never go into listening to a cover song with any sort of expectations of it being good, and I lay no claim to any of these below being good. Really, in the end for me it's the song that the artists chooses to cover that I find the most interesting. At least then if an artist covers one of my favorite songs I know that they appreciate it as much as I do, or hopefully they do. Anyway, here is 10 random covers songs that to those out there may or may not be good depending on your feelings of the original. I enjoy a few of these, but I'm not naming which ones, haha.

01. Airiel - Blowin' Cool (Swervedriver) [MP3]
02. Melvins - Candy-O (The Cars) [MP3]
03. Sonic Youth - Superstar (Carpenters) [MP3]
04. The Mountain Goats - FM (Steely Dan) [MP3]
05. Arcwelder - I am the Walrus (Beatles) [MP3]
06. Angel Hair - Stigmata Martyr (Bauhaus) [MP3]
07. Rorschach - 21'st Century Schizoid Man (King Crimson) [MP3]
08. Shudder to Think - Shake Dog Shake (The Cure) [MP3]
09. Coalesce - Supernaut (Black Sabbath) [MP3]
10. Seaweed - Warsaw (Joy Division) [MP3]

______________________________________________

Also, just a couple things of note today from around the blogging world...

Check out a list of great releases coming out in the US today over at Torr. There are a bunch, including Mew's latest ...And the Glass Handed Kites.

And there is a post over at Obscure Sound spanning Blur's discography with accompanying downloads for each album. Pretty awesome, so check that out.

Namur Brings Songs From the Valley of Baca...

Namur was originally started as the project of brother David and Tobias Åhlén and functioned as such up until their second album, which then turned into David’s solo project. The release of Songs from the Valley of Baca serves as the third full-length album from Namur, which has been put out through his own label The Hour is Late.

Taken from Namur's MySpace:
Songs from the Valley of Baca has a dreamlike, evocative soundscape that breathes My Bloody Valentine and Cocteau Twins. There are still glimmers of electronic influences – this time more along the lines of Fennesz or Khonnor. Single-handedly, in a concrete basement room, David has combined his various musical ingredients into a beautiful, harmonized ensemble where violins and fuzz-guitars mingle with oil drums and programmed bass lines. David's enchanting voice is constantly present above this ensemble, proclaiming liturgical metaphors about heaven, hell, death, and resurrection.

I used that because honestly there was no other way to describe the album and it pretty much nails it. No sense in trying to basically say the same thing, and that’s probably a bit better than I could do, haha. Anyway, despite the lack of my own words for this album, it really is a great piece of work for those that enjoy minimalist electronic music in the vein of those mentioned above in the brief description. However, definitely think more Fennesz or Loveliescrushing.

Namur – Be Still [MP3]
Namur – Valley of Baca [MP3]

You can currently pick this up through Tonevendor in the US. Also, check out Namur’s MySpace for more information and for another track. Enjoy!

Geisha - Mondo Dell'Orrore...

The band Geisha is a trio from Bristol, England who has just recently released their debut album Mondo Dell'Orrore through Crucial Blast. Although being self proclaimed noise rockers, the album opens up with two short vicious pieces that while noisy and full of distortion, it reminds me more so of older dirge rock bands from the early to mid nineties. The only noticeable difference is the heavy amounts of distortion, which is even doused upon the vocals when they are rarely used bringing to mind the great Unsane. However, Geisha employ a very nice sense of melody under all that white noise to keep things moving and interesting. It’s the bands ability to go from quick bursts of assaulting rock to the longer much more melodic pieces like “Love Theme From Reich Here, Reich Now” that really impresses me.

As a whole Mondo Dell'Orrore really sounds like it could have been given birth during the mid nineties when post-hardcore and noise rock were much larger than they are now. However, an album like this just goes to show just how well some of those older acts and albums have stood the test of time and still bare a very large influence on a lot of the things we listen to today. Geisha have done well on utilizing an impressive mix of styles, both old and new.

