Built on a Weak Spot

Early last year the Brooklyn based Pregnant came on to my radar via their fairly ripping 7-inch on Don Giovanni, featuring an interesting mixture of garage that was also paying a bit of respect to nineties era indie/alt. They were said to be working on a full-length that would be out sometime not very long after the release of the single. However, as most things commonly go, there were delays in the process of getting the record out and about a year or so later their debut full-length has just been made available through Burn Books. I believe this is the labels first release and if that’s the case they certainly are kicking things off in a rather positive way.

Pregnant front man Kevin Manion described the bands sound as “American rock n roll”. I think for this record in particular that’s about as well as anyone could really put it and he should know as well as anybody right? I say that because most of the new material found on the record tends to be further stripped down for a rawer garage-rock centric sound. And really, as much as I enjoyed the 7-inch, I think this is the right way to go. It’s definitely a step up. Granted, a couple of the songs that were featured on that single are tacked on to the end of the album here, but I am really more so focusing on the newer material featured that is primarily on the a-side of the album. It’s a rather simple approach, but the band fills up this record with plenty of hooks and delivers all of it in a believable no bullshit manner that is pretty irresistible. The way tracks “Do You Feel It” and “You Think” run into each other is rather cool, and fits into exactly the way Pregnant want you to enjoy this record I believe. It makes me wish the entire record could have been recorded in this way. It really feeds into what the band is doing; in the end though it’s pretty trivial since the record is completely solid one way or the other. Rock n’ Roll indeed.

Pregnant – Safe & Sound [MP3]

For those interested in picking up Pregnant’s self-titled debut, it’s currently available for order through Burn Books. Definitely don’t miss out on it if you’re enjoying the tune above. There is much more where that came from. Enjoy!

Had I known this record was coming out I probably would have been a bit excited for it. Back in 2007 or so the Dunedin, NZ trio Die! Die! Die! released their second record Promises, Promises, that I enjoyed to a pretty high degree. But as with most things in my life, maybe more so with music, things get lost in the shuffle and I kind of lost track as to what these guys were up to (I’m sorry guys, please don’t hold it against me). Apparently they’ve been at work on their third album titled Form, which was just released in their homeland through the amazing Flying Nun. Wasn’t really sure what to expect with Form, as the jump from their self-titled debut to Promises, Promises was a bit of a change of pace even then for the band. Seeing them go from their rougher cut and jab style of post-punk to a bit of a cleaned up approach but keeping the bounce and remaining every bit as challenging. So I had to go into Form thinking that this was in fact a possibility once again.

Pretty much from the opening track “Caseman” I realized that this was indeed going to be another step in the bands continuing evolution, being different already in a lot of ways to their previous material. However, as soon as Form moves into the next couple tracks “Lil Ships” and the fantastically catchy “Howye” it’s even more apparent what Die! Die! Die! are aiming for here and where Form is likely heading. Much of the discordant beginnings and nature of the band are gone on the record in favor of a much more melodically focused sound that often finds it tapping into some shoegazey moments of humming distortion. Combined with their post-punk background, their sound has flourished into something much larger and immediate on Form. It still contains enough bite here and there that it doesn’t feel like the band has turned a new leaf; the record still has a darker underlying vibe to it despite the shift in sound here. It seems almost as if they’ve followed a progression that is similar to that of Love of Diagrams and their record last year, which I absolutely loved. I don’t know if that’s fair or that accurate really, but when I listen to Form and relate it to their previous material…it seems similar in both where the bands began and where they are now musically. No matter though, Form has vaulted itself up there as far as favorite records from this year go. It’s undeniably catchy from start to finish thanks to fantastic writing.

Die! Die! Die! – Howye (stream)

I know this record is rather expensive for those of us in the states to obtain right now…however that will change come late October when it should see a USA release, but if you can’t wait and wish to pick it up on either CD or LP it’s available through Flying Nun. If you’re more so interested in digital files, well they have you covered too for a bit cheaper of a price. In the meantime, enjoy!

