Bellafea - Cavalcade

After roughly four years Bellafea has finally returned with their brand new debut album in hand titled Cavalcade. Just released at the beginning of June through Southern Records, the band spent two years of that time off between the release of their EP Family Tree and now recording the nine songs that make up Cavalcade. The time has proved to work in the bands favor though as the album is simply a great piece of work that should have fans of nineties inspired indie-rock smiling from cheek to cheek.

It’s not really a surprise to find that Bellafea is based out of Chapel Hill, North Carolina. Although I’d say their sound doesn’t necessarily reflect that as much as some might want you to believe. Sure there are parts that can be picked out of the scenes past, but Bellafea are looking to continue to push it forward and I’d say Cavalcade does well in separating them from the past just as much as it intelligently takes from it. There will always be a special place in my heart for the jagged and tumbling guitar sound that made up a lot of the past decades prime indie-rock, Bellafea work within that territory to present a lively set of songs that are bursting with noisy free falls for Cavalcade. At the same time though, and this was a more so particularly on their previous EP Family Tree, Bellefea contain a small beauty within their music that is mostly due in part to singer/guitarist Heather McEntire. With vocals that have no trouble meeting the expectations of the bands varying moods, whether it be a cacophony of strings and guitar or just the power dual punch of bassist Eddie Sanchez and drummer Nathan Buchanan. It doesn’t matter as McEntire’s voice fits the bill for each and every moment on the album.

Bellafea – Depart (I Never Knew You) [MP3]

For anyone that is interested in picking up Cavalcade then head on over to Amazon to do so. It definitely comes recommended.

Pupille - La Música de Moda

Four albums in 10 years, the Tarragona based Pupille have consistently been putting out melodically twisting and precise instrumental rock during that time. The band is back this year with their fifth album titled La Música de Moda, which as been put out by Bcore Disc out of Barcelona, Spain.

Being a five piece can sometimes be misleading, Pupille aren’t a band that produce a large wall of noise or use that number to power the listener into submission. Instead, and one of the things that makes Pupille so impressive and a pleasure to listen to, is that each one of the members can be picked out of the melding and winding sound. Thanks to the extremely talented work of each member, it makes La Música de Moda a fantastic treat to listen to on a larger home stereo. Getting a chance to hear the three featured guitarists float in and out from one channel to the other just never gets old throughout the seven songs that make up the album. Bouncing off one another effortlessly and complete with smooth transitions that lead to the next guitarist’s arrangement, there is plenty contained within the album that make repeated listens a definite must. And that is not taking into the account the wonderful music that all of this ends up creating.

Pupille – La Comedia Hungara [MP3]

For those interested in picking up La Música de Moda then head on over to Bcore Disc to pick it up. Fans of finely executed instrumental rock shouldn’t pass this one up, a fine piece of work.

Caesura...

Caesura was an absolutely fantastic trio based out of San Francisco during the earlier part of this decade. I am not actually so sure if they are around these days still or not, but I am assuming not because I haven’t heard or seen anything about them since their last release in ’04. I could be wrong though and it sure wouldn’t be the first time that’s happened.

Anyway, Caesura was members Evan Rehill, Brad Purvis, and Mike Shoun. Together they released an EP in 2001 titled Escape Equals Light through their own label Bird Go South Records. They followed that release up with two albums, 2002’s More Specific, Less Pacific through 54°40' or Fight! and 2004’s excellent Wallpaper the Witness once again through Birds Go South.

While often slapped with the label of a math-rock band Caesura was and always sounded a bit like a different band than that. Yeah, their songs are filled with the all the stop/start guitar playing and wild percussive blasts that could essentially land them in that category, but with a singer in Rehill that had a bit of thing for theatrics it helped fuel a more unique post-punk influenced sound. While all of Caesura’s albums are pretty good in my opinion, I would definitely suggest picking up their last release Wallpaper the Witness before anything else as it features the band at their noisiest and most complex. Check out some tunes below…

More Specific, Less Pacific:
Caesura – Craschandelier [MP3]
Caesura – Overhead [MP3]

Wallpaper the Witness:
Caesura – Hammer [MP3]
Caesura – Killer B [MP3]

For those that are interested in picking up an album or two by the band, then you can still pick up their EP and first album through Amazon it appears. However, oddly enough Wallpaper the Witness seems to be a bit harder to find, although Copper Press apparently still sells the CD and LP of it. Don’t know exactly how reliable that may be though, might want to shoot them an e-mail first. Anyway, I definitely recommended tracking down any of the bands material you can find!

Dagobah...

It’s odd how things work out sometimes. I don’t have much of an update tonight due to all the storms going on and my connection not being as reliable as it I would like. Anyway, I’d been searching for physical copies of both the self-titled full-length and EP from the late and highly overlooked Osterville, Massachusetts based band Dagobah. I still am actually, but at that time I didn’t even have digital copies to listen to. However, just a few days ago by pure coincidence I received an e-mail from a reader of the blog that had a link to the bands recorded output up for download. Needless to say I have been spinning (well, looping on Winamp) the albums ever since. For those who haven’t heard the band, they were a three piece math/post-hardcore outfit during the mid to late nineties that put some serious riffs to record that definitely shouldn’t be missed. Check it out below.

Dagobah LP:
Dagobah – 55378008(life) [MP3]
Dagobah – Paas [MP3]

Dagobah EP:
Dagobah – Hot Dog [MP3]

If you’re enjoying the tunes above, then by all means head on over to the Sampson Records archive and download the full LP and EP for free. Enjoy!

Valina - A Tempo! A Tempo!

A Tempo! A Tempo! is the latest album from the Austrian three piece Valina. It marks their third album and their first release since 05’s excellent EP Epode. The album was released this past spring through Trost Records. I am not entirely sure if the album will be seeing a US release, however it’s available now though the labels website.

