Channels - Waiting for the Next End of the World...

After dabbling for a bit in producing and recording for other bands J. Robbins is back and has brought with him a new band called Channels. The group features J. Robbins (Jawbox, Burning Airlines) vocals/guitar, his wife Janet Morgan playing bass, and Darren Zentek (Kerosene 454) on drums. Just this past week the band released their first album titled Waiting for the Next End of the World, which has been put out on Dischord.

Somehow the album actually flew under the radar for me. I knew it was coming out…eventually, just never knew exactly when. I checked from time to time and all I could ever conclude was the album was done, but there was no timetable. Anyway, thankfully while skimming through a list of release dates on AMG, I did a double take at my computer screen when I saw a release date for this album. Sadly, that was just two weeks ago, haha. Anyway, it’s here now and I must say that it’s completely solid and a typical J. Robbins affair with his brand of fragmented but melody driven rock. Although, I hate to make the comparison to his previous bands, this sounds more like Burning Airlines than anything. However, this time around Robbins has taken aim at present time America. The lyrics are biting as Robbins rips into everything from the Patriot Act to the media.

Robbins definitely hasn’t lost anything in between the years of when Burning Airlines last recorded to Channels. I guess all that time sitting behind the controls and practically always having your hand in some sort of music will do that to someone. Anyway, it’s glad to hear Robbins finally come out from behind it and do some recording of his own. It’s been entirely too long.

Channels – Lucky Lamb [MP3]
Channels – Chivaree [MP3]

You can pick up the record now over the Dischord, or any other fine retailer for that matter. The album definitely doesn’t disappoint, a strong effort all around for the group.

Set to: Kill Everyone Now...

Anyone who says that noise rock is gone and irrelevant these days is wrong. However, at times I often believe it’s taking place more so in other countries, but still…it’s alive and kicking. A perfect example is the new album Reprisal from Winnipeg’s KEN Mode. The trio is definitely pumping fuel into a genre that to some may have been cast aside many years ago.

Reprisal is the second album from KEN Mode, which has just recently been put out on Escape Artist. I remember hearing this band back in 2000 when they had only recorded a few demos to which would later end up on their debut Mongrel. Despite being demos, it was still something that caught my attention immediately, and ever since then I have held these guys in fairly high regard for creating some of the most earth shattering and pounding noise rock I’ve heard come out so far in this decade. Reprisal brings back the Neanderthal like drumming and the vomit inducing low-end bass of Amphetamine Reptile stalwarts Hammerhead and Unsane. The vocals from Jesse Matthewson are absolutely vicious sounding on Reprisal, sounding completely unhinged and genuinely pissed. This is an album full of attitude, a bad one at that, and I couldn’t be happier.

Although Mongrel was a strong release, Reprisal has definitely topped it. It’s a mammoth sounding record that for the listener doesn’t let up for a second. It’s easily one of my favorite heavy releases of the year.

KEN Mode – I Simply Am Not There [MP3]
KEN Mode – Hibernation Has Never Been a Better Option [MP3]

Go out and buy this album people. There is no reason not to. You can pick it up through Very Distro or you can head on over to their MySpace where you can hear more from the record and also purchase it on there as well.

Tuesday Playlist: Brought to you by BandtoBand...

So it's a bit later than I would of liked to gotten this posted, however you can blame the site BandtoBand. I got a bit to caught up in just fooling around on it for a couple hours trying to find interesting connections between various groups. Who knew you could connect practically every band with one other. Most of you out there probably already know about this fairly cool site, however for those that don't, think of it like The Six Degrees of Kevin Bacon game but only for bands. A lot of fun to play around with. Anyway, after realizing that I had wasted so much time on there, I figured it would be cool to just do todays playlist based on a random search that I threw at it. So here you go, todays playlist explains the connection between indie/emo band Boys Life to the experimental/indie Brainiac. Enjoy!