Geisha – How to Kill a Career [MP3]
Geisha – Love Theme From Reich Here, Reich Now [MP3]

For any of you that are into this, you can pick it up over at Crucial Blast. Also give the band some more listens if you wish over at their MySpace.

Looking for a C-Clamp?

Diving back in time a little bit, I am writing today about Chicago’s C-Clamp. The act consisted of Tom Fitzgerald (guitars, vocals, keyboards), Nick Macri (bass, vocals, percussion), and Frantz Etienne (drums). Originally formed in the mid nineties, the band released two full-length albums and one EP through Ohio Gold Records.

The band played music sort of in the same vein as that of such slowcore acts like Codeine or Low, however they still bared that lumbering midwestern feel that over the years has become quite distinguishable. Releasing their first album Meander + Return in 1996, it was a bit more raw both musically and production wise fostering itself more so from the concurrent indie/emo scene at the time. Their next album wouldn’t show up until 1999, however they bridged that with the release of The Saving Daylight EP. When the release of their next full-length Longer Waves rolled around, the band had evolved their sound into a much fuller and precise one.

On Longer Waves the songs are very well crafted placing an equal importance on every instrument to construct each track. And although Fitzgerald’s deep vocals had always been a part of the bands sound, they fit much better on this release than those of the past. However missing is the “louder” side of the band, which has essentially been dismissed. Despite that, the music has a much fuller sound to it and actually seems much more powerful on Longer Waves than their previous release.

Sadly after the release of Longer Waves, drummer Frantz Etienne left the band and they continued as a duo. However after that the band went pretty much unheard from and I imagine disbanded sometime thereafter.

Meander + Return:
C-Clamp – Ten Degrees Arc [MP3]
C-Clamp – Morning [MP3]

Longer Waves:
C-Clamp – Land Meets Sea [MP3]
C-Clamp – Deep Green [MP3]

Both albums look to still be available from Ohio Gold Records. So for those interested head on over there and check that out. You can also find some more MP3's from both albums on their as well.

Neptune - Patterns...

I imagine there are very few bands that can include in their biography that they were originally formed as the result of a sculpture project. However, that’s where the origins of Neptune lie. Originally the art project of art sculptor/musician Jason Sanford, who had taken various items of scrap metal, bike parts, car parts, and really anything else you can come up with and created instruments from such items. We’re not talking complimentary instruments; they built their guitars, drums, and whatever else from these things. A group was collected together to showcase these instruments and somewhere in the mix it turned into a fully active band, which has now released a number of limited cassette/CD-R releases and four full-length albums.

Their latest full length Patterns is what caught my attention, even more so once I realized the sound/noise blaring from my speakers was not being made from conventional instruments. The music displayed on Patterns isn’t actually as noisy or chaotic as something like this might lead one to believe. That would be too easy. Rather, Neptune is just as particularly intricate with their music as they are in building their instruments. They combine sudden bursts of distortion with an assortment of electronics that feature a countless number of switches and knobs crafted by bassist (along with many other things I’m sure) Mark Pearson. While the band may surround itself in what looks like to be a mess of visual weaponry, they have instead produced a welcome blend of coherent noise rock.

Neptune – The Lighthouse [MP3]
Neptune – Fourteen Pleasures [MP3]

Although the band mostly carefully plans releases like Patterns out, they do a number of limited run releases that are fully improvisational. To pick up their newest album Patterns and some of their past releases as well, head on over to their website. You can also find some more items over at Mister Records.

Playlist Tuesday: It's Really Freaking Hot...

Here in Missouri we are in the midst of a very long heat stretch. It's the type of heat that pretty much leaves you unable to breath as soon as you step outside, it's that hot. In between long stretches like this I think we have only had one full evening/night of rain. It's been pretty grueling, however living here you come to terms with that after awhile and just accept that it's going to be scorching hot for an extended period of time. Regardless, this Tuesday's playlist is hopefully the complete opposite of the heat and a summer dry spell. So here is ten songs that will hopefully help fend off the sun for awhile. Enjoy!