For those that may have not heard any of Valina’s material over the past 10 years that they’ve been around, well now is a perfect time to start as A Tempo! A Tempo! is probably one of the best things they’ve recorded to date. The album brings together all the past elements of the bands sound and sharpens them even further. An already fairly tight band on record, they’re swaggering brand of math-rock is deceptive in a way that it’s sometimes easy to overlook at just how skilled this band is. Interweaving incredibly catchy melodies with the stop start directional mayhem comparable to that of some of the early to mid nineties finest, the band creates a distinctive sound of their own that is somewhat helped along by the vocals of Anatol Bogendorfer that gently hint at the idea of being upbeat enough to sing along with.

Featuring a new drummer (Anselm Duerrschmid) this time around, the band doesn’t miss a beat, featuring the same skittish rapid speed blasts of thundering drums as before. Also helping them along on A Tempo! A Tempo! is some of their pals from the Chicago band Cougars who contribute saxophone and trumpet pieces throughout the album, which may be one of the finest additions to the bands sound.

Valina – Dogged [MP3]
Valina – Eye’s a Window [MP3]

As noted before, A Tempo! A Tempo! can be had over at Trost Records. I highly suggest picking this up and possibly any other Valina release you may come across. As a matter a fact, both Epode and their second album Vagabond are both available though 54º40' or Fight! still. In the meantime, enjoy!

Capillary Action - So Embarrassing

Behind the name Capillary Action you will find the mastermind of the group in Jonathan Pfeffer, who uses an ever changing cast of musicians to assist him in creating what is one hell of a mind bending sound. Now whether that is a good or bad thing, well that’s up to you because I can honestly say right here and now that this isn’t for everyone. So Embarrassing is the groups second record which has Pfeffer going full steam ahead into concept album territory by delivering a thirty plus minute palette of genres that weave their way in and out as fast as one can blink their eyes. All within this wild but surprisingly fine tuned orchestration is elements of jazz, progressive rock, math-rock, world music, and classical composition.

Generally albums like So Embarrassing prove to be much tougher of a listen than probably most people want to deal with. It’s an exercise in seeing just how far someone can push the boundaries and sometimes it’s only fun for those that are doing the pushing. One of the best aspects about So Embarrassing is that it successfully goes from being merely an experimental album to becoming a slightly more complex pop album that reveals itself as quite listenable really. That’s not to say, as I mentioned before, that everyone will enjoy this…although you never know. Really though that description remains to be a bit vague for the album as a whole as it accomplishes far more in my opinion. The many twists and turns that the album takes are paralleled with the soft melodic vocals of Pfeffer that often provides an extra intriguing element to the groups already spazzed out sound. So Embarrassing has gotten its fair share of comparisons to Mr. Bungle and Naked City, which seems fair. Fans of music in that sort of area should definitely find some interest in what Capillary Action are doing here on their latest album.

Capillary Action – Pocket Protection is Essential [MP3]
Capillary Action – Elevator Fuck [MP3]

For those looking to pick up So Embarrassing can do so by heading on over to Pangaea Recordings. I definitely recommend doing so.

Thank You - Terrible Two

The amount of interesting and often experimental music coming out of Baltimore, Maryland these days seems to be increasing. More and more I feel like I have been combing through the wealth of music coming out of that scene and a small portion of it has landed on the blog at some point or another. If I weren’t so lazy (and somewhat tired) I would go back and try and tally up the number. That’s just not to be though. Despite that, for today’s post I have an excellent new record from another Baltimore act, the trio of Thank You. Thrill Jockey just released their new album, Terrible Two, on vinyl this past April and are set to release it on CD here shortly in early June. So be on the lookout for it if vinyl is not your game.

Terrible Two is the follow up to last years album on WildfireWildfire titled World City. The band is described as an athletic rhythm/action unit, which almost seems like a good way of describing a band, but yet not really giving any idea of how they sound at the same time. However, after going through the five tracks on Terrible Two, it became clearer to me as to what exactly was meant by it…my mistake. Despite only being a trio, Thank You almost sound like there should be considerably more people standing around playing, hitting, or shouting something. The live shows are apparently something to be seen, which I can believe. The amount of different beats and rhythms they pull the listener through is genuinely impressive, which have all been drawn from a number of different sounds. The songs are drawn out in a fashion that lets them slowly work themselves into a frenzy, which generally leads to them spinning off into a whirlwind of completely different rhythms and beats. Terrible Two may only be around thirty five minutes in length, but it leaves nothing untouched and there is plenty to discover and appreciate here. On top of that it just proves to be a very fun album to listen to as well.

Thank You – Empty Legs [MP3]

As mentioned earlier, Terrible Two is only available out on vinyl as of right now and will be released on CD here come June. For anyone out there looking to pick it up right now however can do so through Thrill Jockey. Enjoy!

Northern Bushmen...

Hailing from Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania was the short lived foursome Northern Bushmen. Among that lineup were Pat Morris (Don Caballero, Six Horse, etc.) and Noah Leger (Hurl, Taking Pictures, and a number of others). Formed in 1988, the band released a couple 7 inches along with one 12 inch dubbed Raymond Fischer. Their final release was the Biggest Player 7’’, which was put out through Pop Bus in 1992.

Although Morris would end up playing in Don Caballero concurrently and thereafter, there wasn’t really a direct connection between the two musically. Northern Bushmen bared more of a resemblance to the early 90’s Pittsburgh noise-rock sound, primarily focused on trebly discordant guitar tones and feedback. Despite a minimal catalog of releases, they were definitely one of the highlights. Here are the two singles the band put out, I highly suggest listening to the Biggest Player 7’’ as it features probably my favorite song they did along with a nice cover of “Neat, Neat, Neat” originally by The Damned as a b-side.

Laura 7’’:
Northern Bushmen – Laura [MP3]
Northern Bushmen – Camel’d Back Whale Driver [MP3]
Northern Bushmen – God’s Cunt [MP3]
Northern Bushmen – Knob [MP3]

Biggest Player 7’’:
Northern Bushmen – Biggest Player [MP3]
Northern Bushmen – Neat, Neat, Neat [MP3]

Enjoy the tunes; these singles are long out of print along with their excellent 12’’. Of course there is always eBay and those sorts of things. If there is ever a moment in which anyone runs across these, definitely snatch them up!