Australia’s Ides of Space never got their due in my opinion. Their wonderful blend of vaguely shoegaze and nineties leaning indie-rock was pretty powerful stuff. While I realize that the same description could be said for a billion other bands over the past few years, believe me, Ides of Space were on to something a bit different. Or at the very least, they were far better song writers than many of those around the same time. Fast forward to the present and you have Line Drawings, which is made up of some members from Ides of Space. The band already has an EP to their credit that was released last year and appeared here on the blog. If you haven’t had a chance to hear it, I suggest you do so. However, more up to date is their recently released debut full-length titled Take/Over, released on Australian label Other Tongues.

Take/Over picks up pretty much where their EP left off giving us ten more songs of infectiously catchy indie-rock. However, this time around everything seems a bit fleshed out with a notable advance in production quality, which can be attributed some to Wayne Connolly and Bob Weston. The songs on Take/Over just have a significantly increased depth to them it seems and the added touches really add to these already solidly written tracks. I don’t know if I mentioned in my previous write up of Line Drawings, but it would be hard to not see fans of Ides of Space enjoying this. Although the focus is probably more rock driven and more in the style of 90’s alternative/indie-rock than what was found on those records, the vocals still have a bit of the same languid (and I mean that in a good way) delivery and the songs a lot of the time hint at a fuzzier airy quality that gives the record a dreamier vibe. It’s been a hell of a year for releases coming out of Australia, and it doesn’t seem to be stopping anytime soon with the inclusion of Take/Over.

Line Drawings – Sleeplines (stream)

For those interested in picking Take/Over up, It’s currently only available on CD in Australia & New Zealand but for those that would still like to listen it’s also up for purchase on iTunes. Enjoy!

I honestly can’t remember the last time I was in Columbia, MO. Probably the very last time would have been just driving through en route to St. Louis. Judging by the musical output coming out of the town these days, my lack of visiting may very well have to be altered. One of these bands enticing me to make that 2 hour trip is Heater, which is comprised of already notable Columbia bands Jerusalem and the Starbaskets and CAVE. Both have released material that have been more than welcome to these ears. But anyway, back on topic, Heater are Columbia super group of sorts going in a pretty different direction, however maintaining their pretty strict DIY approach. Their record God and Hair was just recently pressed onto vinyl and released courtesy of the great Chicago based Permanent Records. They’ve also been responsible for records from CAVE and Sneakers (whom also are represented in Heater). With God and Hair, the members have adopted a bit of a lo-fi indie-rock/pop sound that would have probably fit pretty nicely somewhere in the middle of Homesteads catalog in the mid to late 80′s. Plenty of stuff here that reminds of the brighter moments of Sebadoh or the earlier years of Big Dipper. It’s just an upbeat and pleasant album to listen to, while still keeping it rough and vaguely punk at times that keeps it from getting a bit too mushy and being just another summery feel good record. There is no reason this shouldn’t be on turntables year round.

Heater – Beside Me [MP3]

If you’re interested in picking up a copy of God and Hair, then hit up Permanent Records and get one. Pressing of 500 and the label is saying a second pressing is unlikely. So don’t miss out. Enjoy!

The Boston based Soccermom has been slowly putting things together for about five years now, beginning as a solo recording project for member Dan Parlin (guitar/vocals) on a completely opposite coast. After making his way back east, there Soccermom was formed by enlisting Danielle Deveau (bass), David Kaplan (drums), and William Scales (guitar) to round things out. I believe almost every member here has spent time in another Boston act Spanish Armada whom has appeared on these pages before as some may remember. Despite being together in some form or another for as long as they have, the band has only played live a handful of times and this two song single represents their first official recorded release. So I wouldn’t be expecting an album anywhere in the near future. However, what we do have here is pretty solid and if it makes me wish there was more to hear, then it’s certainly doing its job.