01. Bent - Now I Must Remember [MP3]
02. Moby - Rushing [MP3]
03. Air - Talisman [MP3]
04. Alif Tree - Enough [MP3]
05. Creeper Lagoon - Gigantor [MP3]
06. Tosca - Postgirl [MP3]
07. Boards of Canada - The Beach at Redpoint [MP3]
08. Isabel's Dream - Blue Morning [MP3]
09. Black Moth Super Rainbow - Sun Organ [MP3]
10. Mum - Green Grass of Tunnel [MP3]

Rx Bandits...

If you would of talked to me about the Rx Bandits a couple years ago I would have shared the general misconception that most people have with the band. That would be that they are merely just another ska band, which is so entirely not true it’s not even funny. However, it took me far too long to realize this and sadly I’ve missed out on a chunk of Rx Bandits musical output. Thanks to a good friend of mine, I was subjected to their fourth album The Resignation with regularity and through time it became very apparent to me that this band is far more talented and musically gifted than most people would tend to believe. In the end I became a fan of the band to which I was able to enjoy the anticipation and eventual release of their new album …And the Battle Begun.

It’s really quite impressive as to just how much this band has progressed and evolved throughout the years with each release. Originally starting out as a practical ska band with a heavy SoCal influence, they have created a sound combining soul, reggae, punk, and progressive rock. What probably stands, as of right now, their land mark album The Resignation is where the band hit their stride with this sound, capitalizing on all the potential that all of their previous records had hinted at. With their new release …And the Battle Begun the Bandits have scaled back a bit from the more hard rock approach featured on The Resignation and instead have really made a record that is fueled heavily by Matt Embree’s soulful and heartfelt vocals. The vocal range that he possesses is amazing and on this record it shines through perfectly, allowing him to showcase it while being backed by an upped usage of a rhythm section containing horns and keyboards. While on the record you get an idea of the groups notable jam band qualities, it isn’t until you see them live where this is truly put to work.

I had the pleasure of seeing this band live a couple nights ago, and if I wasn’t already a fan then this would have surely done it for me. Unfortunately I don’t have any pictures, as I didn’t think to bring a camera for whatever reason. I very much wish I would have. Anyway, to say that the Bandits live show is energetic is a gross understatement. It was really amazing to see just how into the show the band gets and the response from the fans is great. As I mentioned before, the Bandits are a group that highly endorse the idea of a “jam band”. While this can be found on record, it’s the live show that really displays this as the Bandits put on a show full of improvisations while ripping through new material and past favorites. Even for someone like me who isn’t terribly familiar with the bands older material yet, it was still an amazing time and incredibly easy to get into the music despite that. You would think it would be hard to translate this into a live show; however the Bandits do so without hitch, proving to be an extremely tight live act. I highly recommend to anyone to go see these guys when they stop through your town.

Along with getting to see the band live, I had the chance to meet Aaron Nagel who has done the artwork for both The Resignation and …And the Battle Begun. He is also the guitarist in Desa, who happens to be opening for Rx Bandits on their summer tour this year and runs his own design studio called Two Twenty Two. Please check out his band and his own site here, as he is a very cool and talented gentleman.

Rx Bandits – Only for the Night [MP3]
Rx Bandits – 1980 [MP3]
Rx Bandits – To Our Unborn Daughters [MP3]

Bonus MP3:
Rx Bandits – Decrescendo [MP3] (from The Resignation)

You can pick up …And the Battle Begun through their very own label Mash Down Babylon Records. While you’re there please check out some of the other artists on the label as well, which features various side projects from Bandits members along with artists like Desa, V.I.T.A.L. MC, and many others. So go check that out.

Swimming in a Soundpool...

Here is something new to my ears from NYC’s Soundpool, who have just recently put out their debut album On High through Aloft Records. Without having any knowledge as to what this would sound like beforehand, I was pretty delighted and surprised to hear that my speakers were churning out some sort of odd extensions to what I am guessing is shoegaze.