White Tornado...

I’m diving back into the vaults for tonight’s update by posting a few things by the excellent and sadly overlooked Italian math/noise-rock band White Tornado. The band was formed around 1993 by experimental/improv guitarist Ninni Morgia and with the lineup of Morgia, Massimo Sapienza (vocals), Jeremy Evans (guitar), and Ivan Bonica (drums) they released their first EP titled Leg in 1996 through Lollypop Records. The EP was definitely the band in its infancy, not containing the full blown grinding twisting mess of a sound that they would later achieve. However, this was definitely a good start. It often times reminds me, especially on the song “Gino”, of the blunt forceful swagger that Big’n pulled off so well. The vocals are also blown out similarly to that of Unsane or Big Black. The latter of those two had the largest influence on the band from what I can tell. For an interesting listen, I’ve posted their cover of Nick Drake’s song “One of These Things First”. Hardcore Drake fans may want to withhold downloading that one…

Following the Leg EP the band jumped right into a full-length album titled From Hand to Mouth which was released on Freeland Records in 1997. This also saw the exit of guitar player Jeremy Evans and the addition of guitarist Marcello Di Lorenzo. The album, in terms of clarity, was much improved from the EP. This is also where Morgia’s presence is for the first time really felt, with the songs taking on added elements and twists. It’s a huge step up from Leg. Sadly, I don’t think this album is very easy to find anymore. Never fear though, I’ve provided a link to the full album. I do suggest picking it up if anyone does happen to run across it. Well worth having, that’s for sure.

White Tornado’s final two releases would come in the form of splits, one being a vinyl 7’’ with Colossamite released in 1998 through Freeland & Rock n’ Roll 86. Their contribution, “Contrived”, to the split is one of the best pieces they recorded. It’s a great blast of tinny sounding noise that captures some of the finer moments from the bands past and present. The second of the splits was a CD with Oxbow released in 2000 through Wallace Records. It features yet again, three excellent cuts from the band.

Leg:
White Tornado – One of These Things First [MP3]

From Hand to Mouth:
White Tornado – From Hand to Mouth [full album]

Split 7’’ w/ Colossamite:
White Tornado – Contrived [MP3]

Split CD w/ Oxbow:
White Tornado – Poem to the Most Affectionate Lady [MP3]

Most of the material is out of print these days, or just hard to come by. However I think Wallace Records still has copies of the Oxbow split for sale on their website. So definitely give that shot.

The Purkinje Shift...

Featuring members who routinely sported suits and opted never to take breaks in between songs when performing live, The Purkinje Shift were an odd but vastly underappreciated instrumental math-rock trio between the years 1996 and 2000. Although together for only a short amount of years the band was able to put out two fine full-length records, 1997’s Nickel Waves and Carbon Stars and 1999’s Five for the Road and One for the Ditch, along with one single.

The Purkinje Shift was of the Don Cab mold, with guitars that gradually built and further weaved in and out of each other with intricate but beautiful arrangements. However, just as quickly as one would fall in love with the interplay going on between the two guitarists they would lay into a quick harsher sounding crunch. It was just enough to rattle the listener from any sort of comfort zone they may be slipping into. They were definitely masters of the craft. There is a nice description of them on the Copper Press site that I think does a fairly nice job of capturing what they were like in a way. So here is that for anyone that cares to read further:

“3 A.M. Traffic on the city streets is intermittent. The alleys sing with drunks and vagabonds meandering in search of a spot to take respite. Atlanta is silent, save for the wet hum on the pavement as cars streak across its surface, wet from a late-evening rain that took a bite out of the heat that sweltered beyond its afternoon norm. The damp air rises visibly in front of the security lamps and pros and cons and passersby checker the corners and lean beneath awnings of lit storefronts. Enter a sleek blue Mustang, hung low and growling as it roars into view. It swerves to avoid potholes and debris on its way to the city's edge, where it veers onto a freeway entrance ramp. A vision of perfect balance, horsepower, calibration and finesse, it darts into, between and past traffic with pinpoint control and cool concentration, the sharp tilts in direction and downshifts executed in a stalwart fashion befitting those who are first on race day. Guitar, guitar and drums. Adventurous forays into seething nightscapes under the guide of intrepid players who create and resolve tension in ways previously unheard. Daring plummets into dense sonic valleys are answered by escalating passages that raise, one ladder-to-tightrope-walk at a time, not only the listener from the perilous depths, but also raise the stakes, as to successfully render the passengers safe from harm and the music from death-by-bottomless pit, requires great skill, engrossing determination and patience, qualities this trio possesses in spades. Behind the wheel of these six engrossing compositions, The Purkinje Shift work the pedals and hold the wheel in a leather grip, the headlights piercing the darkness like a needle. When the journey is over, the listener will find himself far from Atlanta, on the other side of the Tennessee valley and mountain range, perhaps, all the way to northern Michigan, sitting and staring at his reflection, all lit and bleach white, in a computer monitor that glows like dulling city lights, the faint odor of exhaust escaping out the cracked window.” ~ Copper Press ~

With that, check out some tunes below from both of their albums.

Nickel Waves and Carbon Stars:
The Purkinje Shift – Clint [MP3]

Five for the Road and One for the Ditch:
The Purkinje Shift – TVCR [MP3]

It would appear that the 54º40' or Fight! online store still has copies of everything the band put out, including their lone 7 inch. If that doesn’t work, well there is always Amazon. Whichever route is chosen, definitely pick up an album or two. Well worth it for fans of this sort of thing.

Pecola...

A record I have wanted to post about for awhile now is The Mexican from the Toronto based math-rock group Pecola. However, I have been somewhat reluctant due to the record being a bit tough to find anywhere online. It’s sadly out of print these days, but I figured tonight I would go ahead and put it here on the blog for people to hear.