01. Boys Life - Fire Engine Red [MP3]
Key member here is Brandon Butler, who sang and played guitar in the band.

02. Canyon - Drive All Night [MP3]
Later Brandon Butler would show up in Canyon, whom shared the same sort of Americana feel that was found in Boys Life. However, the music was much more spacious and dwelled a bit more into slowcore territory.

03. 1.6 Band - Sticks to the Skin [MP3]
Butler played with Vin Novara who was a member of this 90's Gern Blandsten hardcore/punk band.

04. Beyond - The Death of Us [MP3]
Novara eventually left 1.6 Band to attend college and his replacement was Kevin Eagan who played in Beyond. I guess that technically counts since they played in the same band, however never really played together. Regardless, it works for me.

05. 108 - Solitary [MP3]
While in Beyond Kevin Eagan played with Vic DiCara whom would later go on to form and play guitar in 108. Other than DiCara and singer Rob Fish, the rest of the lineup was fairly shaky, featuring a few different names filling in. One being Chris Daly, whom leads up to the next one...

06. Jets to Brazil - Empty Picture Frame [MP3]
Daly also spent time in the amazing Texas is the Reason, however joined up with Jets to Brazil to play drums after they split.

07. The Van Pelt - My Bouts With Pounding [MP3]
With Chris Daly playing in Jets to Brazil, he played with Brian Maryansky. Before Jets to Brazil however, Maryansky played guitar in this indie rock outfit. During that time The Van Pelt's original bassist Sean Green would leave the group and be replaced by Toko Yasuda.

08. Enon - Old Dominion [MP3]
Toko Yasuda would later join Enon after original member Steven Calhoon would leave the group.

09. Brainiac - Hot Seat Can't Sit Down [MP3]
With that, it completes the connection. Yasuda played in Enon which also featured Brainiac member John Schmersal. Nifty huh?

She, Sir - Who Can't Say Yes...

I’m a little late on writing this, however I finally got a chance to fully listen to the new EP from the Austin based She, Sir. Their new EP is called Who Can’t Say Yes and sadly I’ve been sitting on it for about a week or so now. I say sadly because the EP is most definitely something that shouldn’t be ignored by anyone.

She Sir is strictly a shoegaze group, which contains only the two members of M. Grusha and Russell Karloff. However, it’s a bit surprising that this type of music comes from two guys who were trained in both classical and contemporary music while attending Iowa State University. It’s surprising mostly because as intricate and meticulous as the music is, it’s hard for a listener to distinguish a lot of these aspects when they are covered by layers upon layers of guitar. It’s an odd choice for sure. While attending school however, the two collaborated on various projects until they eventually decided on just forming She, Sir as a way to create the music that they both aspired to.

Their EP displays a deep love and respect for the past. So much that really the record itself sounds almost like something that should have been made for that time period. This is definitely not something that was considered with the present time in mind, which I can fully respect. There were plenty of bands even then that couldn’t pull off the sounds as well as She, Sir have here on Who Can’t Say Yes. I am always for branching out and incorporating new things into shoegaze, but sometimes it’s just nice to hear something that captures the essence and feel for what the music sounded like back then. She, Sir may have very well fallen in love with Loveless and Souvlaki, but the two men behind it all are strong candidates to recreate something that many of us hold so close to our hearts as some of the best music that was created in the 90’s. I say more power to those that can actually pull it off, as She, Sir have definitely done here on this release. The band has done such a masterful job with this release that I have no problem saying that this is one of the better releases I’ve heard all year.

She, Sir – Lieutenant [MP3]
She, Sir – It’s My Way of Staying Connected [MP3]

Go and check out their MySpace where you can hear more from Who Can’t Say Yes and purchase it. I urge everyone to do so.

Start Learning About Roman Numerals...

Being in or around Kansas City, the Roman Numerals and their debut self-titled album for Anodyne Records is one of my most anticipated releases of the year. It’s to be released September 5th, however if you attended the record release party on Aug. 19th, then you probably already have this bad boy.