Soundpool have crafted them selves a unique sound here. You can’t immediately pigeonhole this as straightforward shoegaze, because it’s just not. Yeah, such definitely influences it and it definitely fits that mold probably more so than anything else, but the end result is something much more. To put it best really, this is shoegaze meets space rock. Even there, I don’t think that properly labels it. While being very space rock driven, with the inclusion of melodies derived from synthesizers, the music is very upbeat. It’s almost to the point where one could just as easily find their selves dancing along to this. The vocals are very similar to the likes of Slowdive, with the practically whispered vocals from both Kim Field’s and John Ceperano, contributing to the ethereal quality of the music. As much as this is shoegaze, it pretty much serves as a perfect soundtrack for space travel.

Soundpool - On High [MP3]
Soundpool - Polyphony [MP3]

If you dig what you hear, you can pick this up directly from their website. Also, if you get the chance stop on by their MySpace for some more great tunes.

Mew: And the Glass Handed Kites

Although apparently released overseas in the later part of last year, I didn’t even know about Mew or their album And the Glass Handed Kites up until about a week ago. Thankfully though my newfound interest in the band came at the right time, as the album will see a release in the US on July 26th. And just by listening to it a couple times through, I will tell you right now that I am thoroughly impressed by this. Ignore the less than appealing album art; it’s what’s in the inside that counts anyway.

After only about two or three tracks in you can quickly tell that this is an album that is striving to be large, containing assortments of strings and a heavy dosage of synth. Thankfully for both Mew and the listener, the album hits that goal and feels monumental all the way through from opening instrumental “Circuitry of the Wolf” to “Louisa Louisa”. The album is one of those special cases where it should not be judged from song to song, although this being an MP3 blog that's what you'll have to do, rather it should be taken in as one large piece of music. It all runs together flawlessly, transitioning itself from one beautiful melody to another. Helped along by Jonas Bjerre’s soothing dreamlike vocals, And the Glass Handed Kites is an atmospheric joy ride, every bit as ethereal and dreamy as it can be hard hitting and piercing. It’s a combination of so many things that are good, that it’s hard to not find something that you can appreciate about Mew’s latest.

Although not knowing much about Mew, from what I understand this is their fourth album and that they are relatively unknown in the US. However they have been receiving a lot of attention across seas in Europe. After reading up a bit about And the Glass Handed Kites, it’s apparently a significant departure from the bands original sound. I will hopefully be able to go back here soon and take a listen to the rest of their discography, as this album has deemed it worthy to do so. It seems a bit unlikely for this to ever take off here in the US, however with the success of bands like Muse, Sigur Ros, and M83 it’s not to be completely ruled out as the similarities in Mew are there. That and having J. Mascis of Dinosaur Jr. fame serve as a guest vocalist on a couple songs won't hurt their chances either.

Mew - Why Are You Looking Grave (feat. J. Mascis) [MP3]
Mew - A Dark Desgin [MP3]
Mew - The Seething Rain Weeps For You [MP3]

Currently their album is available through most major online retailers as an import only, however it’s slated to be hitting US shores here very soon. So keep checking Insound and the likes if you do indeed enjoy some of the songs featured.

Tuesday Playlist: Wake Up!

I might make Tuesday official "playlist" days, that way it gives me something else to do other than blog about albums all the time. So yeah, that's what today is going to be if you couldn't already tell. This playlist is mostly random group of songs that would do well for waking me up in the morning. The reason I chose this sort of playlist is because up until about a couple hours ago I was completely dragging ass and I began thinking just what would be the most excruciating thing to hear when laying in bed? I came up with these 10 songs, however I KNOW there are a ton more and I could of just as easily chose any random grindcore or avant noise song. These are just some I thought would be fun, or not so much fun, but something I would never want to wake up to. Also, I don't want to give off the impression that I don't like any of these artists just because I am using them for this theme. In fact, I like every group/artist included in this playlist. Anyway, give them a listen.