Formed around 1994, Pecola made a number of compilation appearances, put out a couple singles or so, and released an excellent 12 inch EP entitled Dat Hoang through Slipped Disc & Skull Geek. All of that was leading up to their one and sadly final album The Mexican, which was released in 1999 through Kosher Rock.

Pecola played a slightly noisier and aggressive style of math-rock that took many twist and turns within their generally short length songs. I am not really a fan of the phrase “controlled chaos”, although I’ve probably used it before and yeah I am going to use it again here, but that’s kind of what Pecola were notorious for. Their sound was based around a sense of recklessness which made it greatly appealing to listen to in my opinion. Just as soon as you thought things were speeding out of control, they could switch gears and gather themselves up then head in a completely different direction only to do it all over again. For those that haven’t got a chance to ever hear this highly overlooked band, then definitely take a listen to the samples below. Well worth the time.

Pecola – Worker and Parasite [MP3]
Pecola – Sugarcane is Aspartame [MP3]
Pecola – Song #3 [MP3]

Like I said, I unfortunately have no idea where to obtain their album these days. If anyone out there does run across, I definitely recommend picking it up. It’s excellent. The good news though is that Dat Hoang is available digitally through Emusic, Amazon, or basically any other major digital retailer. Members from Pecola went on to be in No No Zero, Minaret, and various others.

Wayne Western - Grattan Heights

I imagine it doesn’t look too good when the first day after mentioning that the blog shouldn’t be affected by my recent starting of a new job, I end up not updating. Go figure. I still stand by that though, however updates might just start coming during any part of the day or night. So basically whenever I get a chance to, I will try.

Instrumental math-rock is a tricky deal with me. I love it, don’t get me wrong, but I am still somewhat young and probably have had my attention span ruined by television and video games in the not so distant past. So it’s always impressive when I can either run across or receive a disc of this nature that can hold my attention from start to finish. That’s why I love it, because when it’s done right it’s damn good. I recently have had this pleasure with the debut EP Grattan Heights from the Iowa City trio Wayne Western. Their brand spankin’ new EP has just been released on the always reliable Unfun Records. Much in the same vein as label mates Tenebre (who are also very much worth your time), Wayne Western play a form of instrumental math-rock that along with the technical side of it, also has welcomed focus on melody as well. As I mentioned earlier, when it’s done well then it really pays off and Wayne Western certainly have managed that on Grattan Heights. Definitely recommended.

Wayne Western – Grattan Heights [MP3]

For those looking to pick up Grattan Heights then head on over to Unfun Records and do so. It’s definitely worth checking out.

Charlottefield - What Are Friends For

Charlottefield’s latest record What Are Friends For may have been one of the first new records I heard at the beginning of the year. I don’t really know why I’ve put off writing about it on the blog up until now, but in between then and now I’ve slowly grown to enjoy this album even more than I did when I first heard it. So maybe it all works out in the long run, and to cover up my laziness even further, it DID just come out here in the US very recently so I am not really THAT behind.

The bands latest disc is something I think most fans of post-hardcore/math-rock will appreciate whole heartedly. Charlottefield are definitely cruising down that pathway, although judging by the sounds on the album they aren’t necessarily happy about it. With vocals from Thomas Howell that are often being barked and shouted in a strained frenzy while a rising tension of guitar and bass swirl behind him as if they are constantly trying to catch up to him. The lead track “Beatings” is actually probably one of the more aggressive tracks on the album, which actually works quite nicely as it is followed up by multiple songs that more or less serve as a better representation of Charlottefield’s sound. While it may seem highly familiar some, it’s partly the execution that makes What Are Friends For such a strong album and one that shouldn’t be dismissed as just another math-rock album. There are plenty of great and challenging arrangements throughout the album and if that isn’t enough, the consistently amazing bass lines should at least intrigue some out there. Charlottefield most definitely are quite skilled at being able to almost perfectly marry technical skill to beautiful melodies and that’s more than a lot of bands trying their hand at the same thing can say these days.

Charlottefield – Pacifically [MP3]

For those looking to pick this record up, continue to check at Fat Cat.

More Fire for Burning People...

Formed around 1994 was the Richmond, Virginia based More Fire for Burning People. After working to solidify a full-time lineup of Brian Landis, Curtis Brown, Becky Sanchez, and Bret Payne the band set forth on recording a four song demo and then quickly followed that up with the “Utah” single. The band also did a split with Blue Baby New Year that was released on Moodswing Records. Not long before the band split in 1997, they put out their one and only full-length on Ruido Records titled Sitting Breathless in New Chairs. A brief tour after the release would prove to be the end of the band as members starting focusing on other projects and/or life outside of being in a band. Regardless, their album is a fairly interesting piece of work that due to their brief existence may have been easily overlooked in the past.

Their sound, while not totally uncommon at the time, was definitely a good one sort of soaking itself in mathy bass-lines while branching out a bit more into drifting pulse like rhythms that ultimately rope the listener into being caught off guard with a hit of distorted guitar noise. Along with the impressive bass work of member Becky Sanchez, you also had some fine drumming thrown in too provided by Bret Payne, keeping things more than interesting. Definitely check the album out if you happened to miss it whenever it originally came out.

More Fire for Burning People – Daddy’s Girl [MP3]
More Fire for Burning People – Frank’s Mill [MP3]

After disbanding Sanchez went on to be in Shiloh Sound along with member Brian Landis. Bret Payne went on to be in Galusha Grow and eventually formed his own record label Cadillac Flambe. Thanks to that, anyone interested in picking up Sitting Breathless in New Chairs or any other material by More Fire for Burning People can be done so at Cadillac Flambe.

The Vehicle Birth - Tragedy

Tragedy was the one and only album released by the DC/Boston based band The Vehicle Birth. The album which was originally self-released by the band sometime around 1997 was later re-released by Crank! Records in 1998. The band would break up the following year while on tour, playing their last show in Portland. While it may be the bands single album, they sure made it count as it definitely is an overlooked gem within the math-rock/post-hardcore set. I think back to around 1998 and I remember a lot of the music that was becoming popular at the time and a lot of it wasn’t terribly good. I imagine Tragedy suffered the unfortunate circumstance of coming out when music was taking a bit of a shift and music similar to that of The Vehicle Birth was becoming rarer. Regardless, it still doesn’t really explain why a record like Tragedy doesn’t get its due.