A little background on Roman Numerals, they are a collection of members who have been in some of KC’s finest bands over the years. Those being Shiner, Season to Risk, and Dirtnap to just name a select few. They were initially brought together when they formed as a Joy Division tribute band named Unknown Pleasures. The success from the group inspired the members to actually begin writing and recording original material, which would in turn end up being Roman Numerals.

The album is pretty much what I was hoping and expecting from the group. Unlike their days as Unknown Pleasures, this doesn’t feature the dark moodiness that comes with being a Joy Division cover band. However, they did indeed keep the overall post-punk influence attached to their music, but breathing new life into it with danceable rhythms and incredibly catchy bass lines. Don’t look to far into that though, as Roman Numerals surely aren’t some feeble stab at disco-punk or entirely rooting themselves in all things retro. No, as would be expected due to many of the members previous outfits, the Roman Numerals bring the rock, however in relatively new and fresh sounding way. Roman Numerals are the classic case of old meets new and this time the end result is something that everyone should be excited about.

Roman Numerals – My Life After Death Pt. 2 [MP3]
Roman Numerals – The Rule of V [MP3]

Be sure to pick this up whenever it is officially released on September 5th through Anodyne Records. For the time being, you can check out more on the band over at their MySpace or their official site. Enjoy!

Southpacific - Constance...

The Ottawa trio of Southpacific didn’t manage to stay together for very long only releasing, as far as I know, an EP titled 33 and their full-length album Constance. I unfortunately didn’t run across the group until after they had disbanded apparently. However, their album Constance to me stands as a hidden gem among the shoegaze/post-rock set. Being a completely instrumental act and playing this sort of music, one would think it would be a bit difficult to obtain and hold a listeners attention for over an hour without the typical whispered and dreamlike vocals. Southpacific though doesn’t need vocals, and actually if they did have vocals they wouldn’t have nearly the same effect. Although, the band does use vocals in one song on Constance, however they are buried underneath the layers of swirling fuzz that they are almost non-existent anyway.

From the get go, Constance starts in with a churning of guitar feedback that sets the mood for the entire record. It’s a slow, swirling, and captivating sound that eventually almost feels as if it’s hypnotizing you. Although I am sure the album garners many comparisons to My Bloody Valentine and Slowdive, it really stands on its own as something completely different. It’s just as much ambient/chill as it is a shoegaze album. Yes, it does contain a good amount of feedback, but it never crosses the line of being noisy or ridiculously abrasive. Not to say that Southpacific’s sound isn’t loud, as they are most definitely loud at times, but it’s the type of loud that fills a room in an atmospheric way. Really, if Southpacific has been lifting from anyone I would almost say that they remind me more of Flying Saucer Attack mixed with a bit of Boards of Canada. The music is slow and practically just oozes out of the speakers and it contains that almost otherworldly warmth that BOC has wrapped listeners in for years now.

It’s always a shame that something like this flies under the radar and by the time someone like me runs across it, it’s always too late. Then I am faced with the fact that this is all there is from whatever group it may be. It’s extremely disappointing to me.

Southpacific – Parallel Lines [MP3]
Southpacific – Analogue 9 [MP3]
Southpacific – Stay Ahead, Far Behind [MP3]

I have feeling that this will probably be out of print soon, if it already isn’t. Regardless, you can still pick it up at Amazon for only 7 bucks. There is also a bunch of used copies, which can be had for practically nothing. So, if you dig what you hear definitely pick this up. It’s a solid record.

Snoras - Heart of Weakness...