01. Helmet - Murder [MP3]
02. Fishwife - Dumb Indian Songs [MP3]
03. Xinlisupreme - Kyoro [MP3]
04. The Planet The - Trapped Under a Ocean [MP3]
05. Prurient - Silver Flashlight [MP3]
06. White Tornado - Courage [MP3]
07. Melvins - The Fool, The Meddling Idiot [MP3]
08. Old Time Relijun - Wolves and Wolverines [MP3]
09. Trencher - Illuminated Dead [MP3]
10. Fantomas - Book 1: Page 29 [MP3]

Later folks!

Got This Feelin'...

Previously on this blog I have focused a bit on acts that are from the Great Plains or basically the Midwest. I realized the other day I never bothered to mention the band Riddle of Steel, who hail from St. Louis Missouri and actually released one of my favorite records from 2005. Last years album Got This Feelin’ was a gigantic surprise to me at the time as before that I had only heard snippets of their material from their previous album Python, which never stuck.

Although finding a place in my year-end list for 2005, I am not going to try and tell everyone that this record is absolutely amazing or some kind of masterpiece. The reason I loved the record so much was because it accomplishes what it sets out to do very effectively. It’s a rock record and damn fine one at that. The criticism that I read surrounding this release is that it doesn’t gain the interest of the listener or fails in some way to be “different”. Why should a bands sound necessarily be something new all the time? It seems like I can turn on the radio and hear plenty of crap that isn’t by any means different or for that matter interesting at all. However, people still shell out cash to buy records and go see concerts of these bands or artists. I just don’t see that side of the argument I guess. That’s not to say I don’t encourage a challenging listen, because trust me I do, but it just seems to me if a band can pull off something that’s been done and do it very well then it shouldn’t be a problem.

Riddle of Steel’s primary goal is to rock, and that’s exactly what they do on Got This Feelin’, aside from a small diversion on “Invisible Hands”. The band shifts back to the 70’s rock aesthetics much in the way of Queens of the Stone Age, but with some noticeable prog rock tendencies. The sounds itself is very bass driven that attaches itself to some very fine drumming from Traindodge’s very own Rob Smith, who helps brings to life the progressive feel of the album. Although very much a straightforward rock album, Andrew Elstner doesn’t refrain from showcasing a bit of nifty guitar work here there, like on tracks “This is a House of Lies” and “Deeper Still”. Overall, just a great power rock record that is laced with endless hooks.

Riddle of Steel – Lovers of Nothing [MP3]
Riddle of Steel – Baby Bird [MP3]

Give this a release a full listen for those that are interested by heading over to Ascetic Records and picking this up. Also check out their store for other fine releases from Traindodge and Roma 79.

More Rare Than a Unicorn, Distorted Pony...

Another band that would eventually be a member of the Trance Syndicate family was the criminally overlooked Distorted Pony. Formed in 1986 with members David Uskovich (vocals, guitar), Dora Jahr (bass, vocals), and Robert Hammer (guitars). The drumming duties were left to a drum machine up until their first full-length. During their time together, which extended until around 1995, the band released two amazing full-length albums that fully embraced the idea of “noise rock”. Using pieces of scrap metal and even a gas tank to add to the abrasiveness to the already ear piercing guitars. Distorted Pony, while being primarily a noise band, had a slight industrial and partly gothic tinged element to their sound and style. The vocal styling of Uskovich lent itself to the small gothic influence the band carried, sounding a bit deranged and possibly unstable at times.

Initially releasing a 7 inch and then an EP (Work Makes Freedom) as a trio the band would eventually recruit drummer London May who played some with Samhain in the mid eighties. He would drum on the bands following two albums. Unsurprisingly to bands of this nature, noise rock aficionado himself, Steve Albini worked on both of Distorted Pony’s releases.