The Vehicle Birth was a five piece that had originally formed in Fairfax, VA but later made the move to Boston, MA. They played shows with Dismemberment Plan on a number of occasions and were friends of the band. Unsurprisingly Leigh Thompson of The Vehicle Birth now plays in the band Statehood with former members of the Dismemberment Plan. But anyway, The Vehicle Birth’s music was a culmination of many things in a way. They had the odd/uneasy post-rock slant down to about every detail. Singer and guitarist Timothy James’ muttered rambling styled vocals were taken to the extreme in comparison to any similar acts that had come before them. What made The Vehicle Birth so special in my eyes though was the way their songs could go back and forth so easily. The buildups for the songs that rely on them are extremely well thought out allowing for all sorts of tension. Along with all of that though the band still shared a bit of the DC post-hardcore sound in which their roots lied. Songs like “Marathon” and “Yankeedom” are more straight forward not relying as inherently on the whole soft/loud approach, or just deceptively soft in some cases. Whatever the case may be, Tragedy is a record that shouldn’t be passed over when thinking about some of the finer math/post-hardcore releases during the 90’s.

The Vehicle Birth – Marathon [MP3]
The Vehicle Birth – 23 [MP3]

Now day’s member Leigh Thompson can be found playing in Statehood as earlier mentioned, Jeff Galusha can now be found in Certainly, Sir, Timothy James is currently in the band The Movies, Christopher Jackson played in the band Cracktorch for a bit, while member John Stephens can be found doing the solo thing as John vs. Anti-John.

For those interested in picking up Tragedy, which I strongly urge people to do, it can be had over at Amazon for basically any other online retailer. For those looking to go the digital route it also available on Emusic. Enjoy!

Suzanne'Silver - The Crying Mary

Carlo Barbagallo, Dario Serra, Francesco Accardi, and Mauro Felice make up the Sicily based math-rock group Suzanne’Silver. The band just the past year put out their debut record titled The Crying Mary. It’s kind of a bummer that I didn’t run across this record before it eventually landed in my lap during the later portion of ’07. I didn’t have much time to squeeze in something about it on the blog while working on other planned stuff for it and then pumping out the year end list for it as well. However, I am not one for many excuses and I blame myself for not listening to this record sooner, and it’s a shame too because this is a fine record/debut for the band out now on Radio is Down.

Suzanne’Silver has actually been around since 1998 according to the groups posted bio on their site; however it would appear that they have undertaken a few stylistic changes during their time together as all the members have grown out of their teenage years. What originally started as a bit of a Seattle “grunge” worship type of group has transformed into an extremely hard hitting and complex math-rock foursome. Sharing qualities from the likes of fellow Italians Uzeda and mixing in a bit more melody, the group definitely has something going for them and should easily appeal to those that miss some of the genres past finest. One thing I immediately noticed and found myself enjoying about the album aside from the excellent tunes contained within, was the actual production of the album. It has a very “live” and slightly lo-fi sound or feel to it, which greatly lends itself to the bands sound I think. I am always a fan of a bit rougher or less slick recording, however that’s just me. Whether or not that’s your thing though, the songs on this album will surely draw the attention to anyone who is a fan of this type of music regardless. It’s wonderfully executed and surprisingly catchy at times. Definitely check this out.

Suzanne’Silver – Amongst the Orange Groves [MP3]
Suzanne’Silver – Pages [MP3]

For those interested in picking this up, head on over to Radio is Down for a copy. It’s strongly recommended.

Kolya...

While many may remember Caulfield Records for some of their earlier releases in the early to mid nineties, it’s easy to sometimes forget about some of the better records that came out on the label in its final years. Kolya were a trio out of Boston, MA that put out one self-titled record through the label in 2001 and then were not heard from much after. However, that record makes for a fairly decent example. Not exactly obscure, but not as big as some of their early 90’s predecessors. They also put out a couple singles as well on other labels that are completely worth tracking down or purchasing if they happened to be stumbled upon one of these days

I hate to make it sound as simple as just mashing two genres together and leaving it at that, however I can’t honestly figure out a good way to describe what Kolya did other than saying that it was a very interesting and (in my opinion) successful cross between early to mid nineties emo and the rhythmic styled math-rock that was commonly coming out of Chicago almost during the same time. The vocals, which were shared between two of the members, give it a very nostalgic feel for some of those early DC bands, as they are often presented in a spoken…sometimes shouted manner. It works quite well however. The way in which the songs work through like a rollercoaster of climbs and falls, occasionally remind of past greats Boys Life and Christie Front Drive. On it’s own though, Kolya’s only album is a great piece of work definitely worth having for anyone that may have missed it the first time around and are fans of this type of thing.

Self-Titled:
Kolya – Robots Dream in Black and White [MP3]
Kolya – Resuscitation [MP3]

Iditarod 7’’:
Kolya – Iditarod [MP3]
Kolya – Still Life with Candle [MP3]

Kolya 7’’:
Kolya – The Story Becomes the Vehicle [MP3]
Kolya – Conversations and Smokescreens [MP3]

Kolya split up shortly after the release of their self-titled album; I am not so sure what followed. Although I do know that guitarist Todd Giles and bassist Craig Schechter later were in the band The Union Ares. Todd Giles these days is in bluegrass band called Poverty Line Old Time Band. If anyone else wants to fill in any gaps, then feel free. As for the Kolya record, it can still be had over Amazon and many other places of online retail. So do check that out and pick it up if the tunes posted are of interest.