Snoras apparently means “avalanche” in Norwegian, which suits this music just fine. Interestingly enough about Snoras is that it’s the one-man project of Yngve Hilmo who started work on it in 2005. Hilmo writes everything for Snoras, which includes vocals, bass, guitar, and drums. However, joining him on his debut Heart of Weakness is Kenneth Lamond (JR Ewing) taking over drumming duties on the album. Supposedly each album will feature a different session drummer. Members of Kaospilot, Angus Moriarty, and Angora Static happen to round out the live act. Heart of Weakness is the first of a planned trilogy of records, entitled The Sleeping Tapes Trilogy, which is being released through Anomalie Records.

The music and its melodies are reminiscent at times to past emo/screamo acts like Orchid and etc. However, it’s a bit less inaudible than that. Really Snoras sounds a lot like its counterparts and some of its contributor’s current and past bands. However, for one person to write and basically record most of this is pretty amazing really and overall the finished product sounds great. I am looking forward to hearing the rest of the trilogy.

Snoras – She Swims Like a Dolphin [MP3]
Snoras – I Thought We Were Martyrs [MP3]

If you’re into this check out the Anomalie website for more information.

Tuesday Playlist: Pure Random/Alien Birdman

The past few days have been fairly random for me, doing a bunch of a different things and whatnot. I guess maybe I am just not used to being a bit more active and actually stepping foot outside once and awhile. Regardless, with all the spontaneity and randomness, this week’s playlist is brought to you by Winamps “randomize” and “shuffle” options. You can look at it as a half assed way of doing things, which maybe it is, however it’s the only thing I could think of in order to produce a completely random playlist aside from closing my eyes and pointing at my computer screen. Good news though, instead of just posting the playlist, I will try and explain why I have the song on my computer right now. Deal? Ok.

The picture above is actually fitting for this weeks list. I used to have this incredibly ridiculous sculpture of a head that was some sort of a mix between a man, a bird, and possibly an alien to which I cleverly dubbed it “alien birdman”. It was so inexplicable and just plain weird that I actually kept it. I have no idea actually what it is suppose to be or who even made it. If it’s some sort of replica of a famous piece of sculpture, then I am going to feel terrible for making fun of it. It was originally given to my family as a white elephant gift years ago, so whoever gave it to us doesn’t have a clue what it is either obviously. It stayed in my room for a good year until it was sadly passed off as a white elephant gift again. I did my best to convince everyone to not use it as a rehash, however I lost. So this playlist is dedicated to alien birdman, wherever you are.

01. Bright Channel – Levitation [MP3]
This track is actually off their newest album Self-Propelled. Much like their first album, this continues on with their dark and slightly apocalyptic vibe that they incorporate into their own little nifty brand of shoegaze. It’s quite a departure from Volplane, the members’ previous band.

02. Grandaddy – Summer…It’s Gone [MP3]
I look at Grandaddy as one of those bands I like, but will never remember. They craft some very catchy/quirky rock songs but nothing that really ever sticks. This track is from their final album Just Like The Fambly Cat, which came out this year. In my eyes though, The Sophtware Slump is the best thing they ever put out. Give that a listen if you like.

03. Drive Like Jehu – Here Come the Rome Plows [MP3]
I have this song on my computer for the sheer fact that it completely fucking rocks. Ok, that and I did use it in a mix awhile back. If you have never listened to Drive Like Jehu or just haven’t heard this song, well then…I feel for you.

04. Kiss it Goodbye – Choke [MP3]
If there ever was a song or even a band to define “angry” music, this should be it. Listening to Kiss it Goodbye makes me want to walk up and start screaming at people and that’s exactly why I love them. It’s just extremely volatile music. Their album She Loves Me, She Loves Me Not… is a must own. This track however is from their EP Choke, which is also extremely good.

05. Kind of Like Spitting - Thirteen (Big Star cover) [MP3]
Yet another cover of Big Star’s classic song. It’s not bad, but Ben Barnett’s vocals are somewhat of an acquired taste and work better with different songs.

