Mouthbreather - Thank You for Your Patience

Thank You for Your Patience is the debut record from Richmond, VA’s Mouthbreather and one that I have been looking forward to ever since hearing their demo and 7 inch that came out last year on Kiss of Death Records. I was also pretty into Wow, Owls! before they broke up, which Mouthbreather happens to contain three members from along with a couple previous members of The Setup.

Those that were already fans of the aforementioned bands will probably have no trouble getting into Mouthbreather’s debut as it follows the members’ previous bands styles fairly closely, which draws absolutely no complaint from this camp. Keeping tune with their hometowns rich punk/hardcore past, they do the early 90’s post-hardcore/emo type thing justice with a record that is tight and feels truly inspired. It would definitely be a treat to catch these guys live at some point if I could after hearing the record a few times through now.

Mouthbreather – Best of Seven [MP3]

For those interested in picking up the record, it can be had currently over at No Idea Records in the Kiss of Death store. As of right now it’s only on vinyl, however if you’re interested in a CD version it’s on its way. Definitely pick it up though at some point. Well worth it.

Fluf...

Fluf could be considered one of the most highly overlooked bands during 90’s, especially in a time when catchy melodic punk was probably at a high for mainstream consumption. However the mainstream never saw it fit to really take a long hard listen to Fluf throughout the decade, and all that time Otis “O” Barthoulameu fronted the trio with his unique vocals and catchy guitar playing while putting out album after album of completely solid and no frills rock. Honestly I had a hard time going through Fluf’s catalog trying to decide which songs I wanted to post from their main albums. There were just so many good tunes as lead man O crammed each song with as many hooks and melodies as he possibly could that practically each one makes its case for inclusion. And because of that it just blows my mind that they weren’t any bigger. Fluf did spend a small amount of time on a major label for their album Waikiki, however were dropped after it didn’t sell well.

One thing that I always loved about Fluf was that their sound was so very large for just a trio. They got the most out of it, that’s for sure. For me it’s something I like to throw on to lift my mood a bit, as Fluf’s carefree tunes were more than enough to do just that. And while it has nothing to do with the music really, the kitsch/classic looking album designs were a draw in too for some reason. Anyway definitely check out the music below.

Mangravy:
Fluf – Hecho del Diable [MP3]

Home Improvements:
Fluf – Sticky Bun [MP3]
Fluf – Page 3 Plus 1 [MP3]

Waikiki:
Fluf – Skip Beat [MP3]
Fluf – Pipe Bomb [MP3]

Road Rage:
Fluf – If I Could Feel Good [MP3]

Most of Fluf’s releases are now out of print but practically all of them can be had over at Amazon for pretty cheap, so if the tunes above are of interest definitely head on over and drop a couple bucks for the discs. Also, head on over to the bands MySpace, they are still plugging a long these days as well. Good stuff. Enjoy!

Bob Evans - The Bradley Suite

The Bradley Suite was the last album that the New Jersey trio of Bob Evans released before splitting up in 1995. The album got the major label treatment, however it’s no surprise that it now qualifies as one of those 1 cent used CD’s that are often found on Amazon. It’s kind of disappointing that such a good album gets that sort of treatment, but at the same time it’s kind of nice for those rare people out there that want them. Before making The Bradley Suite Bob Evans had two albums under their belt, both of which were chock full of powerful punk/post-hardcore tunes. Their earlier material was especially more punk fueled than that of what is contained on The Bradley Suite. What I imagine was an attempt for Elektra Records to cash in on the alterna-boom of the 90’s, The Bradley Suite really doesn’t fit that mold. Their earlier pop tinged punk material probably made the band attractive at the time, however what was delivered on this album was something fairly different and honestly I find it to be their best album. The band is ultimately a bit more melancholic here on The Bradley Suite and the songs greatly reflect it. It sort of steers into that whole mid nineties emo sound with songs like “Rome” and “The Follow”, however that’s about as close as it ever gets.

It makes me wonder what label execs must have thought of an album that contains two acoustic guitar based interludes squeezed in between nine other tracks of moody post-hardcore. Hearing albums like this only makes that time period more interesting to me and music that actually made it to majors due to the overwhelming response to grunge and anything resembling alternative.

Bob Evans – Lawyer [MP3]
Bob Evans – Asphalt [MP3]
Bob Evans – The Follow [MP3]

As mentioned earlier in the post, The Bradley Suite is currently available on Amazon for a penny. So, if the tunes above are of any interest then drop the money for shipping to get the album. Enjoy.