Replicator - Machines Will Always Let You Down

I look at a song title like “King Shit on Fuck Mountain” (apparently a Mr. Show reference, thanks Sebastian!) and immediately think that this is either going to be really good or really bad. There is no in between with something like that, you know what I mean? It preps me for what is going to be an all or nothing listening experience. However, it’s pretty obvious that if I am writing about it on here then I think it’s pretty damn good. I made the decision when I first started this blog that writing about a bad record is just a waste of time. As if my times really that valuable anyway, because trust me it’s not.

Replicator are from Oakland, CA and Machines Will Always Let You Down is their third album and first for Radio is Down. The Vern Rumsey (Unwound) produced album carries on a theme that is sort of a look see into a world that has gone wrong at the hands of technology. To keep it short, apparently it’s going to be pretty messed up. Although, I am a strong supporter of Replicator’s idea of a sex robot which is mentioned in the lead track “Delicious Fornicake”. I honestly had to listen to this album again as soon as finished it for the first time because I wanted focus completely on the whacked out lyrics, which for many other bands would seem absolutely ridiculous. However, tagged along with Replicator’s own brand of disjointed noise frenzy the lyrics seem completely at home and make what would in most cases be a forgettable theme turn into something that is disturbing and at the same time greatly entertaining.

Musically Replicator is right on the mark as well. Taking cues from the prime days of math-rock and noise-rock, but ultimately sounding as near to a nervous breakdown as singers Conan Neutron and Ben Adrian both do throughout. Machines Will Always Let You Down is a fantastic album that I am very thankful that I heard before the years end. Do check it out.

Replicator – Delicious Fornicake [MP3]
Replicator – Fashionably Latent [MP3]

For those looking to pick this up, please head on over to Radio is Down and do so. It definitely comes recommended.

Collapsar - Integers

Collapsar are easily one of my favorite instrumental metal bands that are currently active. So it’s with the utmost joy that I get to talk a bit about their new upcoming album for Escape Artist called Integers. The album will be out on November 20th and for those that were into the bands Self-Titled debut in 2005, well all I can say is that Integers will be a no brainer to pick up. It’s simply spectacular.

For those not familiar with Collapsar, the band was formed in 2002 in Lafayette, Louisiana by ex-Icepick Revival members Brett Judice (drums) and Stephen Sheppert (guitar). The band hooked up with Dave Graeff to fill another guitar slot and recorded their first album which also saw a release through Escape Artist. After a tour in support of the album Graeff departed from the band and his spot was filled by guitarist Adam Harris and recording began on their soon to be released second album Integers.

Two of my favorite bands to ever pull off the whole instru-metal math rock thing were Breadwinner and Bozart. It may well be time to start including Collapsar in that small list. It’s basically as if either of those bands fell face first into a gigantic pile of prog-rock records and emerged from it a whole new tech metal monstrosity simply known as Collapsar. With their new album Integers, they waste no time in kick starting the shred-fest on the nine minute album opener “Axiomatic Fragment”, which basically sets the tone for the rest of what is to come on Integers. One main thing I really enjoy about the album and really Collapsar’s music in general is that on top of all guitar wizardry taking place, they create songs that still manage to sound full and with plenty of texture. No, this isn’t your ordinary guitar and drums set up. It’s my kind of metal, no cheese, no lyrics, no solo wankery to be found…just sixty minutes chock full of riffs and technical guitar playing that even after that amount time will leave you wanting more. If that’s the case, go out and get the bands debut as well if it’s not already in your CD collection.

Collapsar – Drilling Holes Through Space [MP3]

Be sure to pick up Integers when it officially comes out on November 20th. However, for anyone that don’t think they can wait that long it looks as if you can hit up the band on their MySpace and they’ll sell the album early. They’ll also have it on tour with them, so if you manage to catch them live…buy it. Otherwise, keep checking Escape Artist as it will be available there come the end of November. I’m out for the weekend, everyone have a good one!

Stay Fucked - Windpipe

Windpipe is technically the first official release from the Brooklyn trio Stay Fucked. After participating in a split release with Archaeopteryx and self-releasing a couple of CD-R only EP’s the California based Unfun Records has stepped up and will be putting out this fine three song EP this Tuesday.

I became familiar with Stay Fucked right around the time of their split with Archaeopteryx and was pretty impressed by the few songs I was able to hear during that period. Living in the Midwest it’s hard not to be completely into the bands sound, which draws influences from some of the Midwest’s finest early 90's math-rock groups like Dazzling Killmen or Craw. The three songs contained on Windpipe are an excellent display of what Stay Fucked are capable of and if that doesn’t do enough for you, then the band has taken it upon themselves to include three equally excellent live videos that in my opinion are quite possibly the best thing about this EP since I am fairly far away from New York and as far as I know the band has only been here in the Midwest once prior to this release. So yeah, seeing the live videos is an extra treat for someone like me, maybe not so much to those that are lucky enough to make it out to shows quite often. Either way, the music should easily be enough to knock someone’s ass on the floor as this is math-rock with an extra emphasis on the “rock” part of the label. At just three songs, it leaves me conjuring up ideas as just how piercing and intense a full-length album of cuts like these would be. I do hope something like that eventually happens because with the band playing riffs that fly out like a barrage of stray deadly bullets it’s pretty easy to get excited about the potential of it.

Stay Fucked – His Best [MP3]

Be sure to pick up Windpipe, it can be purchased right now over at Unfun and it will be sent out this Tuesday when it’s released. For more Stay Fucked music and news be sure to check out the bands MySpace. Enjoy!

Dis-...

Dis- was an amazing band that hailed from Milwaukee. That being said, they were the first band on Twelve Inch Records to not be from the Twin Cities, which really doesn’t mean anything I suppose, but was a neat fact nonetheless. Anyway, the band was essentially always based around singer/guitarist Chris Fuller and bassist Rob Sieracki as they would go through a number of drummers during their time together. Some of those that I know of, and not in any particular order, were Matt Morgan, Chris Manfrin (Seam), Peter Pollack, and Chris Cosgrove (Zoom). Dis- managed to release three very solid albums before calling it quits right around the time of their third album in 1996, which was appropriately titled The Historically Troubled Third Album, which would be their only album on Sonic Bubble Gum. The other two albums, ‘92’s Small Fry and ‘94’s M386.D57 1994 were both released on Twelve Inch. Also, I am pretty sure all of their albums were recorded by Steve Albini as well.