In 1992 the band put out Punishment Room through Bomp! Records, which featured the band with a much larger sound due to the new addition of an actual drummer. However, driven primarily by the rattling bass of Dora Jahr, the other instruments seemingly just fill out the rest of the sound for the band on Punishment Room. The band moved to Trance Syndicate for their second album Instant Winner in 1994. Unfortunately the band was much on its way out, if not already dead at that point. Instant Winner followed suit with much of the traditional sound the band had worked with on all previous releases. However, the album proves to be their landmark album in my opinion, as everything seems a bit more evenly focused throughout. There seemed to be a bit more overall inclusion to the drumming, seeing it become slightly more advanced as opposed to the repetitiveness that sort of plagued it on Punishment Room. The songs in general on Instant Winner are structured with a bit more maturity in terms of songwriting, incorporating a bit more intricate guitar work to the mix.

Punishment Room:
Distorted Pony – Castration Anxiety [MP3]
Distorted Pony – Down Where the Dirt Collects [MP3]

Instant Winner:
Distorted Pony – Smitten [MP3]
Distorted Pony – Cripple [MP3]

It doesn’t seem that either of these releases are available any more. So, I think most of you know what to do when something like this happens. Yep, hopefully come across someones horribly mistaken castaway through various sources.

Also, if you’re a fan, David Uskovich later went on to form the band Switchhitter, which shares many similarities to Distorted Pony. However, I would be surprised if this project was still together as well. They released an album through Framed Records titled Academy. Seeing as how the record label no longer has a working website I would be surprised to see if this was still available anywhere as well. So to those who are interested, you might have to do some work tracking it down as well.

The 4th...

So I hope everyone is or will be having a good Independence Day. I won't be doing much myself that I know of. We used to have a fireworks display, however funding and whatnot became a problem and now no one puts on here in my small hometown. The worst part about that is we neither have a fireworks display or nor can we even set off fireworks, legally at least. So really, it's almost like living in a town that doesn't acknowledge the holiday.

Regardless, that won't stop me from enjoying some excellent food on the grill, building an M80 for later, and enjoying the Independence Day baseball telecasts. So while I am off doing that, enjoy this small 4th of July playlist...

Elliott Smith - Independence Day [MP3]
Low - July [MP3]
Nada Surf - Firecracker [MP3]
Broadcast - Black Cat [MP3]
Swearing at Motorists - Still Life With Bottle Rockets [MP3]
Galaxie 500 - Fourth of July [MP3]
Buffalo Tom - Sparklers [MP3]
Reversal of Man - Independence Day [MP3]

The Seawhores - Forest

I absolutely love it when I run across something that combines elements from some of my favorite types of music. It doesn’t happen very often, and when it does I am always blown away by it, as if it shouldn’t be possible. However, the Seawhores have managed to do just that on their first album Forest. The album ranges in everything from crippling amounts of distortion, gritty AmRep driven rhythms, and ambient drone. Each song on Forest showcases something different, however the ability to pull this off while not harming the continuity of the album is fairly impressive on its own.

What originally begun as the duo of Cody Weigel and Adam Marx was later expanded into a full lineup including Brady Lenzen on guitar and Freddy Votel (formerly of the Cows) on drums. The number of people that actually worked on the album is considerably more than that though, as the album credits a handful of people for working on Forest, two namely being Brian Chippendale (Lightning Bolt) and Dale Crover (The Melvins).

I’ve always enjoyed groups or projects that work on a certain level of quirkiness or play a brand of odd pop influenced noise. Not because it immediately sets itself apart, but it’s a lot of times abrasive in nature and honestly a lot more fun to listen to. You have no clue where the music might go and to the extremes it’s going to take. That is what I like about The Seawhores. Upon first listen, you have no fucking idea where this album is going or what the next song is going sound like. It might be a giant slab of ambient distortion or it could dive into some lo-fi styled dirge rock extravaganza. It’s completely untamed and that’s the type of music and can easily settle on. Even on repeated listens, The Seawhores manage to keep my attention with the amount of little nuances that they have smuggled in underneath everything.

Seawhores – Sweaty Men, Attack [MP3]
Seawhores – May Your Hands Wither [MP3]

Really though, this is an album that needs to be heard rather than me trying to take it off record and put into some kind of description. Don’t overlook it this year and head on over to Essay Records and pick up Forest.