The band self-released this single, which is a bit surprising as I would have definitely thought this to be attached to Midriff in some way due to the associations this band has to much of its roster. But by that you can still sort of form an idea as to what Soccermom are dealing here on these two songs. There are still some qualities here that remain similar to their hometown roots, despite this maybe straying further away from what would be considered the norm I guess. The band certainly doesn’t hide the fact that they are a bit of a throwback, taking their unanimous love for nineties indie-rock and using them to churn out some rather catchy fuzz driven tunes. They’ve gotten their fair share of comparisons to what has become known as a Chapel Hill sound, which to an extent I can see. However, there are definitely equal parts Sonic Youth and/or Swervedriver to be found here. I’d like to see these folks last, but I surely hope it doesn’t take another five years before I’m hearing some more material.

Soccermom – Bill Cosby in Glamorous Chains [MP3]

I believe the band has copies of this single by this time, so if you’re interested in scoring a copy then by all means shoot them a message on their MySpace page. Enjoy and everyone have a great weekend!

The Bismarck have been together for nearly a decade now, released a total of three albums, and haven’t had nary a word said about them really. It’s a bit disappointing, but the thing is though I imagine they are bit less disappointed by this than I actually am. The band seems more focused on having a good time and performing to rooms of like minded people that are also there to simply have a good time. And when your band is made up of four close friends, I imagine this type of endeavor becomes a bit easier to accomplish. With that said, Great Plains is in fact The Bismarck’s third album and was released this past May on their own imprint Pride of Dakota (most, if not all, of the members are originally from North Dakota). And as one of their first EP’s suggests, they most certainly do not “bring the weak shit”…maybe more so on Great Plains than any of their previous records. This is a full on display of rock from start to finish with loud ringing Burma-esque guitars that as much as they are there for the hooks are maybe even more so to coax shouting matches out of the members with their shared vocal duties. I’m not going to waste any more of your time however, since the band has the whole album up for streaming on their Bandcamp site. So instead of me posting the typical file to stream or download…just go listen to the whole thing below.

The Bismarck – Great Plains (album stream)

If you haven’t already clicked the stream and seen, the album is available for download for a mere five dollars. Trust me, it’s worth every cent of that…even if you aren’t into the whole paying for digital files thing. Enjoy!

This cassette from The Only Ghost in Town was originally something that I decided to throw in on a whim when making a purchase for the Dude Japan Simple Living CD-R that recently came out on Rok Lok. Label owner Mike Andriani wrote a bunch of glowing things about it on the Rok Lok site, which is not surprising since it is his label releasing it and all, but it was certainly passionate enough to get me to throw it in for five bucks. Why not ya know? Anyway, it probably didn’t hurt that Only Ghost in Town main man Dan Saraceni (By Surprise) has a rather high appreciation for early/mid 90’s lo-fi rockers Further…enough that one of the songs on this cassette is in fact a Further cover. A great band to draw influence from and one that is highly recognizable here on The Summer Was Over Before it Began. The entire thing sort of dances back and forth between solidly crafted lo-fi pop to fairly fuzzed out shoegaze, however all keeping a sort of awkward warbling that gives it a bit of a special charm in the end. It’s certainly a nice and welcome sound to these ears for something that was picked up on a flier.

The Only Ghost in Town – Like Candy [MP3]

Anyone interested in picking this up can do so by heading over to Rok Lok. Definitely worth the five dollars PPD, so give it a shot if you enjoy what you hear.

Joie De Vivre is back in what is almost exactly a year later with their debut full-length album The North End, once again through Count Your Lucky Stars. I was pretty into what they were doing on their EP Summer Months back in April of last year, by touching upon a lot of the great qualities that inhabited plenty of mid-nineties midwesterny emo bands. While originally intrigued by the band, I was most definitely a bit hesitant to hear them at the time. It’s just the day and age we live in, thus when your band is described as such it causes more skepticism than it probably should. That’s all behind me now though, as I clearly (and quickly) realized that Joie De Vivre were busy growing up on all the best bands you could possibly pick out of that mess during the decade and have managed to channel it quite nicely here in 2010.

The North End sounds significantly more polished than their EP, and without a doubt it sounds fuller thanks to the addition of a trumpet and organ. Both or which are used pretty sparingly throughout the album, but are certainly noticeable in maximizing the bands sound and reach. The vocals have taken a step up here too. While they are still the obviously strained cry that you’d expect from this type of music, they sound a bit smoother than they did on Summer Months where at times it maybe felt they were reaching a bit too much to really drive the point home. All the slight additions and the band having a bit more time to smooth out some of the rougher edges has paid pretty great dividends on The North End and it no doubt clears a path for them to put out many more fine releases in the future.