Dis- had a pretty interesting sound going for them, and by the time of their third album they had really come into their own. I can’t really explain it, but think of all the great Chicago math/indie bands and the interesting arrangements you heard in the 90’s and then add some slight Midwestern melodicism to it. All of that paired along with Chris Fuller’s practically deadpan vocal delivery was a recipe for something great to these ears. Fuller’s voice always reminds me of someone else that I can’t quite ever remember, and no it’s not Matt Talbott, however that’s not a bad guess but that’s not who I am thinking of. Anyway, for those out there that ever see any of their albums, snatch them up because their kind of hard to track down these days, at least the first two. I don’t usually do this, but since the first two albums are sadly long out of print and I don’t recommend anyone having to pay high dollar for a compact disc, I’ve went ahead and uploaded the first two albums for everyone to check out. They are well worth the download, but I’ve also uploaded samples too.

Small Fry (full album download):
Dis- - Seeds [MP3]
Dis- - Cage Me Safely [MP3]

M386.D57 1994 (full album download):
Dis- - Her Daughter’s Friends [MP3]
Dis- - Christ but They’re Few [MP3]

The Historically Troubled Third Album:
Dis- - Werewolves [MP3]
Dis- - Catch Me, I’m a Prick [MP3]

For those interested in buying their third album, it’s available on Amazon for pretty cheap and it’s actually probably their best album, so I can’t recommend enough on picking that one up. After the band broke up Chris Fuller went on to play in Sixto and Shiny Ghosts, however now currently runs Scary Bodega, which does music for soundtracks and various other media. Rob Sieracki went on to be in Ex-Chittle for a bit and that’s all I know of him. Anyway, enjoy the music. I think the rest of the week is going to be more or less focusing on releases from this year that I’ve been enjoying as their has been a lot lately and I need to do some catching up.

Bear Claw - Slow Speed: Deep Owls

Kicking off the week is the latest album from the Chicago trio Bear Claw. The album, which is entitled Slow Speed: Deep Owls, is the bands second for Sickroom Records and will be out this Tuesday which just so happens to be tomorrow. Anyway, for those of you that haven’t heard Bear Claw before and consider yourselves fans of mid nineties math/noise-rock very much in the Touch and Go tradition then this will undoubtedly be right up your alley.

Bear Claw consist of two bassists, both whom sing on occasion, and a drummer. Although there are two basses it’s really not all that noticeable since one is paired up with a distortion pedal. However the sound that the two instruments end up creating together is excellent and obviously the more important matter at hand here anyway. I won’t go on about how this is anything that is significantly breaking new ground here, because obviously the guys in Bear Claw are deeply influenced by a lot of the mid nineties math/noise-rock stalwarts and it makes up a large part of their sound and we all know what that sounds like. However, I don’t understand why that needs to be a criticism, unless whoever is listening to it just never was a fan of this type of music during its prime years anyway, in that case they shouldn’t be listening to this in the first place. I imagine there are plenty out there, including me, that truly miss the sound that Bear Claw do such a great job at recapturing and even putting their own little spin on while they’re at it. I am sure Slow Speed: Deep Owls will bring a smile to plenty of people’s faces.

Bear Claw – Distant Apology [MP3]
Bear Claw – Embrace [MP3]

For those that are enjoying the tunes above, then don’t forget to head on over to Sickroom Records and pick up this album. Good stuff.

Pencil...

Don’t know how many people remember this Indiana band, but Pencil put out two pretty good albums in the mid-nineties on Grass Records. I was actually reminded of the band when I happened to run across a website offering up a remastered digital download of their first album Skantron which originally came out in 1994, but suffered from some pretty poor sounding production quality. Anyway, I about fell out of my seat when I saw all fourteen songs of it just sitting there, I’d always wondered what some of these songs would sound like if I could actually here them with a bit more clarity. Well, I can say now that they sound excellent.

Originally formed in the early 90’s by high school friends Carl Saff (guitar) and Matt Wagner (drums), the two welcomed fellow Indiana University students Chris Morgan (vocals) and Karl Desch (bass). However, Morgan and Desch would soon exit the band and later be replaced by singer Rob Davidson and bass player Tyler Tribby. After playing around locally doing a number of shows they recorded a seven inch that sparked them a deal with Grass Records, which would go on to release their two albums Skantron (1994) and El Toro (1995). They also did a split with Big’n in 1993 on Spontaneous Combustion that featured in my opinion one of their best songs “Choice”, however the song can also be found on Skantron and thankfully now at a much better quality. The bass player slot was pretty much like a revolving door during the bands existence, as bassist Phil Sung would play on Skantron, later leaving the band after its release to then be replaced by Ryan Wilson for the recording of El Toro. They didn’t get much of a chance to make many more changes after that as the band broke up sometime in 1995 after the albums release. Carl Saff went on to play in the equally great Neutrino, with Brian Wnukowski of Big’n, Check Engine, and Cougars fame as well as doing work in the bizarro synth/guitar project Emperor Penguin. Saff can currently be found doing mastering work here. Anyway, definitely check out the tunes below from what I consider to be a couple overlooked math-rock gems.

Skantron:
Pencil – G.M.C. [MP3]
Pencil – Choice [MP3]
Pencil – Integrity [MP3]

El Toro:
Pencil – Cumulus Alto Cumulus [MP3]
Pencil – Zip it Up [MP3]
Pencil – Lickity Split [MP3]

As mentioned earlier, a remastered version of the bands first album Skantron can be had over here for download. El Toro looks to be out of print, however there are more than enough used copies over at Amazon for basically nothing but shipping. I’d definitely recommend picking up that album.

The Ancient Greeks...