06. The Church – Unified Field [MP3]
I’ve never really listened too much of this bands past discography, as it’s pretty huge. However, I was surprised to find myself really digging this album at the beginning of the year. It seems they get wrote off a lot by critics and whatnot. However, Uninvited Like the Clouds is actually a really solid album from start to finish.

07. Lake of Dracula – Lake of Dracula [MP3]
Although this song isn’t a shining example of what this band is like, I think by just knowing that it contains various members from Flying Luttenbachers, U.S. Maple and so forth should give you a slight idea of how demented sounding the band is. I wouldn’t settle for anything less, plus the name…come on.

My Return, YouTube, and Walter Schreifels...

So yeah, I disappeared for a week. However, I partly blame my ISP as it was completely worthless for a couple of days to which made it hard to get anything upped to the site. The rest of the week however I was pretty much gone without much of a reason behind it. Anyway, I am back now and hopefully I don’t get the urge to hunt down my Internet provider and strangle somebody anytime this week.

The YouTube phenomenon just keeps getting bigger and so does my love for that site. The time I find myself spending on that site is ridiculous. Who knew watching music videos and live performances could take up so much of your day? You’d think the well would run dry eventually, but new stuff is always popping up to keep me there for hours. Anyway, the site provides some of the content on I am posting on here today as a couple days ago I found a series of videos for an acoustic set that Walter Schreifels (Gorilla Biscuits, Quicksand, etc) did for Domestic Disturbance Radio. Pretty cool stuff. Posted below are a couple of my favorites. Click here for all of them.





Right now Schreifels is currently out doing shows with Gorilla Biscuits in support of the reissue of the great Start Today. However, he has been doing solo acoustic shows here and there throughout the summer and has been recording some solo stuff, which can be found over at his MySpace page.

Walter Schreifels – Arthur Lee’s Lullabye [MP3]

Walter Schreifels – Live at the Koo’s Art Center, CA [Zip]

Over and out folks, enjoy!

The 101 Teaches You Numbers...

With it being about as summer as it’s going to get, and by that I mean blistering hot and the obnoxious whir of air conditioners everywhere, I’ll take this time to bring up a some summertime music. Numbers is the second album from the NYC trio The 101, which features singer Eric Richter formerly of Christie Front Drive.

Much like their last album Green Street, Numbers is yet again another fine chunk of crisp and clean blend of pop/punk and emo. The 101 are great at what they do, as they’ve obviously discovered that writing a well crafted pop song doesn’t have anything to do with gimmicks or quirks that will immediately differentiate themselves from anyone else. No, the band isn’t worried at all about blazing their own trail or being hopelessly lumped in with an ungodly amount of other bands. You may ask why, but it’s pretty simple really. A well crafted pop song or well crafted pop music for that matter will come to be appreciated one way or another through time, and The 101 are well aware of this apparently on Numbers. The music is simply crafted, however there are hooks and melodies that will no doubt bring a smile to your face if you are listening. It’s the perfect kind of music for sunny days and trips in the car with friends. Produced by fellow Limekiln artist Ian Love, whose album is also amazing, the sound on Numbers is definitely a notch above Green Street, although great, it suffered from a bit of muddiness I thought.

The 101 - Mott Haven [MP3]
The 101 - Last Chance [MP3]

It’s really nice to hear Richter’s vocals again, as I always enjoyed them when he was in Christie Front Drive and in with The 101 they go perfectly for the jangle indie rock approach the band is going after. Power pop, or however you want to label it, The 101 aren’t watered down radio fodder that deserves to be passed on. If you like what you hear head on over to Limekiln and pick this up and their first album too, Green Street. It’s well worth it.

Ned's Atomic Dustbin - Brainbloodvolume...