Joie De Vivre – Salt [MP3]

If you’re interested in picking up The North End or even their previous EP, then just hit up Count Your Lucky Stars where it’s available on CD or LP. Enjoy!

This sort of ties in with the previous post, in that deep Snapper have appeared here before, are from Denton, Texas as well, and in fact have had all four of their albums (that includes this one) recorded by Tre Orsi member Matthew Barnhart to some degree or another. And since deep Snapper’s latest album Pi on the Side is nearing a release as well, seems as good as any time to get it up here on the blog.

The band certainly doesn’t make it easy to describe their records, which it seems often time is a compliment in itself. One thing I can say is that, like most of their records, Pi on the Side is a mixed bag of styles that are all working in an effort to convey the often clever tongue in cheek humor of the songs subject matter. In the end, it’s easier to just say they are a rock band. And while I’ll fully admit the humor all runs secondary to the actual music for me, it’s still a bit of fun to read through the CD jacket where anecdotes about the songs origins and inspiration are laid out by the members of the band. It’s an interesting bonus really. However, what really gets me excited about Pi in the Sky is that the band has really strung together a solid set of songs here and has obviously taken it a step above their previous material in terms of songwriting. I say that because as the album draws to a close, that’s where the band reveals some of the best tracks they’ve probably ever recorded in “Too Thick to be Sliced” and “Shark Dad Owes Back Taxes to the Porpoise House”. The band also tacks on three “hidden” untitled tracks on the end, which again end up being a couple of my favorites off the album, which is a shame because I have no idea if they have titles or not. Either way, Pi on the Side packs in 19 tracks that has absolutely no trouble keeping things interesting for the listener. And if you’re a fan of what has been coming out of Denton lately and/or 90’s flavored indie-rock, then certainly give deep Snapper and their latest album Pi on the Side a shot.

deep Snapper – Too Thick to be Sliced [MP3]

Keep an eye out for this one on the bands website or MySpace page. In the meantime I have an extra copy of Pi on the Side that I would be more than happy to give away to one of the readers out there. Consider it a contest I guess, but more so me probably just picking a name out of a hat again. However, to make things fun…e-mail me and in order to be “entered” your message must contain a dirty joke. Also be sure to put something like “deep Snapper contest” in the subject line so I know not to delete it. All right, hope to hear from a few of you and as always enjoy!

It’s really nice to finally get a chance to say a few things about the debut record from Tre Orsi, as member Matthew Barnhart has had his hand in recording records from a few bands out of the Denton, Texas area that have previously appeared on these pages before. And like those records, Devices + Emblems sounds pretty gosh darn good. And again, like those records, each one had a deep connection and passion for 90’s era indie-rock. However, Mr. Barnhart along with fellow members Howard Draper and Bryan VanDivier have put together what would, upon numerous listens now, appear to be one the best interpretations of those long missed sounds.

You could trawl the lengths of the internet these days and probably not a find a record that comes off as true to its influences as Devices + Emblems does. Trust me, this is coming from a person who has probably done close to just that. And as we watch the music industry during their last gasp for survival hack away at our past loves for the sake of a dollar, Tre Orsi stands as one of those items that I can proudly hold on to and take a bit of solace in. While as much as it would seem appropriate to relate this album to a particular time period, the more I listen to this record the more I realize that like their predecessors they were simply doing nothing more than trying to write an interesting piece of rock music. That may not sound like much, but then take a look around the musical landscape today and it becomes even clearer that Tre Orsi is a bit lonely out there. I suggest checking out the Dusted review of Devices + Emblems for an extremely good take on it. In the meantime please do check out the track below…

Tre Orsi – The Visible Hand (stream)

For those interested in picking this up, just head on over Comedy Minus One where the LP and digital downloads of the album are available. If you enjoy what you hear above, then don’t miss out on the rest of it and pick it up. Enjoy!