The math-pop quartet Ancient Greeks came together in 1998. Comprised of Chris Warland (vocals/saxophone), Nathaniel Braddock (guitar), Andy Rench (bass) and Timothy P. Stevens (drums), Ancient Greeks deliver a sharp, guitar-driven hook. They're rooted in post-bop Jazz, bossa nova and 20th century minimalism while also influenced by the ecletic worldbeat sounds of 70s African pop. Over the course of two years, the band gigged in and around their native Chicago. In summer 2001, Ancient Greeks began work on their debut album. They joined TV Pow's Michael Hartman and Jeremy Boyle of Joan of Arc for the recording of The Song Is You. Flameshovel Records also inked the Ancient Greeks a deal in early 2002. The Song Is You appeared in January 2003. ~Allmusic~

I was actually going to type up this big old post about The Ancient Greeks myself, but then I realized that there just wasn’t much I could add to what had already been described. Regardless, I think AMG does a fairly nice job and getting the idea across in just what The Ancient Greeks are all about. As most that read the blog can assume probably, I was interested in the band originally because of the inclusion of former Table drummer Timothy Stevens. Upon first hearing the band on their first album I was pretty much floored. It wasn’t what I was expecting, yet it didn’t quite take me by surprise either. The mixture of styles and influences that combine to make the bands sound just seemed so effortless and convincing that there wasn’t any point in first hearing them that took some sort of adjustment. As a matter a fact, I completely ate it up. Being a fan of Jazz, it came as a delight to hear it mixed with the traditional Chicago math/post-rock sound.

The one thing the excerpt at the very top fails to mention is the bands second album Departure Suite, which was released in 2005 through the Japanese label And Records. The album is a bit harder to find, however I personally feel it’s their best.

The Song is You:
The Ancient Greeks – Lay Up [MP3]
The Ancient Greeks – Transcontinental [MP3]

Departure Suite:
The Ancient Greeks – Moonface [MP3]
The Ancient Greeks – Departure [MP3]

The bands first album The Song is You is still available through Amazon. As far as obtaining Departure Suite, I suppose it’s worth checking out the And Records site…that is if you can read Japanese.

UPDATE: It was brought to my attention in the comments section that Departure Suite is available if you contact the band through their website. Thanks to whomever the anonymous person is that pointed that out!

The Wicked Farleys...

I’ve been meaning to throw up a few tunes from Boston’s The Wicked Farleys for quite awhile now. As with most things that I either mean to do or find myself wanting to do, they get eventually get lost in the shuffle until something jogs my memory again. That happened this weekend while I found myself listening to a hastily made MP3 disc in my car and setting it on shuffle. Eventually a tune from The Wicked Farleys popped up from their great Sustained Interest EP and that was all I needed really.

The band was formed sometime in the mid nineties and would go on to release one 7 inch, a split with Vehicle Birth, the Sustained Interest EP in 1999, and two amazing albums titled Sentinel and Enterprise in 1998 and Make it It in 2000. The bands sound could be simply described as being a beautiful mess. While that hardly does them justice, it’s not a bad description really. They could be pretty much anywhere at anytime during a song and simply just pull a complete 180 on you and turn whatever it was into a small ball of noise or something just going off in a whole other direction altogether. They were a band that really didn’t play into any one genre I guess you could say. Being part math-rock, part mid nineties indie rock, and at times lavishing in the dreaminess of bands like My Bloody Valentine it created this odd monstrosity that in a perfect world would be the most popular thing ever, however we all know that isn’t the case with bands that don’t play it by the numbers. While a description as such doesn’t exactly sound favorable on paper, it really comes together in the actual music. Somehow or another within all the warped guitar tones and oddball directions appear some great melodies and songs that eventually get played over and over again without any explanation other than it’s simply that damn catchy. For those that have never listened to this highly under appreciated and underrated band, then check out the tunes, especially if you’re into the type of atonal indie rock that was prominent during the nineties.

Sentinel and Enterprise:
The Wicked Farleys – Even Numbers [MP3]
The Wicked Farleys – 23 Red Devils [MP3]

Sustained Interest:
The Wicked Farleys – Fitchburg, MA [MP3]

Make it It:
The Wicked Farleys – Dig the Ring [MP3]
The Wicked Farleys – Opportune [MP3]

Thankfully both albums and the EP are still available on Amazon and for a pretty great price too. I can’t recommend picking these up at some point, some great stuff that shouldn’t be missed.

Yukon - Mortar

I owe this find to Hank over at Dark Forces Swing Blind Punches, who wrote about the Baltimore based Yukon back in December. With always having a backlog of music that I either need or want to listen to, it at times means I am late to the game, so to speak. Regardless, it took me awhile to fully listen to Yukon’s debut album Mortar, which came out on Terra Firma Records last year. When finally hearing the record, it really didn’t take long for it to find homes in my stereo here at the house as well my car.

For a lot of us out there, we yearn for the sound that made math-rock in the 90’s such a valued art-form. While it hasn’t ever really gone away, it’s definitely become a bit harder now to find groups that can truly display the same sort of power and innovative approach that was found then. Naturally, this is where I mention Yukon and praise them for being in the minority and putting out a fantastic record that absolutely should be heard by anyone that enjoys this type of music. That’s because they most definitely deserve it. Mortar is one of the finest slabs of post-hardcore/mathy goodness that I’ve heard for quite awhile really. It’s seriously a shame I didn’t find this record earlier in ’06, because I would have probably been giving it serious thought for a top twenty slot. With Mortar, it’s not only about the precision at which they pull off their craft, it’s also impressive in that they are able to cram so much into just thirty five minutes worth of music. While all the past math-rock favorites come to mind (Don Caballero, etc), Yukon throw in a twist of melody as well as dirtying up their sound a bit with a slight nod to The Jesus Lizard. There are a number of great things I could say about this album, but really what it all comes down to is that Mortar is everything that is great about math-rock.

Yukon – Legsick [MP3]
Yukon – Ribosome [MP3]

I’d definitely recommend heading over to Terra Firma and picking this up. It’s completely worth it.