One of the albums I purchased this week was Brainbloodvolume from Ned’s Atomic Dustbin. Beforehand my only familiarity with the band was their contribution to the So I Married an Axe Murderer Soundtrack and their album God Fodder. However thanks to Carl Kruger over Motel De Moka, I was recommended this album awhile back and thankfully finally stumbled across it. Without a doubt it’s easily the best thing they ever released and actually is the last proper studio album the band has put out. Despite that being way back in 1994, the band is apparently still functioning sans a couple original members and actually has a new single floating around titled “Hibernation” from what I understand. You can hear a small clip of that on their website.

Although definitely not perfect or necessarily groundbreaking, Brainbloodvolume is an interesting mash up of styles. Originally noted for their thrashing pop sound, it is expanded upon here by quite a bit with touches from techno and 80’s new wave. With all the inclusion of samples and loops, it almost feels at times that is an offshoot of the dance community. However, it stands on it’s own as a fairly solid piece of overlooked alternative rock with some fairly hard hitting and catchy guitar hooks.

Ned’s Atomic Dustbin – Talk Me Down [MP3]
Ned’s Atomic Dustbin – Stuck [MP3]
Ned’s Atomic Dustbin – I Want it Over [MP3]

Brainbloodvolume sold very poorly when it was released being buried underneath the numerous British rock bands that were rising at the time. Although I doubt there was a very large market out there at the time for the music that was presented on this album, I don’t think it deserved to sell as poorly as it did. As I said, when compared to everything else I’ve heard by the band, it’s easily their strongest and most accomplished released. I would suggest picking this up if you see it around in used stores like I did, or just search around eBay or Amazon for a cheap used copy.

20 Years of Dead C...

Dead C is one of the pioneers of the noise/drone genre and has been making advancements in the genre for quite some time now. Over the past 20 years the band has been putting out releases of some of the most intriguing and noteworthy material to grace the genre. Although remaining under the radar for most of their career, the band has rightfully been recognized this year by Ba Da Bing records by putting out a 2-disc compilation of out of print material for their 20th Anniversary. The comp is titled Vain, Erudite and Stupid: Selected Works 1987-2005 and which all the tracks were chosen by the band members themselves. Judging by their selections, I’d say this compilation serves as a great representation of the bands growth and key points in their brilliant career.

Dead C - Hell is Now Love [MP3]
Dead C - Bitcher [MP3]

For those who haven’t had a chance to listen to this band, I highly suggest it as they blazed the trail for many of today’s most notable acts like Sunn O))), Lightning Bolt, and Wolf Eyes. Due to the expansive catalog of Dead C and the amount of out print material, the compilation also is a great starting point for anyone looking to get into the band. For those who are fans, you’ll want to pick this up too as a lot of the material on here might be bit hard to find by any other method and is probably new to most.

Buy Vain, Erudite and Stupid: Selected Works 1987-2005!

Belated Playlist Tuesday: M.I.A.

An apology for not putting up a playlist yesterday. I was out of the house for the majority of the day until later that night which at that point I assume everyone is in bed anyway. However, I am coming back today with a playlist that is for my day spent completely M.I.A. In actuality I spent some time out doing some record shopping, which I haven't done a lot of lately. It was quite nice and got a couple things for a pretty good price. Anyway, here is seven songs dealing with my negligence to this blog yesterday. Enjoy!

01. Ride - Leave Them All Behind [MP3]
02. Zero 7 - Distractions [MP3]
03. Lou Barlow - Holdin' Back the Year [MP3]
04. Ida - Back Burner [MP3]
05. Pavement - Elevate Me Later [MP3]
06. Small Brown Bike - What's Missing is Dead [MP3]
07. Brian Eno - The Lost Day [MP3]

Simply, Kurt...

I have only recently come across the German post-hardcore outfit Kurt. That being said, I have surely missed out on the majority of their material, which they have been releasing since around ’94 or ’95. Although they seem to be known overseas, they have never made much of a dent, if any, here in the USA, which is a shame.

I was initially turned on to them after hearing 2003’s La Guard, which is an eight song MCD put out through Nova Recordings that serves as the bands third album. Kurt’s material here is relentless in its attack on the listener. It’s loud, chaotic, and all over the map for that matter. Just exactly how I prefer it. Why these guys haven’t established much of name for themselves over here in the states is baffling to me, especially with the steady rise in interest for this sort of punk laden noisier brand of post-hardcore. Kurt has been playing that type of music for just over ten years now. They remind me a bit of Drive Like Jehu, in that they are very straight up rock band with a true passion for being balls to the wall loud.

La Guard:
Kurt - Black Cat [MP3]
Kurt - The Code [MP3]

When going back and listening to some of their earlier material, La Guard is probably the most polished and accomplished thing they have released. Everything is bit more crisp and clearer on it. However, Kurt's past releases cannot be missed for anyone that enjoys this. Their first two albums, self-titled and Schesaplana, can both be found together on a reissued double LP dubbed Schesaplana Plus which was put out through X-Mist Records.

Schesaplana Plus:
Kurt - Salt [MP3]
Kurt - Schesaplana [MP3]

For those interested you can pick up La Guard over atNova Recordings, while Schesaplana is available over at X-Mist.

You can also find Kurt’s Frank Otto doing vocals in another German post-hardcore group Ten Volt Shock, who have just recently released their second album 6 Null 3. For more information on that head on over to their website.

The Dambuilders - Encendedor

The album Encendedor was the fourth full-length and major label debut for The Dambuilders, which was released in 1994. The bands lineup consisted of members David Derby (vocals/bass), Eric Masunaga (guitars), Joan Wassar (violin), and Kevin March (drums). They were a fairly under the radar act for the duration of the 90’s, all the way up until their last album Against the Stars in 1997. However, it’s their album Encendedor that really stands as one of my favorite albums from the entire alternative rock boom of the 90’s. When MTV actually showed cool videos late at night and you stayed up to watch them whether you were sleep depraved or not. I remember seeing the video for “Shrine”, and while it isn’t the most amazing thing in the world, I dug the idea of a violinist in a band and the song was pretty damn catchy too. At that time I hadn’t really heard or even knew of any band containing one. Needless to say, the band serves as a sense of nostalgia for me.

I had intended on doing a sort of discography post for the band, and maybe in the future I will. However, I really just wanted to focus mostly on this album, as it really is the one I listen to the most. That, and some of the bands earlier albums/material had songs that were featured on Encendedor anyway. So, it all works out in the end, right? Regardless, their following albums of Ruby Red and Against the Stars are both pretty solid too for those that are interested.

Despite Encendedor probably being my favorite Dambuilders album, it really is the one I see where the band is pulling everything together and establishing their sound. Its production allows for plenty of melody to shine through and even though some might look at the violin as sort of gimmicky instrument for a rock band, just listen to this album and it will surely change your mind. Although they were unconventional as a band and with their songwriting at times, it’s those aspects of the band that really drew me in the first place.

Dambuilders – Shrine [MP3]
Dambuilders – Colin’s Heroes [MP3]
Dambuilders – Delaware [MP3]

You can find almost everything they’ve released over the years used over at Amazon for practically nothing. So, if you dig the tunes above then by all means drop the cash for whatever shipping is these days and pick this or any of their albums up. Enjoy!

For Those Who Know

I rarely expect to find such great finds through my e-mail, which is seemingly being drowned in spam from get rich quick schemes and/or poorly written stock scams. Either way, I never open my e-mail thinking that I am going to have anything other than what I have just mentioned. But thankfully yesterday I got something from a band called For Those Who Know who ended that streak for me, and big thanks to them for that. Anyway, it contained a nice little bio and a link to which I promptly checked out, under the assumption that I wasn’t going to get hammered with pop-ups telling me I had won a new iPod or something equally ridiculous. So yeah, it was a link to some very damn fine tunes that was met with a mighty warm welcome after just waking up.

For Those Who Know, who hails from Austin, Texas, play a nice mixture of post-punk and shoegaze that to me sounds like it could be one of the brighter spots in a growing crop of newer shoegaze acts. They showcase a good amount of influences ranging from acts like Jesus and Mary Chain to Explosions in the Sky, with plenty of reverb and songs that progressively grow louder until they burst at the seams with a wash of distortion. Driven along by a sort of marching drumbeat, the band definitely at times sounds brooding. The ethereal vocals from singer Steven Hablinski provide a nice balance and fit along just great with the bands louder and noisier elements.

For Those Who Know – Hello [MP3]
For Those Who Know – Grow Old Together [MP3]

The band released their debut self-titled EP through Christmas Mountains Records in late of ’05 and the group has been kind enough to put the whole thing up for download at their website and over at their MySpace. However, if you do like what you hear then you can purchase a higher quality version (aka: the real deal) over at Peek-A-Boo Records. The band is currently focusing on writing for a new album and is hitting up the Silverlake Lounge in LA on Aug. 10th playing with a couple other great bands The Fleeting Joys and The Meeting Places. So go check that out if you are in the area.

Year of no Light...

Today’s update comes from a band based out of Bordeaux, France called Year of no Light who after releasing a well-received demo have just recently released their first proper album Nord through Radar Swarm Records (E-Vinyl & Atropine for the vinyl). I have steadily been becoming more and more of a fan of the material that Radar Swarm has been putting out with releases from Cortez, Tantrum, and now Year of no Light.

For me, post-rock is a genre that is very hit or miss. I find a band to be either really boring or they can travel all the way to the other end of the spectrum and absolutely blow me away. On Nord, Year of no Light have pretty much floored me with something that breathes a bit of new life into a genre that has suffered from the effects of over saturation. The band treads a fine line between complete dense apocalyptic rock and the shimmering beauty of acts like Mono. Some of the songs on Nord stretch out into the 8 minute mark, however one of the more compelling features of the band is on some of the shorter/faster paced songs that bring to mind the likes of Old Man Gloom, showing a more ferocious and different side of the band. The vocals especially remind me of OMG, very distorted and hidden beneath the layers of guitars. Although the lyrics are entirely in French, that shouldn’t be any sort of issue as they are sang in an indecipherable screaming method anyway.

It’s good to hear something like this finally. Year of no Light have done a masterful job of piecing together elements of chilled drone, sludge, and post-rock to create something that is far more interesting than a lot of their counterparts. The album Nord has given me good enough reason to continue checking out music of this type and hopefully this isn’t the last we hear of this band as they display an obscene amount of talent for future releases.

Year of no Light – Sélénite [MP3]
Year of no Light - Par Economie Pendant La Crise [MP3]

If you like what you hear, go check out Radar Swarms website for ordering methods. While you are there also check out mp3’s of some of the other bands on the label through their bio pages. There is some good stuff on there.

Tuesday Playlist: Life Without MySpace???

Over the past week or so the king of all networking sites MySpace has faced some downtime and at one point even sent many of its users into a frenzied panic. Fearful were many when they logged on to see that their account no longer existed. Could this be the end of the world? Well, judging by the reactions throughout message boards and other forms of Internet hangouts, that answer would be a resounding "YES". Thankfully over a period of several hours users found their profiles reappearing. With that you could hear all the sobbing of teenagers and creepy old guys slowly turn into loud joyous screams. So, for this Tuesdays playlist I've collected seven songs for that dark dark moment of Internet history. God help us all if this ever lasts any longer...

01. Super Furry Animals - It's Not the End of the World [MP3]
02. Spacemen 3 - Losing Touch With my Mind [MP3]
03. Converge - When Forever Comes Crashing [MP3]
04. Can - Outside My Door [MP3]
05. Zeni Geva - Implosion [MP3]
06. Broken Social Scene - All My Friends [MP3]
07. Today is the Day - Sadness Will Prevail [MP3]